Overview & Reviews

The Sunfire gets a refresh this year that adds new front and rear fascias, a revised sport suspension and four new wheel styles. The 2.2-liter Ecotec four-cylinder is now the only engine offered, as the GT model has been dropped from the lineup. Base model Sunfires no longer come with standard ABS brakes, but it remains an available option. On the inside, there's a 60/40-split folding rear seat, an upgraded interior seat fabric and new options like side-impact airbags, XM Satellite Radio and the OnStar system.

• Low price, torquey four-cylinder engine, optional satellite radio and OnStar.

• Ancient design inside and out, cheap interior materials, poor build quality, low resale value, poor side-impact and front-offset crash test results.

User Reviews:

Showing 21 through 30 of 67.00

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  Sunfire 2003!!! - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Sunfire Goddess - December 21 - 2:00 am

  I love my car. The Sunfire is the coolest looking car on the market today. I love the radio, the seats, the performance. I feel safer in this car than I did in my Dodge Neon (1998 model). I wish that people would not give this car such a hard time. It is a great car for a great price. The only thing that I may not be happy with about this car is that it is hard to open the drivers visor without messing up the rearview mirror.

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  Great car, no problems at 120k - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By fingaz - November 12 - 12:41 am

  My dad first purchased the Sunfire new in 2003 as a 2nd vehicle to commute to work. He got it with all the bells and whistles (which only is power windows, A/C, sunroof, monsoon sound system, dual exhaust and spoiler) for only $13,000! I ended up taking the car off his hands and it has NEVER failed me. 120k mile and I have never ever had one problem with it. Of course I keep up with oil changes, tires, brakes and the like. The car still looks current and modern and it does perform well for only having 140 horses!

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  I love my Car - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Justin - October 29 - 2:13 am

  the car has been amazing reliable for me, i use it as a daily driver and my work car ( i deliver pizza ) and to be honest for a car with 230,000 on it, its solid the engine is very strong and amazing, its got ample performance and has been bullit proof this far (knock on wood) iv only had to replace the fuel pump and spark plugs, people complaining about brakes is just stupid, they wear thats what they do, iv replaced the brakes probley a good 6x but no biggie, its cheap its a sunfire :), im purchasing a 2008 chrysler 300 limited and still keeping my sunfire cuz it will probley last longer then that car will, its treated me well and i treat it well, il be happy to get it over 500,000kms :)

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  A lot of car for the money - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By dabug - September 9 - 5:06 pm

  I bought this car 5 years ago with 32k miles. It now has 90k. I did have to replace the fuel pump at about 50k which is very hard to get to and have changed the brakes once. Other than that no major issues. It has the feel and look of a sports car with the economy of a compact. I am now selling it because I want a truck, but I believe it has a lot of life left in it. Also, reading the other reviews I noticed the ones having the most problems are base models, ones like mine with the dual exhaust and other upgrades tend to be more reliable and a lot nicer cars, however they are harder to find.

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  2003 Pontiac Sunfire - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By stephen g - August 28 - 10:00 am

  Have had this 2003 Sunfire for about a month now. Awesome fun! Im 44 and wanted an inexpensive car just to run around in. This one might end up being my primary car it is so much fun. I have the 1SC package with everything except power windows. Recommend it for any individual. I let our 17 year old daughter drive it a couple times, now I might not get it back!

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  Loved my car, now having major problems - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By P. Kobasic - July 14 - 6:36 pm

  I have had my car for 4 years and loved it when I first bought it, but now I am having problems. I just had to spend $500 to get the brakes fixed and I only have 44,000 miles on the car! The cylinders were cracked and brake fluid was leaking and the brake pads and shoes had to be replaced. Now, my window doesnt work and it will be another $400 to replace the motor. After reading others comments, the windows are a problem with this car. Beware that your brakes may be a problem too, even if your mileage is less than 50,000. I will never buy a Pontiac again and hope I can hold off having anymore major problems with this car for another year or so.

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  Big Bang for Little Bucks! - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By BluByU - May 22 - 2:00 am

  This is my first new car. I have driven many other makes and models over the years, but the 2003 Sunfire is by far the best bang for the buck! It is absolutly stunning in its appearance. I have the Blue color and I get at least 2 - 4 complements everyday either on the color or the look of the car. The transmission is so smoth (Auto). I live in the mountains of NH, and I can do a steady 80 up hill and not even feel any hesitation or shifting. The only other car I ever drove that was faster was a 70s Pontiac Catalina. And from the front it looks so tough coming at you. I LOVE it and wont ever give it up! Pontiac fan for life.

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  Host of Problems - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Cher - September 16 - 7:20 pm

  We bought this car new from the dealer. Since then the headlights have gone out twice under warranty, then paid +$300 to get them fixed again, now the fog lights are out (issue is in a wiring harness that keeps corroding, and even if they replace the entire harness, the same issue will happen because the harness still is built the same way - with poor wires; GM states that it is not their issue, but if you research this, just about every one of them has this problem; sounds like it should be recalled and a completely new harness designed). The fuel pump will go out about every 50k-60k miles. Now the window will not roll down. Many calls to GMs product assist/complaint line go non-returned.

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  Great Car, going on 6 years, no problems - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By saxguyck - June 19 - 9:36 am

  We have had this car in our family since new in 2003 and have have absolutely no problems with it. Runs perfect, starts right up, minimal maintenance and no repairs necessary. We got a great deal on it; $13,000 fully loaded (dual exhaust, power windows, doors, sunroof, spoiler, 6 speaker monsoon sound system). considering that this is an entry level, commuter car, it has been worth every penny. Great gas milage too. 27-31 (normal driving.. some highway, some back roads, some bumper to bumper traffic)

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  4 door model - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By steve b. - May 30 - 2:46 am

  Our car is a 2003 4 door model, which i guess was sold only in Canada. Its actually been pretty reliable except for the power windows. Ive had to replace the motors in several of the windows,some multiple times, and now this spring they are acting up again.Its about $300 a shot for the motors. Two of the interior door panels have popped loose and the digital clock/radio light has died. Ill be getting rid of it soon.