1997 Chevrolet Cavalier RS from North America - Comments

This car had a perpetual oil leak despite having been repaired several times. Not one mechanic was able to tell me why it could not be repaired for good.

I made yet another trip to the dealer when the car was recalled. It seems some models were refusing to make left hand turns. Go figure!

The brakes would grind loudly. My friendly neighborhood Chevy dealer actually said, "Oh, there's nothing wrong with these brakes. They're just dirty, that's all." Wow.

Yet another recall when the ignition switch had to be repaired. Or at least I think it was one of those recalls. By this point, I'd lost track.

For some reason, the wheels made a very loud rattling while driving at any speed. Another mystery to the oh-so-helpful Chevy dealer.

The last straw was when I was on the highway and the car stalled out of nowhere. After that, I actually became afraid for my life. I told the tow truck driver to take the car out of my sight. Literally.

After being put into a dangerous situation on a busy highway, this "car" and I parted company in a big hurry. I actually rented a car while shopping for my new one, as I refused to get behind the wheel again.

I guess in general it handled alright. The only good thing about it was the gas mileage it got.

But if you couldn't tell from above, the car's technical failure was only made worse by the complete lack of interest on the dealer's part. They were all over me like a cheap suit when I was in the process of purchasing it, but acted like they didn't know who I was when things started to go wrong. And believe me, it didn't take long at all for things to go wrong.

I think that's the part that really threw me over the edge. Maybe I could resolve to the fact that perhaps I caught a lemon if it weren't for the absolutely horrible attitude of the dealer and Chevrolet in general. Maybe they react so badly because they know they've manufactured a fleet of jalopies? I'll leave it to you good people to decide.

On a happier note, I've happily settled into my beautiful, reliable, completely problem-free Toyota Corolla. My friends, I love America. But when it comes to cars, the Japanese have gotten it right.

I have to say you got a lemon. The car is great. I think it was the dealer that made you mad. No the japanese do not have the car business right. They make horrible cars using horrible components in the engine. Why do you think they can sell them for so cheap?

I don't think that the Cavalier is bad at all. I've had none of the troubles you have commented on. The only time when my car stalled was on days under 0 degrees F and that was only during the first ten minutes of sitting outside all night in below 0 weather. I think you just got a lemon. Also, this is a review on your Cavalier and nothing else. I like foreign, but don't bring other cars into this review. Thank you.

My 97 Cavalier had no problems prior to a fender bender and except for style, I would buy another. When I went to my dealer with problems, they didn't know who I was either, but could not have been anymore helpful even if a 60 minutes' camera team was standing there.

I think the problem was the dealer and Chevy. Never take your car in to the dealer. Those fools will never get anything right. I also want to say, good job for getting out of that damn Chevy and into a Toyota. I am also a Chevy victim.

I found the comment about not bringing other manufacturers into the discussion a little insulting...

I think that the point of a car review website is to see how cars stack up; I mean, if we only had one car made by one company, then there would be no point for a website like this; why complain about something unless you have the option of going to something else?

I must say that I have also noticed on my cavalier that when something *does* break, that one thing seems to break down over and over and over again; I don't know if it is just that other unknown problems keep causing symptoms that I keep fixing (which is possible), or if certain parts just aren't made up to snuff.

Bought a 97 in early 2001. Other than minor maintainence, no problems at all. changed ignition switch last month at a cost of $30.00. Never let a dealer work on your car, stay away from the 2.4 Quad four. This car is every bit as good as any Asian car.

I do not think it is as good as any Asian car. Maybe in the category of being stolen or something you can get dirt cheap the Cavalier is better. Typically Asian cars are built out of some of the finest materials, and being it is 1997 you compare, many Civics and Corollas rivaled many 25,000 dollar American cars.

I have personally been in a few Cavaliers, and know for a fact they are not as good as a Honda or Toyota. You can get 250,000 miles out of the Honda for sure without a lot of maintenance... I know because I owned one, and so does my neighbor, and our cars are running nice with that mileage. I have yet to see that many Cavaliers or 2.2 liter Chevy motors with that testament. Maybe the V8s, but no American four cylinder.

^ Funny you say that. I have had 3 cavaliers with 2.2's with over 200,000 miles on them.

Great cars for the money. Cheap to fix. Parts are easy to find when needed.