1992 Chevrolet Cavalier RS | Retro Review
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- čas přidán 31. 03. 2021
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Ahh, back when you could afford a fun two-door coupe with a manual trans.
Show 1114 | Original Airdate 12.27.1991
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I'll donate, but it's kind of funny. A few years ago i tried to buy a bunch of these from you on DVD but nobody ever bothered to get back to me. I called multiple times and even sent a letter directly to John Davis (snail mail). I figured you didn't want the money.
I’m not sure but I believe MotorWeek was produced by PBS....with OUR tax dollars.... so please explain why we should give you money on a site that cost you NOTHING to upload videos the public already paid for? Thanks
@@mrawesome2524 Yes, and aren't these shows already created? What is the cost incurred? probably some intern working for free posting these. and let's see the whole episode not just the first part.
@@mrawesome2524 It takes a fair amount of work to get these old road tests online for everyone to watch. Until the early 2000s, all of the episode masters are on tape so over the years we have been slowly digitizing what we can in between our normal jobs of making current episodes of the show. We have never before fundraised for this and our CZcams channel isn't monetized so we wanted to give those who have enjoyed our Retro Reviews over the years an opportunity to support us.
Some Motorweek viewers may be too young to remember the Cavalier was once high in the sales charts.
It was a pretty good effort, all things considered.
They were fairly good sellers up until the end honestly, I still see them all the time too, probably will be seeing them well into the 20s.
@@BigWheel. It was the number 1 selling car in Canada for a time but they are now far rarer than competitors of the day.
I remember; eventually GM ran out of suckers to sell that car too; so it is gone along with its successors
It was fairly common at my high school. Not as common as S-10's, or probably Rangers.
Though we've come a long way, I must say sometimes I miss simpler times
That's why I bought a good condition '90 Beretta recently heh.
@@judeodomhnaill9711 I have a 91 Beretta that I bought 24 years ago. I love that car. Bought it in high school and it has been with me since.
No. I remember what utter crap these cars were. They came standard with squeaks and rattles and panel gaps approaching an inch in size.
@@Bartonovich52 I'll give you that, the build quality is far greater on my 89, 91, and 93 Hondas. That's why I have spare parts. Power train wise, in my experience my Beretta and cavaliers, all V6 models start and run just as dependably as those Hondas. Idk maybe it's bc I've owned em most of their lives. So they ain't been passed through many owners and taken care of? Either way, mine have been good to me and nowadays people actually enjoy seeing em on the road.
@@williamsinger4124 good stuff. I wanna get a GTU next.
My aunt had a purple one, my cousins and I used to sing "Were gonna die in a purple cavalier, a purple cavalier, a purple cavalier" to the tune of "yellow submarine"
Lol
Morbid kids. LoL
You literally WOULD die in an "off-set" crash, POOR rating in that type of crash!
Sub Cavalier with Cadaver
Hilarious
I have a 1992 Cavalier Z24. All original with 62k miles and been in my family since new. Don’t see many on the road these days
I have a 90 Beretta Indy with 107k, 5 speed manual. Kudos to you.
@@judeodomhnaill9711 I have a teal 91 gt that I got 24 years ago as well as a black and silver 89 Z24 convertible. Love my oddball collection. They ain't fancy but they're paid for and are turn key.
Mainly because the "Big C" is having it's way with these vehicles!
@@TheOzthewiz yeah, if I wasn't as diligent about not exposing em to the salt as I am, guarantee that rust would've sent em to the big C. Here in NY, alot of those GM cars were crushed even though they run like a scalded rat, they were just unsafe for the road. Same with japanese cars. I have a few of them too lol.
I see many sunfires/cavaliers on the road near me but every single one of them is rusted out and falling apart lol.
The Cavalier was everywhere back in the 90s. I remember my Mom's '87 Cavalier being in the shop for a few days and we had a '92 Cavalier V6 coupe rental car. It seemed so much nicer than hers.
And , I bet, a hellava LOT faster!
My dad had a '94 Cavalier RS Sedan, & it was great and reliable!!!!!
@@TheOzthewiz Ha, yeah my mom has a lead foot and I recall it feeling a lot faster than hers.
