Good acceleration, good cornering, descent looks. I personally find the front bucket seats comfortable, but many passengers do not. The car really is fun to drive, it just is not fun to own.

Repair - Repair - Repair... especially after the warranty runs out.. Yes, I have experienced the floor mat sliding up under the clutch pedal, that really blows, easy fix though. Cup holder is ridiculous. If you get the power windows, expect to have to show EVERY SINGLE PASSENGER where the switch is, bizzare placement. Hope you enjoy hearing plastic rattle against plastic. Expect many expensive sensors to die before 100,000 miles. Since they packed the engine into that small compartment and turned it sideways, expect repairs to be expensive because the extended labor time involved in getting to the repair.

I bought the GT new.. paid 16000. It ran great for the first 25,000 miles, then it took a turn for the worse. The clutch died, completely. The hydraulic assembly and all. No problem, the warranty covered it 100%, but I was out of my car for 4-days. I did not elect to get an extended warranty at purchase, BIG MISTAKE with this car. My car now has 88,000 miles and about $7,000 in repairs, some under warranty, most NOT. I have experienced the following issues:
1) Dead clutch and assembly at 25,000 miles. ($1,200 warranty covered)
2) Tires worn out at 27,000 miles. ($600 for Goodyear replacements)
3) Dead power steering pump at 37,000. ($750 out of pocket)
4) Dead water pump at 50,000 miles. ($700.00 out of pocket)
5) Dead clutch #2 at 54,000 miles. (680.00 out of pocket)
6) Tires worn out at 56,000 miles. ($400, got smart and used Firestone)
7) Dead clutch #3 and assembly at 72,000 miles.($1,200 out of pocket OUCH)
8) Dead O-2 sensors, clean injectors at 77,000 miles ($690 out of pocket)
9) Dead O-2 sensors, 2 of them at 87,000 miles. ($00 still warranty above)
10)Dead high-beam switch at 87,000 miles. ($110.00 out of pocket)
11)Dead coolant sensor at 87,000 miles. ($130.00 out of pocket)
That is all the repairs I care to remember at the moment.. though I must mention the 2 factory recalls, one for wiring and one for brakes..
WHO SHOULD BUY IT.. a GM factory mechanic, save money on repairs, or anybody that has money to throw away and just has to have a Sunfire.
WHO SHOULDN'T BUY IT.. Me, and anybody who isn't willing to spend a small fortune keeping it on the road.
The only GM products I will buy from now on are TRUCKS.

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Not really, but my 2-cents worth.
1984 S-10 pickup, 4 speed manual... stock clutch lasted over 100,000 miles.
1993 GMC Sierra 4x4 laoded with everything... I really regret trading it in on the Sunfire

This car is amazing. It has the look of its brother the Firebird and has great gas mileage. If you look at the front of the car you can easilly see the similarities between the Gt Sun and the Firebird. Even though my first pick was a 99 Trans Am (5.7), I am not disapointed with my Sunfire. The car has a great trunk for a system and comes with a equalizer already installed. And if you have not heard, this cars pick up is amazing. My friends drive 92 Chevy Camoro I-Rocz and 86 Mazada RX-7, and they even want to raise me after driving my car.

The ABS breaks are very noisy. The mini spoiler was a bad idea. The cup holder near the stick shift was also not a smart idea by Pontiac.

I bought this car used with 35,000 miles on it. It looks good, it feels good, and is fun to drive. I paid very little for this car and have a great insurance set up on it. Car buyers just have to remember to be patient, the right car is out there for you. And if you want a sporty resenable car, the Gt Sunfire might be your best bet.

p.s.
I have raced a honda civic, two chevy cavaliers, a ford explorer, and a ford pick up. And you quessed it, I burned them all.

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97 Honda Civic

For the price I paid, I feel like I am getting a very nice car. You would not even believe how many compliments I receive on the way my car looks. I have modified it a little but I had a good base to start with. I love the way people expect my car to be slower than it is and than I blow right by them.

I definitely don't like the way the cup holder is also an ashtray. Plus it gets in the way of the shifter. Also, the floor mats, especially the driver one, always seem to slide forward. The first time I drove my car, the mat was over top the gas pedal and I had to pull it back.

