The best compact car I have ever driven.

I have returned to update my review on the Chevy Prizm on October 25th of 2006. My Dad bought me a used Chevy Prizm for 8000 dollars back when I was a sophomore in high school in 2002. It has been a great car.

Performance:

This is actually one of the most important areas for me. If you floor it the Prizm will welcome it with a very strong snarl. The engine I have is a 1.8L 4 banger 125 horse power engine. The engine's horsepower is only adequate at first glance but then again, when you drive one you will quickly come to realize that just because a car doesn't have a lot of horsepower, that doesn't mean it's slow. Consider this, a 2001 Honda Accord basic model has a 2L 135 horse power 4 cylinder engine. Even though the Prizm's engine isn't as large and has less horsepower the Prizm can still out do a Honda Accord a race. (This is for you people that are adventurous and like to race every once in a while) The reason being is that the Accord has grown in the recent years but the basic engine has not been vamped to support better performance. The Prizm's horsepower/weight ratio is far better than the Accord's, that is why a Chevy prizm can out run it. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for the Accord and its four banger. But I just wanted to put that out there. It just goes to show that Horsepower isn't everything in this department. In the compact department the Prizm is in a class of its own with this area.


Braking:

The brakes are very responsive and smooth.(Enough said)


Interior:

The interior is of course just like a Toyota Corrolla. It also reminds me of the 1986 Chevy Nova that my mom had when I was little. The interior is very inviting. As soon as you sit in this car you feel at home, this car takes no getting used to. The interior's dash board is made of high quality plastic. While the interior in the basic model is relatively plain it still looks very nice. There are also a lot of drawers and such to keep your extra stuff in. The cup holders can hold cups of any size from resturants and there is even an extra cupholder in the back. This car says "Drive me!"


Transmission:

I have an automatic and the gears change smoothly. However, I wish this car had overdrive. It does not effect my acceleration but it does effect my gas mileage a little when I am driving 65+.


Handling:

This car is very easy drive. It handles wonderfully around curves and it is very easy to zip through traffic with its great handling and its pick up working side by side.


The ride: The ride is very smooth. It absorbs the bumps very nicely, especially for a compact.


Praticality:

I am a college student with a part time job, having a very economic car is very important for someone like me. The Prizm is great on gas, I get 33 mpg in the city and around 38 mpg on the highway.(When I'm going about 60 mph and I am guessing around 35 if i'm going past 65 mph)

Reliability:

I have not had any major problems with this car. However, I did have a problem with the fuel injector. The check engine light came on in 2006 because of a fuel injector problem. The gas has gotten to where it has more ethanol in it and apparently it starting clogging my fuel injector. I put in some techron fuel injector cleaner and it fixed that problem, but now i must buy Amoco gas to keep this problem from happening again.


Overall:

The Prizm offers great performance, a very comfortable interior and is a good car for pratical use. Now I know why the Prizm always was at or near the top in consumer reports when it comes to great value. This car is like a smaller luxury car. If you have a taste for luxury but can not afford a actual luxury car, take the Prizm or the Prizm LSI out for a spin.


I'll miss my old friend:

I'd like to commend this car on its safety. Since I have written this review apparently my car has become somewhat magnitized to larger vechiles. This car has been hit by 4 vechiles. A Chevy Silverado 1500, a GMC Jimmy, a Ford F-250 and a Dodge Ram 1500.

Each time people have hit my car, it has protected me and I have been able to walk out without injury. It almost totaled twice. Once with the Silverado, the second time with the GMC Jimmy. The F-250 was a minor collision in which he backed into my car while I was eating inside a resturant on my 21st birthday.(Guess I'm a veteran for accidents now.)But my car finally was totaled yesterday by a Dodge Ram 1500 that I pulled out in front of me. Both of my airbags went off, and my engine was damaged to the point to where it wouldn't even crank.


I have researched the safety rating of the 2001 Chevy Prizm in www.safercars.gov. If you ever need to check the safety of a vechile I hope that you will find that website useful.

The stats for the Prizm is:(star ratings out of 5)

Frontal Side Rollover

Driver: 5 Front Seat: 3 Rollover Rating: 4
Passenger: 4 Stars Rear Seat: 3


Even in the side collision with the Silverado, the Prizm performed admirably and kept everyone in the car from not having any injuries. Surpisingly the Silverado Driver was the one that was injured. Safety is another reason why you should consider buying a Chevy Prizm.

When I buy another car and have had enough time driving it I will be sure to write a review on it.

Now, more than ever, I recommend the 2001 Chevy Prizm.