Correction: I realized after releasing this my Cavalier was NOT my last GM car! We'd bought a used Saturn Relay minivan after this, and it was far, FAR worse than the Cavalier!
I owned a Saturn Relay level III with the heated leather seats and the grey cladding.. it was under powered and it always had 'issues'. It never seemed to be great. We owned Chryslers at the time and it's very easy to see why GM never made another minivan. I think even the Ford Freestar was miles ahead let alone what Honda and Chrysler had going at the time. They basically just updated the Venture minivan that was already seen as 'outdated' and gave it a refreshing but there wasn't much redeeming about that van. Sadly GM easily could have knocked it out of the ball park for not much more than they invested in to upgrading. They also spent millions on marketing them after. But it's GM. We wouldn't have nothing to talk about otherwise lol. It was all downhill from there. Even if I thought a modern GM looked good I would be too scared to invest in to buying it. Too many quality issues for me
My Mom had a 1994 Pontiac Sunbird SE 2 door coupe with the V6 and automatic. It was fully loaded including a sunroof. That car had some serious pep and the signature GM growly exhaust system sounded great. Other than a minor water leak it was a great car with no issues other than regular maintenance.
The thing about the J cars especially later ones like the Cavalier and Sunbird/Sunfire was they were meant to be a cheap entry level car and for alot of people it was their first car. I worked at a Chevy dealer in the early 2000's and we used to get loads of these in. Several times we were overstocked and they would have a Cavalier sale on. They were good for basic transportation but essentially a disposable car.
I really liked Cavaliers. I owned two of them, both high mileage cars I got for under $1000. They make great fixer uppers because they are really easy to fix. The simple pushrod design engine meant if needed I could change a head gasket in it in a couple of hours. The stick shift version I had was the most enjoyable. I’ve always had a V-8 muscle car or classic for enjoyment though, and then a small GM car for commuting. Had a cobalt after that, now a Malibu and I have had good luck with all of them so far.
Massive points for the statement, "GM doesn't care". No truer words ever stated. My sense as someone deep into the auto parts industry is that it's completely about flashiness with enough reliability to get past the warranty...and that's it. They're not out to help anyone but themselves. Completely anti-customer designs, such as the heater hose quick-connects that are non-removable without a hard-to-find tool, or you cut them with a hacksaw and peel them off. Engineered for fast assembly in the factory and NOT for user serviceability at all. They want every owner to look at things like this and say, "Well, I guess I better take it in for service...I can't work on this." My son once owned a 2005 Equinox. It was a former fleet vehicle, so you'd THINK it had been well-maintained. One day he called me and told me the transmission slipped while pulling out onto a highway. I worked at a company where I had access to vehicle lifts in their garage, so we got it up on a lift when I discovered it didn't have a dipstick for the transmission. Only it DID... I found a screw in plug behind an engine mount, hard to access of course, and when I took it out it had a tiny dipstick on it for the trans fluid. That thing looked like they'd lifted it straight out of a Briggs & Stratton lawn mower engine. The transmission was 3 quarts low. When I lowered the vehicle again, I looked down through to where the plug was and it was a direct, open view. In other words, there was NO REASON TO NOT HAVE A PROPER DIPSTICK TUBE AND STICK. They ONLY did it to make it hard for an owner to service the vehicle. And since the vehicle had to be level when checking the fluid, I NEEDED THE LIFT! Even though they're more common now, how many people have lifts at home? GM is so anti-customer anti-repair.
Car buyers have long memories, as noted here. I purchased a new 1997 Cavalier four door in metallic blue. After 12 months, I noticed that the seams on the bottom of the front doors were rusting and the paint peeling off. A district rep came from GM Canada to inspect. He agreed there was an issue. He said they would spray paint over it. I said the paint will only fall off as it was rusting from the inside. He said take it or leave it. He definitely didn't seem to care if they lost a customer for life. Perhaps GM was so big and mighty, that losing customers was not a big issue. Within a few weeks, I traded it for a 1998 Acura. When I see shiny new GM models now, I'll pass.
I owned a 2007 Chevy Cobalt. After I bought it I read online reviews of the car. They were terrible. I owned the Cobalt for several years. It was perfectly sized for city living. It was easy to maintain. It was fairly reliable. I really liked the car. Owning this car made me realize that GM, in my opinion, is underrated.
I disagree with you, but enjoyed the commentary, so I still liked the video. I, too am a GM fanboy. The Cavalier ran for 20 years, which was never celebrated. The first gen I have no experience with, but my Dad got a Z24 convertible in 1985. I loved this car, took it to homecoming and prom. The 140hp felt like a rocketship at the time. The base Cavalier Coupe I had was a 2003, and also had 140hp. I was zippy, but not fast. I really liked this car, drove it to 150,000 miles before it was sideswiped. When it did break was rare, and was so cheap to repair. The interior was surprisingly robust, and it always started whether 120 or -20. Gas mileage was good, but this was the replacement for the Chevette, and the Citation, so perhaps my expectations were low. Even when compared to a Corolla, it was fine, and was a lot less (actual price, not MSRP). I would love to have another one.
The Chevette was a great car. People just expected too much from a dirt cheap economy car. If you see it for what it is and what it cost. Then you'd love it too
Great show Jon 😊 ! I can agree, I owned a 86 Chevrolet Caprice Classic and my buddy owned a 97 Pontiac Sunfire , I felt that the Sunfire was cheaply put together whereas my Caprice being a older car seemed solid and well put together .
I owned one. Bought an 01 Cavalier with 155K. I drove it for two yrs. Put 40K on it. Replaced a headlight. That was the only major thing i did on it. It even survived a rearend collision. Sold it to a young lady who was getting her license. Bought my dad's 93 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. 😊
I've had some experience with the J cars as well, and you're right; the cars just went downhill after the first generation refresh (some call it the second gen), but that late-'90s, curvy generation was just junk. Right around 1994-'94 (when I graduated from high school) I really liked the Cavalier and Sunbird (I'm a Pontiac guy at heart) and especially the Z-24 convertible, which had optional vinyl seats that truly felt like leather. I took home a brochure and was surprised to see that it was vinyl and not leather. I had driven an original style Cavalier wagon with a 4-speed manual, it was a delivery car at the parts store I worked at (I'm a parts counterman, and I worked my way up from driver/stock boy to learning to work the counter. It helped a lot that I had taken auto shop class and graduated from high school with a NY State certification), and so I saw the improvements GM made to the refresh/2nd gen J cars and I really liked them, as I said. As for your ABS issue, I remember that at the time, rear wheel only ABS was a popular standard feature, especially from GM, so that may have been the problem with your experience. You could usually upgrade to four wheel ABS, but it was a bit pricey. But the rear-only ABS was a pretty lousy system.
My wife replaced a troublesome Geo Storm with the first model year (96) Pontiac Sunfire sedan. I found the motor rough and buzzy and some parts of the interior were hard and cramped for me, but overall it was a sturdy and reliable car for us and our first two kids. Expecting a third child pushed us to get a minivan, but the Sunfire was still nearly perfect for what it was when we sold it in 2000.
My parents owned two Cavaliers, an '84 and '85. Both were good cars, with no issues with 6+ years of ownership. My sister had an '01 Cavalier. I have to say, the interior of the '01 was almost comical how cheap it looked and felt by comparison to the 80's Cavaliers.
Jon I think I have stated in the past but I owned a 84 Pontiac Sunbird. I owned it for over 11 years I put over 300,000 miles on it. It had a 1.8 liter none turbo. The old girl was a beast. It would go anywhere. I know I took it places that a little car should not have gone.
I'd love to experience driving an older Cavalier (1st or 2nd gen). I owned a 2002 Cavalier for 5 years. It was OK. I was never excited to drive it, but it got me where I needed to go. I've owned a Chevy Spark since new in 2013. I still feel very happy driving it and it serves me very well.
My brother had a 1987 Cavalier Z24 in the late 80's, and it was a fun and surprisingly reliable sporty little car. It had the 2.8 and to my eyes was a very nice looking car.
I bought a 1994 cavalier new since I always liked that body style. When I saw the '95s I couldn't believe how they ruined it. Reminded me of how they made the Caprice a whale in '91
@@JonathanPARADIS-nb5bw It was bizarre. They made it look frumpy and worse. Even more dated looking. And added a one-piece tail-light effect to the decklid... which was an even more-90s stying treatment? The Cavalier always had "cute baby Camaro" styling going for it at least, and they ruined it.
The book by Bob Lutz about his time at GM is an interesting read. It lays out exactly what is mentioned here, there were lots of people in charge of making sure all the right boxes were checked but didn't care about the end product.
@@AllCarswithJon I believe that is the book. I loaned it to my brother and it's been lost so I wasn't sure the title. Maybe you can do a video some time on what's been written by industry insiders and your personal thoughts.
I've seen interviews where Lutz says this about the Aztek. It met all these internal benchmarks and everyone that worked on it was really hyped up that it was a guaranteed hit. I mean on paper it was a competent crossover ahead of its time. Yet as one guy in a GM focus group said "I wouldn't accept it as a gift."
Never owned a J body myself, but I have some experience with them. My grandmother had a mid to late 90s one when I was little (very early 2000s). I have a few scattered memories from the back of that car. A good friend of mine had a red 1990 4 door as his first car. He kept it as a 2nd car for a few years after he replaced with a 2009 Chevy Cobalt (he had that car until earlier this year when he replaced it with a 2005 Honda Accord). He gave the Cavalier to another good friend who was down on his luck and needed a cheap car to start working again. He drove that car for ~2.5 years. It was remarkably easy to service and I showed him how to do basic maintenence on it. After he started to do well for himself again, he replaced it with a 2007 Toyota Prius, but it had far more issues than the old Cavalier. I also had a coworker with a 1991 that had some hack fuel pump wiring that I removed. They were cheap cars no doubt, but they were robust and dependable. They still make great beaters.
Just found and sub’d to your channel!……. I purchased a 2000 Cav convertible used out of the south in about ‘07 with just under 100k miles on it . Live in northern NY, where they rust away before the mechanicals give up……So, just use it in the summer, and store it for the winters……..195 k miles on it now and it is developing some issues that need to be dealt with……..but I do love it. Never had the rear brake issue you eluded to. Only needed to replace the tires once, did do a timing chain and head gasket at about 130k miles…….i am going to need to make some decisions regarding what to do with whatever is going on with engine drivability……..vs fixing it and still having a 200k transmission. Had great luck with ‘80’ and ‘90’s GM’s, and just like you have had to go to Honda/Acura due to quality and reliability issues . Today’s car market is truly scary! I’ll be watching!
As you know, just like Ford, GM has stopped making small cars and sedans as they are not as profitable as SUVs which is a shame. Some generations of Cavalier were cheaply built. Unlike the Japanese automakers, they don't keep redesigning and improving their cars. Instead they cancel the car and replace it with something else
The Car Wizard has said the Cavalier is generally OK. They are so old now. A shadetree DIYer can keep the J body going - but they are disappearing from Pick-N-Pull.
Myopic business chess move by Detroit to appease Wall Street short term goals. Twenty somethings looking for their first entry level car end up on a showroom floor buying a Civic or Corolla aren’t trading that vehicle in for a Buick or Chevy SUV when they are in their thirties. They’re upgrading to a Highlander or Lexus. GM will be out of business eventually
@@charlesharmon4926 yes, if the big 3 don't improve their build quality and keep making junk cars, they could go out of business. We see Chrysler is struggling and Stellantis may get rid of Chrysler
They weren't even good cars. I sat in the last gen Cruze and it was so unbelievablely badly made and such a bad car. I have never felt such a cheap shifter. Even with making such low quality products the American brands couldn't make a profit. That's just sad.
@@baronvonjo1929 GM, Ford & Chrysler don't care about quality the way the Japanese automakers do. They are focused on increasing profits and reducing production costs. They do this by using cheaper quality materials and parts. The reason Toyota's are reliable and last long is because they use high quality parts
Another great review. I, too, had some experience with the J-Car, and the Cavalier at that. As I'm busy doing insertions with things I've got to index, I'll comment at a later date on how I learned about the Chevy Cavalier. I really enjoy your automotive commentary, Jon. Andy McKane, Maunaloa, HI.
Jon, i know EXACTLY what you are talking about with the early GM ABS system!! I'm not nor have I ever been a GM fan, but my fiance had a Corsica (90?) I believe?? Absolutely hated the ABS in that car! Never worked as I thought it should! Had 1 GM J-Body car (Buick Skyhawk) that I traded a Renault Fuego Turbo for. (Which had a very early form of ABS!) Worst. Decision. Ever. It did not have that system as I do not believe it was available at the time, but the car worked well for me. 4-speed manual, stripper model, but in college it did do it's job as intended. After working for Lincoln-Mercury (27 years in that business) and seeing how the Ford system worked (albeit optional on some vehicles back then..) that was how it should have worked! Love the channel, I have some old AMC items I would love to send you for your backdrop. Keep up with the awesome channel-I love it!
Cavalier is what GM needs now to get new car buyers into the brand. My Dad had an 84 4 spd manual then I had an 86 5 spd. Best friends later had an 88 and 89. Maybe one of the best cars GM built. Reliable, good looking. Peppy. Perfect size. The first gen J bodies were just fantastic.
My step mom owned a y2k cavalier coupe for a couple of years when I was growing up. It may not of been the fanciest or most luxurious car on the road, but it wasn't a bad car either. People hate that car for being cheaply built, when in fact the whole purpose of the cavalier was to be cheap. All things considered, it did a great job at being a good simple economy car. I miss cars like the cavalier.
Thank you for explanation. It's the intangibles (or perhaps invisible elements) that they failed on. I know what you're talking about concerning the ABS. My Cutlass Ciera did that and I hated it. I don't know how many times I had them work on it and it was never right. My intrepid was way better on the ABS as was my father's Taurus.
Jon, My first car was a red 87 sunbird 4 door purchased from avis only a year old, i then traded in and purchased a brand new red 89 sunbird SE coupe which i thought was really sharp looking, i then purchased a black 94 cavalier RS coupe and later a red 2000 Sunfire SE coupe. I guess I liked the J cars never had any major issues other than they were kinda slow vehicles but I didn't care. My favorite came when I sold my 91 sunbird and purchased the new 93 Ford Probe GT in maroon color it was a nice looking and fast car as well.
Absolutely love the detail he mentioned about looking down at people back then who had the audacity to buy Hondas and Toyotas and ended up with a Honda accord in the driveway today..funny how that works.
Thanks. Life has a way of teaching lessons. :) I was a teenage boy, so I felt I had it all figured out and was a bit self-righteous about it all. In fact I remember being on UseNET back in the day and saying 1. there was nothing the Japanese did that the American's didn't do better (yeah, that aged well), 2. VTEC was a gimmick because nobody in their daily life would use those high-rev benefits and 3. The Japanese 4-year cycle to redesign cars was a waste and just marketing because the big jumps they were making would eventually leave them with nothing else to really improve on, just "tweaks". Luckily, I grew up. :)
@@AllCarswithJon I agree. It’s honestly refreshing to hear that kinda of honesty about stuff like that we were all young at one point and I just love the honesty Jon. Keep up the good work on the channel!
Am I the only one who remembers that TV commercial for the Cavalier? "With the low price of the Cavalier, your friends will think you saved so much money, that you can afford to live HERE." The car was in a white sound-stage, and they unrolled a giant banner in the background with a picture of the Taj Mahal, which is a MAUSOLEUM. The advertising agency made a MAJOR MISTAKE here. I don't want my neighbors thinking I live in a building with some dead prince's wife.
One of my least favorite features of the 1990-1994 Cavalier (and pretty much all GM cars of this era) were the door-mounted seat belts as a cheap way to meet the passive restraint requirement. Apparently no one at GM or the Feds took into consideration the very real possibility of a door opening in a crash…which creates the risk of an ejection despite the seat belt being fastened. And I know GM wasn’t the only make that took this road…for instance I recall Camry coupes of the era using them too.
I bought a 1994 Cavalier new and traded it in after one year. At about 3k miles I needed a new front left strut. After about 10 months my back started hurting when I got out of the car after a 30 minute commute. I was 24 at the time. Then the center console became so loose that I had to have it repaired at the dealer. They loaned me a new Corsica. I loved that car. Couldn't believe how heavy it felt compared to it's size. Way more powerful than the Cavalier. So I traded in the Cavalier for a new 1995 Corsica. Was driving a lot in those days and at about 39k miles a head gasket blew. Did not have the extended warranty. So, as I was still paying for the car, I really had no choice but to get a new motor, at the cost of around $4k in 1999 dollars. Thanks GM!!! Been driving Hyundais, which we all used to laugh at in the 80's, since 2010.
I bet you had the 3.1 in that Corsica. Starting around 1995 and up through 2002-ish they were almost guaranteed to blow an intake or head gasket at some point, unless the owner knew about the causes and was vigilant. The main culprit was that GM mounted the radiator lower than the highest water point in the engine, and since air bubbles float upwards, if you had a coolant leak you ended up with an air pocket in the engine. Water cooled engines don't cool much at all with air, so unless after filling the radiator you knew about the necessary air bleeding process, you usually cooked something expensive.
@@The_R-n-I_Guy of all the Hyundais we’ve had we’ve only had one that was affected by the theta two recall. Our 2015 Santa Fe that I bought new. Just had the motor swapped out about a year ago. took them forever because they’re so busy doing that work now. other than that we’ve had no problems and as far as fit and finish they put GM to shame in my opinion.
@@k.b.tidwell you are correct about the 3.1. Glad to hear what actually happened all these years later. I recall that one day in the morning I had the low coolant light, but I don’t recall seeing any on the ground so I just added some more. Same thing happened again a few weeks later and this was the summertime 1999 and I remember driving to Atlantic City and out of nowhere, the temperature needle went all the way up and then went back down again which I thought was strange, but there was never any overheating or anything. Then I took it in for a scheduled oil change and that’s when I got the news that there was coolant in the oil. I was given the choice of paying all the labor to disassemble the top of the engine to see what the cause was, which would cost almost as much as just pulling the motor and replacing it. So I went with the latter option. By early 2004 I wasn’t driving it much anymore so I decided to sell it figuring that it’s just sitting around it would start to have problems so I figured I would get money for it while I could.
In regards to what another commentor stated that "GM made more Japanese car buyers than any other entity" I will second that statement, spot on. However I did switch back to a domestic brand to try and give another one of the big 3, one company I never gave a chance in the past.. a 'fix or repair daily" that I had picked up in 2018 brand new off theor lot. And boy I have to say that was a HUGE mistake, I switched right back to Toyota after 4.5 years and close to 44k miles just before the warranty ran out.. not that a warranty mattered anyways because " fomoco " didn't really want to fix anything anyway or when the they made it a big hassle or they'd break something else. The other thing that got me and I just read the other day is that " fomoco " is doing an airbag recall for some much older vehicles and in the article it stated that they would offer a loaner vehicle for the duration of the repair.. that right there was a kick in the stones because when I needed a warranty fix for my new car they would wish me luck on getting a loaner and I would have to rent a car with only a partial reimbursement on the fees. I despise that company with a passion now after everything else they have done to me.
As someone who owned multiple 1980s GM A-bodies, plus an X-body, an N-body, a G-body, and a C-body from the same decade, I don't think I could ever own another GM passenger car. They're fine cars if you've never really driven anything else, but if you have, they are so hard to like.
I appreciate you answering my question about the story. It aligns with my experience of owning my cavalier. I had a 1999 LS sedan and that thing was the biggest pile of crap I’ve ever owned. I only owned it because my previous car died and I desperately needed a running car for my delivery job at the time. It felt cheap and unsafe like you said. I swear every time I got in it another part of the interior would crack and fall apart and squeak. I traded it in and never looked back. I don’t plan on owning another gm unless it’s an older Camaro or corvette.
Jon, I had the exact same experience with the ABS in my 1993 Cavelier station wagon company car. The ABS was horrible and dangerous in snow. A few times I’d press the brakes and the car would not stop, causing me to enter intersections. Luckily no collisions- just by luck.
I assume the same ABS system was in the 94 Buick LeSabre my father owned. I drove it when I had my permit. One summer day I was driving through a parking lot, dry pavement, and the ABS freaked out and thought I was on ice. That pedal was ROCK HARD and I nearly rolled into traffic. It was incredibly scary and I had merely tapped the pedal to slow down from 10 MPH.
I was raised up in a buy American household and want to support Detroit. My sister had a late 1990s Chevy Cavalier and I drove a 1996 Honda Civic. GM can’t keep from being their own worst enemy in the market place. Her Cavalier was a POS so she traded for a Pontiac G6. She left GM after I did and she drives Lexus Today.
In Britain, as was the GM tendency for sharing names across different markets, the popular Vauxhall "Cavalier" was a completely different car. The Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser. Now that is what I think of as a classic example of Americana. It looks larger than my flat.
The RUclips channel Big Car does similar reviews and histories of European cars. When I saw his video about the Ford Granada I wondered what the hell is that? It looked like a cross between a Capri and a Corolla. I forgot American manufacturers used the same name for different cars around the world. When I think of "American car" I envision a 70's/80's Caprice. No curves, three box design, and enough steel to make four or five Fiats.
@@christopherconard2831 Yes. Confusing indeed. Like when GM purchased Daiwoo, and in Europe, the entire range of bargain basement vehicles were suddenly branded as Chevrolet. That in itself was a crazy move.
I worked in England for a summer in '94 and the company had three Vauxhall Cavaliers. I spent the my weekends driving all over the island. They were all manuals and I had a blast driving them.
I went to buy my first new car in 1997 and I chose a Hyundai Accent over a Cavalier. It was better in almost every way. It ended up being a great car too. The Cavalier was faster, but was built worse and felt about 5 years behind everyone else. At the time GM banked on people being GM families and always buying GM. I came from a GM family and was the first to buy a non GM car. A Hyundai, at that. But once I did, the whole family switched over to foreign brands. My mother bought a Hyundai Sonata, my dad bought a Nissan Sentra, grandparents bought Nissans. There was nothing compelling about GM products once you actually drove a foreign brand. If it’s all you ever drove, GM’s were great.
@@geraldstephens8791 we all took care of our cars. I trade in my cars and they still look new. I follow what the maintenance schedule says and I’ve never had an issue with any Hyundai or Kia that I have owned. Even the old “horrible” ones. I always look at how the car is maintained before I judge how reliable it is. People who own Hondas and Toyotas take care of them much better than the average person who buys a Hyundai or Kia. It gets even worse once they start exchanging on the used market.
There was a man in my town in Missouri that looked like Anger from Inside Out who drove a Buick Skyhawk wagon with the concealed headlights. Apparently that was factory and not a mix and match repair.
jon i agree with you TOTALLY about the A B S braking system being unsafe. It was a terrible design. My mom had a 1998 cavalier z24 2 door. I experienced those ridiculous brakes too ,when i drove it at times! I drive a 2010 toyota camry LE with the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder and 6 speed automatic transmission. My camry has almost 83,000 kilometers on it. I bought it the end of november 2023 with only 71,000 kilometers on it. I live in canada. so that"s why i'm stating the odometer readings in kilometers.
I had all three generations the 86 was the best the 93 was a throw away it didn't matter how well i took care of it it started to biodegrade at 60 thousand miles the 04 had rust problems but at 19 years old its still running
I was just like Jon here. I looked down on people who bought Japanese vehicles, I called them traitors, buy American after all. I was wrong with that approach and understanding I admit. But what does a 15 year old really know? Now I own Toyotas and I wouldn't go back to a "made in America" GM. Most aren't.. but that's not the point. Most had been at the time and back then America could do no wrong. Amazing how 911 opened up my eyes. Anyway the J body was a decent vehicle even if kind of boring. It still had a lot of character. Looking back I owned Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs and one Saturn minivan. None had been horrible but I realize how wrong I was about Japanese vehicles. Especially Toyota. Here I am working on my cars every weekend while my neighbors are taking their kids to the beach.. there's only so many times of being stuck like that on a hot day in Michigan before you say enough is enough.
I've never owned a new car. Never owned a Cavalier. I've owned, driven and ridden in a lot of 80s and 90s GM front wheel drive cars. Mostly A-Body cars, but smaller ones too. Never had any real problems besides just normal wear and damage from abuse. I would rather have a rear wheel drive car. But if I have to drive a front wheel drive car. I would want a 80s or early 90s GM
Dunno how similar it was to the cars, but our family's 1995 Chevrolet Blazer LS had ABS that was really intense when it kicked in. The pedal got really firm and vibrated a bunch, plus you heard a loud zhoom-juurrr mechanical sound. And by firm pedal, I mean, it felt like it was pushing forward fighting against your foot. It had to be bizarre for people new to ABS. I had a later 2001 S10 and it wasn't nearly as noticeable. And a 2001 Regal + 2004 LeSabre where it was almost imperceptible.
First cars are always exciting because they are so 'freeing'. I too loved my first car. It was a small station wagon - a Chevy 2. Perfect size. I used it to travel in and camp with. But, just as you it wore out its welcome. The engine was a noisy, rough running, low power base 6. No power steering meant it was a real pain to parallel park or turn from a stop. And worst the stick shift was so primitive that it had no synco in first gear so I had to stop on quick changing green lights to shift down to first and risk getting plowed into from the read from cars expecting me to accellerate as I rolled to a stop at a red light that suddenly changed to green. Heck, even a VW bug of the era had syncro. But, not GM.
i owned 9 j-body in the past 15 years i liked these cars until i bought my ‘04 in 2013 with the 2.2 ecotec engine and put many mods into it an i LOVE this car but i have to agree with you anything before 2003 with the LN2 2.2 or the LD9 2.4 felt rubbish the newer model still were basic but they were much more refined before discontinuation at the end of 2005 when the cobalts started production
SO, GM ABS is why the brakes didn't work when I hit the back of a snowplow 20 years ago. I thought it was my tires 😂.. the great thing is that the electronics failed soon, illuminating a ABS Failure warning and go into fail safe non ABS mode. I still drive it, and can stop on ice
GM is known to use cheap plastics in the interior. The Big 3 would make small cars cheaply since they want to spend allot money on them. They also don't perform well in IIHS crash test. GM doesn't care about the quality like Honda and Toyota does.
You talk about the 'sudden' influx of Japanese cars and trucks and I'm of an age I remember it as well. Remember thinking they were inferior to the USA products of the time. Oh, sweet summer child that I was - those cars ran and ran....and as I began buying my own cars (father worked for GM so that was 'our' family product of choice) - I started to realize what flaming piles of crap the USA-made products from the big three were. I bought a used '79 Trans Am that I loved but was falling down around my ears by the mid '80's - bought a used '87 Camaro IROC that had leaking T-tops and was overheating like crazy and no one could figure out why. That was ~1994 and was the last GM product I ever bought. Been a Ford guy since, not 100% positive experience (had a 5.4l Expedition I had to put a reman engine in at 110k miles, cam phasers doncha know)....it has been my personal experience that GM products are and continue to be rolling piles of garbage, inside and out. Crappy interiors, bad engines, transmissions...Arcadia/Equinox, anyone? Great vid as usual, Jon!
Wasn't there a Z24 Cavalier at one point? I remember a friend having one and she thinking that she was hot shit driving it like it was a Ferrari or something LOL. I too had that attitude towards Japanese cars till I began realizing how much better they were in comparison to American cars in that era. Of course a GM vehicle and its endless problems, was the last push that I needed before I purchased my first Nissan followed by Toyotas and Hondas till this day.
Once you get to the 1993 Corolla all other compacts pale in comparison. The Civic doesn't compare until the mid 2000s (2005 or 2006) when they finally quieted the Civic down.
Interesting. I had a great respect for the Cavalier but I didn’t realize how unsafe the ABS was. I still think Chrysler did better with the Neon as an overall better package to compete with the Japanese, but l think the Cavalier would be more reliable. That engine and transmission might be a bit crude but I’ve heard stories of how they are quite reliable. Interesting story. I wish GM put more Saturn technology in the Cavalier to give it more personality. I could see why after you driving a cushiony Oldsmobile you’d be appalled by the Cavalier though. The 90s brought a cheap trend with smaller rounder cars that only the Japanese, Germans, and maybe Chrysler got the knack at perfecting. 😂
At the time of my Cavalier, we had a Neon as well. The Cavalier was quieter and felt more like a bigger car. The Neon was noisy but a blast to drive. You're correct the Cavalier would probably have been (mechanically) more reliable in the long run, especially since the Dodge blew a head gasket at about 70k miles, but rolling into intersections because the brakes wouldn't stop the car was a deal-killer for me. :)
I fully understand why you choose overseas brands vs GM, i had 90's Holden Commodores n brakes were not strongest point, as i upgraded my V8 ute with VT models 97. As for interior seats were bland but like dash n basic features, lucky for me all my Holden were non ABS but mum 94 was first ABS with IRS come standard. My uncle had Holdens last one was VS Supercharged 3800 V6 Calais the luxury model but thought VW Jetta were more luxury....well 2 turbos n gearbox later he went back to buying last Holden's car n ute.
Jon, My first car was a red 87 sunbird 4 door purchased from avis only a year old, i then traded in and purchased a brand new red 89 sunbird SE coupe which i thought was really sharp looking, i then purchased a black cavalier RS coupe and later a red 2000 Sunfire SE coupe. I guess I liked the J cars never had any major issues other than they were kinda slow vehicles but I didn't care. My favorite came when I sold my 91 sunbird and purchased the new Ford Probe GT in maroon color it was a nice looking and fast car as well.
I walked away from GM Cars (not trucks) a long time ago just like I did with German cars but the reasons at the time were different for euro cars it was mainly expense every time something broke (if I were in Europe it’d probably be a different story) but for GM it was the constant cost cutting or just some how they find a way to 🤬 it up Saturn is probably the best example I can think of another is that displacement on demand in GM’s current V8 trucks is the reason I don’t currently own one and actually went to Ford after a long line of Chevy truck ownership I remember working on those late 90’s 2.2L 3spd auto Cavaliers they were a horrible car but made durable rentals 😂 we had a few with the 4spd auto and a few 2.4L quad4 equipped ones too better but still 👎🏽
I drove a 4-door 1984 Cav company car and it sucked. No power, driver seat uncomfortable, just a really plain "not-worth-it" car when thinking about other cars in that market space. Never forgave GM for it!
Are you sure you didn't just have a Cavalier with a faulty ABS system? I haven't heard a lot of people complaining about a GM vehicle built after 1992(the time when they introduced the ABS VI system as their low-cost ABS system) where the ABS actually failed. Not since 1992. And believe me, I know that the government would have forced GM to recall every single vehicle that used that ABS system to fix the problem.
Your parents were smart not to buy you a new car. My parents lent me my Mom's nearly brand new Cavalier and I totaled it after spinning out on black ice. 😬
Okay, Okay, I gotta nitpick here.... I'm not THAT old but I remember when you had to pump the brakes and I don't know, drive reasonably in the snow and ice! Am I the only one here?
@@jamesonpace726 indeed, sir! Indeed. I drive a 22 year old car and a 30 year old truck and never felt unsafe in the snow. 2 wheel drive for both. I live in Ohio
i owned a 04 sunfire as a beater now km 115,000 ..horrible car rode bad not good gas mileage..uncomfortable cheap plastic dash got it in 2019 .its gone now..always be Chysler for me now Ford for me..
Correction: I realized after releasing this my Cavalier was NOT my last GM car! We'd bought a used Saturn Relay minivan after this, and it was far, FAR worse than the Cavalier!
also my moms 1998 cavalier z24 the rear of the car would hop up and down on its suspension while breaking!
One of the worst vehicles ever.
I owned a Saturn Relay level III with the heated leather seats and the grey cladding.. it was under powered and it always had 'issues'. It never seemed to be great. We owned Chryslers at the time and it's very easy to see why GM never made another minivan. I think even the Ford Freestar was miles ahead let alone what Honda and Chrysler had going at the time. They basically just updated the Venture minivan that was already seen as 'outdated' and gave it a refreshing but there wasn't much redeeming about that van. Sadly GM easily could have knocked it out of the ball park for not much more than they invested in to upgrading. They also spent millions on marketing them after. But it's GM. We wouldn't have nothing to talk about otherwise lol. It was all downhill from there. Even if I thought a modern GM looked good I would be too scared to invest in to buying it. Too many quality issues for me
Understandable for that mistake. Other Saturn fans forget about that minivan's existance.
My Mom had a 1994 Pontiac Sunbird SE 2 door coupe with the V6 and automatic. It was fully loaded including a sunroof. That car had some serious pep and the signature GM growly exhaust system sounded great. Other than a minor water leak it was a great car with no issues other than regular maintenance.
The thing about the J cars especially later ones like the Cavalier and Sunbird/Sunfire was they were meant to be a cheap entry level car and for alot of people it was their first car. I worked at a Chevy dealer in the early 2000's and we used to get loads of these in. Several times we were overstocked and they would have a Cavalier sale on. They were good for basic transportation but essentially a disposable car.
I really liked Cavaliers. I owned two of them, both high mileage cars I got for under $1000. They make great fixer uppers because they are really easy to fix. The simple pushrod design engine meant if needed I could change a head gasket in it in a couple of hours. The stick shift version I had was the most enjoyable. I’ve always had a V-8 muscle car or classic for enjoyment though, and then a small GM car for commuting. Had a cobalt after that, now a Malibu and I have had good luck with all of them so far.
