just browsing some rides, and i am curious what exactly a Cavalier VL is? and what are some of the differences between say the base Cavalier and the VL model?

Thanks!


http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/682845/ <=== my '91 Sunbird LE 2.0 4cyl

COMING SOON.. '94 Cavalier 2.2L Z-Wannabee (in progress)

The VL is the base car. It has very little options in it. the next step up from a VL is a RS then a Z24. Most pople have RS cavaliers.

Just a trim package. It stands for Value Leader. Some of them had options available or standard on RS and Z models. For example, my car has a rear defroster and interior trunk release that many VLs/base don't have.

The VL stands for Value Leader, or as mentioned before, it is the base Cavalier.
The late 80's VL's were pretty barren, but the difference in the later year Cavaliers RS's and VL's was not all that big.
For example, in a 1994, you would get an upgraded upholstery cloth, a better dome lamp, a color-coded rub strip and a few standard options that were usually included in the VL preferred option.
The only really "good" option was the fe2 suspension package - at least in my opinion!

In other words, go to a junk yard and get the sway bars from an RS and you are good to go!

Very Loaded...

oh and we all know thats a lie.




...

Chevy went cheap with the VL, they even forgot side moldings

yeah so mine just says "Cavalier", no RS or anything... so i assume it is a VL. it has side mouldings but they're junk, lol i ripped them off. i also have the rear defroster, and i can see the cable for the trunk release in the latch.... but there's nothing inside the car i can see to open it! in my (91) sunbird the trunk release was in the glove compartment.. yeah mine's just a normal cavalier. may look into the RS swaybars though! definately couldn't hurt.

i assume RS is... Rally Sport??


http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/682845/ <=== my '91 Sunbird LE 2.0 4cyl

COMING SOON.. '94 Cavalier 2.2L Z-Wannabee (in progress)

The trunk latch is on the left of the drivers side door, mounted on the floor - yours might be broken off - it is plastic after all. All cavs came with the trunk release, so the mechanism (or whats left of it) is there.

The moldings on the base/VL are those hideously big and ugly things. When the tape that holds them on starts to fail (after 9 - 10 years), everybody just pulls them off - it looks a lot better without them.

As a side note your Vin does not make a distinction between a rally sport and a value leader model since they are both option packages.

I forget the size, but the rear sway bar is the same as the z24 - they are all over the junk yards and it is an easy swap. The front RS bar is 28mm (the z24 is 30mm) but is not a half hour job. I am not sure I would do it again if I didn't autocross. A lot of people prefer the smaller front bar anyway.

i've had a 92 sunbird se and now i have a 93 cavalier vl and neither of them had a trunk release anywhere except the keyhole. i wonder if i could pull one out of another cavalier and put it in mine.

Evan Griggs wrote:i've had a 92 sunbird se and now i have a 93 cavalier vl and neither of them had a trunk release anywhere except the keyhole. i wonder if i could pull one out of another cavalier and put it in mine.

sure you can. if so inlcined it's a simple mod. just as adding poppers in doors and shaving off handles it's the same concept. I wish mine had the trunk release standard so I wouldn't have to later do it myself but I will, and plan to shave the turnk keyhole as well. I already have all the equipment to do it. the only good thing about installing them yourself is you can put the release button anywhere in your vehicle you choose to. or like me just have the release button be on your keychain along with the door popper buttons. just make sure you get the actuators and cables and you're good to go



Originality and Creativity surpasses Popularity

and sunbirds were released in 1982 with base model SE, "limitied edition" model LE and GT turbo which was also optional with the convertable model. all cavi and sunbird's sharing the same chasis and powertrain combining to be canada's and the US's top sellers for two decades, until 1994 when pontiac decided to retire the sunbird to avoid nominal confusion with the Firebird, instead naming the sunbird a sunfire. believe it or not the sunbird was a hit model car for it's affordability and availability and was featured in a good number of hit movies in the early 90's
GM trivia =)



Originality and Creativity surpasses Popularity

Quote:

The trunk latch is on the left of the drivers side door, mounted on the floor - yours might be broken off - it is plastic after all. All cavs came with the trunk release, so the mechanism (or whats left of it) is there

I currently own 2, no release in either. Am second owner of 1 car, and I serviced it during the first owner's 3 year tenure before purchasing it from the dealership where it was traded.

Quote:

The moldings on the base/VL are those hideously big and ugly things. When the tape that holds them on starts to fail (after 9 - 10 years), everybody just pulls them off - it looks a lot better without them.

My 93 VL is the only one I've seen that had small side moldings. Also has (or had, in some cases) no AC, no RH mirror, 5 spd isuzu trans, 2.2, no rear bar... Makes it look even less likely to have a turbo.

-->Slow

My bad - you are right. The remote trunk release was not standard with the VL, but it was included with the 2 prefered equipment group packages that they offered for the VL.
The RH mirror became standard in 1994.

Slow, are you sure those side moldings are original. If I recall in 93, the VL got the same 21/2" wide strips as the 94, and the RS had a paint-matching tape stripe in the middle of the molding. Who knows? I am not sure why Chevrolet had to change the moldings from yr to yr.

thanks for all the input! i'm learning alot of Cavalier history (being a former Sunbird owner)..


http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/682845/ <=== my '91 Sunbird LE 2.0 4cyl

COMING SOON.. '94 Cavalier 2.2L Z-Wannabee (in progress)

GO GM!!!! *JBO



Originality and Creativity surpasses Popularity

Well mine is a vl but mine came with everything with the exception of cruise. even the rub. moldings. Its really all in the package you get.


**changes are here**

well... its in the package the origanal owner got...

mine came with

black side moldings
auto 3spd trans
air conditioning

***BUT get this... no stereo!**

there was just a black plate where it was suppost to go... i remember the day my mom bought it... f'd up stuff. but when i bought it from her, i got it with a blown head gasket, rust, no stereo or speakers (go figure), a fried ecu, and almost no brakes... i got a deal at 500 bucks. blah.


...

My 94 VL came with 2.2 auto with power locks, cruise control, manual trunk popper, AC, etc. Also has the right side mirror and the black door ding strips as well.

BTW the FE1 suspension really sucks, Ive thrown mine in the garbage and swapped in Eibachs, Bilsteins and poly everything.

Soon it will have a complete Z24 kit, 3400 5 speed and some form of boost



<img src="http://boner.berettaspeed.com/cavysig.jpg">

Quote:

Slow, are you sure those side moldings are original. If I recall in 93, the VL got the same 21/2" wide strips as the 94, and the RS had a paint-matching tape stripe in the middle of the molding.

Ya know, I've never checked. If they were changed, someone did a very nice job of trimming them to fit. It's higher quality work than the typical dealership/ body shop guy will do. There's also no colored stripe in the bumper. But I can't seem to find the molding on gmpartsdirect.com, so I'll have to guess they're not original.

-->Slow

bonecrrusher wrote:My 94 VL came with 2.2 auto with power locks, cruise control, manual trunk popper, AC, etc. Also has the right side mirror and the black door ding strips as well.

BTW the FE1 suspension really sucks, Ive thrown mine in the garbage and swapped in Eibachs, Bilsteins and poly everything.

Soon it will have a complete Z24 kit, 3400 5 speed and some form of boost

My 91 came without the following:

-Trunk Popper
-Power Windows
-Power Locks
-ABS
-Body colored moldings
-Fold down rear seats

I don't know about radio, I got it second hand, but the guy had put an aftermarket TAPE player in it, so it might not have come with a radio.

Quote:

arch said:
GO GM!!!! *JBO

You just had to try out that new sig didnt you, lol

A cavalier with out a radio, man did they ever get cheap with the VL, lol
Whats the base for a sunbird?, LE?