RE: Vauxhall Cavalier time capsule for sale

RE: Vauxhall Cavalier time capsule for sale

Wednesday 27th November

Vauxhall Cavalier time capsule for sale

It's impossible to think of Luton without Vauxhall - or Britain without the Cavalier


While nothing is entirely set in concrete just yet, the very fact that Stellantis has what sounds like a concrete proposal for a future without its Luton factory is clearly upsetting for all involved. The official Stellantis press release, which leads on its intention to invest more money in Ellesmere Port as a result of it consolidating production in the UK, promises attractive packages for relocation, retraining and even new employment opportunities in the Luton area with third parties - all well and good, but a secure future for a plant inextricably associated with Vauxhall would obviously be preferable for its employees. And while it still might not happen the very fact that plans exist and the wheels appear to be turning doesn’t exactly bode well. 

Though it’s becoming all too familiar to use the word ‘inconceivable’ when it comes to developments in an unprecedented time for the car industry, a Vauxhall without Luton - indeed, a Luton without Vauxhall - is hard to countenance. There’s been a Vauxhall presence there for more than a century; even longer than Ford at Dagenham or Bentley at Crewe, it’s home for a British brand in a way that nowhere else can be. 

So let’s hope there’s a future for Luton yet. We know the ZEV mandate is currently being reassessed in the face of mounting criticism, and political about-faces have become remarkably commonplace in recent years. But until it is, there’s nothing like the comfy retreat of the old days to bring a bit of fleeting happiness.

The Cavalier lives on as one of the best Luton-built Vauxhalls; apparently there was never a strike at the factory in the seven years of Mk3 production from 1988 to 1995, so that’s something. With the production of every era taking place there, it’s hard not to hark back to that time when everybody had a traditional family car, it was a Ford or a Vauxhall (which also decided your touring car alliance), and you knew if Dad had made it if the car had a sunroof. 

We all have a Sierra or Cavalier story, right? My old man had an H-reg SRI; it’s the first car I remember him having in the mid-'90s, and red pinstripes with a big exhaust were so exciting to an impressionable kid. So when a Cavalier Mk3 of any description comes up for sale, it’s hard not to be intrigued. Especially in light of recent developments. 

This one isn’t an SRI, but is about as basic as a Cavalier gets: a 1.6-litre L, complete with wind-up windows, wheels trims and just a fuel gauge instead of a revcounter. Not the kind of Cav you’d have wanted to arrive at school in, but a fascinating old Vauxhall all these years later. Registered in May 1990, it’s covered fewer than 33,000 miles since, and looks to have been cared for wonderfully well. Even the buttons on the standard radio cassette haven’t worn out. While the MOT has recently expired, there’s nothing in the recent past to suggest that a new test should be any problem at all, and it could be a handy negotiating point for a new owner. Certainly a Cavalier this good looks set to guarantee favourable attention, in Luton or anywhere, for another 35 years at least.


See the original advert here

Author
Discussion

paulguitar

Original Poster:

26,866 posts

121 months

Wednesday 27th November
quotequote all
god, that's depressing!

bennytheball

138 posts

35 months

Wednesday 27th November
quotequote all
Not depressing at all! I had one of these as my first company car back in the late 80s. A burgundy 1.6L. Crashed it a lot - employer always paid to fix it - what's not to love?

MrHooky

214 posts

150 months

Wednesday 27th November
quotequote all
Agreed with OP - what an utterly uninspiring car.

£500 for Festival of the Unexceptional perhaps. £6k - you're having a laugh.

I get the nostalgia. It just looks crap - and was probably most likely thought of as such back in the day.

Sebring440

2,348 posts

104 months

Wednesday 27th November
quotequote all
Great thread PH! Talk about dangling a carrot in front of all the Vauxhall-hating frothers on here.

Here they come!

John Allison

24 posts

124 months

Wednesday 27th November
quotequote all
£6000 rofl

Mr Tidy

24,483 posts

135 months

Wednesday 27th November
quotequote all
I paid £5K for a lower mileage 1990 1.8l in 1991, but unlike the 1.6 that had PAS.

You'd have to be on a real nostalgia trip to consider buying this!


Bencolem

1,081 posts

247 months

Wednesday 27th November
quotequote all
FIND ANOTHER!

Mr Tidy

24,483 posts

135 months

Thursday 28th November
quotequote all
Bencolem said:
FIND ANOTHER!
Why bother?

MattsCar

1,303 posts

113 months

Thursday 28th November
quotequote all
Not to be that guy...but should It not be "Time Capsule Vauxhall Cavalier", unless it is hiding various artefacts in the boot...

C69

595 posts

20 months

Thursday 28th November
quotequote all
Always thought that the Mark III Cavalier was quite a neat piece of design. Doom blue paintwork doesn't do it any favours, though.

Not sure if this example is worth £6k, but it's nice to see a low-spec version surviving in such good condition.

Dombilano

1,259 posts

63 months

Thursday 28th November
quotequote all
I can almost smell the Feu Orange

soad

33,481 posts

184 months

Thursday 28th November
quotequote all
Hasn’t aged well. Not a desirable model either.

Jiebo

973 posts

104 months

Thursday 28th November
quotequote all
Ready for the scrap yard, what a load of rubbish

oilit

2,696 posts

186 months

Thursday 28th November
quotequote all
Had a red hatchback version of one of these as my first company car in 89, was ok, but moved company and got a sierra and wow what a difference - night and day in terms of comfort and finish.

Never had another vauxhall.

Drinksleeprepeat

157 posts

55 months

Thursday 28th November
quotequote all
Mr Tidy said:
Bencolem said:
FIND ANOTHER!
Why bother?
Exactly why bother. One of the most common repmobile cars on the road at the time. So neither rare nor collectible especially as about as basic unappealing spec you could find.

Edited by Drinksleeprepeat on Thursday 28th November 05:45

Maxym

2,211 posts

244 months

Thursday 28th November
quotequote all
Dombilano said:
I can almost smell the Feu Orange
Haha, well remembered.

Drinksleeprepeat

157 posts

55 months

Thursday 28th November
quotequote all
Mr Tidy said:
Bencolem said:
FIND ANOTHER!
Why bother?
Exactl why bother. One of the most common repmobile cars on the road at the time. So neither rare nor collectible.

200Plus Club

11,244 posts

286 months

Thursday 28th November
quotequote all
Bencolem said:
FIND ANOTHER!
NO THANKS!...

if it was an immaculate SRi perhaps of minor interest for nostalgia purposes. These died out and were forgotten for very good reason.

g3org3y

21,130 posts

199 months

Thursday 28th November
quotequote all
Bencolem said:
FIND ANOTHER!
hehe

Jon_S_Rally

3,703 posts

96 months

Thursday 28th November
quotequote all
Drinksleeprepeat said:
Exactly why bother. One of the most common repmobile cars on the road at the time. So neither rare nor collectible especially as about as basic unappealing spec you could find.

Edited by Drinksleeprepeat on Thursday 28th November 05:45
Not rare? How many sub-40k Cavaliers do you reckon there are out there?

It might not be collectible to you, but I can definitely see someone buying it if it has some sentimental meaning. A good family friend of ours had one similar to this, albeit a 1.8. I travelled all over the place in it, and it always sticks in my mind as he had a reputation for driving like a bit of a lunatic which, to young me, was the most exciting thing in the world. He eventually replaced it with a 2.0-litre GLSI which was much cooler, but I still have fond memories of the L.

It only takes someone with a similar story that's looking to reconnect with a certain time in their life, and 6k is hardly massive money these days.