Massive points for the statement, "GM doesn't care". No truer words ever stated. My sense as someone deep into the auto parts industry is that it's completely about flashiness with enough reliability to get past the warranty...and that's it. They're not out to help anyone but themselves. Completely anti-customer designs, such as the heater hose quick-connects that are non-removable without a hard-to-find tool, or you cut them with a hacksaw and peel them off. Engineered for fast assembly in the factory and NOT for user serviceability at all. They want every owner to look at things like this and say, "Well, I guess I better take it in for service...I can't work on this."
My son once owned a 2005 Equinox. It was a former fleet vehicle, so you'd THINK it had been well-maintained. One day he called me and told me the transmission slipped while pulling out onto a highway. I worked at a company where I had access to vehicle lifts in their garage, so we got it up on a lift when I discovered it didn't have a dipstick for the transmission. Only it DID... I found a screw in plug behind an engine mount, hard to access of course, and when I took it out it had a tiny dipstick on it for the trans fluid. That thing looked like they'd lifted it straight out of a Briggs & Stratton lawn mower engine. The transmission was 3 quarts low. When I lowered the vehicle again, I looked down through to where the plug was and it was a direct, open view. In other words, there was NO REASON TO NOT HAVE A PROPER DIPSTICK TUBE AND STICK. They ONLY did it to make it hard for an owner to service the vehicle. And since the vehicle had to be level when checking the fluid, I NEEDED THE LIFT! Even though they're more common now, how many people have lifts at home?
GM is so anti-customer anti-repair.
Car buyers have long memories, as noted here. I purchased a new 1997 Cavalier four door in metallic blue. After 12 months, I noticed that the seams on the bottom of the front doors were rusting and the paint peeling off. A district rep came from GM Canada to inspect. He agreed there was an issue. He said they would spray paint over it. I said the paint will only fall off as it was rusting from the inside. He said take it or leave it. He definitely didn't seem to care if they lost a customer for life. Perhaps GM was so big and mighty, that losing customers was not a big issue. Within a few weeks, I traded it for a 1998 Acura. When I see shiny new GM models now, I'll pass.
I owned a 2007 Chevy Cobalt. After I bought it I read online reviews of the car. They were terrible. I owned the Cobalt for several years. It was perfectly sized for city living. It was easy to maintain. It was fairly reliable. I really liked the car. Owning this car made me realize that GM, in my opinion, is underrated.
Interesting, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
my mother drove 1994 cavalier station wagon (last year of the station wagon) best years of my life driving with no air bags.
I disagree with you, but enjoyed the commentary, so I still liked the video. I, too am a GM fanboy. The Cavalier ran for 20 years, which was never celebrated. The first gen I have no experience with, but my Dad got a Z24 convertible in 1985. I loved this car, took it to homecoming and prom. The 140hp felt like a rocketship at the time. The base Cavalier Coupe I had was a 2003, and also had 140hp. I was zippy, but not fast. I really liked this car, drove it to 150,000 miles before it was sideswiped. When it did break was rare, and was so cheap to repair. The interior was surprisingly robust, and it always started whether 120 or -20. Gas mileage was good, but this was the replacement for the Chevette, and the Citation, so perhaps my expectations were low. Even when compared to a Corolla, it was fine, and was a lot less (actual price, not MSRP). I would love to have another one.
The Chevette was a great car. People just expected too much from a dirt cheap economy car. If you see it for what it is and what it cost. Then you'd love it too
Great show Jon 😊 ! I can agree, I owned a 86 Chevrolet Caprice Classic and my buddy owned a 97 Pontiac Sunfire , I felt that the Sunfire was cheaply put together whereas my Caprice being a older car seemed solid and well put together .
Appreciate you being here!
I owned one. Bought an 01 Cavalier with 155K. I drove it for two yrs. Put 40K on it. Replaced a headlight. That was the only major thing i did on it. It even survived a rearend collision. Sold it to a young lady who was getting her license. Bought my dad's 93 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. 😊
I've had some experience with the J cars as well, and you're right; the cars just went downhill after the first generation refresh (some call it the second gen), but that late-'90s, curvy generation was just junk. Right around 1994-'94 (when I graduated from high school) I really liked the Cavalier and Sunbird (I'm a Pontiac guy at heart) and especially the Z-24 convertible, which had optional vinyl seats that truly felt like leather. I took home a brochure and was surprised to see that it was vinyl and not leather. I had driven an original style Cavalier wagon with a 4-speed manual, it was a delivery car at the parts store I worked at (I'm a parts counterman, and I worked my way up from driver/stock boy to learning to work the counter. It helped a lot that I had taken auto shop class and graduated from high school with a NY State certification), and so I saw the improvements GM made to the refresh/2nd gen J cars and I really liked them, as I said.
As for your ABS issue, I remember that at the time, rear wheel only ABS was a popular standard feature, especially from GM, so that may have been the problem with your experience. You could usually upgrade to four wheel ABS, but it was a bit pricey. But the rear-only ABS was a pretty lousy system.
My wife replaced a troublesome Geo Storm with the first model year (96) Pontiac Sunfire sedan. I found the motor rough and buzzy and some parts of the interior were hard and cramped for me, but overall it was a sturdy and reliable car for us and our first two kids. Expecting a third child pushed us to get a minivan, but the Sunfire was still nearly perfect for what it was when we sold it in 2000.
My parents owned two Cavaliers, an '84 and '85. Both were good cars, with no issues with 6+ years of ownership. My sister had an '01 Cavalier. I have to say, the interior of the '01 was almost comical how cheap it looked and felt by comparison to the 80's Cavaliers.
Jon I think I have stated in the past but I owned a 84 Pontiac Sunbird. I owned it for over 11 years I put over 300,000 miles on it. It had a 1.8 liter none turbo. The old girl was a beast. It would go anywhere. I know I took it places that a little car should not have gone.
I'd love to experience driving an older Cavalier (1st or 2nd gen). I owned a 2002 Cavalier for 5 years. It was OK. I was never excited to drive it, but it got me where I needed to go. I've owned a Chevy Spark since new in 2013. I still feel very happy driving it and it serves me very well.
My brother had a 1987 Cavalier Z24 in the late 80's, and it was a fun and surprisingly reliable sporty little car. It had the 2.8 and to my eyes was a very nice looking car.
One of the worst facelifts in car history was on the final Cavalier (2003)
I bought a 1994 cavalier new since I always liked that body style. When I saw the '95s I couldn't believe how they ruined it. Reminded me of how they made the Caprice a whale in '91
@@bobloblaw8660 The final generation wasn't a bad looking car but I was referring to the 2003 face-lift front end.
@@JonathanPARADIS-nb5bw It was bizarre. They made it look frumpy and worse. Even more dated looking. And added a one-piece tail-light effect to the decklid... which was an even more-90s stying treatment? The Cavalier always had "cute baby Camaro" styling going for it at least, and they ruined it.
The book by Bob Lutz about his time at GM is an interesting read. It lays out exactly what is mentioned here, there were lots of people in charge of making sure all the right boxes were checked but didn't care about the end product.
Are you referring to Car Guys vs Bean Counters? I'm reading it right now. :)
@@AllCarswithJon I believe that is the book. I loaned it to my brother and it's been lost so I wasn't sure the title. Maybe you can do a video some time on what's been written by industry insiders and your personal thoughts.
I've seen interviews where Lutz says this about the Aztek. It met all these internal benchmarks and everyone that worked on it was really hyped up that it was a guaranteed hit. I mean on paper it was a competent crossover ahead of its time. Yet as one guy in a GM focus group said "I wouldn't accept it as a gift."
Never owned a J body myself, but I have some experience with them.
My grandmother had a mid to late 90s one when I was little (very early 2000s). I have a few scattered memories from the back of that car.
A good friend of mine had a red 1990 4 door as his first car. He kept it as a 2nd car for a few years after he replaced with a 2009 Chevy Cobalt (he had that car until earlier this year when he replaced it with a 2005 Honda Accord). He gave the Cavalier to another good friend who was down on his luck and needed a cheap car to start working again. He drove that car for ~2.5 years. It was remarkably easy to service and I showed him how to do basic maintenence on it. After he started to do well for himself again, he replaced it with a 2007 Toyota Prius, but it had far more issues than the old Cavalier.
I also had a coworker with a 1991 that had some hack fuel pump wiring that I removed.
They were cheap cars no doubt, but they were robust and dependable. They still make great beaters.
Just found and sub’d to your channel!…….
I purchased a 2000 Cav convertible used out of the south in about ‘07 with just under 100k miles on it . Live in northern NY, where they rust away before the mechanicals give up……So, just use it in the summer, and store it for the winters……..195 k miles on it now and it is developing some issues that need to be dealt with……..but I do love it. Never had the rear brake issue you eluded to. Only needed to replace the tires once, did do a timing chain and head gasket at about 130k miles…….i am going to need to make some decisions regarding what to do with whatever is going on with engine drivability……..vs fixing it and still having a 200k transmission. Had great luck with ‘80’ and ‘90’s GM’s, and just like you have had to go to Honda/Acura due to quality and reliability issues . Today’s car market is truly scary!
I’ll be watching!
Welcome aboard! Glad you've gotten good service from your Cavalier!
As you know, just like Ford, GM has stopped making small cars and sedans as they are not as profitable as SUVs which is a shame. Some generations of Cavalier were cheaply built. Unlike the Japanese automakers, they don't keep redesigning and improving their cars. Instead they cancel the car and replace it with something else
The Car Wizard has said the Cavalier is generally OK. They are so old now. A shadetree DIYer can keep the J body going - but they are disappearing from Pick-N-Pull.
Myopic business chess move by Detroit to appease Wall Street short term goals. Twenty somethings looking for their first entry level car end up on a showroom floor buying a Civic or Corolla aren’t trading that vehicle in for a Buick or Chevy SUV when they are in their thirties. They’re upgrading to a Highlander or Lexus. GM will be out of business eventually
@@charlesharmon4926 yes, if the big 3 don't improve their build quality and keep making junk cars, they could go out of business. We see Chrysler is struggling and Stellantis may get rid of Chrysler
They weren't even good cars. I sat in the last gen Cruze and it was so unbelievablely badly made and such a bad car. I have never felt such a cheap shifter.
Even with making such low quality products the American brands couldn't make a profit. That's just sad.
@@baronvonjo1929 GM, Ford & Chrysler don't care about quality the way the Japanese automakers do. They are focused on increasing profits and reducing production costs. They do this by using cheaper quality materials and parts. The reason Toyota's are reliable and last long is because they use high quality parts
Another great review. I, too, had some experience with the J-Car, and the Cavalier at that. As I'm busy doing insertions with things I've got to index, I'll comment at a later date on how I learned about the Chevy Cavalier. I really enjoy your automotive commentary, Jon. Andy McKane, Maunaloa, HI.
Jon, i know EXACTLY what you are talking about with the early GM ABS system!! I'm not nor have I ever been a GM fan, but my fiance had a Corsica (90?) I believe?? Absolutely hated the ABS in that car! Never worked as I thought it should! Had 1 GM J-Body car (Buick Skyhawk) that I traded a Renault Fuego Turbo for. (Which had a very early form of ABS!) Worst. Decision. Ever. It did not have that system as I do not believe it was available at the time, but the car worked well for me. 4-speed manual, stripper model, but in college it did do it's job as intended. After working for Lincoln-Mercury (27 years in that business) and seeing how the Ford system worked (albeit optional on some vehicles back then..) that was how it should have worked! Love the channel, I have some old AMC items I would love to send you for your backdrop. Keep up with the awesome channel-I love it!
Cavalier is what GM needs now to get new car buyers into the brand. My Dad had an 84 4 spd manual then I had an 86 5 spd. Best friends later had an 88 and 89. Maybe one of the best cars GM built. Reliable, good looking. Peppy. Perfect size. The first gen J bodies were just fantastic.
My step mom owned a y2k cavalier coupe for a couple of years when I was growing up. It may not of been the fanciest or most luxurious car on the road, but it wasn't a bad car either.
People hate that car for being cheaply built, when in fact the whole purpose of the cavalier was to be cheap. All things considered, it did a great job at being a good simple economy car. I miss cars like the cavalier.
Thank you for explanation. It's the intangibles (or perhaps invisible elements) that they failed on.
I know what you're talking about concerning the ABS. My Cutlass Ciera did that and I hated it. I don't know how many times I had them work on it and it was never right. My intrepid was way better on the ABS as was my father's Taurus.
Jon, My first car was a red 87 sunbird 4 door purchased from avis only a year old, i then traded in and purchased a brand new red 89 sunbird SE coupe which i thought was really sharp looking, i then purchased a black 94 cavalier RS coupe and later a red 2000 Sunfire SE coupe. I guess I liked the J cars never had any major issues other than they were kinda slow vehicles but I didn't care. My favorite came when I sold my 91 sunbird and purchased the new 93 Ford Probe GT in maroon color it was a nice looking and fast car as well.
Absolutely love the detail he mentioned about looking down at people back then who had the audacity to buy Hondas and Toyotas and ended up with a Honda accord in the driveway today..funny how that works.
Thanks. Life has a way of teaching lessons. :) I was a teenage boy, so I felt I had it all figured out and was a bit self-righteous about it all.
In fact I remember being on UseNET back in the day and saying 1. there was nothing the Japanese did that the American's didn't do better (yeah, that aged well), 2. VTEC was a gimmick because nobody in their daily life would use those high-rev benefits and 3. The Japanese 4-year cycle to redesign cars was a waste and just marketing because the big jumps they were making would eventually leave them with nothing else to really improve on, just "tweaks".
Luckily, I grew up. :)
@@AllCarswithJon I agree. It’s honestly refreshing to hear that kinda of honesty about stuff like that we were all young at one point and I just love the honesty Jon. Keep up the good work on the channel!
@@vannag2162 I appreciate that my friend.
Am I the only one who remembers that TV commercial for the Cavalier? "With the low price of the Cavalier, your friends will think you saved so much money, that you can afford to live HERE." The car was in a white sound-stage, and they unrolled a giant banner in the background with a picture of the Taj Mahal, which is a MAUSOLEUM.
The advertising agency made a MAJOR MISTAKE here. I don't want my neighbors thinking I live in a building with some dead prince's wife.
No, I do not remember that commercial! LOL
One of my least favorite features of the 1990-1994 Cavalier (and pretty much all GM cars of this era) were the door-mounted seat belts as a cheap way to meet the passive restraint requirement. Apparently no one at GM or the Feds took into consideration the very real possibility of a door opening in a crash…which creates the risk of an ejection despite the seat belt being fastened.
And I know GM wasn’t the only make that took this road…for instance I recall Camry coupes of the era using them too.
I bought a 1994 Cavalier new and traded it in after one year. At about 3k miles I needed a new front left strut. After about 10 months my back started hurting when I got out of the car after a 30 minute commute. I was 24 at the time. Then the center console became so loose that I had to have it repaired at the dealer. They loaned me a new Corsica. I loved that car. Couldn't believe how heavy it felt compared to it's size. Way more powerful than the Cavalier. So I traded in the Cavalier for a new 1995 Corsica. Was driving a lot in those days and at about 39k miles a head gasket blew. Did not have the extended warranty. So, as I was still paying for the car, I really had no choice but to get a new motor, at the cost of around $4k in 1999 dollars. Thanks GM!!! Been driving Hyundais, which we all used to laugh at in the 80's, since 2010.
Hyundai/KIA makes worse engines than GM. Sounds like you've been lucky. Or you can afford to trade in a lot
I bet you had the 3.1 in that Corsica. Starting around 1995 and up through 2002-ish they were almost guaranteed to blow an intake or head gasket at some point, unless the owner knew about the causes and was vigilant. The main culprit was that GM mounted the radiator lower than the highest water point in the engine, and since air bubbles float upwards, if you had a coolant leak you ended up with an air pocket in the engine. Water cooled engines don't cool much at all with air, so unless after filling the radiator you knew about the necessary air bleeding process, you usually cooked something expensive.
@@The_R-n-I_Guy of all the Hyundais we’ve had we’ve only had one that was affected by the theta two recall. Our 2015 Santa Fe that I bought new. Just had the motor swapped out about a year ago. took them forever because they’re so busy doing that work now. other than that we’ve had no problems and as far as fit and finish they put GM to shame in my opinion.
@@k.b.tidwell you are correct about the 3.1. Glad to hear what actually happened all these years later. I recall that one day in the morning I had the low coolant light, but I don’t recall seeing any on the ground so I just added some more. Same thing happened again a few weeks later and this was the summertime 1999 and I remember driving to Atlantic City and out of nowhere, the temperature needle went all the way up and then went back down again which I thought was strange, but there was never any overheating or anything. Then I took it in for a scheduled oil change and that’s when I got the news that there was coolant in the oil. I was given the choice of paying all the labor to disassemble the top of the engine to see what the cause was, which would cost almost as much as just pulling the motor and replacing it. So I went with the latter option. By early 2004 I wasn’t driving it much anymore so I decided to sell it figuring that it’s just sitting around it would start to have problems so I figured I would get money for it while I could.
Thanks j series for introducing me to Honda
In regards to what another commentor stated that "GM made more Japanese car buyers than any other entity" I will second that statement, spot on.
However I did switch back to a domestic brand to try and give another one of the big 3, one company I never gave a chance in the past.. a 'fix or repair daily" that I had picked up in 2018 brand new off theor lot.
And boy I have to say that was a HUGE mistake, I switched right back to Toyota after 4.5 years and close to 44k miles just before the warranty ran out.. not that a warranty mattered anyways because " fomoco " didn't really want to fix anything anyway or when the they made it a big hassle or they'd break something else.
The other thing that got me and I just read the other day is that " fomoco " is doing an airbag recall for some much older vehicles and in the article it stated that they would offer a loaner vehicle for the duration of the repair.. that right there was a kick in the stones because when I needed a warranty fix for my new car they would wish me luck on getting a loaner and I would have to rent a car with only a partial reimbursement on the fees.
I despise that company with a passion now after everything else they have done to me.
Early 80s Accords were beautiful and some of the best cars ever made. You were way out in left field on that one.
As someone who owned multiple 1980s GM A-bodies, plus an X-body, an N-body, a G-body, and a C-body from the same decade, I don't think I could ever own another GM passenger car. They're fine cars if you've never really driven anything else, but if you have, they are so hard to like.
My sister had an '87 Cavalier in high school. She insisted on having it painted a bright coral or pastel blue. It was eye searing.
She was in love with Don Johnson too, wasn't she? That time was the high point of neon everything.
I appreciate you answering my question about the story. It aligns with my experience of owning my cavalier. I had a 1999 LS sedan and that thing was the biggest pile of crap I’ve ever owned. I only owned it because my previous car died and I desperately needed a running car for my delivery job at the time. It felt cheap and unsafe like you said. I swear every time I got in it another part of the interior would crack and fall apart and squeak. I traded it in and never looked back. I don’t plan on owning another gm unless it’s an older Camaro or corvette.
I never hated a car I owned more than the cavalier.
The Cavalier Z24 with the 3.1L V6 was the only model worth entertaining. All others had terrible powertrains.
Jon, I had the exact same experience with the ABS in my 1993 Cavelier station wagon company car. The ABS was horrible and dangerous in snow. A few times I’d press the brakes and the car would not stop, causing me to enter intersections. Luckily no collisions- just by luck.
I assume the same ABS system was in the 94 Buick LeSabre my father owned. I drove it when I had my permit. One summer day I was driving through a parking lot, dry pavement, and the ABS freaked out and thought I was on ice. That pedal was ROCK HARD and I nearly rolled into traffic. It was incredibly scary and I had merely tapped the pedal to slow down from 10 MPH.
I was raised up in a buy American household and want to support Detroit. My sister had a late 1990s Chevy Cavalier and I drove a 1996 Honda Civic. GM can’t keep from being their own worst enemy in the market place. Her Cavalier was a POS so she traded for a Pontiac G6. She left GM after I did and she drives Lexus Today.
In Britain, as was the GM tendency for sharing names across different markets, the popular Vauxhall "Cavalier" was a completely different car. The Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser. Now that is what I think of as a classic example of Americana. It looks larger than my flat.
The RUclips channel Big Car does similar reviews and histories of European cars. When I saw his video about the Ford Granada I wondered what the hell is that? It looked like a cross between a Capri and a Corolla. I forgot American manufacturers used the same name for different cars around the world.
When I think of "American car" I envision a 70's/80's Caprice. No curves, three box design, and enough steel to make four or five Fiats.
Yes, GM were a bit cavalier with their re-use of car names.
@@christopherconard2831 Yes. Confusing indeed. Like when GM purchased Daiwoo, and in Europe, the entire range of bargain basement vehicles were suddenly branded as Chevrolet. That in itself was a crazy move.
@@michaeloreilly657 Lol.
I worked in England for a summer in '94 and the company had three Vauxhall Cavaliers. I spent the my weekends driving all over the island. They were all manuals and I had a blast driving them.
I had a 1996 Cavalier. The only redeeming quality, hitting 300,000 miles. The transmission finally went out around that time too.
I went to buy my first new car in 1997 and I chose a Hyundai Accent over a Cavalier. It was better in almost every way. It ended up being a great car too. The Cavalier was faster, but was built worse and felt about 5 years behind everyone else. At the time GM banked on people being GM families and always buying GM. I came from a GM family and was the first to buy a non GM car. A Hyundai, at that. But once I did, the whole family switched over to foreign brands. My mother bought a Hyundai Sonata, my dad bought a Nissan Sentra, grandparents bought Nissans. There was nothing compelling about GM products once you actually drove a foreign brand. If it’s all you ever drove, GM’s were great.
Similar family story. We have had 5 Hyundai 's , all ran forever. Obviously never sabotaged by Scotty Kilmer.
@@geraldstephens8791 we all took care of our cars. I trade in my cars and they still look new. I follow what the maintenance schedule says and I’ve never had an issue with any Hyundai or Kia that I have owned. Even the old “horrible” ones. I always look at how the car is maintained before I judge how reliable it is. People who own Hondas and Toyotas take care of them much better than the average person who buys a Hyundai or Kia. It gets even worse once they start exchanging on the used market.
@@geraldstephens8791 exactly. I never experienced a bad one. But, we all took care of our cars.
I've driven about every make there is. I've also worked on almost every make. This is why I only buy older GM cars.
This is interesting. I rented a 2003 cavalier once or twice and luckily the ABS thing never happened to me. I guess they never put a recall on this?
There was a man in my town in Missouri that looked like Anger from Inside Out who drove a Buick Skyhawk wagon with the concealed headlights. Apparently that was factory and not a mix and match repair.
jon i agree with you TOTALLY about the A B S braking system being unsafe. It was a terrible design. My mom had a 1998 cavalier z24 2 door. I experienced those ridiculous brakes too ,when i drove it at times! I drive a 2010 toyota camry LE with the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder and 6 speed automatic transmission. My camry has almost 83,000 kilometers on it. I bought it the end of november 2023 with only 71,000 kilometers on it. I live in canada. so that"s why i'm stating the odometer readings in kilometers.
Idk why but all the gm compacts i see are always 2 door fastbacks
Cavaliers and cobalts ive seen are all 2 doors
Do you know why that is?
Not really sure. As I recall the 2-doors were less expensive than the 4-doors so that might be why?
How many Cavaliers vs. Hondas and Toyotas from that era still on the road now? I still see some of those Japanese models out there.
the rust kills all
Roger smith era - GM made more dedicated Japanese car buyers than any other entity.
I had all three generations the 86 was the best the 93 was a throw away it didn't matter how well i took care of it it started to biodegrade at 60 thousand miles the 04 had rust problems but at 19 years old its still running
I was just like Jon here. I looked down on people who bought Japanese vehicles, I called them traitors, buy American after all. I was wrong with that approach and understanding I admit. But what does a 15 year old really know? Now I own Toyotas and I wouldn't go back to a "made in America" GM. Most aren't.. but that's not the point. Most had been at the time and back then America could do no wrong. Amazing how 911 opened up my eyes. Anyway the J body was a decent vehicle even if kind of boring. It still had a lot of character. Looking back I owned Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs and one Saturn minivan. None had been horrible but I realize how wrong I was about Japanese vehicles. Especially Toyota. Here I am working on my cars every weekend while my neighbors are taking their kids to the beach.. there's only so many times of being stuck like that on a hot day in Michigan before you say enough is enough.
I've never owned a new car. Never owned a Cavalier. I've owned, driven and ridden in a lot of 80s and 90s GM front wheel drive cars. Mostly A-Body cars, but smaller ones too. Never had any real problems besides just normal wear and damage from abuse. I would rather have a rear wheel drive car. But if I have to drive a front wheel drive car. I would want a 80s or early 90s GM
Dunno how similar it was to the cars, but our family's 1995 Chevrolet Blazer LS had ABS that was really intense when it kicked in. The pedal got really firm and vibrated a bunch, plus you heard a loud zhoom-juurrr mechanical sound. And by firm pedal, I mean, it felt like it was pushing forward fighting against your foot. It had to be bizarre for people new to ABS. I had a later 2001 S10 and it wasn't nearly as noticeable. And a 2001 Regal + 2004 LeSabre where it was almost imperceptible.
First cars are always exciting because they are so 'freeing'. I too loved my first car. It was a small station wagon - a Chevy 2. Perfect size. I used it to travel in and camp with. But, just as you it wore out its welcome. The engine was a noisy, rough running, low power base 6. No power steering meant it was a real pain to parallel park or turn from a stop. And worst the stick shift was so primitive that it had no synco in first gear so I had to stop on quick changing green lights to shift down to first and risk getting plowed into from the read from cars expecting me to accellerate as I rolled to a stop at a red light that suddenly changed to green. Heck, even a VW bug of the era had syncro. But, not GM.
i owned 9 j-body in the past 15 years i liked these cars until i bought my ‘04 in 2013 with the 2.2 ecotec engine and put many mods into it an i LOVE this car but i have to agree with you anything before 2003 with the LN2 2.2 or the LD9 2.4 felt rubbish the newer model still were basic but they were much more refined before discontinuation at the end of 2005 when the cobalts started production
SO, GM ABS is why the brakes didn't work when I hit the back of a snowplow 20 years ago. I thought it was my tires 😂.. the great thing is that the electronics failed soon, illuminating a ABS Failure warning and go into fail safe non ABS mode. I still drive it, and can stop on ice
GM is known to use cheap plastics in the interior. The Big 3 would make small cars cheaply since they want to spend allot money on them. They also don't perform well in IIHS crash test. GM doesn't care about the quality like Honda and Toyota does.
I think they figured they had so many people (for a time) that would never buy Japanese, so they didn't bother making so many things better.
I had no idea about the ABS system, I take it, they never had a recall?
Z24’s looked cool.
The 90s and early 00s cavalier were the quintessential single mom mobile for small town Ohio when I was a kid.
You talk about the 'sudden' influx of Japanese cars and trucks and I'm of an age I remember it as well. Remember thinking they were inferior to the USA products of the time. Oh, sweet summer child that I was - those cars ran and ran....and as I began buying my own cars (father worked for GM so that was 'our' family product of choice) - I started to realize what flaming piles of crap the USA-made products from the big three were. I bought a used '79 Trans Am that I loved but was falling down around my ears by the mid '80's - bought a used '87 Camaro IROC that had leaking T-tops and was overheating like crazy and no one could figure out why. That was ~1994 and was the last GM product I ever bought. Been a Ford guy since, not 100% positive experience (had a 5.4l Expedition I had to put a reman engine in at 110k miles, cam phasers doncha know)....it has been my personal experience that GM products are and continue to be rolling piles of garbage, inside and out. Crappy interiors, bad engines, transmissions...Arcadia/Equinox, anyone?
Great vid as usual, Jon!
thanks!
I love story time with Jon.
I remember they had the worst side impact crash test ratings
Wasn't there a Z24 Cavalier at one point? I remember a friend having one and she thinking that she was hot shit driving it like it was a Ferrari or something LOL.
I too had that attitude towards Japanese cars till I began realizing how much better they were in comparison to American cars in that era. Of course a GM vehicle and its endless problems, was the last push that I needed before I purchased my first Nissan followed by Toyotas and Hondas till this day.
Once you get to the 1993 Corolla all other compacts pale in comparison. The Civic doesn't compare until the mid 2000s (2005 or 2006) when they finally quieted the Civic down.
Interesting. I had a great respect for the Cavalier but I didn’t realize how unsafe the ABS was. I still think Chrysler did better with the Neon as an overall better package to compete with the Japanese, but l think the Cavalier would be more reliable. That engine and transmission might be a bit crude but I’ve heard stories of how they are quite reliable. Interesting story. I wish GM put more Saturn technology in the Cavalier to give it more personality. I could see why after you driving a cushiony Oldsmobile you’d be appalled by the Cavalier though. The 90s brought a cheap trend with smaller rounder cars that only the Japanese, Germans, and maybe Chrysler got the knack at perfecting. 😂
At the time of my Cavalier, we had a Neon as well. The Cavalier was quieter and felt more like a bigger car. The Neon was noisy but a blast to drive. You're correct the Cavalier would probably have been (mechanically) more reliable in the long run, especially since the Dodge blew a head gasket at about 70k miles, but rolling into intersections because the brakes wouldn't stop the car was a deal-killer for me. :)
@@AllCarswithJonYeah, the ABS is outright dangerous.
I fully understand why you choose overseas brands vs GM, i had 90's Holden Commodores n brakes were not strongest point, as i upgraded my V8 ute with VT models 97. As for interior seats were bland but like dash n basic features, lucky for me all my Holden were non ABS but mum 94 was first ABS with IRS come standard. My uncle had Holdens last one was VS Supercharged 3800 V6 Calais the luxury model but thought VW Jetta were more luxury....well 2 turbos n gearbox later he went back to buying last Holden's car n ute.
Excellent.
Many thanks!
Totally agree!
Jon, My first car was a red 87 sunbird 4 door purchased from avis only a year old, i then traded in and purchased a brand new red 89 sunbird SE coupe which i thought was really sharp looking, i then purchased a black cavalier RS coupe and later a red 2000 Sunfire SE coupe. I guess I liked the J cars never had any major issues other than they were kinda slow vehicles but I didn't care. My favorite came when I sold my 91 sunbird and purchased the new Ford Probe GT in maroon color it was a nice looking and fast car as well.
I walked away from GM Cars (not trucks) a long time ago just like I did with German cars but the reasons at the time were different for euro cars it was mainly expense every time something broke (if I were in Europe it’d probably be a different story) but for GM it was the constant cost cutting or just some how they find a way to 🤬 it up Saturn is probably the best example I can think of another is that displacement on demand in GM’s current V8 trucks is the reason I don’t currently own one and actually went to Ford after a long line of Chevy truck ownership
I remember working on those late 90’s 2.2L 3spd auto Cavaliers they were a horrible car but made durable rentals 😂 we had a few with the 4spd auto and a few 2.4L quad4 equipped ones too better but still 👎🏽
I had a Cavalier Wagon
I drove a 4-door 1984 Cav company car and it sucked. No power, driver seat uncomfortable, just a really plain "not-worth-it" car when thinking about other cars in that market space. Never forgave GM for it!
My family was all foreign cars until 70s inflation reduced Dad to - a - Vega, agghhh....
That seems like a step... backwards? :)
Are you sure that Sunfire wasn't a Sunbird? My memory was that all the Sunfires came after GM developed that cheap and bad ABS system.
ABS brakes were standard equipment on all Cavalier and Sunbirds starting in 1992 model year. Sunfire name started in 1995.
Are you sure you didn't just have a Cavalier with a faulty ABS system? I haven't heard a lot of people complaining about a GM vehicle built after 1992(the time when they introduced the ABS VI system as their low-cost ABS system) where the ABS actually failed. Not since 1992. And believe me, I know that the government would have forced GM to recall every single vehicle that used that ABS system to fix the problem.
I think they peaked and hit the cliff after the Chevrolet Cobalt ended.
Ironic that you worked at Saturn, Saturn being better engineering by GM.
Your parents were smart not to buy you a new car. My parents lent me my Mom's nearly brand new Cavalier and I totaled it after spinning out on black ice. 😬
Ha, i wrote a comment on the wrong video. Cheers Jon.
I've done that too, you're not alone....
Okay, Okay, I gotta nitpick here.... I'm not THAT old but I remember when you had to pump the brakes and I don't know, drive reasonably in the snow and ice! Am I the only one here?
No, you're not. Sensibility, along with conversation & cheap, good, anything, have gone extinct, sadly....
@@jamesonpace726 indeed, sir! Indeed. I drive a 22 year old car and a 30 year old truck and never felt unsafe in the snow. 2 wheel drive for both. I live in Ohio
I said it before, and I'll say it again. There is cheap, and then there is GM CHEAP.
i owned a 04 sunfire as a beater now km 115,000 ..horrible car rode bad not good gas mileage..uncomfortable cheap plastic dash got it in 2019 .its gone now..always be Chysler for me now Ford for me..
Poor Audio >>>>
Fine for me