2003 Pontiac Sunfire Review
Price Estimate: $448 - $747





+39
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 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.
Edmunds says
A ghastly-looking attempt at a low-budget sport coupe, the Sunfire is hopelessly outclassed by both its foreign and domestic competition.
For sale near Columbus, OH
Cost to Drive
Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio
$146/mo for Sunfire Base
Sunfire Base
vs
$162/mo
Avg. Compact Car
See Edmunds pricing data
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Pontiac Sunfire Owner Reviews
Most Helpful Owner Reviews
Trending topics
I love my Car
4 out of 5 starsJustin, 03/06/2009
2003 Pontiac Sunfire 2dr Coupe (2.2L 4cyl 5M)
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 500,000km's :)
amazing
5 out of 5 starsBrad, 04/08/2016
2003 Pontiac Sunfire 2dr Coupe (2.2L 4cyl 5M)
It is an amazing vehicle to own, its stylish, decent speed, great fuel economy, good trunk space, good for off-road. I know that because when i owned the car i preferred to go down the dirt roads. the only problem with the car is that the headlights are not very bright
Reliable and Fun
3.75 out of 5 starsSamantha, 10/24/2006
2003 Pontiac Sunfire 2dr Coupe (2.2L 4cyl 5M)
I bought my sunfire about a year and a half ago used, it had 30,000 miles. It now has 50,000 and I haven't had any major problems with the car. It is fun to drive and handles well. I've driven it from WI to FL and back and it was an excellent drive, very peppy car. Reliable, but poor build quality
Host of Problems
2.38 out of 5 starsCher, 06/05/2008
2003 Pontiac Sunfire 2dr Coupe (2.2L 4cyl 5M)
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 GM's product assist/complaint line go non-returned.
2003 Sunfire Highlights
Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee | $14,930 |
---|---|
Engine Type | Gas |
Combined MPG | 25 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $146/month |
Seating | 5 seats |
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place | 12.4 cu.ft. |
Drivetrain | front wheel drive |
Warranty | 3 years / 36,000 miles |
Safety
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriver4 / 5Passenger4 / 5
- Side Crash RatingOverallNot Rated
- Side Barrier RatingOverallNot RatedDriver1 / 5Passenger2 / 5
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront SeatNot RatedBack SeatNot Rated
- RolloverRollover4 / 5Dynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of RolloverNot Rated
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