1997 Chevrolet Cavalier 2 door colored bumpers review from North America
"The whole experience sucked"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
You name it.
Wipers dead. 5,000 Repaired under warranty.
Brake pulsations at 10,000mi.
Axle seals replaced twice around 12,000.
Popping out of 3rd gear.
Misfire codes.
Pistons replaced at 19,000.
Then the engine started puking rod bearings every 10,000 miles.
GM paid for 2 engine rebuilds, I had to foot the bill for the 3rd.
General comments?
Quite disappointingly, my car was an unexpected lemon.
Turns out my cousins 1997 was also troublesome in different ways... Head gasket problems all the time.
My car had so much stuff go wrong with it, Plus... an incapable dealership, GM not helping out much, and a lot of weird events made that 2 years of ownership a real burdon.
If a car gets 2 engine rebuilds by the time its out of warranty, I'd say that's a buyback.
Gm didn't care. Now I don't care about anything else they want to offer me. there's too many choices out there for that crap.
The dealership that sold me the car is now out off business... go figure.
All the other dealerships are still around... they must be doing it right.
I wish I would have known.
So here's the ultimate lesson for everyone... The car you buy is not just the car you buy, its also the dealership that services it.
When you go to buy be sure to check out the service department. Listen to whats going on and check out the mechanics...
Take a peek in the window of some fixed cars,
See grease on the steering wheel?
Grease stains on the carpet?
Don't shop there.
Recommended reviews
| I think that it is a Great car to have just needs the right upkeep |
| I love it, I would never ask for a different first car |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1997 |
| Year of manufacture | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 1996 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 1999 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.2 Manual |
| Performance marks | 0 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 0 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 1 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 0 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 22 miles |
| Most recent distance | 50000 miles |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Monza |
| Date of Entry | 3rd May, 2005 |