The Chevy Prizm was an entry level compact car that took the place of the Chevy Nova. It debuted in 1989 under the Geo Prizm name. It was categorized in the subcompact class of cars through 1992 before moving to the compact class in 1993 where it remained until 2002 when production stopped. The first generation of the Prizm, which ran from 1989-1992, had two body styles, the 4-door sedan and 5-door hatchback. Both came with a 1.6L engine and a choice of a 5-speed manual or a 3- or 4-speed automatic transmission.

The second generation Prizm was in production from 1993-1997 and with a redesign moved to the compact class. This generation had one body style the 4-door sedan, but two engine choices the 1.6L and the 1.58L. This generation offered the same three transmission choices as the first generation. This generation also was the first to offer a driver’s side airbag, and in 1994 a passenger side airbag was added.

The biggest change in the third and final generation of the Chevy Prizm (when the Geo name was dropped for the Chevy name) was the change to just the 1.8L engine that was all aluminum and had more power with the same fuel economy as previous years. This generation added in optional side airbags, which was a first for a car in its class.

All generations of the Prizm offered a fuel economy of around 31 mpg city, 38 mpg highway. Vehicle maintenance is the standard maintenance for cars and Chevy Prizm parts are easily found both local and online. Prizms were built at the NUMMI plant in Fremont, CA. This plant was a joint venture between Toyota and GM. Thus the Chevy Prizm was a twin of the Toyota Corolla for the most part. The differences were mainly cosmetic and the Prizm didn’t hold its resale value like the Corolla did. The Prizm is a reliable car that has the Toyota quality but at a Chevy price. Even used these cars have remained dependable at a much lower price than their sister car, the Corolla.

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