Instead of eating up space in this forum, I just made an album of recent pics I've taken of my recently acquired 1985 Cavalier CS Station Wagon:
MY 1st GEN WAGON
~ Mike ~
Really enjoyed them!! Looks kinda like I painted mine upside down!! LOL
.
.
It was a different time back then. You can't get a 2 tone vehicle anywhere like this anymore.
My interior looked almost identical to yours when I first started out. I think the only difference was I had the tilt column.
I've since swapped in leather power Cimarron seats & console. The Pontiac auto shifter is tilted slightly the right, making it a little more comfy than the straight Chevy one.
https://picasaweb.google.com/106523843413447284565/1986CavalierCSWagon
.
.
My old workhorse isn't anything near as nice as your wagon. You got a really beautiful Cavalier , Michael E.!!
That thing is CLEAN. How many miles on it?
That is one sweet wagon. Appears Grandma-Fresh!
39K!! It belongs in a museum. It would be something different at the local car show this summer.
It looks stupid freakin NICE.Now I see you have that cool azz valve cover LIKE mine those are stupid hard to find!!!!!! I just got one a wk back well I stole it off another 85 and put on a engine I actually pulled.Your wag is tight my friend.And I am not into them and yours is one to appreciate.Cool
Is that the cavalier that i saw on pittsbugh's craigslist a little while back? & Wasn't that part of an estate sale of the original owners and they wanted like $4500?
Chuck Walthers wrote:Is that the cavalier that i saw on pittsbugh's craigslist a little while back? & Wasn't that part of an estate sale of the original owners and they wanted like $4500?
Yep, that's the very same one - only they wanted $3500 originally, but I paid $2000 for it and got $400 back when I discovered that when the fuel tank was replaced two years ago, the mechanic didn't get the fuel pump lock ring on right and it leaked fuel with a full tank. I called the seller to complain, he asked me how much it would cost to repair (I guessed around $400), and sent me a check for $400. All I had to do was drop the tank, install a new fuel pump ( because I was already there, so why not? ), and install a new lock ring & seal. Ended up costing me $70.
~ Mike ~
I was gonna go look at that cause it wasnt too far away but you beat me too it good luck with it
Picture of cleaned up engine bay after I replaced the leaking cork valve cover gasket
~ Mike ~
Umm like like a fast 85hp 2.0 just like in my coupe!Like that trendy valve cover mines the same,has more flare than the basic ones.Looks good
Gotcha a real nice machine !!
Be careful under there Michael!! Your messin' with 85 "raw" horsepower under that hood!! :-)
.
Put the Z24 rims on the Wagon today:
I like it !
~ Mike ~
You know those wheels actually comlpiment the car and not over doing it(tacky or stupid).I like it simple alloy wheels updated with out taking away from the cars old style.Well done at least to me.
I agree Ron. This setup looks just right for this wagon. Compliments to overall appearance.
.
Just curious if you have any plans for the center caps and rings - off the stock wheels??
.
Oooophhh - $520 for a set of stock wheels w/o centers is just somewhere up there in the solar system !!
Think I'll just keep my feet on the ground and look up instead
.
Orlen,
I'm probably going to keep the original rims, tires, and center caps for winter wheels if I decide to drive it when the snow flies.
~ Mike ~
I just sanded mine, polished with mothers power ball, and bought new center caps and viola! New rims
$500 is not really that bad for rims and now I have a spare set. I made up the price of the rims by buying the stock tires (New) for $12.50 each on the discontinued rack at my local Tire Warehouse. Then I got a new set of centers on ebay for $22.00 including shipping.
Plus the rims turned the car into a solar rocket.
That's a really good idea Michael!!
Yep, John ,those wheels make a your great machine look even better!!
Those average wheels I have balance out the tired machines I have here. I'm most great-full for the dependable drive trains I have :-)
The economy + the shortage of used cars + the rising scrap prices have dramatically drove up the prices of anything with 4 wheels on it my way. Basically - if it starts and moves - it'll be going for at least $1500 with as many dents and rust as possible. I see even autos w/o drive trains in them with asking prices of $900!! The market has went nuts these days. I've seen vehicles with 300k on the clock going for $2500. I'm rubbing elbows with the age of 50......never seen anything like this.
.
Well, the reasons I purchased my wagon were numerous: My family needed a third vehicle because my daughter has her learner's permit to drive & we'll need something to cover the gaps in vehicles, so I wanted something that gets good mileage, has some room to haul stuff if needed, is dependable and is easy to drive. My wagon fits those requirements quite nicely. It easy to drive (with all of those windows, there isn't a blind-spot in it anywhere), it get's pretty good mileage, and it's certainly no speed demon on the road. This is my 4th Cavalier, so I know these cars inside-out. They are dependable, get good mileage, are easy to work on, and inexpensive parts are readily available everywhere. I'll probably end up driving the wagon in the summer when I don't drive my motorcycle into work, (the a/c works good, so that's no problem for me) and may consider running it in the winter (but probably not), and leave my wife and daughter choose between my '07 Chevy Equinox, & my '07 Honda Accord. The car just makes perfectly good sense to me !
The fact that it's spotless and can be easily upgraded (IE: brakes, suspension, stereo, etc) is just icing on the cake.
My friends ask me why I bought that car....until they see it.
~ Mike ~
Fully agree with you!!
These models are about as dependable as American made ever got. Treat these machines with respect, and they will give you many miles of smiles!!
I'm truely not trying to stir up a pot, but it seems Ford can't make a dependable automatic transmission, and folks seem to have so many problems with Chrysler products in every area. I'm not a die hard GM nut, but they do just seem to be just better during this time frame. Everything currently made is so ridiculously complex & costly. I had a buddy tell me a timing chain&tensioner set for a newer Ford F150 (DOHC V-8) cost $930 from Napa!! The chain for that thing is 6 ft. long!!...oh yeah, you have to lift the cab off to get to the engine too. For God sakes, don't be off one tooth because you have to replace that cab before you restart...off 1 tooth, and you've bent valves.
You just can't beat a dumb ole pushrod engine. Non interference. Iron block Iron head. No airbag in the steering wheel to break your fingers when it blows. It takes a serious issue to flash a CEL. So they aren't the safest, they aren't the fastest. I know I'll get there, though, and be getting back. And like you mentioned, I'm always pleasantly surprised when I need to buy parts.
I'm glad to hear you'll be driving& enjoying your wagon Michael!! :-)
.
