sport package, wheels, solid engine, ROOMY for such a small car and me being over 6 feet tall; big enough trunk, visibility, extremely agile, being a Toyota, big steering wheel, fold down rear seat allows one to fit at least two bikes in the trunk, i love this car!

piddly little horn can't be heard by anyone on highways, back seat is for smaller people only, unless you don't mind getting friendly with your seat-mate. Small cupholders can't hold my precious Sobe bottles! at least it has cupholders..., my car only has an automatic, which sucks.

This car is solid. It is essentially a rebadged Toyota Corolla! That is how i justify having a Geo. It handles extremely well with the nice independent suspension and the snazzy 5 spoked aluminum wheels, and it even has an anti-roll bar up front! the 1.6 liter can really be screamin for extra power on the highways but it ain't too bad; it sure can squirt around town with the best of them. Visibility couldn't be better unless i was in a convertible. i bought this car used with 100K on it, and this thing works like new. Of course, the previous owner didn't treat it like junk and kept it garaged. i was amazed to find that the tape deck worked on a car with this much use. the sets are still supportive, and the little spoiler on the trunk kinda gives it an nice edge; it is actually more of a lip off of the trunk edge. although, about 5 thousand miles after i got it, the transmission decided to stop employing overdrive, which limited my speed on the highway. great gas mileage , and a usable trunk. i plan on keeping this car as long as i can afford it! i am not sure what else to say, except that i assume that anyone really reading this, about a car this old, is a prospective buyer of a used model. if taken care of, this care is a gem. (as with any car. just take care of your cars, people!)

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1992 Cheverlot Cavalier station wagon, which has more cargo room and a more linear power band, and has a lot more meat around your. GREAT car.

Fuel milage, acceleration, styling, over all value.

None (so far). Have owned it for 7 months

I can not accurately put into words how happy I am with this car. Recently married and looking to save money I traded in my 98 GMC Jimmy for a this 2001 Prizm. Some might call this a step down but my wife and I are in love with this little car, it will go for 400 miles on one tank, acceleration is incredibly good considering it is an economy car, the stick shift is precise and has great feel...if you want better acceleration I recommed the 5 speed (so does the dealer). I'm 6-2' and can not complain about the front seats. This particular Prizm is the most basic model and came only equiped with an AM/FM tuner (not even a cassette player) so I installed an aftermaket CD player and I can not believe how great the speakers sound now!! This car is a lease but after the lease is up we are thinking of keeping it. If you're considering getting one of these....do it!!! you won't be disappointed.

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98 GMC Jimmy, this car will keep going for 180 miles after the Jimmy runs out of gas!

It is beautiful! I love the radio/CD player. Acceleration is great, fast. Braking is great, once I got the hang of it.

Nothing.

I would recommend it to anyone. Its small, but it feels huge inside. Tons of room inside, 5 people comfortably. All my college stuff fits right in perfect.

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I had a 1986 Toyota Camry w/ 180,000 miles. My new Prizm feels similar inside. I hope I got 300,000 miles out of it.

Rugged dependability,rattle-free after 128000 miles,fully loaded except no sunroof. Lock-out the overdrive and skidaddle around town. Overdrive on the superhyways and she loafs along 70-75 at below 2500RPM, squeezing those gas dollars like Scrooge.Quiet engine and no wind noise.Fold-down full rear seat for longer trunk items I'm hauling.

Just little minor thing,gas guage acts erratic - mighty slow to register fill-up after I pull away from the pump- changed sensing unit in tank under warranty - been back lots of times but can't find anything wrong. I wanted to put in a new guage but got to thinking that ripping open the dashboard would lead to rattles. To h___ with it- the guage works. I druther have peace and quiet on the road. I'm real finicky,eh? You bet your bottom dollar,I am,I am :-)

Paid 16900 out-the-door - brand new. Nothing more than a Toyota Corolla with Chevy badges - assembled in Torrance,CA on the same line as the Corolla. All she needs are new struts and maybe a new timing belt and she'll run another 100000 without breaking a sweat.For a family sedan in the compact category, she can't be beat AND you drive home the same car $1200 cheaper than a comparably equipped Corolla.

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1966 Volvo 122,1973 Toyota Celica,1981 VW Rabbit,1987 Chevrolet Nova. All but the VW Rabbit I would highly recommend ( The Celica is a sportier coupe).I kept the Rabbit too long - after 2 years it's reliability went into the loo.

