My wife and I purchased this car used (50,000 miles) from a dealership where one of my good friends is the manager of th Service Department. He checked it out thoroughly, and found no problems. Carfax reported no accidents or major repairs for the vehicle. Everything appeared to be running well, except for a slight vibrating noise. Inspection and maintenance were performed by the dealership.

Within the first two weeks we had the vehicle, it was in to the dealership 3 times. The car would not start the MORNING AFTER WE BOUGHT IT. Over the next 5 weeks, the car was in 5 more times. There were extensive problems with the fuel pump, the catalytic converter, the brakes failed, and other undiagnosable problems that ended up with us stranded somewhere and the dealership towing it 80 miles one-way to their shop.

To be fair, some of these problems were the dealership's fault. They forgot to hook up part of the fuel pump (oops!) during the first fuel pump replacement (yes, thats right, they replaced more than one in an eight-week period). However, the problems ran deeper than technical issues. Much more so than any used vehicle should have at 50,000 miles.

To give proper due to Pontiac, I must admit that the Sunfire performed fairly well when it was running. Acceleration and handling were good. Braking would have to get a poor rating due to the braking system failing while my wife was driving (this, incidentally, was the last straw). This failure was not due to the level of fluid, brake pads, etc.; it was a system failure. The sunfire was fairly roomy and quiet. The CD player was annoying due to its automatic adjustment depending on vehicle speed. It always increased the volume too much above 40 mph.

We were told later by the dealership that these are "cookie cutter cars" that are not made to last more than 90-100k miles. Funny how they don't tell you that when you're about to buy it. Trading this car in before the dealership warranty ran out was the best financial move we ever made. I would strongly urge you to buy a used Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla (which we did, and are very happy with) if you are looking for a reliable, low-cost car.
Amount Paid (US$): 5500
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: Automatic Coupe