1996 Chevrolet Cavalier review from North America

Leaking head gasket one day after purchase from dealer. Dealer knew about and hid the problem beforehand and refused to help after purchase. Got Attorney General involved.

Replaced clutch, pressure plate and slave cylinder at 71000 miles for slipping.

General Motors issued replacement for head gasket for various Cavaliers, S10 Pickup Truck and Z24 models. Head gasket replaced at 80000 miles at no charge.

Replaced under warranty clutch, pressure plate and slave cylinder at 75000 miles for slipping.

Replaced clutch master cylinder at 124000 for causing clutch to slip. Dealer was of no help as to cause of slipping problems.

Drives very well and comfortably.

Acceleration is quick and handles well.

Engine is of poor design; a nightmare to work on. some specialized tools required. Very few after market parts are available. I've never had to go to the dealer to buy spark plugs for any car before and the parts department isn't open at convenient times like a regular auto parts store purchase parts when needed.

Hydraulic clutches are very quirky systems that require close attention and can fail at any given time.

This is the first car I've ever owned that has uses cables to attach the shift stick to the transmission. I can't "feel" the engine when I'm driving.

At 136000 miles, I am having to have one thing or another fixed or replaced on this car weekly. No owner should have to waste so much time caring for an automobile to get reliable performance from it.