Cavalier Mk2 Memories
Discussion
Never a great fan of them, however really I should be for a couple of reasons.
First is the great surprise I got as an 9 year old getting a ticket to the British Grand Prix and going down there with my dad and my godfather in his new gold SRi saloon.
Second was that it was the first car I ever drove, a white CDi saloon which was a mate's dad's company car. On a quiet lane in the middle of nowhere we were given the chance to take it for a spin at what can't have been much more than jogging pace, however I was about 14 at the time so mustn't grumble!
First is the great surprise I got as an 9 year old getting a ticket to the British Grand Prix and going down there with my dad and my godfather in his new gold SRi saloon.
Second was that it was the first car I ever drove, a white CDi saloon which was a mate's dad's company car. On a quiet lane in the middle of nowhere we were given the chance to take it for a spin at what can't have been much more than jogging pace, however I was about 14 at the time so mustn't grumble!
My dad had a 1986 C reg 1.3 Cavalier saloon, with the unusual reg C66FTM. (Car not as horrendous as it sounds). It was in an odd off yellow colour called "gazelle beige". He bought it with 40k miles on the clock, and gave it to me with 74k miles to replace my aging Fiesta. I kept it for a year and a bit and traded it in with 92k miles on the clock. I think we had our moneys worth out it! The interior was immaculate and the engine had a few minor things done, rocker cover gasket, fuel pump, starter motor and distributor over the period I owned it. The main reason I got rid were the bottoms of the doors, and back arches were starting to rust and the boot was pretty damp inside. Traded it for an F reg 1.6 Astra.
Edited by ch108 on Tuesday 14th January 21:24
s m said:
SuperHangOn said:
For super rarity there was a 2 door - I wonder if one has managed to survive?
I see a convertible round here in the summer.Harry Enfield used to own a convertible as well
Two company cars that I was fortunate to have back in the 80s that were head and shoulders above the rest were a Ford Capri 280 Brooklands and a Cavalier Sri 130 saloon in black. 
With some discount the Cavalier was £11250 otr and I remember quite vividly collecting it from Auty and Lees Vauxhall, Bury. I loved that car and it felt quick in the day with a punchy engine but reasonable economy. No power steering or electric windows though they were expensive options.
Got pulled by the rossers on the M66 doing some illegal speed and they were quite intrigued what 130 meant....
I bought the car off the Company after 3 trouble free years for £4250.
Had several of the Mark3 GSis in the early 90s but it was the black 130 which impressed me most......
With some discount the Cavalier was £11250 otr and I remember quite vividly collecting it from Auty and Lees Vauxhall, Bury. I loved that car and it felt quick in the day with a punchy engine but reasonable economy. No power steering or electric windows though they were expensive options.
Got pulled by the rossers on the M66 doing some illegal speed and they were quite intrigued what 130 meant....
I bought the car off the Company after 3 trouble free years for £4250.
Had several of the Mark3 GSis in the early 90s but it was the black 130 which impressed me most......
Limpet said:
The SRi was all about the engine. I had a C plate saloon in black. It didn't handle very well, ride very well or steer very nicely. It did however go like the clappers. It was such a smooth, free-revving engine,
The only grief I ever had with it mechanically was a blown fuel pump relay (common), and for some reason it used to munch through HT leads. Never did get to the bottom of that.
Interesting about the HT leads.The only grief I ever had with it mechanically was a blown fuel pump relay (common), and for some reason it used to munch through HT leads. Never did get to the bottom of that.
My 16v Astra used to chomp through dizzy caps at a fair old rate
This was my gsi, swapped my sri130 for it
Wish i'd kept the 130 though:
Also owned a white E reg 1.6 saloon before I bought the 130 from my brother. The Sri130 was by far the best of the 3, and I know the chap I sold it too, he still owns it now.
Wish i'd kept the 130 though:
Also owned a white E reg 1.6 saloon before I bought the 130 from my brother. The Sri130 was by far the best of the 3, and I know the chap I sold it too, he still owns it now.
Edited by philmh on Tuesday 14th January 22:45
I had a 1985 Blue 1.6L, the only car i made the mistake of buying before checking the oil level. Topped it up to discover the rings were completely shot!
Still, got that fixed (luckily got it from a dealer, so made him pay for a rebuild) then set about improving it.
My local scrapyard was breaking a CD model, that yielded rev counter clocks, a 3 spoke steering wheel, plush velor interior, central locking and electric windows. Luckily for me, the guy in the scrapyard only charged me for the interior - had he taken the time to check inside the frame of the seats he could probably have charged me for the other bits as well.
Still, got that fixed (luckily got it from a dealer, so made him pay for a rebuild) then set about improving it.
My local scrapyard was breaking a CD model, that yielded rev counter clocks, a 3 spoke steering wheel, plush velor interior, central locking and electric windows. Luckily for me, the guy in the scrapyard only charged me for the interior - had he taken the time to check inside the frame of the seats he could probably have charged me for the other bits as well.
I once worked for a company who wanted shot of me in the early 90's so moved me from the bright lights of London to Birmingham. They also gave me use of a pool car (1.6 Cav). And I negotiated a 4.5 day week.
So basically Every Friday afternoon I would head out of Brum as fast as possible and 2 or three hours later I'd either be back home in London or with my old mates in Edinburgh.
The Cav was surprisingly good at those trips and even OK up the Devil's Beeftub (A702?) from Moffat to Edinburgh.
They never did get rid of me that time - I ended up bumping into someone in the office and getting a European sales job. Happy days
So basically Every Friday afternoon I would head out of Brum as fast as possible and 2 or three hours later I'd either be back home in London or with my old mates in Edinburgh.
The Cav was surprisingly good at those trips and even OK up the Devil's Beeftub (A702?) from Moffat to Edinburgh.
They never did get rid of me that time - I ended up bumping into someone in the office and getting a European sales job. Happy days
My dad had a Mk2 '81 X-reg Jamaica yellow 1.6SR which I thought was the bee's knee's when I was a kid.
Until recently I was running this about as a cheap classic, until someone hit me up the ar$e! it was in awesome condition and 2 owners from new, bought it off a chap who had given up driving, I loved the all red interior too!
Until recently I was running this about as a cheap classic, until someone hit me up the ar$e! it was in awesome condition and 2 owners from new, bought it off a chap who had given up driving, I loved the all red interior too!
Nice topic, I've always liked Vauxhalls from this period they always felt "revvy" and seemed to be indestructible. I can remember getting a lift home from school once with a mate and his Dad in his brand new B reg silver SRi hatchback, I was particularly impressed with the Phillips digital stereo!
This thread makes me wonder if the Audi A4 is the Cavalier of today and will people look back on them with the same fondness
This thread makes me wonder if the Audi A4 is the Cavalier of today and will people look back on them with the same fondness
LeighW said:
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.
Here's a photo of my SRi, I'd bought it back as salvage from the insurance company after it was written off in the above shunt. Having mates in the trade, I managed to get it fixed pretty cheaply (new front panel, wings, bonnet, bumper, lights), and added the facelift grill and spoiler. I sold it a short while later and bought a Mk 2 Astra GTE. It met a sad end in a relatively slow head on with a Bedford Midi van - surprisingly not my fault either. Ah, happy days.
Realising that this was over 22 years ago has just made me feel very old!
Captainawesome said:
Back when t'were all fields round here this was the utter business. GSI2000 in red letters on the rear was the icing on the cake. Spent many weekends cruising round Inverness carparks in one of these. Cooler than a polar bears balls!
Google image for illustration.
This was mine:Google image for illustration.
Captainawesome said:
Back when t'were all fields round here this was the utter business. GSI2000 in red letters on the rear was the icing on the cake. Spent many weekends cruising round Inverness carparks in one of these. Cooler than a polar bears balls!
Google image for illustration.
After 8 years in storage I finally got mine back on the road in May 2013.Google image for illustration.
Its been my daily driver since, and beyond a few well documented mk3 Cavalier age related problems(all now rectified) its been great, plus I can't remember the last time I saw a genuine GSI on the road so it has a certain novelty to it.
Gonna have to sell it soon though, simply don't have the room for 3 cars, so its a case of sell this or my e39 520i, and this is more valuable.
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