1998 Chevrolet Cavalier Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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User reviews for 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier
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by Shannon D
Oct 25, 2021
My favorite feature of the 2 door Chevy Cavalier is the way the door and top structure are built. My daughter totaled my Cavalier almost 15 years ago in a multiple roll over accident and had no injuries. Ive been to salvage yards and am always amazed how Cavaliers have always held up in major accidents. I would trust my family in a Chevy Cavalier any time!!!!Oct 25, 2021
by Anonymous
Jan 18, 2014
I dislike the pass lock system on this car wish they went a different way with it. Other then that its a great car. As for the 2.2 4 cyl. it has great get up and go. I love my beater.Jan 18, 2014
by Csopi B
Dec 06, 2013
We leased this car in 2000 , it was 2 years old @ 36,000 km. All these years we drove it without having any problems with it. We only did the regular maintenance on it. Absolutely loved this car. It was a short series built in 1998 . Thank you GM for this car. Took pictures of my "Snoopy" pat her on the back and thanked her hor being such a good reliable car for us.Dec 06, 2013
User rating:
by Shannon D
Oct 25, 2021
My favorite feature of the 2 door Chevy Cavalier is the way the door and top structure are built. My daughter totaled my Cavalier almost 15 years ago in a multiple roll over accident and had no injuries. Ive been to salvage yards and am always amazed how Cavaliers have always held up in major accidents. I would trust my family in a Chevy Cavalier any time!!!!Oct 25, 2021
by Anonymous
Jan 18, 2014
I dislike the pass lock system on this car wish they went a different way with it. Other then that its a great car. As for the 2.2 4 cyl. it has great get up and go. I love my beater.Jan 18, 2014
by Csopi B
Dec 06, 2013
We leased this car in 2000 , it was 2 years old @ 36,000 km. All these years we drove it without having any problems with it. We only did the regular maintenance on it. Absolutely loved this car. It was a short series built in 1998 . Thank you GM for this car. Took pictures of my "Snoopy" pat her on the back and thanked her hor being such a good reliable car for us.Dec 06, 2013
by Anonymous
Aug 05, 2013
Own this sporty coupe almost 16 years and counting...without much of maintenance. The odometer is now around 125,000 mile. The 3rd year of ownership had the original fuel pump replaced at a dealer and was told it's a common problem (it sometimes cause idle problem). The new model fuel pump was put in place of the original one and lasts until now.
Gas mileage is rather good until these days for OHV engine without variable valve timing assisted. The bottom line is...this car is reliable and dependable (once the common known problem was corrected), good road holding (better than I thought it would be) especially in heavy rain. In a windy day the car is impressively stable. Acceleration is quite impressive in spite of being shy of horsepower (with relatively high torque for the normal engine) and still get good gas mileage. The other thing is the body painting is good quality and still shinny (bright red).Aug 05, 2013
by Luke H
Jul 02, 2013
The Cavalier is a great little car, it gets me where I need to go and doesn't complain. It has decent power for a four cylinder gas engine, also decent on gas (depending on conditions). Over all it is a great car and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to get around in an affordable way.Jul 02, 2013
by Martin C
Feb 12, 2011
Very reliable car....cheap on gas and with the 2.4L with manual transmission, it's pretty quick....and when u need to do maintenance, parts are really cheap to buy as well..... i love this car even if it's just a cavalier...lol ....Feb 12, 2011
by Rachel L
Dec 06, 2010
It's cute. Decent acceleration, braking, and handling for a base model chevy. Build
quality isn't great, most things that go wrong with the engine are hard to get to.
It's alot of fun to drive. gas mileage is GREAT on the highway, sucky as hell in
town. Dec 06, 2010
by Bill K
Oct 06, 2010
reliable, cheap, and lots of aftermarket upgrades.
accelerator lag high and clumsy steering wheel with drag too heavy.
watch out for only 3 speed if getting auto...not very highway worthy....you NEED the 4 speed auto .
tons of this version "j-body" cars around for pieces and its very reliable....everything important always holds up on these.
Oct 06, 2010
by Joshua O
Aug 26, 2010
Decent car. No rust. definitely a plus for living in NewYork I love how is sounds (Not like a ricer) deep loud growl. and it's standard. That is a big deal for me. :) I love it Being able to control the rpms how I want. Aug 26, 2010
by Anonymous
Jun 15, 2010
this car gave me n othin but crap. had it for eight months took good care of it and over all i put about six hundred into it then my motor died. i put two front wheel bearings, back wheel cylinder,fuel pump, ignition modual and still ran like crap. motor died at 196000 km. il never buy a cavelier again totoal garbage.Jun 15, 2010
by Glenn M
Apr 09, 2010
Hey guys. So, the Cavalier was a good car to me. The acceleration was more than I thought there would be, the brakes were sufficient. It was a very fun car to drive, but maybe that's because there was times when I would cram 9 or more people in there. Lol. Although it was a small car, the leg room in the back wasn't too bad. I only had it for roughly three months but that was only because there was a oil leak and it ran out of oil and seized the motor. Otherwise, I believe I would've had that car for years to come.Gas mileage was very nice considering the miles it had on it, and the repairs were minimal at most. Chevy's are meant to last and this one was no exception: with over 135,000 miles on it and it was still chuggin along, there would be no doubt that if you got the chance to get one, DO IT!! Very awesome economy car!! Apr 09, 2010
by Cody M
Mar 14, 2010
It is good at getting to hockey games real quick and back without using a whole lot of fuel. It doesn't have a lot of horsepower. So if you like to drive muscle cars you probably wouldn't like this. It is a good Car.Mar 14, 2010
by Ryan H
Jan 18, 2010
It may only be a four cylinder car , but overall best car i have ever owned. Even when its stock with no mods it performs and drives like a rally drift car. This car is very fun to drive on and off road.Jan 18, 2010
by Nick R
Jan 15, 2010
Great engine, looks good lowered with or without body kits. big doors, reliable, my mom bought it for me :)
cheap, fun to drive hard, I havent changed the rear brakes in 6 plus years. Always starts, fully loaded, power everything.Jan 15, 2010
by Anonymous
Nov 21, 2009
it need few repairs and it is cheap and maintenance is so easy and not cost to much it realy good car i loved it yes there is fun with that car but it not soo fast but it is safeNov 21, 2009
by Jeremy M
Nov 17, 2009
it does have ok acceleration but it needs more.
there is a couple blemishes that need to be done to the body but overall its nice.
the exterior styling is good, wish i had a spoiler tho.
gas mileage could be a little better but i cant complain about 24mpg, maintenance is no issue.
the car is a lot of fun to drive.Nov 17, 2009
by Tyler P
Sep 27, 2009
the car is reasonable looking purchased for gas mileage car gets the job done but is nothing special seems to be built well have had no problems with it . this car isnt spectacular but i deliver pizza so mileage is all i needSep 27, 2009
by Jaredd T
May 11, 2009
great starter car, good fuel economy easy to work on and cheap to repair. could use more power. insurance is low and parts are aboundant. its is a safe and fun entry level vehicle. and mine had a sunroof which was a nice touchMay 11, 2009
by Heath P
May 05, 2009
I purchased this 1998 cavalier for 500 dollars when the transmission in my Ranger crapped out. And I consider it the best 500 dollars i"ve spent this year. Even after my truck is fixed, this car is going to seeing a lot of action in the future.May 05, 2009
by Jason R
Feb 10, 2009
It required lots of work, but overall fun for the money it costs. Fun to tinker with and make it how you want. If you dont do to much to it, and take care of the car. Its pretty reasonable to own.Feb 10, 2009
by Ryan E
Dec 17, 2008
Performance: alright acceleration, bad braking, alright handling.
Build: back bumper is IR plastic;alright, I guess.
Appearance: White with 2mm navy blue pinstripe, chipped back bumper, interior is shabby and smells.
Cost:Gas is alright, needs new brakes often.
Fun: Not really.
NOTE:: This is NOT my car.Dec 17, 2008
by Sean E
Aug 02, 2008
My gf's car. Not the cutest or most efficient drive, unless of course we are speaking of the gas efficiency. The manual version could be fun at times, but I don't recommend this over the new Cobalt. The Cobalt is in a far greater league than the Cavaliers. Sorry, but that's that!
Aug 02, 2008
by Brittany K
Aug 01, 2008
Very easy on gas!!! You can fill the tank and it'll last you a week! =) Very clean, and simple yet very efficient. It's very easy to add performance to the engine and to find parts for. The car is very fun to drive and easy to maneuver. You'll love it from day one! Aug 01, 2008
by Anonymous
Jun 07, 2008
Since I brought the car I've never really had any problems with it like that. It runs smooth.Jun 07, 2008
by Anonymous
Apr 18, 2008
Have had no problem with this vehicle other than normal wear and tearApr 18, 2008
by Kevin K
Apr 09, 2008
i hate this car, the build quality is terible. the 2.4L quad 4 motor is the worst engine ever.
