Cavalier Mk2 Memories
Discussion
1 China blue Cavalier saloon, (mk 2 1.3L B586SVF), a family of 4 on their summer holidays and on their way to Black Rock sands for a day trip. Test Match Special on the MW/LW 2-speaker radio, and Brian Johnston and Jonathan Agnew on the radio crying with laughter as Aggers says that Botham got himself out because he couldn't get his leg over...that was a very happy car despite the traffic not moving very far or fast!
Progression was to a mk3 1.6 saloon in a deep red (F512OLU) which was pure luxury compared to the mk2. This was upgraded in quick succession to another red SRi 130 (G567YRO) despite me badgering the old man to go for a turbo!
Progression was to a mk3 1.6 saloon in a deep red (F512OLU) which was pure luxury compared to the mk2. This was upgraded in quick succession to another red SRi 130 (G567YRO) despite me badgering the old man to go for a turbo!
I had an '85 1.8 SRi as my first car in 1991, and being 18 I drove it like an absolute idiot - how I didn't kill myself or someone else I'll never know. It seemed a cracking car at the time though - a bit quicker than my mate's XR3i, but slightly outgunned by another's Golf Mk 2 GTi. No doubt most of the performance was down to the Peco Big Bore rear silencer and K&N filter I fitted... 
It met a sad end in a relatively slow head on with a Bedford Midi van - surprisingly not my fault either. Ah, happy days.
It met a sad end in a relatively slow head on with a Bedford Midi van - surprisingly not my fault either. Ah, happy days.
I remember being impressed that the speakers said "25 Watts" on them, and there being four of them.
My mates dad had one of the first SRi's I ever saw, seemed very futuristic back in what, 83 ? and very fast, whoever said the engines were miles better was spot on, the Pinto was a heavy, wheezy old thing in comparison.
I remember when the 130 model came out, seemed like a massive power output at the time, barely consitutes a cooking supermini now, I remember a mate at work letting me borrow his Astra Mk2 130 and he used my Manta, the Astra was definitely a lot quicker but hillariously lacking in grip in the wet, the wheelspin was immense.
My mates dad had one of the first SRi's I ever saw, seemed very futuristic back in what, 83 ? and very fast, whoever said the engines were miles better was spot on, the Pinto was a heavy, wheezy old thing in comparison.
I remember when the 130 model came out, seemed like a massive power output at the time, barely consitutes a cooking supermini now, I remember a mate at work letting me borrow his Astra Mk2 130 and he used my Manta, the Astra was definitely a lot quicker but hillariously lacking in grip in the wet, the wheelspin was immense.
A family friend had a MKII which was his company car until he retired in 1984, he bought it from the company and kept it until he passed away in 2005.
My Grandad had a string of Cavaliers, always red, replaced every 12 months with a new one from the same dealership. Off topic for a MKII thread, but I remember him getting a MK3 with ABS and demonstrating trying to lock up whilst I was sat in the back, I was probably 6 or 7 at the time. I vividly remember him describing it 'pushing his foot off the pedal', which I decided didn't sound like a very good idea. I wasn't really sure what ABS was but concluded it was probably added to cheaper models to encourage people to buy a better model without it.
My Grandad had a string of Cavaliers, always red, replaced every 12 months with a new one from the same dealership. Off topic for a MKII thread, but I remember him getting a MK3 with ABS and demonstrating trying to lock up whilst I was sat in the back, I was probably 6 or 7 at the time. I vividly remember him describing it 'pushing his foot off the pedal', which I decided didn't sound like a very good idea. I wasn't really sure what ABS was but concluded it was probably added to cheaper models to encourage people to buy a better model without it.
The first car I ever got sideways was in an early Mk2 1.6L - ECM 180Y if I remember it rightly.
A load of my mates were out for the evening so my mate let me drive this (his car) whilst he drove his dads.
Barrelling down a hillside road at indecent speeds in the rain, 5 up with Rage Against The Machine's debut album on full blast wihtin 2 weeks of passing my test could only end up one way.
Thankfully, I was extremely lucky but learned a good lesson about lift-off oversteer very early in my driving life. Even though I didn't fully understand what it was or how it really happened until a few years later.
A load of my mates were out for the evening so my mate let me drive this (his car) whilst he drove his dads.
Barrelling down a hillside road at indecent speeds in the rain, 5 up with Rage Against The Machine's debut album on full blast wihtin 2 weeks of passing my test could only end up one way.
Thankfully, I was extremely lucky but learned a good lesson about lift-off oversteer very early in my driving life. Even though I didn't fully understand what it was or how it really happened until a few years later.
J4CKO said:
I remember when the 130 model came out, seemed like a massive power output at the time, barely consitutes a cooking supermini now, I remember a mate at work letting me borrow his Astra Mk2 130 and he used my Manta, the Astra was definitely a lot quicker but hillariously lacking in grip in the wet, the wheelspin was immense.
The car only weighed 1055kg so did 0-60 in 8.2 secs which in the day was pretty impressive for a family 4 door saloon. Bear in mind that a Golf GTI 16v in that day was not much quicker to 60. Muzzer79 said:
My first car
Mine was considerably more rusty and generally shagged, having covered over 100k miles and being bought for the princely sum of £500.
