2003 Chevrolet Cavalier Base from North America - Comments

Nothing.

In terms of engine and transmission, quality and exceptional engineering is the theme for this economical machine. In fact, it is probably the best kept secret in Detroit, because most of you are no doubt used to the old cavaliers with the clumsy 8 valve pushrod 4 that Chevy kept around for 15 years too long.

The engine is GM's all new 16 valve OHC 2.2 L Ecotec. I bought this car based on price alone. I did not test drive it, and did not even know it had the Ecotec in it (or even know about the Ecotec) until I drove it off the lot, and instantly knew that the car did not have the engine I thought it had (the old one).

This is a very well engineered engine, with high quality components. The reliability has been flawless. I was blown away when I opened up the hood, and saw a stainless steel exhaust system. This is unheard of on an economy car, but it is a testament to GM's comittment to quality on its new models. The driveline is full of these kind of high quality touches.

The car also has a silky smooth Getrag manual transmission, which is the brand of transmissions used in the European cars (BMW, Volkswagen, and others). Another wonderful surprise.

While the engine and transmission are great, but the suspension does not follow suit. There is nothing wrong with it; it will get you from point a to point b, but do not let the great performance of the engine make you fool you into thinking you can throw it into any corners. This is still a cheap economy car.

The interior is bare bones, but very serviceable. The AC, which is standard, will blow you out of the car. The seats have cheap materials, and look cheap. But, I do not care.

Being an American car, the exterior sheet metal is thick two sided galvanized. Rust should not be a problem. This is in large contrast to Japanese cars, which as a rule, have sheet metal which is assembled very well, but is of a horrible quality.

I got this car for $9600.00 brand new (I bought it at the end of the model year and played hardball), and it has blown me away in terms of exceeding my expectations.

This car is high performance for what it is, but do not abuse it. I have no doubt that with proper care, this car will get me 250K+ miles, with no sweat.

If you are looking for an economy car, with some very nice touches thrown in, you cannot do any better than this one!

This car is just about ready to turn 25,000 miles, and I am providing an updated review. So far, I am happy to report, the engine and transmission have been absolutely flawless. The last time the car was at the dealership was when I drove it brand new off the lot. I used to work in a dealership, and from that experience determined with great certainty, that I will be the only person that ever works on any of my cars. I change the oil with Mobil 1 every 3000-4000 miles. The car has four grease fittings which I lube at that time as well. The engine runs tremendously well, and is well matched to the transmission. Fuel economy has been in the mid 30's on the highway. The air conditioner blew ice cubes all last summer.

I pulled the tires off at 24,000 miles to rotate them and to address some intermittent brake noise. The tires are wearing very nicely and still have lots of tread left on them. The brake noise sounded like rotor rust, but with 24,000 miles on the original pads, I felt I should go ahead and check things out. The front pads had worn down about two thirds of the way, with the rotors having normal corresponding wear to match. I discovered the noise was in fact due to rotor rust. Some rotor rust is normal after the car sits for a while, but it seems to be happening at a faster rate with this car as the rotors wear down. The brakes perform well. I try to be as easy as I possibly can on them. The original pads will last me until the spring with a comfortable margin, and at that time I will change them and carefully inspect the rotors before most likely machining them as normal. I do not foresee any problems, but will update this review if I come across any.

Just wanted to post a revision to my initial review. The original 8 valve pushrod in the Cavaliers were good engines, and I did not mean to imply otherwise by saying they were kept around too long. I have seen several of them go more than 200K miles without skipping a beat. They are just not as "refined" as most newer engines. But, I will take something that is built solidly and has been proven to last any day, over something that might be silky smooth for a few years, but self destructs within a short period of time time. For some reason, a lot of people seem to perceive Cavaliers as being bad cars, but this is not the case at all. They are just about bullet proof with proper care. I have seen them hold up when subjected to merciless abuse too.

Just returned from a round trip from New Jersey to South Carolina and back, 700 miles each way. The car never missed a beat, I actually achieved 36.5 MPG on this trip, with myself and quite a bit of luggage in the car. This is 2.5 MPG above the cars highway rating of 34. I had given it a fresh oil change of Mobil 1 and a new air filter before my departure. The car now has just under 30,000 miles and I have not had a single problem with anything on it. I remain highly pleased with this car.

I would just like to thank the author for his/her comments on their cavalier. I rely heavily on car survey when considering a purchase and it is these commentaries with up-

dates that I consider most valuable in my decisions. Your candor and well written reviews along with the rest of the submissions on this vehicle make my decision all the more comfortable.

Just want to add that I was considering a Malibu, but if you

read the reviews they were almost universally panned for

repeated problems.

Thanks again,and keep up the updates.

I am a female graduate student and a green hand driver. Just wanna say thank you to all of you who post your comments here. Like most of the women, I am totally lost when the sales people brag their used cars to me. Thanks to your words that I can keep some self-conscious. You guys are my teachers on line! Your opinions are greatly appreciated. Please keep updating!

Original poster again. Car just turned 45,000 miles. The engine and driveline have still given me absolutely no trouble, and perform just like the day I drove the car off the lot.

I inspected the front brakes this weekend, and the original pads still have just a little bit of life left in them, so I am going to let them go a bit longer. The rotors really are shot though (to be expected at this point), so will be replaced when I change the pads. I am pleased with the longevity I got out of them.

One thing I am not pleased about, is one of the front wheel bearings is making a little bit of noise. You have to be listening for it to it to hear it. I will replace that during the brake job as well. It is an easy and inexpensive fix, but still something I could do without.

Keeping things in perspective, if that is all that goes wrong with my car, and the engine and transmission keep going the way they are, I have got it made. But, I will have to get the alignment checked after I make this repair, since it will involve loosening the strut. That is the thing I dislike about this little repair more than anything, because I do not like anybody else touching and/or working on my car (especially the dealership).

Assuming everything goes routinely with the brake/bearing job, I will report back after another chunk of miles.

You only rotate your tires ever 24,000 miles... wow.

The Ecotec family is a GREAT line of engines! Best from GM in MANY years, if EVER!

But it is not from "Detroit".

The Ecotec is a group effort between Opel (German GM) and Lotus. Which is why the engine is so good!

Original poster here again. Just turned 60,000 miles, and not so much of a hint of trouble with the engine or transmission. The car drives just as well as when I drove it off the lot, if not better. The only thing that may need attention in the near future is the struts, as the roads are very bad near where I live, and they have taken a beating.

I also had to recharge the AC this past spring, which is not at all uncommon for an R-134A system. It was a $7.00, five minute fix, which I did without even getting my hands dirty. The molecules of R-134A are much smaller than the old R-12, and it is very common for R-134A to leak as mine did over four years or so, regardless of what type of car it is. The replacement refrigerant has sealant in it, which may prevent that from happening again. I do not believe there is a problem with the system, but will post an update if anything changes. The AC went back to blowing ice cubes immediately after the recharge, and has been working fine all summer.

I have to disagree with 8:52, about the assertion that GM North America did not play a role in the design of the ECOTEC. All of my research indicates that GM North America played a very prominent, if not leading role in designing the ECOTEC, with the assistance of its European subsidiaries, which the way, you forgot to mention SAAB in there.

As far as Lotus is concerned, they were not involved in the most recent ECOTEC development effort, but they did design the cylinder heads for the earlier X20XEV engine used by Opel (not something I knew off the top of my head, but your comment prompted me to do a little research to double check myself), and I suppose it is reasonable to assume probably provided some inspiration for the ECOTEC.

But, the current ECOTEC that I own is a vastly new design, which GM Powertrain of North America had a significant role in, and I am proud to say it was built right in Tonawanda NY, with the window sticker of my car indicating that the engine was 100% USA content. I do not regret my purchase for one minute.

I'll post back in 20,000 miles or so, unless something noteworthy happens in the interim.

I have to second the original poster's commentary on the '03 Chevy Cavalier. I also have an '03, and it has proven to be a trooper after 50k of mostly city driving. I had one solitary fuel-pump failure at 35k, which I believe was the result of a drastic and sudden temperature dip (I live in Chicago). Aside from that fluke and a very minor issue with the rear turn signal lamps, the car's been flawless, and highly economical. I intend to keep it until it falls apart. I only wish I could have had the 5-speed Getrag though, mine is an A/T since my wife can't drive stick.

In a couple of years, I may pick up a used 5-speed Sunfire as a 'toy.' :)

My wife & I got rid of our 2003 Cavalier (which we purchased new) last year as it was becoming too dangerous to drive. With only 30,000 kms, the front strut tower braces kept failing and the non-tilt steering column kept coming loose, making it very difficult to steer as it shook violently and uncontrollably.

The dealership was able to fix the strut issue, but not the steering wheel. After having the car into the dealership a dozen times for the same repairs, the owner, whom my father knows, informed us it was likely due to a design flaw and his mechanics were unable to fix the problem. We were quoted $1200 for installation of a new steering column (it was 1 month out of warranty) but were told there was no guarantee it would fix the problem.

It's really too bad because the engine and transmission were fabulous. It was light and fast and had surprisingly great fuel economy. Despite the problems, I do miss that car and we would definitely still have it today were it not for the steering column problem.