If I had a car museum it would be filled with cars like this 1981 Chevrolet Chevette, not Lamborghinis, Packards, Ferraris, or anything like that. Ok, so nobody would show up to this museum, that’s ok. At least I know that Barn Finds friend Pat L. would visit. Thanks for sending in this tip, Pat! This little orange future museum car can be found in beautiful Cheboygan, Michigan (no, not Sheboygan, WI) and it’s posted on Craigslist with an asking price of $2,400.
Other than the missing driver’s door trim piece in the opening photo this car looks darn nice for being older than a decent percentage of Barn Finds readers are. I hate to wade into the dreaded two-doors-vs.-four-doors arena here, but if this car were a two-door version I bet that it would have a few more fans. I guess technically this is a five-door hatchback and the two-door is really known as a three-door hatchback, just to get that out of the way.
There’s the fifth “door”. The Chevette was made and sold around the globe and they did make sedan versions with an actual trunk, or boot, for other markets outside of the US. There’s probably a reason that this car looks as good as it does, it only has 41,213 miles on it. Chevy sold 433,000 Chevettes in 1981, a pretty amazing number for a car that had been around for a half-dozen years by that point. NADA’s high retail value is $1,575 and this car would have cost around $5,400 when it was new, the equivalent of $15,000 now.
Believe it or not, and I know that you can believe it, there are no engine photos and this is the only interior photo. I’m not quite sure why showing the inside of the RR door was on the seller’s to-do list, but this is it. You’ll have to wonder and hope that the rest of the interior is in good shape. They do say “body in good shape, interior in good shape” so there’s that. And, it has an automatic, so there’s that. The engine should be a 1.6L inline-four with 70 hp. It’s amazing how far we’ve come, really. Now, a full-sized pickup can get the same MPG as this Chevette gets, but who wants a full-sized pickup when you can have an orange four/five-door Chevette for $2,400? Not me.
Scotty, I’m finally beginning to understand why cars like this one rack up such low mileage. A Chevette with an automatic? Like some of the other “low miles” cars that show up here (Suzuki Samurais come immediately to mind), I can’t imagine actually using them….
This would be a great candidate for a SBC/5-speed swap, though! I’d even keep the whitewalls….
I learned to drive stick on my best friends folks new 1975 Chevette. Damn fine little car. Performance? No, but good enough to keep up with traffic and climb a hill. More then anyone really needs. I later bought a 1970 RR, so who knows? In the end, I now understand how much better a car that little Chevy was. It handled, got good gas mileage, and the insurance was pennies on the dollar vs my mean black muscle mobile. Age brings wisdom, I am old, unfortunately wisdom has passed me by, but I think I am wise about these little cars, though. I recall about that time a local supermarket had a grand opening. Inside the store sat a new bright orange 2 door 4 speed stripped base model of these, it was the grand opening door prize. Every week for a month I feverishly went in to write down my entry and put it in the big bin. Alas, I did not win, who would have thought! As I recall, it was and “old couple” (about 50, funny that doesn’t really seem old anymore, darn right youthful!) and they drove in with a Caddie, took the little orange wonder a mile back to the local Chevy dealer and cashed her in. I really wanted that car, felt bad for weeks. I can’t help but think how much less trouble I would have gotten into with that vs my wicked Plymouth. I have not seen a drawing for a new car from a business for years. That used to draw large crowds and excitement. What changed? Businesses are making more money then anytime in history, why no big give aways? The good old days really were “gooder”.
Scotty, get thee to a Concours d’LeMons. You’d find lots and lots of people there (there are dozens of us!) who would gladly pay admission to your museum.
Just basic transportation for sure. Worked on a couple of these, the biggest pain in the butt was trying to do anything to the distributor. They put a NS engine in EW and to get it to turn properly with the transmission the distributor faced the fire wall and it was madness to reach it or do anything with it. I worked with someone that had, of all things, a diesel version; you could rent it out in the spring to kill mosquitoes.
This is a rear-wheel-drive car, so the engine is north-south. It’s still a PITA though.
At least you could tell people you have a low mileage ‘81 vette!
I like classic and old cars am No Chevette fan. regardless its an original low mile survivor I hope new owner Not molest / hot rod it keep it as it is . just my opinion
Yes and I remember them as the cheap econo box and many gov mail carriers vehicles too
This is one Vette that will never be a collector 👀🤠
Yes this baby can go to car shows and be used as the marker or buffer between non show cars to expensive cars.
I imagine if you went to a car show you might have more people standing around it then a 100,000 dollar Viper. I like it.
But would you want to talk to those people?
Heck yeah! These people usually have very ‘real world’ stories and adventures with their cars. Anyone with a fat checkbook can buy a showpiece. It takes a special kind of oddball to keep a cheap commuter, family wagon, or heaven forbid…a car with more than one door per side, and keep it in nice condition. These are MY heroes! :-)
I’d much rather have a full sized pickup!
I drove a 79 Chevette, in Driver Ed class, the reason was the driver class I took in school, the local car dealer loaned 4 Chevys to the school. One of the 4 was a 79 Chevette that was a 4 speed, and I was the one of about a half dozen in the entire class that knew how to use a clutch. I Loved the little thing, and tried to talk Dad into buying it at the end of the school year, but he did not like the Dealer at all, and said no. He did buy me a 68 Chevy van instead so I had something to pick up parts in after school. Of course it had the shop logo on it, so it was an insurance dodge and write off for the company!!!!!
My friend made the mistake of telling me he learned to drive in a Chevette.
He really doesn’t like old cars, except for a few I have had.
I am going to buy him one of these, which is no small feat in Mexico, and dump it on his doorstep as a joke.
I don’t see what other use a Chevette has.
They were not fun to drive and were not just a little dangerous, so at least one will have a little use.
We had a Malibu. Nobody liked being in the back as the windows didn’t roll down.
I saw an equally nice Chevette in a friend’s shop last year, and for some reason I was really drawn to it. I know they were crappy cars, but seeing one in nice condition just transports you back in time somehow. And the color on this car is really cool.
“a full-sized pickup can get the same MPG as this Chevette gets”
No.
Timex vs Rolex Chevette vs Corvette. If you don’t know the difference, why pay the difference? A nasty car when new, and it hasn’t improved. A car as an appliance. Think Chinese dorm room refrigerator or Lucky Goldstar (LG) counter top microwave.
Don’t sully the good name of Timex by comparing them to a Chevette. Gutless and horrendous handling. Although it could technically fit 5, 4 adults was too much for its suspension.
I LOVE it I WANT it !!
I had a girlfriend who would always tell people she drove a ‘Vette. And then of course she would pull up in this! Man there was a lot of disappointment but it was hilarious to see their reactions.
Although the price would be a little higher, if this had a couple less doors I’d be interested. It would be a great car to scoot around town in. I’m sure it would do better on gas than my F150 4X4. If you look at this for what it is, and not expect what you would from a luxury car, you’ll most likely be a satisfied driver.
I bought an ’83 “new” years ago, not a bad first car to learn with…..cheap insurance and good on gas for the time……bought an ’02 Toyota Echo 20 years later-wow, what a difference, best car i ever owned!
I truly LOL’d on that one.
This was THE econobox of the 1980’s. Anyone who went to high school back then should remember the parking lot full of these cars.
As a kid, mom went from a Vega to a Chevette to a Cavalier, so don’t anyone tell me that the throwaway society began post-2000. She bought cars knowing that you drive them and throw ’em in the trash. But seriously, the Chevette was as good of a vehicle as the Vega was wretched. That Vega was always leaving us stranded, whereas the Chevette trundled along, with 70 hp (I think) Isuzu-bred gerbil-charged ferocity. Ours was the ‘sport’ also, which in ’78 meant the addition of a second tape stripe? Hey, but on the plus side, all these years later I can look people straight in the face and say that my mom was so cool, she drove me to middle school in a ‘Vette. Booyah.
Brian, you are so right about the throwaway society, but it emerged in the 50s increased during the 60s and 70s and went into hyperdrive in the 80s fueled by my boomer cohorts.
I even understand Americans who do not like this car. But worldwide, people who have more open minds like muscle cars, but also cars like this one, European technology. As a Brazilian, the origin country of this engine there, I can say that the engine is really weak, GM should have used the same engines of the Opel Kadett C worldwide. In the North American market the engine should not have approached. Regarding the rest, I believe it is superior to the North American models due to the use of the monoblock and the concept of the rear suspension using helical springs. Correct me if I’m wrong please, but here in Brazil we see American cars from the 80s with a spring beam in the rear suspension, a concept that was completely obsolete in the rest of the world. For example, Opel replaced the spring beam with coil springs in 1967.
That’s a steal at that price and I would much rather go to a museum full of cars like these. All the petty stuff that people expect to be pampered and live in a garage will be around to see 100 years from now, I want to see the cars no one worries about preserving.
I feel the same way John. I’d much rather see what truly represented what was going-on in culture (e.g. Ford Pinto wagon, insane stripes and that bubble window) and in the industry in general (e.g. AMC’s take on how to build a proper small car) than see the same car over and over. At a recent show there were 23 Hellcats, side-by-side like Skittles; I was looking at the ’89 Escort GT adjacent. Fun fact: you can record and watch an entire M***m (the muscle cars & more folks) auction and save 25% of the time by skipping over the C2 Corvettes.
And those Hellcats are indeed instant classics, but seriously, I want to see the old wagons, trucks that survived death-by-duty, and cars never destined to be loved. I’m even starting to get some unsolicited praise and thumbs-up for my 1989 Hyundai Excel that I’ve kept all these years.
My friend Matt had an 86 model with a four speed in high school. Those cars were amazingly tough. His survived all his misadventures. I don’t know anyone who had one and didn’t like it. I think the Chevette was an underrated success for Chevrolet.
I love this car! And it is only about 5 hours from me! Oh my….
Oddities! Scotty and I are of one mind: “If I had a car museum it would be filled with cars like this 1981 Chevrolet Chevette, not Lamborghinis, Packards, Ferraris, or anything like that. Ok, so nobody would show up to this museum, that’s ok.” – Scotty
I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved the 1980 and later Chevette. I’ve never owned one, nor have I driven one. But I’ve always found them more attractive than earlier models.