But it served me well for over 2 years and it never left me stranded, although it did come close. (Wouldn't start coming out of a car wash once. Another time, the clutch cable snapped but I was able to coast to my Dad's about a quarter of a mile away)
My Mum had a bronze Mk2 SRI. She loved that car, and only sold it to get a Mk3.
A friend of mine owned a Commander. Back in the late 80s before black wheels were fashionable Mine was considerably more rusty and generally shagged, having covered over 100k miles and being bought for the princely sum of £500.
But it served me well for over 2 years and it never left me stranded, although it did come close. (Wouldn't start coming out of a car wash once. Another time, the clutch cable snapped but I was able to coast to my Dad's about a quarter of a mile away)
My Mum had a bronze Mk2 SRI. She loved that car, and only sold it to get a Mk3.
He put wheel trims over his but it was a nice car to run round in and cheap for bits.
My dad had a string of Mk2s interspersed with Fords - company cars but they got changed quite frequently. He had one of the first Mk2s after a bad experience with a 'Friday afternoon build' Cortina. It had a 4-speeder with an economy gear top so it was actually fastest in 4th. The nicest one he had was a brown B-reg with the velour type trim
Never really got any proper photos of them as they were just company cars but here's a couple of old shots - apologies fir the other stuff in the way
I remember, for whatever reason, it seemed to be built much better than any of the ones he had before or after, everything seemed heavier and better finished, almost as if the panels were thicker gauge, the paint thicker etc.
The one that came after seemed tinnier and more cheaply finished, although he never really had any problems with them, unsurpringly, as they were new and regularly serviced
The Glacier White did make the Opel Polar white on my Manta look a bit 'creamy' and yellowy
As said, they always were a bit quicker than the same size engined Ford Sierra - never remember the 1.8 SRis being as fast as my Manta GTE though - the 2 litre 130s were very similarly matched and had a proper 5-speed box unlike the GTEs 4+E type Getrag box. Going to Cornwall on the A30 I had a good run against a nice white 130SRi. On one long straight we were both level pegged, flat out of an island - don't think the Manta was much lighter to be honest. You had to be a gear lower in the Manta and the standard engine wasn't as modern and free-revving as the Cavalier for sure. The Astras were quicker with the same engines - a bit lighter than the Manta or Cavalier.
Don't see many Mk2s these days, the odd SRi and the aforementioned Calibre and a convertible. Mk3 Cavaliers and Sierras far more common round these parts.The later Mk3s had nicer steering as I remember - used to drive my bosses SRi to have it serviced - a white F-reg Mk3. Always fancied the GSi with the XE...fantastic engine....but got a Mk2 Astra GTE 16v some while after instead
My memories of the MK2 were of getting the car relatively cheaply and fixing the problems previous owners didn't have the skill to cure. But not a bad little car and the 1.6 was a dream engine. I went on to have a newer one as a company car and possibly the last mark in GLI mode with 2l engine and electric everything. That was one car I hated loosing. Returned about 40mph ,and if you wanted it could cruise at illegal ( even instant ban) speeds for a long time.
Oft forgotten were the steathly and well equipped 1.8GLSi and 2.0GLSi models.dont think they were made as long as the regular GLi's
The CDs were nice too.
dont recall the power advantage of the end of line 2.0i over the 1.8i- was it 3bhp ? 112hp vs 115hp .
I thought the 130hp 2.0i was reserved for the top sri and calibre.
The CDs were nice too.
dont recall the power advantage of the end of line 2.0i over the 1.8i- was it 3bhp ? 112hp vs 115hp .
I thought the 130hp 2.0i was reserved for the top sri and calibre.
My dad worked for Vauxhall in Luton and it was an employee privilege to be able to buy ex company cars from "the compound". He bought a couple, the second being an Orient Blue 1.8GLSi Saloon. As a nipper, I convinced him to get the faster GLSi over the standard GL 1.6..
I loved that car - seemed quick (from the rear seat) and with grey velour, was positively luxurious. Front electric windows, mirrors, glass sunroof, electric aerial, radio cassette...and a sticker that said "this car is environmentally tuned to run on unleaded petrol". Those were the days..
D803 NMJ where are you now?
I loved that car - seemed quick (from the rear seat) and with grey velour, was positively luxurious. Front electric windows, mirrors, glass sunroof, electric aerial, radio cassette...and a sticker that said "this car is environmentally tuned to run on unleaded petrol". Those were the days..
D803 NMJ where are you now?
Hi there all. I'm new so please go easy if I break protocol.
I had a white D-reg 1.8 GLi saloon and loved it, although I didn't do much to show it. In my defence I was only 19 so abuse of your motor was in the job description in those pre-gatso days. I bought it in '89 from the company in Crewe that I was working for at the time. I lived near Ormskirk, so had a 110 daily commute which is why I went from 96k to 180k in two years, every mile being a hard one. I was still in the first flush of having a licence and also had a new g/f so I would drive all around the country on weekends - it got around that old thing.
