Cars are like pets: there are LOTS of factors that affect how much you like yours and how other people feel about it. It's impossible for me to tell you how you'd feel about a 2005 Cavalier from Chevrolet, but I can tell you about my experience.
Model Year: 2005
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Model: Cavalier
Color: White
Details: Two door coupe with 4cylinder 2.2 engine
Transmission: Automatic
Miles at purchase: under 100 (it was new)
Miles now: 25,000
Purchase price: about $13,000
Accessories I did purchase: in dash CD player with AM/FM, air conditioning
Accessories I did NOT purchase: cruise control, power windows, power locks
When I bought this vehicle I needed something cheap and efficient but I wanted to look reasonably cool as well. I had been driving a
1995 Pontiac Grand Am and was used to loads of comfort and style mixed with dependability. I could not bring myself to pay the prices a comparable new Pontiac was listed at however, so I went with the swift looking Cavalier.
The Good:
There is lots of it. The car gets around 30 Miles Per Gallon (MPG) on the highway and only drops to around 24MPG in town.
Aftermarket parts are easy to come buy. The Cavalier is a popular model so replacing broken parts (more on that later) isn't a big problem and adding accessories is not a hassle. I've added a five disc CD changer in the trunk, a steering wheel cover, replaced a broken side mirror, and added "rain guards" along the windows for my car without having to look more than one or two places for each item.
Even though this car is a two door there is enough room in the back seat for two reasonably sized adults. You couldn't fit Lurch from the Adams family in there but anyone under 6 feet tall shouldn't have any discomfort at all.
In my home environment
air conditioning is a must most of the year. My car gets cool fast and stays that way without being a gas hog. Fuel economy doesn't drop much at all if you keep the air conditioning on half of it's full capacity or less.
Having black interior makes the car reasonably easy to vacuum out and maintain. Blonde hair shows up terribly so I can't really take my dog for a ride without making a mess but other than that I haven't had problems with ripping, tearing, or anything on the upholstery.
The bad:
The glove box is tiny! I can fit in the owners manual, four or five CD's and a notebook about the size of a wallet. In my Grand Am's glove box you couldn't stashed a suitcase.
My driver's side door lock doesn't work right in cold weather. You really have to force it unlocked with the key. In warm weather I don't have this problem.
If you bump anything with the side mirrors they collapse to prevent you from crashing, but they collapse so easily that they smack into the side window and break the mirror glass. These really should be just a little more stout.
The trunk isn't good for hauling much. You can fit in one full size suitcase and two duffle bags but not really much more than that. To haul groceries I have to fill the trunk and the back seat!
Installing the CD Changer was a chore in one way. The dash is very hard to remove and must be at least partially removed to allow access to the rear of the radio. My CD changer had to connect back there so I was forced to work for a couple of hours to make it happen. By contrast, I've made the same connection in my old Grand Am and in a Ford Escort in under an hour each.
White paint needs washed every couple of days! If you don't wash it regularly the dirt starts to give it a gray look and then it starts to "run" down the side of the car. This just isn't a color for people who live near dirt roads and care how their car looks.
Overall:
All in all I've had no mechanical problems out of this car. I know 25,000 miles isn't much but the car still looks great and is comfortable to ride in. It needs washed often but it's so small and sporty that you can wash and wax it by hand in two hours or less.
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