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Life ends at 359,833 miles - 1998 Chevy Cavalier
- Thread starter qdeezie
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Man, if I had a car that lasted that long I would drive it to the bitter end out of sheer curiosity.
Chevy Cavaliers have the weirdest PR of any car I ever saw. They used to be viewed as sort of the quintessential POS Chevy for years, or at least they had that image. Over the past four-five years I keep hearing your kind of stories--people with really good service out of them or people who seek them out as reliable used cars.
Chevy Cavaliers have the weirdest PR of any car I ever saw. They used to be viewed as sort of the quintessential POS Chevy for years, or at least they had that image. Over the past four-five years I keep hearing your kind of stories--people with really good service out of them or people who seek them out as reliable used cars.
Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
Man, if I had a car that lasted that long I would drive it to the bitter end out of sheer curiosity.
Chevy Cavaliers have the weirdest PR of any car I ever saw. They used to be viewed as sort of the quintessential POS Chevy for years, or at least they had that image. Over the past four-five years I keep hearing your kind of stories--people with really good service out of them or people who seek them out as reliable used cars.
They rarely break but when they do they are easy to repair and parts are dirt cheap and plentiful. They are the epitome of low cost motoring. I had a '95 and '03 - nothing broke on either the entire time I owned them.
Man, if I had a car that lasted that long I would drive it to the bitter end out of sheer curiosity.
Chevy Cavaliers have the weirdest PR of any car I ever saw. They used to be viewed as sort of the quintessential POS Chevy for years, or at least they had that image. Over the past four-five years I keep hearing your kind of stories--people with really good service out of them or people who seek them out as reliable used cars.
They rarely break but when they do they are easy to repair and parts are dirt cheap and plentiful. They are the epitome of low cost motoring. I had a '95 and '03 - nothing broke on either the entire time I owned them.
Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
Man, if I had a car that lasted that long I would drive it to the bitter end out of sheer curiosity.
Chevy Cavaliers have the weirdest PR of any car I ever saw. They used to be viewed as sort of the quintessential POS Chevy for years, or at least they had that image. Over the past four-five years I keep hearing your kind of stories--people with really good service out of them or people who seek them out as reliable used cars.
I think the Cobalt might prove similar, I had an 06 as a dealer loaner and it actually looked and drove more like a 2-3 year old car than a 7 year old one. Not one spot of rust anywhere. Very solid feel to the doors compared to my focus, and the interior was fine, sort of reminded me of my Neon. The car had atleast 3 gullible previous owners as well, with 3 sets of those security/theft recovery stickers all over it....
Steering was silly light and lifeless, and the brake pedal had 2" of free travel before the overboost kicked in. Lots of road noise too, but it drove straight and actually handled half decent and you could even rotate it a bit on the on-ramps. There was a glob of something on the end of the dipstick so I don't think it had been over maintained lately.
Anyways, I could see how the chassis was a decent platform for the SS versions.
Man, if I had a car that lasted that long I would drive it to the bitter end out of sheer curiosity.
Chevy Cavaliers have the weirdest PR of any car I ever saw. They used to be viewed as sort of the quintessential POS Chevy for years, or at least they had that image. Over the past four-five years I keep hearing your kind of stories--people with really good service out of them or people who seek them out as reliable used cars.
I think the Cobalt might prove similar, I had an 06 as a dealer loaner and it actually looked and drove more like a 2-3 year old car than a 7 year old one. Not one spot of rust anywhere. Very solid feel to the doors compared to my focus, and the interior was fine, sort of reminded me of my Neon. The car had atleast 3 gullible previous owners as well, with 3 sets of those security/theft recovery stickers all over it....
Steering was silly light and lifeless, and the brake pedal had 2" of free travel before the overboost kicked in. Lots of road noise too, but it drove straight and actually handled half decent and you could even rotate it a bit on the on-ramps. There was a glob of something on the end of the dipstick so I don't think it had been over maintained lately.
Anyways, I could see how the chassis was a decent platform for the SS versions.
I think it comes down to the Cavalier doesn't do anything particularly well. But it will remain mediocre for a very long time
I've done about 1600 miles of seat time in one. If it wasn't my mom's car, I probably wouldn't have drive it long distance to two separate occasions.
I've done about 1600 miles of seat time in one. If it wasn't my mom's car, I probably wouldn't have drive it long distance to two separate occasions.
We had three of these during the child rearing phase. Two Cavs and a Sunbird.
They are NOT a driver's car! Poor ergonomics, cheap interiors, etc., we all know they are not the greatest. But they were very reliable and could take the beating a teen gives them!
We ran them to ridiculous mileages and did very little to them. Definitely good cheap transportation.
They are NOT a driver's car! Poor ergonomics, cheap interiors, etc., we all know they are not the greatest. But they were very reliable and could take the beating a teen gives them!
We ran them to ridiculous mileages and did very little to them. Definitely good cheap transportation.
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
Man, if I had a car that lasted that long I would drive it to the bitter end out of sheer curiosity.
Chevy Cavaliers have the weirdest PR of any car I ever saw. They used to be viewed as sort of the quintessential POS Chevy for years, or at least they had that image. Over the past four-five years I keep hearing your kind of stories--people with really good service out of them or people who seek them out as reliable used cars.
I think the Cobalt might prove similar, I had an 06 as a dealer loaner and it actually looked and drove more like a 2-3 year old car than a 7 year old one. Not one spot of rust anywhere. Very solid feel to the doors compared to my focus, and the interior was fine, sort of reminded me of my Neon. The car had atleast 3 gullible previous owners as well, with 3 sets of those security/theft recovery stickers all over it....
Steering was silly light and lifeless, and the brake pedal had 2" of free travel before the overboost kicked in. Lots of road noise too, but it drove straight and actually handled half decent and you could even rotate it a bit on the on-ramps. There was a glob of something on the end of the dipstick so I don't think it had been over maintained lately.
Anyways, I could see how the chassis was a decent platform for the SS versions.
The Cavs seem pretty reliable, although the Cobalts, not so much. I've got a friend with an 07, and while it's not unreliable, it does have more issues (and breaks more often) than his beat up 91 Miata.
Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
Man, if I had a car that lasted that long I would drive it to the bitter end out of sheer curiosity.
Chevy Cavaliers have the weirdest PR of any car I ever saw. They used to be viewed as sort of the quintessential POS Chevy for years, or at least they had that image. Over the past four-five years I keep hearing your kind of stories--people with really good service out of them or people who seek them out as reliable used cars.
I think the Cobalt might prove similar, I had an 06 as a dealer loaner and it actually looked and drove more like a 2-3 year old car than a 7 year old one. Not one spot of rust anywhere. Very solid feel to the doors compared to my focus, and the interior was fine, sort of reminded me of my Neon. The car had atleast 3 gullible previous owners as well, with 3 sets of those security/theft recovery stickers all over it....
Steering was silly light and lifeless, and the brake pedal had 2" of free travel before the overboost kicked in. Lots of road noise too, but it drove straight and actually handled half decent and you could even rotate it a bit on the on-ramps. There was a glob of something on the end of the dipstick so I don't think it had been over maintained lately.
Anyways, I could see how the chassis was a decent platform for the SS versions.
The Cavs seem pretty reliable, although the Cobalts, not so much. I've got a friend with an 07, and while it's not unreliable, it does have more issues (and breaks more often) than his beat up 91 Miata.
They're also deathtraps. A local place actually banned 2-door Cavys and Sunfires from the compact-car demolition derbies because they fold up so badly. Some of the worst cars ever sold. I honestly think I'd rather have a same-year Hyundai Accent, or even an Excel.
I know of a few people who have wrecked (head on) Cavaliers and walked away who would beg to differ. Don't know about rusted out ones though. I do know they did quite poorly in frontal offset, but at the time I think they were still better than Neons in a crash.
For what it's worth, I totaled a 97 Cavalier (multiple rollover) and literally walked away with one scratch. I received the 98 being discussed here as a replacement.
I think the reason my mom bought a Cavalier was that she survived a pretty horrific accident in a late 1980's vintage example.
Hit from behind by a 1970's Chrysler boat and pushed into two lanes of on-coming traffic.
Not unscathed, but alive.
She still has neck issues, but swears by that model so much that she went back to another one in the late 90's early 2000s.
Hit from behind by a 1970's Chrysler boat and pushed into two lanes of on-coming traffic.
Not unscathed, but alive.
She still has neck issues, but swears by that model so much that she went back to another one in the late 90's early 2000s.
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Sedan or coupe? The sedans are MUCH safer. The huge door opening in the copue costs is a great dea;l of structural strength. (2-door Neons suffer the same issue.)
I had a coupe when I totaled the 97.
Sedan or coupe? The sedans are MUCH safer. The huge door opening in the copue costs is a great dea;l of structural strength. (2-door Neons suffer the same issue.)
I had a coupe when I totaled the 97.
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
So the Chevrolet treated you right and you replaced it with a Hyundai? I would have bought another Chevrolet.
Here are my thoughts from earlier in the thread on what Chevy is offering. What they did yesterday does matter, but what they are doing today matters more. Name alone will get a look, but the name alone won't seal the deal. In my opinion, Chevy needs to step up in the compact car segment.
Originally Posted By: qdeezie
A few reasons why I didn't go back with another Chevy. That was the first place I looked, but I wanted to continue owning a 2 door fuel efficient coupe and Chevy currently does not make an equivalent to the Cavalier I had.
Also, I test drove a Chevy Cruze (not a coupe, but I wanted to see what it was about anyway to see if they could win me over with a 4 door) and I really did not like the way the transmission shifted and the engine had a vibration that I felt on the inside that I really didn't care for.
I thought the Cruze was a really good car (especially the handling and suspension), but the drivetrain was a sore point in my opinion. If Chevy would have had a 2 door Cruze with a smoother/better shifting trans and an engine without the vibration, I would have strongly considered sticking with the brand.
