I wonder if a Cadillac Cimmaron convertible would have sold in any decent numbers? The powers that be at GM must have had junket after junket on some tropical island crunching numbers and figured that nothing but a four-door Cimarron would do. This 9,898-mile 1984 Chevrolet Cavalier Type 10 F41 Convertible is really nice and it’s listed here on eBay in Fairfield, Ohio. The seller is asking $16,999, or you can make an offer. Thanks to Larry D. for sending in this tip!
Maybe the Cimmaron convertible wasn’t worth the effort or GM would have offered more than just a four-door. This fancy Cavalier ragtop is almost as nice and plush as the Cadillac version, not to mention that you can let your toupee flap in the breeze. In case you missed it in the first paragraph, this car has under 10,000 miles on it, just 9,898, according to the seller and the odometer photo. Speaking of photos, the seller has included a ton of great photos here, well done!
Other than the Cimarron, GM also offered the J-Body in a Pontiac J2000 / Sunbird / Sunfire (make up yer mind!), the Buick Skyhawk, and the Oldsmobile Firenza. That doesn’t include the Australian and European versions. This Cavalier is a Type 10 model, and they also offered a base model and CS. 1984 is the first year that Chevrolet made their own factory Cavalier convertibles, as they had been done by American Sunroof conversions for the 1983 convertibles.
The exterior looks great on this car and the interior looks even nicer. You can see that this one has a three-speed automatic transmission with a console shifter rather than a manual, bummer. It also has power windows, those pods hanging on the doors. Talk about last-minute engineering. The seats look great but there seems to be a lot of wear or scratches (from long fingernails?) on the power top button. This car also has the optional F41 suspension package for better handling. The seller includes an underside photo and it looks solid and clean.
The engine is a Chevrolet 2.0-liter OHV inline-four with 88 horsepower and 110 lb-ft of torque. That’s not a lot of power, and it could use a quick detailing to be up to the visual standards of the rest of this nice-looking car. Now, about that asking price… What’s your offer for this Cavalier?
17k for a jbody? Bahahahahhaa
Well,it is the “High Performance” model.
I offer $3,500
I would go to $6500!
This is a car everyone would love to have but , wouldn’t want to pay a whole lot for .
Speak for yourself there Bud, not a fan.😁
If it was a V-6 4 speed maybe……
This is a perfect example of where the resale market is going. 17 grand? Where will this insanity end?
Exactly what I have been thinking and why do these people keep paying these ridiculous sums of money for cars that really nobody should remember.
C’mon man, It’s just a asking price.
He either won’t sell it, or he’ll take a lot less.
Well, they say the when the top goes down, the price goes up, but I don’t think as regards this car the price goes up as high as $17K. It is a nice-looking car in great condition but just 88hp? Convertibles do bring a premium price, but this is a Chevrolet Cavalier, GM’s bottom of the barrel as far as their cars go. It’s not like it’s one of GM’s more upscale models like the Buick Skyhawk or the Oldsmobile Firenza. At any rate, good luck to the seller shooting for the moon.
Alamo Rent A Car’s South Florida fleet was about 25% J-cars and many of those were convertibles like this. A Cavalier sedan was about $20 bucks a day unlimited mileage but requesting a droptop doubled the cost so they were worth the added investment for the company. I used to travel in and out of Ft Lauderdale frequently and frequently ended up with a Cavalier rental. They were mostly forgettable experiences but I did get one airborne over a steep railroad crossing one early morning which seemed to cause no harm to the flexible little Chevy. Not a buyer at any price but someone will get a decent little convertible at a decent price.
Speaking of convertibles Maui is crawli g with Mustang and Camaro rentals. Does anyone know where they go to die?
Hawaii has long been a home to large numbers of rental converts. When their time is done, the majority are shipped back to the mainland and end up on dealers’ used car lots. There’re only so many that the local market can absorb.
Yes they ship them back to the main land and they go to car auctions, How do I know this? worked at Manheim car auction saw alot of them with Hawaii plates being processed through
We had a first year J2000 wagon and it was the biggest piece of crap I have ever driven. It started falling apart after its first winter.
I hope this car falls into the right hands so it will be around many decades to come. This isn’t something to drive, but preserve. There aren’t many J-cars left even though they were a staple on the road back in the day. They were as abundant as any model Hyundai today.
Besides, it’s a drop top and even style-wise it’s a decent looking ride. Why the hell not?
I have 16,999 reasons why not.
I had a 1992 Cavalier Z24 fully loaded and triple white. It was a great fun car to drive.
