RE: Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6L: Spotted
Discussion
Agent XXX said:
s m said:
A fwd Cavalier on a V plate suffix?????
Private plate then
The fwd ones came a couple of years after
V reg would have been a rwd-er
I dunno whether it was FWD or RWD I was only little! Where did I mention F/RWD???? It was deffi=o a V suffix. Couldn't give a toss what drive it was as it was a hideous car.Private plate then
The fwd ones came a couple of years after
V reg would have been a rwd-er
s m said:
If it was definitely a V-reg then it was a rwd Cavalier rather than the later fwd car you showed in your post
Just clarifying what car you were hating
Could have been Y. Like I said, I was VERY young at the time but if they were still on Mk 1s on a V plate then it would have been a later plate. Definitely a Mk 2Just clarifying what car you were hating
greenarrow said:
I think a lot of the comments here are missing the point. The Cavalier was in its day a best selling car and therefore as much a part of UK automative heritage as any of the Fords which people go mad over. In fact it was a better drive than the rival Sierra back in the day. I owned one of those and it really was a truly hateful vehicle. But of course the nation has always taken Ford to its heart. Vauxhall on the other hand is sneered at and derided.
!
I grew up driving and owning a few Vauxhalls and Fords ( and some others )!
As did the majority of people my age
Truth is the cars were perfectly fine for the most part at the price they were sold at. Japs hadn't really got their act together until later and BMW/Merc would sell you something at double the price ( they might even throw a radio in if you were lucky )
I think half the problem is, as evidenced, people weren't even sure what car or model they were actually driving
Daninoxon said:
We had two when I was younger - 1989 F plate 1.6l and a 1992 J plate 1.6gl which had the rear head rests which was a big thing back in the day. As others have said not the most exciting to drive but they put up with a lot of stick (especially from 18 year old me), only ever seemed to need exhausts & alternators. My mate got a red H reg sri and on the day he got it brought it into town to show us, whilst we were in the pub it got nicked - we came out of the pub to see it fly past and get air going straight over the roundabout, think it got a burnt out and my mate could not afford to insure anything tasty again (he did have the fittest girlfriend at the time so our simpathy was short lived!). My mk 2 gli had 14 owners on the V5 when I got it, big dent where you rest your right elbow and well over 180k but just kept going. I saw a new insignia on the road only last week and at time remember thinking what are Vauxhall up to producing that automotive dross.
This is the kind of anecdote that makes Pistonheads ace 
Nice one mate.I guess back in the day you were either a Ford man or a Vauxhall man and thus the late 80's BTCC and such like created two camps... and in the 90's the Mk3 Cavalier was pretty much a bit of a weapon in the hands of John Cleland and thus probably had a fairly loyal fan base off the back of that. Plus, as a company car it was probably a better proposition than the offerings from Ford... as a middle ground rep, a 2.0 GLS and you were the man and if you had the V6 Diplomat, stand back lads, I've arrived. Then, Vauxhall figured the C20XE plus Cavalier shell would be a good thing and to be fair, it was... then went one step further with the Turbo which no matter which way you cut it and 4x4 issues aside, was a pretty fast car for 1993.
The cooking models like this one featured will never be the sort of thing that many will lust after, granted if it were an SRi or similar then it'd have more of an appeal however that's much like saying who the hell wants a base model 1.6 Sierra but they command silly money... and they were actually crap. So yes, a nice thing and there is a certain charm to it more so as it's a rare things, looking immaculate and the low miles are just crazy but is it something to desire... doubt it but is it rubbish, not really as it's a part of history and one day, there will be none left and that's a quite sad really.
There's one sat in a local scrapyard, that in itself is rare these days as most are long gone... I almost feel quite sorry that its there.
Can't see there being a 13k, 28 year old Insignia 1.8 Exclusiv for sale in years to come.
