Our Driveway... + 1

[Cory Wolfe]

Well... here's the replacement for the Blazer.

It's a 2002 Pontiac Sunfire GT. Not what I wanted them to get, but it's not bad. That 2002 Alero was alot nicer, but they waited too long and someone else bought it. It has about 83k miles and it has a 5spd. The interior really reminds me how much nicer the Alero was... Either way, it's a good car. It's basically spotless, but has a few minor problems.

[Intrepidation]

God that's an ugly interior, but congrats on the new car.

Edited April 27, 2006 by Dodgefan

[Northstar]

Congrats! When we got the Alero we also looked at a Cavalier, but the Alero felt so much more solid and substantial, and it wasn't a whole lot more (we got it for $14k new - list was $23k, and we ordered it).

Was the Alero a 4cyl too? You couldn't get the V6 with a stick (it would have made it a lot more fun) so I'm assuming it was.

[Cory Wolfe]

Congrats! When we got the Alero we also looked at a Cavalier, but the Alero felt so much more solid and substantial, and it wasn't a whole lot more (we got it for $14k new - list was $23k, and we ordered it).

Was the Alero a 4cyl too? You couldn't get the V6 with a stick (it would have made it a lot more fun) so I'm assuming it was.

The Alero was a loaded one with a V6. Thing is, though... it was cheaper by a grand. The Sunfire was 6k while the Alero was 5k. However, the Alero had 10k more miles... It was a much better deal, either way. I wish they could've gotten it instead, but the Sunfire isn't all that bad... even with the crappy interior...

[Ravenfreak13]

You should've looked for a used last gen sunfire....but anyway congrats! Good luck with those evil window cranks...That is the only reason I hate my saturn!

[Intrepidation]

You should've looked for a used last gen sunfire....but anyway congrats! Good luck with those evil window cranks...That is the only reason I hate my saturn!

They can't be any worse than the window cranks on the 93-97 Geo Prizm/Toyota Corolla. Those have got to be the cheapest, flimziest plastic door cranks I have ever seen (and I know 2 owners who've had them break).

[Croc]

Just don't get into an accident with the Sunfire...

[Intrepidation]

Just don't get into an accident with the Sunfire...

yeah

[Ravenfreak13]

They can't be any worse than the window cranks on the 93-97 Geo Prizm/Toyota Corolla. Those have got to be the cheapest, flimziest plastic door cranks I have ever seen (and I know 2 owners who've had them break).

Not the fact of cheapness(my sdaturns door cranks hold up well) It's just that you have to climb over stuff to open all the windows.

[Intrepidation]

Not the fact of cheapness(my sdaturns door cranks hold up well) It's just that you have to climb over stuff to open all the windows.

ah

[Ravenfreak13]

It can be very anoyying to contort around seats and then have to reach ur arm out and crank the window down....although the sunfire is a coupe so its not nearly as bad.

[ocnblu]

Everyone likes to pick on the poor little J-body, but hey, they've traveled millions of miles over the years. They last a long time with reasonable care, hopefully the previous owners took care of it. I think it looks good in that color, and it looks like it's in decent shape. Good luck to your mom in her new ride. Seems like you take after her with your taste in cars... small, sporty 5 speeds...

[z28luvr01]

I agree, ocn. My sister's '97 Cavvy went over 200K miles with the original powertrain, and it's still going strong (my father sold it to a friend at his workplace after she bought her (*shudder*) Mustang. And I can also vouch for the 2.4L Twin Cam, as my father has over 150K on his '97 Skylark.

It's a nice looking car BV. Lots of luck with it. The interior may look cheesy, but it will more than survive normal operation. That's actually my favorite front fascia for the Sunfire.

[Croc]

Oh, no, don't get me wrong...the J-cars have a lot of character and you just cannot kill them...if they held up better in crashes they'd be great. Still, anything's better than a Blazer in that regard (except that one Chinese SUV...good grief!!)

[Variance]

It wouldn't be my top pick either but there are worse cars you can get from that model year. It's better than the Blazer, right?

[Guest YellowJacket894]

I like the looks of the '02 Sunfire on the outside, but, man let me tell ya, the interior of the J-Body Pontiac sucks. I hate how the dash looks like someone removed a belt of plastic from the middle (below the dash vents) to make the top and bottom look...almost as if some one circumsized it with a craft knife.

Edited April 28, 2006 by YellowJacket894

[Bimmer325]

Well, it doesn't get much (any?) worse than the Blazer in regards to crash test results.

[ocnblu]

That's the 5 mph bumper test photo, right? :AH-HA_wink:

[Cory Wolfe]

Everyone likes to pick on the poor little J-body, but hey, they've traveled millions of miles over the years.  They last a long time with reasonable care, hopefully the previous owners took care of it.  I think it looks good in that color, and it looks like it's in decent shape.  Good luck to your mom in her new ride.  Seems like you take after her with your taste in cars... small, sporty 5 speeds...

Well... I'm not sure if they took care of it. It has alot of miles for just being an 02, and you can tell certain sections were repainted... not to mention a few weird noises coming from up front. The noises are probably minor though, it just sounds as if something is loose and rattling. Otherwise... it drives great and everything operates as it should.

Oh, no, don't get me wrong...the J-cars have a lot of character and you just cannot kill them...if they held up better in crashes they'd be great.  Still, anything's better than a Blazer in that regard (except that one Chinese SUV...good grief!!)

Heh.... yeah.

I like the looks of the '02 Sunfire on the outside, but, man let me tell ya, the interior of the J-Body Pontiac sucks. I hate how the dash looks like someone removed a belt of plastic from the middle (below the dash vents) to make the top and bottom look...almost as if some one circumsized it with a craft knife.

Yeah... the sad part... there is alot of the same pieces in it, that I can find in my 95 GAGT. The steering wheel, steering coloumn, hvac controls (minus the knobs), window cranks, and the gauges are pretty similar, though different.

[daves87rs]

Just don't get into an accident with the Sunfire...

Ahh...I don't know about that Croc...

They aren't great, but not too bad.

Early this year my brother was t-boned by a early 90s f150...

Left parts of his 03 cav coupe all over the road...

He walked away with a few cuts and bruised ribs.....

A guy I want to school with got hit from the rear on the highway, which caused him

into get into a NASCAR type accident (flipped it too)

He was able to walk away with cuts and a broken finger...

THey do take a beating...

[Intrepidation]

Oh, no, don't get me wrong...the J-cars have a lot of character and you just cannot kill them...if they held up better in crashes they'd be great.  Still, anything's better than a Blazer in that regard (except that one Chinese SUV...good grief!!)

which chinese suv?

[Intrepidation]

Ahh...I don't know about that Croc...

They aren't great, but not too bad.

Early this year my brother was t-boned by a early 90s f150...

Left parts of his 03 cav coupe all over the road...

He walked away with a few cuts and bruised ribs.....

A guy I want to school with got hit from the rear on the highway, which caused him

into get into a NASCAR type accident (flipped it too)

He was able to walk away with cuts and a broken finger...

THey do take a beating...

Friend of mine's Cavalie got rear ended by a Villager. The minvan was leaking fluides and had a totaled front end...his coupe had a slightly loose bumper and thetop of the exhaust pipe was a bit bend. The bumper had some scratches...but no dents

[daves87rs]

Everyone likes to pick on the poor little J-body, but hey, they've traveled millions of miles over the years.  They last a long time with reasonable care, hopefully the previous owners took care of it.  I think it looks good in that color, and it looks like it's in decent shape.  Good luck to your mom in her new ride.  Seems like you take after her with your taste in cars... small, sporty 5 speeds...

Yep, they can last a long time...with little or no care.

I worked wit a guy who let his sunfire go almost 30k without an oil change.

Last I checked it was at 120k...

Heck, My Cav wagon is still kicking at 135k.....

[ToniCipriani]

You should drag this against your Grand Am

I guess you're in the same situation where I was 3-years ago... wanted an Alero and stuck with a J-body.

[daves87rs]

Friend of mine's Cavalie got rear ended by a Villager. The minvan was leaking fluides and had a totaled front end...his coupe had a slightly loose bumper and thetop of the exhaust pipe was a bit bend. The bumper had some scratches...but no dents

Yep, A co-workers daugther was rear ended in her Z24..the Aerostar that hit her was leaking like crazy...just beat her bumper up good...

[daves87rs]

I agree, ocn. My sister's '97 Cavvy went over 200K miles with the original powertrain, and it's still going strong (my father sold it to a friend at his workplace after she bought her (*shudder*) Mustang. And I can also vouch for the 2.4L Twin Cam, as my father has over 150K on his '97 Skylark.

It's a nice looking car BV. Lots of luck with it. The interior may look cheesy, but it will more than survive normal operation. That's actually my favorite front fascia for the Sunfire.

Yep.

[Variance]

which chinese suv?

The spectacular JiangLing Landwind:

http://www.jalopnik.com/cars/jiangling/

[Cory Wolfe]

You should drag this against your Grand Am

I guess you're in the same situation where I was 3-years ago... wanted an Alero and stuck with a J-body.

I already know my GA will get its ass handed too it. This Sunfire can go up hills easily in 5th where my GA struggles to go up the same hills in 4th. Pitiful, I tell you... Mine is such a torqueless little bastard.