Chevy Cavalier, is great and beautifull car. Solid, is Chevrolet Monza here in Brazil
My first car was a '94 Cavalier. That was a great car. I bought it with 15,000 miles on it in 1995 and had it until 2002, when I traded it in at 70,000+ miles. A few years later, I saw it in the parking lot of the Starbucks across from where I worked at the time! It was good to see it was still going.
I had a red 93 5spd 2 door like the thumbnail. That car got me all the way through Denver during a record snowfall back in 97!
Forgot about the pull out cup holder.
Neat video. I still drive a 92 red Cavalier RS two door. I bought it in 2006 wrecked in the front for $500 with only 76,000 original miles and fixed it. It now has 247,000 miles on it. I also have another 92 red Cavalier two door with the five speed manual that a friend gave me in 2006 with a blown motor. Put a junkyard engine in it and it still runs. It's just a spare car that rarely gets driven. I just had to replace the shift cable for the second time because the ends broke.
My fiancé drives a 94 blue Cavalier two door that she drives to work for the gas mileage. She has been driving it since 2014. We both have newer vehicles but none get as good gas mileage as these Cavaliers so we just keep driving them. We have a wrecked 93 out in the field for parts that still ran when we got it five years ago.
I remember this one was a staple at the AVIS rental counter 😂😂 they made a lot of money by having it on their fleet
basically the reason this car was made.
Yes!! Lol
Kudos to MW for finding a manual-shift 4-door Cavalier. I think I've only ever seen one, and it was an early-'80s model.
The manufacturers routinely sent MW manuals to test. I would expect manuals made up 30-40% of the small car fleet in the early 90s. Manuals were also quicker and more fuel efficient than automatics until quite recently.
Manual shift four- doors were fairly common then. I had a five speed Accord sedan.
@@GlennC789 I am looking forward to an 8 speed manual to offer the same wide ratios today's automatics offer ;-)
@@rightlanehog3151 You're gonna be waiting a LONG time, the HOT item now are DCT 8-speed, 10-speed manual/automatics! Roll with the times!!
My Dad bought an 84 4 door Cavalier stick new and I bought a 5 spd 86 4 door Cavalier in 88. Most fun I have ever had in a car including my new Charger Daytona. My 06 WRX I had. Had some strange stick cars over the years though. 06 CRV stick for the family which replaced my 05 Santa Fe stick after an accident. Had a 14 Cruze 6 spd stick liked that car too. Miss regular cars with manuals.
My father had one of these, 1991 a grey coupe with the automatic. It was one of the most reliable cars he ever owned until it got totalled in 2004. I miss it.
My family had a '92 teal coupe with the slushbox. Aside from a bad alternator, which my cousin replaced with a second-hand unit, it was rock solid - one of the best cars we ever owned. Ours was totaled in 2000.
@@saturnotaku thats funny, my dad had an alternator problem with the Cavalier also. As unloved as the J bodies were, they were solid cars.
Same thing happened to my dad's 94 automatic blue wagon, first car we had in America, around the same time (maybe '02-'03?).. Got totaled by a 4runner that turned into the oncoming lane. It had been super reliable as well. The front crumpled like a beer can but the passenger area was intact enough for the front doors to easily open and close. Might sound stupid to some but i miss that car. I'd buy a manual coupe now if i could find one that wasn't rusted to shit lol
@@saturnotaku I had to replace a few alternators on my '91, it was one of the only problems I had with it. For the most part it was a reliable car.
You really pulled this one out of nowhere. Again as usual, thank you for posting this GM footage. This car was a hot seller back in the day.
Awhile ago on CZcams there was a channel "bajabusta" or something like it had a ton of old motor week
GM.
“we sell every one we make”
I love these retro GM reviews, I just wish they uploaded more of the “entire lineup” videos.
@@stringer-ik1pc what’s the point of this comment? Just to be a antagonist?
@@stringer-ik1pc I agree CZcams really fell off from what it used to be.
There are literally hundreds of these at every street light back in the early 90's.
110 horsepower and 130 lb torque not bad numbers from a 92 Cavalier coming from a 2.2 L inline 4 always loved these boxy shape Cavaliers from 1982 to 1994 and the Pontiac Sunbird as well. But the Pontiac Sunbird body style was more sportier
The earlier Cavaliers looked much better - at least the coupe anyways. By 92 Chevy was messing up the design with that much uglier 'aero' front end. The Sunbird was also a nice looking car, but as far as the early models go, I still liked the Chevy, but later models, the Sunbird looked better.
@@rodmunch69 personally, I think the best years for styling were the 84-86 Sunbird hatchbacks. The cavalier also looked much sharper those same years. the 1988 Cavalier and 1990 Sunbird upgrades made both cars look cheap and plastic-like
Rented a few back then. Surprisingly it drove well, front leg room was great too! 👍
You NEVER see cars with the front plate on the right or left now! Miss that quirky feature!
Unless you're a cool kid driving a wrx, gti, etc etc
Me too. I've seen it on 2010-up ford F-series trucks and the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio.
My '01 had it right smack in the middle!
Always thought that looked sharp. Especially on cars like the Chrysler Fifth Avenue and Imperial
Maverick truck has rear plates on the side
These things were absolutely everywhere when I was a kid, well into the early 2000's. The cheapest box on 4 wheels that was readily available lol
So cheap to maintain too.
Cheap AND reliable! Disregard "Consumer Reports" saying that the Cavalier is a "crude and flimsy econo-box". It got the job done. I owned an '01 2.2L that I drove from 32Kmiles(bought used) until 205Kmiles without touching the engine or transmission internals. The ONLY reason I got rid of it after 16years was that "Cancer" was seriously overtaking the rocker panels!!
GM cars will run like crap longer than most cars will run.
Go do a Walmart parking lot and count all the 90s GM shit boxes that are still daily driven... keeping in mind that almost every one of them is a mere $400 repair bill from being pushed over a cliff and set on fire.
@@Bartonovich52 i counted 79/112
It WAS a cheap, flimsy box on wheels albeit a RELIABLE box!
I'm 38 and had like 3 Z24's in my 20's. They were surprisingly quick and fun.
4:14 John: For a family car, the Cavalier 4 door is best suited to a still growing clan. Rear seat space is tight for adults! LOL
I’m 5” 3 1/2 and I can still fit back there, and I’m almost 28.
Loved you as Bud Bundy
My father had a 1987 Cavalier, which he bought new and kept until 1993. It was both comfortable and reliable.
When I was in the Air Force in the early 90's, these cars where all over the base, along with Escorts and the mentioned Sentra. All good little cars for young families.
I much preferred the 1989 - 1994 Chevy Cavalier/Pontiac Sunbird to the 1995 - 2005 versions. These cars were everywhere in Canada, many families owned more than one. They were cheap and reliable. My Mom had a 1994 Pontiac Sunbird SE in purple with the V6 and all options including a sunroof. That car had some power to go with the growly exhaust. She loved that car and kept it until 2007. She says it is one of the best cars she every had. Other than regular routine maintenance the only problem she had was the seal around the front windshield cracked and she had a minor water leak.
I know, V6 was a really good highway cruiser
dude wearing a helmet in a cavalier..priceless!
I don't blame him.
Probably not a bad idea! The Cavalier was FAR from being a safe car in a crash!
They do that with all cars lol
Well they make you do then when you break into 9s!
@@TheOzthewizhow many did you crash in?
Ive had a 94, an 01, an 03 cavalier and its replacement an 05 cobalt. I've loved all of them. People like to talk crap on cavaliers but they're great cars! They were as reliable as hondas in my experiences.
Cavalier is a great little car,,the reason they had bad reputations was because of the people who owned them, typically young people who didn't take care of their cars I took my driving test in a 94 had a 03 and a friend has a 02 with 250000 miles, if gm still made them I would recommend them
I agree 100%. I had my '01 Base until 205Kmiles, NEVER touched the internals, but couldn't do anything about MAJOR RUST after 16years up here in "Cold Country"!
They definitely last a long time and are relatively easy and cheap to fix. I've had both but to me Hondas handle better and are much more tightly screwed together. Although rust eats them all.
@@povking1460 Honda and Toyota are the way to go with little cars definitely, but the cavalier was behind enough to be absolute bargains secondhand cavalier money went alot further than civic money in used cars not too long ago
I have had a 96, 02 Chevy cavalier and 02 Sunfire.
