2004 Chevrolet Cavalier from North America

Summary:

Awesome Car, Love it

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car. The car is super fast and is very fun to drive. I put in a K&N air filter, use full synthetic, and mid-grade gasoline. I replaced the front seats and took out the back seat. Wish it came that way. This car is super fast and I get about 38 MPG.

I had a purchased a 2004 Toyota Corolla. What a piece of junk. I had it at their dealership about 10 times. They changed the wheels, the drive axles, the bearings, the transmission, and finally said that the engine was not balanced properly. Anyways, I got my money back and bought the Cavalier. Money well spent. The Cavalier is so much better than the Corolla.

General Comments:

I love the responsiveness of this car.

The acceleration is outstanding.

The gas mileage is superb. 38 MPG.

Replace the base all weather Goodyear tires with a stiff high performance tire.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th June, 2007

16th Aug 2007, 18:44

I did everything you suggested except for the tires. I inflated the factory tires to 40 PSI. They have a max rating of 45. I had to drive a lot miles of the expressway last weekend. I set the cruise control at 62 MPH and drove a total of 525 miles on the expressway with one tank of gas. I filled up with 12.8 gallons.

That's 525/12.8 ~ 41 mpg. Incredible. Thanks for the tips.

12th Nov 2009, 20:45

You're going to ruin your tires.

13th Nov 2009, 15:52

By inflating them to 40 PSI? No you won't. My tires are always inflated to at least 45 PSI and I have always gotten 60,000 or more miles out of my tires. No centerline baldness, but evenly worn. I find that keeping your PSI in the 30's causes uneven wear.

2004 Chevrolet Cavalier LS 2.2 from North America

Summary:

Don't buy it, get a reliable japanese car.

Faults:

Electrical problems: bad contact or loose wire somewhere in the car, resulted in four dealership visits and I had to get towed twice.

Car was still drivable, but wouldn't always restart and the panel shut down i.e. speedometer, odometer, AC etc. didn't work for minutes or sometimes hours.

Dealer said that it could take him days to get out the wires and find the error, but I was on a vacation trip and could not wait.

I didn't trust the car anymore and sold it a few days later.

It was a GM-certified vehicle with full factory warranty.

Manufacturer refused to reimburse any of my rental car expenses even though it was stated in the warranty booklet.

Their lawyer told me that they can't do anything for me since I sold the car (??).

General Comments:

Good acceleration, very good handling on ice/snow, handles turns like it's on rails, reasonable gas mileage, low price.

Unfortunately not very reliable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 7th August, 2006

27th Apr 2007, 20:30

A car don't need to be Japanese to be good. The Cavalier is pretty good, but some Buick and other GM models are awesome.

Also those imports are a disaster for our North-American economy.

2004 Chevrolet Cavalier Coupe from North America

Summary:

Potential

Faults:

Noises in dash board. Air mode button broke 3 times. door Leaks water. black material between door and body is cracking already. When it needs an oil change, it slows way down.

General Comments:

Its been a pretty decent car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th March, 2005

2004 Chevrolet Cavalier LS 2.2L Ecotec from North America

Summary:

Great car built by Chevrolet

Faults:

The paint on the buttons of the shifter knob came off easily.

The brake shifter boot ripped quickly and had to be replaced.

The front rotors warped and had to be resurfaced at 10,000 miles. (I baby the brakes now.)

General Comments:

This car is a great overall car. However, it is not built for big people!! It took me quite a while to find my comfort zone and even with that the leg room leaves little to be desired. After reading other reviews, I have read a lot about dash noises. Thank GOD that I have not had to deal with that yet. In terms of repairs, I have had relatively few items to speak of. The car does handle very well and I will probably drive it into the ground. (I am hoping to get 250,000 miles out of her!) I would recommend this car to anyone buying a car on a budget and anyone that enjoys Chevrolet reliability.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th January, 2005