kaylan87

I know you guys probably get a lot of noobies doing this, but I thought Id come here for advice. This appeared to be THE forum for Chevy owners as I have learned from lurking in the past.

Anyways, I wanted to ask if this was a good buy:
http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/cto/4197561442.html

I checked out this Cavalier last night. With the exception of the trunk dent, the body was super clean, with no rusting. That surprised me given the cars age. The other Cavaliers Ive seen for sale didn't fair too well...so I guess the car was well maintained. Anyways, the test drive went well, great tires and breaks on the vehicle...and the steering was nice and straight. I was also able to haggle the price down to an even $1000. So heck, I may look to find a used trunk lid to put on the car myself with the saved cash.

My concern is just how reliable is a Cavalier with almost 160k miles? Im hoping to last a year with this car. Im looking to spend so little because I have started a new job, and I need a car right away because the long public transportation commutes are killing me and robbing me of my time and sleep during the week. Nevermind the fact that I hate having to always use family and friends for rides right now, so I need a car right away. I live in the burbs, so using public trans is very bad when compared to how it is in a big city. Its really only doable for getting to work...not for anything else.

This would be my 2nd car. My first car was a 92 Toyota Corolla given to my by my best friend right before college. It was his first car during highschool and a portion of college. I got it at 147k, and donated it at 192k to one of those programs that give tax rebates. The first couple years the car was ok, but the last few years the car had more spent in repairs than what it was worth. But because I was using it to commute to school, I had no other option but to fix it, plus all those miles put strain on the old vehicle. (it still turned on and drove onto the tow-away trailer upon donation though)

That all said, the Corolla put a bad taste in my mouth regarding low cost used vehicles. Im scared of buying a car that will be much problem for me. However, since it was my first car, and because I was a dumb college boy at the time, I didnt take the best care of it. I didnt get it tuned up, oil changed, or checked fluids often at all. I pretty much only took it to the mechanic for some TLC when I heard or felt something going wrong.

Anyways, how would this Cavalier I linked do for me? Im more mature now, a couple years out of college, working my first real job and could probably handle a couple repairs during the year if something were to go wrong. I just dont want to run into major engine or tranny issues...since Ive always heard people putting down American vehicles. I hope yall understand my asking for this advice, seeing as the common advice to everyone buying a used car is to go Japanese. However, my used Toyota, and even my moms used Lexus show that Japanese cars arent all that great. And my mom tries to take damn good care of her cars.

PS - 1 issue though. While driving the Check Gauges light came on, and the guy said it comes on sometimes but goes away once you start driving some. I did some research and read that this comes on with low fuel. The fuel was low during the test drive, so I guess the guy didn't know much about that.

sledge.impy

The posting had expired so I'm not sure what year it is or which Cavalier model.

Not sure where located. You could be looking at engine head gaskets at that mileage. Was the oil clean?antifreeze good?

Vacuum issues could also happen. But shouldn't be to bad for 1 year.

tech2

if your going to get a cavalier, the best choice is a 2003 to 2005. The reason is the ecotec engine option that comes with those model years. better mileage and reliability compared to other years. The quad four may be more powerful in stock form but the ecotec is the better choice modded.