oneton

Yesterdays Cavalier is todays Cobalt/HHR

Grizzly old man

We had an ‘86 two door blue Caviler too. We bought it the year my daughter was born so we for sure had a good car to get the wife to the hospital and if need be to take the kid to any doctors she might need to see.

All my friends tried to put me down for driving an old mans car. It was really amazingly quick for the econobox it was. It also helped when I pointed out it was new and paid for.

IIRC it was a 2.0 four banger with a throttle body instead of multiport injection. It did have electronic ignition, air, power steering, front disk brakes, and drivers side airbag but that’s about all it had going for it.

It didn’t even have a radio in it when we bought it. Oddly enough there were a pair of speakers in the front dash though.

I put a cheap AM/FM/8 track deck in it before we even drove it home. Over the years the stereo and speakers were upgraded several times. The last stereo I put in was a Blaupunkt AM/FM/Cassette/CD unit rated at 25 watts RMS per channel and I had all Pioneer speakers in it, 6” coaxial round ones in the front doors and 6X9” in the rear deck.

We ran it for well over 170,000 miles with only minor repairs then the front engine seal went away one evening on my way home from work and the engine became a brick. It sat in the front yard for nearly 4 years before I finally got another engine to put in it. All I could find worth talking about was the 2.4 Ero or whatever they were. I didn’t like those engines but I did like the 2.0. Shortly after I got it going again my wife sold it and we bought a used ‘90 Mustang convertible.

But that’s another story….

hyperv6

What I find interesting here in Ohio is that people will dis all Cavaliers Barrettas and Cobalts but they are the cars most high school kids buy as they are cheap, will run hundreds of miles, not rusted out and cheap to fix. Unlike many Honda and Toyotas that are rusted out and not so easy nor cheap to fix.

In face I can see more 22 year old Barrettas and Corsa Chevys still on the road and not many id any 15 year old Hondas still on the road. The Salt and repair cost have them off the road.

Old Chevys may not be pretty but they keep the younger generation on the road and rolling. At least in the salt of Ohio.

My buddies Toyota truck broke in half as the frame rusten in two.

Chevy13

In theory of progression maybe. In reality, no.

Biznass

Thanks for all the advice guys!

I can't believe this has (d)evolved into a cavalier discussion

My first car was a 85' cavalier with two tone (blue on top,grey on bottom) with that electronic dash. I thought I was hot to trot with that dash. I topped it out on a looooong stretch of road and when it hit 85 it started blinking. I bought that car with my own money for about 1k iirc. She was a beater to say the least. My mom also had an '84 cavalier wagon.


*shudder*

hyperv6

We serviced a fleet of Cavaliers for many years for a local paper. They used the crap out of these cars and the route managers often bought them and let us keep servicing them as time went on.

Seldom did we see any major issues with these cars. Yes the clear may have lifted and the seats faded. It may have rattled but they kept going and going. I know many made it well over 200,000 with out a major failure other than a water pump or altenator.