Adding in: The headliner board was made out of a very thin, flimsy foam material that had completely decayed and crumbled. I have not been able to source a new headliner board so in the meantime I've utilized the space to run a bit of extra wiring for my CB and dash camera. I also wanted to add in; Thank you for this video Zack. I really enjoyed watching it, and I enjoyed having you come up and review all these cars for me.
These cars would have been around alot longer if rust and salt wasn't a thing. The big problem on those cars and the Buick centries and what not was rust. The trailing arms in the rear would break off and the subframes would rust and fall off the car. So they went to the junk yard. Running driving cars just rusted away.
Also, having been up there to personally see the collection of Cavaliers I know just how much time and effort you put into these! You have a lot of love and passion for what you do :)
I enjoy seeing old mundane cars like these, because they have kind of been lost to history. In their own time they were seen as disposable. They were cheap cars for people who couldn't really get the one they really wanted just yet. They were driven for a while then passed on to some stupid kid who hooned them to pieces or they just rotted and were scrapped. They were forgettable for those of us who lived with them since cars have improved in almost every way over the years. Thanks for seeking out the rare survivors and telling their stories.
It took me 23 years to find one in this condition, with these options, still running, still driving, and born in Janesville. If I was back in 1985, I would have ordered this car exactly as it is.
My first new car purchase was a 1983 Cavalier 2dr with the 2.0 litre fuel injected engine teamed up with a 5 speed manual transmission. My dad had to drive it home from the dealership since I didn't know how to drive a manual. He taught me how to drive it in a local shopping center parking lot. Thank God it came naturally to me... and my dad was a great teacher. * For those who are complaining about today's economy - I had an 11.9% interest rate on the car loan. I adored that car. It had plenty of power with the 2.0L/5 speed combo. Plenty of room for my friends and, yes, a big-ass trunk. I got more than my money's worth out of that baby. After many years of faithful service I traded it in for a '94 Jeep Wrangler (I needed 4 wheel drive). I'll always have a special place in my heart for my old Cavalier.
Holy crap, your videos were my childhood! If I can find one I would love to! I did a 1988 Colony Park, so I would love to do the previous generation! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TZmqlJYCNSE.html
Those style window switches were in everything from when power windows became popular in the 50s/60s up until the 90s. The switches go in order of importance, driver, passenger, back driver, back passenger. I'm always amazed when something like has survived, and in such good condition. These were disposable cars and American carmakers didn't particularly care too much about quality. They were cheap new and they were cheap used. This one was luxed up so I guess it belonged to some older family members. Collecting J-Bodies. I'm glad someone wants to preserve them. It's certainly a unique theme.
The cars are mine. They hold a special place in my heart from a time long passed now. It's taken me dedication and time to find what I have. You nailed it on the head what these cars are; Disposable economy cars that were cheap new, and cheaper used. There was a time when you couldn't give one of these cars away, cause there were just so many around in various condition. And yes the first owner who ordered it new in 1985, for 1986 delivery; kept it until passing away in 2014.
That engine only made about 90HP, second those seats were also optional in the Z24, the standard seats were nasty high back seats. My first car was a 1983 Buick Skyhawk limited coupe pretty loaded with a 5 speed manual and the 1.8 Brazilian built OHC, bought it back in 1991 or so, loved it. CL is the optional bucket seats are called.
Mom had an red 1986 cav convertible. Her Mom (My Grandma) bought that car for her and she had it for around 10 years. I even used it when I turned 16 for a short time. It had aged and needed quite a bit of work. If memory serves me correctly, Mom traded it in to help me buy my first car - a 1987 Chevy sprint with only 20k miles around 1997. She was sad after we traded it in and we saw it for sale on the lot (Rockenbach Chevy in Grayslake, IL) for a short time and considered buying it back but never did. That was about 30 years ago. She passed away a couple years ago. This brought back some good memories with her and my family when I was a young boy. Thanks!
I owned two 1986 Cavaliers; a CS sedan from new, and a base wagon used with 111,000 miles on it. I survived a rollover (friend was driving) in the sedan, and put another 60,000 miles on it after that. It was pretty basic: cloth seats, tilt wheel, 5 speed, cassette, heavy duty suspension and radiator, oversized tires. The wagon, even though in base trim, had a few more options: the gauges, AC, 3 speed auto, tilt wheel, cloth seats. Blew a con rod out the side of the block on the freeway at 140,000+ miles. Good, solid, mostly reliable transportation. Wish I had the wagon back.
My Grandmother bought either an 83, 85, or 86, it was one of those years. It was her first car and she had only just got her licence (She had spent her early life in New York City, so no need for a car, but in the early 70’s she moved in Virginia where she lived until the early 90’s) my Grandmother decided that any new car she would buy had to have a manual transmission. She said to my Grandfather “I want to learn to drive a standard.” My Grandfather thought she was joking but she was adamant about her new car having a manual transmission. So my Grandmother bought a Cavalier, I believe the most basic model with a manual, and the dealer didn’t have any so she ordered one and once it was ready my Grandmother asked my Grandpa if he could go pick it up. So he picked it up and he drove it home and parked it on the driveway and told my Grandma “Alright, I’m done. You wanted the car you teach yourself to drive it because I’m not going to.” So the car just sat there, brand new and it was just sitting there. Finally, a friend of my Grandmother’s got sick of looking at it and she put her foot down. “I’m getting you get in the car and I’m teaching you how to drive it.” My Grandmother was reluctant but her friend told her that she was going to have to learn to drive it sometime. My Grandma told me her friend was a good teacher, and she soon got the hang of it, the only problem was that she stalled on a hill and that was a bit of touch and go but after a few more practice runs, my Grandma was finally using her car. From that day on she tried to get a car with a manual transmission every time she needed a new one. Her last car that she bought with a manual was 2005 Scion XB. I loved that car and that car was suppose to be mine. Sadly some idiot drive rammed into it and the car got totalled. But I probably wouldn’t have been able to enjoy car rides with my Grandma in the Scion XB if it weren’t for a 80’s Chevy Cavalier.
I grew up with a car just like this in the yard that was only driven in the yard. We called it the Rad car and I learned too drive in it. I’ll get one for the collection one day. Thanks man great stuff.
My funniest Cavalier memory was in a 1985 my parents owned in the mid 90s. Ours was pretty rusty and we had changed the driver's side doors so it was multi colored. The car was dark blue but the front door was light blue and the back door was gray. One day in the summer of 1996I I was sent to go pick my younger suster up at a friend's house. I heard the song American Pie on the radio during a bad thunderstorm. It's rare to hear that song on the radio as it's over 8 and a half minutes long. DJ's usually play it when they need a bathroom break. I'm sure most know the song but if you don't, there's a line that says "drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry". Well after I went and picked up my sister, I was heading out of the subdivision and the road had flooded out. I tried going through the water and got going a little too fast and water came through the grille and flooded the car it and it stalled..when I got out it was only up to.my ankles so.i don't know if I found a deep spot over a drain or what. We had to have it towed abd Iorc a new computer had to be installed. I used to tell people I drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee wasn't dry. Someone asked me where that happened and I told them.abd they said "oh I know that road, it's right next to the levee that always overflows when it rains." So.my joke wasn't a joke at all 🤣🤣🤣
I used to be a Chevrolet fanatic. My third new Chevy was a 85 Cavalier Wagon with manual transmission. It threw cylinder #4 connecting rod at 35,000 miles. It took GM six weeks to replace the short block. Two years later, to the day, the same exact thing happened (cylinder #4 con rod). Mind you, I take excellent care of my cars. The second time, I had to go to the BBB and sue GM to get them to pay 1/2 of the second engine replacement. The car continued to limp along with poor oil pressure until I was able to get rid of it. Never will by another GM product.
I bought the wagon version in the same color combination as my first new vehicle in 86. It was a 4spd but otherwise had every option available. It was my everyday driver for 12 years and 215k miles. Never failed to start or left anyone stranded. It was well maintained but hardly pampered. Twelve Wisconsin winters finally took their toll and it had started to rust through when I sold it to a coworker's brother for $300.00. He drove it from Madison Wisconsin to Fairbanks Alaska and drove it for a few more years. It finally met its demise when it was driven down a dirt road on the way to a fishing spot and a rock punctured the oil pan. He had it dragged back to his house and planned on installing a used engine from the junkyard but she got it up on lifts the underside was too rusted so he opened up the a back door and folded down the rear seat and turned it into a doghouse
Had a 1984 Type 10 hatchback given to me for free because it ran like crap. Limped it home to find there was no oil. After draining the sludge and doing a change drove it for years, sold it to a friend, then he drove it until carpet was a structural component of the floor. Finally scrapped it when the drivers' seat fell through.
We had a 84 cavalier as a kid. My stepdad was a machinist and one time we destroyed a camaro back in the day .. the dudes face was priceless as we zoomed past him after school back in around 93 94
My first car was an 87 cavalier wagon. We had a bunch of them at one time. Tough little cars. Did well in the snow with a good set of studded snow tires up front
You should see how much time and effort he puts into these. I personally know the owner of these Cavaliers and have seen him at work on them. He’s got quite a few of them now, and just recent acquired a wagon.
My grandma had an 85 Cavalier. It was more basic than this as it was all gray and manual windows. Only option was ac and auto transmission. To her this car was fast because prior to this she drove a 74 Cadillac… a land boat basically 😂. But she traded it for an Oldsmobile Eighty Eight in 1990 and kept that car until 2016!
My mom’s last car was a 1987 two-door Cavalier. She had it until she died 15 years later. She drove it to work, the grocery store, and church. After 15 years, the car had 46,000 miles. I sold it to someone who was looking for a second car. The only issue was after my mother died, I took the car out for a drive. I got it on the interstate, and heard a loud wind-like sound. I look in the rear view mirror to see the back windshield go flying off. Mom’s insurance on it was still active, and they paid for a new one. The person who came and installed the glass said the seal around the window had rotted, most likely from sitting in a parking lot five days a week for all those years.
Oh yeah I remember these well. I was around for the first incarnation. My friend in HS parents bought her a J2000 when it came out and my sister had a brown Cimarron then upgraded to a silver V6 in '85. If that can be considered an upgrade because it had stalling issues. Oh and almost forgot my brothers '86 4cyl Cimarron. 😄
The cavalier as you said there is a squared off compact vehicle. It may have not been a sterling example of Automotive style., but at the time of their introduction, GM still sold full size distinctively styled vehicles and their other nameplates each furnished with a V8 engine. to the average American if they were driving a four-cylinder Cavalier, they at least knew there were something to look forward to as they increased their purchasing power. I had the privilege of writing into or three impressive Z104’s over the course of my adolescence. One of my security supervisors owned a 1980s something first generation station wagon up through the early 2000s.
Owned in the past in New Zealand a ‘86 Holden Camira SL/E 2.0 automatic and in Europe a ‘85 Opel Ascona 1.6s manual. Both basicly the same car as the car featured in this clip. Good reliable easy to and underrated little cars in my experience. Nowadays rare as hens teeth too, never seen in daily traffic anymore.
I drove an 87 first gen Cavalier for 13 years. Just like this one but with a manual transmission. It was quite fast. I brought it to Europe. Overall very satisfied with it. I would have kept it to this day, but it ended in a massive crash and was disposed in a junkyard.
