When Chevrolet introduced the first Cavalier in 1981, it was their second attempt at offering a front-wheel-drive product and was meant to just be economical transportation. While they were good at that task, they weren’t exactly fun cars. Thankfully, they decided to offer a sporty model with a bigger engine known as the Z24. With the introduction of the second generation, the Cavalier was sleeker-looking and when optioned as with the Z24 package was downright fun! While they built a ton of these cars, you don’t see nice examples much anymore, which makes this 1990 Cavalier Z24 a rather unique find. Reader Joseph H has owned this lovely example since 2003 and has done a ton of work to keep it in pristine condition. He’s decided it’s time to part ways with it though and is offering it as a BF Auction so that it can find a new owner that will enjoy it as much as he has. You can cast your bid below and don’t hesitate to leave any questions down in the comments.
This Cavalier has covered an impressive 216,356 miles! That’s a lot of miles, but this car has been well maintained and received an extensive amount of work in recent years to ensure it’s going to be a good driver for many more years to come. The list of work includes a new engine (which now has 39k miles on it), new front struts, and a new A/C compressor and condenser (blows cold). It just recently received new brakes, pads, and rotors, as well as a new set of BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires. There’s also a long list of recent cosmetic work, but we will cover that shortly.
The standard engine in the Cavalier was a fuel-efficient inline-4, but if you stepped up to the Z24 package you received a V6 that offered more power and better performance. For 1990, the 2.8 liter V6 was enlarged to 3.1 liters with 140 horsepower and 185 ft-lbs of torque. These are fairly light cars, especially in coupe form, so this is plenty of power to make for a fun driver. The original engine was replaced at 177k miles, so the new engine should have lots of fun miles left in it. Joseph can put you in touch with the mechanic that installed the engine if necessary. It’s paired with the optional 3-speed automatic, which is in good working order. The automatic transmission is a bit of a bummer for those of us that like to row through the gears, but there’s no denying the convenience and comfort of an automatic.
To keep the car looking its best, it was recently treated to a fresh paint job. On the inside, you’ll find new upholstery on the front seats with the Z24 logo embroidered into the headrests. It also has recently received new carpet throughout and a set of Z24 floor mats in excellent shape are included. In the trunk, you’ll find a full-size spare with a custom cover with “Old Blue” printed on it. You’ll also find the same moniker on the trunk lid, but that can be removed if you prefer a more subtle look. Overall, it looks to be in good cosmetic condition, especially for the mileage. Joseph has also included photos of the underside, which reveals a solid floor that appears to have been treated with undercoating.
The only area of real concern that we see is the exhaust system, which is starting to show its age. While we weren’t able to find any complete replacement exhaust systems, we did find all the individual sections needed to construct a new exhaust for it.
It’s almost hard to believe that this car is 32 years old. Clearly, this one has been cared for and enjoyed its entire life. With over 2 million second-generation Cavaliers having been built, it’s amazing you don’t see these more often, but most of these cars were driven hard and sent to the crusher years ago. Hopefully, the next owner will continue to enjoy it like Joseph has and will add another 100k+ miles on the odometer. If you’d love to be its next owner, be sure to bid! And do hesitate to leave any questions in the comments below.
- Location: Plainfield, Indiana
- Mileage: 216,356 Miles
- VIN: 1G1JF14T2L7132324
- Title Status: Clean
Bid On This Auction
Wallace bid $3,600.00 2022-06-03 12:55:15
Jody bid $3,500.00 2022-06-03 12:50:31- Wallace bid $3,000.00 2022-06-03 12:35:21
- Jody bid $2,900.00 2022-06-03 12:30:11
- Wallace bid $2,500.00 2022-06-03 07:02:00
- Jody bid $1,975.00 2022-06-02 19:34:15
Dadae1 bid $1,850.00 2022-06-02 18:20:13
oldie but godie 421 bid $1,750.00 2022-06-02 06:26:57
Bagherman bid $1,550.00 2022-06-01 22:53:41- oldie but godie 421 bid $1,400.00 2022-06-01 16:55:45
Taker442 bid $1,250.00 2022-05-29 07:39:45
JoeMac bid $1,100.00 2022-05-28 10:04:46- Dadae1 bid $999.00 2022-05-28 09:49:57
Wayniac bid $888.88 2022-05-28 09:45:47
Driftwood10 bid $750.00 2022-05-28 09:41:35- Dadae1 bid $529.00 2022-05-28 09:36:26
JSP69XR7 bid $429.00 2022-05-27 21:19:37- oldie but godie 421 bid $300.00 2022-05-27 15:49:25
- JSP69XR7 bid $200.00 2022-05-27 12:40:46
Any competent muffler shop could bend up an exhaust system for this car. Nice car Joseph H..
