Hey everyone, I'm T.J., and I wanted to introduce and put myself out there since I just registered here this morning. I've owned two J-body cars - first a yellow 2003 Sunfire automatic about ten years ago, and the other a yellow 2003 Cavalier LS Sport. I bought the Cavalier certified used in 2008 with about 70,000 miles and daily drove it until I gave it to my mom at the end of 2013 with around 150,000 miles. The Cavalier has been amazing the entire time I've owned it, and aside from the fuel pump crapping the bed completely out of nowhere in 2011, the car has never needed anything other than oil and brakes. Definitely one of my favorite cars. Anyway, long story short, I gave the Cavalier to my mom as a gift because she drives far to work and her Avalanche is horrible on gas. But, the car basically sat for two years, almost untouched, while my mom continued to drive her Avalanche because she claims to not like the ride and didn't feel safe compared to her tank of a truck. Really wish she would've just been honest to begin with lol, because now the paint I worked so hard to keep so nice is fading from sitting outside and never being washed. So anyway, it blew a brake line and inspection was overdue, so I asked to take it back, and got it back with no argument!
So, now I'm back to owning my Cavalier in addition to my 2000 BMW 328i and 2001 Volkswagen Jetta. I've become extremely handy with cars in the past few years (because it's either learn to do your own work with European cars or never be able to afford to eat), so since the Cavalier's going to need a little bit of work, I'm gonna dive in to doing as much as I can on my own. Everyone claims that German cars are a nightmare to work on and that parts prices are ungodly, but I've been able to do almost all the work on both my BMW and VW on my own without much trouble, so I'm kind of hoping the Cavalier will be even easier. Sorry for the long intro - I don't know why I do that - but I'm glad to have my Cavalier back and I'm excited to see what this place has to offer!
*Pic for attention, two years ago before my mom let her go to hell.
Welcome . i always thought that yellow was a damn nice color. Hope u get her back to her former glory.
Thanks man! And yeah, the yellow is (in my opinion) the best color on these cars. I've owned three yellow cars, and it's disappointing since now there are very little new cars on the market with that color option. And aside from the fading clear coat and the usual passenger rust, the body and paint are in great shape! Just a quick wash when it's above freezing and we'll be good to go!
Cool story and I am sure any tweaking to make it as you want should be simple.I too like the color,go figure as my now 31 year old sunny stays indoors 24/7.It is faded mostly on the top but,it is a original paint car.I have owned mine since 98 however my sister got it in 1990 and she parked it in 97 for a newer ride back then.I personally find yellow does not fit just any car style as some brands have floundered on that on some models.For the jbody it sure fits with out being a burden on the eyes.
welcome back! I will say the cav will be easier to work on than a vw. only a couple simple things to work on. the one thing I would recommend is look into the timing chain replacement, its the one thing that will ruin your day.
And revised timing tensioner is a must, especially with those miles.
"FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS DRIVE STOCK"