The cooking models like this one featured will never be the sort of thing that many will lust after, granted if it were an SRi or similar then it'd have more of an appeal however that's much like saying who the hell wants a base model 1.6 Sierra but they command silly money... and they were actually crap. So yes, a nice thing and there is a certain charm to it more so as it's a rare things, looking immaculate and the low miles are just crazy but is it something to desire... doubt it but is it rubbish, not really as it's a part of history and one day, there will be none left and that's a quite sad really.
There's one sat in a local scrapyard, that in itself is rare these days as most are long gone... I almost feel quite sorry that its there.
Can't see there being a 13k, 28 year old Insignia 1.8 Exclusiv for sale in years to come.
Davie said:
I guess back in the day you were either a Ford man or a Vauxhall man and thus the late 80's BTCC and such like created two camps... and in the 90's the Mk3 Cavalier was pretty much a bit of a weapon in the hands of John Cleland and thus probably had a fairly loyal fan base off the back of that. Plus, as a company car it was probably a better proposition than the offerings from Ford... as a middle ground rep, a 2.0 GLS and you were the man and if you had the V6 Diplomat, stand back lads, I've arrived. Then, Vauxhall figured the C20XE plus Cavalier shell would be a good thing and to be fair, it was... then went one step further with the Turbo which no matter which way you cut it and 4x4 issues aside, was a pretty fast car for 1993.
The cooking models like this one featured will never be the sort of thing that many will lust after, granted if it were an SRi or similar then it'd have more of an appeal however that's much like saying who the hell wants a base model 1.6 Sierra but they command silly money... and they were actually crap. So yes, a nice thing and there is a certain charm to it more so as it's a rare things, looking immaculate and the low miles are just crazy but is it something to desire... doubt it but is it rubbish, not really as it's a part of history and one day, there will be none left and that's a quite sad really.
There's one sat in a local scrapyard, that in itself is rare these days as most are long gone... I almost feel quite sorry that its there.
Can't see there being a 13k, 28 year old Insignia 1.8 Exclusiv for sale in years to come.
Spot on Davie. I'm not badge loyal at all and both marques made some great stuff as well as the usual 'porridge' as someone put that is now done by the 118d/Kia/Audi Tdi stuff etc.The cooking models like this one featured will never be the sort of thing that many will lust after, granted if it were an SRi or similar then it'd have more of an appeal however that's much like saying who the hell wants a base model 1.6 Sierra but they command silly money... and they were actually crap. So yes, a nice thing and there is a certain charm to it more so as it's a rare things, looking immaculate and the low miles are just crazy but is it something to desire... doubt it but is it rubbish, not really as it's a part of history and one day, there will be none left and that's a quite sad really.
There's one sat in a local scrapyard, that in itself is rare these days as most are long gone... I almost feel quite sorry that its there.
Can't see there being a 13k, 28 year old Insignia 1.8 Exclusiv for sale in years to come.
It'd have to be a sporty version like a GSI, Sri 16v XE or Turbo to get me interested
TooMany2cvs said:
Always strange how people refer to "Vauxhall", and think of them as a UK manufacturer, when they're really just a single-market rebadge of Opels, and have been since the Mk1 Cav, Carlton and Chevette were launched.
Banter with lady in the office with an M140i...Me "More idiots in Krautwagens driving like muppets on the way in this morning..."
She "And where was your Insipid actually built?"
Me "Russelsheim, of course!"
She "That's in Germany, isn't it?"
Me "Of course!"
s m said:
AC43 said:
I then changed jobs and much to my mates' amusement was given yet another Cavalier as a stop-gap whilst waiting for my 200SX. This one was a CDX and I think it had the GSI engine & suspension. Much to my surprise I actually quite liked it.
All-in-all very dependent on spec - i think the bean counters had a lot to answer for for my red one....
CDX never had GSi engine All-in-all very dependent on spec - i think the bean counters had a lot to answer for for my red one....
GSi and SRI 16v were the only ones to get redtop
They did get the 136bhp Ecotec though as well as the V6
According to Parkers both the CDX and SRI had 136bhp.
