From a Wisconsin auto dealer on todays' BITOG :
"A friend called me last week to tell me just how long the original clutch will last in a '90 Cavalier.
You ready for this?
316,977 miles! The pressure plate finally broke and the clutch will no longer release.
That's not all...It's still on its original head gasket too!
She bought the car a year old with ~40k on it, and has driven the wheels off it ever since. It's been all over the country, and makes at least two trips a year from WI to AZ to visit her family.
I do all the work on it, but looking at what was going to need to be done to replace the clutch, I told her to junk it. The axle nuts are so rusted that there's no hex left to them, and the bellhousing bolts are not much better. Not to mention it'd be darn near impossible to put it on the hoist...The unibody is so rotted that there's no pinch weld left on the rear to lift on anymore.
The car looks like it's survived nuclear winter...It's been in 3 major accidents, and countless fender-benders, most of which have never been fixed. She just pocketed the insurance money and saved it to go towards keeping the car alive.
I hated driving that piece of junk, but it just blew me away that it ran as good as it did with as many miles as it had on it. Still got over 30 MPG on the highway too, and had enough power to surprise drivers of cars that are supposedly faster.
Other than just a few minor repairs such as a couple starters, a couple alternators, a water pump, a radiator and FIVE heater cores (lifetime warranty from NAPA), nothing has really failed that was anything I'd consider a major expense.
She always uses Pennzoil 5W30 and Fram oil filters. OCIs range from ~3500 to over 10,000 miles. It doesn't consume /leak more than a quart in 3000 miles or so.
I just recently sold her a '92 Cavalier to replace this one. It's got ~80k on it. We'll see how many miles this one gets out of it."
..................................
Amazing !
I had a 94 cavi with 205,000 on it but recently gave it to my brother. It has had 2 head gaskets put on it but the air conditioner works perfect and has never been touched. The only mant. done one the car was a couple of alternators. I sold a good friend of min a 92 cavi and it now has 260,000 miles on it and it is on its origianal head gasket. It doesn't have and air conditioner. But it also has had minimal maintenance. I am a great believer in the cavalier and now i own a 97 with the same motor as the others.
