1997 Chevrolet Cavalier LS from North America - Comments

Has been recalled 3 times for various things.

Have had to replace brakes about every 3 months.

Have had to replace rotors.

Enhanced traction system off light and check engine light came on last August. Dealer replace all wiring and spark plugs. Came on again and had to replace timing chain and top part of motor. Now, it is on again.

Exhaust system has rattled since I got it.

The car is good as far as gas mileage is concerned.

While I am always interested in how other Cavalier owners feel about the car line, it would help if we knew why vehicles like this one had the problems they had. I have 2 Cavaliers, a 1997 LS sedan and a 2002 LS coupe. I have had zero problems with either of them and the 1997 just turned 100,000 miles. Each time I read a bad review of the Cavalier I begin to wonder if this is one of those Cavaliers I see on the road that looks like it's robbing the salvage yard. In California there are a good number of Cavaliers, but rarely do I see one that is kept up. For the most part folks run them into the ground and then complain when the car breaks. Again, I have had zero problems and the 2002 that I own went 45,000 miles at a rate of 200 miles per day for the first 10 months. Never, did this car even remotely have a malfunction.

I bought the same model used from a dealership and after only a week both my ETS off and check engine lights came on simultaneously. The performance of the car hasn't seem to be affected, but I'm still getting it checked out anyways. Do you know what the initial problem was with yours?

I just got this car. the "ETS OFF" light and "ABS" light come on and off when they want to. My aunt went and got it checked out and they told her its nothing to worry about. The car has no power what so ever. but it only takes $5 for a quarter tank of gas which isn't too bad. but I end up filling up twice a week. other than that it's a decent car.

Well I'm certainly not robbing the junkyard; they can have this piece of junk...

My '97 was well-kept for about 4-5 years; I put 70k miles on it in that time alone, but was sure to do regular maintenance, buy reliable parts, and not over-stress the four poor little hamsters on their little wheels that make the car go.

My biggest thing is that if something starts to go wrong, you better shop around before paying to fix it. And write down the mechanic's name; you'll be calling him to get it fixed two or three more times before you're done.

I'm not saying the cavalier isn't a decent vehicle; but if you're going to sell a car that falls apart after 100k miles (and that's if you spend enough to make it that far), they should at least sell it a lot cheaper. But for a car that attempts to play with the big boys in price and style, it seems to have a very short shelf-life.