2003 Chevy Cavalier Review

Name: 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier Review
Brand: Chevrolet
Price: 804 USD
Rating: 4.1 (172 reviews)

Price Estimate: $804 - $1,339

2003 Chevrolet Cavalier LS Sport 2dr Coupe

Read full review See all features & specs

Price & Payment

9 cars

$3,070 avg. price

Min$

Max$

See listings

Appraise This Car

For sale nearby

9 listings

Sort by:

See all for sale

Chevrolet Cavalier model years

Chevrolet Cavalier for Sale

Chevrolet Cavalier types

Coupe
Sedan

Edmunds' Expert Review

by the Edmunds Experts

Pros

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

Cons

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

What’s new

The Cavalier gets a refresh this year that adds new front and rear fascias, revised headlights and taillights, redesigned ground effects, body-colored mirrors and door handles and a new hood. LS Sport models also get integrated foglights and new rocker moldings. The 2.2-liter Ecotec four-cylinder is now the only engine offered, as the Z24 model has been dropped from the lineup. Base model Cavs no longer come with standard ABS brakes, but it remains an available option. Inside, the Cavalier now features a center rear three-point seatbelt, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift lever, a rear 60/40-split bench seat, new child-seat anchors and optional side airbags. Finally, you can get XM Satellite Radio on all cars, and LS and LS Sport trims are available with the OnStar communications system.

Edmunds says

Despite the new look, there's no hiding the fact that this car was engineered more than a decade ago, leaving it hopelessly outclassed by nearly every other car on the market.

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier 2dr Coupe (2.2L 4cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.13 per gallon for regular unleaded in Virginia.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Virginia

$153/mo

$161/mo

Avg. Compact Car

Calculate my fuel costs

See Edmunds pricing data

Has Your Car's Value Changed?

Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.

See pricing history

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier.

5 (41%)

4 (38%)

3 (15%)

2 (3%)

1 (3%)

4.1

172 reviews

Write a vehicle review See all 172 reviews

Most helpful consumer reviews

Really good Cavalier

Darby J. Pruitt, 08/03/2009

2003 Chevrolet Cavalier 4dr Sedan (2.2L 4cyl 5M)

This 03 Cavalier is the 2nd Cavalier I have owned, and besides the few problems that I have had this car has seen me though thick and thin. Now that I have hit 105,000 miles I'm looking forward to it's first real tuneup. It diffenetly has the get up go I need to fly past any import I come across. The comfort is pretty good seeing I managed to stay setted for 10 hours on two 780 mile …

Excellent car

ravens1986, 09/05/2013

2003 Chevrolet Cavalier 4dr Sedan (2.2L 4cyl 5M)

I bought my cavy when it had around 135,000 miles on it. It's just now gotten to 218,000 after five years of owning it, and it's been exceptionally reliable. The only part to go bad on it was the fuel pump, I have not had to buy any other parts for it. Other than the standard oil change and brake service, new tires, and normal maintenance, I haven't had to put any money in to it. And I …

everywhere and back

mycars201, 04/13/2012

2003 Chevrolet Cavalier 2dr Coupe (2.2L 4cyl 5M)

i was giving this car as a present from my parents in high school in 2006 it had 40k miles on it, and it was a good little first car, drove me everywhere i needed to go, im 6" ft so its not the biggest and i couldn't fit more then 3 people in my car. i went to college in Oregon and did very well in the rain, considering im from arizona and that's where the car had lived most of its life, …

Solid work car, with plenty of quirks.

hpcrowley, 12/25/2014

2003 Chevrolet Cavalier 2dr Coupe (2.2L 4cyl 5M)

Bought this car from a buy here-pay here lot with $160k miles for a ridiculous price. Been reliable so far, but has SOOO many little problems. When I first bought it, the instrument cluster would go haywire at at random times, which was later attributed to moisture in the electronics. The climate control has an annoying click on any setting but recirculate, and the knobs broke to boot. …

See all 172 reviews of the Chevrolet Cavalier

Write a vehicle review

2003 Cavalier Highlights

Type:

Coupe

Trim:

Base

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$14,030
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	25 MPG
Cost to Drive	$153/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	13.2 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles

See all features & specs

Safety

Key safety features on the Cavalier include:

Alarm

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
Driver4 / 5
Passenger4 / 5
Side Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
Side Barrier Rating
OverallNot Rated
Driver1 / 5
Passenger2 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front SeatNot Rated
Back SeatNot Rated
Rollover
Rollover4 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of RolloverNot Rated

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Not Tested
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Not Tested
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Poor
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Updated
Not Tested
Roof Strength Test
Not Tested
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Poor

2003 Chevy Cavalier Review

Price & Payment

For sale nearby

AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary

AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary

AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary

AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary

AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary

AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary

AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary

AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary

Edmunds' Expert Review

Pros

Cons

What’s new

Edmunds says

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier 2dr Coupe (2.2L 4cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.13 per gallon for regular unleaded in Virginia.

Most helpful consumer reviews

Really good Cavalier

Excellent car

everywhere and back

Solid work car, with plenty of quirks.

2003 Cavalier Highlights

Safety

Related Used 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Chevrolet

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier 2dr Coupe (2.2L 4cyl 5M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.13 per gallon for regular unleaded in Virginia.}