In test driving the Hyundai, it became clear to me that it was what I was looking for. I know that there's not a huge market for 2 door vehicles anymore, but I felt like Chevy dropped the ball by not offering one in the segment that I was looking at combined with the fact that the drivetrain on the Cruze needs work in my opinion.
So the Chevrolet treated you right and you replaced it with a Hyundai? I would have bought another Chevrolet.
Here are my thoughts from earlier in the thread on what Chevy is offering. What they did yesterday does matter, but what they are doing today matters more. Name alone will get a look, but the name alone won't seal the deal. In my opinion, Chevy needs to step up in the compact car segment.
Originally Posted By: qdeezie
A few reasons why I didn't go back with another Chevy. That was the first place I looked, but I wanted to continue owning a 2 door fuel efficient coupe and Chevy currently does not make an equivalent to the Cavalier I had.
Also, I test drove a Chevy Cruze (not a coupe, but I wanted to see what it was about anyway to see if they could win me over with a 4 door) and I really did not like the way the transmission shifted and the engine had a vibration that I felt on the inside that I really didn't care for.
I thought the Cruze was a really good car (especially the handling and suspension), but the drivetrain was a sore point in my opinion. If Chevy would have had a 2 door Cruze with a smoother/better shifting trans and an engine without the vibration, I would have strongly considered sticking with the brand.
In test driving the Hyundai, it became clear to me that it was what I was looking for. I know that there's not a huge market for 2 door vehicles anymore, but I felt like Chevy dropped the ball by not offering one in the segment that I was looking at combined with the fact that the drivetrain on the Cruze needs work in my opinion.
Originally Posted By: qdeezie
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
So the Chevrolet treated you right and you replaced it with a Hyundai? I would have bought another Chevrolet.
Here are my thoughts from earlier in the thread on what Chevy is offering. What they did yesterday does matter, but what they are doing today matters more. Name alone will get a look, but the name alone won't seal the deal. In my opinion, Chevy needs to step up in the compact car segment.
Originally Posted By: qdeezie
A few reasons why I didn't go back with another Chevy. That was the first place I looked, but I wanted to continue owning a 2 door fuel efficient coupe and Chevy currently does not make an equivalent to the Cavalier I had.
Also, I test drove a Chevy Cruze (not a coupe, but I wanted to see what it was about anyway to see if they could win me over with a 4 door) and I really did not like the way the transmission shifted and the engine had a vibration that I felt on the inside that I really didn't care for.
I thought the Cruze was a really good car (especially the handling and suspension), but the drivetrain was a sore point in my opinion. If Chevy would have had a 2 door Cruze with a smoother/better shifting trans and an engine without the vibration, I would have strongly considered sticking with the brand.
In test driving the Hyundai, it became clear to me that it was what I was looking for. I know that there's not a huge market for 2 door vehicles anymore, but I felt like Chevy dropped the ball by not offering one in the segment that I was looking at combined with the fact that the drivetrain on the Cruze needs work in my opinion.
I apologize, I should have read the whole thread first. I usually do before I post but got lazy. I can see your reasoning now. You still got a nice car with the Hyundai I will admit. The way you maintain your cars will get you just as far with the new one too.
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
So the Chevrolet treated you right and you replaced it with a Hyundai? I would have bought another Chevrolet.
Here are my thoughts from earlier in the thread on what Chevy is offering. What they did yesterday does matter, but what they are doing today matters more. Name alone will get a look, but the name alone won't seal the deal. In my opinion, Chevy needs to step up in the compact car segment.
Originally Posted By: qdeezie
A few reasons why I didn't go back with another Chevy. That was the first place I looked, but I wanted to continue owning a 2 door fuel efficient coupe and Chevy currently does not make an equivalent to the Cavalier I had.
Also, I test drove a Chevy Cruze (not a coupe, but I wanted to see what it was about anyway to see if they could win me over with a 4 door) and I really did not like the way the transmission shifted and the engine had a vibration that I felt on the inside that I really didn't care for.
I thought the Cruze was a really good car (especially the handling and suspension), but the drivetrain was a sore point in my opinion. If Chevy would have had a 2 door Cruze with a smoother/better shifting trans and an engine without the vibration, I would have strongly considered sticking with the brand.
In test driving the Hyundai, it became clear to me that it was what I was looking for. I know that there's not a huge market for 2 door vehicles anymore, but I felt like Chevy dropped the ball by not offering one in the segment that I was looking at combined with the fact that the drivetrain on the Cruze needs work in my opinion.
I apologize, I should have read the whole thread first. I usually do before I post but got lazy. I can see your reasoning now. You still got a nice car with the Hyundai I will admit. The way you maintain your cars will get you just as far with the new one too.
Any pictures of the new car? Guys on here love to see pictures.
Bravo Zulu! I hope to get 250,000 out of my F-150 below in my signature line.
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