Well screwed together-- Toyota quality throughout.
Good visability.
Likeable (if such a subjective term can be quantified)
Relatively comfortable

3 speed auto transmission
Carburated engine will probably mean trouble.

I put this in with the Prizms even though it was a Nova.

Bought this car for my mother-in-law about five years ago. She went to a mechanic that took her for $$$. All she did was complain about it. Finally she bought a 1991 Sunbird with 160K on it (the Nova-which was worn out in her estimation had less than 140K). I gave her $1000 for the Nova and so far it's been money well spent. $150 Earl Scheib paint job and I was home free. Took about five tankfuls of gas with Marvel Mystery Oil added to get the carbon out. She was only driving it about 300 miles per year, I've put on more than five years of her mileage in two months. If I get 15,000 miles out of it will owe me nothing.

Almost bought a 1997 Prizm when I purchased my Cavalier. In my estimate that was the best of the breed. Did purchase a 1990 Prizm with 5-speed for my oldest daughter. That's a great car too and a manual transmission is a big plus when you're dealing with a less than 2 litre engine.

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1997 Cavalier-- In some ways the Nova is a much more pleasant vehicle.

It runs FOREVER and EVER! It is compact and easy to drive. Definately not very stylish, but this was my first car and I drove it for 10 years.

There always seemed to be this minor electrical problem, not a big thing at first, but in my last two years of driving it, it would occassionally just STOP driving for no reason at anytime, anywhere. I wouldn't drive at night without a friend following me. I seemed to end up with a lot of dead batteries too, I don't know if this was GEO or just cheap batteries. Eventually, all the little things like inside door handles started to fall off, the air conditioner died and one of the windows wouldn't roll down anymore.

This car was great for a first car. For the first 5 years of having it, I didn't know what a car problem was. After that it was just regular upkeep, breaks, rotars, etc. until the 7th year of driving, but hey, nothing lasts forever...or does it, I sold it to my friend a year ago for $500.00 and the thing is STILL going!!! The radiator needs to be replaced and there is still that "guess when I'll stop driving" routine, but it still goes! I was bored with it because it's not very attractive or exciting, and I was sooo happy to sell it, but hey, I had driven it for 10 years! (keep in mind, my review refers to the 1990 model) It serves it's purpous and it's affordable.I would recommend it for a teenager or a college student, definately not for an adult who wants to feel like they're advancing.( it's VERY basic, it's not a luxury car)

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I would say that it is good for the long haul like a Honda civic, although the Civic is surely better quality.

GREAT gas mileage! I can go about 235 miles (driving on the highway) on a half tank of gas alone! And thats while driving between 60-70 mph! I love the suspension, it hugs corners really well and just manuevers so well while changing lanes, turning etc. I read in a lot of the other reviews that this car isnt exactly "stylish" but I totally think it is. It's so cute! The sedan just looks really good and pretty respectable, its nice and compact, not too big and definitely not too small. Visibility is fantastic. Braking is pretty good too.

The acceleration leaves a lot to be desired. My car is a 95, I bought it with about 48000 miles on it, since I've had it I've put on 3000 more, I don't know if this is a problem with my car specifically or something that happens with other older models as well. Whenever I try to acclerate to a high speed very quickly (starting from 0 mph at a stoplight, etc), I have to literally slam the accelerator into the floor to get it moving....I swear to god it takes 12 secs alone just to go from 0 to 45 sometimes...it happened a lot at first but has improved since I've had it...this problem happens also while going uphill, trying to maintain speed is very hard, even if I press down on the accelerator very hard, the car wont go any faster. So the acceleration definitely needs some help....but this isnt a significant problem, it only happens every now and then. Another thing that caught my attention is that if I drive any faster than 75, the wheel starts vibrating a lot, shaking....I wonder if maybe I'm messing up the belts or something like that by driving that fast....but I don't drive above 75 anymore simply because it's not safe and I don't want to mess the car up.

Most of my experience has been described up above. Despite the problem with the accelerator, I still love this car. It is really great for road trips (remember...GREAT gas mileage!), great for commuting and getting around town. handles really well. I've heard so much about this car's dependability, I'm really hoping I can get some good use out of it. definitely recommend this to college kids.

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can't really compare it to anything since this is my first car.

