Takes me back. I've owned a 1988 Nova. It had 442k miles before the head gaskets blew. I thought one of the best corporate decisions was to partner with Toyota because G.M. had now clue on how to produce reliable 4cyl. engines and transmissions. I had a 5sp. man. trans. and achieved up to 40 mpg hwy. cruising 70mph+. Engine, clutch and trans. was never replaced. I replaced the Nova with a 2003 Pontiac Vibe. That was also a great car. I estimated this has over 600k miles since the odometer mysteriously quit working at 299,999 miles. I estimate the mileage because, of long commutes to work and driving out of town. When I retired the 2003 Vibe the engine still ran well but, the clutch was going bad. I now drive a second generation 2009 Vibe. This is solid proof the U.A.W. employees can build good quality products. G.M. 's decisions to break up NUMMI is sad.
No, I think the Pontiac Vibe (Toyota Matrix) was pretty damn good and actually outsold the Toyota variant. I still see them on the road nearly every day.
Probably the best and most fun car I ever owned. No power steering and it handled so well with great steering/road feel. I owned and drove my Nova for 12 years and then gave it to my sister. My sister drove it for 4 years and then gave it to our parents. My parents had it for 4 years. I put 175,000 miles on it and when it was finally scrapped, it had 240,000 miles. Only repair that was not routine maintenance/wear and tear was a cracked bearing in the rack and pinion steering. Highest quality car ever!
I had an 1986 Chevy/toyota Nova Hatchback..great reliable car....the engine and transmission were rock solid. Cheaper than the same year Corolla but basicly the same car with better comfort options.
I had one in college an 86. It already 126,000 miles when I bought it in 1994 cause well poor college kid. I put 75000 miles on it in 2 years communting to college. The absolute best $1500 I ever spent. It made me a loyal toyota buyer the rest of my life. I've had 2 new corrolas, 1 tacoma and 2 camrys since.
For its time, the twin cam Toyota 1.6L twin cam was a pretty good engine. I drove an MR2 and a Corolla GT-S, both with 5-speeds. It had a very high redline and sounded great.
My grandfather had a 1978 Nova and I could tell you that that thing could take a licking and keep on ticking. I can remember several times all 4 wheels being off of the ground and it just kept on trucking. Now on the other hand a friend of mine from high school had one of the 5th Generation Toyota Novas. I remember walking around that car to make sure things hadn't fallen off before we got in to go anywhere.
Just found your channel, I'm impressed with its.....just the facts...presentation. No schtick or politics, well done. FYI,....there are alot of us who refuse to acknowledge that last vehicle as a Nova. It simply IS a Chevy Corolla! Cheers.
You really have to recognize that the "Chevyota" was more of a learning exercise for GM than a serious commitment to a car in the lineup. It was the project that helped(?) GM figure out some of the manufacturing processes that Toyota and other Japanese manufacturers were using so successfully. I don't buy the "but the Nova was a muscle car" claim. The Nova was always a basic transportation car - nothing particularly fancy, or performance oriented about it. A bit. like Ford's Falcon derived cars, they were cheap and easy to modify, so they became popular with the muscle car crowd - but that wasn't the driver of the model. GM yielded to pressure and produced a couple of muscle car variants.
"The Nova was the muscle car that you could turn it into" is probably the most accurate way to describe them, at least from an enthusiast POV. Early generation (1,2 and 3) Novas were easy project cars to modify and boost performance with. It was the Chevy you bought as a teen when you couldn't afford a Camaro or Chevelle. I wound up buying Olds' version of the Nova, a '73 Omega, along the way. I just took a liking to its waterfall grille, I guess...otherwise I'm not sure WHY I went old man Olds over youngling Chevy. As built its 350 V8 was about as anemic as it could be, and the supplied 4bbl Rochester carb was an unreliable mess. Took me a while to save up enough to bolt on a Holley in its place, rework the ignition, put in an Isky "racing" cam, update the valvetrain, redo the wheels and tires, and rake the suspension...pretty much what every teenage backyard mechanic did to their old Detroit iron back in the day. But tell you what, that once tame Omega coupe was tuned into a real beast...that expensively barely made 8mpg even while soft pedaling it. Sadly I sold it after I smacked the front end; college at the time was also expensive and my priorities as a result were elsewhere. I do sometimes miss it but I doubt that I'd want it back, as it was quickly turning itself into a rust bucket even before the crash.
I had a 74 Nova 2dr Custom. It had factory bucket seats. It was a in-line 6cyl. The seats were White vinyl. It had only 60K miles on it when we bought it. The original owner sold it to us when she got too old to drive. She sold it to us for $500. It looked showroom new. I put a set of “centerline” wheels. The springs were fatigued so I put new springs on all 4 corners. I put about 100K miles on it and sold it to a neighbors 18 year old son. I sold it for $3,500. The boy had it repainted in Bright Metallic Blue with White racing stripes. After owning it for about three months, he rolled it and totaled it. His dad had told him Not to go down the road where he wrecked it because it had a 90 degree turn at a railroad track. The road was gravel and if you didn’t know about the 90 degree corner, you would wreck your vehicle. He obviously didn’t listen to his dad, but he learned an expensive valuable lesson.
My Grandma bought a Corolla and Mom bought a Nova brand new back in back in 84. As a youngster is was fascinated that they were the same but different. Granny and Mom were clueless.
My mom had one. It was ....car. Truly car as an appliance that gets you from A to B. I mostly remember discovering why automatics were referred to as a slushbox. It felt like the engine was connected to the wheels by rubber bands that had to be wound up before moving. I've had two (sort of) older Novas. A '79 Nova Concourse and a '76 Olds Omega.
You mentioned it, but didn’t really emphasize it: the majority of Novas in 60s-80s we 6 cyl econoboxs. The SS was always an anomaly, and a small part of the larger Nova sales. The Nummi Nova was an expensive Corolla compared to the Corolla, so why pay more for the same cheap car?
In my area, while a good number had 6cyls, most of the novas had V8s. They weren’t SS. They were eco boxes in pretty much every other way. But they did at least have the V8
My mom was given a 1966 4 door Chevy II by my uncle that he won at a raffle when I was around 5 or 6. White with a blue vinyl interior with lap belts. I recall its blinkers not working and my mom doing hand signals out the window in the dead of winter XD. A few times the door randomly opened going around corners if you didn’t man handle it when you closed it. Good memories of a simpler time. To this day there is a 71 4 door in puke green with a white top that is a dd in the fair weather months and looks like its a 3 year old car with only a few thousand miles on it. Dude has over 100k on it now. Haven’t talked to him in a while but the paint was still original last I spoke with him which is fing amazing. Also, I don’t think YT offered that last episode on my recommended so, if it did the same to others, that could be why it wasn’t getting the views. Who knows though.
We had a '74 Custom (350, 2 bbl carb) and an '86 CL 5-door. Totally different cars, but we loved them both. The '74 was a rusty beast and the benefit was that it looked so bad that other cars would stay away from us. The '86 was a great car...fuel efficient, comfortable and reliable. The only downside was a weird hesitation that, after we traded it in for something else, I learned that Toyota knew how to fix it. Wish we would have kept it. The CL trim had surprisingly comfortable cloth seats, way less hard and unforgiving as the typical Japanese seat. It was a beautifully simple, wonderful, little car!!! I replaced the GM/Delco radio with an aftermarket stereo and a big-a$$ power amp. The stock speakers sounded great and took quite a pounding! They still sounded good, when I put the OEM radio back in before trading it in. Despite the bashing in this video, it was a wonderful car and I'd buy another one today if something like it was available. Of course it would never sell as modern buyers want all sorts of tech and the Toy-let was simple and a basic, comfortable, pleasure to own and drive.
I have 31+ years in American industry as an auto mechanic and vehicle builder. I wrote a book series called “All in a DAZE work” (The decline and fall of the American work ethic) In it I referenced the 2010 NPR piece about the NUMMI factory. Assuming the next administration can fulfill their promise of bringing industrial jobs back to the United States I have one question - Where are we going to find qualified and dedicated workers? Our 44th presidents campaign slogan was “YES WE CAN!” We cannot collectively say “YES WE CAN!” when so many of us as individuals say “No I won’t!” Assuming the next administration can bring industrial jobs back to the United States , American workers have to do their part and drop the “THAT’S NOT MY JOB!” attitude.
Great vid Hawk. To answer your Q why the next Toyota based Nova wasnt called that is kinda easy. Geo was a new sub brand, so you dont give it a "Chevy name". The Chevy Sprint back then was renamed Geo Metro when they redesigned them too.Geo was supposed to lure import buyers...and they didnt want a Nova LOL. The 85 Nova was technically a Toyota Sprinter...Which was a lower cost Corolla cousin never sold here. The first Geo Prizms were too, and by second gen, they were pretty much Corollas with less standard equipment.
Got it, except one quibble - in Japan the Sprinter was slightly upmarket of the regular Corolla, not lower cost. It really existed because they had multiple dealer channels there to supply with minimally differentiated product (sound familiar?)
@nlpnt LOL Got it. I know on the Prizms, the Corolla may have had a rear stabilizer bar or 4 speed auto the Prizm version didnt....Unless you got a LSi or GSI trims I think they were called? The bodystyle I think was from the Sprinter. They were all kinda Corollas I guess..Like a Sunbird vs Cavalier. 💯 sounds familar! You are absolutely correct btw..The original "Toyota Nova", actually had a slightly higher MSRP than a Corolla then. It was about 350.00 more. I foolishly assumed GM wouldn't actually release basically a rebadged version of a Toyota ,and actually try to sell.it for MORE then. Guess they rethought that tactic later. I can't help but think Toyota was laughing in 1984 making that deal....
I inherited my grandpa’s 1987 Nova about a year ago… even though he died almost 30 years ago… and I fixed it up then sold it a few months ago. Last week, the buyer GAVE it back to me. 😂
@@GreenHawkDrive yeah…. I sold it for $1,300 to a 20 something kid in the local trailer park. I told him that it was NOT a perfect car, the tires were dry rotted, the exhaust was shot, but it ran, stopped, shifted as it should. He was excited to “restore an antique car”. But, instead he drove it like it was a Toyota Supra and it predictably died. “You can have it back or I’ll just junk it.” Seeing how this car had been my grandpa’s, sentiment won over better judgement, and I took it back. I had it back up and going in a day. I think I should LS swap it! 🥸
Oh cool! I loved the Nova. I had a yellow ‘75 model when I was like 25 years old. At that time it wasn’t a cool car but I loved it. Wish I still had it. Pathetic little 6 cylinder and all. Great video, my man. Made me happy when I saw the notification that it was up. ❤
@@GreenHawkDrive its tough, bro. But fr fr, your content is a nice sabbatical to the grief. You wouldn’t think something like that would be comforting, but it really is. I appreciate ya.
Don't ever apologize for creative videos. Never know when one might hit and go a bit viral. I certainly hope you make as much bank as you can but quirky vids like that are a real nice palette cleanser.
@@glennvernes8305 yeah, it's AC has never worked since I've owned it, also the windows fog up when I turn on the heater. The doors handles all broke off, and all the gauges and buttons are falling off too.
I remember these Novas. They were good cars. But they did not contain the spirit of the 1960’s and 1970’s era Nova. They were in a different size class as well. But I believe the biggest hindrance to sales was the fact that they were styled like a plain BOX. So was the Corolla. But the Chevy customer wasn’t used to that. And the nova somehow found a way to look more homely than the Corolla. Yes, the original Nova was somewhat plain too. But the Corolla based nova took homely to a new level. At least the Prism had actual styling. If the Nova had been styled like that from the beginning , it might have been less forgettable.
I recommend you get a copy of Consumer Guide magazines 100 years of automotive history. It covers just about every American car built with all the specifications, dimensions and production numbers. It also includes the cross breeding of U.S. vehicles with foreign makes sold with what had been famous reliable American names. There were and still are patriotic people that want American made vehicles only. The book I suggest is an excellent source of information and is extremely fair regarding their statements about each car. It's an excellent read and doesn't leave you wondering why some vehicles were Classic Icons and why some were just out and out duds. If I had an extra copy I would send it to you. Good luck on your future posts.
The Chevy II / Nova was Chevolet's answer to the Ford Falcon that was kicking ass on the Corvair. Unlike the Ford Falcon, Plymouth Valiant, Dodge Dart, Rambler American, and Studebaker lark, the Chevy II / Nova's standard engine was a 4-cylinder. The late-1970s Novas may not have been powerhouses, but they had greatly improved handling and noise reduction over the earlier versions. The Chevolet mono-leaf rear suspension was lame as all hell.
My mom bought one of these new in Sept 1986. It was reliable, but the carb had an annoying dead spot accelerating from a stop when it was cold. It also had almost no power with the A/C on.
I like your videos, Mr. Hawk!!😎🤓 One of my bff's from high school? His parents Only bought Chevys and had a Last Generation Nova. Just a regular navy blue one. I never heard them complain about it. And when you said what you said about the leather-wrapped steerring wheel at 8:36, I LOL! Leather wheels were a THANG Back Then!!!!!😎🤓🤣
@@GreenHawkDrive May I make a suggestion, Mr. Hawk?? (Hawk sounds like a character from a late 20th century action movie. Oh, Wait!! IT IS!!!!!😆🤣 "Star Trek VIII [1996]") How about a video on the Rise And Fall of The Saturn Motor Division?? And/or how about: How Iacocca and The K Car (and AMC) Rescued Chrysler??🧐🕵Oh, Wait! You did the latter with your "Dodge was Very Different..." video on Oct, 2023.😎🤓
So I used to work at a place that sells a ton of old Chevy muscle car parts online. The owner had a lot of wicked cars, the one relevant to this upload is the 1970 Nova SS L78. A numbers matching Nova SS 396 4speed Muncie, saddlewood bench interior I believe with like an aqua blue teal exterior. The interior was one of the light browns. This other dude that worked there is the second owner of another 1970 Nova since the 80s I think. It was originally like a green 6cyl base but it's a 110% correct triple black SS350 clone now. I'm talking down to the crayon marks on the frame accurate. He actually got it from the Chevy dealer a few minutes down the road from me, they're still in business.
