2001 Chevrolet Prizm Base from North America - Comments

Nothing major as went wrong with this car. Simple things like brakes, tires, bulbs those kind of things. The trim on the inside of the doors is peeling off on all four doors.

I have owned Prizms since 1990 when they first came onto the market, my first Prizm lasted 195,000 until the transmission gave out it was a wonderful small car, then I moved onto a 1997 Prizm LSi I love this car and still have it, however I ran a lot of miles up very quickly and in 2001 I decided to purchase another Prizm this one however no longer carried the Geo logo, but a Chevy one. I can say this the quality seemed to drop, it just doesn't seem put together as well or nearly as quiet as my 97 Geo Prizm, its almost like the 97 should have been the newest one and the 01 should have been the second generation instead of the third. Also the Chevrolet model seems more bland, however all three of my Prizm's have been very reliable. It's a shame that they quit making the Prizm, I mean I know its just a cheaper twin of the Corolla, but the Prizm offered a great deal. Another thing I guess I can mention the 1990 Prizm seemed quicker than the 97 or the 01. The 97 had a 4-speed auto transmission while the 1990 and 2001 both have 3-speed automatics.

When you put the Chevrolet brand name on ANYTHING, you ruin it.

If you put the Chevrolet name plate on a Bentley, it would probably turn into a Yugo.

Yes, I have to agree that the quality has dropped from the second generation prizm. They had a lot better ride. That was the closest I have felt to a lexus without paying for one. The 98 and up prizms have the ride of a horse buggy. The engines seem to be about as good as the 1st and 2nd gen prizms. The gas mileage on them is highly overrated though.

Yea I agree the Chevrolet model did drop in quality. The second generation was a lot better, but the engine needed more horsepower, I believe that generation was the slowest.

It has been my experience with Corollas and Prizms that the basic models (base Prizm, Corolla base/DX/CE) have the 3-speed automatic which robs power and mileage. LSi Prizms and Corolla LE and S models have the 4-speed automatic and in some cases a more powerful engine. The best powertrain combination for mileage is the base engine with manual transmission, but if you must have an automatic transmission, go for the upgraded LSi/LE/S models with the 4-speed automatic. It's worth any extra cost. To prove my point, go to fueleconomy. gov and look at the fuel economy ratings for the different cars. 4-speed automatic models typically see 30 city, 38 highway. 3-speed automatic models typically see 28 city, but only 32 highway. 5-speed manual models get 32 city, 41 highway on base engines and a little less with the better engines.

"It's a shame that they quit making the Prizm, I mean I know its just a cheaper twin of the Corolla, but the Prizm offered a great deal."

The new Toyota-GM cousins are the Touota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe.