Here's how the Chevy Chevette went from sales leader to sales loser
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- Опубликовано: 12 фев 2021
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This is my first video for my new channel - My Old Car - featuring my first car, the Chevy Chevette. In this episode I provide details on its specs and changes over its 12-year run, and how it went from the best selling small car in North America to a sales loser just a few years later. Other cars I owned will be in future episodes.
If you used to own a car from the 80s to mid-2000s that you rarely ever see on the roads today, and would like to see it showcased in a future episode, leave a comment or contact me at pomeara1234@gmail.com.
Also check out my Plymouth Prowler channel - / @patrickomeara9420 
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I owned a Chevette for a few years. It was like driving a shopping cart with a body. But it got me where I wanted to go. Remember the old saying, beats walk-in’.
LOL you're a genius! That's EXACTLY what the suspension felt like. After 20,000 miles you'd even get the wiggly front wheel.
@@GenerallyGeneralLee Right. The “milk shake affect”. 😂
The old saying is "a poor ride is better than a proud walk." I heard my Father say it ten thousand times.
You had to pump the brakes so much, your legs got more exercise than walking.
@@drmodestoesq That was Chevy's famous MABS:
Manual Anti-lock Braking System
I actually worked on the Chevette as a design engineer. The 1.4 and 1.6 liter engines were actually built in Flint Michigan at the same factory making the Chevrolet small block V8. The engine design was form Opel and the car was originally built in Brazil for that market. The Chevette was rushed to market using cars from Brazil as test mules. The production cars were originally assembled in Wilmington Delaware until capacity was added in Lakewood Georgia.
We have a local pizza place that still has chevettes as delivery cars, love seeing them still kicking around
How about Metros?
Man I would not order pizza from that ghetto ass shop
Sam Holdsworth hahaha, it’s a small Italian family ran place surrounded by million dollar homes.... no ghettos anywhere around where I live
Using chevettes? LMAO bet they don't give 30 minutes or free they'd go out of business LOL
@@samholdsworth3957 🤣🤣🤣
My first car was a used 1981 Chevette. It was great. It took me everywhere I wanted to go and was cheap to run and fix and no matter how hard I tried, I never got a speeding ticket.
".....and no matter how hard I tried, I never got a speeding ticket." Oh, a wise guy in the comments section! LMAO! Hey, its engine sports fifty more horsepower than.....my bicycle!
Mine stopped at a light..shuddered made a loud clank and bang and died....looked underneath and found a few gear or sprokets and some metal casing pieces that looked like timing belt cams and cover.....never did find out what went wrong. But it was a 4speed with a baseball as the gear shift knob and I bought it for 400$...drove it for about 6months and it ran like a champ until the day it gave up, if it hadnt if broken down like a cartoon segment Id have been pissed but something about the way it went out made me laugh as I carried 7 bags of groceries the last 10 blocks.
It also had some "Luv" badges on it...I assumed it was a joke but never looked much into it.
I had a friend in college who used to tell the ladies that he drove a vette. LOL
Yeah...a "Shove - ette"......
Of course that's what you say when you drive a "vette"!
Ha ha ha.
Today a millennial girl would be too dumb to know the difference.
@@GenerallyGeneralLee For sure, man
My sister had one in college in the early 80's. Of course, a lot of students didn't have cars of any kind, so when she was at extracurricular activities there was always someone saying "Hey, can you give me a ride back to the dorm?" She always obliged, and as they were walking back to the parking lot everyone inevitably said "so what kind of car do you have?" She'd always blithely reply "Oh, I drive a 'Vette."
When they arrived at the car and exclaimed "You told me you drove a VETTE!" she'd say, "Yep. A CHEvette." Ahh well, it was funny back then!
My Dad bought a brand new silver 1978 Chevette. The motor started knocking after a few months. After haggling with the dealer for a long time they finally allegedly "fixed" the motor. Nonetheless, in 1979 he got rid of his one year old Chevette and bought a 1979 Toyota Celica and loved that car. That Celica was indestructable.
My first car was a 1977 Toyota Celica....was a great car!!!🍻
My father's '81 Citation also pinged a bit and the owner's manual claimed that it was designed to ping a little in order to maximize fuel economy, and that there was not enough knock to harm the engine. Strange as it sounds, the engine never had a problem, but the sound, which didn't bother me, probably drove some people crazy. Similarly, I've heard that some Mercedes Benze models were designed to burn a little oil in order to reduce friction and save gasoline. I don't know how owners who shelled out $45K for those cars adjusted to that.
I worked with a woman years ago that had a 1982 Toyota. She was still driving it in 2001. 275,000 miles on it.
I have a 2005 Honda Civic LX that is still running without difficulty
The '79 Celica had the 20R motor, a good motor. The later 22R is like a Japanese slant six in durability. The 'R' series dated all the way back to 1953, but the first ones sold here in 1959 in the Toyopet had problems with broken valve springs - they weren't accustomed to the highway speeds that were common in the U.S. Toyota responded to criticism and continued to improve the product. Back then if you sold lawn care equipment you might be able to become a Toyota dealer as a side hustle.
I knew many friends in the military that bought them in the 80's as they were cheap, pretty reliable and really kind of nice to drive being a rear drive platform. If you maintained them they were pretty nice cars that go you where you were going.
My grandparents bought me one in 1985 brand new as a high school graduation gift.
It was a 5 door with A/C power brakes and the 4 spd.
Drove it all through college and veterinary school.
Never failed to start or left me stranded.
It accumulated 155k miles during the time I owned it.
Hardly the best car I've owned but it was a decent little vehicle.
Dependable cheap to maintain and repair and pretty fuel efficient.
Our 1978 Chevette had A/C and automatic transmission...so it was very slow. I don't think my mother has ever learned to drive a manual transmission, and I finally learned to drive a stick-shift many years later.
The automatics were sooooooo slllllooooowww. Acceleration? Extremely hard to detect. We had a 4 spd and it wasn't too bad but I've heard those automatic Chevette top out at about 65, eventually.
@@michaelhungate7506 Our family's Chevette had California emissions so it had 63 rather than 68 Horsepower. But it only weighed about 2100 lbs. We really only drove it around town as our 1976 Oldsmobile 98 was for long distance trips.
@@michaelhungate7506
Yep. 0 to 60 in two days 😳
@@spiff8862 Chevette Movie = Gone In 60 Minutes
My aunt gave me her 1976 Chevette back in 1978 when she became legally blind...I was in jr. college Sophomore year..I already had my 1970 Chevelle Malibu 350 V8 2 door..so I used the Chevette as a daily driver & my Chevelle on weekends👍..I drove it until 1985..I donated it to Junk For Jesus & it still ran good with 100,000+ original miles
Good for you man, love that!!
@@sts.556 this organization was started by a Ex car salesman who is a born again Christian he gets used vehicles from donations and fixes them up for people who can't afford the ridiculous prices 🤑 lots want
I heard that my Chevette was used as a figure 8 car. Unbelievable. I would have loved to see the old girl go out in a blaze of glory.
1970 was the last year, for a while, that you could get screaming motors with under-rated HP and TORQUE...unless of course you eliminated some of the garbage they put on the motors after that year...
@@georgemartin1436 1972.
I had a used Chevette in the mid 90s which I drove all over mostly the Southwest US, I think I found my peace of mind in that car! :)
I had a ‘78 Chevette in high school. AM radio and heat, that’s all it had. My dad drove it to work, then my sister drove it all the way thru high school and then I drove it for my high school years. Not fancy, but it was a good running little car. Simple to work on and good on gas for my minimum wage high school job. This video brought back a lot of good memories
I was born in 1973 and watching this video sure makes me miss the good ol days.
B-4 Biden.......
@@bextar6365 You are dilusional. Get back on your meds.
I'm not all that convinced there's been a decent POTUS in any of our lifetimes.
@@maxi-me Look at what we had and what the hell we have now !!!!
@@bextar6365 if you allow for present extenuating circumstances, is this really any worse than the late Carter/early Reagan years?
I had a 1981 Chevette, barebones, plastic interior. I remember at 40,000 miles it would jump out of reverse unless you held the shifter, also the engine check light came on. It was under warranty date wise but not mileage. So I popped the cluster out and rolled the mileage back to 30,000 and took it in to get it fixed under warranty
oh, so your are a fraudster. bad
Did they have engine light back then?🤔
My sister also had a 1981 Chevette. On the way home from just buying it, she found the right turn signal wouldn't work with the headlights on and the engine check light was also illuminated
@@landshass2849 Yes. Believe that was GM's first year with the Computer Command Control system as it was called then. The system in that car was known as a "limited function" ECM.
One of those rare circumstances in life where you get good karma for malfeasance.
One of the many American cars that made the Japanese famous.
The Chevette was based on the Isuzu I-Mark, as well as it's successor, the Spectrum. It actually started out as the Buick Opel by Isuzu.
Small enough that when broken down you could always Shovette...
@Yule Calma I think you can call it an "identity crisis". An Opel Kadett, as basis of the Isuzu Gemini, when Buick marketed the Opel Kadett in the US as the "Buick Opel by Isuzu."
The Chevette wasn't a world beater, that's for sure. But given that Toyota, Honda, and VW dealers were marking up their rides by 15 to 25 percent over list, whereas most Chevy dealers had to, well, "deal", it was a far better value. For a kid just starting out, or a dad that had driven his '68 Dodge Coronet into the ground and just needed simple, ECONOMICAL transportation, it was ideal. The Chevette suffered from much the same problem that plagued the American auto industry in general...while engines and drive trains were usually solid, the build quality was terrible to non-existent. A car may run just fine for 10 years and 150,000 miles with a misaligned door or an annoying interior rattle, but that's exactly the sort of thing that the customer notices, and won't put up with to plunk down his hard-earned dough. The Japanese and German econoboxes were usually well-built, and the Japanese especially had a strategy, even when the dollar devaluation hurt them, as it cut hugely into their profits...they stuck with it, building a LOYAL customer base, something Detroit had abandoned altogether. Later on, when so many "yuppies" whose first car out of college was a Toyota Corolla, Datsun B210, or VW "Wabbit" were ready for a bigger, fancier car, they eschewed what the "Big Four" had to offer in favor of the Camrys, Accords, and Audis.
Incorrect picture of the Kaddett, that’s a Kaddett D/Astra mk1 whereas the Chevette and Kaddett C were largely the same car. The Opel version had a flat front whereas Vauxhall had a front end more similar to the US version
I owned a 1986 chevette and liked it. It had tons of faults. For 8 of the 9 years I had it it used a aftermarket header on it along with other changes. A hot rod of sorts. Not a great one to do but fun regardless. I miss that little car. New cars lack something that these basic older had. Great video.
I bought a three door Chevette in 1979. Its gas mileage was nothing short of remarkable! I took good care of it changing the oil religiously every 2500 miles. I put 385,000 miles on the little car, replacing the front shock columns with new ones three times. Once, I was directed to the side of the Thruway by a State Trooper who told me that radar had clocked me doing 105 miles an hour. I asked permission to open the hood. He looked confused but consented. I got out of the car and propped up the hood. We stood there looking at the engine together. I offered him the keys and said: "Officer, here take this buggy out on the road and, if you can get this thing to do 95, I'll follow you to the State Police Barracks." He realized that his radar might have locked on to a different vehicle, laughed heartedly, apologized and sent me off. The vehicle's reputation alone won me an argument with a State Trooper which is a rare thing. I finally let it go in 1994. The only car that even came close to the economy of the Chevette was a 1999 Saturn SW1 that I purchased new and I still own and drive it.
Manual transmission? Air conditioning?
I had an '81 Chevette I bought in 1990, first car, was in great shape really just...ugly. I hated getting on the interstate, took forever to get up to 55. Always had to shut the ac off too when doing that, otherwise would take even longer lol.
@@SpockvsMcCoy Manual no air. Wife loved the little thing.
@@Christy.1 :o)
A buddy of mine owned one. I had to borrow it for some reason. Took it to work on 285 in Atlanta, stayed in the right lane. I felt a little bit vulnerable at first. But i grew to respect the little car!
I had a 78 chevette. Interstate highway driving 99% of the time. You had to keep both hands on the wheel when a tractor trailer came by. Lol
When I was a kid, you could see these cars all over the place.
And then 7 years later, you didn't, since they were ALL in the junk yards!
@@nomadbrad6391 not quite these cars were just quickly out dated is the reason people stopped driving them it had nothing to do with them being unreliable because these little cars are very reliable my grandmother drove one from 1980- 2015 with its original engine and tranny the car still runs and drives to this day she's just unable to drive also they are alot still out there just sitting in back yards
@@enjoythesho1992 The design was outdated when it was introduced, but GM was slow with its Opel division to get a FWD car out as well. It wasn't fancy, it wasn't fast, it wasn't comfortable, or QUIET, or built with sufficient attention to quality control...but...it was CHEAP and durable, good on gas (there was even a diesel version for awhile), and it got the job done for a LOT less than what you'd pay for the "hot" imports. And that was ANOTHER advantage...IIRC, no one was stealing Chevettes to run across the border to Mexico or to strip for parts! CHEAP also to insure!
Yep. In high school parking lots. I never knew anyone over the age of 18 having one in their stable.
@Richard C Same here (born in 1970). I kinda miss the struggle with dealing basic transportation...
Excellent point about the price as with new cars we are being forced to pay for things we don't even want!!
You want them. You just don't know that you want them.
@@hulkjelly6876
Most certainly DO NOT! Lol..
I have always driven older cars with only manual transmissions, and only one of my cars ever even had AC. Then about a month ago i was car shopping and saw that used cars are so high in price now that an affordable new one makes sense. Now im driving a 2021 Kia Soul S with an IVT automatic transmission, ice cold AC, power everything, a touchscreen radio with android auto, lane keep assist, collision detection cruise control, digital speedometer with a nice info readout on the guage cluster that i control with the steering wheel, and i couldn’t be happier with all this “extra stuff” that i used to think was dumb. I love driving this car and i look forward to when i can drive it, and it has a very good warranty in case something goes wrong.
@@CadgerChristmasLightShow
Glad we live in a country where the individual is free to choose all the options they want! Disappointed we no longer live in a country where we can't decline🤷🏻♀️
BS smith there is a 6 speed manual version of the 2021 kia soul that is only sold in the LX base model with most of the extra tech safety features removed. But that wasnt in stock anywhere near me, and for the price i am very happy with the automatic S version i got with cool black rims and the extra features. Lane keep assist almost feels like autonomous driving to me , i can go straight with no input from me.
Had a 77 Chevette, my first stick shift car. Also had the Pontiac version the T1000. Never had an issue with either one..
T-1000 my first car. 4 speed. Chevette second car.
The potiacs are rare though ive only seen 2 for sale in the past 2 years since i discovered chevettes but seen about 30 chevettes for sale and bought 2 of them lol
I had one didn’t have any problems! Could catch rubber in all four gears when it was raining! 😂
Down hill? 😂
@@idontknow2293 ...with a tailwind
You must have been sleeping
@@rodger7029 people that drove chevettes back in the day were dreamers
Knew a guy drove 1 of these for courier. It was a beater what lasted forever. He was still driving it into the 2000s.
If it didn't rust away, these simple cars could be kept running for a long time.
My physics teacher in high school told us a story about his daughters Chevette, which was the worst car he had ever experienced. He was an engineer before he was a teacher, and at some point in the 1980's he had a conversation with one of the engineers who designed the Chevette for GM. The GM engineer told him that they were so bad because Chevy only engineered them to last 50,000 miles. The part in the video about being used and thrown away is no joke.
Built-in obsolescence. It was an actual department at GM.
What parts? Most of the car is incredibly tough, the rear end is a bit fragile, but the engine doesn't make enough power to hurt it usually.
I'm sure the build quality wasn't great, but I've honestly seen more chevettes running around in the last 5 years than 1st gen neons.
@@jarrodwidiger5472 I suppose it depends upon where you live, but not in the Midwest. I saw one several years ago in San Diego, and I had to take a picture of it because no one back home would believe me that they still existed.
@@edgarpryor3233 I don't know if he got into that much detail, but it was also 20 years ago. The only other thing I remember from that class was him making a pickle glow by pumping it full of 120V AC.
I remember the Chevette as my dad almost bought one. But then he surprised everyone and bought a Honda Civic. That was a fun car to drive.
Can’t beat Honda ! Best damm car I have ever owned!
@Hogtown Biker It was similar for us. I remember going with my parents as they shopped around. They drove a Tercel, Civic, and a used Pinto. I think everyone unanimously liked the Civic best.
I had a 1981 Chevette too! It was my car to go to University. I loved it. Cheap to run. Ideal for a student. 4 speed manual.
I kind of like them because they are still rear drive. The GM T platform also came in more stylish variants than the Chevette, some variants of which continued to be manufactured overseas until 2008. There were truck/ute versions built overseas.
Yeah, as a student, your choices for transportation probably were, feet, skateboard, bicycle, bus, and......uhhhhh......Chevy Chevette! The car beat out its competition!
I was a service writer at a Chevy dealer and part of my job checking in the new cars. The first transport of 10 Chevette's that arrived had to be pushed off the transporter as they wouldn't start. The factory shipped them without the automatic choke and we had to hide them till the parts arrived. That was through all the models. Cars we'd have to hide till everything was repaired. One 4 wheel drive pickup came on top of the transporter and the driver said his ramp was broke. He backed up and jumped it off the back. I personally drove Mustangs and had plenty of horror stories with Fords.
Upon graduation from college, a good friend of mine bought a Chevette '81. Even back then, I remember her telling me it was a "cheap" car but I think she drove it for several years. At the time, I was driving a 70 Buick Skylark so I was envious of her getting a new car. LOL
My father purchased a used 1978 Chevette 4-door in November 1979. It was red and had white vinyl interior with black carpeting. Very sharp car with many options ... upgraded interior (Custom interior option), Sport wheel covers, white walls, automatic transmission, and Air conditioning. I was in high school at that time, so my mother, older brother, and I shared it. No mechanical problems with it, as I recall.
@Insignificant Speck Of Dust The Chevette has been unfairly maligned. It never had major reliability issues similar to other GM cars of that period. It was just a basic commuter car without state of the art front-wheel drive and fuel injection.
My best friend in the Army had one with Automatic/Air Conditioning too in 1983 and it lasted many many years, he just needed oil changes (every year) as we only drove around on Fridays and Saturdays!!
I had one too. Went like a bat out of hell and never had a mechanical issue. I think the engines were made overseas because GM didn't make a decent 4 banger at the time. They had horrible brakes though and needed to be replaced about every 8 months for most people.
@@RacerX888 YES especially if you were commuting with it!
@@RRRIBEYE On Scotty Kilmer's channel, he just posted a video of GM collaborating with some Chinese automaker to make a 4500. car, but it's only for China at the moment. Problem with cars now, they're all plastic. I wouldn't feel safe driving in a small car like that with how they're made now. Here's the link, or search his channel to see it, he just posted it yesterday. Grey rollerskate looking car on the thumbnail ruclips.net/video/aa_q7mIvQmo/видео.html
When "Concentration" and "The Price Is Right" were promoting these as prizes, that's when sales were at their peak.
Didn't help the Vega lol.
They were also pushing the AMCs
Grand Prize was a new Chevette, but second prize was TWO Chevettes!
I watch Classic Concentration reruns on the Game Show Network and I always see that orange Chevette sitting there.
@Derek Jackson Concentration hosted by Jack Narz went off the air in 1978.
I consider myself a car-buff, but never knew of the GMC-branded South American variant. Your videos are quite excellent, sir.
I had an '84 Chevette in the early 90's. I rode a motorcycle most of the time and it was my "rainy day" car. Living in the Seattle area, it got more use than I wanted it to get, but it got me around, got ok mileage, and kept me dry.
I owned a '83 Chevette S during my early years of high school. The color was a dark metallic blue w/red trim. Equipped with a 4-speed manual I had a blast with the car & it was my 1st car back in 1989
My brother owned 2 of these growing up,and it’s the 1980 model I remember the best because it’s the first car I ever drove,white 4 door 4 speed. Great memories, thank you
We had a 1980 also. Also a 4 speed manual. This is the honest to God truth: There were 6 people in our family 2 boys, 2 girls, believe it or not, my Dad bought a ski boat. Yes, that Chevette towed that boat with 6 people. If you've ever seen Pineapple Express the movie about weed, there is a scene where a Chevette is actually towing a boat. I. I do see a few of these here and there on occasion. I just wonder if anyone that wrote this movie was in Mississippi at Arkabutla lake around 1982-1984 that may have seen a Chevette of all cars pulling a boat. Maybe they seen us, who knows. It's just the strangest thing to me of all cars to pull a boat. My Dad was frugal and said it would do just fine and it did.
My dad worked at a Chevy dealer at the time these debuted. Said the brakes has such little material on them, brand new they were at best 3/32 away from failing an inspection
I sold new Chevrolet for a brief time in 1981. Half the Chevettes had an axle whine from birth that was incurable. It was high pitch and subtle below 30mph. Over that it would slowly drive you insane. In the dealer's lot the new Chevettes were in two lines. You demo'd cars from the 1st line (non-whiners), but delivered sold from the 2nd line. By the time they noticed, they were owners. At least they all ran. The rest of the line had 1st gen ecu controls bragged on in a showroom display as, I think, CCM, and claimed that the service department had a computer rig that would plug into it and diagnose any problems. I noticed the new car haulers always parked in the back on a hill. Asked a driver, who said 1/3 of them didn't run or barely and this way he could be sure to get them unloaded. So I go to the service dept to see about this computer diagnosis and they laughed. They didn't have the computer, and routinely disabled the ecu so the care would run in cripple mode. And that is how they sold them. 3 weeks later I started at a Toyota dealership. With a TOTALLY clear conscience.
This was pretty cool. I daily drive a 1983 Chevette 4 door. We go to work and back every day and that little car has really impressed me with it's reliability especially after 38 years of existing. I've never seen another one in person so I guess they are pretty rare. But since I drive mine all the time you forget that your driving a vintage car.
To others she's an Oddity and gets good and bad comments some don't even know what it is.
But to me she's my regular car.
I still take care of the old girl but I have no issues with driving rain or shine.
As far as the options listed she's standard everything with the exception of the optional automatic.
that means one mirror, AM radio manual steering, manual brakes and a single dome light for interior illumination. but I can go 3 weeks on one tank of gas.
Hi Russel, thank you for your comments - it's great to hear you still own and take good care of your Chevette. I'm glad you were able to find my video as I have just started my channel and it takes time to to get high enough in RUclips's search engine to be included in searches. If you have not already subscribed, please do, and thanks for your support!
Those motors were great 200,000+ great little car easy to work on.
@@MyOldCar my 3rd car was a 1982 Chevrolet Chevette 4 door that I regretted junking as I literally has 790,000 miles on it and the only major repair to the engine was I had to replace the timing belt at 750,000 miles but the transmission however never held up as well as the reverse kept going out on the 4 transmissions I relaced but rarely ever used the reverse gear go figure.
Now I have a 1978 Dodge Aspen Custom Sedan with the 225 Super Six Engine and 727 Torque Flight 3 speed automatic transmission nearly as basically equipped as my old Chevette.
Here's an interesting segment to feature on a future video the EVA or Electronic Voice Alert equipped Chrysler Corporation Vehicles of 1983 - 1988 such as the New Yorker, 5th Avenue, LeBaron, Dodge 600 Dodge Daytona CS and Chrysler Lazer as Chrysler Corporation spent millions of dollars for Texas Instruments to turn their Speak and Spell computer voice synthesizer into a vehicle voice alert information system.
I think the late models look so cool and sporty with the black grille and body color bumper covers.
Say ''body color bumper covers'' fast 3 times, lol.
One of my friends in the mid 90's had a red 84 2 door manual Chevette that his grandmother gave him as his first car after she could no longer see to drive it, and it was well kept in a 2 car garage most of its life up to that point, and it was actually in decent shape as she really only drove to the store, work, and church. It was nothing fancy, but like he told people it was a free ride, It sure did beat walking when we wanted to go someplace, and maintenance was super easy.
I had a 1980 Citation, kept it for 5 years was a great car. V6 automatic drove and handled very well.
That car was the punch line in so many Carol Burnett Show skits.
It was the Cleveland of cars.
@@drmodestoesq It was lots better than the Plymouth Cricket! But probably less interesting than the Dodge Colt from Mitsubishi.
The Isuzu diesel was truly a wonder. My buddy put 225,000 miles on his before his brother rolled it down a hill. The lack of AC was a mute point as I needed to have the window open to hang my arm out in order to fit behind the wheel. Winter sucked
Up in Canada I had to turn the idle nut up on the carburetor to get it to the point where it would start and idle for more than a few seconds when it was more than 20 below zero.
Moot point.
The famous 250 a/c system. I'm familiar. Two windows down fifty miles an hour.
