1992 Chevrolet Cavalier VL from North America - Comments

Alternator ($40)

Serpentine belt ($40)

Stabilizer link (passenger side) ($30)

Axle shaft (passenger side) ($200)

Door latch (drivers side) (free)

Condenser 2 times 1st (free) 2nd ($200)

Rear re-bar (from bumper mounted hitch) ($150)

Upper radiator hose (free)

Valve cover gasket ($15)

Power door actuator repaired (both sides) (free)

Repaired rust hole in rear fender well (unknown)

Torque converter lockup disconnected (N/A)

Platinum spark plugs ($40)

AC delco wires (unknown)

Update: drivers side stabilizer link went due to stupid driving... ($30)

The radiator was at the point of bursting soon so i replaced it (free)

also replaced the lower rad hose, and coolant recovery bottle (free)

the inner cv boot ripped so i replaced that too ($20)

tranny fluid filter and tcc solenoid ($120)

Pros:

Great beginner car, very reliable even in the dead of winter it starts right up, never left me stranded.

Parts are cheap, relatively easy to work on, can get complete cars for under $300.

Very comfortable seats, good visibility, good stereo for a budget car, like the quick steering ratio (2.5 turns lock to lock).

Transmission kicks down at the right time, drives great in the winter with all seasons.

Cons:

Terribly slow, not great for towing, rust rust and more rust.

Terrible gas mileage for a good running 4 cylinder (24 MPG).

Cheap interior plastic breaks easily, cheap cup holders.

Words Of Wisdom:

Do the work yourself otherwise it's not worth fixing.

If you are going to tow with this car, buy a frame mounted hitch (or be prepared to get a new rear rebar).

If the body is in good shape have it rust proofed every year.

Be wary of original head gaskets on 2.2's (mine is still good knock on wood). If it's done right, it shouldn't have any more problems in the future.

Be gentle with interior plastics.

Don't use belt dressing on the serpentine belt, just put a good quality belt on it (I used Goodyear's gatorback belt).

If the engine bogs in the rain, get new wires, plugs, and coils.

Don't bother fixing the A/C on these cars.

Don't bother putting performance parts on these cars (unless you have a rust free car).

Do regular oil changes and the engine will last forever.

Don't bother fixing the torque converter lock up solenoid. update i have fixed it myself with a tranny fluid and filter change for about $120 worth of parts (bottom pan and side pan gasket, solenoid, fluid, and filter).

As an update to the review, I still have the car and it still runs great.

The rust seems to be getting worse, but the interior is still in great shape, the car currently has about 152,000km (from 122,000km) when I bought it, I'd say I got my money's worth, I have a *new* car now (1984 Chevy Camaro) and will hopefully be using this car for the winter (if parking/storage doesn't become an issue).

I have had one problem during the winter that has left me on the road, the ignition control module crapped out (the computer thing under the coils) upon replacing the module for an aftermarket one the car never ran right, and eventually after replacing dozens of parts (crank sensor, coils, injectors, throttle position sensor, map sensor, coolant temp sensor, and spark plugs), I eventually tried another module; this time it was original and the car ran perfect again, (moral of the story, don't buy aftermarket ignition modules).

Gas mileage is still in the low 20's (was in the teens during winter), I seem to get about 500-550km per tank (about 55+ liters). I've done a transmission flush and contrary to what others say about leaving old fluid in, it has worked great, but you have to do a complete flush (i.e. pull a trans cooler line and run the engine to drain the torque converter, then do the normal pan and filter thing).

I also took the opportunity to fix the torque converter lock up solenoid, and surprisingly it hasn't affected my gas mileage for the better.

In short I like the Cavalier enough that I am still keeping it (that should say something).