1997 Geo Prizm Sedan

3 of 11 people found this review helpful

Really a toyota corrola with

by Gil on Jul 31, 2010
Vehicle: 1997 Geo Prizm LSi 4dr Sedan

My wife and I each own a 97 Prizm. I have owned mine for 5 years and she has owned it for 8 years. I have the LSi and she has the standard model. We both have the 1600 standard engine. Both cars extremely reliable. Cost of ownership very low. Both are cars are salvaged and cost under $3,000. Other than normal maintenance have had 1 fuel injector replaced, starter motor. I switched the passenger seat with the drivers seat to increase seat comfort. Negative - Road noise, a little bit louder than other small cars I have owned, but a small issue overall.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Positive+

by Bill Golden on Jul 17, 2010
Vehicle: 1997 Geo Prizm 4dr Sedan

This is the best car I've ever owned by a long shot. It has almost 194,000 miles on it, and I bought it used in '98 with a little over 5,000. These are some hard earned NJ miles with generally bad road conditions and extremes in weather. I love its reliability! In fact I'm replacing the timing belt this week -- overdue, I know -- with intentions of taking it as far as I can. But a word of advice: if you have an automatic, get the differential oil checked as well as the transmission. I've learned very little about cars since I've had this Prizm, but that was one big expensive lesson.

Amazing value

by Jay on Jun 16, 2010
Vehicle: 1997 Geo Prizm LSi 4dr Sedan

I bought this car because I have a long commute, and needed a reliable, cheap car that was good on gas. I paid $1200 for the car in 2006 and I have put 68,000 miles on the car since I bought it. The car now has 172000 miles and is still running strong. I did no repairs for the first two years I owned the car and have never done anything other than tires, brakes and exhaust. The car has great ac, and is great in the bad weather in western ny. I have no complaints and the car owes me nothing.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Reliable till the end

by Fernando on Jun 5, 2010
Vehicle: 1997 Geo Prizm 4dr Sedan

I have to give this car a 10 on reliability because it is at 173,000 miles and i have not had to make many repairs. I have driven this car from NY to FL twice and NY to Chicago round- trip. It hits its max at 175,000, but what car that you have can you say the same. If you find it in low mileage, buy immediately because it will last a long time. It's too bad they discontinued the brand because I would have definitely bought another one.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Has there ever been a

by Jim on Aug 12, 2009
Vehicle: 1997 Geo Prizm 4dr Sedan

I bought this car new late in the model year (12 years ago). I have spent a max of $1000 in this time period on minor repairs. It still gets 38 mpg+ with the 5-speed manual transmission. So given this is a 13- year old car, why aren't new cars much better? So far I can't think of any reason for getting a new car.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Still going strong

by dercpi on Jun 29, 2009
Vehicle: 1997 Geo Prizm 4dr Sedan

Hands down, the best vehicle I have ever owned due to its reliability and cost savings. The styling remains fresh if not fresher today than some of the crap being built now. My first was a 1994 LSi lease. It, too, was flawless. I drove my '97 off the showroom floor with 3/10's of a mile on it. As of today, it has exactly 310,000 miles on it! The engine and transmission remain original as does the exhaust and most of the suspension. The fit and finish remain strong as does the interior. Not bad considering it has never been garaged. It still gets great gas mileage, burns very little oil and has no squeaks. Why this model/line was ever killed off beats me. Wake up GM, you blew it.