I believe the price I paid was around $18,000.00. This was brand new and fully loaded. I would recommend it to others. If I had to sell my car, I would be very upset. In a way, my car just fits me.

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I have not driven anything similar to this since I drove my Mom's Lincoln Mark VIII for a year before my parents bought me my car for Graduation.

The sunfire has a sporty yet solid look about it. There is plenty of room in the glove box, but not near enough in the seating.I do like how the trunk is acessable from the back seat. My sunfire is a raspberry color. The actual looks of the car are great...especially for a piece of junk.

Where to start...I bought my sunfire used, and the brakes went out and left me stranded out of state, a month and a half after I purchased it. After paying over $400 to repair my brakes, I started to become very skeptical. Since then, I have had numerous repairs and spent an outrageous amount of unnecessary money. The car sounds like it is going to fall apart every time I turn a corner. It basically feels like it is on the verge of falling to pieces everytime I hit a pothole or pass over a set of railroad tracks. The brakes are the worst. Mine have been repaired twice in 2.5 years, costing me near $800. And what car only has one cupholder in the front seat? It is a constant battle over who has to hold their drink and who gets to use the ONE cupholder.

We paid $9500 for my sunfire, and it was worth about $.95. Honestly, this car has given me more headaches than college!!! It's a horrible feeling to wake up everyday and wonder if your car is going to break down on you today. I guess for a relatively inexpensive car, you can't expect outstanding dependability. But I think AAA is getting sick of towing my car to the garage. Maybe I just had a bad experience, but my advice is this: If a car salesman suggests a sunfire...RUN and don't look back. This car, with it's cute looks and fancy name, is wolf in sheep's clothing.

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I drove my parents' 1991 Geo Prism for my first car. The sunfire was a graduation present. How I wish I was still driving that old Geo Prism!! The comparison is a give-in. I'd prefer anything over my sunfire.

Good gas mileage, nice red back lit dashboard

The brakes pulsated and had to have the rotors turned. The rear speakers had to be replaced. The drivers seat had a broken spring in the seat, had it fixed and its worse than before, the heat is lousy in it when it feels like working. I found that fish are taking up residence inside my trunk where the spare tire is stored as the trunk filling up with water. The engine seems too jumpy when you accelerate sometimes, almost like it slips out of geer. Smell burning oil sometimes even though the oil filter does not appear to be leaking, usually smell it on the inside comming in the vents when you accelerate hard. ABS kicks in too easilly and the steering is rubbery/sloppy at times. At times it is very uncomfortable to drive probably due to bad seats in it, my leg will fall asleep amoung other parts of my body.

Well, needless to say I was disappointed in this car. I bought it a year old, used with 20,000 miles on it. With my 80 buick giving me problems all the time, I thought this would give me a break. Yea, right, was I ever wrong about that. I would rather have the old car back with a new transmission in it. This engine and transmission seems to jumpy in the 2000 sunfire, especially when you are drifting and you go to acelerate. The buick, cavalier, and chevy van (even being a 2000 also) never reacted like this. I dont know if I will ever buy GM again. Overall, the gas mileage is pretty good. If you dont mind little things going wrong here and there, this car is ok. If you are like me and you want to get in and not worry about anything extensively and feel comfortable driving it, then forget this car.

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1980 Buick 118,000 miles..... had excellent heat and air conditioning till the transmission died. Engine did not jump like the sunfire till the tranny died in the buick.
1984 Cavalier
1991 Cavalier excellent car, took it on a 1,000 mile or so road trip with no problems.
2000 Chevy Van no problems even on road trips

Acceleration for this little 2.4L engine is wicked. I love how it can speed up and maintain its speed well. I also love the look of my car. There are no added wings or "gold antennas that make the car go fast." The car is bone stock with the exception of a K+N drop in air filter. Its quick, fun and a blast to drive. I recommend this car to anyone that wants to show all those rice beaters what stock hp can do against multiple wings and air damns. A great valued car for the money.