Smooth ride, adequate room for a car of it's size, decent winter driving, CD player, big ashtray, nice interior, daytime running lights, proven reliability, easy on gas

not the most stylish car in the world but it is pretty "cute"!

I just got it today so hey what do I know right? But I can already tell it drives much better than the probe. I love that it has such a smooth ride (almost like my Olds did.) It is very small, but I am just a college student so I have no use for a bigger car. I wanted something that was decent in winter driving since I live in the stix of Northern MN. Compared to the probe, this does MUCH better. The gas mileage being so good (40 mpg) is a big thing for me too because I drive 80 miles round trip to college each day, and another 20 to work each day. It is a good value, I think, and I am really glad I got rid of that damn probe, I am much happier with this already.

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84' Mercury Topaz-No Comparison here!!! 96' Olds Cutlass Supreme-I loved that car but payments were too damn high, I so much wish I could get it back. It was decked out with everything though, all expensive options available (leather, CD, Power everything etc.) 95' Ford Probe-This car was terrible so I would say the Prizm rates a lot better compared to the Probe.

Everything! Great gas mileage, sporty feel, stick shift is peppy, front wheel drive, VERY comfortable, goes over bumps great, a sunroof, cruise control, did I mention great gas mileage???

It's a small car, but all I could afford right now. I was driving a 1999 Kia Sportage EX, worst lemon I have ever seen. I didn't have the $$ to put power windows or locks on it, but oh, well, at least it has a sunroof...

Well, of course I love it right now--I just got the car 4 days ago!

Seriously, I am really pleased with the car--get the stick shift, it's more peppy.....

I ended up paying a lot for the car, because I had TONS of negative value left over from the Kia. This was the one economy car I fit into my price range that I would consider driving. Pending no HUGE mechanical problems like the last one, I'm sure the more I drive it, the more I will love it.

You cannot go wrong with a basic, boring, reliable car like this one! It would work very well for people on a budget, looking for a cute little car with great gas mileage! It would work for almost everyone.

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1988 Toyota Tercel--this is waaaaay better! Even though it's basically a Corolla, it's still 13 years newer.....

1991 Mistubishi Eclipes--loved it because it was a sports car. I bought it for $1200 with tons of miles on it, and still regret selling it. Would buy another in a heartbeat, if I had the $$.

All my other cars were SUV's, so I can't compare those... :-)

Reliability, Quick to respond, Overdrive automatic tranmission with attitude control (performance, economy switch), Very good Air Conditioner that is one of the easiest to convert to R134A without problems. Twin Cam Engine, Glass Euro Coded Composite Headlights, Cruise Control, Mutli Port Fuel Injection (most cars were stil using TBi)

Handling (a little sluggish, but has gotten far better in recent models), Stock radio poor but upgraded cassette radio is 300% better. No Rev Counter (RPM Gauge) available in either model (GSi Or LSi)

My Geo, for its age, runs as if it was brand new, no vibration, very good power for as small as 4 cylinder that it is (1.6 Twin Cam). Does not burn oil, never has.. I see very few, even ones that have not been taking care of burning anything, however see many hondas of this age burning oil or other things... The headlights are glass NOT plastic. this is an important factor considering the age of the car, most headlights are plastic in the US and have yellowed or cracked. Also they use Euro Coded optics will still conforming to US DOT Laws, the Corolla being the same way, and if kept properly aimed the beam pattern compares to many newer cars with.

Honestly, the car is a very good deal, they run FOREVER (so do the earlier Chevy Nova's) the paint if taken care of will last nearly the life of the car (my paint still shines and beads and looks better than some fairly new cars, of course this all depends on the owner), and outlasts all cars period.

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1989 Honda Civic DX - Sluggish, no overdrive automatic avaialable with DX and stock tranmission is ONLY 4 speed manual!, costs up to $2000 more and does not have the reliability , Fuel Injection not standard. No Radio without paying extra. No Cruise.

1989 Ford Escort GL - Camless engine, no overdrive with automatic, fuel mileage fair, pleastic headlights that leak and crack, has fuel injection but only throttle body not Mutli Port Or Sequential unless a GT Model.

1989 Geo Spectrum - Peppy but not many options.. has overdrive but is quirky due to Single Cam 1.5 engine, reliablility good, has injection (do not remember if Multi or Throttle)