Anyway, whatever, I was soon out of it and actually into something I wanted to drive.
Edited by AC43 on Saturday 3rd February 12:36
AC43 said:
s m said:
AC43 said:
I then changed jobs and much to my mates' amusement was given yet another Cavalier as a stop-gap whilst waiting for my 200SX. This one was a CDX and I think it had the GSI engine & suspension. Much to my surprise I actually quite liked it.
All-in-all very dependent on spec - i think the bean counters had a lot to answer for for my red one....
CDX never had GSi engine All-in-all very dependent on spec - i think the bean counters had a lot to answer for for my red one....
GSi and SRI 16v were the only ones to get redtop
They did get the 136bhp Ecotec though as well as the V6
The GSi, GSi 4x4 and SRi 16v ( specifically around J/K reg ) were the only ones that got the 150bhp 2.0XE
AC43 said:
According to Parkers both the CDX and SRI had 136bhp.
Anyway, whatever, I was soon out of it and actually into something I wanted to drive.
CDX was after the 1992 facelift and had the 136bhp 2.0 Ecotec (X20XEV) or the V6 (X25XE) or the 1.7TD which was like a tractor but ran on air... Anyway, whatever, I was soon out of it and actually into something I wanted to drive.
SRi's had more engines... started with the pre-facelift 2.0 (20NE) or as it's better known "An SRi130 lump" and then they had the 150bhp 2.0 16v 'Redtop' (C20XE) and then in 94ish they went to the 136bhp 2.0 16v which everybody seemed to want to hate due to the increased amount of sensors, EGR systems and such like but it was actually a pretty decent engine.
Ahhh, part of me misses those days...
s m said:
AC43 said:
s m said:
AC43 said:
I then changed jobs and much to my mates' amusement was given yet another Cavalier as a stop-gap whilst waiting for my 200SX. This one was a CDX and I think it had the GSI engine & suspension. Much to my surprise I actually quite liked it.
All-in-all very dependent on spec - i think the bean counters had a lot to answer for for my red one....
CDX never had GSi engine All-in-all very dependent on spec - i think the bean counters had a lot to answer for for my red one....
GSi and SRI 16v were the only ones to get redtop
They did get the 136bhp Ecotec though as well as the V6
The GSi, GSi 4x4 and SRi 16v ( specifically around J/K reg ) were the only ones that got the 150bhp 2.0XE
Anyway, the CDX went OK with 136bhp. And, just as importantly had much better springs and dampers. You could actually hustle it a bit. And it was packed with kit. And it was a dark blue metallic with light grey interior and sunroof. And CD player, of course. I was quite happy in that one although of course, as a guy in his early 30's, keen to get into the 2 door RWD turbo which I'd ordered. One of the reasons i changed jobs was to get away from that miserable CFO & fleet manager who insisted we all drove Vauxhalls whilst choosing a Subaru SVX for himself. We all hated that man.
I had a 1.8L in exactly this colour, which quite suited it.
It was registered new to my local Budget Rent A Car, I was friends with the manager and staff there. It was sold at 3yrs Old with 35k on it (the manager usually ran it herself rather than being rent don’t everyday).
I won’t go into the details of why I got a good deal for the car other than to say it was at ‘bottom book’ in Glasses Guide.
Spec? Iirc it had PAS, ABS, manual sunroof, central locking and electric front windows, and that was about it. But do you actually need any more than that?
The Power was reduced from the previous model if memory serves, as it was more aerodynamic and the powers that be decided it didn’t need as much power to get the same performance (please correct me if I’m wrong).
My overriding memory was it was a decent, spacious car that did everything well, but wasn’t very good or outstanding in any area.
The gearing seemed very long, The in-gear acceleration was blunted but adequate.
I’m not sure how the price of this vehicle stacks up, we may look back in a few years time and thInk ‘that was cheap’, and kick ourselves for not buying it... but sadly, I doubt it.
