2001 Chevy Cavalier 2 Door, Blue 30K miles.

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I had the opportunity to spend a day in my mother's 2001 Chevy Cavalier as I offered to drive her car from the Dallas/Ft Worth area to Denver where she is moving.

She doesn't drive much, as she worked blocks away from her apartment, and think she took public transit quite a bit. I'm sure this trip was the first ever extended highway driving the car got.

Anyway, I drove it first from Ft Worth, where she left it parked at the Airporter park and ride lot to Dallas where my brother-in-law lives. She had detailed the car, and had it serviced, so it had fresh oil in the crankcase. When I checked it, it looked clean, so the sticker and the oil seemed to match.

The first thing I noticed was the dome light would come on intermittently, so I fiddled with the dimmer/dome light switch and never had that problem again.

Then there were all the rattles. Good gravy, my Prizm with 210K more miles, and seven years older has fewer rattles.

This car is CHEAP. I know my mom loves it, so I won't share that with her, but it's cheap. The passenger mirror is manual adjust. Not even a knob, so you need someone to move the mirror around for you. The drivers mirror is mechanical, but at least you don't have to roll down the window to adjust it.

So 4AM, Aug 5, I leave Dallas, stopping just east of Arlington, TX to top off the tank as it was at 3/4's, so I can get an MPG rating for the trip.

I plug in all my electronics. This is when I notice the lousy placement of the cigarette lighter outlet. It's high on the dash, next to the ignition switch, and I bump the plug of my 4 outlet box when I start the car. The plug also finds a way to come loose from time to time. I don't have this problem in any other vehicle, so this is a unique trait to the Cavalier. I learn to check the lights frequently on my chargers to ensure my phone and iPod chargers are still working. I brought my radar detector, but don't bother with it on this trip.

I take off, heading to Amarillo via US 287.

This car has hand crank windows and no cruise control, so I'm in charge of the throttle, just like my Prizm, so this is about the same.

I make one stop before Amarillo, to get some road food I can eat while I drive. So I stop on the other side of Wichita Falls at a Wal*Mart and get some fruit, some breakfast bars and a couple of bottles of sweet tea. No gas yet, as I'm above a helf tank, so I'll stop in Amarillo to take care of that.

I get to Amarillo at about 10:30 AM Central and get gas. I've averaged about 29 MPG with the A/C on and driving with in 10 MPH of the posted limit, but not over 80 MPH. The 2.2L engine is adequate, but it seems winded and coarse at higher RPMs. There is no tach on this automatic transmission car, so I can't tell what the engine is turning for any given speed.

The transmission does its job without drama. When a down shift is needed, and I don't recall too many times to this point in the trip where it was, they were reasonably smooth. Likewise for the upshifts. The 4 speed automatic just does it's job without complaint.

Anyway, I check the oil and see no consumption. I do clean out all the organic matter that has likely collected the last 8 years from under the hood, twigs and what not are on the cowl at the base of the windshield. However, the A/C is able to keep up with the West TX heat, and the loaded car (mom filled the trunk and back seat loosely, but left me the passenger seat for my bag, iPod, etc) is easily able to maintain highway speeds in the heat.

As I said, about 29 MPG for this fuel stop. I fill the car with 88 octane as we are at a higher elevation, and regular is 86 here.

So far, I've covered about 370 miles in 6 hours of driving and my one stop in Wichita Falls.

The next leg of the trip is from Amarillo, TX to Raton, NM, again along US 87. This is mostly 4 lane, mostly divided, but more towns, stoplights, etc and a few 2 lane road stretches compared to the first 370 miles.

This 215 mile stretch includes the climb to about 6700 ft above sea level from Amarillo's approx 3600 ft. FWIW, Dallas is approx 500 ft above sea level. So the climb does impact the fuel economy, as I expected mid 30's after hearing others speak about their J-body experiences.

Again, my fuel economy here, with the 88 octane is a shockingly low 28 MPG. While it's hot, and there is the climb, I'm not driving insanely fast, and expected fuel economy in the 30's.

It's about 2pm Mountain time when I fuel again in Raton, NM, having done a drive through in Dalhart, TX, I pitch my trash, check the oil, fill the tank and empty the bladder.

I'm about 3 hours away from my destination in Denver.

The slow climb and high temps do not tax the car much into Raton. I am beginning to notice the Cavalier is not very comfy for long rides. But it does it's job and soldiers on, tiny mirrors and all.

The last leg takes me up I25, I climb the mountain pass north of Raton, and the car wheezes up the mountain, engine churning along.

The final 215 miles goes without much drama. I see some rain, I'm delayed in Walsenburg as the north bound I25 is closed and routed through town on the Business Loop I25 through the town.

I arrive at mom's hotel right at 5PM, so 14 hours, including stops to travel just over 800 miles.

I'm beat, but I live. We go out to dinner, and oddly, I drive as mom's not ready to drive in a strange city. We drive to her apartment complex, and from there to her office.

I didn't get fuel again, since I still had about 1/2 tank when I arrived in Denver. I suspect since this last leg was "down hill" going from 6700 ft to 5200 ft above sea level, that the fuel economy improved a bit. Temperatures were also lower, but that may have been mitigated by the delay due to the interstate construction.

I don't think I'd buy one of these cars, unless it was insanely cheap. It did it's mechanical job just fine. But the interior rattles and cheapness compared to my older and more used Prizm just leave me shaking my head.

One last nit-pick. The digital odometer has only ONE trip setting. Unlike my other cars with a digital odometer with two, this has only one. I like having one trip odometer for the trip, and one for the current tank of fuel. That way, I don't have to do the math either way, either trip mileage, or tank mileage.

So there are little things about this car that make other choices much more appealing.

It's not an awful car, it's just not as good as it could have been
 
They were built with a purpose of being cheap, reliable transportation. Good engines but the interior can fall apart if not taken care of.

Buddy had a 00/01 Cav and it was much like your experience only his wheel would clunk much like my Impala's ISS would.
 
They were insanely cheap. In 2001 my grandmother needed a new car. We looked at a Corolla but she wanted a coupe (at 85 years old) and it was too expensive at 14 grand. We picked up a Cavalier for 8995 brand new, with power locks/windows.

As far as I know, all it's needed was a new battery.

I agree with most of your sentiments on the driving experience, however.
 
I drive an '02 4-door and i have to agree with most of what you said - fair amount of rattles, engines get coarse when pushed, and fuel economy isn't bad, but not great.

As for the plug-in, there is also one on the passengers side of the tranny tunnel. this is where I plug in all my accessories, so they don't get in the way.

These cars cruise at around 2200rpm @60mph, and 2500rpm at 70-75mph. Mine doesn't use much oil at all - about 1/2 quart in 7k miles.

I like mine. It's a pretty solid, reliable, if not exciting, 4-door compact. I wish i ad been able to get one with an Ecotec when I got mine.....
 
cavalier (I've had two; although I got 32-35mpg w the 2.0L): no fun to drive, lethargic, but smoother and quieter than my small toyota. most of the times the toyota is "fun to drive" but after a full day on the road I normally switch for something quieter and smoother.
 
They definitely tightened up the interior quite a bit on the Cobalt, but it's still obviously a low-end car. Mine's got roll-up windows, no power locks, no ABS, no cruise, but it does have a joystick/cable controller for the P-side sideview mirror. Living in the lap of luxury I tell ya. I consistently average 32mpg tank to tank and I'm not too easy on'er.

Joel
 
I like the Cavaliers(Z24's) but I think my favorite had to have been the early 90's Cavalier Z24. My buddy had one and that thing was literally unkillable(engine). Thing had pep, it went without issue.

We drove down to Livingston NJ one time and a radiator hose ruptured spilling Anti freeze all over the road. Pulled over and walked on over to gas station that had a garage. We asked the shop guy if he had hoses and he doesn't and its to late in the day to order any. So we let the car sit for about an hour to cool off as we walked about 1 mile to grab some grub. Come back and pour in some AntiFreeze that we bought near where we ate. Took the remnants of the hose, some rope, a rag and put together as best we could. Filled it up and drove home. About 10 minutes on the highway the hose gives out and leaks antifreeze again, so no more coolant. Kept driving for another 20 minutes till the temp gauge nearly hit max. Pulled over and let it sit for 10-15 minutes, started it up and drove as fast as we could before it would max again.

Eventually we made it home, buddy replaced the hose, poured coolant in the engine and drove it for another 6 months when black ice in the winter got the best of it.
 
I'm darn near an expert on these cars, I've had every generation of the J body-

1987 Cavalier RS 2.0 (1st)(also 1st car)

1993 Cav RS wagon 3.1
1991 Sunbird 2.0 (2nd)


2003 Cavalier 4dr 2.2 Eco
2004 Cavalier 2dr 2.2 Eco (3rd) (still have these two)


All of these cars were solid...and gave me very little trouble.



The first three, the motor outlasted the car (87 108k, totalled/91 157k rear ended while parked/ 93 154k rusted too bad)


The rust would have finished by rust before the motor blew....



Current Ecos have been flawless, but the rattles might drive me insane first...
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The Ecos (which love Syn) run great with no issues (03 55k, 04 11k), and are good on gas...


The 3rd gens feel cheaper than the first two, but are still holding up well...minus the wife's visor (twice!
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)


But I got them cheap ...so.....


Bottom line is-if the rattles don't drive you nuts, they are cheap and very dependable cars....
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I forgot about the visor. Mom's driver side visor is falling apart. She's looking on e-bay for a replacement.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
They definitely tightened up the interior quite a bit on the Cobalt, but it's still obviously a low-end car. Mine's got roll-up windows, no power locks, no ABS, no cruise, but it does have a joystick/cable controller for the P-side sideview mirror. Living in the lap of luxury I tell ya. I consistently average 32mpg tank to tank and I'm not too easy on'er.

Joel



Eh, they are much better than the cavs on the inside....and my Balt is great on gas too.....

Mine is like yours (but with power locks), but I figure it is less to fix down the road...
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
I forgot about the visor. Mom's driver side visor is falling apart. She's looking on e-bay for a replacement.



Me too.
 
I have a 97 version of this car with 180k miles I got silly cheap. It's a 2-door and the driver's door does this dramatic squeak/clunk when it operates, as it's sagging on its hinges. It was dramatically neglected by previous owners but keeps chugging along. I was amazed when I did a wheel bearing that the front end (ball joint etc) was still tight.

Non structural rust is working it over. I can't decide if the front disc brakes are ingeniously simple or incredibly cheap-- you can take the rotors off when the caliper is off, no separate bracket is involved. Feel the same way about the one piece dipstick tube/ oil filler pipe.

Coworker has a 98 sunfire he flogs mercilessly, maintains poorly (through me
crazy2.gif
) and it drives great. The 4 speed automatic and adequate torque make it a relatively nice driving automatic econobox-- I usually tire of that experience very quickly.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
I have a 97 version of this car with 180k miles I got silly cheap. It's a 2-door and the driver's door does this dramatic squeak/clunk when it operates, as it's sagging on its hinges. It was dramatically neglected by previous owners but keeps chugging along. I was amazed when I did a wheel bearing that the front end (ball joint etc) was still tight.

Non structural rust is working it over. I can't decide if the front disc brakes are ingeniously simple or incredibly cheap-- you can take the rotors off when the caliper is off, no separate bracket is involved. Feel the same way about the one piece dipstick tube/ oil filler pipe.

Coworker has a 98 sunfire he flogs mercilessly, maintains poorly (through me
crazy2.gif
) and it drives great. The 4 speed automatic and adequate torque make it a relatively nice driving automatic econobox-- I usually tire of that experience very quickly.




Yeah, these cars can take a beating....


I watched an ex co-worker put over 30k on the same oil...and that Cavalier (2001) kept chugging along...


The old 2.2s can take a beating...the 2.4s, not so much.


The Ecos can take quite a bit of abuse as well.....
 
To clarify a bit, the post-99 2.2 OHV's are the toughest. Some pre-99's had head-gasket issues, but the last 2-3 years of them are absolutly indestructable.

2.3/2.4 engines put out impressive power numbers, but are somewhat fragile engines. The burn oil, and can develop knocks and ticks, especially if run low on oil or subject to lots of revs.

Doors have always been the worst for rust on any of these cars. My 2002 door bottoms are coated in surface rust, and unless I sand and treat them this fall, they'll go through by next summer.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
To clarify a bit, the post-99 2.2 OHV's are the toughest. Some pre-99's had head-gasket issues, but the last 2-3 years of them are absolutly indestructable.

2.3/2.4 engines put out impressive power numbers, but are somewhat fragile engines. The burn oil, and can develop knocks and ticks, especially if run low on oil or subject to lots of revs.

Doors have always been the worst for rust on any of these cars. My 2002 door bottoms are coated in surface rust, and unless I sand and treat them this fall, they'll go through by next summer.


Well, I've seen quite a few old 2.2s get crazy abused miles on them with few issues. Even the 2000-2002 2.2 holds up quite well.


A 2.4/2.3 will last a while if cared for, if not-look out. Common isses like water pumps happen of these cars. I'm still amazed at the number of 2.4s still going out there....


And the Eco is proving to be a tough engine as well.


I hate the rust part. The wife's car already has a bit of rust on 2 of 4 of the doors...sucks. Coupes tend to rust even faster.


Lucky for me, my coupe rarely sees salt.
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So the doors are still in good shape......
 
I sold my '00 and will never own another cavalier/cobalier (same car in my opinion). I'm done with GM and their shoddy vehicles. After the Impala my wife owns is paid for I'm going to a Ford dealer, though not a couple local ones.
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Originally Posted By: RacerE7773
I sold my '00 and will never own another cavalier/cobalier (same car in my opinion). I'm done with GM and their shoddy vehicles. After the Impala my wife owns is paid for I'm going to a Ford dealer, though not a couple local ones.
spankme2.gif



Good for you. I feel the same way about other brands too. I like How my friend's new Ford Fusion gets a whopping 20mpg combined with him being an easy driver. I don't get that. My friend has an 06 N/A cobalt SS coupe. While on the small side in the back, it's a very well built car. My wife's 01 cavalier while having two cracks in the upper part of the dash, has BEEN dead reliable. I can go 6K per UOAs on Mobil Clean 5000 10w30 on her 2.2L with EASE. She even has the 3spd auto with the 4000rpm at 70mph. About the most expensive thing I've replaced on it was the AC compressor. Rear brakes lasted 100K, and fronts typically get 50K out of them. Suspension after 125K is still rock solid, and current tires are wearing evenly with 70K on them with just above half tread mark..

I do notice it has the overhead light issue, and from what I found it's caused by some extra movement in the ignition switch..

I think new the car was 14K. IIRC she paid $4600 for it when it had 50K on it. I nor she is complaining.
 
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I ran my 02 Cavalier 140K and 7 years before replacing anything but wear items, and those didn't include an expensive timing belt. At 156K, still haven't done much.
 
Originally Posted By: labman
I ran my 02 Cavalier 140K and 7 years before replacing anything but wear items, and those didn't include an expensive timing belt. At 156K, still haven't done much.
I had to replace the fuel pump at 65,000 miles, and I was the first owner. It had 5 miles on the clock when I got it. I do miss the two less doors, but where I got my Impala din'y have any Monte's or Mustangs until soon after I got the Impala (of course).
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Originally Posted By: labman
I ran my 02 Cavalier 140K and 7 years before replacing anything but wear items, and those didn't include an expensive timing belt. At 156K, still haven't done much.



Neither have I. The only thing I've had to replace on the wife's 03 was the fuel pump at 45k. (has 52k on it now) Besides the driver's side visor ( GM and their cheap plastics
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), car has been great. And my wife is HARD on cars. (hense the M1).
 
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