Some of us get excited at estate sales, you never know what you’re going to find and sometimes there are incredible bargains. Hidden gems, even. I don’t know too many folks who would refer to this 1984 Chevrolet Chevette CS sedan as a hidden gem, but it sure looks nice. The seller has it posted here on craigslist in Bridgeport, Illinois and they’re asking $4,250 or a reasonable offer. A year or two ago I would have jumped on this thing like Tom Cruise on a couch.
I know, “It has two too many doors!”, but it is what it is, as every contractor who has ever lived says. Sorry, I’ll try to keep my personal woes out of this one… This is one of the nicest Chevettes that I have seen here and that’s saying something. We have seen a gaggle of them roll through the cyber doors here at One Barn Finds Tower and this example sure looks like a gem, if any Chevette can be considered a gem. Here’s the ad in case someone grabs this car before too long, which I think they may do – it’s that nice.
The Chevy Chevette was introduced in the fall of 1975 as a 1976 model and they soldiered on until President Reagan said, “Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” and/or Chrysler bought AMC – 1987 for those of you who weren’t born yet. The car was based on GM’s T-platform from the early-1970s and they were sold all over the world, even here and in Canada as the Pontiac T1000 and Acadian. In case you’re wondering what it looks like under the hatchback, here it is. Digging even further down, here is a view of the shiny spare tire compartment.
The photos are long and low, unlike a Chevette, but the seller has included a nice variety of almost everything but underside photos. The interior basically looks like it was just assembled by a special GM team of experts who basically hand-crafted the Chevette in boutique shops. Ok, they were regular workers and they probably weren’t the best cars ever made but thousands of them are still on the roads here in the US so they must have done something right. You can see the 4-speed manual transmission which is great. The seats and almost everything else look great. I’m heading to Chicago in a few days, I could fly in, buy this car, and drive it home.
The seller says that this car has 59,000 miles and was from his aunt’s or uncle’s estate. There is no rust and it sure looks good to me. The shiny engine is Chevrolet’s 1.6L inline-four with a mere 65 horsepower and to paraphrase our esteemed Chevette expert, Todd Fitch, who told me once after driving a Chevette, “I kept checking the parking brake because it felt like it was on the whole time…” Ha! Seriously, though, if a person had to have a Chevette with a 4-speed, and you’re out there, this is the one to have. If you don’t want to draw a crowd everywhere you go, don’t buy this car.
Buddy had a new one. Nothing exciting, but got the job done and reliable. Just the thing for us boring people.
Chevy devotees will say this is worth $10K, just because it’s a Chevy. They think every Chevy is a ‘priceless classic’. (eye roll)
Literally no one will say that.
While this looks good in the ad, it honestly looks a little TOO good. I’m wary of the black rockers, a common tactic to hide rust, and the quickly painted air filter housing. It looks like a car that was detailed to the nines for a quick sale to someone who is willing to overlook some body flaws.
If I wanted to preserve the history of sh**box 80’s cars with a sh**box 80’s posterchild of that era…this is the one I’d do it with.
Actually, when production of “The Wonder Years” moves from the Nixon era into the Reagan era they’re going to need ordinary cars like this. Car wranglers buy the cheapest cars they can find and have people tart them up so they look good for the camera.
Learned to drive in one of these. My brother and I beat that thing like a red headed stepchild. There are cars you’ll always remember and those you’ll never forget. Guess which one this is.
A red ‘82 Chevette bought new was my late grandmothers last car. Took my drivers test in it back in ‘85. Years later she gave it to me in ‘91. Had it for 7 years until a now former girlfriend wrecked it. Oh the memories !!
Who decides on the cars listed on here? This is a waMarkste of breath.
These things were junk plaque with engine and trans issues by the 80s not saying the ones in the late 70s were any better with the oil leaks and trans leaks but they were a little more reliable than the 80s hell anything in the 80s was junk
This is not as clean a car as made out to be. Can clearly see rust bubbles is a number places if you zoom in. Driver’s seat was stained and you can see the shampoo line. As mentioned the engine is way to clean and shiny. Obviously done for a flip. It is a decent shape car for Illinois but not a mint one.
The best thing you can say about Chevettes is they replaced the Vega. And if they weren’t anything else, unlike the Vega they were half-way reliable.
Chevette didn’t replace the Vega.
Chevette was one size down. Monza absorbed Vega body styles like the wagon and the Monza was replaced by the Cavalier
Yes the Vega became the Monza…but the Chevette did replace the Vega as the subcompact car of the Chevy lineup.