My first car was a 78 chevette. But I got it in the 86... My mum held up the keys and said... "Remember this is my car I'm just letting you use it. " Funny after that she always reffed to it as my car :) High school was pretty okay:)
Great video. My dad bought a 79 four door Chevette in 1980. Later, my brother took it for a joy ride and crashed it, and made it look like the car was stolen. Dad picked me up from school in his other car and as we were driving, I spotted the Chevette in a Circle K parking lot. Amazing how things turn out. My dad reported it stolen, cops never found it, but it was sitting in plain site with busted axels. Dad didn't see it either, so I'm kind of glad I saw it. My dad died a few years after this never knowing the truth. I found out about it when my brother told me about this a few years later.
Great content. My automotive history included an ‘87. My past would not have been the same without my ‘87 Vette. Yes... I called it that. Thanks for the video.
I always thought Chevrolet chose "Chevette" as a play on the "Chevelle" name😂
I always thought(even as a kid) Chevrolet used the Chevette name to emphasize it being the smallest and most economical Chevy of the lineup...a baby Chevy if you will, hence the name “Chevette”!
I always thought it was called Chevette, as in “little Chevy” like a kitchenette is a little kitchen.
I think GM's sales division (by then, the several sales organizations of each GM division had been consolidated into one GM corporate sales group, as, really, most of the differences between the makes were badge engineering) had proposed both "Chevy III" (an homage to the original name of the Nova line, Chevy II) and "Novette" (diminutive Nova), and both names were soundly rejected by a focus group.
It was a hackneyed name, but hell, why not for what was Chevy's version of a "Donald Duck" car?
Maybe on both the Chevelle and Corvette.
now that i think about it, there is a passing resemblance to the round tail Chevelle.
I used to drive one of these for work. It was a fun little car.
Excellent
I had one in 1984... Was reliable, slow and totally off the list of thieves. I really enjoyed it . I'm likely to buy one for the memories.
Back in the 70s this was the car Alamo in Orlando would stick you with if you didn’t upsell to a midsize car with the extra insurance coverage.
Car I was stuck with on my honeymoon in St.Croix in 1982, it was terrible when trying to maneuver the curvy road of the island.
@frederick Hughes Yes, I believe it had air conditioning. The car was challenging to drive with the lack of power and with the European driving pattern of driving on the left. I remember the agility of the car was terrible, was difficult to drive on the winding roads.
@PATH LIGHT TRIPWIRE actually the lot was full of midsize Pontiac’s, but they tried to upsell to a Cadillac. It was 2 AM and we just wanted to get to our destination in Disneyworld.
The was the first car I learned how to drive in . It was my grandfather’s car . 1982 Chevette . It was copper tone and the only option it had was an automatic transmission. No ac, no power steering and no radio . I ran across this video because I was looking for the engine specs on it . The car was so slow but easy to drive . Thanks for providing this very informative video
Me too! Mine was an '81 4 door, bright red with plaid vinyl interior lol. So ugly, but was real clean and in great shape-was the fire chief's work car. Got it in 1990 for 700., with only 20K miles. Mine did have a/c though and was an automatic, can't remember on the radio but thinking it was only am. No power anything- windows, locks, brakes, steering. Only kept it for 3 months while I learned to drive, which I am grateful for the experience of no power brakes/steering. Too many people now a days have no clue what that experience is like. I upgraded to a Monte Carlo-and that's when the tickets started rolling in lol.
I miss my '82 "Shove it". A reliable beater that got me through high school survived a cross country road trip and died a quiet death in the parking lot of the freshman dorm in the spring of '89 so I couldn't return home. That summer I met the woman who would become my wife and the mother of my children. R.I.P Mean Green, you always had my back.
RIP POS that only lasted 7 years....how can you have any romantic memories for a literal turd.
@@edsloan8535 without that overworked P.O.S. of which I was the 3rd owner ( all of whom were teenagers) my life would not be what it now is. A great wife, 2 wonderful well adjusted hard working kids. The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and ol' Mean Green burned very brightly indeed. It illuminated the path of my life for decades. Not bad for $800 in 1986 dollars.
I had a 1980, the same red 4-door in the video. Kept it for 10 years and sold it for a grand. Pretty much mint condition. Manual transmission and it kept up on the interstate as long as you could find a semi or coach that would let you draft. Our first new car, I still remember getting a speeding ticket on I-71 when I was leaving Ohio for Atlanta. OHP wrote me for doing 68 in a 65. Oh, and those reverse lights were great. Shift to reverse and it was like daylight behind you. Never had the wobble, but I did have the fan belt pulley bolt shear off at midnight in NoWhere, TN.
My mom had an ‘80 Chevette. That thing could barely get up some of the hills in San Francisco. It was hilarious until you tried to stop when coming down the other side of the hill.
@Curtis Fleabag definitely. I had a 70 Toyota Corona that maybe went slightly faster up the hills. At least I could feel the brakes working on the Toyota when coming downhill though. And the shifter never fell off the Toyota either 😂
There is a lady in Southern Ontario that drives hers year-round (think winters with lots of salt). I asked her how she kept the body on it as it looks fairly pristine. She said she's had the rockers done twice. Amazing little car that keeps on going.
ANY car can last FOREVER as long as you keep maintaining it and replacing parts. The question is - how much does that cost, versus how much for a newer, better vehicle and its maintenance costs. That's why there are not too many Sherman tanks in use today.
@@themagus5906 what a silly comparison. Some people WANT to keep their cars.
I own a '73 Vega GT but I've OWNED an Omni GLH and it would be pretty cool to see an episode about that. Keep it up, man. This is pretty interesting stuff. Thanks.
When I was a mail carrier many years ago, we got a whole new fleet of Chevettes. Very few problems and they were really easy to work from.
I learned to drive in my mom's '79 four-door. Thanks for the flash-back.
I worked for chevrolet in the early 80s. I remember the Vega. It was a nice car, but it quickly turned into a rust bucket. I remember driving chevettes after servicing them. They weren't bad cars.
The Chevette was also built in many countries in southamerica and it was wildly popular. We had the pickup, a cargo "paneled" van, a station wagon and even race formula... formula chevette
I currently own a 79 chevette and everywhere I go people who remember them come up to me and always have a story to tell about one
I have a 77 lime green one and a 79 red. I drive the two all summer long where ever I go someone has to come up to me and talk about it. It always starts out with " man I haven't seen one of those in a long time. " then it goes to I had one my mom had one my sister had one my friend had one. Lol fun to still drive!
Your RUclips channel is so cool. I owned a 1988 Hyundai Excel GS. "The Sports" model. A whopping 68 horse power. But loved that crap box. One car of the 80's you don't see much of is the Pontiac Fiero.
Thanks Pat, you did a great job putting this video together. Can't wait for more.
My mom had one of these when I was a kid. It was her second car (first one being a late 70's Mustang II). She got a 1983 Chevette around late 85. I remember it well. Beige color with a 4 speed manual and AM/FM Cassette! She drove that car for three years with no problems until it was totaled in late 88. I'm sure she would have had it for many more years if not for that accident.
I had a "78" Chevette. I drove 100 miles a day to work and back. It was basic no frills transportation. Gas had gone from 59 cents a gallon to over a dollar a gallon. The automatic transmission gave out at 75,000mi and the car pretty much gave out at 125,000. miles. But I loved that little car the whole time I drove it and never regretted buying it.
Great video. A pleasant surprise to see a video dedicated to the Chevette!
Thank you! 👍
I had a '81 Chevette diesel, great economy (40city/50hwy) but it took a lot of time to get up to speed. I wish I still had that little car!
IZUZU made diesel..
@@bextar6365 Yep, so is the Duramax.
it could rev to 5k
Had an orange Chevette Hatchback in early marriage. It was kinda fun and dependable.
Interesting video, I was a porter at a Chevrolet dealer during this time, the Chevette used the same platform as the Vega but didn't uss the aluminum engine block.
In today's time this would be the Chevy Sonic. Arguably even the Chevy Spark.
No it completely would not be the Sonic.
Maybe a Spark. .. Sonic's are *quick* , in their class.
I agree with you 💯%
I borrowed one once. It had an automatic (2 speed maybe?) and it was slow almost beyond belief. The odd thing was the engines seemed to hand in there while the bodies rotted around them.
Oddly enough up until a year or so ago someone around where I live drove one regularly.
I owned two Chevettes: a ‘77 Scooter that had an optional rear seat and a 1981 four door. What I hated most about them was that you could not check the air filter and you had to buy the whole assembly to change it because the paper filter was sealed in it.
Yeah, a humble car like that brings out the nostalgia like no high dollar classic can. (I had a Studebaker Lark for years that had the same effect...it was as plain as plain gets, but the car show crowd loved it.)
The last decent Chevette I ever saw was at an auto auction my friends and I went to. It was an early 80s model with 19K on the clock (literally) and looked damn good. I even started it and it was like it was brand new.
When was this?
@@TheCRTman 1995.
@@JL-sm6cg Wow
The car had lots of potential, as evidenced by it's success in motorsports around the world. It had a fairly stiff chassis and good handling characteristics. It was also quite safe for a car of it's time and size.
GM tested them with a 2.8 V6, but was not approved because it outperformed the Corvette.
There a numerous very active Facebook groups dedicated to the car. I currently own 3 Chevettes and a T1000, I raced dirt track with one for a couple of seasons, seriously considering road racing.
It's plenty safe enough for me. I have had several air cooled VW Bugs, a Suzuki Samurai, and currently drive a 1972 Pinto wagon. Of course, I also ride motorcycles and jump out of airplanes.
One of the firefighters at the fire dept two buildings down from my dad's auto shop had one in the early 90s that constantly broke down and both burned and leaked oil. He would leave it at the shop when he went on calls so my dad's employees could top off the fluids and fix whatever had broken that week while they were off at calls. I guess that's a perk of having a Fire Chief that owns a body shop so close.
My mom gave me her '76 Chevette sometime in the late 70s after she upgraded to a Volkswagen Rabbit. Eventually I began to call that car the Cheddar Cheesette, because it was so cheesy. It decayed rapidly over the few years I owned it. Little plastic parts, like the knobs on the window cranks snapped off one by one. The tuning buttons on the radio stopped functioning, and then knob for tuning into stations manually broke off in between radio stations. That was the end of the entertainment system. I guess I'm lucky the on/off switch didn't break off with the radio on and blasting static. Twice the Cheesette stranded me on the highway because the timing belt broke, and to replace it, the mechanic had to pull out the engine block. Eventually the floor panels rusted through so you could watch the highway passing below your feet as you drove. Great car! Good job, GM!
They were everywhere. In Canada we had the Pontiac version called the Acadian .
We had that in the US too, it was called the Pontiac T1000 (came out before the Terminator movie).
In Australia it was the Holden Gemini. Early ones were imported from Isuzu Japan and later ones made in Australia.
Every one I ever saw was a noisy, rusty heap of trash.
When they were brand new, they weren't much better. My uncle bought one new in the 80's, he drove it til it literally fell apart.
Owned one late 70's loved that little car everyone chipped in a buck and we cruised around all night. I had a ford maverick before that , that's one you don't hear much about.
Oh yes, I've heard of the Maverick. My dad had a convertible one in 1974.
It wasn't an official Ford product. He built it himself. He went to his favorite bar after work, as usual (god forbid you go home to your family & take care of your kids), closed the place, as always, & decided to visit his family in Oklahoma. We lived in Merrillville, Ind. at the time. So he went rip-snorting down I57 in Illinois, passed out, & drifted onto the shoulder, where the car ran into a truck parked there. The car shoved the trailer wheels all the way forward. The cops said that based on the damage, he must've been going 100 MPH on impact. "So", you think quietly to yourself as you sip brandy at the fireside, "Closed Casket Funeral, I'm guessing, Miss Mansfield?" Nope, he'd passed out & fell across the seat. The truck went right over him.
I found out about this in 1978, when his Human Destructo Machine act escalated to the point where my mom couldn't hide it from us kids any more. In 1985, he told me the details of that & all the other wrecks. The shit he did to cars would've made him a legend, had he done it on the Demo Derby Circuit, instead of on streets & highways. The legend lies in the fact that he didn't die that way, but from lupus in 2010.
Now the Maverick nameplate is back, in a small unibody pickup truck body.
I worked as a service director for a Chevrolet dealership back then and I can't recall a single major repair needed by one of these cars. We had people buying them for their kids who would drive the living snot out of them and when they came into the service department it was usually for body and interior trim/upholstery and gear shift lever repairs. I loved them and having rear-wheel drive was a real bonus. The crazy thing is that as much as I respected these little things for their ability to take a beating and keep on going it was also part of the reason I got out of the car business. A transporter unloaded a new batch of Chevettes and when I was inspecting them I came across a powder blue one with a window sticker that was about $10,100 and I decided "That's it!". The cars that Chevrolet was building, starting with the 1978 lineup, were crap as far as I was concerned. Corvettes were hard to come by and if somebody wanted to order one I would sit them down and explain that we would not charge over list price, like everyone else was doing back then, but I really didn't want to hear about how inferior the paint was or the squeaks and rattles and REALLY bad performance they had and yet people still had to have one of those shit-boxes.
I loved my 1984 Chevette. Best little car to run around and do 200+ mile rd trips. Bought it with 60,000 miles in 1991, traded it in 1995 with 120,000.
Bought one for 100dollars in the 90s it was a 82 I think standard drove it a year and a half not a bad car also you can use the platform for kit cars just like a vw
Decent ones now bring around 2k lol
Great video! Reminds me of a time I wish I could return to. A video on 92 to 97 Olds Cutlass Supremes would be cool. The 91 and 98 models are not the same car. There were 2-dr, 4-dr and convertible models. I own and drive a 95 and a 97 with 70k and 407k respectively. You can't kill 'em!
My parents owned a 1976 2 door with the 1.6L engine. It actually handled quite well due to what I understand to be its Opel derived front suspension and rear wheel drive.
My dad had a 1976 he lovingly called his 'Vette. I was living out of town and flew home for a visit. I borrowed dad's 'Vette to visit a friend in a town bout 100 miles away. I will never forget that trip on the interstate. Tractor trailers were blowing by me and their vortex darn near knocked me off the road. It was a cure little car but strictly a work/grocery/errand car.
I miss my old 83 Chevette it was the best car that I owned. I could not destroy the old car it just kept on going. My friends used to call it Timex because it kept on going.
At the time I was 16 learning to drive in an 83 that was at that point already 6 years old and I couldn't kill it. It was still a working car when the wreckers came for it, engine mounts where starting to rust out. Took 4 years of teenage abuse...everything from not changing the oil to running the tank down to E.
My dad put a few hundred thousand miles on his first chevette, then traded it on a 2nd.
When my parents got together my dad had 2 vehicles, a 68 and a 70 C10. When they got the chevette it was a little before I was born in 93. Which was around the time they put in the 4 lane highway outside of town to replace the old 2 lane and then they raised the speed to 70 from the original 55. My dad said 70 was all that thing would do. We eventually got a delta 88 and dad sold the chevette to a friend who cut it up and made it into a boat.
A 1976 2 door Chevrolet Chevette (Dark Green w/tan interior) was my mother's 2nd car. She had moved from her 1972 Chevrolet Belair (four door) to the Chevette from an Avis Car Rental lot. It was purchased in 1979 and kept on going until she traded it in for a 1985 Plymouth Horizon four door. There were a few interesting experiences with the Chevette. #1. It had ignition issues to the point that my mother needed to learn how to hot-wire it to get it to start at times. #2 the floor rotted out under the passenger seat and the only thing holding up my 6'2" 250+lbs grandfather was the seat mount.... Another found childhood memory.
I had an 81 diesel which had incredible mileage. But it was slow as hell.
I had a '81 Chevette diesel also. It never came close to the mileage claims, which for me was disappointing. Every couple of months I had to replace glow plugs but that was no big deal. The Thermoking refrigerator trailers at work used the same Isuzu engine, so spares were not an issue and I would fix it myself. A short time later after purchasing it new, diesel prices jumped and never came down. By then the Japanese cars were killing it when it came to gas mileage. I had it for about a year and got a Chevy Citation to replace it.
@@BillyLapTop Glow plugs we're $25 each. Mine had a block heater that helped starting in the winter. Other than replacing the glow plugs once, mine ran exceptionally well.
@@BFSilenceDogood I am glad you got good service from your Chevette. At that time when I bought mine, which I am hard pressed to recall how much I spent, maybe 6 grand or a little more, the Volkswagen diesel car was going for close to 8 thousand. For me the Chevette was the better deal at the time for a diesel car. Fuel prices were in flux in those times and prompted me to find a better alternative. I was fortunate enough to get my fuel through the company I worked for but just the same I wanted to hedge those pump prices just in case and to conserve energy.
My ex had an 84 two door when we got married. Good on gas, reliable and had ice cold air.
I bought it before they sent it to auction but the the most dependable to that point since all were bought used was a 78 Pontiac Phoenix. Even though the body was rusted out at the bottom of the doors I drove it for over 200,000 miles. I never needed an alignment and only needed two sets of tires. I kept the oil changed and it cornered like a boss! I wished I could find another when the v6 oil pump wouldn’t reprime after an oil change. (Thanks Buick) After that I went to 4x4’s.
Excellent video. Amazing how so many were sold and so few survived. Keep these great memories coming!!
You're off on a few of the facts about the Chevette's corporate cousins though. The Vega morphed into the Monza/Skyhawk/Sunbird etc and sold simultaneously with the Chevette for the first few years. Monza was the "sporty" subcompact and the Chevette was the everyman car. Never intended to compete with/replace that carline.
The X cars (Citation, etc) replaced the original X cars (Nova, etc) and were considered compact/intermediate cars, never intended to compete in the subcompact class against Chevette and the Japanese rivals
The introduction of the Jcars was a quality and reliability disaster in the first year and since the Chevette had sold so well in the years precedding they couldn't kill it off, lucky thing since the Cavaliers got a bad rap those first few years
The Nova (Corrolla) was jointly engineered from the beginning for the North American market and was always built at NUMMI in California (same factory where Tesla builds cars now) and were never Japanese imports except for a few specialty models
It was an unbelievable dog. Shove it or leave it as my dad used to say.
My brother inlaw had one. We were riding to work and the clutch cable broke-we rolled to a stop, parked it, and walked the remaining mile or so to work! Was a stick shift. He got some hardware later to reconnect it!
The Chevette was an emergency replacement for the notoriously unreliable Chevy Vega designed by famous John DeLorean (yes, the same man who created the DeLorean motor company and failed miserably when arrested for drug dealing in a desperate attempt to save it). The Chevette was designed by chief engineer John Mowrey in 1973 for Brazil, not America. The name came from Brazil where the Chevette was first sold back in 1973. Two years later on September 16, 1975 it began selling as a 1976 model in the USA. When you add in the sales in South America (it was sold everywhere there) GM sold over 7 million of these cars as it was sold in Brazil until 1994 - 19 years later. They built it forever because it sold well in South America for longer than it did in the USA - and it cost nearly nothing to keep selling it. Also why everything was an option, to keep it cheap for the South American market. It truly was an international design sent to America to make up for John DeLorean's failed attempt at a small car.