RULE 1: NEVER BUY ANYTHING WITH A QUAD FOUR.
RULE 2: DON'T BUY A J-BODY VEHICLEApr 09, 2008
by Anonymous
Apr 08, 2008
It was a fun reliable car. It was fast and fun, but the interior was cheap. Everything rattled after putting subs in it.Apr 08, 2008
by Nick K
Apr 02, 2008
not as good as a second gen. but itll doApr 02, 2008
by Bobby S
Mar 25, 2008
Well lately its been a jerk on gas, but that could be the AEM CAI I installed after X-mas. I just put a set of 17" Enkei RS-Vs with Falken tires on a month ago and they're great!! And they look a million time better than the stock 15s!Mar 25, 2008
by Ben B
Mar 23, 2008
Great on gas but it definitely ain't pretty...Mar 23, 2008
by John S
Mar 18, 2008
I have had this car since it was new and it performs OK, but some of the newer 4 Cyl (like the Cobalt) blow it away.
I have 160k on it and still get 34 Mpg on the Highway. Can't complain about that.Mar 18, 2008
by Bryan H
Feb 10, 2008
Ran a 14.9 qtr with intake and exhaust, sold the car and never got to run it again but added header, fidanza flywheel, centerforce clutch, and the intake manifold from an older quad 4 engine.Feb 10, 2008
by Anonymous
Jan 05, 2008
Easy car to work with, parts are easy to find and everything on the car seems to be easy to get to and therefor simple to fix. It runs good and has a nice amount of pep for a 4 banger.Jan 05, 2008
by Peggy S
Jan 02, 2008
This was a two door,So with kids is was a pain.Also a standard,never again.
Bucket seats that were nice.A little hard in back.Jan 02, 2008
by Ryan K
Dec 25, 2007
This car is amazing. I love it mostly because i get 32 miles to a gallon.Dec 25, 2007
by Trina B
Nov 20, 2007
You get what you pay for. Drives nice but cheaply builtNov 20, 2007
by Anonymous
Sep 08, 2007
i have one and i may never sell it. the suspension needs a little work. also the fuel gauge meter is crazy!Sep 08, 2007
by Anonymous
Aug 19, 2007
it gets 36mpg, i changed the waterpump@95,000 miles and chain,battery is 6 years old also changed alternator,front pads on brakes thats it seems like it has more power after 100,000 miles.
it will do a front wheel burnout if i wanted to dog it. but its not a race car. terryAug 19, 2007
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Top Comparisons
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1998 Chevrolet Cavalier Pricing
Original MSRP
$12,110 to $19,910Price range
N/AAverage price on CG
N/AYoY price change
N/ATrims & specs
Airbags
Dual front airbags
Audio System
Single disc in-Dash CD · AM/FM radio
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel
Convenience Features
Multi-function remote: keyless entry · Steering wheel: tilt-only
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power
Roof
Sunroof: power glass
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Tires and Rims
Wheels: alloy
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent
Airbags
Dual front airbags
Audio System
Single disc in-Dash CD · AM/FM radio
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel
Convenience Features
Multi-function remote: keyless entry · Steering wheel: tilt-only
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Tires and Rims
Wheels: alloy
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent
Airbags
Dual front airbags
Audio System
Single disc in-Dash CD · AM/FM radio
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel
Convenience Features
Multi-function remote: trunk release · Steering wheel: tilt-adjustable
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power
Roof
Sunroof: power glass
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Tires and Rims
Wheels: alloy
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent
Airbags
Dual front airbags
Audio System
Single disc in-Dash CD · AM/FM radio
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel
Convenience Features
Multi-function remote: trunk release · Steering wheel: tilt-adjustable
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Tires and Rims
Wheels: alloy
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent
Airbags
Dual front airbags
Audio System
Single disc in-Dash CD · AM/FM radio
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel
Convenience Features
Multi-function remote: trunk release · Steering wheel: tilt-adjustable
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power
Roof
Sunroof: power glass
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Tires and Rims
Wheel type: aluminum alloy
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent
Airbags
Dual front airbags
Audio System
Single disc in-Dash CD · AM/FM radio
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel
Convenience Features
Multi-function remote: trunk release · Steering wheel: tilt-adjustable
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Tires and Rims
Wheel type: aluminum alloy
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent