Exhaust fell apart in no time, replaced with a stainless steel Scorpion (£350)which is still going strong & gives a great noise.
Rear dampers began to leak at 35,000 miles, replaced with sports dampers & springs (£300) all round which make the car stick to the road like glue & make the car look far more aggressive with 16" wheels.
Head gasket & hydraulic cam lifters gone at 46,000??, both replaced along with the engine being balanced, ported & flowed + schrik cam (£1000). Power gain was astonishing.
Fronts discs began to warp at 50,000, replaced with EBC discs & pads which have significantly improved braking (£200).
Realiabilty has been second to none.
Running costs are good even after engine mods (keeps up with 16 valves).
After nearly 7 years the paint is still gleaming & there are no signs of rust anywhere.
Availability of standard & performance parts for this car is excellent.
Acoustics of the car are great (ideal for large stereo installations).
Easy to work on & service at home provided you have access to good tools.
When you said there was no rust after 7 years are you sure there isn't any around the wheel arches? I've got a 2.0i and it's just starting to go now around the arches!! But the rest of the review is spot on. The acoustics are brilliant and reliability is excellent! Great review of a great car!
I've had my cavalier for some time now and still no signs of rust on the archs or anywhere else mines been played about with and will play with a lot of unsuspecting cars and usually come up tops, hoping for a turbo install later this year and a nos kit so I will beat the rest
a very underated car with loads of potential.
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