"Rosy Retrospection" bias... old cars were not nearly as reliable as modern cars. They were "fixable" but not "reliable," the modern car is a disposable thing that you throw away at 180k miles, but up until 180k miles they are more reliable than ever. Most 80's and earlier cars ended up in scrap before they rolled over 100k miles.
@@djlabs1975We’ve been spoiled by cars that start immediately, the first time, every time- even in sub zero temps; they’ll even drive perfectly fine in those sub zero temps will no warm up time what so ever (still not good for it albeit). I have no illusions of how awfully unreliable cars could be as recently as the very early 1980’s. Yes of course that wasn’t always the case, but it was a thing- and it gets glossed over like cars used to be the pinnacle of reliability due to their simplicity, and that’s simply not true at all. The proliferation of electronic fuel injection across the industry changed automobiles for the better, forever. Yes those early FI cars had their issues, owing to early computer technology, but by the late 80’s most mainstream automobiles ran significantly better in all conditions, and were extremely reliable. The Japanese lit a fire under Detroits ass with their economical, reliable, fuel injected machines, and we all benefited as Detroit struggled to adapt and keep up. Im not a fan of the corporate greed that now has vehicles prices so ridiculously high, BUT, there again, a great equalizer will emerge as a solution. Just remember- we might not always like the “solution”, or where it comes from even. Something is eventually going to force a price adjustment across the market- it’s coming.
I worked in GM dealerships from the late seventies until the late nineties when I started my own automatic transmission shop. I've always said the Chevette was a great car. About 40-70,000 miles you'd replace the timing belt. I replaced a timing belt in about 30-40 minutes in the dark on a rainy muddy night in the driveway of a girl I wanted to date. To show how determined I was I agreed to go with her to see Purple Rain when it was still in the theatres.
@@OOICU812 Well, she's been cutting my hair for 45 years, but there was never any romance. She's still my closest most hilarious female friend. I was her brothers annoying friend back then, and she was my best friend's older hot sister. I do love her though, and she's said as much to me over the years. It just never happened.
My man great tactic. Dated a girl in the 90s , first time at my place i went outside and saw her car was banged up .hood wired down She was like the hood wouldn't close .I cut the wire , manhandle the hood to get it to latch .she look at me like I was a god . Great girl ,probably should have married her
I bought a Chevette as my first car when I was a private in the Army. It was the scooter edition so it was stripped, didn't even have glove compartment door. Picked up a glove compartment door from junkyard on the way home, painted it black and bolted it on. That car ran forever. Sold it to my brother who was getting out of the Army and I was going to Germany. He sold it after 4 years of college to a high school student and we saw it buzzing around town long after that. Only thing that really happened was timing belt broke at one point. Replaced it and it continued to thrive.
I have a 100% true remarkable Chevette story. In 1980 with a 6 person family, 4 kids approaching growth spurts my Dad bought a 1980 Chevette. It was a 4 speed manual, it was a tight fit, but it worked. Fast forward 2 years, my Dad bought a ski boat with his bonus that year. Dad was a frugal guy and just knew that Chevette would pull the boat, just have a hitch put on it. Here we go, 6 people in a Chevette, pulling a ski boat with a dog sometimes. That thing never failed us. There's a stupid movie called "Pineapple Express, in that movie there is a very brief scene that shows a Chevette pulling a huge boat. Now, who'd have thought to pull a boat with a Chevette anyway ( besides my Dad)!!
From Leo: In the gas crisis, I bought a new 1976 Chevette "Rally" It was a 1600 cc slow engine instead of the base model 1400cc slow engine. I bought it for my commute to work when gas was hard to get and expensive. I hated driving it. The ride was poor, it was noisy on the highway. crappy seats, tiny floor boards area, etc. But the stinkin' thing ALWAYS ran. Nothing went wrong. Except for one timing belt, nothing ever broke for 175,000 miles. The guy I sold it to drove it several more years until his kid wrecked it. . The little thing just would not die.
We bought a 1981 chevette in 1988. 5 months later, my wife and newborn son were T-boned in an intersection. The car was bent to a "V". Driver's and back door were crumpled. My young wife opened her door, opened the door protecting our son, and walked away. The doors wouldn't reclose. Tough little car, tougher wife. And we are still married today, 37 years later. Love the girl, and miss the car...
I drove my ‘79 so hard on dirt roads that I busted the drivers side front shock clean through the top of the wheel well. So I removed the shock entirely on that side of the car and it drove and handled just like it did before, when it had one. I couldn’t kill this car. And I sold it at a profit the next year when I joined the military- for $800.
@mexicanspec it was hit by a 76 Dodge 200 pickup truck moving at 30mph. Inattentive drivers...shoved the car down to the alley between the intersection and the next street. It hit hard...yes, the car was tough enough that my wife and kid survived. Think about that...
I bought my 1978 Chevette in 1982 it had 32,000 miles on it and my uncle thought I was crazy for buying it. I got 247,000 miles out of it before it finally died. It went through a lot of breaks, mufflers and radiators but other than that ran like a champ. I miss that little bean.
Back in the 70s car makers built cheaper simpler cars to fight inflation. Now they build more expensive less practical cars and just offer longer financing.
Because people are dumb enough to keep buying them. The car makers are in business to make money. So, they’ll keep doing whatever can make them the most money.
They bought it and were ridiculed so much each time they drove it that by the time it had 47 miles on it they hid it in the back of their garage, never intending to have it seen again. They would have scrapped but even the junkyard didn't want it.
I bought a used 1980 Chevette with 40,000 miles in about 1983, then beat the everliving crap out of it for the next few years and sold it with 110,000 miles on the clock. During the time I had it I only had two issues, a broken wire in the distributor and a broken pin on top of the transmission that connected the shifter to the transmission. The pin broke when it was about -20 degrees out and I couldn't get it into gear. The fix took about 1/2 hour. I sold it to a friend who drove it for a while, then he sold it to his neighbor and their daughter drove it back and forth to college. Those things were turds power wise, but they were pretty much bullet proof and simple, and I got 40 mpg with mine.
I was a Chevy salesman back in 1980, and folks loved those cars. I could never understand why. But now, I miss simple cars. One thing about the Chevette was it had a self contained air filter. I am wondering if those air filters can still be found.
I worked with a guy about 10 years ago who drove a chevette. dented up, puke green, primer spots all over, rope holding the door shut. He drove it daily, year round in south dakota. 95 degrees and humid in the summer, no AC. 10 degrees and blizzards in the winter, didnt even get snow tires for it. He lived in an apartment and street parked it, and without being a car guy, maintained it himself with a basic $30 tool kit, just buzzed around getting 40 mpg, ran like a train.
Yeah, I was thinking they got good gas mileage. Pretty screwed up that cars back then got better mileage than most of them today. And they weren't high tech or hybrids either.
@@idmhead0160Light weight from minimal safety stuff and low power makes for decent mileage. New cars are heavy because of the structure and all the safety equipment. That said you can get modern cars that get as good or better mileage while also being faster, safer, and much more pleasant to drive. I’ve got a 4 door hatchback that gets about 35-38mpg and isn’t a basic low powered box like a chevette is.
I did a quick calculation on the web, and even adjusted for inflation, it's 13k. But really, who wouldn't want a simple rugged car for 13k these days? Thanks for the video, you just gained a new subscriber!
My Grandmother bought a 85 Chevette brand new it was Yellow on Yellow 😅 4 banger Automatic No A/C it never gave her any problems that I remember she drove it for years...... I remember how comfortable the seats were...
I owned one about 10 years ago. It did what it was supposed to do. It got you from place to place with good fuel economy. It had character. It was a good conversation starter. Like you said, it was repairable.
I worked for the local Chevy dealer as a salesman and sold a ton of these just for those reasons you mentioned. I also owned a few of them that I took in on trade. They came out with a 1.4 liter 4 cylinder but you could get a 1.6 BIG BLOCK HO engine as an option. They were basically bulletproof and cheap to maintain. I also sold about 10 of the Isuzu diesel equipped engines. They were a dogs dog but owners loved them too. I also had a customer from my hometown who bought a 1981 Citation base model 4 cylinder, 4 speed & ac and moved to North Dakota. He was a travelling nurse back then and worked the tri-state area. Everybody dissed the X-Body and initially it did have some flaws. The Dude came back in 1985 and bought another base model 4 cylinder 4 speed with ac while he still could get one. The 1981 had 275k on the odometer and had the clutch replaced at 200k and maintained it as one would expect. He didn't trade it in though. He kept it for his son who was about to turn 16 and that was going to be his first car. Simple, dependable, cheap and cheap to fix & maintain. I don't need a car that tells me it's time for me to take a piss on a computer screen, a body control module and all of the rest of that crap that they make us believe we can't live without. Great Video Uncle Tony. $33k for a Chevette ? Who Knew! Chevettes paid a few of my mortgage payments over the first seven years of my employment, fond memories
I had a girl friend with the diesel version. Ah drive it until the shifter mechanisms were totally shot at 227k miles. She could drive Carlsbad to Albuquerque NM without stopping for fuel. People would pass her on the freeway, then after they stopped for gas had to pass her again 😂
I bought a brand new 1982 Citation X-11 with the 2.8 60 degree V-6. It had a Rochester duo-jet carb that I unhooked the electronic solenoid from and rejetted. Very pretty car, comfortable, and great handling package with factory mags. Charcoal gray with dark gray interior. The Duo-jet was essentially a Quadrajet cut in half with a small primary and a larger secondary. Ran like a scalded dog! Lost it to my wife in a divorce. I reckon that was a small price to pay for freedom.
@@bbivens8263 i ordered a 1983 x-11 Demo set up with a four speed , a/c etc in Cocoa Brown Metallic and it was a Notchback , not a hatchback and it was soooo cool
I got more excited seeing a 4 speed chevette at Cars and Coffee than seeing all the McLarens and Porsches combined. They’re so rare it’s like seeing a unicorn.
Hello Tony! I have been following you since the 80s. I was also a street Racer with a 427 Camaro. This particular car came from a great mans estate, "The Ray Fauber collection " in central illinois, he also had wrapper corvettes, including a couple C4 ZR1s and Cadillacs. The crazy thing, one of his favorite cars was a 1990 corvette convertible, with optional hard top, 350 TPI, 1200 miles, red, that sold for LESS than the chevette! I was as shocked as everyone else. Crazy stuff 😅
You would be surprised how much people fall in love with the cars they drove when they were young. I knew guys in highschool who had these cars and at one point I thought I was going to buy one for $50 without keys. I looked up some stuff online and there were Chevette owners clubs and forums on Yahoo at the time. I was a member of a yahoo club for gm H bodies at the time and I realized that no matter how garbadge you thought a car was there were folks who loved those cars and the internet of the late 90's was helping us get together and support each other. I do feel like 33k for this Chevette is crazy money.
In the Carter era, during that "fuel crises", my late grandma was TV shamed/coerced into parking her big, scary, ice age causing gas guzzler '72 Old's 98 and buying a brand new Chevette. For it's maiden voyage she planned to drive it from Northern CA to SLC. She made it almost to Lake Tahoe before the rear end locked up and left her sitting on the side of I-80 for hours. She somehow made the dealer buy it back, then drove her Olds until she got too old and couldn't drive anymore.
I got a Chevette hand me down from my mom back in the day. Every time I get a car or truck I automatically get a repair manual for it. Soon after the starter went bad so I referenced the manual and it went like this...Step 1 - drain radiator. Step 2- drop steering column. Step 3- remove exhaust manifold. Etc, etc... All to replace a starter! I fixed it and got rid of it quick and never looked back.
Sounds like what I had to go through changing a starter on a 80s 5 cylinder turbo diesel Mercedes🤬 Overall a reliable power train but a nightmare to work on😱
Dad had a 1977 Honda Civic that sipped the gas. Don’t matter how you drove it, the car got 50 mpg! Amazing these tub of lard, boxes of today struggle to get 30 mpg
@@hotrodray6802 I bought a brand new 1975 Honda Civic. I was the first one to have one in my city of 45,000 people. It was a 4speed manual. It was $2900. I optioned for 13" wheels instead of 12". That brought it up to $3300. My payment was $87 a month. It would get 42 mpg not matter what. It was a tank in the snow. On the highway if there was a long enough stretch of road it could go 105 mph. I replaced the clutch at 100K miles. I believe it had a timing chain. It wouldn't start one day, 1st time ever at 125,000 and I tried using starter fluid and caught the engine on fire. I gave it to a friend who fixed it, painted it came and drove it for another 100,000 miles. He had a gun store and parked it out front for advertising because nobody had a cameo car back then. I use to drive it up on the sidewalks to flip out friends. The local cemetery with little twisty one car width roads was like a Leman's track in that car. People laughed when I first got it and said that company will fold sooner than later. Eventually a had a few friends buy one because of how good mine was. Light blue with a black vinyl interior.
I owned three Chevettes at various times when I had a young family. They were inexpensive, reliable, rugged and unremarkable as you have said. The only bad thing I can remember about them was the legroom was a bit tight and in our sometimes severe winter weather -30 degree they were harder to start, but if they were plugged in and covered over they would start fine. Two of my Chevettes had automatic transmissions which everyone warned me repeatedly to stay away from as they were prone to breakage. I found that driving it I never had a problem with either automatic trans. Instead they lasted well over the time they were supposed to functioning well when I sold them. And I didn't baby them. As far I'm concerned if they brought back the Chevette in it's original form for a decent price I would have no problem getting one again. The new cars I have had experience with are crap.
Back in the 90's, between my dad an I, we had 4 chevettes and a Pontiac 1000. Those little beaters were THE reliable transportation. Simple, economical, easy to repair, and in our Wisconsin winters would start without hesitation. Those were the days. Now you need a darn laptop to wrench on cars
Modern cars cost as much as they did over 50 years ago. I have a 71 mustang my father bought new for 3,319 dollars or as he explained roughly 2 years wages if you worked at McDonald’s. If I look at a modern one of the same trim and specs it’s roughly 80k or 2 years wages if you work at McDonald’s. There’s a reason the McDonald’s index as a measurement of inflation is accurate. You measure in time/hours of labor rather than devaluing dollars. Tony has covered this in a previous video like 6-8 months back where he talked about currency.
My buddy @brainbuilds drove a Chevette to 2024 Powertour. It got a lot of positive attention everywhere we went. Old cars that were forgotten to time have come full circle again.
I used to think the shape & style of the Chevettes & Omni were super lame that screamed econobox garbage. But now the shape doesn't bother me. Same with the Honda crx & geo tracker.....My first car was a 1966 Oldsmobile 98 giant 4 door boat. That I was embarrassed to drive. Now they look kinda cool if it was on air ride, suspension, with nice wheels, etc...
@michaelbrinks8089 I absolutely love the Dodge Omni. First car ever bought with my own money was a LeBaron with a 2.2 turbo. Since then I'm on the hunt for any somewhat clean turbos
@@michaelbrinks8089my dad was going to give me an 80s model VW rabbit when I turned 16 in 1988. I DIDN'T WANT THAT UGLY POS but now at 51 years old I'd drive the wheels off of it.
I have a fondness for this type of car. As a kid, my folks always drove bare bones Ramblers. Dad liked them because he could fix them himself, with a few basic tools. I have 1964 Rambler American 220. Wouldn't trade it for anything.
Love the Chevette, was our family car when we first emigrated to the United States. My parents bought the '84 version brand new and it was a tank. Power assisted steering and no power brakes but it did what it needed and worked well. Cheap and reliable..
Had me a 1976 Chevette back in the day. Best little unremarkable car. Great little car. Came in Orange, back-fired every time you'd shift. So fun. Would love to have another now.. Round headlights looked way better than the newer rectangular ones...
I bought one of those with 20000 miles a few years ago that looked like new. I drove it every day until I couldn't fix it anymore. I delivered papers for a few years in it during college and it was great for basic transportation.
my Grandma had one of those 80s T1000 and she sold it to her friend and he drove that damn car till the late 90s when he gave it to his son. These things get a lot of crap but they weren't the worst things GM built.
I remember the T1000 in the dealership showroom as a kid, why was I thinking T1000 was a rebadged Citation 🤔 (right next to the J2000 😁) ....the citation, now that was an ugly-shaped car
Back in 88 my best friend had a chevette as a winter beater. And beat it, we did. Shifted the 4 speed without using the clutch, took it off roading weekly, jumped it, etc That car never broke down or skipped a beat. It took it like a pro.
i had one and did all the same with it. climbing hills in the strip pits, lots of donuts in snowy parking lots. and there was one hill i could get some good air on. especially the passenger side. it did take some damage along the way.
You hit the nail on the head . As currently were in the process of putting a survivor English built Vauxhall chevette car back on the road. Their simplistic design is almost simple enough to call crude. Almost Ford Model A technology which is timeless
I appreciate the pendulum swinging back. I'm fortunate enough to own four vehicles that all run and drive. The oldest is 17 years old and the next oldest is 13. They don't beep, flash, or vibrate my steering wheel when I infrequently drift across painted roadway lines. The two newest ones (8 and 3 years old) have all the new stuff and driving them is like having a cop sitting in the passenger seat while taking a driving test.
Back in the late 80’s they were fun as freaking hell to race. A good friend had one he ran at SCCA events. Fat fenders, dinky little steam rollers, the engine was up near 200hp NA. It was a beastly little thing.
Back in high school(90s) I knew a few guys who were into Chevettes(there were some). I’ve heard them mention people swapping Buick 3.8 v6s in them. Others using 4.3L and 2.8L V6s. Imagining driving one with Grand National power is fun and terrifying at the same time😱
@@FrankTimms-cs5hl GM made one test mule with a 2.8. It was faster than the z28 camaro and almost as fast as the corvette. 83 i believe. This would have been the 2SE which is the worst carburetor on earth. If that car had been fuel injected, it would have outrun the Corvette with an additional 10 hp. GM couldn't have that so they shelved the idea. I'm sure the car was destroyed.
World governments need to ease back the Emission laws and Technical regulation, stop the combustion engine ban, stop forcing EV's on people saying it's the only solution, when it clearly is not. The car manufacturers need to make cars less technical and more mechanically robust, and that will guarantee brand new car sales globally.
Governments need to leave cars as they are and focus on aviation and marine fleets given the fact that they're each larger contributers than automotive.
What the car makers seem to figure is that cars that look cool and are techy and disposable will keep the sales numbers higher than cars that are simple, reliable, and last a long time.
@@OOICU812 Yes BUT people are quickly starting to catch on that $50k + vehicles that are poorly built and don't last are a terrible waste of money, and they are going to start balking in droves.
In 2004 I restored a 1987 Chevette 4 door and painted it in tangerine orange. It actually got a lot of attention, I can't recall ever stopping at a gas station where somebody didn't walk over to talk to me about it. I daily drove it for about a year, but I couldn't handle how slow it was and it got horrible fuel economy also. One thing I liked about it was it was surprisingly comfy on long trips.
My uncle has a few of those. He lived out in the woods on a dirt road and had a 60 mile commute to the GM plant he worked at. He drove the wheels off those little shit kickers.
Anyone who would spend $33K on a 40 year old stock Chevette from the 80’s - aside from a Chevy museum (and this one is not museum quality) - needs to have their head examined. Yes, to each his own, but think about it. Of all the ways to blow $33K… it makes no sense. BTW - how does an interior get THAT much wear and only have 47 original miles. HIGHLY dubious mileage declaration.
Why? What a silly opinion to have. What makes you an expert? Why are people so spiteful. You’re why everyone habréis Americans. Nothing, little nobodies that think everyone should live by their standards or they are obviously crazy. Some people make more money than they know what to do with and thus, it is of little consequence. Grow up, and make some DISPOSABLE income for yourself.
The only way I could justify spending $33K for one of these cars is if you were able take the price of when these cars were new then convert that price to “2025 money”. Maybe there are people with more money than common sense or they’re looking for something to hot rod. I recall the company that makes Hooker Header came out with a kit to install a GM V-6 in a T-Body (or was it a V-8?) and boy, could those Chevettes and Pontiac T-6000’s go like stink when you got done!
A friend had one of these in the 80's. I used to change the oil for him, he insisted on using Slick 50. He drove that car from Jersey to Virginia countless times and never gave him any trouble.
Chevettes were EVERYWHERE in the 1980’s. And everyone knew someone who had one. Actually had 3 of them in the extended family (‘78, ‘80, and ‘82) and I can say they were tough little cars that handled well and even did well in the snow. Let’s hope the collector market pricing doesn’t go crazy, because they should remain an affordable “beginner’s” collector car that’s simple to drive and unique enough to upstage that $70,000 vintage muscle car at a car show.
Back in the 80's, there was a family in my town whose only car was a Chevette, what made it surreal was the smallest of them weighed in the neighbourhood of 300lbs with both parents well north of that. To see that car with all 4 of them in it was a sight to see. You could literally hear the car screaming in pain as it drove by. I'm not sure how long that car lasted, but it wasn't long. As far as the car featured here goes, P.T.Barnum was right, There's a sucker is born every minute.
Dad was a railroad engineer in the 70's. Hit a Datsun pickup at a crossing. When the crew went back to the crossing, they rolled the PU back on it's wheels, and the owner was able to drive it away! They made some tough, simple cars back in the day!!! A 2025 PU would have disintegrated!!
@@BrianButterworth-s4z My dad had the 73 Datsun 1600 PU and he had a high camper that you could move around in to hold it down. Great truck though. Lasted us around 10 years.
Just restored my 86 Laser XT 5spd. It's relatively simple, looks good, drives and handles great, a bit underpowered, but over the last two years gets 30+ mpg and lots of stoplight comments. Can't beat that.
Lasers are so cool, I think its the only car in the world that talked to you. "Your Headlamps Are On!!" Good ole Chrysler Lasers....I liked the material the seat covers were made out of and the huge back glass lid thingy
What was so "unremarkable" about them? I've owned lots of them and beat the snot out of them. You couldn't kill them they were some of the best GM cars I've ever owned. They did their economical jobs. I have two now a 76 and a 78 and they draw way more attention at a car show than any Charger, Cuda or Camaro next to it. I get an average of 50+ photos of my vette opposed to about 5 pics of the "muscle cars" next to it. Mine is a vette Scooter and draws a lot of attention. Of all little cars... the Chevette deserves the attention. Vettes will continue to go up in price. Keep up good work Uncle Tony
When I was a dealership mechanic in the late 90's for Honda/Yamaha in Seattle, WA., a co-worker (Chevy nerd) in the parts dept. bought a low-mile grandma-grocery getter with great original paint, straight body, and a 4-speed. He was able to get a 2bbl carb/manifold set-up and a nice cam and header pipes. He made it into his commuter car because his daily driver was the the last year 454 Chevy Suburban. After the power upgrades he gave me a ride and that thing was a fun car that the cops wouldn't even look at.
at one point in the mid-80s we owned beige Chevette and a grey Acadian (yes, from Canada) ... couldn't kill those cars. Easy to fix, parts were cheap and interchangeable.
In brand new shape it could be worth 7k since that was the new price. I can't see anyone wanting a car that goes 0-20 in 20 seconds though. I think it had about 30 horse power.
back in the 90's, i had a friend who bought a black, 2 door chevette for 300 bucks. some body damage but perfect mechanical condition. that car got pounded on but kept on running.
@@ShaunHensley Many of the old ones did not work in reverse, and even if it did, it would have to run at high speed for weeks to get very many miles off. Now you just connect a touch screen device to the OBDII port, and enter whatever number you want. And it doesn't leave a trace. Can be done in a couple minutes.
Easier for someone who knows what theyre doing to do it today. Easier for an average guy to do it back then. Just different meanings of easy-ness. @geraldscott4302
Im in shock. I thought this might be click bait but then I remembered this is Uncle Tony we are talking about so I clicked and just wow. I remember when parents would give these cars away to high school kids.
I bought a 84 Chevette for 900 dollars to use as a train station car when I commuted to NYC. It was a great little car simple to fix and very reliable. When I traded it in I got 500 bucks for it after driving it 4 years.
They used to be what I called "throw away cars"; buy them cheap, then abandon them at the first sign of needing repairs. I guess not anymore. Can't imagine what one of those carbs would cost today.
You can get Chinese EV brand new that can go 400 miles and recharge in 4 minutes for about 16K USD in Thailand. You don't have to pay 330 - 880% importation taxes like you have to pay when you buy European or US cars because the gov of Thailand has an MOU with China.
In 1988, I T-boned a truck in a 1984 Chevy Chevette at 65 MPH. You would be amazed at how tough these cars were. Car was totaled. But everything from the doors back survived.
@@Jason_556 Which is interesting. And I can understand why. When they grew up driving land yachts, this car probably seemed like a toy. But they were built really solid. Everyone who saw my accident was amazed that I just walked away from it with no injuries. I hit the truck hard enough to flip it over into a parking lot.
Around my neck of the woods, we called those things "Shrove-It-Or-Leave-Its'. On the flip side of that...an old friend of mine told me a story about how he shoehorned a Buick V6 (built to almost GNX specs) into a Chevette. Said it made for one hell of a 'sleeper'!
Off topic UT, but just wanted to give you a HUGE kudos on the "hemi cam issue"! You dissected that thing and pointed out very serious design flaws, like inability for oil to drip directly onto lobes etc! Very impressive my man, and you just reinforced my conviction that I effed up buying new hemi durango last year. I usually keep our rides WAY beyond it being paid off. Keep up the great work!!
I remember having a customer who had one at that time. 4 cyl non-turbo diesel with a 5 sp manual. What l remember the most about it was the externally mounted oil pump. It was attached to the back of the alternator. I got to drive it once, gutless to say the least (my boss would say 0-60 in 45 mins. Lol).It got incredible mileage the owner claimed 40+mpg.
As a child of the early 90's, my grandfather had a few Chevette's. I would love to relive those days of riding around in the back of that heap. I was able to get it running shortly before my father got rid of it and was able to drive it around the farm. It was missing the steering wheel center cover and if you weren't careful you would get zapped by the horn circuit. The last time I've seen one was when i got my first job at a bait and tackle shop. This dude that used to come hang out had one that had a Camaro 2.8 V6 stuffed into it. He would do autocross with it and it surprised a lot of people with it.
I bought a 76 Chevette for $50 when my 74 Vega broke in half. I replaced the 1600 4 banger with the 2.4 Vega engine. It was a little beast. On the street it gave Baja Bugs a run for their money.
I bought a brand new 1976 Ralley Chevette automatic i loved i sold to my sister at 100,000 miles only real problem with this one was timing belts ( rubber ) 2 times during the 100,000 miles
I worked on 100's of them back in the day. Never had an engine issue, no oil pan or head removal. Just the typical timing belt and water pump. Brakes were easy to do, some starters were difficult. The ones with power steering and brakes, spend 5 minutes and remove steering column. Easy access to starter. Doing a clutch, one of the 4 crossmember bolts would always break off into the body. Always!
I bought a 20 year old Ford Taurus for a family member. Car came from TN, so rust free. Got it running poorly for $1800, but only had 39k actual miles on it. Cat converter was clogged. Fixed it, did some maintenance and its on the road providing transportation. It's cheap/easy to repair, and rust free. That was the appeal.
@ Brakes are a safety item. All safety items are fine until you die or critically injured in an accident possibly avoidable. I will tell you a story. I was unable to stop driving a first year (86)Taurus with no bags, drum brakes, poor handling, and not wearing seat belt versus a 1965 Thunderbird parked car. Not a good outcome. 30 years later my neighbor drove into my parked Honda Civic driving a Subaru Impreza. Great outcome. zero injuries. His car was even repaired perfectly. 30 years ago the Taurus was totaled and I my damages were broken bones, lacerations, and major concussion. The Firemen were surprised I lived!
Man! This a good dialogue with a lot of interesting comments. I will start by mentioning that the biggest complaint that I have about new (contemporary era) vehicles, is that when they break down in traffic, you can't (put them and neutral and) push them to the side of the road. In terms of Chevy Chevette, my brother let me borrow his (back in the day) when my own car needed a longterm repair (I don't remember the exact circumstances). Anyway, his Chevette had a carburetor problem and I had to replace it.... I spent several hours trying to remove one (1) of the nuts at the base plate, and eventually had to remove the master brake cylinder to get to it. After I fixed it, I took the car right back to him! I believe that the designers worked in cubicles and the actual mechanic work is foreign to them.
Keep in mind if the car sold for $33,000, there had to be more people bidding on it to get it to that price. Someone else had to bid $32,500. I don’t doubt Vega and Monza would bring good money today
I remember Brock Yates calling that car a "shitbox" in Car and Driver. Then fast forward later in the future my parents were car shopping and the salesman pointed it out ,I promptly said " that car is a shitbox" my mom was petrified . Lucky we came home with an 78 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
Lol,, I got a subscription to Car and Driver magazine in 1977 at 11 years old. Brock Yates and PJ O'Rourqe were funny as hell. And my ma had NO idea where I was exposed to such language... I loved those guys. And in '79 when she finally decided to divorce my violent stepfather,, it was a 6 month old Chevette she got in the divorce. Red 4door. Rubber mats. Automatic. I was given to pushing it down the street after she fell asleep and joyriding that thing across Tampa with my friend Robert. At 14yrs old. Lol
@@chrissanders2562 rockauto has an aluminum one right now. $268. Are you a part of any social media groups for vettes? Because they are great for sourcing parts and information.
My dad used to tell people he drove a "Vette" everyday as his "beater car". I can still remember riding in it. The transmission was going out, but it still ran great for many years before it finally died.
My dad got the Pontiac version of this car. I was very young, but still remember it to this day when he first brought it home. My mom came out to the garage to see it, shook her head, said "THIS is your new car!" then turned around and slammed the door and went back to the kitchen....my dad only kept that car for a year.
@@silent1967 that Toyota drive train they have definitely makes it more valuable then your average small GM car, and being a sporty little wagon to boot, They do hold value well, so stands to reason that good examples will be one of the more valuable cars from the era
On a side note, In Toronto there used to be a pizza place called Little Tony's Pizza and they drove those great Civics all over the place delivering pizza. The buyer of the Chevette paid $32,000 too much.
$33k??? What? They stole it for that price! It's the only surviving one on the planet and should be in a museum 😂😂😂😂 I can see the Barrett Jackson trend now...$100k and only 250,000 miles
I am wanting to say my aunt bought one of these in 1987 for just a tick over $8,000.00. It drove good and it looked like the whole front-end was very similar to an Opel Kadett; they were both on the "T" car chassis along with the Vauxhall Chevette, Isuzu I-Mark and Impulse, etc. The car lasted my aunt for years and gave her good service. They were the best-selling cars in 1980-81, IIRC, and they were simple. I don't think I would give $33,000 for one, though. GREAT VIDEO!
A guy I worked with had a four door diesel, slowest car on the planet, but it wouldn’t die. He drove it from Northern California to Alaska (five years there), then drove down to Seattle for another five years and then back to California. It was his daily commuter, he maintained it and it just kept going. Made fun of it but people went through four or five cars while he rattled along in that Chevette.
Thank you for this testimonial. I once recommended to a girlfriend's mom she purchase one. Single mom, 3 kids 2 still in their teens. It always kinda of haunted me to think that the dumb 20 something me steered that nice lady to buy a lemon. Relieved to know there is a chance she isn't cursing me all these years, at least not over that!
Most GM cars were based off of Opels..even up until the cruze it was a Opel...the 90's Malibu was an Opel/Vaxhaul ...Very few fwd Gm cars were actually made by GM most were Opel/Vauxhalls...
My dad was horrified when he went to a hot rod swap meet and there was a guy selling steel conversions to make a 4 door Bel Air into a 2 door. Car flippers have destroyed the hobby.
I know this isn’t about the main topic but I had to chime in. Myself and friend can drive any of our 71-73 Ford Pinto’s somewhere and it is a show. The best part is the great conversations you get into with people because it’s an emotional car for so many people. It’s connected to people who know family or friends whom have passed away or are very old. Also, those whom drove in one as a kid, high school, college…etc. I can’t tell you how many people get watery eyes or get excited when the Pinto rolls up and conversations start. Pintos have sold for over $25,000 on the main sites like BaT (Bring A Trailer), Mecum, Barrett-Jackson…etc. Those who know, know. Pacers, Gremlins, these cars also have a cool response from people. Good times out with older cars that got crapped on back in the day.
A few years ago I went to a scrapyard to get some hubcaps. A young worker took me into the yard in an old junkyard Chevette. It had no windows but it worked quite well.
I had an identical ‘86 total cream puff. This was 1997,and never had problems beyond regular maintenance. Mistsbish engine was great,but not for climbing ridges in Chattanooga. The person I sold it to thanked me for a dependable car several times.
I had a Ford bronco II back in the 80’s. Although I liked it, after a decade, it just disintegrated around me. I didn’t exactly cry when I got rid of it. I can’t believe I’m seeing these things getting popular again in the used/classic market. Don’t worry, I’m not buying one. I’m just amazed on what’s coming ‘round again.
I heard they had a "bent" steering wheel because the steering column was installed at an angle, pointed toward the drivers wheel, because of clearance issues in such a small car. It would make the steering wheel appear normal, centered on the driver, until you start turning it.
I had 2 of those drove one from southern TN to Chicago in late June car had no air was a remarkable ride 👍 it kept going I was young it was all I had 🏁😎
I personally know a guy who bought a junk Chevette for $1. He fixed it up and drove it through all of his college years. My understanding is that it was not a chick magnet, though this guy ended up being highly successful.
Gotta know when to wait and use what you can get as the stepping stone for the chick magnet. I’ve got a 2013 Yaris. The 69 chevelle is in pieces getting restored little by little as we speak 💪
The major downside to old cars, as an owner of many, is parts. There are things like windshields that are nearly impossible to find for most 80's cars and finding a company that will replace them is also stupid hard. People are afraid of them and IDK why. You have to learn how to fix everything yourself. Finding shops that can work on carburetor cars is like finding a shop that will fix Ferrari's, it's become stupidly specialized now days.
In high school a friend bought a brand new car. When she brought it over to show off at my friend's house, my friend's dad came out and announced, "That's not a car, that's a Chevette." I still laugh thinking about it
Never underestimate the power of nostalgic old guys with money burning a hole in their pocket. Personally, I had enough experience with 1980s GM cars that I'm willing to leave them in the 1980s. Still, a fun video that I enjoyed.
When I worked at a Chevy dealer in 1987 the new car manager didn't order any Chevettes because the Chevy Sprint was on the lot as was the Spectrum and they were miles ahead of the Chevette in every way.
I used to have a Chevette as a second car back in high school in '88 to deliver pizzas with. Once in a while I'd drive it to the club in New Rochelle called Marty & Lenny's and I'd love to see the girls' reactions when I'd ask them if they'd like to take a ride in my "Vette. Got many "You jerk" reactions but there were a few that'd laugh and be cool to hang with.
We used to have complex , smart men building simple reliable cars , now we have simple men building unreliable ,complex smart cars.
Well put 👍
Smart car that no one can afford to own in the US and too complex for ordinary people can repair and maintain correctly.
"Rosy Retrospection" bias... old cars were not nearly as reliable as modern cars. They were "fixable" but not "reliable," the modern car is a disposable thing that you throw away at 180k miles, but up until 180k miles they are more reliable than ever. Most 80's and earlier cars ended up in scrap before they rolled over 100k miles.
@@djlabs1975We’ve been spoiled by cars that start immediately, the first time, every time- even in sub zero temps; they’ll even drive perfectly fine in those sub zero temps will no warm up time what so ever (still not good for it albeit). I have no illusions of how awfully unreliable cars could be as recently as the very early 1980’s.
Yes of course that wasn’t always the case, but it was a thing- and it gets glossed over like cars used to be the pinnacle of reliability due to their simplicity, and that’s simply not true at all.
The proliferation of electronic fuel injection across the industry changed automobiles for the better, forever. Yes those early FI cars had their issues, owing to early computer technology, but by the late 80’s most mainstream automobiles ran significantly better in all conditions, and were extremely reliable. The Japanese lit a fire under Detroits ass with their economical, reliable, fuel injected machines, and we all benefited as Detroit struggled to adapt and keep up.
Im not a fan of the corporate greed that now has vehicles prices so ridiculously high, BUT, there again, a great equalizer will emerge as a solution. Just remember- we might not always like the “solution”, or where it comes from even. Something is eventually going to force a price adjustment across the market- it’s coming.
Well said.
I worked in GM dealerships from the late seventies until the late nineties when I started my own automatic transmission shop. I've always said the Chevette was a great car. About 40-70,000 miles you'd replace the timing belt. I replaced a timing belt in about 30-40 minutes in the dark on a rainy muddy night in the driveway of a girl I wanted to date. To show how determined I was I agreed to go with her to see Purple Rain when it was still in the theatres.
I'm curious to hear how things worked out.
@@OOICU812 Well, she's been cutting my hair for 45 years, but there was never any romance. She's still my closest most hilarious female friend. I was her brothers annoying friend back then, and she was my best friend's older hot sister. I do love her though, and she's said as much to me over the years. It just never happened.
Purple rain hope she saw purple head lol
My man great tactic. Dated a girl in the 90s , first time at my place i went outside and saw her car was banged up .hood wired down
She was like the hood wouldn't close .I cut the wire , manhandle the hood to get it to latch .she look at me like I was a god .
Great girl ,probably should have married her
@@setha360 More like blue balls.
I bought a Chevette as my first car when I was a private in the Army. It was the scooter edition so it was stripped, didn't even have glove compartment door. Picked up a glove compartment door from junkyard on the way home, painted it black and bolted it on. That car ran forever. Sold it to my brother who was getting out of the Army and I was going to Germany. He sold it after 4 years of college to a high school student and we saw it buzzing around town long after that. Only thing that really happened was timing belt broke at one point. Replaced it and it continued to thrive.
I have a 100% true remarkable Chevette story. In 1980 with a 6 person family, 4 kids approaching growth spurts my Dad bought a 1980 Chevette. It was a 4 speed manual, it was a tight fit, but it worked. Fast forward 2 years, my Dad bought a ski boat with his bonus that year. Dad was a frugal guy and just knew that Chevette would pull the boat, just have a hitch put on it. Here we go, 6 people in a Chevette, pulling a ski boat with a dog sometimes. That thing never failed us. There's a stupid movie called "Pineapple Express, in that movie there is a very brief scene that shows a Chevette pulling a huge boat. Now, who'd have thought to pull a boat with a Chevette anyway ( besides my Dad)!!
Wasn't it a Citation pulling the boat in Pineapple Express?
Nvm it was a Chevette
What a cool story the really neat part is you all made it work as a family
@@ronaldjones743 Thanks! It WAS an adventure 😄.
dumb people do dumb things
From Leo: In the gas crisis, I bought a new 1976 Chevette "Rally" It was a 1600 cc slow engine instead of the base model 1400cc slow engine. I bought it for my commute to work when gas was hard to get and expensive. I hated driving it. The ride was poor, it was noisy on the highway. crappy seats, tiny floor boards area, etc. But the stinkin' thing ALWAYS ran. Nothing went wrong. Except for one timing belt, nothing ever broke for 175,000 miles. The guy I sold it to drove it several more years until his kid wrecked it. . The little thing just would not die.
Chevettes were often prizes on game shows like The Price is Right in the '80s.
I'd buy, that it lived in a studio warehouse just behind the Arc of the Covenant
Parents would promise a Vette to their children for their 16th Birthday. The kids thought they were getting a Corvette not a Chevette.
@ The original "bait n switch"!!
Mostly on the game show Concentration hosted by Jack Narz in the early - mid 70s.
They were super cheap to buy for game shows. LOL
We bought a 1981 chevette in 1988. 5 months later, my wife and newborn son were T-boned in an intersection. The car was bent to a "V". Driver's and back door were crumpled. My young wife opened her door, opened the door protecting our son, and walked away. The doors wouldn't reclose. Tough little car, tougher wife. And we are still married today, 37 years later. Love the girl, and miss the car...
That wife is a keeper Bro !!
I drove my ‘79 so hard on dirt roads that I busted the drivers side front shock clean through the top of the wheel well. So I removed the shock entirely on that side of the car and it drove and handled just like it did before, when it had one. I couldn’t kill this car. And I sold it at a profit the next year when I joined the military- for $800.
A tough car does not bend into a V.
Good man
@mexicanspec it was hit by a 76 Dodge 200 pickup truck moving at 30mph. Inattentive drivers...shoved the car down to the alley between the intersection and the next street. It hit hard...yes, the car was tough enough that my wife and kid survived. Think about that...
Man, Vette prices are going through the roof! 😂
Yeah, and I can only imagine what my '90 Volvo would go for! lol 😉
I bought my 1978 Chevette in 1982 it had 32,000 miles on it and my uncle thought I was crazy for buying it. I got 247,000 miles out of it before it finally died. It went through a lot of breaks, mufflers and radiators but other than that ran like a champ. I miss that little bean.
Back in the 70s car makers built cheaper simpler cars to fight inflation. Now they build more expensive less practical cars and just offer longer financing.
Yep! 8 year financing! Yikes!
Because people are dumb enough to keep buying them. The car makers are in business to make money. So, they’ll keep doing whatever can make them the most money.
The baffling thing is that somebody saved that thing.
They bought it and were ridiculed so much each time they drove it that by the time it had 47 miles on it they hid it in the back of their garage, never intending to have it seen again. They would have scrapped but even the junkyard didn't want it.
Only good for drag car with huge engine installed.
It was forgotten about.
That is what saved it.
It was in a large collection in central illinois with ZR1s other corvettes, and Cadillacs
@@todddenio3200sounds about right! 😂😂😂. I wouldn’t get caught dead driving this thing! 😂😂😂
I bought a used 1980 Chevette with 40,000 miles in about 1983, then beat the everliving crap out of it for the next few years and sold it with 110,000 miles on the clock. During the time I had it I only had two issues, a broken wire in the distributor and a broken pin on top of the transmission that connected the shifter to the transmission. The pin broke when it was about -20 degrees out and I couldn't get it into gear. The fix took about 1/2 hour. I sold it to a friend who drove it for a while, then he sold it to his neighbor and their daughter drove it back and forth to college.
Those things were turds power wise, but they were pretty much bullet proof and simple, and I got 40 mpg with mine.
I was a Chevy salesman back in 1980, and folks loved those cars. I could never understand why. But now, I miss simple cars. One thing about the Chevette was it had a self contained air filter. I am wondering if those air filters can still be found.
@dixonmopar2129 '96 Dodge Ram 2500 V10 etc and (knock on wood lol) still going strong with over 250k miles. I love my big old truck ❤
What is the original price of a Chevette adjusted for inflation?
@@WinWin-oo4ukthat car with the inflation of today’s economy would cost you only $11,112 dollars.💸
Chevett on a toy four door corvette body
I worked with a guy about 10 years ago who drove a chevette. dented up, puke green, primer spots all over, rope holding the door shut. He drove it daily, year round in south dakota. 95 degrees and humid in the summer, no AC. 10 degrees and blizzards in the winter, didnt even get snow tires for it. He lived in an apartment and street parked it, and without being a car guy, maintained it himself with a basic $30 tool kit, just buzzed around getting 40 mpg, ran like a train.
Yeah, I was thinking they got good gas mileage. Pretty screwed up that cars back then got better mileage than most of them today. And they weren't high tech or hybrids either.
@@idmhead0160Light weight from minimal safety stuff and low power makes for decent mileage. New cars are heavy because of the structure and all the safety equipment.
That said you can get modern cars that get as good or better mileage while also being faster, safer, and much more pleasant to drive. I’ve got a 4 door hatchback that gets about 35-38mpg and isn’t a basic low powered box like a chevette is.
If I'm not mistaken, these cars had a tiny push rod engine. No timing belts to worry about like the Pinto.
@@matthewfusaro2590 sure is
@ Vehicles have gotten bigger and bigger over the years. Just look at all the ridiculously oversized trucks and SUVs.
I did a quick calculation on the web, and even adjusted for inflation, it's 13k. But really, who wouldn't want a simple rugged car for 13k these days? Thanks for the video, you just gained a new subscriber!
My Grandmother bought a 85 Chevette brand new it was Yellow on Yellow 😅 4 banger Automatic No A/C it never gave her any problems that I remember she drove it for years...... I remember how comfortable the seats were...
I owned one about 10 years ago. It did what it was supposed to do. It got you from place to place with good fuel economy. It had character. It was a good conversation starter. Like you said, it was repairable.
I worked for the local Chevy dealer as a salesman and sold a ton of these just for those reasons you mentioned. I also owned a few of them that I took in on trade. They came out with a 1.4 liter 4 cylinder but you could get a 1.6 BIG BLOCK HO engine as an option. They were basically bulletproof and cheap to maintain. I also sold about 10 of the Isuzu diesel equipped engines. They were a dogs dog but owners loved them too. I also had a customer from my hometown who bought a 1981 Citation base model 4 cylinder, 4 speed & ac and moved to North Dakota. He was a travelling nurse back then and worked the tri-state area. Everybody dissed the X-Body and initially it did have some flaws. The Dude came back in 1985 and bought another base model 4 cylinder 4 speed with ac while he still could get one. The 1981 had 275k on the odometer and had the clutch replaced at 200k and maintained it as one would expect. He didn't trade it in though. He kept it for his son who was about to turn 16 and that was going to be his first car. Simple, dependable, cheap and cheap to fix & maintain. I don't need a car that tells me it's time for me to take a piss on a computer screen, a body control module and all of the rest of that crap that they make us believe we can't live without. Great Video Uncle Tony. $33k for a Chevette ? Who Knew! Chevettes paid a few of my mortgage payments over the first seven years of my employment, fond memories
I had a girl friend with the diesel version. Ah drive it until the shifter mechanisms were totally shot at 227k miles. She could drive Carlsbad to Albuquerque NM without stopping for fuel. People would pass her on the freeway, then after they stopped for gas had to pass her again 😂
I bought a brand new 1982 Citation X-11 with the 2.8 60 degree V-6. It had a Rochester duo-jet carb that I unhooked the electronic solenoid from and rejetted. Very pretty car, comfortable, and great handling package with factory mags. Charcoal gray with dark gray interior. The Duo-jet was essentially a Quadrajet cut in half with a small primary and a larger secondary. Ran like a scalded dog! Lost it to my wife in a divorce. I reckon that was a small price to pay for freedom.
@@bbivens8263 i ordered a 1983 x-11 Demo set up with a four speed , a/c etc in Cocoa Brown Metallic and it was a Notchback , not a hatchback and it was soooo cool
At my age I don't need a car to tell me when I need a piss. 😂
i had a 1980 that had the HO option in it. 4 Speed. Honestly a fun little car to drive. I had an 85 too. Auto. Slow as piss, but reliable an anvil.
I got more excited seeing a 4 speed chevette at Cars and Coffee than seeing all the McLarens and Porsches combined. They’re so rare it’s like seeing a unicorn.
Can't remember when was the last time I saw a Chevette (or a Hyundai Pony) on the streets.
My Hyundai Pony is a complete show stopper at meetups.
I got the same feeling seeing a bench seat instead of bucket seats in a Cavalier.
More like a burro with fake horn
Get outta town.
Hello Tony! I have been following you since the 80s. I was also a street Racer with a 427 Camaro. This particular car came from a great mans estate, "The Ray Fauber collection " in central illinois, he also had wrapper corvettes, including a couple C4 ZR1s and Cadillacs. The crazy thing, one of his favorite cars was a 1990 corvette convertible, with optional hard top, 350 TPI, 1200 miles, red, that sold for LESS than the chevette! I was as shocked as everyone else. Crazy stuff 😅
Ol Chevys hard to beat
You would be surprised how much people fall in love with the cars they drove when they were young. I knew guys in highschool who had these cars and at one point I thought I was going to buy one for $50 without keys. I looked up some stuff online and there were Chevette owners clubs and forums on Yahoo at the time. I was a member of a yahoo club for gm H bodies at the time and I realized that no matter how garbadge you thought a car was there were folks who loved those cars and the internet of the late 90's was helping us get together and support each other. I do feel like 33k for this Chevette is crazy money.
In the Carter era, during that "fuel crises", my late grandma was TV shamed/coerced into parking her big, scary, ice age causing gas guzzler '72 Old's 98 and buying a brand new Chevette. For it's maiden voyage she planned to drive it from Northern CA to SLC. She made it almost to Lake Tahoe before the rear end locked up and left her sitting on the side of I-80 for hours. She somehow made the dealer buy it back, then drove her Olds until she got too old and couldn't drive anymore.
Good for her.
I got a Chevette hand me down from my mom back in the day. Every time I get a car or truck I automatically get a repair manual for it. Soon after the starter went bad so I referenced the manual and it went like this...Step 1 - drain radiator. Step 2- drop steering column. Step 3- remove exhaust manifold. Etc, etc... All to replace a starter! I fixed it and got rid of it quick and never looked back.
@@leethorp2164 Old cars were like that too. Ever change the starter in a fox body v8 mustang?
Sounds like what I had to go through changing a starter on a 80s 5 cylinder turbo diesel Mercedes🤬
Overall a reliable power train but a nightmare to work on😱
Did they forget to fill the differential with oil??
the remarkable thing about them is that the diesels got better fuel economy than even hybrids get nowadays.
Dad had a 1977 Honda Civic that sipped the gas. Don’t matter how you drove it, the car got 50 mpg!
Amazing these tub of lard, boxes of today struggle to get 30 mpg
But wouldn't outrun a Prius.
@@hotrodray6802 I bought a brand new 1975 Honda Civic. I was the first one to have one in my city of 45,000 people. It was a 4speed manual. It was $2900. I optioned for 13" wheels instead of 12". That brought it up to $3300. My payment was $87 a month. It would get 42 mpg not matter what. It was a tank in the snow. On the highway if there was a long enough stretch of road it could go 105 mph. I replaced the clutch at 100K miles. I believe it had a timing chain. It wouldn't start one day, 1st time ever at 125,000 and I tried using starter fluid and caught the engine on fire. I gave it to a friend who fixed it, painted it came and drove it for another 100,000 miles. He had a gun store and parked it out front for advertising because nobody had a cameo car back then.
I use to drive it up on the sidewalks to flip out friends. The local cemetery with little twisty one car width roads was like a Leman's track in that car. People laughed when I first got it and said that company will fold sooner than later. Eventually a had a few friends buy one because of how good mine was. Light blue with a black vinyl interior.
same could be said about the 6.2 gm used in there pickups back then or a toyota with a 22r
@@hotrodray6802 Remember the fable the tortoise and the hare? 😉
My best friend had one. His favorite comeback was "Hey! my shitvette can outrun ANY parked car!" :P
And my dad said his Mercury with the 429 could pass anything on the road except for a gas station.
I heard a story about dude out running the bosses son in his brand z28, said dude had a hose ran to the carb and was spraying starting fluid
My friend told people he owned a vette.
One of my grade school teachers did the same thing 😂
I owned three Chevettes at various times when I had a young family. They were inexpensive, reliable, rugged and unremarkable as you have said. The only bad thing I can remember about them was the legroom was a bit tight and in our sometimes severe winter weather -30 degree they were harder to start, but if they were plugged in and covered over they would start fine. Two of my Chevettes had automatic transmissions which everyone warned me repeatedly to stay away from as they were prone to breakage. I found that driving it I never had a problem with either automatic trans. Instead they lasted well over the time they were supposed to functioning well when I sold them. And I didn't baby them. As far I'm concerned if they brought back the Chevette in it's original form for a decent price I would have no problem getting one again. The new cars I have had experience with are crap.
Back in the 90's, between my dad an I, we had 4 chevettes and a Pontiac 1000. Those little beaters were THE reliable transportation. Simple, economical, easy to repair, and in our Wisconsin winters would start without hesitation. Those were the days. Now you need a darn laptop to wrench on cars
I agree with getting something older. Today's cars are unreliable and unreasonably priced.
A 33000 dollar 87 Chevette is pretty unreasonable too lol
Modern cars cost as much as they did over 50 years ago. I have a 71 mustang my father bought new for 3,319 dollars or as he explained roughly 2 years wages if you worked at McDonald’s. If I look at a modern one of the same trim and specs it’s roughly 80k or 2 years wages if you work at McDonald’s.
There’s a reason the McDonald’s index as a measurement of inflation is accurate. You measure in time/hours of labor rather than devaluing dollars. Tony has covered this in a previous video like 6-8 months back where he talked about currency.
And they have more plastic parts on the engine that are over priced to replace
Modern vehicles are far more reliable.
@@Bonanzaking Seriously Mickkee Dees pays 40 grand a year. No wonder Big Macs are so expensive.
My buddy @brainbuilds drove a Chevette to 2024 Powertour. It got a lot of positive attention everywhere we went. Old cars that were forgotten to time have come full circle again.
I used to think the shape & style of the Chevettes & Omni were super lame that screamed econobox garbage. But now the shape doesn't bother me. Same with the Honda crx & geo tracker.....My first car was a 1966 Oldsmobile 98 giant 4 door boat. That I was embarrassed to drive. Now they look kinda cool if it was on air ride, suspension, with nice wheels, etc...
@michaelbrinks8089 I absolutely love the Dodge Omni. First car ever bought with my own money was a LeBaron with a 2.2 turbo. Since then I'm on the hunt for any somewhat clean turbos
@@michaelbrinks8089my dad was going to give me an 80s model VW rabbit when I turned 16 in 1988. I DIDN'T WANT THAT UGLY POS but now at 51 years old I'd drive the wheels off of it.
I have a fondness for this type of car. As a kid, my folks always drove bare bones Ramblers. Dad liked them because he could fix them himself, with a few basic tools. I have 1964 Rambler American 220. Wouldn't trade it for anything.
Love the Chevette, was our family car when we first emigrated to the United States. My parents bought the '84 version brand new and it was a tank. Power assisted steering and no power brakes but it did what it needed and worked well. Cheap and reliable..
Had me a 1976 Chevette back in the day. Best little unremarkable car. Great little car. Came in Orange, back-fired every time you'd shift. So fun. Would love to have another now.. Round headlights looked way better than the newer rectangular ones...
I bought one of those with 20000 miles a few years ago that looked like new. I drove it every day until I couldn't fix it anymore. I delivered papers for a few years in it during college and it was great for basic transportation.
*The PONTIAC version of the Chevette was called the ... "T-1000" And it took 33 seconds to go from 55 to 60 too.*
Among other names
my Grandma had one of those 80s T1000 and she sold it to her friend and he drove that damn car till the late 90s when he gave it to his son. These things get a lot of crap but they weren't the worst things GM built.
I remember the T1000 in the dealership showroom as a kid, why was I thinking T1000 was a rebadged Citation 🤔 (right next to the J2000 😁) ....the citation, now that was an ugly-shaped car
It was “Acadian” in Canada
@@americanbadass88A reliable car little car that you could never possibly get caught speeding in.
Back in 88 my best friend had a chevette as a winter beater. And beat it, we did. Shifted the 4 speed without using the clutch, took it off roading weekly, jumped it, etc That car never broke down or skipped a beat. It took it like a pro.
i had one and did all the same with it. climbing hills in the strip pits, lots of donuts in snowy parking lots. and there was one hill i could get some good air on. especially the passenger side. it did take some damage along the way.
Your talking about my brother
80s cars are coming back! Im doing all i can to keep 5 of them on the road now! Uncle Tony you are my hero!
You hit the nail on the head . As currently were in the process of putting a survivor English built Vauxhall chevette car back on the road. Their simplistic design is almost simple enough to call crude. Almost Ford Model A technology which is timeless
I appreciate the pendulum swinging back. I'm fortunate enough to own four vehicles that all run and drive. The oldest is 17 years old and the next oldest is 13. They don't beep, flash, or vibrate my steering wheel when I infrequently drift across painted roadway lines. The two newest ones (8 and 3 years old) have all the new stuff and driving them is like having a cop sitting in the passenger seat while taking a driving test.
We have 5 cars. The 2 newest are 16 and 20 yrs old. They look great and have none of the orwellian technology that's in today's cars.
Back in the late 80’s they were fun as freaking hell to race. A good friend had one he ran at SCCA events. Fat fenders, dinky little steam rollers, the engine was up near 200hp NA. It was a beastly little thing.
Back in high school(90s) I knew a few guys who were into Chevettes(there were some).
I’ve heard them mention people swapping Buick 3.8 v6s in them.
Others using 4.3L and 2.8L V6s.
Imagining driving one with Grand National power is fun and terrifying at the same time😱
@@FrankTimms-cs5hl GM made one test mule with a 2.8. It was faster than the z28 camaro and almost as fast as the corvette. 83 i believe. This would have been the 2SE which is the worst carburetor on earth. If that car had been fuel injected, it would have outrun the Corvette with an additional 10 hp. GM couldn't have that so they shelved the idea. I'm sure the car was destroyed.
World governments need to ease back the Emission laws and Technical regulation, stop the combustion engine ban, stop forcing EV's on people saying it's the only solution, when it clearly is not. The car manufacturers need to make cars less technical and more mechanically robust, and that will guarantee brand new car sales globally.
Governments need to leave cars as they are and focus on aviation and marine fleets given the fact that they're each larger contributers than automotive.
What the car makers seem to figure is that cars that look cool and are techy and disposable will keep the sales numbers higher than cars that are simple, reliable, and last a long time.
@ Agreed.
@ True.
@@OOICU812 Yes BUT people are quickly starting to catch on that $50k + vehicles that are poorly built and don't last are a terrible waste of money, and they are going to start balking in droves.
In 2004 I restored a 1987 Chevette 4 door and painted it in tangerine orange. It actually got a lot of attention, I can't recall ever stopping at a gas station where somebody didn't walk over to talk to me about it. I daily drove it for about a year, but I couldn't handle how slow it was and it got horrible fuel economy also. One thing I liked about it was it was surprisingly comfy on long trips.
I want to drop one of the longitudinal mounted supercharged Buick 3800's into one of these!
My uncle has a few of those. He lived out in the woods on a dirt road and had a 60 mile commute to the GM plant he worked at. He drove the wheels off those little shit kickers.
Anyone who would spend $33K on a 40 year old stock Chevette from the 80’s - aside from a Chevy museum (and this one is not museum quality) - needs to have their head examined. Yes, to each his own, but think about it. Of all the ways to blow $33K… it makes no sense. BTW - how does an interior get THAT much wear and only have 47 original miles. HIGHLY dubious mileage declaration.
Yep! Probably 47 miles on the new odometer! lol
It quit working at 47 miles. 😅
Maybe the guy was a multimillionaire who drove a Chevette when he was young and poor, and wanted it to remember where he came from.
Why?
What a silly opinion to have.
What makes you an expert? Why are people so spiteful. You’re why everyone habréis Americans. Nothing, little nobodies that think everyone should live by their standards or they are obviously crazy.
Some people make more money than they know what to do with and thus, it is of little consequence.
Grow up, and make some DISPOSABLE income for yourself.
The only way I could justify spending $33K for one of these cars is if you were able take the price of when these cars were new then convert that price to “2025 money”. Maybe there are people with more money than common sense or they’re looking for something to hot rod. I recall the company that makes Hooker Header came out with a kit to install a GM V-6 in a T-Body (or was it a V-8?) and boy, could those Chevettes and Pontiac T-6000’s go like stink when you got done!
A friend had one of these in the 80's. I used to change the oil for him, he insisted on using Slick 50. He drove that car from Jersey to Virginia countless times and never gave him any trouble.
Chevettes were EVERYWHERE in the 1980’s. And everyone knew someone who had one. Actually had 3 of them in the extended family (‘78, ‘80, and ‘82) and I can say they were tough little cars that handled well and even did well in the snow. Let’s hope the collector market pricing doesn’t go crazy, because they should remain an affordable “beginner’s” collector car that’s simple to drive and unique enough to upstage that $70,000 vintage muscle car at a car show.
I've got an 1987 Chevette. :) I LOVE my chevette and I get a lot of people comment nicely about my car.
Back in the 80's, there was a family in my town whose only car was a Chevette, what made it surreal was the smallest of them weighed in the neighbourhood of 300lbs with both parents well north of that. To see that car with all 4 of them in it was a sight to see. You could literally hear the car screaming in pain as it drove by. I'm not sure how long that car lasted, but it wasn't long. As far as the car featured here goes, P.T.Barnum was right, There's a sucker is born every minute.
😂. I can only imagine.
I had a ‘79 (I think) Chevette and I used to have to turn the AC off just to climb hills. 🤣
Gilbert Grape style😂
Same thing. In the early 90’s a family of 4 that I knew drove a Chevette for atleast 3 years, I was a teenager
Model T,Volkswagen, chevette WAKE UP MANUFACTURERS !!!!
Dad was a railroad engineer in the 70's. Hit a Datsun pickup at a crossing. When the crew went back to the crossing, they rolled the PU back on it's wheels, and the owner was able to drive it away! They made some tough, simple cars back in the day!!! A 2025 PU would have disintegrated!!
I had a 74 Datsun pickup. Had to put a 200 lb lead weight in the back because it was so light and would fishtail without it.
@@BrianButterworth-s4z My dad had the 73 Datsun 1600 PU and he had a high camper that you could move around in to hold it down. Great truck though. Lasted us around 10 years.
And if a modern vehicle survived, it'd need to be reprogrammed by the stealership to function again.
Just restored my 86 Laser XT 5spd. It's relatively simple, looks good, drives and handles great, a bit underpowered, but over the last two years gets 30+ mpg and lots of stoplight comments. Can't beat that.
Back in 1986, we bought a brand-new Dodge Shadow Turbo ES four door.
Black with red pinstriping. It was 5 spd manual transmission as well.
Cool car
The turbo models went pretty good 7 sec range 0-60 and upper 15's in the 1/4 bone stock...Non turbo's were 10 or so sec 0-60...
@@MikeekiM-vh5se oh it goes, just not like my Duster or newer stuff. But then again I kept it stock just to keep me from trying haha
Lasers are so cool, I think its the only car in the world that talked to you. "Your Headlamps Are On!!" Good ole Chrysler Lasers....I liked the material the seat covers were made out of and the huge back glass lid thingy
What was so "unremarkable" about them? I've owned lots of them and beat the snot out of them. You couldn't kill them they were some of the best GM cars I've ever owned. They did their economical jobs. I have two now a 76 and a 78 and they draw way more attention at a car show than any Charger, Cuda or Camaro next to it. I get an average of 50+ photos of my vette opposed to about 5 pics of the "muscle cars" next to it. Mine is a vette Scooter and draws a lot of attention. Of all little cars... the Chevette deserves the attention. Vettes will continue to go up in price. Keep up good work Uncle Tony
When I was a dealership mechanic in the late 90's for Honda/Yamaha in Seattle, WA., a co-worker (Chevy nerd) in the parts dept. bought a low-mile grandma-grocery getter with great original paint, straight body, and a 4-speed. He was able to get a 2bbl carb/manifold set-up and a nice cam and header pipes. He made it into his commuter car because his daily driver was the the last year 454 Chevy Suburban. After the power upgrades he gave me a ride and that thing was a fun car that the cops wouldn't even look at.
Here in Canada, Pontiac also sold the Chevette under the ACADIAN badge
It was the only Acadian to wear Pontiac badges too. The Nova based Acadians were void of those, not officially being Pontiacs.
at one point in the mid-80s we owned beige Chevette and a grey Acadian (yes, from Canada) ... couldn't kill those cars. Easy to fix, parts were cheap and interchangeable.
I think the Pontiac version in the U.S. was the T-1000 and later just 1000. They were indeed "cockroach tough."
The 87 Chevette is a $1000 car on its best day. A sucker is born every day.
In brand new shape it could be worth 7k since that was the new price. I can't see anyone wanting a car that goes 0-20 in 20 seconds though. I think it had about 30 horse power.
Or someone to whom $33K is pocket change. There are a LOT of such people out there.
back in the 90's, i had a friend who bought a black, 2 door chevette for 300 bucks. some body damage but perfect mechanical condition. that car got pounded on but kept on running.
Do not believe everything you hear or read.😮😮
Function before beauty. It was meant to transport people from place to place...that's it.
There is NO WAY, those drivers floor rugs only have 47 miles on them. Somebody spun that clock back. It was easy to do in the day.
And even easier to do with newer cars. There is a plug in computer tool made just for that. You no longer have to take anything apart.
It was documented and has been in a collection since it was brand new
@@geraldscott4302nothing easier than disconnecting a mechanical speedo cable and attaching a drill motor
@@ShaunHensley Many of the old ones did not work in reverse, and even if it did, it would have to run at high speed for weeks to get very many miles off. Now you just connect a touch screen device to the OBDII port, and enter whatever number you want. And it doesn't leave a trace. Can be done in a couple minutes.
Easier for someone who knows what theyre doing to do it today. Easier for an average guy to do it back then. Just different meanings of easy-ness. @geraldscott4302
Im in shock. I thought this might be click bait but then I remembered this is Uncle Tony we are talking about so I clicked and just wow. I remember when parents would give these cars away to high school kids.
I bought a 84 Chevette for 900 dollars to use as a train station car when I commuted to NYC. It was a great little car simple to fix and very reliable. When I traded it in I got 500 bucks for it after driving it 4 years.
They used to be what I called "throw away cars"; buy them cheap, then abandon them at the first sign of needing repairs. I guess not anymore. Can't imagine what one of those carbs would cost today.
You can get Chinese EV brand new that can go 400 miles and recharge in 4 minutes for about 16K USD in Thailand. You don't have to pay 330 - 880% importation taxes like you have to pay when you buy European or US cars because the gov of Thailand has an MOU with China.
@johnmadow5331 why buy that when you can get any 7th or 8th gen civic for under 5k and it'll last till the next century.
In 1988, I T-boned a truck in a 1984 Chevy Chevette at 65 MPH. You would be amazed at how tough these cars were. Car was totaled. But everything from the doors back survived.
When I was a kid my parents called these things Death Traps.
@@Jason_556 Which is interesting. And I can understand why. When they grew up driving land yachts, this car probably seemed like a toy. But they were built really solid. Everyone who saw my accident was amazed that I just walked away from it with no injuries. I hit the truck hard enough to flip it over into a parking lot.
@ Dang! That crazy! Glad you came out ok. Same with the smart car.
Around my neck of the woods, we called those things "Shrove-It-Or-Leave-Its'. On the flip side of that...an old friend of mine told me a story about how he shoehorned a Buick V6 (built to almost GNX specs) into a Chevette. Said it made for one hell of a 'sleeper'!
That's awesome!!!
Off topic UT, but just wanted to give you a HUGE kudos on the "hemi cam issue"! You dissected that thing and pointed out very serious design flaws, like inability for oil to drip directly onto lobes etc! Very impressive my man, and you just reinforced my conviction that I effed up buying new hemi durango last year. I usually keep our rides WAY beyond it being paid off. Keep up the great work!!
Ive been driving my 1998 Civic since 2005. Very basic and I can fix everything on it. City dweller with a garage..
I have a 1982 Isuzu Imark diesel and it still runs.
I remember having a customer who had one at that time. 4 cyl non-turbo diesel with a 5 sp manual. What l remember the most about it was the externally mounted oil pump. It was attached to the back of the alternator. I got to drive it once, gutless to say the least (my boss would say 0-60 in 45 mins. Lol).It got incredible mileage the owner claimed 40+mpg.
My dad had an 82 Datsun diesel pickup back then. 40mpg
I once had a Chevette as a loaner car while my then new 1982 Monte Carlo was being repaired under warranty. It got you where you needed to go.
That is about the nicest thing you can say about it.
As a child of the early 90's, my grandfather had a few Chevette's. I would love to relive those days of riding around in the back of that heap. I was able to get it running shortly before my father got rid of it and was able to drive it around the farm. It was missing the steering wheel center cover and if you weren't careful you would get zapped by the horn circuit. The last time I've seen one was when i got my first job at a bait and tackle shop. This dude that used to come hang out had one that had a Camaro 2.8 V6 stuffed into it. He would do autocross with it and it surprised a lot of people with it.
Zapped by the horn circuit? You sure about that bud?😊
@@fr33dumb0 yeah. Surprised the hell out of me. I didn't think 12v could do it, but it did it.
No apostrophe on plurals there, drongo.
I can only imagine what one with a V6 swap would run in the quarter mile😮
That’s sleeper material😈
I loved these chevets. Awsome blast from the past. Thx Tony 😊
Fact someone always has more money than brains, but I'm glad that they got what they wanted
I bought a 76 Chevette for $50 when my 74 Vega broke in half.
I replaced the 1600 4 banger with the 2.4 Vega engine. It was a little beast. On the street it gave Baja Bugs a run for their money.
I bought a brand new 1976 Ralley Chevette automatic i loved i sold to my sister at 100,000 miles only real problem with this one was timing belts ( rubber ) 2 times during the 100,000 miles
I worked on 100's of them back in the day. Never had an engine issue, no oil pan or head removal. Just the typical timing belt and water pump. Brakes were easy to do, some starters were difficult. The ones with power steering and brakes, spend 5 minutes and remove steering column. Easy access to starter. Doing a clutch, one of the 4 crossmember bolts would always break off into the body. Always!
I bought a 20 year old Ford Taurus for a family member. Car came from TN, so rust free. Got it running poorly for $1800, but only had 39k actual miles on it. Cat converter was clogged. Fixed it, did some maintenance and its on the road providing transportation. It's cheap/easy to repair, and rust free. That was the appeal.
if the rear brakes are drum and it has no airbags be careful!!
@@jamesmedina2062 Drum brakes are fine. I just put shoes on a 2018 Van yesterday. it has airbags
@ Brakes are a safety item. All safety items are fine until you die or critically injured in an accident possibly avoidable. I will tell you a story. I was unable to stop driving a first year (86)Taurus with no bags, drum brakes, poor handling, and not wearing seat belt versus a 1965 Thunderbird parked car. Not a good outcome. 30 years later my neighbor drove into my parked Honda Civic driving a Subaru Impreza. Great outcome. zero injuries. His car was even repaired perfectly. 30 years ago the Taurus was totaled and I my damages were broken bones, lacerations, and major concussion. The Firemen were surprised I lived!
Man! This a good dialogue with a lot of interesting comments. I will start by mentioning that the biggest complaint that I have about new (contemporary era) vehicles, is that when
they break down in traffic, you can't (put them and neutral and) push them to the side of the road. In terms of Chevy Chevette, my brother let me borrow his (back in the day) when
my own car needed a longterm repair (I don't remember the exact circumstances). Anyway, his Chevette had a carburetor problem and I had to replace it.... I spent several hours
trying to remove one (1) of the nuts at the base plate, and eventually had to remove the master brake cylinder to get to it. After I fixed it, I took the car right back to him! I believe
that the designers worked in cubicles and the actual mechanic work is foreign to them.
Corporate auto makers dont want you to be able to work on your own car. It's all about money and how to extract the maximum amount from you.
Keep in mind if the car sold for $33,000, there had to be more people bidding on it to get it to that price. Someone else had to bid $32,500. I don’t doubt Vega and Monza would bring good money today
It only takes 2
2 museums bidding
I remember Brock Yates calling that car a "shitbox" in Car and Driver. Then fast forward later in the future my parents were car shopping and the salesman pointed it out ,I promptly said " that car is a shitbox" my mom was petrified . Lucky we came home with an 78 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
Lol,, I got a subscription to Car and Driver magazine in 1977 at 11 years old. Brock Yates and PJ O'Rourqe were funny as hell. And my ma had NO idea where I was exposed to such language... I loved those guys.
And in '79 when she finally decided to divorce my violent stepfather,, it was a 6 month old Chevette she got in the divorce.
Red 4door. Rubber mats. Automatic. I was given to pushing it down the street after she fell asleep and joyriding that thing across Tampa with my friend Robert. At 14yrs old. Lol
My first car was a chevette an 83 in 1995. I bought an 84 last year for $600 to relive my glory days.
Nice story! ;)
Having trouble finding a radiator to fit in mine.
How much did you pay for it in .95?
@@ebayerr $351.
@@chrissanders2562 rockauto has an aluminum one right now. $268. Are you a part of any social media groups for vettes? Because they are great for sourcing parts and information.
My dad used to tell people he drove a "Vette" everyday as his "beater car". I can still remember riding in it. The transmission was going out, but it still ran great for many years before it finally died.
That is really funny!, I guess I drove a "Vette" as a commuter car.
I remember an ad for that car back in the day saying Chevy Chevette, it will drive you happy...
My dad got the Pontiac version of this car. I was very young, but still remember it to this day when he first brought it home. My mom came out to the garage to see it, shook her head, said "THIS is your new car!" then turned around and slammed the door and went back to the kitchen....my dad only kept that car for a year.
Pontiac Acadian
@@w-dad4040I think in the US it was the T-1000 at one point
My 2003 Pontiac Vibe is going to be worth a million dollars.
No it ain't !🤣👍
Those are good little cars, I read there's actually a all wheel drive turbo model available in Japan , that would be a perfect little daily car
I'm looking for an AZTEK
I wish I still had my '94 Dodge Shadow. That was the last year of the model. That makes it worth half a million right there.
@@silent1967 that Toyota drive train they have definitely makes it more valuable then your average small GM car, and being a sporty little wagon to boot, They do hold value well, so stands to reason that good examples will be one of the more valuable cars from the era
On a side note, In Toronto there used to be a pizza place called Little Tony's Pizza and they drove those great Civics all over the place delivering pizza.
The buyer of the Chevette paid $32,000 too much.
$33k??? What? They stole it for that price! It's the only surviving one on the planet and should be in a museum 😂😂😂😂 I can see the Barrett Jackson trend now...$100k and only 250,000 miles
I am wanting to say my aunt bought one of these in 1987 for just a tick over $8,000.00. It drove good and it looked like the whole front-end was very similar to an Opel Kadett; they were both on the "T" car chassis along with the Vauxhall Chevette, Isuzu I-Mark and Impulse, etc. The car lasted my aunt for years and gave her good service. They were the best-selling cars in 1980-81, IIRC, and they were simple. I don't think I would give $33,000 for one, though. GREAT VIDEO!
A guy I worked with had a four door diesel, slowest car on the planet, but it wouldn’t die. He drove it from Northern California to Alaska (five years there), then drove down to Seattle for another five years and then back to California. It was his daily commuter, he maintained it and it just kept going. Made fun of it but people went through four or five cars while he rattled along in that Chevette.
Thank you for this testimonial. I once recommended to a girlfriend's mom she purchase one. Single mom, 3 kids 2 still in their teens. It always kinda of haunted me to think that the dumb 20 something me steered that nice lady to buy a lemon. Relieved to know there is a chance she isn't cursing me all these years, at least not over that!
The Chevette was based on a European Opel platform
Or Vauxhall Chevette
I serious doubt that anyone ever thought it was an original idea;,
Most GM cars were based off of Opels..even up until the cruze it was a Opel...the 90's Malibu was an Opel/Vaxhaul ...Very few fwd Gm cars were actually made by GM most were Opel/Vauxhalls...
@@MikeekiM-vh5se GM owned Vauxhall/Opel until recently, as GM as Chevy
@@martinmckendry6244 Or Isuzu I-Mark or first-generation Isuzu Impulse.
THE CHEVY SHOVE IT!
I still hate carburetors. I'll take an early FI from the 90s myself.
The Chevette had those crappy rich/lean computer controlled carburetors and the leaky vacuum hoses were a pain.
Driving my Nissan Almera from 97 with 120k miles and loving it.
Making a car do "everything" has always resulted in a cartoonish pain in the ass
My dad was horrified when he went to a hot rod swap meet and there was a guy selling steel conversions to make a 4 door Bel Air into a 2 door. Car flippers have destroyed the hobby.
I know this isn’t about the main topic but I had to chime in.
Myself and friend can drive any of our 71-73 Ford Pinto’s somewhere and it is a show. The best part is the great conversations you get into with people because it’s an emotional car for so many people. It’s connected to people who know family or friends whom have passed away or are very old. Also, those whom drove in one as a kid, high school, college…etc. I can’t tell you how many people get watery eyes or get excited when the Pinto rolls up and conversations start.
Pintos have sold for over $25,000 on the main sites like BaT (Bring A Trailer), Mecum, Barrett-Jackson…etc.
Those who know, know.
Pacers, Gremlins, these cars also have a cool response from people.
Good times out with older cars that got crapped on back in the day.
People who owned Pintos passed away for other reasons as well. The Pinto was the original Ford "exploder."
My mom had a pacer when I was a baby. I'd love to have one.
Lighten up on the apostrophes there, sporto.
@
That remnant of a joke has been recycled into oblivion. I’ll give you a courtesy laugh though.
@@OOICU812
BS MYTH smh
A few years ago I went to a scrapyard to get some hubcaps. A young worker took me into the yard in an old junkyard Chevette. It had no windows but it worked quite well.
I had an identical ‘86 total cream puff.
This was 1997,and never had problems beyond regular maintenance. Mistsbish engine was great,but not for climbing ridges in Chattanooga. The person I sold it to thanked me for a dependable car several times.
You had a cheese with a Mitsubishi engine? I don’t think so.
@@doglvr1 Isuzu engine? Mitsubishi engines weren’t offered?
I had a Ford bronco II back in the 80’s. Although I liked it, after a decade, it just disintegrated around me. I didn’t exactly cry when I got rid of it. I can’t believe I’m seeing these things getting popular again in the used/classic market. Don’t worry, I’m not buying one. I’m just amazed on what’s coming ‘round again.
If you go for another Bronco get a full size one they hold up much better (as long as you get one that isn’t a rust bucket)
I drove one once & I remember the steering wheel being off-set to the right for elbow clearance.
I heard they had a "bent" steering wheel because the steering column was installed at an angle, pointed toward the drivers wheel, because of clearance issues in such a small car. It would make the steering wheel appear normal, centered on the driver, until you start turning it.
I had 2 of those drove one from southern TN to Chicago in late June car had no air was a remarkable ride 👍 it kept going I was young it was all I had 🏁😎
My first car
I personally know a guy who bought a junk Chevette for $1. He fixed it up and drove it through all of his college years.
My understanding is that it was not a chick magnet, though this guy ended up being highly successful.
Gotta know when to wait and use what you can get as the stepping stone for the chick magnet. I’ve got a 2013 Yaris. The 69 chevelle is in pieces getting restored little by little as we speak 💪
Bill gates
You'ld be surprised how reversing the battery terminals transforms most any vehicle into a chick magnet.
That reminds me of a big V8 Chrysler land yacht that a guy killed off one cylinder for a cheap repair . Drove it forever
just because it sold for 33k doesnt mean it was worth 33k. Some clown with to much money had to have it. Totally not the normal situation.
The new owner is not concerned .
The major downside to old cars, as an owner of many, is parts. There are things like windshields that are nearly impossible to find for most 80's cars and finding a company that will replace them is also stupid hard. People are afraid of them and IDK why. You have to learn how to fix everything yourself. Finding shops that can work on carburetor cars is like finding a shop that will fix Ferrari's, it's become stupidly specialized now days.
Luckily rebuilding a carb is easy.
Gen x always finds a way even if you fab your own parts loving my 86 gmc safari mint with 70,000 orig miles no snow garage kept..will keep till i die
had a windshield installed in my 1980 toyota pickup last summer from safelite $250
In high school a friend bought a brand new car. When she brought it over to show off at my friend's house, my friend's dad came out and announced, "That's not a car, that's a Chevette."
I still laugh thinking about it
Never underestimate the power of nostalgic old guys with money burning a hole in their pocket.
Personally, I had enough experience with 1980s GM cars that I'm willing to leave them in the 1980s.
Still, a fun video that I enjoyed.
When I worked at a Chevy dealer in 1987 the new car manager didn't order any Chevettes because the Chevy Sprint was on the lot as was the Spectrum and they were miles ahead of the Chevette in every way.
I remember those times as well. The Chevettes that were left were deals due to the new model offerings on the lot.
I used to have a Chevette as a second car back in high school in '88 to deliver pizzas with. Once in a while I'd drive it to the club in New Rochelle called Marty & Lenny's and I'd love to see the girls' reactions when I'd ask them if they'd like to take a ride in my "Vette. Got many "You jerk" reactions but there were a few that'd laugh and be cool to hang with.