This car is/has: a. your local rock station on preset b. Taco Bell dinners c.JEG'S stuff; most of it doesn't (perceptibly) work d. a mausoleum for an abandoned aux/FM tuner e. (in the trunk) a box full of power steering/trans/engine leak-stop fluids
I own a 2003 cavalier. They are great little cars, mine has over 124000 miles on it, still gets 400+ miles to a full tank, and a week after buying it I drove it nonstop from PA to TX. They are cheap and reliable.
I had a 1996 Cav (base model) with auto. That car was the most reliable vehicle I've ever had. I mean, it just always started up and never broke down or left me stranded ever....Regardless of my negligent maintenance of it. Bought it with about 150,000 miles on it, around 200,000 miles in the radiator hoses were bulging so bad it was ridiculous, the upper one finally gave way on the highway. Temp went up but car never overheated, took the next exit and pulled in to the gas station there billowing steam from under the hood. After it cooled I took my pocket knife and cut the bulgy part of the hose off and clamped what was left to to the radiator. I refused to pay the ridiculous price the gas station was asking for antifreeze so I bought a gallon of water instead, dumped it into the overflow and shut the hood. Car started up and finished the remaining 100 miles or so with no complaint. Never had another car since come close to it's durability, sold it about 2 years after that incident at 308,000 miles....Still running.
My sister's Cav is totally neglected, by both the previous owner and her. It is in seriously rough shape, but somehow she can still drive 80 mph on the interstate with it. It is a miracle it still starts.
I coveted that 2.4L four pot but I got the 2.2L OHV lawn mower engine in my '99 Cavalier...say what you will about the Cav...but they CANNOT be killed. If you show it even the smallest bit of love (and maintenance), it will last until it rust claims it.
Naegleria Fowleri I have the same exact car (first car) and I love it. I got it for 3k with 16k miles on it. Plan on having it for a while and am looking forward to it!
Kelly Pagano Thats fucking cool. I just get excited when he makes jokes about the east coast area like around PA, MD, and DE because its relatable (like one time when he made a joke about going to ocean city in the summer). I imagine you get the same type of joy.
Same here. I guess it just goes to show that culturally there were very few lanes to follow back then pre-internet lol. We were all the same 90s loving drones
Scariest moment when I was in one of these 4 door Cavaliers and somehow made it to 100 mph and the wind gushing into the cabin made me think it was falling apart 😂
I have 1997 cavalier 4 door, 2.2 liter. 242,000 miles on the odometer. Only one owner. The engine and transmission have never been touched for repairs. It’s a daily driver for my son to get to school. It’s far exceeded my expectations.
They really do, especially those from that era. Maybe it's the front, idk, but it aged pretty well. A well done one could look really nice at a Cars & Coffee.
I've owned a couple Cavaliers. They were cheap plastic and the interior rattled like crazy but I couldn't kill them, they seemed to run forever. The front seats I thought were very comfortable in the last generation.
+Biker Jim True that. I've had my 03 almost ten years now. Things are starting to go on it but not the engine knock on wood. The seats are nice. I have a manual so you can have some fun keeping the revs up. Had to put a full magnaflow exhaust on for shits. Everyone loves the sound of it actually. Made my own intake. Not much more power but the throttle response is way better. Now its makes some power when its making a lot of noise.
+Tiberius Hrafn-Úlfur People are already nostalgic about them. Think that 10 years ago most highschoolers bought these things second hand with Domino's cash they'd been hoarding driving mom's minivan after soccer practice. It was their first car THEY picked, not their parent's, and not picked by circumstance of affordability. In 2005 these cars where selected because they were wanted. God damnit man, that counts for a lot when it comes to nostalgia.
how could you leave out the fact that this car has one of the lowest side impact ratings of any modern (after 2000 when the IIHS tested it) car? If memory serves me this thing got a one star rating on side impact, and that's before they bumped up the difficulty. basically if you get hit on the side with a shopping cart you'll be at the pearly gates in no time.
@@jacobfleming565 ....Not the same body. Not even remotely the same class. I'm sure driving a semi increases your survivability favorably as opposed to driving any Volvo of any equal.
@@jacobfleming565 Do you consider a truck or an SUV a "car"?...Tha fuck outta here. It's really about weight to velocity ratio and not engineering at all.
"You're not nostalgic for the soda, or the high wind... you're nostalgic for... The events that _enveloped_ the artifacts..." Makes me all sentimental lol. And bang-on with the whole description of the 90's with sun-visor CD sleeves, Pioneer head-units, and detachable CD-player face-plates, and my high-school girlfriend in the late-90's/early-2000's even had a silver Cavalier Z24! Holy shit. Is this just a general Midwestern thing or something?
+Chris Groff I'm still drying my tears of laughter. Almost threw up my pizza. Despite I'm 33, laughing so hard at someone burp-speaking reminds me of how much of a manchild I am. Yay for 90's cars and humor.
I'm still driving my 2002 cavy. Mine has 221k good cheap car and kicks ass in Wisconsin winter's too with some blizzak tires. It will rust out before the 2.2 dies.
I had one, black '97 z24 5 speed. Quick, handled well, fun to drive and dependable. Comfortable seats and driving position. Had alot of fun in that car.
Loved the video. Met many of these descriptions at the beginning of the videos. I had a 1998 LD9-powered Z24, with the manual gearbox. Bought it brand new--my first such purchase--for exactly $ 15,500. It was a quick and comfortable car for its size, but the handling and steering were . . . not good. Had a cold air intake on it that deleted a bunch of nonsense air plumbing. It sounded great. I kept mine nearly 13 years, the last 3 of those sitting in my driveway after I bought myself my first "proper" vehicle. I had some of the best times of my life in that car, and most of my 20s. I'm firmly in mid-life now. The memory of that car triggers an entire part of my history. Your video is spot on. Thank you so much for making it.
@@coru307 my brothers first car was a 2000 sunfire. He still has it and runs it over the winter (has a 2007 Cobalt SS for the warm months) at 218k miles.
+555 Gear In drivers ed yeah, we had a bunch of these! But everyone wanted to drive the Taurus instead and later I got my own Escort so I never owned one of these.
I had a 2004 sunfire, but it's basically the same thing. I kinda wanna go back and drive one again too, because I feel like all the things I loved about it won't hold up
phantomknight321 I recently drove a Cavalier sedan (great condition) after not driving one since drivers ed, I've gotta say, it still feels pretty decent. Easy steering, pretty peppy and quick, very light on it's toes. But for me the seat felt a little more uncomfortable and the seat offset from center is a little odd, but I still say it makes a great first car!
+John C i wanted this one to end, because this car seems shit to me. no, not really shit, but so uninteresting that i would rather watch fast and furious 12 again than drive this piece of boredom if i were to.
In my opinion, you should drive a Cavalier or Sunfire at some time in your life. Why? Because it will make you insanely grateful of any other car you end up buying. I drove one of these around for a year and a half. My brother drove that same car for 2 years. My dad drove that car for 5 years. To and from work. 40km each way (25 miles or so). When my brother ended up getting a high paying job at 20, and I didn't get my driver's license until 18 (the one that let me drive alone in Canada), the car was garaged for almost a year. But, when I got my graduated license, we pulled the car out, pushing it out cause for some reason we didn't think it would run. Put the key in, turn it on, and it ran. After a year, without an oil change, without a boost, without anything you would think might be needed, it turned out. And then turned off half way between my house and work 4 days later. My Sunfire 2002 Sedan had 160k Kilometres on it when I traded it in for my Chevy Cruze. They gave me 700 bucks for it. My brother put 500 dollars worth of stereo stuff in it. I talked to that car the last day I had it. Just as my dad did, I was driving it 40km each way, in the winter, in the summer, and it was fine. But it was shit as well. But it made me appreciate every other car I've driven since, whether it be my dad's Malibu, my girlfriend's BMW, or even a Trax I had to rent while my Cruze was being repaired. It's a lesson car. Everyone should drive one.
It was GM's cheapest car, if you rule out Metros, so of COURSE it was "shit" in some ways. But it was also awesome in a lot of ways, for that price point. In your almost TLDR-length post, you admit it was a workhorse that surprised you with its reliability. It was a workhorse, it was more stylish than the competition, it had more power, and it drove like a larger car (for good and ill). Yes, it had cheap, plasticky interior materials and poor fit and finish. That's why it was affordable.
legit. I had a 2004 cavalier base, all manual except the transmission, sold it and got a 2014 Mazda 6, fuk is like im driving a bmw in comparison lmao Its been 2 weeks and im still not used to the feeling, that happens when you drive a shitty car for so long, very similar to poor mans mentality
Had not one but two of these cars...good times. They came with 5-spoke aluminum mags though, which really stood out and made the car look much more cool. The wheels shown in this vid are skinny metal rims with Z22 hubcaps... Great video!
Had a red, 96 convertible z24. Best car I ever owned. Never got stuck in the winter (live in the Midwest, we get a hell of a lot of snow) always started up. Never died. Frame rotted out and had to get rid of it. I think about that car everyday.
I had purchased the first wave of Surge from Amazon back months ago whenever that happened. I waited until the next weekend where a friend and I had a can, the same friend who pounded back gallons of this stuff in the 90s while playing Twisted Metal and Destruction Derby on his "new to him" Playstation. We felt the same way at Mr. Regular... no rush of nostalgia, no mind blowing feelings, just regular "hey I remember this taste kinda" soda. He also had a Cavalier! hahaa
Graduated HS in 2002, and your monologue about Pioneer head units really brought me back! Don't forget having a Jensen amp pushing a Road Gear 12 sub lol!
I had a 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier that I bought new. Between me (the original owner) and my sister (the 2nd owner) we had it for 13 years @ 210000 miles. Other than a transmission issue @ 150000 miles, a starter here, an alternator there, it served us well. Decent A to B transportation. It did its job.
I saw a few of the Toyota Cavaliers back in the 1990s. I live near the old Lordstown plant where the Cavaliers were built. They always had one on display at the Canfield Fair every year in the late 1990s. They were usually painted some ridiculous 90s color like teal or something similar. I used to have a picture of me standing next to one when I was 12 or so.
I drove one of those shitboxes for 8 years because I had no other real options. (I'd got myself into some bad financial trouble). GM had somehow managed to make the ride both wallowy AND harsh at the same time. Like the thing rode like a late 60s Nova with air shocks in the back, but it handled like a Roadmaster with 50 gallons of moonshine in the trunk. I'm not quite sure how they pulled that off. The stock radio was horrible (which is why every Cavalier has an aftermarket stereo), the automatic transmission hunts like a hyperactive beagle any time you try to go up a hill, and the engine? What engine? Mine had the 2.2 pushrod boat anchor, not the LD9 twin-cam and calling it a dog would be an insult to canines. If the Cavalier was an apology for the Chevette it was a half-hearted one at best. Oh and God forbid you ever got into an accident. These things crumpled like an empty beer can on a frat boy's forehead. About the car's only good point was the air conditioning, which was capable of turning the interior into a serviceable replacement for a meat locker in a matter of minutes. The downside to this is that you could run the AC, or you could go up a hill. You couldn't really do both.
+Whatareyoudoingyouidiot haha i just bought a 96 cavalier and your right about pretty much everything the tranny dosnt know if it wands 2nd or 3rd at 45-50mph and u have to REALLY get on it to not be run over by traffic getting on the highway, and uhhh high speed cornering is just not a thing in that car lol
You're totally spot on about everything you wrote. My mom bout a brand new '99 model with the 2.2l. She still has it to this day but two months ago bought an Altima. I live in Vegas and I don't think I've ever driven a car with colder A/C than her Cavy. Another thing is, aside the the water pump needed replaced twice, which is surprisingly easy, the motor and trans won't die. Everything else in the interior has fallen apart but the powertrain just won't quit. She's debating whether to sell it or keep it, i'd totally keep it for nostalgia reason. Plus I lost my virginity in the backseat of it as a teenager, haha.
Hey now guys there's a difference between reviewing your average joe car and a Goat, I still think they'll be worth some cash someday, last Pontiac ever built and one of the few LS powered Sedans out there
You are such an insightful person and you know how to relate it to everyone in a humorous, yet very intelligent way. The historic and political commentary is always on point and sometimes, or actually most of the time, the funny skits are needed and add to the commentary. Please never stop making videos, your funny insights into the history and politics of cars is a huge contribution to the car community as well as the comedy community on UA-cam and abroad!
+connly33 how much time did it spend in the shop to make it to 340k miles? It doesn't count as making it to that mileage if it needed a whole engine replacement.
+CarGeek266 Nothing that I know of besides preventative maintenance and things like the water pump alternator etc. From what I can tell from receipts left in the car. All that has really been done to the engine is a head gasket replacement at 180k . i just replaced the cooling fan motor. And from the looks of the oil when I changed it as soon as i bought it ( from its second owner. where the service history ends ) it had gone at least 10 K miles since its last. Doesn't burn any significant amount of oil . but you can tell from the oil contamination even though I've done 2 or 3 changes there is a good amount of combustion gasses getting into the oil. Needs 2 CV joints and a wheel bearing soon. I only got it for $500 so I may replace them or just drive it untill the registration is out in 9 months and I can afford something better.
It also intermittently throws check engine codes, issues with the EGR system and O2 sensor. It definitely runs a bit lean when it warms up, and a bit rich when it's warming up
I'm actually really glad I've found this channel years after its inception. I'm binging this. I'm so glad that these aren't around in appreciable numbers anymore
I bought one for two grand. In 2000 . Had foglights, a 5 speed . All the good z24 stuff. One way to work at that time . Was a hundred miles . Through the southern desert of Idaho . That car would do 120 mph all day long ! I loved it ! Wish I still had it !
My Dad was a high seniority line worker at GM Lordstown (Ohio) circa '67, occasionally he would bring cars home to test for a day or two and submit a survey. Cars wA couple of years he brought Chevy vans because he worked in the van plant. He transferred back to the car plant around '87-88, brought a 2nd gen Cavalier Z24 HT home. Always a surprise when Dad picked me up from school in some else's car. Instead of going straight home, he proceed to take us on the freeway to "blow out" the Cavi and see what she could do. Entering a curving entrance ramp, the Cavi managed to hit about 75 mph by the time we hit the main part of the highway, he practically had his foot to the floor--the car was pulling hard. We were both smiling like mischievous kids who did something wrong when no one important is watching. Maybe it only had 140 horses at the most, but those horses came hard and loud once called upon, and your ass better hold on when it comes. I'm gonna get me a 2nd gen with the 3.1 V6 one of these days. Have a 2.8 V6 Type 10 convertible I drove the shit out if that is currently not roadworthy.
We had a 96 Pontiac Grand-Am with the same motor. It lasted passed 200k miles and was still running like a champ, we had to scrap it due to the frame was rusted out sadly...
An earlier 5-speed SHO would be even better, though the later V8 ones were pretty cool in their own right even if they did have hideous reliability. I had a 1995 5-speed SHO, and all things considered, that thing was an absolute rocket ship.
The worst manual shifter I've even encountered was on a previous gen Cavalier Z24. Was like a stick dropped into a bucket of motor oil. No idea how you could ever find the right gear with that thing.
+rotaryfreak3 A friend of mine in high school had a Sunbird, and I test drove a couple manual J bodies, all of which had the same crappy shifter, had a rubbery and clunky feel.
+Roman Woolery After 350,000 miles the cables are bound to be stretched. I had a 92 Maxima SE 5spd and the shifter was good for a cable shift, probably comparable to Hondas of the era which is saying a lot, so there was probably something wrong with the linkage. I also drove a couple 02-03 6 spds and they were even better.
My 93 had by far one of the worst feeling shifters I have ever dealt with, and being a 50k mile car when I sold it in 03, it had no worn out excuses... it was both rubbery and clunky at the same time. Only worse shifter I have had was my 92 K1500, but Hurst fixed that...
I have an 03 and the shifter is stiff even after ten years and the clutch still feels weird. It hangs between gears and you don't want to jam it in. You just have to alter your clutch and gas pedal technique to make it go. You have to count on the half second between gears. If you get it right it is still a quick car. Not fast but I can make it across an intersection before the other side even starts moving.
In 2001, I took a 96 Cavalier in driver's ed class for the driving test. You had to literally push the break down as hard as possible to get it to stop, but it drove and did it's job.
My friend bought one of these new in 1996. Same color and everything. We thought it was the fastest thing on the road at the time... of course we were 18 and had only my old Monza to compare it to. This video really took me back.
I drive my late great aunts red 2002 cavy coupe every day 5 speed 167k miles and all original she bought it new and passed it to me when she passed and it has been a life saver every since 2016 when i got it! Wouldnt sell it for the world and ill drive it till it quits! Ive always loved this car ever since she got it! And yea they might have been cheap and cheaply made but man their reliable😩🙌 and not bad looking cars! Yall quit hatin on us cavy owners😅 much love from Mississippi! Love the video💪 and the car😁 imma '96 baby myself🤘🤓
+Shadow Lynk It didn't used to be like that. Different divisions were almost entirely separate car companies, developing their own engines and having their own design departments, only the very basics of platforms and bits and bobs were shared. It was in this corporate configuration that GM DOMINATED the US car market to such a degree that it tread lightly under the spectre of anti-trust action. Then, some MBAs got together and said, "Consolidation!" No more wasting money on all that redundant effort, now on it's corporate engines and a unified design studio, all the cars will be the same just with fancier trim and different grills, surely the profits will sore after trimming all that fat... ...And then GM fell into insolvency, twice.
+Matthew “Crash McNeal” VandenBerg I call bullshit on the LD9 being GM's best four banger. Maybe for power but for reliability the 2.2L is the best way to go.
Y'all realize my comment plays to Mr Regular's statement that "money is GM's biggest advantage"? GM's cash paid for the R&D on Old's Quad-4 and it became a corporate motor. Leslie48 gets it.
+themayor086 there was probably an importer based there that just bought them in, we've got one in Brisbane who just bought in 90s fwd coronas. Not really sure how they made money lol
yeah fair chunk of them floating around, came about in the early 2000s, along with JDM versions of toyota, mitsubishi and mazda vans, skylines amongst other models before dept. of transport clamped down and implemented the 25-year rule, grey imports they're called.
Best car I ever owned. I gave the car away to a family member who needed it and now uses it for a second car. It had 260,000 miles and I just maintained everything. Cheap parts and my biggest "expense" was the rotors. A month before I gave it away we took it from Miami to Gatlinburg TN. Never worried one second, AC never went out and got us home safe.
A guy I knew in high school had one of these, painted neon green with black flames, a walmart spoiler, and a fart can obnoxious enough to fill any high schooler desire. It wasnt fast, it wasnt practical, and it was horrible to look at, but it had character. And that's more than most cars can say
I saw a 'JDM' Toyota Cavalier, or whatever it was called, when wandering drunk on Gate 2 Street in Okinawa eight years ago. I was confused, and wasn't sure what I was seeing. I've always thought that was a dream brought about by too much Habusake and street vendor yakitori. I guess it wasn't a dream. There really was a Toyota Cavalier. Bless this car.
Oh man, these things are a nightmare in New Zealand. They are more common in wrecking yards these days, but 10 years or so ago they were everywhere. People bought the Toyota Cavalier expecting it to be reliable like a normal Toyota. Unfortunately they were duped. Interestingly there was a trend in Japan to rebadge the cars as Chevrolets. Being a grey market import, the local Holden (GM down under) dealers didn't want to know about them. So off to the neighbourhood Toyota dealer (where I worked) the owner would go. Which kind of made sense. Except that the only parts catalogue we had access to was phonebook sized paper tome, written entirely in Japanese. After deciphering the diagrams, we would attempt to order parts, only to find that they would need to be back ordered from the USA. Even for basic service parts. I think the Cavalier was considered by the trade as the worst possible 90s economy car available!
Well. Reasons that these cavaliers were called the worst economy cars ever made were I believe the fact that the majority of these were never kept up on Maintenance. If the cars were never driven to the ground and torn up, and always had the maintenance done at the right time and never let the motor overheat, it'll be reliable as a Honda and will roll for years and miles away.
+Josh Carpenter gm built it, but the design was bought from toyota, hence why there was a toyota cavalier, hence why the engine is the only good about these cars lol
First time I watched this, I was fifteen, in my freshman year of high school. Now I'm turning twenty-one in a couple of months and I've been working most of this time. I had dreams of college but for my own reasons, those dreams were just that. Dreams. I never appreciated those long nights you mentioned in the video during high school. I've actually had more of them since I graduated with my old friends from high school just because high school was such a drag on our personal lives (I guess we all just got assigned too much homework? I'm not sure) but... back during those long nights of summer vacation? Back when I didn't have responsibilities, a job, payments? Those nights were special, but those nights are gone forever now. And it's bizarre that watching a video on a 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 could make me feel that way about my short-lived youth.
Had a 1992 Cavalier RS with the 3.1 V-6. That car was a real sleeper. When it woke up it left everything in the rear view mirror. It could move fast. Most people thought it only had 4 cylinders but were in for a surprise when they saw how fast it moved.
In my town THIS is the official car of showing up at the tim hortons parking lot at 1am to smoke cigarettes, redline your engine for 2 minutes straight and throw trash everywhere while you hang out with all your ricer buddies until the sun comes up. EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.
I have a 99 Sunfire (the better looking, same-exact-thing-underneath, version of this), and I can concur: the brake pedal says "ANTI-LOCK BRAKES" on it. You mash the pedal in an emergency and the ABS goes "Yeah, we'll get to it eventually, hope you don't go too far in the meantime lol"
It is weird how bad the brakes get.. It has vented brakes in the front, so you'd think it would do fine. Also, when you replace them, replace the entire brake rotor as well as the pads. Because if you don't (Like I did) The brakes become less decisive than an AARP member in a buffet line. Sometimes they work fine and other times NEWP.
+DRIV3R24 Yeah I don't know about better looking, The sunfire although it was basically the same thing with a few cosmetics changed. I found the cavalier had a better face/ass end then the bubble sunfire did.
I have a 2000 Z24 cavalier. black with a nice aluminum rims. i love it. but i wish it has a sunroof. I usually wash it and keep it clean. many people complement when its really clean.
My first car when I was 18 was a brand new 1985 Cavalier Type 10 "s". Which was just a 2 door Cavalier with black trim. It was a great first car. I drove the heck out of it for 10yrs, through college and the first few years of my career out of college. It was a runner, great econobox. But the last 30 seconds of this video are spot on: I'm not nostalgic for the car, so much as I am the events that happened while I owned it. I wouldn't much like actually daily-ing an '85 Cavalier now, even if it were brand new.
the cavalier and sunfire represented something very specific in my teen years. They were always the car of choice for that one chick from the trailer park who was always guaranteed to bone if you showed up with a case of budlight a pack of marlboro menthols and a blunt of dirt weed. This stereo type remained constant through 3 different states on the eastern coast that i lived in.
This guy's probably never turn the wrench in his life. I've been a mechanic all my life and I have a 2005 Cavalier with a dual cam 2.2 five speed stick. It's a great little car
possibly the most regular of regular cars
+Joseph Rogers but the Camry.
+Joseph Rogers Is it weird that i have never in my life seen a Cavalier. and after this video i thought that it´s a cool looking car and id want one.
+funloveish how dare you, the camry is "the upgrade"
+Joonas6 Only the Z24s look cool.
+Wolfofthepast that's still a stretch.
This car is/has:
a. your local rock station on preset
b. Taco Bell dinners
c.JEG'S stuff; most of it doesn't (perceptibly) work
d. a mausoleum for an abandoned aux/FM tuner
e. (in the trunk) a box full of power steering/trans/engine leak-stop fluids
I feel personally attacked, this is far too accurate
The rock,old school soul, and mexican station preset on mines. Dont forget the coolant!
Jason Ventura UN, DOS, TRES, CUATRO!!!!!
PIPIPI PII PIPIPI PII
Wtf how'd you know
@@HIDHIFDB jajajaja
I daily drive one of these, Its.. Cheap on gas, Cheap on parts.. Hell its just cheap. But its great.
smashingstuff09 Yeah it's a awesome daily commuter, about the only thing it's good at.
We built a turbo Cavalier on my channel
Some of the worst cars have some of the biggest selection of aftermarket parts......this being one of them
@@pontiacGXPfan It is isn`t the best car ever made, but it is no Dodge Neon. Lol
And also really reliable actually these are some of the most resilient cars ever made.
I own a 2003 cavalier. They are great little cars, mine has over 124000 miles on it, still gets 400+ miles to a full tank, and a week after buying it I drove it nonstop from PA to TX. They are cheap and reliable.
Urs must be the other 4 cylinder bc 2.4 gets less then 20 mpg
I had a 1996 Cav (base model) with auto. That car was the most reliable vehicle I've ever had. I mean, it just always started up and never broke down or left me stranded ever....Regardless of my negligent maintenance of it. Bought it with about 150,000 miles on it, around 200,000 miles in the radiator hoses were bulging so bad it was ridiculous, the upper one finally gave way on the highway. Temp went up but car never overheated, took the next exit and pulled in to the gas station there billowing steam from under the hood. After it cooled I took my pocket knife and cut the bulgy part of the hose off and clamped what was left to to the radiator. I refused to pay the ridiculous price the gas station was asking for antifreeze so I bought a gallon of water instead, dumped it into the overflow and shut the hood. Car started up and finished the remaining 100 miles or so with no complaint. Never had another car since come close to it's durability, sold it about 2 years after that incident at 308,000 miles....Still running.
50k miles a year that alot of driving
My sister's Cav is totally neglected, by both the previous owner and her. It is in seriously rough shape, but somehow she can still drive 80 mph on the interstate with it. It is a miracle it still starts.
My 03 4dr is sitting pretty at 250k, starts right up with cold ac and hot heat. Needing struts though lol
I coveted that 2.4L four pot but I got the 2.2L OHV lawn mower engine in my '99 Cavalier...say what you will about the Cav...but they CANNOT be killed. If you show it even the smallest bit of love (and maintenance), it will last until it rust claims it.
@@A-Gut-of-the-Past the 2.2 ecotec is the more reliable engine. And it can make some good power
As a 2003 cavalier base coupe owner who keeps it clean and factory looking, the comments make me sad. Lol
Show-tek just because you maintain it doesn't make it any less shitty, I had an 04 for 10 years
I love my 2003 cavalier, just put new motor in..new paint job, my shiny dime! LOL....
Naegleria Fowleri I have the same exact car (first car) and I love it. I got it for 3k with 16k miles on it. Plan on having it for a while and am looking forward to it!
Own a 04 and its not great the steering wheel is pretty stiff but not bad commute car
@@yellowspike3344 they are like that when the ps pump starts to die.
I'll say it again, holy crap... did you go to my high school? Your 90's stories are exactly the same as mine. Lol
Kelly Pagano Thats fucking cool. I just get excited when he makes jokes about the east coast area like around PA, MD, and DE because its relatable (like one time when he made a joke about going to ocean city in the summer). I imagine you get the same type of joy.
Indeed. Lol
jacob anderson *crashes through wall* I HEARD OCEAN CITY. *chants* MD MD MD MD MD MD!
Morbjørn When I hear cheesesteak I smash through a wall chanting: PA PA PA PA PA PA!
Same here. I guess it just goes to show that culturally there were very few lanes to follow back then pre-internet lol. We were all the same 90s loving drones
"The events that..envelope the artifacts."
Dude HOLY SHIT this guy can get deep sometimes. that part was deep af fam.
Yeah he can write some script. I noticed that in every video ive seen.
When he makes statements like these, they make perfect sense. It's a level of awareness he has that transcends the tangible aspects of nostalgia.
How
High
R
U
@@G0J0 high enough to make you salty.
@@G0J0 You don't have to be "high" to have an intelligent thought. :)
My girl-friend and I conceived our first 3 kids in a Cavalier.
Ob Bop TMI.
Are you 2 midgets?
Thats sad
He went on to graduate with his cousin a year later, making him the first in the family to receive his high school diploma.
A Cleveand Cavalier, that is!
Scariest moment when I was in one of these 4 door Cavaliers and somehow made it to 100 mph and the wind gushing into the cabin made me think it was falling apart 😂
Who in their right mind would drive a Cavalier above 80mph?
Someone was driving in a 4 door, in the middle of winter, they were driving crazy fast.
fastest i ever did in this car is 95 and felt the same lol never did it again
I have 1997 cavalier 4 door, 2.2 liter. 242,000 miles on the odometer. Only one owner. The engine and transmission have never been touched for repairs. It’s a daily driver for my son to get to school. It’s far exceeded my expectations.
There's some dark magic in those cars...they cannot be killed.
Watch “neutral drop” video where they abuse the shit outta one. It caught fire and still worked A1👌🏾👌🏾
@@baronvonslambert went thru hell n back😂
You know that Z24, I think still looks good after all these years.
They really do, especially those from that era. Maybe it's the front, idk, but it aged pretty well. A well done one could look really nice at a Cars & Coffee.
I've owned a couple Cavaliers. They were cheap plastic and the interior rattled like crazy but I couldn't kill them, they seemed to run forever. The front seats I thought were very comfortable in the last generation.
+Biker Jim Same here. Mine served well for a cheap high school car. Was reliable as hell.
+Guy Fawkes gm always makes a good a/c
+Biker Jim True that. I've had my 03 almost ten years now. Things are starting to go on it but not the engine knock on wood. The seats are nice. I have a manual so you can have some fun keeping the revs up. Had to put a full magnaflow exhaust on for shits. Everyone loves the sound of it actually. Made my own intake. Not much more power but the throttle response is way better. Now its makes some power when its making a lot of noise.
+Horatio Huffnagel i have the 04 with 72k miles
+Hammer Smith GM used to own Hughes and Fridgideaire so it's possible.
These are something people will be nostalgic about in 20 years.
+Tiberius Hrafn-Úlfur People are already nostalgic about them. Think that 10 years ago most highschoolers bought these things second hand with Domino's cash they'd been hoarding driving mom's minivan after soccer practice. It was their first car THEY picked, not their parent's, and not picked by circumstance of affordability. In 2005 these cars where selected because they were wanted. God damnit man, that counts for a lot when it comes to nostalgia.
how could you leave out the fact that this car has one of the lowest side impact ratings of any modern (after 2000 when the IIHS tested it) car? If memory serves me this thing got a one star rating on side impact, and that's before they bumped up the difficulty. basically if you get hit on the side with a shopping cart you'll be at the pearly gates in no time.
...Yeah, show me a car type that's saved every freakin person that ever drove that model Grandpa.
@@Blackadder153 volvo xc90
@@jacobfleming565 ....Not the same body. Not even remotely the same class. I'm sure driving a semi increases your survivability favorably as opposed to driving any Volvo of any equal.
@@Blackadder153 you said "show me a car type that's saved every freaking person that ever drove that model" and I did I dont see what your problem is
@@jacobfleming565 Do you consider a truck or an SUV a "car"?...Tha fuck outta here. It's really about weight to velocity ratio and not engineering at all.
"You're not nostalgic for the soda, or the high wind... you're nostalgic for... The events that _enveloped_ the artifacts..."
Makes me all sentimental lol. And bang-on with the whole description of the 90's with sun-visor CD sleeves, Pioneer head-units, and detachable CD-player face-plates, and my high-school girlfriend in the late-90's/early-2000's even had a silver Cavalier Z24! Holy shit. Is this just a general Midwestern thing or something?
This car looks cute.,
I heard this did a 6:55 lap time around the Nurburgring. Truly amazing.
+Zero Cool Those are some long minutes you got there.
+SoCalSupercars no fucking way lmao. just no way.
6:55 p.m.
+SoCalSupercars I heard something around 4:50. Magnificent piece of engineering this thing.
+SoCalSupercars yeah 0-60 in 1.5 sec
This 6 minute took me 10 minutes to watch because I was broken with laughter at "I reMEMBER"
+Chris Groff Hardest Making me laugh at a burp, like it's 1996 and I'm 11 again. Haven't laughed that hard since high councilor varmon.
+Chris Groff emphasis on "member"
+Chris Groff I was eating when it popped up, nearly choked on my food haha
+Chris Groff I'm still drying my tears of laughter. Almost threw up my pizza. Despite I'm 33, laughing so hard at someone burp-speaking reminds me of how much of a manchild I am. Yay for 90's cars and humor.
Chris Groff orang juice came out my nose
I'm still driving my 2002 cavy. Mine has 221k good cheap car and kicks ass in Wisconsin winter's too with some blizzak tires. It will rust out before the 2.2 dies.
is it still runnin?
@@givmetehsucc Running*
@@PeugeotRocket says the one with the anime profile picture
@@givmetehsucc Your point?
I had one, black '97 z24 5 speed. Quick, handled well, fun to drive and dependable. Comfortable seats and driving position. Had alot of fun in that car.
Well ladies and germs, here it is.
THE domestic ricer.
Truth haha.
+twotailedavenger dodge neon srt 4
+twotailedavenger Forgetting the late 90's Escort ZX2?
Brennon Addy No. Most of those have either rotted away or have been destroyed. The few that are left have little to no modifications.
+twotailedavenger rotted? not mine :)
You know you stuck your finger down in the shift gater.
Ron Cheeseman hahahaha
No, but then again mine was a manual.
Loved the video. Met many of these descriptions at the beginning of the videos. I had a 1998 LD9-powered Z24, with the manual gearbox. Bought it brand new--my first such purchase--for exactly $ 15,500. It was a quick and comfortable car for its size, but the handling and steering were . . . not good. Had a cold air intake on it that deleted a bunch of nonsense air plumbing. It sounded great. I kept mine nearly 13 years, the last 3 of those sitting in my driveway after I bought myself my first "proper" vehicle. I had some of the best times of my life in that car, and most of my 20s. I'm firmly in mid-life now. The memory of that car triggers an entire part of my history. Your video is spot on. Thank you so much for making it.
The official first car of American teenagers everywhere
Most common car at my high school was the Pontiac Bonneville (2000-2003 body).
I’m 17 and currently driving a beige ‘05 Pontiac Sunfire. Bought it for 1,800 bucks at 81,000 miles.
@@coru307 my brothers first car was a 2000 sunfire. He still has it and runs it over the winter (has a 2007 Cobalt SS for the warm months) at 218k miles.
The most common car for my school was the Corolla Camry, Civic, Accord
My first car is essentially a cavalier, i have a sunfire
Thumbs up if you remember cruising in one of these in high school
+555 Gear I was too busy driving my Z28.
+555 Gear In drivers ed yeah, we had a bunch of these! But everyone wanted to drive the Taurus instead and later I got my own Escort so I never owned one of these.
I had a 2004 sunfire, but it's basically the same thing. I kinda wanna go back and drive one again too, because I feel like all the things I loved about it won't hold up
phantomknight321 I recently drove a Cavalier sedan (great condition) after not driving one since drivers ed, I've gotta say, it still feels pretty decent. Easy steering, pretty peppy and quick, very light on it's toes. But for me the seat felt a little more uncomfortable and the seat offset from center is a little odd, but I still say it makes a great first car!
+555 Gear Thumbs up if you remember Discovery Zone!
I never want these videos to end.
+John C i wanted this one to end, because this car seems shit to me.
no, not really shit, but so uninteresting that i would rather watch fast and furious 12 again than drive this piece of boredom if i were to.
You ever drive one? zloychechen5150
We built a turbo Cavalier
I love it when a car's engine cover has Twin Cam on it
Wow, your take on nostalgia is the most accurate I’ve ever heard
Loved this, especially the message at the end. Sub'd
+pedalpowered1 Thanks!
+pedalpowered1 Same. Sometimes when I go back and revisit old games, it turns out they're...not great.
+areitu Yeah its the experience surrounding them.
i was thinking the same thing
"What was it like? I reMEMBER..."
In my opinion, you should drive a Cavalier or Sunfire at some time in your life. Why? Because it will make you insanely grateful of any other car you end up buying. I drove one of these around for a year and a half. My brother drove that same car for 2 years. My dad drove that car for 5 years. To and from work. 40km each way (25 miles or so). When my brother ended up getting a high paying job at 20, and I didn't get my driver's license until 18 (the one that let me drive alone in Canada), the car was garaged for almost a year. But, when I got my graduated license, we pulled the car out, pushing it out cause for some reason we didn't think it would run. Put the key in, turn it on, and it ran. After a year, without an oil change, without a boost, without anything you would think might be needed, it turned out. And then turned off half way between my house and work 4 days later.
My Sunfire 2002 Sedan had 160k Kilometres on it when I traded it in for my Chevy Cruze. They gave me 700 bucks for it. My brother put 500 dollars worth of stereo stuff in it. I talked to that car the last day I had it. Just as my dad did, I was driving it 40km each way, in the winter, in the summer, and it was fine. But it was shit as well. But it made me appreciate every other car I've driven since, whether it be my dad's Malibu, my girlfriend's BMW, or even a Trax I had to rent while my Cruze was being repaired. It's a lesson car. Everyone should drive one.
I'd bet you most Cruze owners used to own a cavalier. It's the rebirth.
+EgO TRippIN Cormz Or a Sunfire or a cobalt. I think the Cruze is closer to a cobalt than a cav.
imo the sunfire is the best.
It was GM's cheapest car, if you rule out Metros, so of COURSE it was "shit" in some ways. But it was also awesome in a lot of ways, for that price point. In your almost TLDR-length post, you admit it was a workhorse that surprised you with its reliability. It was a workhorse, it was more stylish than the competition, it had more power, and it drove like a larger car (for good and ill). Yes, it had cheap, plasticky interior materials and poor fit and finish. That's why it was affordable.
legit. I had a 2004 cavalier base, all manual except the transmission, sold it and got a 2014 Mazda 6, fuk is like im driving a bmw in comparison lmao Its been 2 weeks and im still not used to the feeling, that happens when you drive a shitty car for so long, very similar to poor mans mentality
my first car. The engine was solid indeed. The one time it didn't start all I needed to do was whack the starter
3:56 I take it you mean RHD.
Figureight oh you are here
HA got eeemm
Why the fuck are you watching this 4 years ago
@@escalatorcancer1278 Why are you?
@@vincedibona4687 why are you?
Had not one but two of these cars...good times. They came with 5-spoke aluminum mags though, which really stood out and made the car look much more cool. The wheels shown in this vid are skinny metal rims with Z22 hubcaps... Great video!
Almost like it's a fake
Had a red, 96 convertible z24. Best car I ever owned. Never got stuck in the winter (live in the Midwest, we get a hell of a lot of snow) always started up. Never died. Frame rotted out and had to get rid of it. I think about that car everyday.
This video has been popping up in my recommended videos for months now and I finally decided to watch it. I didn't know people hated cavs so much.
I had purchased the first wave of Surge from Amazon back months ago whenever that happened. I waited until the next weekend where a friend and I had a can, the same friend who pounded back gallons of this stuff in the 90s while playing Twisted Metal and Destruction Derby on his "new to him" Playstation. We felt the same way at Mr. Regular... no rush of nostalgia, no mind blowing feelings, just regular "hey I remember this taste kinda" soda. He also had a Cavalier! hahaa
I just remember everyone got these as a first car when i was growing up.
Graduated HS in 2002, and your monologue about Pioneer head units really brought me back! Don't forget having a Jensen amp pushing a Road Gear 12 sub lol!
I bought a brand new Cavalier Z type in 2004 and I still drive it today. J body for Life! 🤘
Here in New zealand we got the Toyota and Chevy versions. As I write this you just said it lol.
idk why, but i want a jdm toyota cavalier
The only difference are wheels, badges and amber turn signals
the amber turn signals themselves make the import cost worth it
yes and yes
+jean lessage uh, are you nuts? you also get the amazing improvements of a leather shifter, steering wheel, and wider fender flares.
+Marcello Penk-Masucci lmfao
I had a 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier that I bought new. Between me (the original owner) and my sister (the 2nd owner) we had it for 13 years @ 210000 miles. Other than a transmission issue @ 150000 miles, a starter here, an alternator there, it served us well. Decent A to B transportation. It did its job.
We built a turbo Cavalier
I saw a few of the Toyota Cavaliers back in the 1990s. I live near the old Lordstown plant where the Cavaliers were built. They always had one on display at the Canfield Fair every year in the late 1990s. They were usually painted some ridiculous 90s color like teal or something similar. I used to have a picture of me standing next to one when I was 12 or so.
I drove one of those shitboxes for 8 years because I had no other real options. (I'd got myself into some bad financial trouble). GM had somehow managed to make the ride both wallowy AND harsh at the same time. Like the thing rode like a late 60s Nova with air shocks in the back, but it handled like a Roadmaster with 50 gallons of moonshine in the trunk. I'm not quite sure how they pulled that off. The stock radio was horrible (which is why every Cavalier has an aftermarket stereo), the automatic transmission hunts like a hyperactive beagle any time you try to go up a hill, and the engine? What engine? Mine had the 2.2 pushrod boat anchor, not the LD9 twin-cam and calling it a dog would be an insult to canines. If the Cavalier was an apology for the Chevette it was a half-hearted one at best. Oh and God forbid you ever got into an accident. These things crumpled like an empty beer can on a frat boy's forehead. About the car's only good point was the air conditioning, which was capable of turning the interior into a serviceable replacement for a meat locker in a matter of minutes. The downside to this is that you could run the AC, or you could go up a hill. You couldn't really do both.
+Whatareyoudoingyouidiot haha i just bought a 96 cavalier and your right about pretty much everything the tranny dosnt know if it wands 2nd or 3rd at 45-50mph and u have to REALLY get on it to not be run over by traffic getting on the highway, and uhhh high speed cornering is just not a thing in that car lol
You're totally spot on about everything you wrote. My mom bout a brand new '99 model with the 2.2l. She still has it to this day but two months ago bought an Altima. I live in Vegas and I don't think I've ever driven a car with colder A/C than her Cavy. Another thing is, aside the the water pump needed replaced twice, which is surprisingly easy, the motor and trans won't die. Everything else in the interior has fallen apart but the powertrain just won't quit. She's debating whether to sell it or keep it, i'd totally keep it for nostalgia reason. Plus I lost my virginity in the backseat of it as a teenager, haha.
Jack Daniel xD quite the small car to be doing that in it hahaha
Jay Leno LMAO
Jay Leno
If my parents could do it in the back of a Volkswagen...
I feel like I've said this before but
Decksanddrumsandrockandroll was the JAM!
Thank you for the Propellerheads shout out!
I... I love the Cavi... Im getting an 03 *hopefully* soon. Yeah its my dream car. Suck it.
Morbjørn I loved my cavalier. Still my favorite car I've ever owned. Was an 03.
We built a turbo Cavalier on my channel
Mines an 03, 2.2l ecotec. Second best car I've ever had
Did you ever get it?
You killed me at 4:50, i couldn't breath for a second, these videos are ace
I have literally never laughed harder. I had to leave the room, I thought I was going to die more than once.
Still waiting for a G8 review... Hell id let you review mine but I'm in Utah
+Brian Athay Maybe we can get something together in this area. I'm in Idaho and would like him to review my Isuzu Impulse and/or Subaru GL...
here in Utah with a manual 2010 Mazda 3. he should make his way out here.
+Brian Athay I live in utah too. Maybe he will review another Hyindai Veloster turbo? haha
Hey now guys there's a difference between reviewing your average joe car and a Goat, I still think they'll be worth some cash someday, last Pontiac ever built and one of the few LS powered Sedans out there
+Brian Athay id let them review my GP GXP but i feel like its far too modified for that lol
You are such an insightful person and you know how to relate it to everyone in a humorous, yet very intelligent way. The historic and political commentary is always on point and sometimes, or actually most of the time, the funny skits are needed and add to the commentary. Please never stop making videos, your funny insights into the history and politics of cars is a huge contribution to the car community as well as the comedy community on UA-cam and abroad!
My 2000 died 3 three years back after 17 years of faithful service through the family. I miss that car so much. One day I will find and rescue one
You had me at that quick lick at the end. Regular beyond all belief. Perfection.
I'm digging the Rick Sanchez impression at 4:49.
Yes!! thought the same thing! :) :P
Wubbalubba dub dub
Wish my 97 cavalier was this clean, the engine is definitely strong, 340K miles and it still runs good, but everything around it is worn out.
+connly33 how much time did it spend in the shop to make it to 340k miles? It doesn't count as making it to that mileage if it needed a whole engine replacement.
+CarGeek266 Nothing that I know of besides preventative maintenance and things like the water pump alternator etc. From what I can tell from receipts left in the car. All that has really been done to the engine is a head gasket replacement at 180k . i just replaced the cooling fan motor. And from the looks of the oil when I changed it as soon as i bought it ( from its second owner. where the service history ends ) it had gone at least 10 K miles since its last. Doesn't burn any significant amount of oil . but you can tell from the oil contamination even though I've done 2 or 3 changes there is a good amount of combustion gasses getting into the oil. Needs 2 CV joints and a wheel bearing soon. I only got it for $500 so I may replace them or just drive it untill the registration is out in 9 months and I can afford something better.
It also intermittently throws check engine codes, issues with the EGR system and O2 sensor. It definitely runs a bit lean when it warms up, and a bit rich when it's warming up
+connly33 everything around it? like your life for example?
on a more serious note: do you really like this car?
+connly33 that's the kind of car I would limp along on junkyard parts just to see how far it will go.
I'm five years, y'all's style and attitude hasn't changed at all and I freaking love it
I'm actually really glad I've found this channel years after its inception. I'm binging this. I'm so glad that these aren't around in appreciable numbers anymore
Do you still see chevy caveliars
My high school used a Cavalier as well, but it was a 1st generation 1986 one. Yeah, my high school year go back to the 80's!
2.2 was
the best for repairing it and longevity I have two and they both went over 300,000
I bought one for two grand. In 2000 . Had foglights, a 5 speed . All the good z24 stuff. One way to work at that time . Was a hundred miles . Through the southern desert of Idaho . That car would do 120 mph all day long ! I loved it ! Wish I still had it !
My Dad was a high seniority line worker at GM Lordstown (Ohio) circa '67, occasionally he would bring cars home to test for a day or two and submit a survey. Cars wA couple of years he brought Chevy vans because he worked in the van plant. He transferred back to the car plant around '87-88, brought a 2nd gen Cavalier Z24 HT home.
Always a surprise when Dad picked me up from school in some else's car. Instead of going straight home, he proceed to take us on the freeway to "blow out" the Cavi and see what she could do. Entering a curving entrance ramp, the Cavi managed to hit about 75 mph by the time we hit the main part of the highway, he practically had his foot to the floor--the car was pulling hard. We were both smiling like mischievous kids who did something wrong when no one important is watching. Maybe it only had 140 horses at the most, but those horses came hard and loud once called upon, and your ass better hold on when it comes. I'm gonna get me a 2nd gen with the 3.1 V6 one of these days.
Have a 2.8 V6 Type 10 convertible I drove the shit out if that is currently not roadworthy.
I’m in high school rn, driving a 97 cavalier, thing is mint and I love cruising the thing around
Will Styles fashoo me too g
Graduated last year, an 03 Cavalier with 16k miles on it was my gift and I love it. I’ll have it for a while.
Dude I’m still driving mine
We had a 96 Pontiac Grand-Am with the same motor. It lasted passed 200k miles and was still running like a champ, we had to scrap it due to the frame was rusted out sadly...
I had a 2.2 ln2 and i loved it. Xps transmission, coilover convert and forged internals were the only mods i needed to have fun
While we are reviewing "sporty" american cars from the 90's I would love to see you do a 96-99 Taurus SHO.
An earlier 5-speed SHO would be even better, though the later V8 ones were pretty cool in their own right even if they did have hideous reliability. I had a 1995 5-speed SHO, and all things considered, that thing was an absolute rocket ship.
The worst manual shifter I've even encountered was on a previous gen Cavalier Z24. Was like a stick dropped into a bucket of motor oil. No idea how you could ever find the right gear with that thing.
+rotaryfreak3 A friend of mine in high school had a Sunbird, and I test drove a couple manual J bodies, all of which had the same crappy shifter, had a rubbery and clunky feel.
+Roman Woolery After 350,000 miles the cables are bound to be stretched. I had a 92 Maxima SE 5spd and the shifter was good for a cable shift, probably comparable to Hondas of the era which is saying a lot, so there was probably something wrong with the linkage. I also drove a couple 02-03 6 spds and they were even better.
My 93 had by far one of the worst feeling shifters I have ever dealt with, and being a 50k mile car when I sold it in 03, it had no worn out excuses... it was both rubbery and clunky at the same time. Only worse shifter I have had was my 92 K1500, but Hurst fixed that...
I have an 03 and the shifter is stiff even after ten years and the clutch still feels weird. It hangs between gears and you don't want to jam it in. You just have to alter your clutch and gas pedal technique to make it go. You have to count on the half second between gears. If you get it right it is still a quick car. Not fast but I can make it across an intersection before the other side even starts moving.
"Before our licenses turn into pumpkins." That was poetic as fuck.
Been binging all your videos for a week. Never stop man I love your content
80's BMWs had that escalator brush on the shifter too, extremely strange
As a proud Z24 owner, and destroyer, I actually want a full song of the ending on this one. 😂
In 2001, I took a 96 Cavalier in driver's ed class for the driving test. You had to literally push the break down as hard as possible to get it to stop, but it drove and did it's job.
My friend bought one of these new in 1996. Same color and everything. We thought it was the fastest thing on the road at the time... of course we were 18 and had only my old Monza to compare it to. This video really took me back.
Had to pause the video because I'm laughing too hard at "I re-MEMBERRR" at 4:49!
I was laughing so hard I dropped my phone LOLOLOLOL
*"let's bump unfortunates"*
ROMAN 2016
How does this channel not have at least 4,000,000 subs? This is the new top gear
I drive my late great aunts red 2002 cavy coupe every day 5 speed 167k miles and all original she bought it new and passed it to me when she passed and it has been a life saver every since 2016 when i got it! Wouldnt sell it for the world and ill drive it till it quits! Ive always loved this car ever since she got it! And yea they might have been cheap and cheaply made but man their reliable😩🙌 and not bad looking cars! Yall quit hatin on us cavy owners😅 much love from Mississippi! Love the video💪 and the car😁 imma '96 baby myself🤘🤓
The LD9: Chevy's best 4-banger because they didn't bother making it. Oldsmobile, BRO!
+Matthew “Crash McNeal” VandenBerg GM is still GM
+Shadow Lynk It didn't used to be like that. Different divisions were almost entirely separate car companies, developing their own engines and having their own design departments, only the very basics of platforms and bits and bobs were shared. It was in this corporate configuration that GM DOMINATED the US car market to such a degree that it tread lightly under the spectre of anti-trust action.
Then, some MBAs got together and said, "Consolidation!" No more wasting money on all that redundant effort, now on it's corporate engines and a unified design studio, all the cars will be the same just with fancier trim and different grills, surely the profits will sore after trimming all that fat...
...And then GM fell into insolvency, twice.
+Matthew “Crash McNeal” VandenBerg I call bullshit on the LD9 being GM's best four banger. Maybe for power but for reliability the 2.2L is the best way to go.
LSJ would like a word with you
Y'all realize my comment plays to Mr Regular's statement that "money is GM's biggest advantage"? GM's cash paid for the R&D on Old's Quad-4 and it became a corporate motor. Leslie48 gets it.
I have NEVER seen one of these in Australia....
I've seen a couple in New Zealand. Never seen a manual one though..
+Legotruck82 Neither, but there is one for sale in WA right now. I've seen most cars on the road here and that isn't one of them...
+Legotruck82 I've seen 1 or 2 of them in perth, thought it was rather peculiar.
+themayor086 there was probably an importer based there that just bought them in, we've got one in Brisbane who just bought in 90s fwd coronas. Not really sure how they made money lol
yeah fair chunk of them floating around, came about in the early 2000s, along with JDM versions of toyota, mitsubishi and mazda vans, skylines amongst other models before dept. of transport clamped down and implemented the 25-year rule, grey imports they're called.
Best car I ever owned. I gave the car away to a family member who needed it and now uses it for a second car. It had 260,000 miles and I just maintained everything. Cheap parts and my biggest "expense" was the rotors. A month before I gave it away we took it from Miami to Gatlinburg TN. Never worried one second, AC never went out and got us home safe.
A guy I knew in high school had one of these, painted neon green with black flames, a walmart spoiler, and a fart can obnoxious enough to fill any high schooler desire. It wasnt fast, it wasnt practical, and it was horrible to look at, but it had character. And that's more than most cars can say
I saw a 'JDM' Toyota Cavalier, or whatever it was called, when wandering drunk on Gate 2 Street in Okinawa eight years ago. I was confused, and wasn't sure what I was seeing. I've always thought that was a dream brought about by too much Habusake and street vendor yakitori. I guess it wasn't a dream. There really was a Toyota Cavalier. Bless this car.
Ah, Gate 2 before the island went dry.
Oh man, these things are a nightmare in New Zealand. They are more common in wrecking yards these days, but 10 years or so ago they were everywhere.
People bought the Toyota Cavalier expecting it to be reliable like a normal Toyota. Unfortunately they were duped.
Interestingly there was a trend in Japan to rebadge the cars as Chevrolets. Being a grey market import, the local Holden (GM down under) dealers didn't want to know about them.
So off to the neighbourhood Toyota dealer (where I worked) the owner would go. Which kind of made sense. Except that the only parts catalogue we had access to was phonebook sized paper tome, written entirely in Japanese.
After deciphering the diagrams, we would attempt to order parts, only to find that they would need to be back ordered from the USA. Even for basic service parts.
I think the Cavalier was considered by the trade as the worst possible 90s economy car available!
+PeloMR2
So that's where they went huh
Well. Reasons that these cavaliers were called the worst economy cars ever made were I believe the fact that the majority of these were never kept up on Maintenance. If the cars were never driven to the ground and torn up, and always had the maintenance done at the right time and never let the motor overheat, it'll be reliable as a Honda and will roll for years and miles away.
the engine ecotec was designed by toyota
Latin Lover Is that a fact? I thought Ecotec was designed from GM.
+Josh Carpenter gm built it, but the design was bought from toyota, hence why there was a toyota cavalier, hence why the engine is the only good about these cars lol
I owned one for 15 years. Lots of memories!
First time I watched this, I was fifteen, in my freshman year of high school.
Now I'm turning twenty-one in a couple of months and I've been working most of this time. I had dreams of college but for my own reasons, those dreams were just that. Dreams. I never appreciated those long nights you mentioned in the video during high school. I've actually had more of them since I graduated with my old friends from high school just because high school was such a drag on our personal lives (I guess we all just got assigned too much homework? I'm not sure) but... back during those long nights of summer vacation? Back when I didn't have responsibilities, a job, payments? Those nights were special, but those nights are gone forever now. And it's bizarre that watching a video on a 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 could make me feel that way about my short-lived youth.
Had A 2000 Z24 from 2001-2014 Boy I miss it... had some speed to also.... my kids said I cried when they towed it away....I cant confirm nor deny Lol
I miss my 2ed gen 1990 Z24...looked so much cooler than the 3ed gen...
Exactly--I had a '92 Z24...that thing was dangerously close to looking badass.
I always had a thing for the 3 door models. That Buick Skyhawk Sport Hatch with the turbo Opel engine and hidden headlights.
I miss my 88 z24 convertible, even though it was a money pit. Wish I hadn't run it out of oil
Currently I have a 2nd Gen 94 Pontiac Sunbird, things sweet
Had a 1992 Cavalier RS with the 3.1 V-6. That car was a real sleeper. When it woke up it left everything in the rear view mirror. It could move fast. Most people thought it only had 4 cylinders but were in for a surprise when they saw how fast it moved.
In my town THIS is the official car of showing up at the tim hortons parking lot at 1am to smoke cigarettes, redline your engine for 2 minutes straight and throw trash everywhere while you hang out with all your ricer buddies until the sun comes up. EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.
Classic RCR line that has stuck with me: You can't go back in time, so you go back in space
"This! is the 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24.." wait, wrong channel.
Darrell Hart I see what you did there
I have a 99 Sunfire (the better looking, same-exact-thing-underneath, version of this), and I can concur: the brake pedal says "ANTI-LOCK BRAKES" on it.
You mash the pedal in an emergency and the ABS goes "Yeah, we'll get to it eventually, hope you don't go too far in the meantime lol"
It is weird how bad the brakes get.. It has vented brakes in the front, so you'd think it would do fine. Also, when you replace them, replace the entire brake rotor as well as the pads. Because if you don't (Like I did) The brakes become less decisive than an AARP member in a buffet line. Sometimes they work fine and other times NEWP.
+DRIV3R24 Yeah I don't know about better looking, The sunfire although it was basically the same thing with a few cosmetics changed. I found the cavalier had a better face/ass end then the bubble sunfire did.
TwinSpinner "better looking"
Lmfao they are both shit and you know it
@jarad antwine they have two different engines. I'm pretty sure that you raced the single cam version. You won't beat a twin cam with your kia
We built a turbo Cavalier on my channel
"Before our licences turn into pumpkins" ... bro I had tears🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I was dying at the " I reMEMBER" part 😂😂😂😂 you have made my night dude
I... I drive a Chevette.
+RegularCars you hurt my feelings.
+ScoobTEQ I live in Brazil, it's what I can afford.
+Leonardo Bruno Track Day BRO!
+Leonardo Bruno I feel like you can also buy an Integra for cheap
+Bailey Nguyen you're God damn wrong. lol
I have a 2000 Z24 cavalier. black with a nice aluminum rims. i love it. but i wish it has a sunroof. I usually wash it and keep it clean. many people complement when its really clean.
My first car when I was 18 was a brand new 1985 Cavalier Type 10 "s". Which was just a 2 door Cavalier with black trim. It was a great first car. I drove the heck out of it for 10yrs, through college and the first few years of my career out of college. It was a runner, great econobox. But the last 30 seconds of this video are spot on: I'm not nostalgic for the car, so much as I am the events that happened while I owned it. I wouldn't much like actually daily-ing an '85 Cavalier now, even if it were brand new.
the cavalier and sunfire represented something very specific in my teen years. They were always the car of choice for that one chick from the trailer park who was always guaranteed to bone if you showed up with a case of budlight a pack of marlboro menthols and a blunt of dirt weed. This stereo type remained constant through 3 different states on the eastern coast that i lived in.
Chevy continued the Cavalier name in China, it lives on as a compact sedan, and comes with a manual....... I guess it’s not that bad after all
0:05 nice r32 gts
This guy's probably never turn the wrench in his life. I've been a mechanic all my life and I have a 2005 Cavalier with a dual cam 2.2 five speed stick. It's a great little car
I have a Cavalier 2003 Ecotec 2.2 liter whit a 140 hp and 150 ft-pound of torque and I love it! I can live all my life with it I don't need more :)