Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Prismazing! - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By Charles Miska - October 29 - 1:00 pm

  We bought our Prism as a first car for our 16 year old son. He wanted a manual transmission and learned to drive a stick after we bought the Prism. Our car had 70,000 miles on it when we bought it and I got a terrific price for it. This little car has been sensational! Shifts crisply through all the gears, has exceptional zip for the little engine, brakes well and while its a base model, all the controls and amenities work perfectly. We have not experienced the oil usage issue many other reviewers have, which is interesting, given that we live on a steep mountainside and the car is a manual transmission driven by a teenager. Youd think our unit would be susceptible to the oil problem, but no, it runs better than either of the cars we bought for our other kids.

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  Good Car Until it Burns Oil Like Crazy - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By greatambitions - November 29 - 1:17 am

  Let me start by saying this car has been reliable for most of its life. I bought it at 77,000 miles, and its still running at 191,000+. It is by no means a flashy vehicle, but when the engine ran at peak efficiency, it got close to 40 MPG and ran smoothly. But, at about the 130,000 mark, it started burning oil (1 quart every 1,000 miles or so). 60,000 miles later, it burns through about 1 quart every 50 miles. Further research via Google has shown that this is a common problem for the 2002 Prizms, and is related to narrow cylinders and bad seals. Keep this in mind if buying a Prizm from this final year of production. Youll be investing in lots of oil when it reaches a high mileage point.

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  5 years and running like a champ! - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By LinRichards - September 6 - 4:52 pm

  I bought my car used with 64,000 miles on it five years ago. I LOVE THIS CAR. So reliable, I have not had to do any major repairs on it. I have of course changed tires, batteries, flushed the transmission. But there have been no other real problems. When I drive on the interstate or above 70 mph, it does eat a lot of oil. Im thinking it might have an internal oil leak. I need to get it looked at. But the miles per gallon is incredible and I absolutely love this tiny little car. I like that it has nothing automatic on it, thats how you can keep the cost down. BUY IT PEEPS!

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  Bring back the Prizm - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By Julie - July 13 - 3:23 pm

  We have been more than happy with our 2002 Prizm. Still gets 32+ mpg. Even in winter here in Minnesota! We are religious about giving it oil changes every 3000 miles. It has had 2 major maintenance checks with no major fixes. We live on a long gravel road which is also hard on vehicles, but this car seems to handle it fine. We hope we can get another 100,000+ miles from it so our teen daughter can inherit it from us in 3 years.

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  My 02 Prizm LSi - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By Ralph0722 - May 25 - 8:43 pm

  Bought the car used last month. Very good shape for year/miles. Very economical to run and keep. Plenty of Toyota parts available. I get about 32 mpg mostly. AC is strong. Stereo is pretty decent. Cover all basic necessities like power windows, locks, mirrors, cruise. Alloy wheels. Sharp little car.

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  My 02 Prizm LSi - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By Ralph0722 - May 20 - 8:43 pm

  I bought this car used last month. I must say im very happy with this small zippy car. 1.8L VVTi is noisy but runs economical. 4AT shifts smoothly. Interior room is tight, back seat has no leg room back there. I consider this a 2 people car or a college student car (i am one). Trunk size is ok for class. Design is clean and simple, very Toyota like. Since this car is the same as a Corolla parts are available everywhere.

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  Corrolla - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By thomas64p1 - August 30 - 6:56 pm

  Bought the car used from a dealer below KBB value. After 1 month of ownership the car runs great with occasional smoking from the exhaust possibly due to need for tune up. Only problem so far is an annoying rubbing of the a/c clutch that may be covered under the 3 month warranty. Ive owned two Toyota Tercels which were excellent vehicles, a 96 that needed no repairs and a 95 that needed a started, water pump, and rear axle due to being reconstructed.

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  Very Nice Practical Car. - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By Moe - March 29 - 1:28 am

  First of all, dont expect this car to be a Ferrari. I bought my Prizm in 2004 with 32000 miles on it, and it has served me well since then as it has 77k on it. The engine was PLENTY of power to get you merging onto that highway or to pass the annoying driver in the city or highway. As for the transmission I do have the 3-speed auto and I would have liked to have the 4-speed auto or 5-speed manual, considering the 3-speed is quite noisy on the highway, but that not too much of a problem for me, as I turn up the music a little bit. Additionally the 4-speed does a little better in gas. Im averaging 27mpg city and 32mpg highway (interstate 72mph) and 36mpg U.S highway (60mph).

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  Great and Reliable Car - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By von - December 26 - 9:21 pm

  I got this car used in the summer of 2007. I never had any problems with it. This is my first car and only car. I was surprised to find out they dont make this car anymore. It is good on gas and reliable. It is also good for a small family.

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  The Maytag of cars - 2002 Chevrolet Prizm
  By morin2 - August 16 - 2:55 pm

  Bought this car slightly less than 3 years old with 25K miles on odom, a local car traded at a new car dealer. Now have 83K miles on it. The car is my commuter & driven 107 miles/day. Utterly reliable appliance but somewhat bland and boring. Have only done routine maintenance - replaced the awful original Firestones with Bridgestone Insigna and done the easy oil changes, coolant flushes & trans flush. Use Toyota filters & red coolant. This car will be soon passed down to my daughter & will be her first car - good for a new driver, slow, safe, and all controls very easy. I get about 31-36 mpg.