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Chevrolet Cavalier

2171 messages,  Last post on Aug 23, 2012 at 6:41 PM

You are in the Chevrolet Cavalier Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Cavalier, Sedan

Messages Page 36 of 217

#351 of 2171 Cavalier = Best Buy - Then & Now by denhly

Nov 05, 2000 (9:45 pm)

Folks, I have to share with you my wonderful experience with our '97 Chevy Cavalier LS. Purchased new in the Fall of '97, my wife and I wanted a commutable sedan that would lend itself to hauling around our then only daughter an be able to handle grocery and mall shopping capacity tasks. Did I mention that I drive 82 miles roundtrip a day and my wife drives 110 miles roundtrip a day? Since I work steady midnights (11p-7a) shifts and my wife works normal 9-5 hours, we share the cavalier for commuting. So this car during a five day period commuting alone goes 960 miles. We now have 122,000 problem free miles on our cavalier. We are so impressed with this car, we are now in the process buying a second 2001 Cavalier we will keep the '97 Cavalier as a primary driver. Both cars are LS sedans, except we are ordering the 2.4L engine in our new cavalier. For no specific purpose other than we wanted to have the larger HP rating. The 2.2L was described as "Venerable" when we bought our '97 and it certainly has been for us. What a great engine. I hope to report hope same on the 2.4L. By the way, the $2,500 rebate on the Cavalier was the incentive we needed to buy right now, otherwise we we just rely on our trusty '97 for the commute duties. I wish our '89 Toyota was as reliable as our '97 Cavalier has been.

#352 of 2171 mmm...high miles by occupant1

Nov 06, 2000 (4:27 am)

I like high mileage cars...after you hit 250K email me...if it still runs I'll drive it for courier work and I'm putting about 1200-1500 miles a week on the 1995 Aspire I have now. No dealer will give you good money and many people are scared of high miles. I had a 1989 Escort once with 351K...I am NOT scared of high miles. The Cavalier can be a good car (I have seen them with over 300K) and the seat folds down and that makes it OK for my kind of work. Good luck keeping the odometer spinning!

#353 of 2171 denhly by dindak

Nov 06, 2000 (1:55 pm)

The 2.4L should be a lot more fun to drive. We have a 99 with the 2.2L, but I find the power to be lacking a bit. It might be because I usually drive our V6 Intrigue, but if I bought another Cavalier I would go 2.4L for sure.

#354 of 2171 denhly 2.4 by joe3891

Nov 06, 2000 (6:31 pm)

Good luck with your 2.4,keep us informed on how you like it.

#355 of 2171 Black paint job on 2001 Cavalier, is this normal ? by jaytone

Nov 07, 2000 (12:22 am)

Hi
 I bought a new 2001 Black Z24. It has the clearcoat paintjob and is black.
 When looking at the car in sunlight or at an angle, there are what seems hundreds of fine scratches in the clearcoat. Again, its mostly noticable in bright sunlight. The dealer says that its normal and is more pronounced on a black car than on other colors.
 My friend has a new Monte Carlo, black, but doesnt have the same scratches. I undestand that the Cavalier is no comparison to the Monte, but its upsetting.
 Does anyone else have these fine scratches on there Cavalier ?
Thanks

#356 of 2171 jaytone by dindak

Nov 07, 2000 (2:15 pm)

The paint used on the Cavalier is not quite the same quality as on the Monte Carlo. That being said, we have a black 99 sedan and it seems fine. I do take it through car washed (touchless and softcloth).


Have you waxed?

#357 of 2171 jaytone by malibu99

Nov 07, 2000 (3:42 pm)

Those fine scratches or "swirls" are caused by the buffing of the paint job. From what you are saying it appears that the dealership did not do a complete wax job before delivery. But fear not, go to any autoparts store and buy yourself Maguires swirl and scratch remover and a bottle of Maguires wax. Follow the instructions for both and your car will look better than when it was delivered. Swirl marks are indeed normal to a paint job especially for dark colored cars. I have a navy blue malibu and the swirls are not even noticeable since I use Maguires wax.


Good luck!

#358 of 2171 . by metalfred

Nov 14, 2000 (2:16 pm)

I have to say, my cavalier has been the best car.
Very dependable and cheap. I bought my 94 Cavalier in 96 with 29,000 on it. Got it for 6,500. Cheap. I know have 150,000 on it with no problems. I drive 140 miles round trip everyday. It has never failed me. I have no doubts in this car starting for me everytime I turn the key.


I do regular maintenance, oil change every 3,500 miles. I had to change the normal things too, like struts, shocks, alternator, radiator, battery. The 2.2 is a great engine. I have a friend who keeps waiting for the car to die. I don't think it will for a while. I know I can get atleast 200K on it.


NEVER PUT BOSCH PLATINUM PLUGS IN IT. I had problems with it missing with both sets of replacement plugs. I put AC back it. Not a problems since.


When that happens, I will probably get another 2 year old Cavalier. I Get a GM discount, but the resale value on these cars are not the best. I can get them alot cheaper a couple years old.


Keep 'em for the long haul.

#359 of 2171 Knocking noise under the hood by amram76

Nov 17, 2000 (8:08 pm)

Hi all! I am new to this forum and this is my first post. but i have been reading the other posts since a couple of weeks and are they helpful or what!! i have a 99 chevy cavalier.
4-dr Sedan automatic with the 2.4L engine. i bought it a couple of months ago with 27000 miles on it. since 3 weeks or ago or so i am hearing a strange knocking noise under the hood it occurs when i go at low speeds on uneven roads or soemtimes when making sharp turns. i am sure something is loose down there which makes that sound when it gets shaken in some particular way since the sound is not there always. i took it
to the dealer since its still under warranty but he couldn't find anything. A friend of mine says that sometime the engine becomes loose on its mounts or something like that(he owns a metro prism). i am not sure whether that might be the problem or not. Have any of you heard of a similar problem. please help me out with this one. that noise is driving me nuts. thanks

#360 of 2171 Amram... by vocus

Nov 17, 2000 (8:57 pm)

Mine did that too. Have them check the front struts. When mine did it, they checked the struts but for some strange reason couldn't find it the first time and said there was loose change in the glovebox and that I should just drive the car and enjoy it. After speaking with my attorney and when the technician who said that was terminated right on the spot, then they looked at the problem more seriously. It was a broken front strut. They replaced it at 40,000 miles free of charge.

Messages Page 36 of 217

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