Cavalier, Sunbird, and Sunfire: The J Body's that went on after the 80's
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- Опубліковано 24 сер 2024
- Welcome to Auto Chatter! Todays video is a continuation of the J Body tale. By the end of the 80s, 3 brands stopped selling them, but fear not as three more would continue to do so untill the 21st Century! So lets check out what the next generation of Chevrolet, Pontiac, and...Toyota??? J Body cars had to offer from the late 80s untill 2005!
![АЛАУДИНОВ у Скабеевой: эти их ВСУ нас НЕ ДОГОНЯТ 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/an0anqU4WGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Not much excitement left at Pontiac and the Chevys, while everywhere, were mundane too. The examples of these I'm familiar with were higher mileage used and likely not well maintained cars which probably influences my perception but I do know those were all rather falling apart. Nobody liked the automatic seatbelts which couldn't be adjusted for different sized and shaped people, while most other car manufacturers had gone to airbags. And the foreign car makers had the good sense to skip past TBI for the for better multi-port injection systems which American carmakers only adopted when forced to by ever-tightening US emissions requirements. They did sell and they weren't bad cars, but they were behind the pace in styling and technological innovation as GM tried to stretch this platform out for too long. People like new things from their new cars which set them apart from the older cars they're getting rid of, and that just wasn't much happening here. Maybe that didn't matter in the end because nobody back then foresaw where the world is today and at least GM got their money's worth out of the platform which can't be all bad.
Oh the "automatic" seatbelt situation with these was silly, but they didn't have motorized tracks for the shoulder portion like other cars often had. On the surface, a Japanese competitor may have seemed more spartan feature wise, and may have even cost more. But odds are a Civic or Corolla from back then is a more common sight today. Thanks as always for the great overview!
You did an excellent job. I did want to mention a few things. The Sunbird GT was sold at GM Mexico as the Chevrolet Cavalier. You can find them here on You Tube. They changed the emblem to Chevrolet and the steering wheel to Chevrolet. The Cavalier for the 1995 redesign was also sold in Japan as a Toyota as you mentioned. They had a deal with Toyota. They upgraded some of the interior features and materials to Toyota standards and things not found on American Cavaliers were found on the Toyota version. Thank you for mentioning that and sharing images and information about the Toyota Cavalier. You are correct they did end up in Australia and New Zealand. I like the end where you discussed the Chinese and Mexican versions in 2024 and showed images and how they look as well. Excellent information as well there. You also mentioned Cobalt and G5 too. Excellent video and that was a good play to throw the Trax in at the end showing what happened to Pontiac and Chevrolet. Things have indeed changed at GM. By the why I saw that "downsized" Eighty Eight when you mentioned Oldsmobile. They wanted bigger cars at Oldsmobile. Bigger than those 1985-1990 downsized GM cars.
Thank you again for the Always kind words and going in depth with your huge knowledge base! I forgot to mention the Sunbird GT rebadge in Mexico
@@autochatter You still did well. You really did because I know it takes so much effort to put the videos together. I can only imagine the time and effort and software in doing these videos weekly. I am sure you have a life outside of doing the videos. Your time and efforts are appreciated and quite interesting.
@OLDS98 Thanks. I work full time, but hit the laptop at home slapping it together in the evenings. Cars are interesting to me, so it doesn't feel like a chore.
@@autochatter This is indeed good to know that it is enjoyment. I do not have the ability to produce videos like you. It is appreciated as I watch. You manage your time well. When it is fulfilling and not a chore, that is enjoyment.
@OLDS98 Its a shame you don't, as I have a feeling you would have some great content!
MY best bud in high school had a 1989 Cavalier Z24. Admittedly, with the 2.8L V6, it was pretty quick back then.
They were cheap fast!
I've owned a bunch of these J bodies.... from an '84 J2000 Sunbird to an '05 Sunfire. I must say that the half dozen or so of these have been pretty good all in. Good drivers - comfort/handling, pretty dependable.... maybe I'm just lucky.
This channel is a nostalgia rush for me!
I'm glad your digging it, and still a little hurt you don't like the 350z! LOL. My Mom's Sunfire never gave her any trouble. Thanks for the views!
My wife had a 2003 Cavalier. Awesome car. Gave it to her son who drove it for years. 👍
@@petestaint8312 Weird then how I felt that gen Cavalier got better looking by 03, but the Sunfire got WORSE.
@@autochatter agreed.
The first car I bought that wasn't "pre-owned", was a 1981 Oldsmobile Firenza SX hatchback. I called it my Holiday Special, as it was in the shop almost every holiday due to transmission problems. After six repairs and two replacements,(all under warranty), they found the problem. The computer chip that told the engine when to shift was the wrong one. It was made for a six cylinder engine and mine was a four cylinder one. Once that was replaced, again under warranty, I never had any more problems with that car. If my family hadn't grown, I might still be driving it today.
It was a beautiful two tone dark green metallic and soft seafoam green. A gorgeous car.
I liked the looks of all the hatch models then best myself. I bet it did take them awhile to figure out that issue! No one suspects a wrong part from the factory!
@@autochatter Yes, it took over six months. Finally, a Service Bulletin was issued stating to look at the chip/module. It was the wrong part. The car was made in Canada on the same line as other cars with the larger engine. I guess it was easy to mistake one module for another on the line.
@@AlanRogers250 They prob looked the same with a different part number. Who ever supplied the parts for the assembly line goofed!
For me, 2nd Gen was the sweet spot for J bodies as I've had many memories with them. Seemed like just about everyone in my circle of friends had one. I had a 94 Teal 2 door Sunbird LE with V6 and 5 speed which I had for 10 years. Man I miss that car. One of my closest friends had a 91 Sunbird base and his sister had a 93 Sunbird LE all at the same time. Another friend had an 89 Z24 and another friend had a 94 Caviler 4 door. Even a girl I dated in High School had a 90 Sunbird convertible turbo. I'll always have an appreciation for the 2nd Gen J.
I'm trying to think back at the many people I knew with a J Body then.....
Was always surprised that sales were never as good for the 1995 Cavalier. That’s a great looking compact car. Recalled seeing the “Toyota Cavalier” while in Japan. Great chatter on some interesting cars.
I was too...That and 94s sold well. Maybe GM had some HUGE rebates on 94s? You saw Toyota Cavaliers eh? That's cool!
Another great video. Only thing I'll note you missed was at the end when talking about the Cobalt/G5, you didn't mention the Saturn Ion which was on the same Delta platform.
Yes it was and the Chevy HHR was too! Thank you for the continued support!
These introduced me to a civic. Never went back. Thx gm.
78 Sunbird ownership led to my Dad buying imports only after that.
When I was in the USAF in the early 90's, Cavalier's were all over the base I was stationed at. I always liked the late 80's-early 90's generation the best, especially the RS trimmed versions.
I was in the USN at that time.
@@autochatter Cool. My dad served in the USN also.
The MPFI 2.8 and 3.1 in these were always fun to drive. All of the torque just off idle, especially if mated to the 5sp, made these feel much quicker than they should have. Enjoyable video as always!
I'm glad you liked it and appreciate the support! Yeah..The 6 cylinders low end grunt made city driving easier.
I dated a girl who had a mid-tier '00 Cavalier. The strongest memory of if was her blasting her Lifehouse CD from the mediocre stereo. I can't hear that band without thinking of that car.
I knew a ton of girls who had Escorts and Cavaliers then. Not surprising when you see alot of the commercials for those cars.
As a teen in the 80s, a lot of the 'cool' kids had a Z24. While I could appreciate the performance back then for those cars, I was lusting after cars like the Civic Si and Supras of the time. Domestic cars were so - pedestrian in my books. Looking back at them, they had some good styling elements, but that's about it.
I was in the minority being a Japanese import fan in a small Southern Town, so I can relate! Drove my 91 MR2 Turbo around 96 to the local Toyota dealer to pickup a part...Salesman came out and asked if it was a NSX.
Wow I loved those early 90s MR2s! Well, pretty much all early 90s cars like the Integra and MR2, Civics, 300zx turbos. All awesome. Time has proven them to be fantastic collectibles too.
@ChrisHsuCars I've owned alot of Japanese sports cars over the years.
My family had many Cavaliers, '83 sedan, '88 sedan, '94 wagon, '01 coupe, '02 Sunfire coupe. All cars were great and strong runners except the '02 Sunfire. Constant issues with it. Sold it real quick. lol
My Mom's 96 Sunfire GT never gave her any trouble...But it had a low mileage, garage kept, and pampered life.
There's something about the look of the 1st and 2nd gen J bodies that I just like. I only have personal experience with 2 different ones, one I fixed some hackjob fuel pump wiring on, and one a friend of mine had as his 1st car before giving it to another friend who needed a cheap car so he could get back on his feet after some bad luck with a new job.
They definately screamed the 80s!
I always loved the look of the 1988-1990 and 1995-1999 chevrolet cavalier coupe
Yeah...They looked pretty sharp.
The ones with 3.1 v6 were pretty quick
Loved these videos. Great job on making them! Had an 03 cavalier ls sport coupe till last year. Loved that car even though driving it felt like a death trap lol
Thank you! They are fun to make and bring back memories! I'm trying to recall the last Cavalier I saw on the road. Its been awhile.
It's fascinating to me that for North America GM still sold a car in the early 90's that look so outdated while in Europe it was totally replaced by a generation of car (called Opel Vectra A & Vauxhall Cavalier MK3) with a new platform too
Yes...Your J Body's were all gone by the late 80s. We eventually got Opel platform models again for that class.
@@autochatter We eventually got Opels period: Astra( Saturn),Omega( Cadillac),Vectra( Saturn),Insignia( Buick) and Antara(Saturn and Chevrolet) Kadett/Daewoo( Pontiac) Cascada( Buick)not to mention the Chevrolet based Opels in South America and the Holden based Opels in Australia.
My first car was a 1987 Pontiac Sunbird just like the blue one in this video I removed the cat and it woke the car up it use to peel out the front wheels.
Nice!
The Toyota Cavalier was built at the Lordstown, Ohio plant
9:34 - Eliminating the V6 was a shame. The Quad 4 was powerful enough, but so coarse and noisy. Cavaliers didn't need extra noise.
It was a more problematic engine too.
Just found this channel. I own an 89 Z24 convertible, black with silver ground effects, as well as a 90 cavalier RS wagon with the 3.1, nearly identical to the one pictured at 2:55, except maroon. I put a color matched Z24 hood and functional cold air intake on it. Ill be taking it back to sc to visit family in July. That lil wagon was an impulse purchase a few years ago while in sc as a runabout and i kept it bc its rust free, and itll run 75-80 all day driving from ny to sc. Sure is a fun little car.
That's cool! I bet it looks good with the Z24 hood! Welcome to the channel..Have quite a few vids now just in case somthing else peeks your interest.
@@autochatter I have an unreasonable love for those j cars lol. That being said, every one I've had has been good to me. I've had my convertible for 24 years, and besides lots of small things, it's still on the original power train. That wagon I bought for $400, and with less than $100 in parts got me around sc for the month I was there, got me back to NY, I've taken it to Carlisle for car shows 6 times, and plan to take it to the original owner when I go back to sc, so the older lady can see that it went to a good home. My favorite thing about cars isn't so much the car itself, but the backstory of them.
@williamsinger4124 Thats awesome! That being said, you may love or hate my Cadillac Cimmeron vid LOL.
@@autochatter I have a rainy day off today, and am working my way through your videos while sipping on some cold snacks 🍺. I ain't made it to the Cimarron one yet, but I feel bad for John Manoogian...he wanted to do so much more for that car, but gm only gave him a grille headlights taillights and interior trim. Reading some of your comments, I'll add that I also love Japanese cars. I own 2 accords (89 SE-I sedan and a 93 SE sedan and a 91 Integra gs hatch.
@williamsinger4124 Very nice! I do love my Japanese cars!...Never owned a Honda though.
Sometimes whenever I see the last generation Chevy Cavaliers, I wonder how would the Cadillac Cimarron look if it lasted as long as the Chevy Cavalier did🤣🤣🤣
LOL! Would prob look like a 95 Cavalier sedan with a Caterra front end.
@@autochatter thanks🤮, that's an image I can't get out of my head, I wish you left me wondering🤣🤣🤣
@marc11.24 I could recommend some online therapist sites, but there is no cure for future Cimarron trauma. Called FCT for short, I've made it my mission to advertise its awareness in society, so maybe someday, people wont have to vomit profusely at the thought of one.....like you did! 😀
Shocking looking cars as someone from the UK American cars always look very strange to me
Great channel by the way
LOL...Yeah, you guys have had some head scratchers we never got too! Thank you for enjoying the channel!
@@autochatter Cadillac Seville my absolute favourite 76-79 great looking motor
@Bod8998 Yeah...GM was pretty successful with downsized cars like that and the Caprice/Impala then. Still land yachts by European standards at the time!
@@autochatter and silly litres that would only be like 100 HP still never understood it tbh
@Bod8998 You sound like Jeremy Clarkson! Our Goverment emmision standards were more strict than yours then, and engines were hampered by it.
These cars were crapola. I drove a late model Cavalier and the driving position hurt my legs every time I drove it. The interior seemed very spartan as well.
I never owned one, but at one point it seemed like every other car on the road was a J Body.
Both times Pontiac updated the Sunfire fascia, they made it uglier. Especially the final version. (15:39)
Yeah...The last one was definately the worst I agree!
The sunfire midlife refresh was awful. Made a good thing look cheap, plastic, and an afterthought.
I think so too...Preferred the still sporty, but cleaner earlier ones.
I always found the Sunfire a lot more sportier and sleeker than the Cavalier. Believe it or not, many of the '95-'04 model years Cavalier & Sunfire are still on the road today despite the questionable quality. I didn't like the Opel designed Cobalt & G5 TBH.
As far as the Trax being the current Cavalier, it's literally a boring design. The current Trax looks really ugly on the back end. Design choices left a lot to be desired. I could say Trans-Am Worldwide, which is based in FL, should create a variant of the Trax by renaming it as the Pontiac Vibe, and a Equinox variant renaming it to the Torrent. But then again, it is possible to get it custom built by GM themselves, but we know it'll be extremely pricey either way.
Sales of the Trax are supposed to be good, so someone likes them!
@@autochatter I love them too. But I'll take the luxurious looking Encore TBH. I think they're cool.
@KTJohnsonkidThunder the Encore is more upscale, but more $$ I'm sure.
The J bodies are x10 more reliable any of the junk built in the last decade. What happened to GM. They had the amazing vehicles back in the 80s and 90s. Even a Chevette is far better than a recent Chevy Cruze.
Wasn't the Cruze a Daewoo (later GM Korea)?
@@autochatter Yes, I was surprised to find out that the Cruze was mainly designed by GM Korea.
When GM redesigned the J body cars in 1995, why didn't Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac get redesigned J body cars in 1995?
Poor sales. Their market buyers wanted larger cars.
@@autochatter but the larger cars were what made Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac considered as old people brands, I think the j body cars would've helped those brands draw in younger buyers.
@anthonyrivera0917 They preferred the N body versions if they were looking for somthing small.
That's ok. Oldsmobile had the Alero, which I had. Best car ever! 👍
@@petestaint8312 It was a nice alternative if you didn't like the boy racer look of the Grand Am.
My aunt had a new sunbird I was the biggest pos she had nuthing but problems😮
The Rocker guy with the guitar 🤮
LOL...Yeah..Seems pretty cheesy now...and it was then too!