I purchased my '00 Sunfire a year ago. I had a hard time deciding between the "sportier" two door model and the more "practical and roomy" four door model. Because I usually travel and pack a lot of stuff, I finally picked the four door model in silver.
First off, let me say this: There is sort of a double bind when choosing between the 2 and 4 door models. Yes, the 2 door is sporty and flashy, but it hardly has enough back seat room to seat a child let alone a teenager or adult. Because of this, I thought the better choice would be the 4 door.
All was going well until Pontiac came out with this great idea to add customization options for the Sunfire (i.e. ground effects, ram air hood, rear spoilers, etc). These mods are great--if you own a 2 door model. For some reason that is beyond me, Pontiac decided to leave out 4 door models when deciding to add fun stuff to the list of Sunfire mods. According to the site, I can get a Ram Air hood and a SIDE PORTION of the ground effects (right side only) Sooooo... with that I say: if you are young and want to do anything cool to your car, sacrifice space for looks.
As for the general mechanics of the car, I really haven't had any huge problems. I did go to change my brakes at 20,000 miles and found something interesting. My rotors were worn quite a bit and my pads were almost "polished" looking - as if the metal from the rotors had come off onto the pads. This was causing my car to brake inconsistently and in a jerky manner. I replaced the pads and rotors and now everything is fine with that. Overall though, I would have to rate this car as very dependable (I travel 400 miles at a time quite often and the car runs like a dream) and easy on the pocketbook for repairs and gas.
I can't say as much for the interior of the car. As I stated before, the two door model has little back seat room. The four door model offers plenty. The flip down back seat DOES extend trunk space and is a GREAT feature for a small car to have.
The dash and related front seat areas would have to be my major complaint. The radio buttons are poorly laid out - the button to change from AM to FM is between the SEEK and the programmable station buttons (1,2,3 etc). I have found myself switching from AM to FM over and over a few times because I'm hitting the wrong button. The power window controls are in the center of the car. This drove me crazy at first, but now I'm used to it. BUT if I ever have anyone in my car, they are constantly pushing the power door locks instead of the window buttons. Also the cup holders are nice, but if you put a fast food cup or 20 oz pop bottle in the holder, it blocks the radio volume and power buttons (this sometimes forces the cup to sit crooked and leak). The buttons stick out so far that the pop bottle easily bumps the buttons changing the volume, turning the radio off, or spilling the pop. These are the major problems I see with the interior of the car, I really like everything else inside the car though.
And then...there's the engine. I might as well have a hamster running in a wheel to power my car. The sleepy four cylinder makes it near impossible to pull out into traffic during rush hour and the like. I have an automatic, and the car lurches sometimes when I try to squeeze a little power out of it. Sadly, the car's pickup is even worse if you turn on the AC.
If you're looking for any sort of power, look far, far away from the Sunfire. It doesn't seem as bad when you test drive the car because its a small car, but after you get used to the size, you'll notice the slow engine. If you're looking for cost effectiveness, compact size, and reliability, I'd head over to a Pontiac dealership and check the Sunfire out.
Amount Paid (US$): 15,000.00
Condition: New
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: 4-Door SE