Kudos to the owner for maintaining this car so beautifully! I love the color – wish it was a 5 speed!
My first new car was a 1986 z24 with a 4-speed. I loved that snotty sounding little beast. White with a red interior, unfortunately met its demise as car #6 in an 11 car chain reaction accident in Brooklyn. This one looks sweet!
New York drivers are the worse, well, maybe with the exception of Boston drivers. My condolences for your loss of such a nice little car.
Thanks. The whole accident started when some idiot in a Buick station wagon decided to stop in the fast lane of the BQE to retrieve a piece of luggage that had flown off the back of his car. He chose to stop right beyond a humpback bridge. Nobody had a chance to stop safely.
Never owned one personally, I did however take a prom date in one that was a great shade of maroon with a sparkle that my date admired. With the standard option along with a E brake placed in the sweet spot it was a blast. Unfortunately my fun was cut short when my date let me know if my driving style wasn’t gonna change that I’d have no option but to bring her home for a new pair of undies. Definitely bidding!! Only to see if 27years later she still might be in need of a fresh pair😁
A friend of mine traded in his ’79 Z-28 for his first new car. A 1984 Z-24 Cavalier. Three days later, I towed him to the Chevy dealer. A week later AAA did the same thing. After about 6 months, they finally got it running right. He really missed that Camaro.
As a single person, i waited years & years & years for the 2 door cruze successor to the Cobalt & it never arrived – now even the 4 door is gone.
& forget about these …
https://www.carstyling.ru/ru/car/2012_chevrolet_code_130r/
https://www.carstyling.ru/ru/car/2012_chevrolet_tru_140s/
My Dad had a ’94. When he finally got too old to drive he moved into a partial care facility. As he was cross country from us we didn’t have a car to use to help him move so we used his Z24. Back and forth trips were fun as the car not only had a bunch of power but it handled well. Nice example here.
My ’84 hatchback was fine. 4cyl, 4spd, a/c.
I had to get something different to keep up
with local traffic doing 80+!
This one looks good…
I bought an 88 Z-24 convertible with a 5 speed at Klick Lewis Chevrolet. We picked it out of the brochure in the same colors, white with a blue top. Great car. Drove that car 175,000 problem free miles in 6 years.
I had a 1989 Z-24 that I bought in 1990 to celebrate becoming a journeyman electrician. I sold it in 1992 to pay for my wedding and honeymoon. Still married so gues it was the right decision.
Look at the Mecum sale of one of these this past weekend for an immaculate one.
Although I almost ignored the resale “rustproofing” in a can covering the floor bottoms-I can’t ignore the ripped or cracked leading cradle mount forward of the right front wheel that is right at the edge of photo 24… something to consider for everyone.
Pic 24 is showing some sort of tear or break in the front of the cross member/cradle forward of the right wheel.
Also, the fresh rubberized “undercoating” is questionable.
(Seems my last comment saying the same was deleted).
Looks like it’s Jody and Wallace going 10 rounds…already past my max, good luck to the victor!
Bummer. That issue underneath noted by John P is a reminder that there’s a lot to consider when a car has lived 32 years and covered 216,000 miles. Best wishes to the seller.
Quite a serious break there!! Good catch !
It’s cool it’s a looked, but still a 90 Cavalier, Def not worth 9 grand tho!!!!