Cavalier, Stanza, if someone mentions Cressida and Prelude my nostalgia quota will be met for today.
Cressida, prelude. Lol
The 5th gen prelude was my first car. I got it a few years ago. I still have it.
I wanted a 1990 Cressida or a Cougar XR7 when I turned 16. Wound up with a 1990 Accord EX 5-speed instead.
Juan Barba don't forget the Mazda 929 Lol!
@@RomanJockMCO You still got a classic then
Manual transmission, air conditioning and cup holders is all I need. This would make a great family car today.
that's very good acceleration times for a 4 cylinder compact sedan.
That's close to what my 83 Z28 LG4 did... Yup not too bad.
That was actually good for that era. Most econoboxes did 0-60 in over 10 seconds back then.
My parents had a wagon version.
It was the "EXTRA" car that hauled the family's German Shepherds and was driven in winter weather and Chicago traffic while the "GOOD" cars stayed in the suburbs and were driven only in good weather.
Provided years and tens of thousands of miles of trouble free and economical driving.
My parents eventually sold it to their housekeeper's brother for $350.00 when it had 185k miles and pretty significant rust.
He drove it from Chicago to Fairbanks Alaska.
He drove it for a few more years until he took down a rough road and managed to puncture the oil pan and ran the engine out of oil.
It must be one stoney road to get your oil pan punctured!
@@kamrankhan-lj1ng The roads in rural Alaska are usually only passable by 4 x 4 vehicles .
Usually with skid plates protecting vital components.
A FWD drive station wagon designed for street use doesn't have the ground clearance to drive down the same roads.
Undercarriage damage is inevitable.
I'm 38. I grew up with these garbage boxes, but I feel like they were pretty durable for what they were.
The late 80s early 90s Z24 convertibles were usually driven by cute college aged girls back in my day.
I knew a girl who had a white cavalier convertible. She was nether cute or in college.
You found an outlier.
Yessir, as well as Rabbit convertibles around 1990. Miss those days
lol. I was born in 2002 so even by my EARLIEST memories that generation already had one foot in the grave.
@@scottkrafft6830 I had a 91 coupe V6 auto in 2003. It was rust free and in great shape. Had it for a year before an old man pulled out in front of me and destroyed it.
I’m a Toyota and Honda guy, but I had a 1986 Cav in the 90’s and rented this generation once or twice. I was impressed. It was comfortable, good basic transportation.
While this was a right car for the times I really think the sales success of the Cavalier shows just how important and strong the GM dealer network was. The dealers moved and marketed the heck out of a very average car.
Very, very average.
@@rightlanehog3151 If it was any more average it would be average
@@rightlanehog3151 But, CHEAP AND reliable! It got the job done!
Cheap and reliable as another posted
Mostly it was because GM built it. As we all know "What's good for GM, is good for America"!
Had a 92 Pontiac Sunbird with the 3.1, It was great car..I put a Hypertec chip in in, exhaust and homemade CAI, i was ahead of my time...
I sold them back in 91 and 92 and they were a nice quick car with the V6.
@@emeyer6963 Yeah, with ALL that torque, you could really LIGHT THEM UP!
@@emeyer6963 Yes they were, it was a fun little car to drive. I would take it to Summer Duck dragway in Virginia, 8th mile, it would surprise a lot of cars.
I had a s/w rs model with the 3.1 v6.... That thing flew!!!!
It seemed fast because it was all over the road.
I love the standard antilock brakes on the 1992 Chevy Cavalier/Pontiac Sunbird.
Chevrolet 1992: ABS standard on all Cavaliers!
Nissan 14 years later: You're buying a high trim-level Sentra? Haha, no, ABS will still cost you extra.
I had a '94 Cavalier wagon and was quite fond of it. Great little car. Later drove an '06 Sentra and learned it didn't have ABS... the hard way. Almost got into an accident with that thing.
Not sure if my 1998 Sentra manual has ABS or not....I will have to check
The ultimate box Cavalier would be an RS V6 FE3 wagon. Probably all automatic, manual wagons were explicitly special order only even with the four and to get one with all the good stuff you'd probably have to find a dealer willing to do a COPO for you.
