Chevy Cavelier Great Life Expentancy and MPG .
72Chevy Cavalier College Car
I have owned many cars and truck throughout the years. The is one car in particular that paid for itself two fold. The Chevrolet Cavalier model of 2000 was my best car for drive ability, miles per gallon and low maintenance.
I bought my 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier with 50,000 miles on it for $5,500. This was the most worth while investment of my life. I bought my Cavalier when times where tough and I was going through college. As we all know college kids live off of student loans and are on a strict budget. I was looking for a car with good MPG which the Cavalier offered. With the car producing anywhere from 26 to 30 mpg this helped me out significantly. As a guy with a lead foot the Cavalier offered a religious 26 mpg.
The power plant of the Cavalier I owned was a 2.2 SFI with an automatic transmission. I believe this was a good combination, just enough to feel sporty yet powered and coupled to the right transmission to produce the high 20's to mid 30's mpg. Friends on mine also had Cavaliers with manual transmissions and they where in the constant 30's for miles per gallon. It is a tended norm manuals get a little better gas mileage. I strongly encourage people looking to buy a Cavalier model to opt with the SFI , ( Sequential fuel injection) they produce a little more power which gives the driver the extra snap in the throttle/gas pedal.
The chasis of the 2000 cheverolete Cavalier is a uni body. This means the whole car is bonded togather to give that tight feel. I never replaced chasis componets. I did replace some drive trains components, one CV axle and brake rotor and pads. With the car in the ball park of 2,000 lbs the tires would last right to their life expectancy. In 178,000 miles I went through two sets of tires which where cheap makes and models. At 120,000 I did replace the fuel pump which was less than a hundred dollars.
The Cavalier is a cheaper model car but certainly will last the test of time and in my opinion is a great car for send your son or daughter to college in. I am looking to in the near future purchase a Chevy Cavalier again.
tsadjatko Level 5 Commenter 10 months ago
I still have a 1997 Cavalier and it has been everything you say. One problem I had though was the front right headlight went out and it was not the bulb. I took it to two dealers and both said they'd have to check the wiring and charge me possibly a couple hundred dollars! I went on the internet and found a blog where someone had the same problem and explained why and how to fix it. It only required a one minute inspection of the wire near the headlight (chasy wears against wire) cut out a pitted part of wire and spliced it together - cost me nothing but 5 minutes of my time. I couldn't believe the dealerships didn't know that - they won't get my business. Thanks for this hub!