Good car

I have had my 2005 Cavalier for 10 months now and figured sufficient time has passed in order for me to get acquainted with it and write an accurate review.
In April 2005, my 2000 Kia Sephia was really beginning to crap out on me with only 77,000 or so miles on it. Swearing to myself that I'd never in a million years buy a brand new car (what a terrible investment!), I set out to find a nice used car. After becoming increasingly frustrated with the types of used cars that were available in the price range I was looking for, I decided on a whim to check out a 2005 Cavalier. I'd owned a 1993 Cavalier that had 133,000 miles on it before it started having serious problems and I really liked that car and was eyeballing the new ones because after rebates, they weren't that much more expensive than the used 03 and 04 Cavaliers I had been looking at.
Now introducing the 2005 Victory Red Chevrolet Cavalier LS Sport Coupe loaded with all of the goodies. Sticker Price: $19,700. After negotiations, rebates and my husband's military discount: $14,300.

Interior: This is the perfect car for me size-wise, other than the fact that I can't put the visor down to block the sun because then I cannot see the road. This car fits me like a glove. I use it for commuting 50+ miles roundtrip every day to work so I am usually the only one in it, but whenever my husband and I go anywhere together in it, he's very uncomfortable at 6'5" in the passenger seat and even more uncomfortable should he need to drive. But he makes it work. There is plenty of space in the backseat and the trunk. The trunk also has a cargo net which is very convenient. The backseats fold down, which is nice to know, but as of yet I have not needed to use them in the down position. The CD player is easy to use, doesn't skip unless I hit a huge bump and the sound quality is very good for factory speakers. I've never had a problem with getting good reception for the radio and can still get several St. Louis stations as I drive away from the city into the deep cornfields of Central and Southern Illinois. It took me a bit before I figured out where the control for the dome light was as I've always been accustomed to the control being on the dome light itself, but I eventually found it to the left of the steering wheel, along with the fog lamps that I keep forgetting that I have. I especially like the location of the window controls, right on the center console.

Exterior: I have the LS Coupe with the spoiler, chrome tailpipe, ground effects and a sunroof. I love the sunroof - it's very stylish and super easy to use. With the simple double push of a button located inside at the front base of the sunroof, it quickly and quietly slides all the way back. I do wish you could just push a button to shut it all the way, but you must hold the button down until it's closed. The tires are stylish for factory tires and the chrome tailpipe is a nice touch, as well as the spoiler. The ground effects give the car a very sleek and stylish, low-to-the-ground look.

Mechanics: With a new car, I don't really expect any mechanical problems other than defects that the warranty will cover and I have been proven right so far. Maintenance is quick and easy. So far the only mechanical deficiency I have had was a random loss of power at about 25mph right around the 10,000 mile mark. There is now over 11,000 miles on the car and the loss of power has not been duplicated. I hope this was an isolated occurance and while I was disappointed that it happened, the fact that it has not happened since does not really bring my opinion of the car down at all. Gas mileage could be better, but I do drive in rush hour traffic for 45 minutes twice a day so I cannot really expect better gas mileage unless I purchase a hybrid I suppose. It typically gets between 25-30 mpg, and about 50% of the time, that number is closer to 30mpg. Of the two lengthy trips I have taken the car on, gas mileage was outstanding at about 36mpg. This car may be a 4-cyl, but it does have a decent amount of get-up-and-go when the petal is put to the metal. I have no problem picking up enough speed to quickly pass another car and it glides along at my preferred speed of 75 on the highway very smoothly. There is quite a bit of road noise though and I always find myself having to turn up the radio to hear my morning show guys talking.

Overall, I would say this is a very nice car for commuting to work in for the person that is under 5'8" and prefers a small car, but not too small. The only thing I would change about it if I could would have been to have the option of a V6 engine, but that might have gotten me in trouble with the police anyway. I would not have bought any other Cavalier than the LS Sport Coupe though as they did not seem like a good value for the money.