RE: Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6L: Spotted
Discussion
Alpaca said:
If I remember correctly that advert pre-dated the Mondeo by a few months, it was advertising the facelifted Cavalier in late '92, Mondeo followed early 1993. I think all facelifted Mk3 Cavaliers had a driver's airbag as standard.
Anyone remember the lower trim levels of the facelift (Envoy, LS) had a rear light arrangement similar to the pre facelift, but the upper trims (GLS and up) had their own rear light design?
Not all facelifts did. Even the early k plate turbos had no airbags.Anyone remember the lower trim levels of the facelift (Envoy, LS) had a rear light arrangement similar to the pre facelift, but the upper trims (GLS and up) had their own rear light design?
My Dad had an SRI in that shape, a white saloon with red decals.
He was king of the hill in our street as all the other dads had GLs and LSs.
Still, nothing really remarkable about it and even less about this 1.6. We’ve got pics of it, we don’t need to keep one around to know what it looked like.
He was king of the hill in our street as all the other dads had GLs and LSs.
Still, nothing really remarkable about it and even less about this 1.6. We’ve got pics of it, we don’t need to keep one around to know what it looked like.
If you're in the market for one of these then there can't be many left in this condition hence somebody will buy it....if you were going to daily or frequently use it you'd need to dinitrol it within an inch if its life or it'll rot like its forebears. ....I like it for its rarity....they were just durable unexciting cars....
STattam said:
They were so tough and reliable. Capable of huge miles mechanically whilst being thrashed at the same time as previously said.
That's just reminded me of the time when there was a gang of us in a mates Cavalier (a burgundy 1.6L as it happens!) bombing across a local mountain road and my mate tried to take a corner which was much too sharp much too quickly, this resulted in the car understeering straight off the road, down a banking which was around 10ft high and onto a farmers dirt track, we carried on bouncing down the track at a good speed for about 3/4 of a mile before reaching the road again. The total damage; none! Well, a slightly flat rear tyre and a huge chunk of mud and grass hanging off the towbar.
And before anyone asks, yes, the car was legitimately owned by one of us......
J4CKO said:
Indeed! See my last post...
SRI 130 was epic in it day.
Doing a top of the pops countdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY85ET2gXGQ
The hot Cavs were at number 1 when it came to being caught speeding by PC plod. It's no wonder they fuzz decided not to go out in traffic patrol cars and instead leave it up to Gatsos. They are probably still working through the old paperwork including Lord Lucan in a 16v version caught heading towards Dover.
I actually had a 1600L Cavalier, first proper car after my Morris Ital 1.3SLX estate. The Ital was champagne coloured beige, the Cavalier parchment beige. In those days beige did not have the kudos it has today, so they called it something posh like.
The one downside to the Cavalier was the alarming habit of it losing it's plastic wheel trims! You used to see them all over the country in the 80/90s lying about. Best one I ever did was clipping a wheel on a kerb in the Lake District and seeing it shoot off into a field of sheep at Mach 10. Baa Baa, they scattered and scatted as my plastic hub did a good impression of a 3 year old collie called Floss. But made of plastic.
Also the first car I went backwards at 50mph down an A road when unexpected. 165's and the slow steering rack meant you had to be on your game. I was never on my game....
PS First car I did 140mph on the motorway. We had to do some stacking of shelves at an Asda for a marketing promotional after the shop had shut down for the night. Glamour or what?
Doing a top of the pops countdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY85ET2gXGQ
The hot Cavs were at number 1 when it came to being caught speeding by PC plod. It's no wonder they fuzz decided not to go out in traffic patrol cars and instead leave it up to Gatsos. They are probably still working through the old paperwork including Lord Lucan in a 16v version caught heading towards Dover.
I actually had a 1600L Cavalier, first proper car after my Morris Ital 1.3SLX estate. The Ital was champagne coloured beige, the Cavalier parchment beige. In those days beige did not have the kudos it has today, so they called it something posh like.
The one downside to the Cavalier was the alarming habit of it losing it's plastic wheel trims! You used to see them all over the country in the 80/90s lying about. Best one I ever did was clipping a wheel on a kerb in the Lake District and seeing it shoot off into a field of sheep at Mach 10. Baa Baa, they scattered and scatted as my plastic hub did a good impression of a 3 year old collie called Floss. But made of plastic.
Also the first car I went backwards at 50mph down an A road when unexpected. 165's and the slow steering rack meant you had to be on your game. I was never on my game....
PS First car I did 140mph on the motorway. We had to do some stacking of shelves at an Asda for a marketing promotional after the shop had shut down for the night. Glamour or what?
Edited by Gandahar on Saturday 3rd February 21:30
J4CKO said:
Perfect car control, probably honed from the last 12 months where even doing a three point turn could be dicey in the rain.Note all the non expert cavalier drivers crashing behind him.
I'd like to see modern day automotive driving aids get him out of that pickle as well !!
My mum had a K plate 1.6 GL in a funny kind of blue turquoise. K369ALS if I recall. My dad had a poverty spec Carlton L 1.8 at the time, and the Cavalier always felt much plusher. Was the first car I ever drove!
The Carlton was replaced by a 2.0 MK1 Mondeo Ghia, and the Cavalier by a late MK3 Astra after the clutch gave up and she was talked into getting shot. She then switched into a Escort 1.6 Ghia and ever since then they've owned Fords.
My Vectra B always reminded me of that Cavalier with the electric window switches in the middle and the general layout of the dash and feel of the drive.
Ford seemed to move on from the Sierra, Vauxhall didn't seem to up their game until the Vectra C came along, but even then couldn't really keep up with Ford and the MK3 Mondeo...
ETA: In fairness to Vauxhall I drove a 67 plate Astra SRi 136bhp diesel the other month, and it went like stink and handled very well too. Felt quicker than my 9-3... Haven't driven a new shape Focus to compare it to though.
The Carlton was replaced by a 2.0 MK1 Mondeo Ghia, and the Cavalier by a late MK3 Astra after the clutch gave up and she was talked into getting shot. She then switched into a Escort 1.6 Ghia and ever since then they've owned Fords.
My Vectra B always reminded me of that Cavalier with the electric window switches in the middle and the general layout of the dash and feel of the drive.
Ford seemed to move on from the Sierra, Vauxhall didn't seem to up their game until the Vectra C came along, but even then couldn't really keep up with Ford and the MK3 Mondeo...
ETA: In fairness to Vauxhall I drove a 67 plate Astra SRi 136bhp diesel the other month, and it went like stink and handled very well too. Felt quicker than my 9-3... Haven't driven a new shape Focus to compare it to though.
Edited by nipsips on Saturday 3rd February 21:29
My mum has a Vectra B, which is a very close relative. It is a horrible drive, but is the cockroach of the automotive world. Hers is S reg, just sailed through its MOT, she is 87 and it will probably see her out. Un killable. At its happiest bumbling along the motorway between 60 and 70. It’s deeply unhappy when pointed at twisty stuff.
Back in late 1991 I needed a car in a hurry,and my motor trader mate had an ex-Godfrey Davis burgundy 4 door 1.8L one of these - 1990 on a G plate, so I bought it off him.
The one thing the 1.8 had was PAS, so it came with 185 tyres - but still only 90 bhp!
Then around March 1992 I got a company car, so my sister had the Cavalier off me and kept it for years (until she had a mad moment and bought a Calibra as a family car)!
But through all those years it never missed a beat - not exciting to drive in any way, but just a good reliable car.
In 1995 I had a 1991 Sierra Sapphire GLSi that had a few issues. The company I worked at used to offer ex-company cars to employees (names out of a hat) and I managed to get a 1992 SRi hatch in that gold/green/yellow metallic colour - it looks much better than my description!
It had done just 97,000 miles when I took it for it's first MOT!
That was a much better car than the 1.8L - I really liked it! Even managed to get a new cam-belt fitted by Masters of Morden when they were doing them for £99.99 on a special offer!
Looking back it was a better car than the Sierra, but it was past 100K and the Sierra hadn't got to 30K at the time, so I sold the Cavalier for a tidy profit! Then less than a year later the Sierra needed a new clutch release bearing.
And that was just the start of it's problems!
But I really wouldn't want a Cavalier 1.6L!
Funnily enough when I am over my Mum's way I often see a white GLS on an L-plate that is still being used - it looks pretty tidy too, but like Sierras they are so rare these days it's good to see one now and again.
The one thing the 1.8 had was PAS, so it came with 185 tyres - but still only 90 bhp!
Then around March 1992 I got a company car, so my sister had the Cavalier off me and kept it for years (until she had a mad moment and bought a Calibra as a family car)!
But through all those years it never missed a beat - not exciting to drive in any way, but just a good reliable car.
In 1995 I had a 1991 Sierra Sapphire GLSi that had a few issues. The company I worked at used to offer ex-company cars to employees (names out of a hat) and I managed to get a 1992 SRi hatch in that gold/green/yellow metallic colour - it looks much better than my description!
It had done just 97,000 miles when I took it for it's first MOT!
That was a much better car than the 1.8L - I really liked it! Even managed to get a new cam-belt fitted by Masters of Morden when they were doing them for £99.99 on a special offer!
Looking back it was a better car than the Sierra, but it was past 100K and the Sierra hadn't got to 30K at the time, so I sold the Cavalier for a tidy profit! Then less than a year later the Sierra needed a new clutch release bearing.
And that was just the start of it's problems! But I really wouldn't want a Cavalier 1.6L!
Funnily enough when I am over my Mum's way I often see a white GLS on an L-plate that is still being used - it looks pretty tidy too, but like Sierras they are so rare these days it's good to see one now and again.
If its good enough for william woollard...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iAHVwh5wohY
Highly rated by the makers of this video...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHojL7jQLj4
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iAHVwh5wohY
Highly rated by the makers of this video...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHojL7jQLj4
rxe said:
My mum has a Vectra B, which is a very close relative. It is a horrible drive, but is the cockroach of the automotive world. Hers is S reg, just sailed through its MOT, she is 87 and it will probably see her out. Un killable. At its happiest bumbling along the motorway between 60 and 70. It’s deeply unhappy when pointed at twisty stuff.
My Vectra came from a supermarket at 8 months old for 8 grand. Horribly uncomfortable seats but solidly built and totally reliable. I hated that car and drove it like I stole it. Tried hard to kill it but failed including airfield sessions where I took the writing of the tyres. At 13 years old and 182,000 miles and sold it on for spares and repairs as I reckoned the next mot would have needed a lot of labour. A year latter it was still running round the area.I found an Avis card in it while cleaning so it must have been a rental car. So NO careful owners...
Utterly indestructible.
I forget why but my Jetta 16v was off the road and I had to get to Santa Pod for the euro finals. A mate was going to scrap his Cavalier, a 1.6GL I think, so I gave him 70 quid for it so I could go to the pod. I think I ran that thing around for about 6 months and it never let me down.
ETA on the way back with my mate I suggested we get pissed in Oxford. ‘Where will we sleep?’ ‘In the car?’ ‘Ok’. It was a hatch and with the back seats folded it made an excellent bed.
ETA on the way back with my mate I suggested we get pissed in Oxford. ‘Where will we sleep?’ ‘In the car?’ ‘Ok’. It was a hatch and with the back seats folded it made an excellent bed.
Edited by Google [bot] on Sunday 4th February 08:50
Assuming it's in decent nick, I would have that.
I'm sure you would get most of your money back after ten years selling it to a classic car enthusiast, if you just used it as a Sunday car.
Performance is immaterial on todays congested roads with "Safety" cameras everywhere, unless you live out in the sticks.
I'm sure you would get most of your money back after ten years selling it to a classic car enthusiast, if you just used it as a Sunday car.
Performance is immaterial on todays congested roads with "Safety" cameras everywhere, unless you live out in the sticks.
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