1998 Pontiac Sunfire User Reviews

Cons: The build quality could have been better and they are not cheap to fix especially if you have to pay a garage their shop rates.

I also feel that they could be better on gas but there are also parts on the market to help with this along with making sure that the O2 sensor is working properly as that will eat at your fuel economy in a hurry.

The water pumps are known to go and on the GT models the engine has to be removed from the car to be able to get at it to be replaced. It is a minimum $821.00 and can cost up to $1131.00 to fix as there are other parts that usually need replacing when the pump goes and are (GM) only parts.

It pays to shop around for the right car and always ask about the repair history as well as receipts for the work or it could get expensive. "These cars are getting older and if they were not maintained properly then it is to be expected".

"When buying I strongly recommend you check  the rocker panels and look for any signs of rust as these cars have been known to break in half if the rockers have been destroyed by rust".

If you see any signs of rust poking up around the rocker moldings (right and left side) ("on the regular coupe") walk away because it means that the rust has already eaten through the rocker where you can't see and has probably destroyed the inner structure.

It is roughly ($967.00) per side to fix minimum if the whole outer panel has to be replaced and the inner structure is needed to be repaired.

The GT is harder to check due to the size of the body molding. You have to  reach in directly behind the molding on both sides and you want to do it in front of both rear wheels and behind the front wheels and or try to look underneath to see signs of rust and again if the rockers look rotten walk away.