Ed Cole was the chief engineer and Bill Mitchell was the chief designer of the Vega, not John DeLorean. The Vega was corporately engineered by General Motors and outside of the specific control of Chevrolet. Development of the Vega began in 1968 before DeLorean became General Manager of Chevrolet. The only role that DeLorean had in regards to the Chevette was promoting the vehicle. Also, the Chevette was sold in Europe as a Vauxhall Chevette and hatchback Opel Kadett C. The American Chevette was not an emergency replacement for the Vega as it was cheaper than the Vega which continued through 1977. The 1975 Chevrolet Monza was more likely the replacement for the Vega.
@@SpockvsMcCoy What you write is partially true - but he is responsible for the car and its quality along with GM management. It was so bad he quit. What is your source? Quoted from Motor Trend in 1970 and Hot Rod in 1973: The Vega was assigned to Chevrolet by corporate management, specifically by GM president Ed Cole, just weeks before DeLorean's 1969 arrival as Chevrolet division's general manager. In a Motor Trend interview in August 1970, DeLorean said, "Vega will be the highest quality product ever built by Chevrolet." By DeLorean's orders, dozens of extra inspectors were assigned to the Vega assembly line and the first two thousand cars were road-tested. He stated, "the first cars, from a manufacturing standpoint, were well built." But in 1972, General Motors Assembly Division (GMAD) took over the Chevrolet Lordstown assembly plant and adjoining Fisher body plant. Their main goal was to cut costs and more than 800 workers were laid off, many of whom were additional inspectors. This led to assembly-line vandalism, with workers intentionally slowing the line, leaving off parts and installing others improperly. Incomplete and often non-functioning cars soon filled the factory lot, which then had to be reprocessed and repaired by a team assigned to this task by DeLorean. A one-month strike followed, and dealers did not receive enough cars for the demand in 1972. DeLorean regrouped for the 1973 model year with Vega sales of 395,792. The one-millionth Vega was built in May 1973, a month after DeLorean's GM resignation.
@@Buc_Stops_Here I don't think DeLorean left General Motors specifically due to the fallout from the Vega. He more likely left because his personality did not mesh with the conservative corporate culture that dominated the hierarchical structure of GM management. The fallout from the Vega should be placed on Ed Cole and not DeLorean. Of course, many people are going to blame the General Manager of a specific division of GM if a vehicle sold by that division is of poor quality. But criticism of DeLorean for the Vega is unfair because it was a crap car engineered outside the control of Chevrolet and under Ed Cole. Ed Cole had that power because he ranked higher than DeLorean in GM's hierarchical management. Ed Cole engineered the famous 1955 small block V-8 Chevrolet, but he also was responsible for the engineering problems with the 1960 Corvair and 1971 Vega. The choice of an aluminum engine for the 1971 Vega, which was not shared with other GM products, is the root cause of all the problems with the Vega. Why? Because it was an expensive engine to build yet the car had to have a low-price point. As a result, cost savings had to be made in order for the 1971 Vega to be profitable...sleeveless cylinder blocks, deleted inner fender liners, inadequate corrosion protection, and higher than industry average units produced per hour on its assembly line. The preferred engine for the 1971 Vega should have been a large displacement 4-Cylinder from Opel that would have been cheaper to build and more reliable...then cost savings would not have been made and quality would have been higher.
@@SpockvsMcCoy Yes, the engine was a nightmare. I was a kid when my dad bought one. That aluminum sleeve was its downfall as in some cars, it separated from the cast iron engine block, leaked fuel, and caught on fire. How do I know? Ours did exactly that and got me interested in computers and engineering. Yes, he was sick of management but at the same time his reputation (fairly or not) took a beating. Even in the passage I pulled he did the right things, but was overridden (correctly as you state) and the wheels literally came off. Of course what came after that he did was even worse - the DeLorean motor company where he pieced together a car with an underpowered engine and failed miserably a few years later getting caught with drugs to save his floundering company. I am sure you are completely right about the engine choice. The Chevette became the defacto replacement because it sold after the Vega, well before the Monza came out -and it came from Brazil, it was not designed for the USA market.
@@Buc_Stops_Here The 1975 Chevrolet Monza preceded the 1976 Chevrolet Chevette in the American market. Rather than a defacto replacement, GM management decided to fix the problems with the Vega starting with the 1973 models and continuing through the 1976 models, introduce an upgraded model (1975 Monza), and introduce a cheaper model (1976 Chevette). Recall that the 1976 Chevette is also based on the 1973 Opel Kadett C from Germany with the European hatchback models of the T-Platform introduced in May 1975.
Had two. They were very reliable and nice to drive. You need to keep the times in mind.
I owned a 76 vauxhall chevette, then I am from the UK! It was slow (1.2 vauxhall engine) but ultra reliable. I'm pretty sure the name comes from the vauxhall. I may be wrong! They are as rare as hens teeth here now too! We did have a HS model which was the rally version you could buy! powered by a 2.3 liter slant 4. (supposedly half of one of your V8s..) good cars, good times.
I'm in the UK too and had one. Mine was slow but it took me from Dover to London and back all the time with no problems for over 12 years.
The car my mom had when I was born was a Chevette. These used to be everywhere, but in my neighborhood one person had the Pontiac version, which I thought was way cooler since it was rarer. My friend's mom had the Citation 5 door. In reality, almost all late 70s/early 80s cars were awful, but these Chevys were particularly so. When my dad replaced his Ford Fairmont with a 1st gen Taurus, it was clear that a better future was finally here.....
As a kid, my mom had an '86 4 door 5 speed. She used to tell people she drove a 5 speed Vette. Her and my dad called it "The Bomb" because they never knew when it blow up, but it could be any time. I still remember being driven to pre school one day, and while drivng up a hill, the muffler just fell off. It was a noisy ride the rest of the way haha. I still miss that ca
My brother had a silver T1000 with manual transmission. I loved that car.
As a kid in the early 80's my friend's mom had one of these, probably still does for all I know. She's frugal like that.
It wasn't anything special but the thing ran like a champ forever. Change the oil and belts once in a while and that was it.