My grandmother and grandfather on my dad's side had a 1986 Cavalier Wagon. It was a solid dependable car and lasted her until 1992. I remember as a kid driving in it from the time I was 8-14 years old. It was blue in color and just a base model. I always liked the sound of the 2 liter engine. It was not the most powerful engine...but it was enough. I preferred the 2.8 and 3.1 V6 multiport engine and always wanted a Z24 or the RS model....but never could get one. Oh well....My grandparents on my mom's side had a 1985 Pontiac 6000 LE with a lot more features and the 2.8 Multiport I loved how that engine note....Wished we could find some of those old classic 1980's cars....as it brings back why I liked cars as a kid and still do. Oh also my grandparents had a 1980 Chevrolet Citation on my dad's side before that....That was one of the first cars I remember them having....I still can remember many of the cars my parents had too from the 1980's....I also had the brochure of the 1986 and 1987 Cavalier too as a kid.....i found some online....I should really buy one just to have some memories....
In Britain the Fleet Market mainly bought the Vauxhall Cavalier, so every other car that you would see being driven was a Cavalier. My first car, in 2001, was a Mk3 Cavalier, as the production of Cavaliers had ended by then, and replaced by the Vectra. There were a number of things that ended these cars:- 1. Opel started making the Vectra as a replacement. 2. The customers now want a 4 wheel drive, with the high up seats, instead of being lower down. 3. The British Government, in the later years of the first decade of this century, offered £2,000 off the price of a brand new car, if a 10 year old, or older car was traded in, for scrap. This last one only lasted for about a year, and the better cars went for scrap, leaving the death traps still on the road.
Exactly what I miss about cars today----lack of those real comfortable seats. My first car was a 1988 Buick Skyhawk with plushy seats and they were great. My 2007 Ford Five hundred had excellent big plushy seats and that's one of the last cars I owned that had comfy seats like that. Most cars I've come cross today claim they have "cloth", although I think the material feels more like my old high school canvas gym bag. My current 2017 Subaru Legacy does has actual cloth, but not quite as plushy as I'd like to see in a car. I'm sure the industry has cheaped out and that's the reason we don't see them anymore, but if there's one thing I'd want to return, it's to bring back plushier REAL cloth seats.
Even rarer than this one is it’s corporate sister: the second generation Pontiac Sunbird. I’m lucky enough to have found a convertible with the turbocharged 4 cylinder, in great condition too, but I think of all the body styles made, the convertible is the easiest to find (relatively. Finding one is still hard), and I think finding a sunbird sedan or hatchback would be pretty cool.
Had a '94 Sunbird with the 3.1 V6. Badass car... Until hitting a pothole. Popped all the shock/wheelwell welds in the trunk! Wedged a 2x4 in there and kept driving with no shock.
First gen Cavaliers were the detective units on the fantastic NBC police procedural "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993-2000). The show was filmed in Baltimore, Maryland and they used Cavaliers on the show because that's what Baltimore detectives actually drove in that era. In fact, BPD was de-commissioning a bunch of white, stripper ex-Detective Cavaliers and sold them to the film crew for $1 (very few of them actually ran). The Cavaliers were an essential part of the "vibe" of the show, with many phenomenal performances taking place in them, particularly between Kyle Secor (Detective Tim Bayliss) and the very sadly, recently departed Andre Braugher (Detective Frank Pembleton). Thanks so much for this charming review of this gallant little beast.
My first car in 1997 was a 1985 Chevy Cavalier 2.0 5spd my aunt and uncle gave me. Damn thing ripped for a 4 banger, I could keep up with the 2.8 automatic Camaro's of the 90s no problem.
My dad bought one of these in the fall of 1993. His was a base blue 1986 2-door cavalier. I remember there was something wrong with the door latches and he had to use bungee cords to keep the doors closed. I believe it had the iron duke in it.
I grew up during this era but never rode in one of these earlier ones despite them being EVERYWHERE in my flyover state. My parents had an 85 1/2 escort and I've ridden in various K-Cars, and this seems cheaper inside than either of those. I have ridden in a couple from the late 90s and I remember being really noisy and cheap but they seemed reliable.
I loved the first gen Z24. Never could afford one back then. I have a 1991 Sunbird Convertible with that same 2.0 4 cylinder motor. It is the slowest car I have ever owned. But when the top is down who cares about going fast?
It's interesting how the J body, Camira in Australia died in 87 and was the second gen body as you showed, the earlier shape died much earlier for us. And had the alloy headed motor.
Also for many years the Cavalier was divided into 2 segments which was the standard Cavalier which was the wagon and 4dr sedan, and the sporty type 10 which was the 2d coupe, 3dr lift back, and the convertible. As for the anti sway bar my coupe had it and I believe it was optional.
Love your reviews. Sorry I had an 87 and it never ran. If it did it leaked every fluid imaginable. Complete crap, can't believe you found a working one.
You do a good job, a more technical version of RCR, as for the Cav my only issue with it's design is just how little room you have between you and the door
Back in the early 2000's I worked with a guy from Germany who bought one to drive around in while he was in America. In much of Europe, you have to pay more taxes to get a higher displacement engine. So he couldn't believe that he could get a car with such a huge engine (compared to cars in Europe) for so little money. I didn't know how to tell him that since no one cares how big your engine is, American automakers do not try to squeeze every last ounce of power out of the engine. It had a big engine (for a German) but it also had very little power. Gas mileage wasn't bad. The fact that such a big engine doesn't guzzle gas also amazes Europeans.
I had mine 84 from 1993 to 2019. It was my daily driver and I painted it 3 times. I had to sell it because I didn’t have more space and the buyer in less than 3 months ruined it. I don’t know what he did to the computer but left it runningless .
Did you try wedging the big friggin bottle between the E-brake handle and seat? That's what we used to use as cup holders in my mom's old 1984 Corolla station wagon.
This car brings back memories, even though my car was a type 10 2d coupe.I am still trying to remember the year of my cavalier, it had the same quad lamps as this one does and yes my car's AC system never worked, neither did the power windows, but my car had at least a pop out sunroof. Oh CL trim means custom luxus, there was also a CS trim which is custom sport
These econo cars are never really that good, but something a lot of people forget is that we all had to drive them at some point. Anytime someone sees mine (first gen convertible) they always have a story to tell about their old cavalier and the antics they would get into.
My aunt used to have a 1986 Chevy Celebrity, that we lovingly called Da’Bomb. It was one of the first cars I ever learned to drive in, and sometimes it had to be started under the hood with a screwdriver. We called it Da’Bomb, cause we expected it’d probably just blow up, and had a myriad of weird quirks, that one had to be familiar with in order to start and drive it. It never did blow up, and she later stupidly sold it to try and fix her lemon of a Pontiac. Last I heard,… it was still running and being driven by someone or another. Was an awesome shitbox,…. I’d love to have another if I could find in reasonably good running order,… although, my Volvo 240 sedan does share the silver color and some boxy aesthetic resemblance, that old Chevy Celebrity was a hoot to ride in, or drive. Edit: I just called my aunt about it,… it is indeed still running and being driven, and she knows the guy who has it, and her belated friends, identical model. Matter of fact it’s the mechanic that she originally bought it from all those years ago, who at some point, bought it back from whomever she sold it to.
My '86 Chevy Cavalier is a star in the world of NHRA drag racing, and I have won two big dollar drag races...one of them being the 10/11/20 Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event in Chandler, Az. I would upload a picture of my car and its wins, if there was a photo link here?
When I educated Zack about the car, I was not aware at the time they counted the pin stripe as part of the color package. I deleted the red stripe entirely with a very nice match black and silver pin stripe. The red was in bad condition.
@@BruisersBeaters These are rare cars the 3 tone colour and 2 or 3 tone interior, I love Cavaliers and thr luxury cavalier called the Cimarron, if you look at my picture the silver one is a VL trim model. I hope your doing great keep up the great videos.
My first car was a gray 88 two door with the manual transmission and I spent plenty of time on the back roads of WI with that thing. It wasn't pretty or fast but it was reliable.
I had an 86 Cavalier RS. Different instrument cluster, and the engine put out about 90 hp, which was about 6 hp more than the 1.8 liter in the Pontiac Sunbird. Honestly a pretty horrible car. It started to rust almost immediately, so kudos to this car for being alive.
Very unsafe at highway speeds. We had a 1986 gold 4 door auto trans 4 cyl. The car to its credit had the engine bay well markd and generally accessible. This would be the best of three cars we owned at the time (VW Fox and VW Golf manual trans). The Golf handled the best and the best built. The Fox looked the best in sedan ad 2 door. The Cavalier however was the best of the cars. Transmission banged snd the car idled higher but it get going and got decent mileage. I drove around on a Quantum from time to time and it did not drive that much better but handling and appearance was better and alot more expensive. Both Cavalier and Quantum needed some sort of servicing too much of the time. All yhe VWs had electrical and random not working button issues while yhe Cavalier just plugged away. The mileage was only decent. Somewhere in the 20s. I liked the simple GM layout. Things did what they supposed to do. The best of the family cars was my aunts 1981 Honda Civic manual that could get 40 mpg+.🚗.
Good review with one glaring error. The pistons are aluminum, not cast iron. The last Chev engine to use cast iron pistons was the "Stovebolt-6" of the early 1950s.
No, this information is correct, aluminum pistons were reintroduced in the 122 engine family in 1987 for weight reduction and smoother operation. 1982s also had aluminum pistons but they had issues with them, so they reverted back to cast iron pistons for a time.
You need to review my base model 87 celebrity. Theyre basically a slightly larger cav. Not sure why they existed. Its mint and only has 2 options defrost and ac. The seats dont even recline
I have a 1990 Honda Accord with 50k. It's been in storage 25 years now it's nearly brand new, if you wanna make a review of it one day. I live in Pennsylvania. It should be in one of my videos. Or I can send you a 5 minute video somehow
people for get the Cimarron was made to complete with BMW and Audi for the premium performance small sedans of Europe. it was the laziest attempt in history but it was Cadillac's attempt to get the young market
I had a 1985 it was a real nice car that was dependable. It went to 140, 000 miles before I traded it for a stupid dodge caravan that the transmission went out at 88,000 miles
Appreciate the video but dude.... a few minutes of searching would have helped you out alot on a few things. Number one, the cavalier engines never came with "iron pistons" 🙄🙄🙄 they were aluminum from the get-go. What started out as a 1.8l engine in 1982 grew to 2.0l in 1983. In 87 it got aluminum cylinder head and eventually grew to 2.2l and finally went out of production when the S-10 was discontinued. Also it never "gained dual overhead cams". The later 2.3/2.4 and 2.2 ecotec engines were all completely different designs than the basic OHV engine. Also, the uplevel sporty trims such as the Z24, Sunbird GT, Skyhawk turbo, etc, had rear sway bars available. It wasnt just a Cimarron exclusive. The "symphony sound" Delco head unit was a Cadillac exclusive, but nothing special really, and was indeed a direct swap as you stated in the video.
Roofy, you are correct. I have an 83 convertible, and a 86 wagon, and have rebuilt at least 20 of the tbi 2.0's while I was a full time mechanic, and they definitely have aluminum pistons. They were a really reliable engine, but back in the day, people would drive the piss out of them, not checking oil, antifreeze, and they blew up. Not much balls, but good on gas. I drive my wagon back and forth to work every day about 60 miles round trip, still a little over 1/4 tank left on Friday. Get more looks in that car, love peoples stories about them. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eAfYvXKQIJY.htmlsi=wJgZ40E_e6SpwVga
rookie mistake. please try to cover the keys of the car that you review Zack. at least partially, so people can't copy it, find the car and steal it, very nice review though, i love it!
@@jacobfleming565 Let me clarify for you; This TYPE of Cavalier sedan is incredibly rare. Most of these were single color, single stage paint, 13 inch wheels, two piece seats, hard plastic door cards, minimal options. It was designed to be a cheap throw away. However, very high option cars would be custom ordered, and that is the case with my car. It was custom ordered and HIGHLY optioned from new. The owner went to a dealer, knew what they wanted, ticked all their boxes and this car is what they got. Couple grand more they could have had a Cimarron.
