Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  No regrets - 1999 Chevrolet Prizm
  By Starving student - July 21 - 3:08 am

  I really cant say enough about this car. It is the first car that I have owned and Im afraid it may have set the bar too high for my future vehicles. I try to keep up on the routine maintenance, but even when I dont, the car is extremely forgiving. It has given me 50000 miles of trouble free driving and all I have given back is oil, tires, brakes and a battery. This amazes me because my wife learned how to drive a 5-speed on this car, it is not garaged (it gets buried in snow every winter and withstands sub zero temperatures) and we drive it all over the western US during the summers. On a recent trip, I calculated that we averaged 44 mpg! Bottom line: this is an all around great car.

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  Bad Luck - 2001 Chevrolet Prizm
  By aria49 - July 19 - 10:12 am

  I have had the worst luck with this car. Three months after I bought it, it began to stall out when I would start it after not driving it for awhile. (The mass airflow sensor was faulty.) On a road trip my timing belt snapped resulting in needing to totally replace the engine. The most recent thing to go wrong with this car is that the hood latch was faulty resulting in my hood being bent beyond a cheap repair. (Had to replace the hood, both quarter panels, paint them and finally replace the hood latch.) Everything that has gone wrong with this car was an expensive fix. The other issue I have with this car is it gets less than 30 mpg highway.

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  Not as good as they used to be - 2001 Chevrolet Prizm
  By mtimmer - June 15 - 8:03 pm

  I bought this car because I have a 97 Prizm that I have really liked and been impressed with. While most aspects of the 01 model are better, the reliability has decreased in my opinion. Ive had multiple problems with it within the first 6 months of ownership- most of them fairly minor, but a couple fairly expensive. The dealer replaced several sensors under warranty, but several other things have gone wrong since the warranty expired. Most alarmingly, the engine seems to be burning a lot of oil (about 1 quart every 1000 miles), especially considering that it only has 63,000 miles on it. If only was as reliable as my bullet-proof 97 Prizm.

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  Good city car, some disappointments - 2001 Chevrolet Prizm
  By MTodd - May 5 - 5:40 pm

  I have a 97 Prizm that I really like, so I bought an 01 Prizm for my wife. Personally, I think they started to cheap out the newer models. My 97 with 112,000 miles on it feels, looks and drives better than my wifes 01 (with 62,000 miles), not to mention being more reliable. Since I got the 01, Ive had to put in new MAF and O2 sensors and had vibration issues with the tires. Now the charcoal canister has gone out for another $385. Ive been very disappointed after my great experience with the 97. In all fairness to GM/Toyota, it seems like the previous owner really beat up on the car, which may explain some of the repair issues.

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  Great car for the money - 2000 Chevrolet Prizm
  By Edunn3202006 - April 27 - 4:31 pm

  I needed a car that was fuel efficient, low maintenance, and most importantly, reliable. After almost 2 years of ownership my Prizm has proven to be all three things! I was initially a little concerned because the mileage was a little high when I bought it (100k), but Im at 114K and can say Ive never experienced any problems with this car. It is a great value for the money.

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  Wore out over the long haul - 1998 Chevrolet Prizm
  By Sam S. - February 19 - 10:17 pm

  This car had pretty good reliability, but the real flaw was the interior. It really did not wear well, and started to fall apart after about 5-6 years. his included problems such as the stripping around the doors peeling off, and all of the interior door handles breaking. The air conditioning went out at about 6 years too, which is a pain. Engine wise this car never gave me any trouble, which I assume has to do with it being a Toyota engine. Just beware that though the Chevy Prizms are made by Toyota, much of the body is made and assembled by Chevy.

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  Excellent & reliable car * low cost ownership - 2001 Chevrolet Prizm
  By jon lawrence - February 8 - 11:52 am

  Exterior in good condition * paint is starting to thin out * interior has minor problems esp with interior plastic trim above windows * not available * Cup holders weak as are the plastic door knobs * 2 lights on console out * expensive to replace * I use it for short trips * performs well * overall Prizm is a low cost car to own 96,000 easy miles... Im 87 years old so I find entering / exiting Prizm requires physical yoga. Designers were remiss when it came to the "soft" parts like upholstery / plastic / headliner / etc. Dome light on / off for years warranty guys couldnt ensure its operation.

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  These are great cars - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By toyotadude - January 22 - 8:08 pm

  Bought it at 32,000 miles in 04 and I have done nothing to it except change oil, and brakes. The only thing I dont like about it is it can get noisy on the highway, and just a little vibration comes on the highway only if you go above 80mph or something. Transmission in this car should get an award in comfort for shifting. Much better than Nissan or Hondas.

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  One of the best cars Ive ever owned - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By TexasGal - January 6 - 10:47 pm

  I bought this car because it was a Consumers Digest Best Buy and because of the MPG rating. I wasnt disppointed. Extremely reliable, the MPG is great, Ive had no mechanical problems, and at 84,000 miles, Ive never needed an alignment! I would buy another one if Chevy was still making them. I guess thats why GM cant make money.

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  Love my Prizm - 1998 Chevrolet Prizm
  By deb - October 28 - 10:49 am

  We bought this car new. Pushing 190K miles and still going strong. Only work weve had done is and alternator/battery and routine service. All other existing problems are just irritating small things that dont involve engine reliability. A/C no longer works ($2K to fix). This is the best and most reliable car Ive ever had. Take care of it and it will take care of you. Looking to replace it only because of A/C but keeping it as a "winter car" to reduce miles on new one.