Exactly why I impulse bought my 90 RS 3.1 wagon. Its maroon with tan interior. I have several old cheaper vehicles. I just love em.
I had a 1990 RS wagon with the 3.1 V6. Bought new. Water leaks and peeling paint
@@chriswright8464 good ole DuPont, ditzler paint. Stuff was absolute crap. Usually the clear coat delaminated and left big dull spots. Car would be 5 or 6 years old and look like it was left in a field for 25. It was single stage too so the only way to fix it was to strip the car back to bare metal and use someone else’s product to prime it, paint it, then clear coat it separately. Chrysler used the same products at the time. They had similar problems, I think it was just a bad paint
This video brings me back to my 1st car: a 1994 Cavalier Z24 in 2006. I used to spin the hell out the front tires at lights lol
I got a '91 Cavalier as my first car last year. It's giving me some problems right now, but all in all I'm very happy with it. The fact that its gorgeous red and a convertible is also awesome
I Remember this cars in 1992 Correctly, Have a Single mom raising 3 kids in a 92 Blue 4 door Cavalier, Seeing other kids Riding in Loaded Mazda Protege, Maxima's, Accord EX, 89 Camry LE , 90 to 92 Acura Integra GS with sunroofs open, As a Kid they were having more Fun than Me
My mate had a European Vauxhall Cavalier and everything inside the car was green. It was overpowering. Dash, carpet, headliner, seatbelts, seats...
My dad had an all green 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix
@@flyjarrett Too much green. Like being in a field.
Better than the overpowering all grey or tan interiors of today
Those wheel covers were so distinctive, as I kid I always knew it was a Cavalier by just looking at the wheels. I really liked the boxy design of this car. Still do!
I love it too! If you look closely, they look VERY similar to the EG's wheel covers (1992-1995 Civic)
@@breddary that’s true!
In Europe, this is Opel Ascona.
Grandpa had a navy blue one he bought brand new......brought back memories 🙏🏾
I had a 1994 Cavalier RS sedan. Only two complaints. First is the door mounted front seatbelts. If in a crash and the door pops open then you’re no longer held down on the seat. Second is the transmission lockup solenoid. After a bit more than 4 years the solenoid can overheat and lock up the transmission shutting down the car. Car would not restart until after the solenoid cooled down. An honest transmission shop charged me a bit over $100 to replace the solenoid. I had the 3 speed auto transmission and shift were smooth. It was fuel efficient depending on how hard you drove. The fuel filter was easy to reach and replace and it could be reached without lifting the car nor removing parts to access. Drove it long distance (about 8 hours) without problems from ride comfort but far from a smooth luxury midsize sedan. Was incredibly easy to replace the speakers myself and the headunit made for an easy shop replacement to an aftermarket head unit.
HONEST transmission shop!
I remember when cavaliers, corsicas, and berettas were everywhere.
Mother still rocks a 84 cavalier convertible. 67k on the clock, just looked and unhooked battery tender and checked the fluids. Never seen winter, amazing how clean the car is.
My former stepfather used to have a 1999 Cavalier VL sedan in white with the 2.2L engine with 3speed auto since 2000. It had daytime running lamps plus standard ABS although the top part of the dash would crack from time to time.
@@rightlanehog3151 I meant "from time to time"
@@theKevronHarris This is a national secret but the Cavalier was once the top selling car in Canada. A few years ago I spotted one in a parking lot and said to the owner - you got one of the really good ones. He said it was on its third engine.
@@rightlanehog3151 wow, I didn't know that these cavaliers are a good hit in Canada!
The "infamous Cavalier dash crack"! ALL of them had it. Don't forget that in addition to ABS they also had "traction control" at NO additional cost!
I had a '91 convertible 3.1 , and a '94 coupe 2.2
- both were cheap to buy/insure, fun, reliable 👍
Wow...blast from the past. My wife was driving this car in ‘92 when I met her. Cheap-ass interior but a reliable car.
That was my first new car in 1989! A red burgundy z24. I used to love that car! I was 27 years old!