My peers were doing the XR3 (i if they had money)/XR2/GTE thing but I used to smoke 'em all. The injected motor was quite powerful against it's peers and I was totally lacking in mechanical sympathy so bouncing off the rev limiter was the period version of change up lights.
It was fairly reliable too. It did a cam belt at 140k but not it's valves. Then the replacement went after a week (manufacturing fault) and still the valves went untouched. Tyres (numerous sets). An exhaust. An occasional oil & filter change. That was it. Oh, apart from the electrics but that really wasn't the cars fault. My sister borrowed it one weekend, reversed it up a kerb, ran over the mudflap and pulled the plastic liner out of the front wheel arch. Next time it rained, went through a big puddle and hey presto, half a mile later all was quiet. In Carlisle. Or, more accurately, the moors around Carlisle. In the aforementioned rain. Before mobiles were wide spread. How I loved my sister that day.......
I ended up selling it to the sister of my Mum's next door neighbour. In truth I didn't want to, as even at that young age I knew of the perils of selling cars to people you know. Particularly when you'd done what I'd done to that poor thing. That said, it went on to give them years of trouble free service.
So, all in all, it was a cracker and I loved it. Wouldn't want it back though!
I had a white D-reg 1.8 GLi saloon and loved it, although I didn't do much to show it. In my defence I was only 19 so abuse of your motor was in the job description in those pre-gatso days. I bought it in '89 from the company in Crewe that I was working for at the time. I lived near Ormskirk, so had a 110 daily commute which is why I went from 96k to 180k in two years, every mile being a hard one. I was still in the first flush of having a licence and also had a new g/f so I would drive all around the country on weekends - it got around that old thing.
My peers were doing the XR3 (i if they had money)/XR2/GTE thing but I used to smoke 'em all. The injected motor was quite powerful against it's peers and I was totally lacking in mechanical sympathy so bouncing off the rev limiter was the period version of change up lights.
It was fairly reliable too. It did a cam belt at 140k but not it's valves. Then the replacement went after a week (manufacturing fault) and still the valves went untouched. Tyres (numerous sets). An exhaust. An occasional oil & filter change. That was it. Oh, apart from the electrics but that really wasn't the cars fault. My sister borrowed it one weekend, reversed it up a kerb, ran over the mudflap and pulled the plastic liner out of the front wheel arch. Next time it rained, went through a big puddle and hey presto, half a mile later all was quiet. In Carlisle. Or, more accurately, the moors around Carlisle. In the aforementioned rain. Before mobiles were wide spread. How I loved my sister that day.......
I ended up selling it to the sister of my Mum's next door neighbour. In truth I didn't want to, as even at that young age I knew of the perils of selling cars to people you know. Particularly when you'd done what I'd done to that poor thing. That said, it went on to give them years of trouble free service.
So, all in all, it was a cracker and I loved it. Wouldn't want it back though!
I had 5 in total as company cars
1981 Mk1 2.0 saloon, GL I think. This was a badged rwd Opel Ascona that I inherited. Well balanced car.
1983 Mk2 1.6GLS hatch. My first new company car. Loved it. Ahead of the competition at the time IMO.
1985 Mk2 1.8GLS hatch (facelift). Replacement car written off in a M1 pile up. Felt stodgy compared to its predecessor.
1984 Mk2 1.6L saloon. Pool car as punishment for above. Went like stink. I am told that in those days engines varied in real power output, unless it was down to gearing. Despite the status issue I enjoyed this car.
1990 Mk3 2.0SRi 130. Great car. Felt bulletproof and I drove it very hard and always returned 30+ mpg.
1981 Mk1 2.0 saloon, GL I think. This was a badged rwd Opel Ascona that I inherited. Well balanced car.
1983 Mk2 1.6GLS hatch. My first new company car. Loved it. Ahead of the competition at the time IMO.
1985 Mk2 1.8GLS hatch (facelift). Replacement car written off in a M1 pile up. Felt stodgy compared to its predecessor.
1984 Mk2 1.6L saloon. Pool car as punishment for above. Went like stink. I am told that in those days engines varied in real power output, unless it was down to gearing. Despite the status issue I enjoyed this car.
1990 Mk3 2.0SRi 130. Great car. Felt bulletproof and I drove it very hard and always returned 30+ mpg.
One of the lads off our boat P/xed a Mk2 Cavalier 1.6 SR, for a Turbo Technics
1.8 SRi 84 A plate back in 86, we had the chance to have a play, like we always did
down the A74 or M6, from 40mph ish to about 3 figs we were very evenly matched, but once the SRi changed up to 5th the XR4i pulled away, he complained about ridiculously high gearing, i always remember the 4i being a bit nervous at over 100 on some of the A74 bends 
1.8 SRi 84 A plate back in 86, we had the chance to have a play, like we always did
down the A74 or M6, from 40mph ish to about 3 figs we were very evenly matched, but once the SRi changed up to 5th the XR4i pulled away, he complained about ridiculously high gearing, i always remember the 4i being a bit nervous at over 100 on some of the A74 bends Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff