Great car!

The 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier is the first new car that I have bought. I had graduated from college, spent a year in L.A. and did not want a car, and after I moved to the east coast, it was time for a car purchase. I wasn't looking for much: a sedan-style car that got good gas mileage with a reasonable price. This Cavalier fit the profile.

My car is now going on 3 years old, has received the recommended maintenance, and it still gets over 30 mpg on the highway and about 27 mpg in town. I have never had any problems with the car that wasn't under warranty - my check engine light came on for a couple of small issues around 27,000 miles (turn signal would intermediately not work, and there was a slight crack in a vacuum near the gas tank - I don't really understand it, so please don't ask me to explain!). I haven't had any more problems. The engine is quiet, and the turning radius is excellent. The steering wheel is a bit stiff, but it's easy to get used to. Nothing has fallen apart, and everything is still intact. I still have the original tires (with the exception of one, which was the poor victim of a freak accident) and windshield wipers. The price is definitely right, as well. You can't really ask for much more when nothing seriously wrong happens to a car and the payments don't break the bank.

I am 6'0" tall, and I do not feel cramped at all in this small car when I have the driver's seat all the way back. It is a little too small, though, now that I have a child and need to put a car seat in the back. The car has the LATCH system, which is a plus, but with the front seats back all the way to accommodate my husband's and my long legs, the car seat runs into the back of the front seats. Also, the LATCH system is very difficult to use. Our car seat transitions into a stroller, so we are taking it in and out of the car a lot, and the LATCH bars used to secure the care seat are so far down between the cushions of the back seat that they are difficult to reach and latch onto - it takes me about 5 minutes of struggling to do on my own.

One quirk that's annoying about the car is the cd player. After playing a cd or two, the player gets really hot and my cds skip, even if they're brand new. This aspect of the cd player is really bothersome on long trips, especially through areas where there are no radio stations coming in.

I also have to say something about the customer service I have received at GM garages. Maybe I have just lucked out, but the two places I have had my Cavalier serviced have both been GM dealership garages, one in Indiana and the other in Virginia, and they have been outstanding. I have never had to question the quality of their work (no sketchy problems after a servicing), and they're willing to give me rides to work and keep me constantly updated on the status of my car. They conduct a good look-over to see if anything's out of order at regular maintenance appointments and discuss with me anything they may have found. They also follow-up a couple of days afterward to make sure my car is still working well. And the service prices are comparable to non-dealership garages. I suggest getting a GM car just to have the pleasure of going to a GM garage and not having to worry about the quality of the service you will receive.