1996 Chevrolet Cavalier Reviews

The dash squeaks at road speeds, and the gas cap is on wrong side. Good power, handling, visibility. Very reliable for a car with over 190,000 miles on it. I do wish the air conditioning still worked. I hope to keep it long enough to teach my kid to drive with it. It's good on gas; about 26 to 30 mpg. It's a decent driver. The seats don't move smoothly, though, and it's a bit tough to get the oil changed. The exterior has held up well.

Here's what it comes down to. This is a mid-90's econo-sedan that was not meant for great things. It was designed with cheapness in mind, and while they tried to make it look "snappy" (I believe thats an appropriate 90's slang term), they didn't successfully draw enough influence from their target audience. Luckliy for them, the older section of the market was looking for a cheaper car that had a sporty look, thats why you see many people over 50 on the road in these cars. I got mine from my grandmother. But honestly, I couldn't ask for a better car.

I'll break it down like this: Performance, Mantinance, and Looks.

Performance: This is an interesting vehicle to drive, as it handles relativley well flexing in curves in appropriate spaces. Times where I pull one wheel in the air (yes, it happens with a stock suspension) are in turns of 30 plus mph, but I doubt many people turn at these speeds. Given the torture it endures, it pulls through and always gives me plenty of grip, and I must say, it really only has minor understeer.
The engine is underwhelming (it's equped with the 2.2L 134 ci, single cam. Roughly 120 bhp at the crank). I've timed 60 in 9.3 with the 4 speed auto, not really that bad for an econo car that nets me 27 mpg with driving arround town and some minor highway use. The brakes are fairly good, but the ABS leaves alot to be desired. Actuation is slower than if I was to actually pump the brakes myself, but you get used to it and learn to break a little more ahead of time to avoid drama in slicker situations.

Build quality: What I've had to replace: brake lines (blew them out in traffic, lines on the frame rails, both sides of the car. Corrosion was the cause. Watch that. Besides that, it's held up. Motor runs clean, the tranny shifts fine, and it pulls when it's called upon. I replaced the air filter and put on new rims and tires, new front rotors as well. She's built fine.

Appearance: Cavaliers have always been interesting cars from a design standpoint, as they were meant to convey "I"m sporty, yet economical." The body lines flow well with the car, and from the front doors up, the car curves well and (especially on the hood) is pleasing to the eye (at least, to mine). Pass the B pillar, head aft, I don't think it's a great look. The doors, while keeping the lines, compress to a fatter, less steep bank to the deck lid which is, frankly, about 4 inches too tall. The tail lights are too rounded for a car that is rounded enough. Also, the rear bumper has two small rounded-rectangular bumps arround the liscence plate that don't seem to fit with any other lines on the car.

It's my first car, I have to love it, but still, I don't mind complaining about it. It's a strong runner, hasn't really failed me (minus brake lines, BEWARE!!!), and I plan to keep it. Who knows, some body work and some engine work, I may have this thing lapping Porsches.

I got a black 4 door cavalier as my first car and for the most part I love it. it gets great gas mileage, and is a cute looking car..which really beats driving my dad's hand-me-down van. :) overall it is a great first car i would reccomend it to anyone. as with any car, if you take care of it, it will show. great car. if you are looking for a car, consider a cavalier. thankss :)

My grandmother's car. I sometimes have use of it when I visit PEI. It's not fancy, but it's a surprising lot of fun to drive. Steering is responsive and precise, acceleration is visceral and immediate. The transmission is a rather dated 3-speed and the brakes need constant repairs, but I still quite like this car.

I love my car, it's really a Ferrari cleverly disguised as a toyota. It's red and goes faster. There's nothing I really dislike about my car except the dodgy petrol gauge so some times I run out of gas............ooops. I've read lots of bad reveiws about it but I can safely say it's given me no problems and I've not had to spend any money on it.