19th Mar 2011, 04:30
I owned a '91 Cavi since new, and the thing ran terrific. An annoyance here and there (belt tensioner, spring grommet UGH!), but overall very reliable and cheap to own.
Sold that to a friend a couple years back - and it's still running.
In Jan. 2011 I purchased a '99 Cavi Z24 convertible with 14,000 miles on it. In the months since, I modified it slightly and couldn't be happier with its performance. Want your Cavi to "come alive"? LET IT BREATHE!
I immediately put a high flow cat, Flowmaster Delta 40 muffler and Borla dual intercooled stainless tip on it. (I kept the resonator) Underhood is a Taylor Helix throttle body spacer, an AEM short ram intake fed through a functional hood scoop and underhood shroud, and some trick ignition parts to light it all up. And man does she run!
I also upgraded the wheels and tires. 16x7 AR Casinos shod with Falken 452's (225/ZR50-16-92W). Handles excellent.
I am quite pleased with my '99 Cavalier.
With very few exceptions, most vehicles are basically good provided they are maintained. Bottom line: Take care of your car, and it'll take care of you.
19th Mar 2011, 14:20
I'm not the reviewer of the Cavalier, but I would guess most people would not want or care to do what you did to your car. You really modified it. That's quite different from basic maintenance. The Cavalier/Sunfire had very spotty reliability.
They never stacked up well against other compact cars. GM actually lost money on ones that they sold. They kept the Cavalier/Sunfire platform running for far too long. These cars did not do GM any favours for their reputation in producing small cars.
28th Mar 2011, 08:38
I own a 2002 Cavalier, and I must say it's a great car! It gets great gas mileage and is cheap to maintain. I have had the car for 5 years and it has had no major repairs.
I highly recommend the Cavalier!
30th Jan 2011, 00:05
I have a 1999 Chevy Cavalier, and I let it sit for 2 years with a little gas in it, and then randomly the other day I decided to put a battery in it, put some more gas in it, and some fuel injection cleaner in it as well. I live in New York, and I did this during winter time, so it was buried in 4 feet of snow, and it started right up. I'm going to put a few parts on her, and put her on the road. Great car!