Chevrolet Z’s were great looking convertibles. The Z24 & Z28s
With new computerization coming in full force right about 1984, GM could start calculating when their cars would start falling apart. This was the very beginning of “Calculated Greed “. They were very nice cars when they were new, but by 40,000 mi they started to literally fall apart. Some people went the extra mile and took extreme excellent care of their Chevy Cavaliers, and some of them actually made it to the 150,00mi marker. Maybe, the new owner of this fine example, and it is very nice, will give it what it deserves, a well preserved life. Best of luck to the new owner.
@Robert Levins
I ordered and took delivery of a new 1985 Cavalier Type 10 coupe. It was black on black & gray, with a 5-speed, F41 suspension and I ordered that newfangled digital dash! I had it lowered 2 inches, removed the 13 inchers and added Carroll Shelby 14-inch aluminum wheels with BFG 50-series WL tires. Boy, did she look mean when sitting still with her front tires cranked to one side or the other.
But yes I took exceptional care of that little car. It was always garaged and as a result, I kept it for 20 years, selling it in 2005 to my stepson when it had 125k miles. His buddies and some girls loved that little car.
It was a great and highly dependable car.
I had a blue over blue ’85 Type 10 hardtop. Was a fun little car back in the day.
Hey u can always come down in price, but if there’s a sucker out there then ……
My sister had a Cavalier wagon with the “iron duke” 4cyl and that car just refused to die, she sold it to a neighbor with over 170k miles on it and they drove it another 5yrs. Boring as all get up but a solid transportation piece and functional since it was a wagon.
Had an 87 Sunbird GT with 211k on original clutch and everything.wiorked except wipers intermittently.
Someone did do exactly that. Took a Cavalier and turned it into a Cimarron.
https://jalopnik.com/for-5-500-does-this-1988-cadillac-cimarron-convertibl-1787968416
I had a 1984 Buick Skyhawk coupe (same thing). It served its purpose for the time (1987 to 89). That OHV throttle body had some pep, but growled like a coffee grinder.
Nicest one left?
Who cares?!
Best comment of the day!
nothing to see hear and like I said just because it’s rare doesn’t mean that it has any kind of value, the one thing that you have to consider when wanting to buy a car like this it’s 38 years old with low miles what is the condition of anything rubber belts, hoses, window seals to start, the list could be never ending on what it would take to get it road worthy, my opinion your looking at maybe $8000. at best, good luck!!
I had an ’85 Cavalier hatch, manual trans and 0 options.
It was a decent car but dumped it after 6 months when I found a new ’86 GLH-T at a local dealership.
Had an ’81 Cimmaron, it went about 200,000 miles, with one rebuild of the top end of the engine, two steering racks, wife commuted 55 miles each way into Boston for two of its years, was great for that, easy to park, you could see all four corners of the car, perforated leather seats, better suspension than the Cavalier, bought it used for $2000 and Chevy dealer who had it on back lot, headed for auction, threw in new tires so it would pass inspection. This one is a great car to tow behind your RV, dolly the front wheels, when you get to FL or AZ in the winter, drive it around town, when you get to Michigan, or Wyoming, or Maine, in the summer, drive it around town. Like most other mechanical devices, maintenance is the key to longevity. Rented a Chevy 4 door pickup with a turbo 4, that engine worked awfully hard, I expect it will last half as long as the V8 it replaces.
My wife and I had a 1990 Cavalier four door. While nothing fancy, it was a good car that ran really well and rode pretty well, too. My wife loved it, and we looked for another but never found the right one. While this little convertible is great looking, I see it as being more in the 6-10K Ramge. 17K is way too steep! If it were closer to me, I might take a look at it, just for a fun little cruiser.
The price of everything and I mean EVERYTHING in this world is based on supply and demand.
People love convertibles but living in Iowa it is not practical. Cold falls. Rainy springs. Hot, humid summers where a hard roof and air conditioning keep the sun off my head. Snowy cold winters too! I agree that the car is overpriced but sadly that’s the market for all vehicles now. I owned a 1987 Cavalier coupe and loved it. Responsive steering. Easy to park size. Fuel injection. Cold air conditioning and good heat. Nice bucket seats for a compact. Despite the low hp rating, it’s combination of low weight and EFI response made it fine on any Interstate highway. It wasn’t as reliable as modern cars, head gasket blew at 50K miles
wiring needed redone and rack and pinion steering finally gave way but I drove it more than 100k miles before selling it. I just wished Chevy would build an affordable compact sized car like this Cavalier.
Nice car but wow 17 for a cavalier!!!!! That’s nuts . Maybe 6 if that
At least it has an all blue interior & aux gages with NUMBERS on them. & it’s a TWO door with a TRUNK(not just on convertibles back then) .
Honda, take note of what body styles SINGLES should still be driving – even couples w/o kids, IMO.