Pontiac Sunfire?

I'd always thought that the 2.4 Quad Four in place of a 2.2 in the S trucks would be a good upgrade.

....DAMMIT!!!! hits CL

Me too, but the Eco would be even better.

the 2.2 is slowwwwww

Only with an automatic. I readily admit, the 2.2 ohv with auto is most one of my most-hated drivetrains ever, from a driving perspective.

But the 2.2/5spd is not slowwwwwwwww. It's not even slowww. Honestly, it's a high or mid 16 car. From 0-50 it even feels quick.

I have no horse in this race to lie about this. 2.2/5spd drives better than you would think. As much as i always disliked the IDEA of late 90s j-bodies, i have to admit the reality is better.

Also, i drove a 2.2ohv/5spd cavalier customer car to my house like 30 mins ago.

Wally wrote: It is frustratingly reliable, truly the cockroach of automobiles.

Brilliantly concise!

The seats in my Z24 were the most comfortable seats I've ever had. I could drive that car all day long in comfort. I commuted in it, and with the B&G springs, and 17" General UHP's, that thing was a highway machine. It was a nightmare on a rough road, though.

My girlfriend just got rid of her 99 convertible cavalier. Like everyone else the damn thing wouldn't die. Something was up where it would foul a spark plug from time to time but that was a 5 minute job. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes but the convertible top is fully automatic. Why the hell would GM spend the money for all the motors and engineering?

If somebody needs a cheap daily, J bodies are the way to go.

Maybe I'll keep the 03 Cadaver after all...

People rag on the 2.2, but the last time I had the head off of one (we wait until the external head gasket leak at the #4/exhaust corner turns into a drip before bothering) I noted that the ports are shaped really well, and they have 44mm intake valves, which VW 8v guys would kill to be able to use.

It reminds me of the 307 Chevy. People rag on the 307, but really it's a 327-stroked 283, and people were having lots of fun with those in the 50s and 60s. A stock 307 is a dog, but the performance potential is right there if you bother to go for it.

Now, if someone would bother making decent cams and intake manifolds for the little buggers. If people can get 200hp from 42mm valve VW engines, what could you get from a Chevy 2.2 with its larger valves and MUCH better shaped ports? (Seriously, the intake ports are severely raised compared to most 2-valve engines, and many 4-valve for that matter!)

This is another car where if GM had spent $500 (their cost) on the interior, I think they'd be a lot less hated. Put some decent seats in one and new carpet with a dose of sound damping and they'd probably be a much nicer place to spend time. The few I've driven with manual transmissions had shifters that felt horrible, somehow really rubbery and notchy at the same time. No idea if there's a fix for that.

A cloth top Sunbird could be an interesting project on the cheap for a decent DD, perhaps.

pres589 wrote: The few I've driven with manual transmissions had shifters that felt horrible, somehow really rubbery and notchy at the same time. No idea if there's a fix for that.

4T40 + Megashift + paddle shifters.

You're an American, it's an American car, the engine makes enough torque that you don't need the low rotating inertia of a manual transmission like one of them furrin 1.6l things. Run an automatic!

my mom had a 4 door sunbird. While she does not beat on cars, she is not exactly timely with maintance. The only failures the car ever had was a air con clutch and a headlight with a hole in it.

She replaced it with a Rendezvous

Life came up, and I couldn't get to the lot Saturday. Decided to check it out today, and no dice. It wasn't there.

Of course, based on the response here, I could do a lot worse, so I'll keep the j-bodies in mind in the future.

Thanks for the responses.

In reply to pres589:

Although he interior sucks, like like Zomby said the seats are suprisingly nice. I've done many long drives and sometimes when I have a short turnaround at work I sleep in it. My biggest complaint is having to hook up to shore power for my breathing machine.

In reply to Wally:

The couple times I remember sitting in these things, the seats felt like they were doing a hammock impression; the padding was dead, no lumbar support at all, too much height to the area under my thighs, etc.

Most GM seats seem like junk to me though so it wasn't a big surprise.

The Sunfire and the Cadavilier are the most backward cars produced by a forward nation. Nothing updated since 1982. Only the Chevette was worse. My wife's Sunfire didn't even have the decency to be reliable - three water pumps in 90K miles.

My roommate has an '01 Sunfire. The stupid thing has a dead gauge cluster, the fuel pump has gone out, the fan has gone out and a couple other things. It doesn't get that great gas mileage. Basically it is a piece of crap.

Argo1 wrote: The Sunfire and the Cadavilier are the most backward cars produced by a forward nation. Nothing updated since 1982. Only the Chevette was worse. My wife's Sunfire didn't even have the decency to be reliable - three water pumps in 90K miles.

You're kidding, right? There was a MASSIVE revamp in the 90s. 1995, IIRC, was when the new chassis with no European influence was brought out. The steering rack was on the subframe where it belongs and everything!