Is this the pinnacle of what the Regular Car is? I think so!
the early 90s, the apex of regular cars . and that’s a good thing
That red 92 base Cavalier RS coupe was my first car, pretty much down to every detail. I remember the "ABS" badge in the back.
In my high school days these were everywhere. I haven't seen one now for as long as I can remember now.
Had a 88 RS WAGON with the v6. It was pretty peppy except for the water leaks, paint flaking off misaligned interior parts. This car was bought brand new.
Hold on, let me crawl underneath the seatbelt.
It's been years since I saw one on the road. My grandparents' neighbors had a red Cavalier convertible that sat outside for many years. I think it may have even been a Z24 as well.
I always like seeing these kids that have never been near an American car bash them while those old enough to have driven and owned them remember them fondly.
My mom had a 91 4dr sedan silver with the blue trim charcoal interior beautiful car brought used in 1995 kept it until 2004 had around 600,000 miles on it at the end the car was regular maintenance and garage kept
I had a '91 Cavalier 4 cyl 5-speed and even though I like modern cars, the simplicity of that car would be welcome now.
Never had a single problem with it in the 7 years I owned it and traded it off with ~150k miles on the clock.
Used to love these cars. Those Cavaliers from that generation were some reliable cars they did last forever. I like the two door version along wagon version loved the styling of them. I haven't seen one of those since early 2010s now they are rare even equipped with a V6.
Took my driving test in one, my mom's car,,down south I still see them, good little cars
I just saw one of these today and I wondered how its still on the road.
I remember my Aunt Brenda having one of these. My cousins used to pile into it singing "We're gonna die in a purple Cavalier, a purple Cavalier, a purple Cavalier!!!"
I like that all of the doors lock when the car is put into motion. We have a car that has that feature.
The 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunbird are cars I would love to have right now. The Cavalier wagon and the Cavalier/Sunbird convertibles are the most desirable.
Guys the 90s cavileers and sunfires will be worth a ton in the future. They are iconic and none of them were cared for.
Another nostalgic car from my childhood thank you
I've got 4 of them. Had 5, but stripped a 94 RS convertible V6 Auto to put the drivetrain, dash and wiring in an 88 Wagon. Also have an 88 5spd Z24 Coupe, a 92 Z24 Convertible Auto (will be swapping in a 5 spd someday) and a 94 Z24 Coupe 5spd (which is getting a 3400 engine very soon). All 4 are southern rust free cars. I love these cars. All the features I want, without all the fluff new cars have, that I don't want.
Excelente trabajo, muchas gracias. Saludos.
These were good looking cars....
They sold well mainly because the STYLING resembled a Corvette!
The Cavalier was a top seller because Chevy had a large dealer network and GMAC would finance. These cars were marginal in quality and durability at best.
My drivers Ed car back in 1997 LOL! Surprisingly not bad performance for with the five speed for this one.
Mine was a Sentra like the one they showed here back in 1996
Used my 1988 Pontiac Sunbird until I sold it for 400.00 in 2005 with 278,000 km's. It just kept going and going even in -30 Celsius temps.
I remember ours. It had the 3.1 V-6, and had gobs of torque. That engine in the Cavalier really moved that car quick.
My sister had a 1993 Cavalier 5 speed manual as her first car back in 1997. Bright red.
I had a '94 RS coupe with 5 speed and the 3.1L. It was a reliable car the year I owned it only needed the ac condenser cleaned (DIY in 1 hour) and the water pump gasket (10 dollar part, 1 hour of time). Decent engine noise for its time, didn't handle great on the lackluster tires that were on it though. Pretty decent car overall.
I love the Cavalier they made the super are 2 tone colour paint with 2 or 3 tone colour interiors as well, there was one in silver in the town where I'm from if you look at my thumbnail when ever I saw it I knew I was going to have a great day, If I had a bad day seeing it made all the bad feelings go away, my grandma had one when I was a kid I miss that car.
A vauxhaul cavalier?
@@kamrankhan-lj1ng it was a Chevy cavalier but the Vauxhall version is quite a bit rarer in colour form.
I had a white 3.1 liter RS convertible. Loved that car! Wish I still had it.
In Europe this car was Opel Ascona C, with different front, rear and interior styling.
A casualty of junkyards, I remember seeing these Cavaliers occupy space for decades.
No way that this car was on that list. The fuel economy was too high for the Caviler to qualify for cash for clunkers.
Had an 84 Z24 2.8
... great car, always got me where I needed to go. Comfy seats
This was the first model year where Lordstown was the lone assembly plant for the J Body, they kept on with them until the start of Cobalt production in late 2004. Quite a long life for the J body.
When I was a teenager I worked a summer in the Walmart garage and one day a beat up early 2000s Cavalier came in. It had over 200k miles and really showed its age. I assumed it would be a piece of junk but when I drove it I was pretty impressed with the amount of power it had and how good it ran (for driving it around the garage.) Since then I’ve always hoped I could find a low mileage mint condition one just to have as a cheap and easy to repair second car but unfortunately the few left around me are always trashed.
AND, the owner probably didn't maintain it!
a really cool "what if" econocar: a Cavalier wagon with a Z24 drivetrain and a Cimarron front clip and interior.
Look at all of the automotive experts deriding the Cavalier... where were all of these geniuses when GM needed them? With all of their mythical automotive knowledge, they could have saved GM from losing Olds and Pontiac. Again I ask, where were these geniuses when they were needed? Monday Morning Quarterbacks, they just know it all, always after the fact though.
I came home from the hospital in a 1994 VL. A quirk that I still do not believe is that for such a tiny car, it somehow managed to have a worse turning radius than our LIFTED Ford F-150.
Was my first brand new, off the showroom floor, car. With a manual transmission, this thing was excellent.
Buddy had a 2 door, teal, 2.2, 5 speed. Tinted the back windows and pro installed 2 15s in the trunk to go with 300 watt amp under the seat and the alpine cd player with removable face plate. 17 years old and thought we were cool. Good times
An "aerodynamic" brick with "expensive" ABS and a 9 second 0-60. Man we've come so far
Had a 91 coupe auto with the V6. Good little car. Had it for about a year when an older gentleman pulled out in front of me and totaled both cars. Shortly before that happened it was experiencing an off and on fuel injector issue that would of cost me almost a $1000. I only paid $550 for it. Got $1200 from the insurance company. So not a bad trade off. The only other issue it had was the shifter button was missing so you had to stock your finger in the hole to shift it. Got used to it quick. Lady rear ended me a month after I got it and gave me $600 to fix it (no insurance or police involved). All she really did was break a tail light and dent the trunk lid. I knew the guy at the junkyard and he gave me a deal. Trunk lid, tail lights, tail panel and rear bumper cover for $40. Even was the same color. The rear looked brand new.
Had a 2003 Cavalier and drove it for almost 20 years. It was rust proofed every 2 years but with the salty Canadian winters the frame crossmembers rusted out and even tho it still ran like a top and everything still worked fine (incl AC) I finally had to sell it for parts only as it wouldn"t pass a safety check.
My parents bought one in 92 it was a black 2 door 2.2 5 speed. My family put 230.000 miles on it. It never needed engine or transmission work. Just normal maintenance.
Ahh the Cavalier. I went to a large high school in the Midwest in the mid-nineties. Every other car in the student parking lot was one of these.
Had one as a rental once, summer of 93. It really wasn't a bad car for what it was. Seemed like the mid 90s was a time that GM started righting some of the quality issues of the 80s. The coupe was significantly better looking than the 4 door and the Z24 was downright cool. Actually wanted one of those for a long time, never got it.
I own a 94 V6 Z24. It will be nice to see the video in the channel.
Approved by officer McNulty
It's detective string
Did McNutty have one of these? Did he wreck this car on purpose?
@@joek81981 he had a 2 door light blue coupe, and yeah he smashed his one into a bridge pillar...twice.
At my first job in DC a coworker drove me home after we were in the office past the cut off for me to take a bus home. I would guess she made $60-80k/year which was pretty good at the time and she had a manual Cavalier. The first thing she said when she pulled up at the garage, before I even got in, was "I know it's a POS, but I could leave it in NE, unlocked with the key in the ignition for a week an nobody would steal it." So true and I had a beater Corolla the whole time I lived in the DMV for the same reason.
Arguably, one of the most dependable, best cars GM has ever built 🥂