It was registered new to my local Budget Rent A Car, I was friends with the manager and staff there. It was sold at 3yrs Old with 35k on it (the manager usually ran it herself rather than being rent don’t everyday).
I won’t go into the details of why I got a good deal for the car other than to say it was at ‘bottom book’ in Glasses Guide.
Spec? Iirc it had PAS, ABS, manual sunroof, central locking and electric front windows, and that was about it. But do you actually need any more than that?
The Power was reduced from the previous model if memory serves, as it was more aerodynamic and the powers that be decided it didn’t need as much power to get the same performance (please correct me if I’m wrong).
My overriding memory was it was a decent, spacious car that did everything well, but wasn’t very good or outstanding in any area.
The gearing seemed very long, The in-gear acceleration was blunted but adequate.
I’m not sure how the price of this vehicle stacks up, we may look back in a few years time and thInk ‘that was cheap’, and kick ourselves for not buying it... but sadly, I doubt it.
Actually, I just remembered that the CDX was one of only two cars I've had that had an air con vent in the glovebox. Used to LOVE that feature and stick 2-3 diet cold Cokes in at the beginning of a long journey and they'd stay frosty for hours.
22 years later I've just discovered that my E500 has the same thing. Brilliant little touch.
(The more I think about that CDX the more I realise I liked it as much as I hated my GLS. If someone had suggested i took the alternative - a povvo spec 3 series, 190 or A4 - I'd deffo have stuck with the CDX with it's engine, suspension and spec).
22 years later I've just discovered that my E500 has the same thing. Brilliant little touch.
(The more I think about that CDX the more I realise I liked it as much as I hated my GLS. If someone had suggested i took the alternative - a povvo spec 3 series, 190 or A4 - I'd deffo have stuck with the CDX with it's engine, suspension and spec).
AlexC1981 said:
I don't blame you, that's a nice looking car. It must have be down to wind tunnels making all those 90s cars look like blobs.
In about 1990 my friends next door neighbour had one of those, he was a psychic and an alcoholic. It got stolen and dumped a few miles away on some scrub land. I offered to drive him down to the pound to see what he could salvage.On the way down he drank half a bottle of whisky and once we were there he asked where they found it and demanded I took him tp the location, it ended up half submerged in a bog. Once there he got the now empty bottle of whisky and filled it up with the bog water, he spent the whole of the journey back casting weird spells on the bottle and saying things like "I've got the f
kers now".It was a strange day.
^^ I had a red saloon, although mine was the more upmarket 2.0 CDi, I had it in between a pile of Sierras and, as has been mentioned, the Cavalier was actually a much better car, it was quicker than a 2.0 Sierra (it was easily as quick as a V6 Sierra I found), MUCH better on fuel, a more dynamic drive and comfier, however, I much preferred the rear drive handling of a Sierra.
The one memory that sticks in my mind of my old Cavalier is giving it the beans on the local private road and reaching 135mph before catching up with some traffic and at that speed it was still pulling and felt perfectly stable, at the time it was a 13 year old car with 150k on it.....
I've just remembered something else, the dashboard was curvy and rounded on the drivers side and squared off on the passenger side, what was that about?
The one memory that sticks in my mind of my old Cavalier is giving it the beans on the local private road and reaching 135mph before catching up with some traffic and at that speed it was still pulling and felt perfectly stable, at the time it was a 13 year old car with 150k on it.....
I've just remembered something else, the dashboard was curvy and rounded on the drivers side and squared off on the passenger side, what was that about?
Edited by njw1 on Saturday 3rd February 13:46
Alucidnation said:
Back in 1992, I had a 1.7D as a company car with a massive 60bhp which was massively under powered for the size of car.
Interestingly it's a pretty compact car by modern standards.Mk3 Vauxhall Cavalier
Length: 173.97 in
Width: 66.96 in
Current Vauxhall Astra
Length: 172.0 in
Width: 71.2 in
Current Insignia
Length: 192.8 in
Width: 73.3 in
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