In the early 90s, I worked for a local utility as a meter reader, and we had some of these. They weren’t very well maintained, and were under powered dogs. The 81 Chevette I drove could barely reach 55 with the gas pedal floored. It was a joke. The others we had weren’t much better. I knew someone who owned one of these with a diesel, and I’m glad I never had to ride in it. We would still be trying to get there.
There is a guy here in my town in Mexico that has a Chevette diesel. He is so proud of that car and he shows it off.
I have a really, really hard time keeping my mouth shut.
I owned several Chevette diesels while going through college. That Isuzu 1.8 was a good engine, though they should have turbocharged it. Unfortunately, all were deficient slush boxes. I wanted, at that time, a 5-speed version.
I learned about timing belts the hard way, driving one home from the point of purchase.
I consider myself open-minded regarding different makes and models, but these cars were truly a POS.
I sold two of them to guys who yanked the diesel to put it in a boat–no kidding.
It brightened my day up a bit to see that car. If that car were parked in a row with a 1966 Mustang Fastback, a 1970 Hemi ‘Cuda, and a 1969 Camaro the Little ‘Vette would have my attention.. Why, you ask? Because it is relatable, it is what people actually drove in the malaise era days of my youth. Because they were disposable cars that recieved very hard use, and very little maintenance, because some ‘weirdo’ like me bothered to care for it and love it. So many reasons. Plenty of snark in here. I basically am not impressed by people sharing how awful and terrible cars are. Not really clever at all. I see cars that I don’t care for on these pages. I scroll on by and keep it to myself. Some people appreciate these ‘awful’ cars!
I’d visit your museum Scotty!
Cool chevette.😎🤘🏽
I’d buy it for a winter beater. It looks great and would probably last a lifetime of winter only driving.
more like 5,000 for this car despite the 41,000 miles. She would definitely survive the horror of NYC.
They were cheap cars, but were not crappie cars. They had their problems,but nothing serious. Not fast, but Good gas mileage, and dependable. They were throw away cars and were usually trashed about until something broke, then sent straight to the salvage yard. Nice to see one still in nice shape.
My buddy and I changed an engine in one. No need for a cherry picker. We just both got a good grip and footing and lifted it out. Had another buddy who shoe horned a 305 into one. We beat the crap out of it and had a ball!!
If you know history you will not be surprised by the sales #s. We had our second oil embargo in late ’79 and gas prices peaked in 1981, before starting their decline as we moved into the Reagan Era. Add that to the hyperinflation we were experiencing during the Carter Era and there was quite a demand for small vehicles.
I remember our neighbors ordered a new light blue Chevette 4 door in 1980. But the dealer told them several weeks later their car had been inadvertently sold and offered them a yellow one instead. They took it just to avoid having to wait another several weeks. Can you imagine that happening now? LOL!
And this was an educated family. Not some poor saps. While these cars didn’t ignite the fevour of a diesel Rabbit or Honda Accord, they sold very well between 1975 and 1982.
After that, gas started to get cheap in the sales fell off a cliff, but they were very high demand cars for a time there.
These underpowered oddballs are the best. See you at the museum Scotty. I had the 80 Chevette, then “upgraded” to an 82 during my highschool days (these cars were 10+ years old). I talked my buddy into getting a 76 Chevette over the 82 Escort he was looking at. That seemed like a mistake, but with his car we learned to use a tow rope, swap engines, and how to change brake pads and rotors, etc. These cars were adequate rides when you could keep em running, but anybody remember the problems that seemed Chevette specific? Mine seemed to eat brake pads, Starters never lasted more than 6 months, the strut towers rusted clean thru on all 3 cars, and there was a lower engine pulley that would loosen or break throwing the timing belt off.. Aggravating little cars, but I’d get this one in a heartbeat.
If the 4 doors on this one are throwing you off, here’s a decent 2 door for $2200
https://spokane.craigslist.org/cto/d/1976-chevette/6672238034.html
Love it!!! A four speed would be even sweeter, but who doesn’t love that shag carpet and yellow paint! “No radio” is just a good excuse to add Sparkomatic 8 track under the dash.
HA! John…you mention Sparkomatic. That made me laugh. Back when, we had a Sparkomatic FM converter or maybe a radio in one of the cars, bought at Nationwise Auto Parts. Anyhow, the name Sparkomatic is now an inside joke between my wife an I, meaning anything of cheap or bad quality. It comes up more often than you’d think!
The Brits put a 2300 engine in this and made a real cool car.
I know I’m going to get kicked to the curb on this,but have a loyalty to these cars. I had to take a loan, bought a nearly new one from a the local Chevy dealer. It carried me thru community college, a job commute of 49 miles one way, northeast winters etc.. Racked up over 125K on the clock and sold it to our Post Office mail carrier who used it 2 more years. Very simple to maintain and stone reliable (actually had no $$$ for maintenance so it pretty much maintained itself).
I had one in high school, looking for a chevette to get around town. 1975-1980. Prefer automatic because it will be in town driving. Inexpensive and in decent snap. I will treasure it.