Toyota didn’t carry the respect or reliability back then…. I always thought that it was a re badged daewoo or Hyundai. A kid had one In my high school and we always laughed at his “muscle car” . Another great video.
Last year (2023) I had to send my 88 Nova to the scrap yard because the unibody was so far rotted it was irreparable. But the motor only had 86,000 miles and ran like a Swiss watch. 100% reliable for the 7 years I owned it as secondary work car. Seemed odd taking a perfectly running car to the junk yard. Kids drove it, loaned it to friends about 4 times to use for weeks on end. Got all the best Toyota engineering and the worst possible GM body steel and rust proofing. Tiny, thin, a little scrappy devil and sometimes not entirely in the same game as more modern econobox cars in terms of passenger safety. It was fun to drive, easy to maneuver and park, cheap to run and pretty good during bad weather (snow in the NE US). If it had not had a dissolving metal unibody - I would still be tooling around in it.
Gray market cars. The Chevy Luv was a Isuzu pick up truck and the Chevy Chevette was really a Isuzu Gemini. Toyota returned the Gray market favor with selling the Toyota Cavalier (second Generation) in Japan. The Last GTO was a Holden Commodore Grey market to keep cost down.
Hawk, I forgot to mention that I got a giggle when you said your vid from last week didn't do well..Because I looked at the view count and it was around where mine from last week was (and I was pleased with it!). You usually pull alot more views so I get it.
Yeah man, it’s my full time job along with balancing college. I spend 25-30 hours a week on each video along with thinking of new stuff. When views are down, especially these past 3 weeks, it’s a little unmotivating.
I'm kinda tired of the last generation Nova getting hate, especially from those who never owned one or were alive when it was sold. While the muscle Novas get the most attention I hardly think they made up a majority of sales. The Nova was an introductory economy car, relatively, that shuttled people from point A to point B. Sure the 60s and 70s models sold better than the 80s as GM's market share was huge and the Japanese were just beginning to get a toe hold in the market. GM traded on a familiar name to launch a new model. Unfortunately Chevy was dealing with the aftermath of the malaise era, countless recalls and poor General Manure quality in general. Mom owned an 87 and it was a damn good car. Dad bought two Prizims for himself, again great quality cars. As for the pos Cavalier outselling it, the rebates and dealer markdowns drove that. I reckon some fleet sales, too. The fact that GM had to create an entirely new division to push its joint venture cars speaks volumes as to what import buyers thought about GM.
I’m sure if people had the option to pick any generation Nova, they wouldn’t pick the 5th. I never said it was a bad car, they did exactly what the earlier Novas did, but to MOST enthusiasts, they would rather have a 2nd or 3rd gen.
@@GreenHawkDrive You crapped all over it in your video. And don't try to patronize me saying most would pick the 5th. I, as a gearhead, would pick the 2nd or 3rd gen with a rumbling V8, too.
I didn’t “crap all over it.” I said that it shouldn’t have gotten the Nova name and the performance model failed (because it did, less than 3,500 units sold)
@@GreenHawkDrive Your tone in the video speaks volumes. I've seen many of your other videos and this one was a disappointment. Hope the next one is better.
My only problem with the last generation Nova was GM should not have used the Nova name at all. The car was a Toyota Corolla. Nearly everyone buying one knew they were getting a Corolla with a GM name. It was fuel efficient and an economy car. Only sad part was GM blowing up the Nova name. They should have called it the Prizm out the gate. I owned 96 Prizm and was one of best cars I ever owned. 💰 Just my three cents.😂
My first car was an ‘87 Chevy nova, it was a GM branded Corolla. The twin cam would be nice to have. The Toyota 4-AGE 16v is NICE. Toyota’s version is the FX-16 - kind of a Japanese version of the hot hatch a la GTI. In Spanish it’s no-va, i.e. “no go.” Lol
@@GreenHawkDriveThey are garbage and every single last one belongs in a junkyard. It drives like a cross between a Maserati and a Buick LeSabre. Every sterling on earth is actively disintegrating and it has the most electrical issues I've ever seen in my life. The interior reminds me of a Jaguar and is very comfortable. I plan on selling it soon and highly suggest you don't buy one.
I agree they never should have used the Nova name on that Toyota Sprinter. That probably hurt the sales of the little economy car along with the Le'Mans name placed on the Daewoo built Opel Kaddet
I remember Chevy offering a Spirit of America Nova,Impala, and Vega for the Bicentennial in1976. Also remember Axel Foleys beat up Nova in Beverly Hills Cop movie.
Hello there My friend another interesting video. What you talking about Willis I thought the last video was very interesting as well. See you in the next one 👍 🇨🇦 🔧
I had 86 Chevy Nova, drove it over 250k miles, no major troubles ever. I just had to get rid of it because of rust holes but everything was working perfectly and what a shame I had to let it go.
Should have had a different name but they were well made, reliable, nice and simple basic cars. There is something appealing to me about these very basic simple cars. Something quite honest about them
Sorry to hear last week's video did not do well. You are doing a great job. You learn as you go. You did a excellent video this week. It was informative and you put your information together. I know people who owned the 1985 Nova and the Geo Prism. Geo Prism did better. I wonder what this car said about GM. They could not build a good car? No.. Toyota has been on their game years. I recall Numi factory. Tesla owns it as you said. I know people who owned the Nova from the 1970's. People restore those and put the bigger engines in them. It is interesting how like with the J Car at GM, every GM brand had a version of the 1970's Nova. Chevrolet- Nova, Pontiac- Ventura/Phoenix, Oldsmobile- Omega, Buick- Apollo/Skylark, Cadillac - Seville. Cadillac really put an effort to make Seville better and different from the others. Sadly, it was not the same way with Cimarron and the J Cars. I did like how you talked about GM and Toyotas relationship. The Pontiac Vibe actually sold better than Toyota Matrix. I enjoyed the details.
@@GreenHawkDrive You are welcome. You keep doing these videos and putting the effort in the videos. You learn too. Things are not always as they seem in the automotive industry. Thank you for your comment. Thank you for the effort.
I had a former coworker that drove an '86 Nova, and it was quite problematic. He sold it soon after, and bought a Cavalier. I'd love to resurrect the Nova, in the form of a midsize rear drive retro style sports coupe to replace the Camaro. I have one already designed, only if GM is interested.😊
I had a '78 Nova. Man I loved that car! One of my "friends" bought it from me, so I could go to Asia. Yeah.. his check bounced. Prick stole my car while I was halfway around the world. Still bitter about that.
I thought this nova was fine. Maybe not the best name change..but the Citation was really the successor to the 1979, but I don't think many people would be happy with that car had a nova name. Also, when I was a kid, my parents had a 1970 nova....my dad's least favorite car. Granted, it was a four door, but it had a 305 V8... unfortunately with a horrible two speed automatic transmission. That combo made it slow and get poor fuel economy. I remember it as a little kid to have a cheap interior with seats that easily stained.
I’ll tell you what to think of the 5th gen Nova. Best Nova ever. Reliable, practical, efficient. It helped Chevy dealers by giving them cars to sell. And as far as the name? Who cares?
Novas had lower resale than Corollas but they cost less new - maybe not at MSRP but they had what was becoming the usual GM cash on the hood while the VRA quotas meant there were "market adjustments" on Toyotas, into the four figures in import-heavy places like SoCal. The only thing that could kill them was road salt, same as '80s Toyotas that had the name. Geo Prizms as soon as they went to the new name and 90-series Corollas were much better rustproofed as were "real" GM cars so Toyota was learning something too.
Nova was a Protegees word meaning " New " But is Spanish meant " Doesn't Go ". The 3 generation Chevy Nova was done as a: Chevy Nova N Old's Omega O Pontiac Ventura V Buick Apolllo A again spelling out the NOVA name...
I have built several Chevy Nova Model Kits ( no 5th gen)...( 1/25 scale AMT 63 Nova Wagon,1/25 scale AMT 66 Nova SS327,1/25 scale AMT 66 Nova SS Pro Street,1/24 scale Revell 69 Nova SS350,1/24 scale Revell 69 Nova Yenko 427,1/25 scale AMT 72 Nova SS350)..
The 5th-gen Nova failed to make a splash because it was neither fish nor fowl. There was a *lot* of patriotic (or jingoistic, if you're less charitable) fervor in the US auto market in those days. Domestic buyers wanted a car designed and built in America, quality issues be damned. A rebadged Corolla only met that second criteria. Foreign-car buyers, on the other hand probably didn't much trust that an American company could produce reliable cars (although the Nova was supposedly pretty good in this regard). The dealer network might have been more inclined to push the homegrown Cavalier, which probably also cut into Nova sales.
Based on the FWD Sprinter chassis, imagine had they gone made the performance package a twin cam RWD sports coupe like what Toyota did to theirs. Heck give it the supercharged 4-AGZE even! Also, what would the appropirate or alternative name if it's not the Nova? Is Vega fitting?
They gave the new Xcar the name Citation to make people forget about the horrible Nova, then gave its replacement the name Nova to help people forget the horrible Citation.
Nova was a compact car not a muscle car. The fact you pick on the Nummi ones is a joke as they were the best built. My sister in law had a 71 as did my neighbor. My Mom has a 75 Apollo. All junk. As for the Nummi one the twin cam is actually a cool car.
I said in the video that most Novas were fuel efficient, affordable, economic cars. I said what’s remembered are the SS models. After reading a bunch of comments, a lot of people said that they were good and a lot said they were trash. Also if people had to pick among the 5 generations, most wouldn’t pick the 5th.
@@GreenHawkDrive lol!!!u never seen Beverly hills cop!!??lol from '84 I think,dude??start to finish action packed and hilarious right from beginning the hijacked cigarette truck causing rampage thru Detroit....kkkkkkk,I 🤣 😆 won't ruin it but yeah axel aka eddie Murphy he drove this blue Chevy Nova a 73 I believe and it's beat to shit all dented but he was just happy as ever driving it through Beverly Hills down rodeo smiling/waving at snobby people in Porsche and Italian gems and people there just shaking thier heads while he just laughed and enjoyed life!!!💯🤌🇺🇸🤣🤣🤣what it's about brotha ur channel rocks btw,cool chatting with you,man!!!💯
@@GreenHawkDrive also for nova references if u never saw good Will hunting a Chevy Nova was his birthday gift from his boys/brothers/family that loved him💯🤌he even made fun of the car too,they popped the hood engine,a straight 6 but clean n recently tuned up,my father worked for Hurd chevrolet in RI back in the 70s and told me thier straight 6 motors were gems they don't win any races but run forever,he never had to fix any just oil changes and ford's had straight 6s too that run forever!!!bullet proof engines!!!💯🤌🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸enough torque to rip down a fuckin house but garbage horsepower!!!🤌go figure,huh???lmfao 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Most reliable nova ever
@@GreenHawkDrive Toyota
Mine only broke down for good a couple years ago! And it had several neglectful owners after me!😅
I had one and hands down the best gm
I had an '86 Corolla Hatchback which was the same as the rebadged Nova of that year. I had it for13 years. It never broke down. You couldn't kill it.
Takes me back. I've owned a 1988 Nova. It had 442k miles before the head gaskets blew. I thought one of the best corporate decisions was to partner with Toyota because G.M. had now clue on how to produce reliable 4cyl. engines and transmissions. I had a 5sp. man. trans. and achieved up to 40 mpg hwy. cruising 70mph+. Engine, clutch and trans. was never replaced. I replaced the Nova with a 2003 Pontiac Vibe. That was also a great car. I estimated this has over 600k miles since the odometer mysteriously quit working at 299,999 miles. I estimate the mileage because, of long commutes to work and driving out of town. When I retired the 2003 Vibe the engine still ran well but, the clutch was going bad. I now drive a second generation 2009 Vibe. This is solid proof the U.A.W. employees can build good quality products. G.M. 's decisions to break up NUMMI is sad.
Impressive.
I had a last gen nova/corolla and it was hands down the best GM car made lol
No, I think the Pontiac Vibe (Toyota Matrix) was pretty damn good and actually outsold the Toyota variant. I still see them on the road nearly every day.
5th gen hits home to me. My mom had one and she recently passed 😢. She had a red one
I’m sorry😔
@@cletuskasady593 I am so sorry 😢 for your loss.
Probably the best and most fun car I ever owned. No power steering and it handled so well with great steering/road feel. I owned and drove my Nova for 12 years and then gave it to my sister. My sister drove it for 4 years and then gave it to our parents. My parents had it for 4 years. I put 175,000 miles on it and when it was finally scrapped, it had 240,000 miles. Only repair that was not routine maintenance/wear and tear was a cracked bearing in the rack and pinion steering. Highest quality car ever!
I've serviced Prizms with 300,000 miles running like new.
I had an 1986 Chevy/toyota Nova Hatchback..great reliable car....the engine and transmission were rock solid. Cheaper than the same year Corolla but basicly the same car with better comfort options.
I had one in college an 86. It already 126,000 miles when I bought it in 1994 cause well poor college kid. I put 75000 miles on it in 2 years communting to college. The absolute best $1500 I ever spent. It made me a loyal toyota buyer the rest of my life. I've had 2 new corrolas, 1 tacoma and 2 camrys since.
Right on man!
For its time, the twin cam Toyota 1.6L twin cam was a pretty good engine. I drove an MR2 and a Corolla GT-S, both with 5-speeds. It had a very high redline and sounded great.
Something like 7,500?
My grandfather had a 1978 Nova and I could tell you that that thing could take a licking and keep on ticking. I can remember several times all 4 wheels being off of the ground and it just kept on trucking. Now on the other hand a friend of mine from high school had one of the 5th Generation Toyota Novas. I remember walking around that car to make sure things hadn't fallen off before we got in to go anywhere.
Just found your channel, I'm impressed with its.....just the facts...presentation. No schtick or politics, well done. FYI,....there are alot of us who refuse to acknowledge that last vehicle as a Nova. It simply IS a Chevy Corolla!
Cheers.
You really have to recognize that the "Chevyota" was more of a learning exercise for GM than a serious commitment to a car in the lineup. It was the project that helped(?) GM figure out some of the manufacturing processes that Toyota and other Japanese manufacturers were using so successfully.
I don't buy the "but the Nova was a muscle car" claim. The Nova was always a basic transportation car - nothing particularly fancy, or performance oriented about it. A bit. like Ford's Falcon derived cars, they were cheap and easy to modify, so they became popular with the muscle car crowd - but that wasn't the driver of the model. GM yielded to pressure and produced a couple of muscle car variants.
Toylet
"The Nova was the muscle car that you could turn it into" is probably the most accurate way to describe them, at least from an enthusiast POV. Early generation (1,2 and 3) Novas were easy project cars to modify and boost performance with. It was the Chevy you bought as a teen when you couldn't afford a Camaro or Chevelle. I wound up buying Olds' version of the Nova, a '73 Omega, along the way. I just took a liking to its waterfall grille, I guess...otherwise I'm not sure WHY I went old man Olds over youngling Chevy.
As built its 350 V8 was about as anemic as it could be, and the supplied 4bbl Rochester carb was an unreliable mess. Took me a while to save up enough to bolt on a Holley in its place, rework the ignition, put in an Isky "racing" cam, update the valvetrain, redo the wheels and tires, and rake the suspension...pretty much what every teenage backyard mechanic did to their old Detroit iron back in the day. But tell you what, that once tame Omega coupe was tuned into a real beast...that expensively barely made 8mpg even while soft pedaling it. Sadly I sold it after I smacked the front end; college at the time was also expensive and my priorities as a result were elsewhere. I do sometimes miss it but I doubt that I'd want it back, as it was quickly turning itself into a rust bucket even before the crash.
@@993isgawd The 1980s Nova was better build quality that is when Toyota built their first car in the USA.
I had a 74 Nova 2dr Custom.
It had factory bucket seats.
It was a in-line 6cyl.
The seats were White vinyl.
It had only 60K miles on it when we bought it.
The original owner sold it to us when she got too old to drive.
She sold it to us for $500.
It looked showroom new.
I put a set of “centerline” wheels.
The springs were fatigued so I put new springs on all 4 corners.
I put about 100K miles on it and sold it to a neighbors 18 year old son.
I sold it for $3,500.
The boy had it repainted in Bright Metallic Blue with White racing stripes.
After owning it for about three months, he rolled it and totaled it.
His dad had told him Not to go down the road where he wrecked it because it had a 90 degree turn at a railroad track. The road was gravel and if you didn’t know about the 90 degree corner, you would wreck your vehicle.
He obviously didn’t listen to his dad, but he learned an expensive valuable lesson.
My Grandma bought a Corolla and Mom bought a Nova brand new back in back in 84.
As a youngster is was fascinated that they were the same but different.
Granny and Mom were clueless.
My mom had one. It was ....car. Truly car as an appliance that gets you from A to B. I mostly remember discovering why automatics were referred to as a slushbox. It felt like the engine was connected to the wheels by rubber bands that had to be wound up before moving.
I've had two (sort of) older Novas. A '79 Nova Concourse and a '76 Olds Omega.
You mentioned it, but didn’t really emphasize it: the majority of Novas in 60s-80s we 6 cyl econoboxs. The SS was always an anomaly, and a small part of the larger Nova sales. The Nummi Nova was an expensive Corolla compared to the Corolla, so why pay more for the same cheap car?
In my area, while a good number had 6cyls, most of the novas had V8s. They weren’t SS. They were eco boxes in pretty much every other way. But they did at least have the V8
Had 1987 Chevrolet Nova. It was a Toyota Corolla. No issues at all.
Do you mean Toyota Sprinter
My mom was given a 1966 4 door Chevy II by my uncle that he won at a raffle when I was around 5 or 6. White with a blue vinyl interior with lap belts. I recall its blinkers not working and my mom doing hand signals out the window in the dead of winter XD. A few times the door randomly opened going around corners if you didn’t man handle it when you closed it. Good memories of a simpler time.
To this day there is a 71 4 door in puke green with a white top that is a dd in the fair weather months and looks like its a 3 year old car with only a few thousand miles on it. Dude has over 100k on it now. Haven’t talked to him in a while but the paint was still original last I spoke with him which is fing amazing.
Also, I don’t think YT offered that last episode on my recommended so, if it did the same to others, that could be why it wasn’t getting the views. Who knows though.
Thanks for the read and possibly!
No, I did not forget the Toyota based Nova. My dad had one when I was kid, I liked it!
We had a '74 Custom (350, 2 bbl carb) and an '86 CL 5-door. Totally different cars, but we loved them both. The '74 was a rusty beast and the benefit was that it looked so bad that other cars would stay away from us. The '86 was a great car...fuel efficient, comfortable and reliable. The only downside was a weird hesitation that, after we traded it in for something else, I learned that Toyota knew how to fix it. Wish we would have kept it.
The CL trim had surprisingly comfortable cloth seats, way less hard and unforgiving as the typical Japanese seat. It was a beautifully simple, wonderful, little car!!!
I replaced the GM/Delco radio with an aftermarket stereo and a big-a$$ power amp. The stock speakers sounded great and took quite a pounding! They still sounded good, when I put the OEM radio back in before trading it in.
Despite the bashing in this video, it was a wonderful car and I'd buy another one today if something like it was available. Of course it would never sell as modern buyers want all sorts of tech and the Toy-let was simple and a basic, comfortable, pleasure to own and drive.
I have 31+ years in American industry as an auto mechanic and vehicle builder. I wrote a book series called “All in a DAZE work” (The decline and fall of the American work ethic) In it I referenced the 2010 NPR piece about the NUMMI factory. Assuming the next administration can fulfill their promise of bringing industrial jobs back to the United States I have one question - Where are we going to find qualified and dedicated workers? Our 44th presidents campaign slogan was “YES WE CAN!” We cannot collectively say “YES WE CAN!” when so many of us as individuals say “No I won’t!” Assuming the next administration can bring industrial jobs back to the United States , American workers have to do their part and drop the “THAT’S NOT MY JOB!” attitude.
Great vid Hawk. To answer your Q why the next Toyota based Nova wasnt called that is kinda easy. Geo was a new sub brand, so you dont give it a "Chevy name". The Chevy Sprint back then was renamed Geo Metro when they redesigned them too.Geo was supposed to lure import buyers...and they didnt want a Nova LOL. The 85 Nova was technically a Toyota Sprinter...Which was a lower cost Corolla cousin never sold here. The first Geo Prizms were too, and by second gen, they were pretty much Corollas with less standard equipment.
Got it, except one quibble - in Japan the Sprinter was slightly upmarket of the regular Corolla, not lower cost. It really existed because they had multiple dealer channels there to supply with minimally differentiated product (sound familiar?)
@nlpnt LOL Got it. I know on the Prizms, the Corolla may have had a rear stabilizer bar or 4 speed auto the Prizm version didnt....Unless you got a LSi or GSI trims I think they were called? The bodystyle I think was from the Sprinter. They were all kinda Corollas I guess..Like a Sunbird vs Cavalier. 💯 sounds familar! You are absolutely correct btw..The original "Toyota Nova", actually had a slightly higher MSRP than a Corolla then. It was about 350.00 more. I foolishly assumed GM wouldn't actually release basically a rebadged version of a Toyota ,and actually try to sell.it for MORE then. Guess they rethought that tactic later. I can't help but think Toyota was laughing in 1984 making that deal....
Makes sense, much appreciated man!
I inherited my grandpa’s 1987 Nova about a year ago… even though he died almost 30 years ago… and I fixed it up then sold it a few months ago.
Last week, the buyer GAVE it back to me.
😂
What?!😂😂😂
@@GreenHawkDrive yeah…. I sold it for $1,300 to a 20 something kid in the local trailer park.
I told him that it was NOT a perfect car, the tires were dry rotted, the exhaust was shot, but it ran, stopped, shifted as it should. He was excited to “restore an antique car”.
But, instead he drove it like it was a Toyota Supra and it predictably died.
“You can have it back or I’ll just junk it.”
Seeing how this car had been my grandpa’s, sentiment won over better judgement, and I took it back.
I had it back up and going in a day.
I think I should LS swap it! 🥸
Now that would be sick😂
I loved that weird ad video!
Thanks man!
Too bad it didn't take of with viewers. There's a deep reservoir of strange auto ads out there to explore.
Oh cool! I loved the Nova. I had a yellow ‘75 model when I was like 25 years old. At that time it wasn’t a cool car but I loved it. Wish I still had it. Pathetic little 6 cylinder and all. Great video, my man. Made me happy when I saw the notification that it was up. ❤
Thanks brotha, hope all is well with you
@@GreenHawkDrive its tough, bro. But fr fr, your content is a nice sabbatical to the grief. You wouldn’t think something like that would be comforting, but it really is. I appreciate ya.
Don't ever apologize for creative videos. Never know when one might hit and go a bit viral. I certainly hope you make as much bank as you can but quirky vids like that are a real nice palette cleanser.
Thank you man, I appreciate that. I spend 25-30 hours a week working on UA-cam and just want to keep improving.
If I had a fucking dime every time somebody HAD to tell me online that my 2003 Pontiac Vibe "IS A TOYOTA MATRIX" I would be able to afford a new car.
Its a Toyota matrix times 1 mil
It’s a matrix😂
It has a few different (read-cheaper) parts than a Matrix, but essentially a Matrix.
@@glennvernes8305 yeah, it's AC has never worked since I've owned it, also the windows fog up when I turn on the heater. The doors handles all broke off, and all the gauges and buttons are falling off too.
My father was given an '87 when his other car was in a wreck , he liked the 5spd , but wasn't thrilled about the fwd.
I remember these Novas. They were good cars. But they did not contain the spirit of the 1960’s and 1970’s era Nova. They were in a different size class as well. But I believe the biggest hindrance to sales was the fact that they were styled like a plain BOX. So was the Corolla. But the Chevy customer wasn’t used to that. And the nova somehow found a way to look more homely than the Corolla. Yes, the original Nova was somewhat plain too. But the Corolla based nova took homely to a new level. At least the Prism had actual styling. If the Nova had been styled like that from the beginning , it might have been less forgettable.
I recommend you get a copy of Consumer Guide magazines 100 years of automotive history. It covers just about every American car built with all the specifications, dimensions and production numbers. It also includes the cross breeding of U.S. vehicles with foreign makes sold with what had been famous reliable American names. There were and still are patriotic people that want American made vehicles only. The book I suggest is an excellent source of information and is extremely fair regarding their statements about each car. It's an excellent read and doesn't leave you wondering why some vehicles were Classic Icons and why some were just out and out duds. If I had an extra copy I would send it to you. Good luck on your future posts.
GM sells a Corolla badged as a Chevy
Toyota sells a Cavalier badged as a Toyota
The automotive version of the movie Face Off
@@RipRoaringGarage Toyota tried to sell a Chevy badged as a Toyota
@@tomjanowski8584 Yup, the Toyota Cavalier. On the Japanese market.
The Chevy II / Nova was Chevolet's answer to the Ford Falcon that was kicking ass on the Corvair. Unlike the Ford Falcon, Plymouth Valiant, Dodge Dart, Rambler American, and Studebaker lark, the Chevy II / Nova's standard engine was a 4-cylinder. The late-1970s Novas may not have been powerhouses, but they had greatly improved handling and noise reduction over the earlier versions. The Chevolet mono-leaf rear suspension was lame as all hell.
Thanks for another great video! One for the algorithm! 🙂
Thanks for watching man!
My mom bought one of these new in Sept 1986. It was reliable, but the carb had an annoying dead spot accelerating from a stop when it was cold. It also had almost no power with the A/C on.
She have the auto or manual?
The only Nova I want to forget!
I like your videos, Mr. Hawk!!😎🤓 One of my bff's from high school? His parents Only bought Chevys and had a Last Generation Nova. Just a regular navy blue one. I never heard them complain about it. And when you said what you said about the leather-wrapped steerring wheel at 8:36, I LOL! Leather wheels were a THANG Back Then!!!!!😎🤓🤣
Thank you, Landon. You've been very supportive since the beginning.
@@GreenHawkDrive May I make a suggestion, Mr. Hawk?? (Hawk sounds like a character from a late 20th century action movie. Oh, Wait!! IT IS!!!!!😆🤣 "Star Trek VIII [1996]") How about a video on the Rise And Fall of The Saturn Motor Division?? And/or how about: How Iacocca and The K Car (and AMC) Rescued Chrysler??🧐🕵Oh, Wait! You did the latter with your "Dodge was Very Different..." video on Oct, 2023.😎🤓
So I used to work at a place that sells a ton of old Chevy muscle car parts online. The owner had a lot of wicked cars, the one relevant to this upload is the 1970 Nova SS L78. A numbers matching Nova SS 396 4speed Muncie, saddlewood bench interior I believe with like an aqua blue teal exterior. The interior was one of the light browns.
This other dude that worked there is the second owner of another 1970 Nova since the 80s I think. It was originally like a green 6cyl base but it's a 110% correct triple black SS350 clone now. I'm talking down to the crayon marks on the frame accurate. He actually got it from the Chevy dealer a few minutes down the road from me, they're still in business.
It’s not that we didn’t like that video. It was that guy staring at our souls through the sunroof creeped us out…
😂😂😂
Toyota didn’t carry the respect or reliability back then…. I always thought that it was a re badged daewoo or Hyundai. A kid had one In my high school and we always laughed at his “muscle car” . Another great video.
Thanks man!
Last year (2023) I had to send my 88 Nova to the scrap yard because the unibody was so far rotted it was irreparable. But the motor only had 86,000 miles and ran like a Swiss watch. 100% reliable for the 7 years I owned it as secondary work car. Seemed odd taking a perfectly running car to the junk yard. Kids drove it, loaned it to friends about 4 times to use for weeks on end. Got all the best Toyota engineering and the worst possible GM body steel and rust proofing. Tiny, thin, a little scrappy devil and sometimes not entirely in the same game as more modern econobox cars in terms of passenger safety. It was fun to drive, easy to maneuver and park, cheap to run and pretty good during bad weather (snow in the NE US). If it had not had a dissolving metal unibody - I would still be tooling around in it.
Gray market cars. The Chevy Luv was a Isuzu pick up truck and the Chevy Chevette was really a Isuzu Gemini. Toyota returned the Gray market favor with selling the Toyota Cavalier (second Generation) in Japan.
The Last GTO was a Holden Commodore Grey market to keep cost down.
That twin cam nova actually looks good. Would love to own one in good condition. If that even exists anymore. 😂
There's about a dozen or so left in decent condition
Those gen-4s liked to dog-walk down the road!! Same with the Pontiac Phoenix.
Hawk, I forgot to mention that I got a giggle when you said your vid from last week didn't do well..Because I looked at the view count and it was around where mine from last week was (and I was pleased with it!). You usually pull alot more views so I get it.
Yeah man, it’s my full time job along with balancing college. I spend 25-30 hours a week on each video along with thinking of new stuff. When views are down, especially these past 3 weeks, it’s a little unmotivating.
@GreenHawkDrive Yeah I work full time, and doing these is at least 20 hours or more a week for me too! Editing alone on my latest took over 15 hours.
Wow. I still need to watch it, I’m excited
@@GreenHawkDriveCool!
I'm kinda tired of the last generation Nova getting hate, especially from those who never owned one or were alive when it was sold. While the muscle Novas get the most attention I hardly think they made up a majority of sales. The Nova was an introductory economy car, relatively, that shuttled people from point A to point B. Sure the 60s and 70s models sold better than the 80s as GM's market share was huge and the Japanese were just beginning to get a toe hold in the market. GM traded on a familiar name to launch a new model. Unfortunately Chevy was dealing with the aftermath of the malaise era, countless recalls and poor General Manure quality in general. Mom owned an 87 and it was a damn good car. Dad bought two Prizims for himself, again great quality cars. As for the pos Cavalier outselling it, the rebates and dealer markdowns drove that. I reckon some fleet sales, too. The fact that GM had to create an entirely new division to push its joint venture cars speaks volumes as to what import buyers thought about GM.
I’m sure if people had the option to pick any generation Nova, they wouldn’t pick the 5th. I never said it was a bad car, they did exactly what the earlier Novas did, but to MOST enthusiasts, they would rather have a 2nd or 3rd gen.
@@GreenHawkDrive You crapped all over it in your video. And don't try to patronize me saying most would pick the 5th. I, as a gearhead, would pick the 2nd or 3rd gen with a rumbling V8, too.
I didn’t “crap all over it.” I said that it shouldn’t have gotten the Nova name and the performance model failed (because it did, less than 3,500 units sold)
@@GreenHawkDrive Your tone in the video speaks volumes. I've seen many of your other videos and this one was a disappointment. Hope the next one is better.
I understand, and me too. I’m going to work extra hard this week😎
My only problem with the last generation Nova was GM should not have used the Nova name at all. The car was a Toyota Corolla. Nearly everyone buying one knew they were getting a Corolla with a GM name. It was fuel efficient and an economy car.
Only sad part was GM blowing up the Nova name.
They should have called it the Prizm out the gate. I owned 96 Prizm and was one of best cars I ever owned. 💰
Just my three cents.😂
Same as the Mustang II . both started out as economy cars then grow into muscle cars and then back into economy cars simple as that .
I had a 1974 nova I loved that car even though I almost died in it twice second time around it was totaled.
My god man, glad you made it out okay
If GM brings the nova back, it'll be an awful SUV.
Or crossover😂
I always like to point this one out
My first car was an ‘87 Chevy nova, it was a GM branded Corolla. The twin cam would be nice to have. The Toyota 4-AGE 16v is NICE. Toyota’s version is the FX-16 - kind of a Japanese version of the hot hatch a la GTI.
In Spanish it’s no-va, i.e. “no go.” Lol
I own an 87 nova. I absolutely love it, but I also own a yugo and a sterling 827 so I'm just kinda weird.
Sterling 827, I plan on making a video on that odd brand. Have any insight, cool facts?
@@GreenHawkDriveThey are garbage and every single last one belongs in a junkyard. It drives like a cross between a Maserati and a Buick LeSabre. Every sterling on earth is actively disintegrating and it has the most electrical issues I've ever seen in my life. The interior reminds me of a Jaguar and is very comfortable. I plan on selling it soon and highly suggest you don't buy one.
Interesting, thanks man.
I agree they never should have used the Nova name on that Toyota Sprinter. That probably hurt the sales of the little economy car along with the Le'Mans name placed on the Daewoo built Opel Kaddet
I remember Chevy offering a Spirit of America Nova,Impala, and Vega for the Bicentennial in1976. Also remember Axel Foleys beat up Nova in Beverly Hills Cop movie.
wow what a crazy thing to do
Hello there My friend another interesting video. What you talking about Willis I thought the last video was very interesting as well. See you in the next one 👍 🇨🇦 🔧
Much appreciated, see you next week man!
@@GreenHawkDrive Bet👍
They need to redo this car in a modern version of the 4th generation styling.
I had 86 Chevy Nova, drove it over 250k miles, no major troubles ever. I just had to get rid of it because of rust holes but everything was working perfectly and what a shame I had to let it go.
Should have had a different name but they were well made, reliable, nice and simple basic cars. There is something appealing to me about these very basic simple cars. Something quite honest about them
Back in that day, the 1980s nova styles were the cars Parents bought for their teenagers as their first cars
Sorry to hear last week's video did not do well. You are doing a great job. You learn as you go. You did a excellent video this week. It was informative and you put your information together. I know people who owned the 1985 Nova and the Geo Prism. Geo Prism did better. I wonder what this car said about GM. They could not build a good car? No.. Toyota has been on their game years. I recall Numi factory. Tesla owns it as you said. I know people who owned the Nova from the 1970's. People restore those and put the bigger engines in them. It is interesting how like with the J Car at GM, every GM brand had a version of the 1970's Nova. Chevrolet- Nova, Pontiac- Ventura/Phoenix, Oldsmobile- Omega, Buick- Apollo/Skylark, Cadillac - Seville. Cadillac really put an effort to make Seville better and different from the others. Sadly, it was not the same way with Cimarron and the J Cars. I did like how you talked about GM and Toyotas relationship. The Pontiac Vibe actually sold better than Toyota Matrix. I enjoyed the details.
Thank you as always. You really know your stuff, it's impressive.
@@GreenHawkDrive You are welcome. You keep doing these videos and putting the effort in the videos. You learn too. Things are not always as they seem in the automotive industry. Thank you for your comment. Thank you for the effort.
I had a former coworker that drove an '86 Nova, and it was quite problematic. He sold it soon after, and bought a Cavalier.
I'd love to resurrect the Nova, in the form of a midsize rear drive retro style sports coupe to replace the Camaro. I have one already designed, only if GM is interested.😊
You have one designed? I’d love to see it man, email it to me greenhawkdrive@gmail
I had a '78 Nova. Man I loved that car!
One of my "friends" bought it from me, so I could go to Asia. Yeah.. his check bounced. Prick stole my car while I was halfway around the world. Still bitter about that.
I would be man, what a horrible thing to do.
I thought this nova was fine. Maybe not the best name change..but the Citation was really the successor to the 1979, but I don't think many people would be happy with that car had a nova name. Also, when I was a kid, my parents had a 1970 nova....my dad's least favorite car. Granted, it was a four door, but it had a 305 V8... unfortunately with a horrible two speed automatic transmission. That combo made it slow and get poor fuel economy. I remember it as a little kid to have a cheap interior with seats that easily stained.
I’ll tell you what to think of the 5th gen Nova. Best Nova ever. Reliable, practical, efficient. It helped Chevy dealers by giving them cars to sell. And as far as the name? Who cares?
Remember them well my mom had one that thing would regularly get 35+ mpg I remember once on a trip dad bragging it got 42mpg
Had one of these
The Chevrolet Nova that was based on the Corolla is the most reliable.
The autos were definitely less after reading comments from owners
What they did to the Nova was just wrong.
What they did to the LeMans was a crime against automobiles.
@@Adam-nv9zo they made it super reliable
Novas had lower resale than Corollas but they cost less new - maybe not at MSRP but they had what was becoming the usual GM cash on the hood while the VRA quotas meant there were "market adjustments" on Toyotas, into the four figures in import-heavy places like SoCal. The only thing that could kill them was road salt, same as '80s Toyotas that had the name. Geo Prizms as soon as they went to the new name and 90-series Corollas were much better rustproofed as were "real" GM cars so Toyota was learning something too.
Nova was a Protegees word meaning " New " But is Spanish meant " Doesn't Go ".
The 3 generation Chevy Nova was done as a:
Chevy Nova N
Old's Omega O
Pontiac Ventura V
Buick Apolllo A
again spelling out the NOVA name...
I have built several Chevy Nova Model Kits ( no 5th gen)...( 1/25 scale AMT 63 Nova Wagon,1/25 scale AMT 66 Nova SS327,1/25 scale AMT 66 Nova SS Pro Street,1/24 scale Revell 69 Nova SS350,1/24 scale Revell 69 Nova Yenko 427,1/25 scale AMT 72 Nova SS350)..
AMT just re released the 79 Nova kit and it is on my wish list..
Which is your favorite?
@@GreenHawkDrive I like the lines of the 66-67 Novas..
I would take the Yota Nova over most traditional Novas. Toyota made great cars in the 80’s.
The 5th-gen Nova failed to make a splash because it was neither fish nor fowl. There was a *lot* of patriotic (or jingoistic, if you're less charitable) fervor in the US auto market in those days. Domestic buyers wanted a car designed and built in America, quality issues be damned. A rebadged Corolla only met that second criteria. Foreign-car buyers, on the other hand probably didn't much trust that an American company could produce reliable cars (although the Nova was supposedly pretty good in this regard). The dealer network might have been more inclined to push the homegrown Cavalier, which probably also cut into Nova sales.
I never owned one of any generation but always liked them. Except the final alliteration.
Marketing gonna market.
Seen LOTS of 75-79 Nova's "dog tailing" due to the crappy unibody.
Cavaliers outsold Novas because they had 2-door and wagon variants the Nova lacked, also they were sold to fleets more than Novas were.
The stats were just from the sedans, not the other models. But yeah, those fleet sales definitely drove that number up.
Based on the FWD Sprinter chassis, imagine had they gone made the performance package a twin cam RWD sports coupe like what Toyota did to theirs. Heck give it the supercharged 4-AGZE even! Also, what would the appropirate or alternative name if it's not the Nova? Is Vega fitting?
I think that would have been cool. From a marketing standpoint the Nova name make sense.
Tbh I prefer the look of the 75-79 Novas 🤷♂️
Who can forget ?
Do you remember the mid 70's era Novas? Anything would have been an improvement, even the Corolla based model of the 80s.
Not the mid 70s, no
Give me a NUMMI-built Nova with a manual any day
To each their own brotha!
The Chevrolet AE82.
They gave the new Xcar the name Citation to make people forget about the horrible Nova, then gave its replacement the name Nova to help people forget the horrible Citation.
The Corsica replaced the Citation.
I really dug my Citation..
Dodge had a fwd duster in the 80s. May have just been a trim package tho
@@pugs1377 Plymouth Sundance Duster, I know exactly what you’re talking about!
@@GreenHawkDrive these vids are a great reminder of how crappy most cars were in the 80s. Awesome nostalgia!
@@pugs1377 Thanks man!
I had an 85 nova.... not fast, but 50mpg, and handled like a go cart!
I bought a Nova 5th gen. The Nova had the manual while the Corolla didn’t.
My first car was an 87 nova hatchback
Did you like it?
I find it ironic.
GM created the Nummi factory, then sold it to Tesla, which completely disproved GM’s claim that “people don’t want electric cars.”
That was back in 2010, I think most automakers didn’t think things would go electric.
Shoulda named the last gen Nova the Chevrolet Vega II like the Citation II, it probably would've gone over better
Maybe, maybe not.
Nova was a compact car not a muscle car. The fact you pick on the Nummi ones is a joke as they were the best built. My sister in law had a 71 as did my neighbor. My Mom has a 75 Apollo. All junk. As for the Nummi one the twin cam is actually a cool car.
I said in the video that most Novas were fuel efficient, affordable, economic cars. I said what’s remembered are the SS models. After reading a bunch of comments, a lot of people said that they were good and a lot said they were trash. Also if people had to pick among the 5 generations, most wouldn’t pick the 5th.
I had an 86 Chevy Nova brand new basically they were Toyotas
GHD,buddy!!!u forgot Axel Foley's nova from Beverly Hills cop!!!🤌💯🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I had to look that up because I had no idea what you were talking about. I’m pretty young man😂
@@GreenHawkDrive lol!!!u never seen Beverly hills cop!!??lol from '84 I think,dude??start to finish action packed and hilarious right from beginning the hijacked cigarette truck causing rampage thru Detroit....kkkkkkk,I 🤣 😆 won't ruin it but yeah axel aka eddie Murphy he drove this blue Chevy Nova a 73 I believe and it's beat to shit all dented but he was just happy as ever driving it through Beverly Hills down rodeo smiling/waving at snobby people in Porsche and Italian gems and people there just shaking thier heads while he just laughed and enjoyed life!!!💯🤌🇺🇸🤣🤣🤣what it's about brotha ur channel rocks btw,cool chatting with you,man!!!💯
@@GreenHawkDrive also for nova references if u never saw good Will hunting a Chevy Nova was his birthday gift from his boys/brothers/family that loved him💯🤌he even made fun of the car too,they popped the hood engine,a straight 6 but clean n recently tuned up,my father worked for Hurd chevrolet in RI back in the 70s and told me thier straight 6 motors were gems they don't win any races but run forever,he never had to fix any just oil changes and ford's had straight 6s too that run forever!!!bullet proof engines!!!💯🤌🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸enough torque to rip down a fuckin house but garbage horsepower!!!🤌go figure,huh???lmfao 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Didn't Alex Foley drive a 'crappy blue Chevy Nova' in Beverly Hills Cop? It I think it was although one from the 60's...
love the videos bro 🫶🏼
Thanks man!
ah, yes ... the final generation .... i remember them well ... my bicycle would pass them all the time
😂
Hey i loved the weird car commercial video being i know most if the cars you cover. My cousin had a Toyota nova was the worst car she ever owned
I appreciate that man! I’ve heard mixed things about these last gen Novas.
Another banger. If its a geo you gotta go
Appreciate it man!