i found a few cavs that are WELL in my price range online. Problem is they all have 120k+ miles on them. (about 2500 to 2900)
I know the 2200 when its taken car of can last for a long time, and i have a 2200 with 72000 miles on it that i know runs well in my sunfire.
My question lies in the transmission. How long can the 5spd hold up? what will start breaking? and is it safe to start modding the engine with that many miles on the trans?
Id like to get another J and throw everything in my fire into it, and a cav has better aftermarket exterior options i think. (toyos, and projectors, etc). I want to keep the 2200 motor, because I already have a bunch of mods for the one in my car, and I wanna boost her still.
I would get a new clutch for the 5spd probably almost immediately, along with mounts and bushings and everything. I swap over my suspension as it only has about 1000 miles on it. and if anything goes wrong with the motor, I have a working one in the 'fire.
The reason I wanna switch is because I keep running into a longer and longer list of things itd take to make my car as perfect as I want to be. And in the long run itll be easier and waaaay cheaper to get a fresh car to start with. itll be good for me too as Itll be another car in my name that I plan to have paid off in like 4 months, which will be nice and build my credit some.
What should I be on the lookout for with so many miles? And does this seem like a good idea?
BTW: This is my last post of the month, so I may be PMing some of you with questions and whatnot, if you dont mind.
thanks for any help and advice, its always appreciated! See you next month JBO!
If I were going to switch cars, I wouldn't keep with the 2200. Even with every bolt-on, you're not making LD9 power. So get a used Z. The price diff at that age of car has to be fairly minimal.
That's all I have to say.
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i think any j with that many miles isnt worth 2500-2900 bucks. i have a 2.2 5spd and its got 139k on it and it still drives and handles great.
i agree with both of the previous posts.
depends what your looking for. if your looking for a driver theres nothing wrong with a 2200, but if you want to haul ass then go with the quad. if bought a 98 sedan with a 2200. its got 157,000 on it and when i pulled the valve cover to change the gasket it was super clean inside.
depends what your looking for. if your looking for a driver theres nothing wrong with a 2200, but if you want to haul ass then go with the quad. i bought a 98 sedan with a 2200. its got 157,000 on it and when i pulled the valve cover to change the gasket it was super clean inside.
Honestly I wouldn't trust to many GM products past 100k. Unless the engine and tranny was rebuild
I will be the ONE - in my 2002 ES Sport Cavalier (5 spd)
We're not in 1988 anymore, Fox.
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AGuSTiN wrote:We're not in 1988 anymore, Fox.
true, true but I believe the 2200 engine is.
I will be the ONE - in my 2002 ES Sport Cavalier (5 spd)
The 2200 is just like any other engine, if it's been taken care of and not beaten to death, it'll more than likely last well past 100k miles.
FoxSurfer wrote:AGuSTiN wrote:We're not in 1988 anymore, Fox.
true, true but I believe the 2200 engine is.
hahaha you got me there!
BTW the 2200 was voted one of the top 10 worst engines, EVAR, by Hot Rod Mag.
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Thought Id throw an update out to you guys.
I ended up getting an '02 Cavalier. Red. 5spd. Its in need of a clutch, but not for a few months Id guess. Its another 2200, but with my bad driving record a z24 is out of the insurance question, its like another $20/month average (checked like 6 different companies) for some reason. I will throw all the mods from my sunfire onto this car in the next few weeks. Maybe a different exhaust setup, but everything else goes.
It runs solid, no unnatural noises, idles good, no hesitation, clean under the valve cover. I looked the car over a million times when I was at the dealer, and then proceeded to rip it apart and inspect it when I got home in case I had to drive it right back and return it.
Everything checked out, nothing but normal wear on the car. It even came with a Fosgate 4ga amp wiring kit and monster cable RCA's installed in it from the previous owner, Ill upgrade it to the 0ga from my sunfire eventually, but a score nonetheless.
Ill get some pics up in a few days, Im going to treat this car a little better than I did my Sunfire, not that I treated her bad or anything, just this car is my baby now.
thanks for the advice guys.
You couldn't afford another $20 a month but you plan to boost your car?
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already have a turbokit from before i bought the car. back when i used to have money.
You know if you put that kit on, you'll probably spend more than $20 extra in gas each month
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You win
But im keeping my sunfire as well (i think maybe, not 100% on keeping it yet) and Ill use that from time to time to keep me from getting too happy with the speed. and to keep me from breaking the car and stuff.
Im just stuck on OHV POWAH! haha
LOL. Just keep us updated. At least you have a plan (and the gear). Make it happen at let us know how it goes.
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That I can do. Thanks for the advice and everything, Nice cav by the way
Im going to rip off my gfs camera for a few days and get some shots of the new car. And then gather all my things for boost and throw it on in a few weeks.
Ill keep you guys posted thanks!
Exactly one year ago I got an 02 2200 5spd with 88Kmi for $3300US off Ebay. It continues to serve me well. I've never driven an Isuzu trans, but people around here seem to prefer the Getrag. If the Isuzu goes, you could always swap in a brand spankin new Getrag! You can usually tell a lot about a 2200 by listening to it. You probably know what a healthy 2200 sounds like. I've heard some abused cavs in Philly that sounded like diesels, not good.
BTW, there are FAR worse engines than the 2200. I really don't care what hotrod magazine thinks. The 2200 isn't for hot rodding, it's for getting around economically! Show me a motor that can crank out nearly 140lbft of torque and return over 40mpg on the highway on plain old 87 octane fuel besides the 2200. A 2200 powered S-10 is one of the most fuel efficient pickups on earth. Hotrod magazine slamming the 2200 is like rating top fuel dragsters for fuel economy. It's reeeetarded.
2002 Cavalier 2200 5spd
Traitor!
. 2200 FTW!
