chefjohnny5's Full Review: 1998 Pontiac Sunfire C.M.I.
Why, Oh Why did I buy this car?? Maybe because I was only 18 years old at the time and just gettting a new car was a big thing. Here's my story....
Go back to October 1997. I am 18 years old, a senior in high school. I have been dating my high school sweetheart for 2 years now (now we are married!). I have already been through 4 vehicles and now am on my fifth! A 1979 Ford Bronco with a huge big block engine in it. It got something like 4-5 miles per gallon, had no floor on the passenger side (rusted out) and a leaky exhuast (fun when their is no floor!). Here is the run-down on the vehicles: First vehicle, a 1984 Ford 150 with a monster of an engine in it!Great first vehicle for a fresh 16 year old. But as winter was coming and gas prices going up, time to trade it in for something more practical. Went and bought a 1981 Plymouth Reliant. Great car except Bambi decided to run into the side of it when on a mini vacation with my girlfriend (wife). Then went out and bought another Reliant. This time after about a couple of monthes, engine decided it wanted to retire to engine-land. Cost to fix, $1600. Might as well and buy another car for that much. Go out and buy, yet again, another Plymouth Reliant (hey they were good cars, I put some serious mileage on vehicles). Except this time someone T-bones me in an alley. What more can go wrong for a teenager! Just sheer bad luck! Then comes the $500 special on the Ford Bronco. A 4x4 truck that I loved. Of course, the girlfriend hated seeing the pavement when we drove anywhere and my mom said it was a piece of junk! I swear, girls have no taste! HAHA!
I had kept joking around to my parents that I should just buy a new car and one night in our living room with my girlfriend, my parents said why not. WHY NOT!!! That opened up the flood gates. I had been getting good grades my senior year, stayed out of any trouble for several years (I was a BAD kid growing up!) and had been working a 40+ hour job on top of all that. So I was showing that I was responsible. I had purchased all those other vehicles with my own money (parents only bought my first vehicle, the truck) and had shown that I could handle payments and responsibilities that went with it. I thought they were joking at first but then my mom said this "as many cars you have gone through, you might as well get a new one". Done deal. I talk it over with my parents seriously after I drop my girlfriend back home that night and my dad agrees to take me out later that week.
I decide to go to the local Pontiac dealer for logical reasons. My parents bought a new Grand Am there in 93 and have had great service from them. That and the Grand Am (which they still have) has tons of miles on it and it still ran like new. So my dad, my girlfriend, and I drive down to the dealer. I pick out this 1998 (remember its still 1997) black Pontiac Sunfire SE 2 door coupe. Took it for a test drive and of course I loved it. Its not really a fair test drive. I had just been driving my 1979 4x4 Ford Bronco and anything new would have been really nice. And so I made the decision to purchase that night. 2 hours after I got to the dealer, I was driving my girlfriend back home in my brand new 1998 Pontiac Sunfire.
It was the 2 door coupe with the 2.2 Liter, 4 cylinder engine. 3 speed Automatic transmission. 4 wheel ABS brakes with discs up front and drums in the back. Day-time running lights. CD player with equilizer.
First off, some of the things you need to look for when shopping for a car like this. A 3 speed automatic is REALLY outdated now a days. Even back then it was outdated. The gas mileage for this car is not the hottest of the bunch. Its 22 MPG in the City and 28 MPG on the Highway. Thats not too impressive if you shop for similar cars in this price range. The 2.2 liter engine had a lot of punch for such a small engine but was rather unrefined. It has vibrations at certain RPM's that do not go away with time. And the horsepower for this engine is only 120 horses. Again, research other cars with smaller engines and you will see cars that are considerably smaller, more fuel efficient that have the same or even more horsepower. But its not really an issue if you are shopping in this class anyway. This is not a Ferrari!
Well this year of model (1998) had something like 3 recalls. Nothing real big but it was a pain in the rear to take in. But I rather them fix it then find it on my own.
I did all the maintence on this vehicle. I am by no means a mechanic but basic maintence on this vehicle is fairly easy. I changed the oil with Castrol Syntec 5W50 (probably overkill for where I lived - Northwest Indiana) every 3,000 miles. I also had this thing about only putting Amoco 89 octane in it. Not the Amoco 87 octane that is cheaper because this was my baby. I was so dumb back then!
Well this car has held up fairly well over the years but is starting to show its old age and mileage. I now have just over 140,000 miles on it. I quit using the syntetic oil a long time ago and now put the cheapest gas I can find in it! what was the major change in attitude you ask??
Well at around 60,000 miles the water pump went out on me. Not only did it go out but it took the serpentine belt with it. Maybe I am just very critical of vehicles but 60,000 miles for a water pump is a tad ridicoulous to me. But you also have to take in account that I have since moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area and it gets REALLY hot down here so maybe its climate. Anyways, after that I was fed up. Now that I look back its pretty silly because thats the only major mechanical problem I have had with the car.
The stereo worked really well and still does but you can start to hear the speakers kicking in and out. Maybe its just loose connections. The air was never really that good anyways but at the time I lived in Indiana. But I have noticed it blows considerably cooler as the car ages??!! I cannot explain that but it usually works the other way around. The heater blows hot air but the rear window defroster takes forever to defrost ice.
The suspension was good when new but has gotten real bad lately. Again, my fault as I have not installed new shocks and struts at anytime. The brakes work decently though. Nothing to brag about but good enough to not complain about. The ABS are very crude though. They do the job but make a huge amount of noise doing it. But again, they do their job no matter how much you hear otherwise from them!
Transmission runs fine. No problems there. The battery went out on me at around 120,000 miles. Again, probably old age and the Texas heat. I am not sure if cars get used to climate but when I take it up to Indiana in the winter time, the thing has a hard time starting when its cold out. No problems down here when its cold..??
Interior pieces do not wear well though. I have the black interior and the seats show dirt real easy and they show wear real fast. The plastic pieces are all falling off and breaking apart. Maybe I am just hard on it. Its also starting to get musty when its hot out and you turn on the air. I have heard its just the air conditioners getting mold in them. The mirror on the windshield just came off but I just went to Walmart and bought that special glue and back on it goes. Again, probably those Texas 100+ degree days.
The engine is starting to knock but nothing big. What can I say. This car has made SEVERAL 15+ hour trips to Indiana and back. And thats straight driving with me only stopping for gas and potty (always at the same time). And I cannot complain. The car had a 5 year loan and I paid it off in 2.5 years. So I have gotten my money's worth out of it. I still have it and still drive it every day. Heck its my only car. We have been meaning to buy another one but I just recently got laid off so thats on hold. And hopefully the old trusty Sunfire will last a bit longer.
Moral of this story. These are good cars (Chevy Cavaliers are the same exact cars, just different body styles and considerably cheaper). If looking for a used model, just look for one with as low mileage as you can and try to make sure its a certified model thats been checked out good. But if you see one with over 60,000 miles, think twice as thats when they start to gradually fall apart.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 15,500
Condition: New Model Year: 1998 Model and Options: SE Automatic 2.2 Liter
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