The warrenty! Everytime i have to take it in for warrenty repairs, there is a stupid deductible i have to pay. As well the car sometimes does not like to go from 4th to 3rd when i am upshifting. Also the sound could be better, i wish i had the monsoon 200 watt sound system. Oh and by the way DONT BUY THE WARRENTY, IT IS NOT WORTH IT!

Overall, i have had my car for a few months and i love it. The look of the car is wicked and if pontiac ever decides to drop the new styling and go back to the old design, i would buy another one. The dealership has to get better at serving the customer properly and treating the like a customer. GM needs to drop the damn deductible b/c one it is a little pricy and two the warrenty does not cover the parts that die.

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Almost bought a 99 Honda civic SIR, but when i drove the sunfire, the civic didnt even stand a chance. As well i didnt want to be the same as everyone else so i bought the "fire."

The engine is solid and sounds pretty good for a 4 banger. The monsoon CD player rocks, and the new "JetRag" transmission feels solid. The new rims are nice. The stock tires are very adequate for city and hwy driving at relatively high speeds (including on/off ramps) where they make the biggest difference. I bought this one due to the unbeatable deal I got, but I was mostly aiming for the Grand-AM GT.

I have to agree with all postings that the GT is worth the extra money. If you can afford it and the Sunfire is what you want...get the GT. Worth every single extra penny!

Sounds like it's falling apart. The dash rattles senselessly. My cluth pedal "clunks" and squeaks loud enough for passengers to hear. I've had it serviced for this and they couldn't fix it. The doors are misalinged (as was the 95se) and the handles feel like they'll stay in your hand if you pull too hard.

The rear driver side wheel "clunks" whenever I hit a medium size bump..and you guessed it...so did the 95se. Along with my mechanic friend, we have never been able to find the source

I've previously owned a 95se coupe.

This car is pretty nifty, but it's charm is short lived. As was the case with the 95se It doesn't take long that it feels or sounds like it's falling apart. This is the real only fault I can attribute to this car. Noisy cars are annoying cars.

The GT pluses are worth considering!

I recommend this car over all the other in it's class.

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95 Sunfire Se Coupe, Cavalier, Neon

gas,reliability,acceleration,huge trunk,very smooth ride

cup holder,not enough room inside car

The car is great. I've had it for two years and havent had to replace anything for 40,000 miles.

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2000 mercury cougar,2000, ford focus, 1987 porsche 944,1994 ford probe,1996 honda civic

The car amazed me when i first drove it. I owned a 1996 SE first, and when I drove the GT, is was awsome. Nice new seats, new styling, Moonsoon stereo make it a nice looker. I would really recommend the GT version over the SE, you will get more options and more performance for the little bit of extra money.

The only weakness in the first 6 months was the fog lamp switch went bad, replaced by the dealer free of charge.

If wanting to purchase a Sunfire, I would get the GT. You will get alot more options and the engine is the best feature of the car. Do your self a favor and get the GT, you won't be sorry.

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1996 SE-does not even compare to the performance or ride of the GT. The 16' tires/rims make the car handle/ride very nice. The 16 valve engine is quieter and suprisingly faster.

Strong engine when mated with 5 speed tranny. The looks of the car can't be beat. The price was great as well.

Reliability. I think this was a Friday car when everyone was in a hurry to leave the factory. Every other automaker has their problem vehicles too but Honda and Toyota just don't admit it. In choosing this vehicle, I had many years of experience with GM J-body (Cavalier/Sunbird) and L-bodys (Beretta/Corsica) with over 200,000 kms combined on my four past GM vehicle and never had a single problem except for regular maintenence.

What's been replaced: Engine (timing chain failure), transmission differential, rack and pinion assembly, front strut mounts (twice), AC compressor, wiper motor.

Currently needs a new water pump and rear strut mounts.

If I hadn't bought extended warranty, I would have been in major financial trouble trying to fix this vehicle out of my own pocket.

I would buy it again though and extended warranty as well. This car is not typical of the Sunfire line regardless of what import owners want the general public to think.

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Except for the bad reliability, I've enjoyed this car more than any others I've had.