4 on the floor!
I had a rental for about 6 weeks. It replaced the rental Vega that I had before that. (I was rear ended on the Edens Expressway and it took the insurance company a long time to pay. Their cost of the rental was more than the vehicle reimbursement as I was driving a minimum of 130 miles a day.)
It was a better ca than the Vega and it was very tossable. Which I did every chance I had. (wahoo!)
In later years while running a Goodyear store, we always had to watch out for the rear coil springs on Chevettes that would fall when lifting the car for under the car service or tire replacement. One bounced out and took out the lower glass bay door window!
The brakes were dismal at best. As were most vehicles of the late ’70s and most of the ’80s. If I remember correctly most of the front suspension pieces were supplied by Opel.
Chevette was essentially Opel through and through but adapted for the US.
GM’s “T” World Car sold all over the world. Even Daewoo had a version.
LOL!! Reminds me of the Kia Sportages of 20 yrs ago, same problem!
The springs on mine rusted in two during its later years. Luckily I found good ones at a junk yard and swapped them out in the driveway without incident lol. And I agree about the brakes.
They’re flipping Chevettes??
Talk about scraping the barrel…
I hated these things back then. Now that nearly 40 years have passed my feelings have not changed.
Recently purchased a 1988 Mercedes 300 SE at an estate sale….nearly perfect but had sat for 3+ years. Had it running in an afternoon. Definitely one of the nicest cars I’ve owned.
This on the other hand…
“Trust me, George. Put this away for 36 years and it will be worth tens of thousands!”
This is what you buy your newly licensed teenager because they actually have to pay attention to the road instead of the car doing it for them
Brings back memories of my old high school buddy who would try picking up girls using the line, “I drive a Vette”. Then he would roll up in his Vette, a Chevette. Ahh, good times.
Classic, Ed. I, too, had a high school buddy who would say “I’ll pick you up in the ‘Vette,” then show up in one of these. lol
I also had a “Vette” in high school back in 1978. It was neon, lime green. The funny thing was that a classmate also had it’s exact clone and we’d always park next to each other. I’d venture to say that was the only time you’d every see two of these cars next to each other!
I actually had two of these babies. An 80′ 2 door with a 4 speed and an 81′ 4 door automatic. Loved the 4 speed, but the timing was always off and when I backed off of the throttle at the top of a hill, it sounded like a M80 going off. Had to replace the muffler numerous times. Anyway, the girls loved my “Vettes”
I like it . I learn to drive on a 1982 red 4 door chevette. My dad sold it with 130,000 on it and the people that bought it got rid with over 200. I love to have it . It’s different something u don’t see at all. Wish it was closer
This red 84 CS just needs A/C, different center caps, and a grey & charcoal interior and it’s my Chevette. I bought two new 4 speed 84’s identical except for the white body color. I paid cash for the both of them back in March of 84. Long story short…..I needed them for three and a half years and kept them for ten. The little white one had just over 200,000 miles and the red one was close to 230,000 miles when I gave them to a very good friend of mine. All they ever needed was a few tune-ups, three brake jobs, four timing belts, and new Mobil-1 every 10k.
Again, these are the last cars you want to be stuck behind on a two lane road.
Later replaced by the PT-Cruiser.
And today, a Prius
I beg to differ. My fiancee is on her second Prius. They handle like go-karts and at the absolute worst are perfectly capable of getting out of their own way. Not to mention her ’08 got 30mpg at 100 mph. I know, I was driving at the time.
I agree, T-Rex. I have a 2010 and have put 303,580 miles on it driving it seven months a year. It’s my business road trip car and I charge clients $0.50 a mile so why wouldn’t I want to get great mpg? I drive it like a rental, lay rubber in it almost every day, have gone well over 100 mph several times, always drive faster on corners than anyone around me, and yet people generalize that I’m some tree-hugging hippie who’s looking down at their jacked-up 4×4 diesel pickup and will be going 10 mph under the speed limit in the left lane. It’s by far the most “not to generalize, but…” car ever made. I love it and will get another one when this one wears out.
I had one. Loved it. Cheap to buy and service. Got good mileage. Add a decent muffler and modern Cat and bump the timing up about 5 or 6 degrees and it really wakes it up.
No need to fire up the turd buffer! This is a nice, shiny turd already!
Did the French make these?
Easiest car I ever saw to change a heater core in.
Try a non A/C equipped Valiant- easiest I’ve ever changed
gets da job done w/o the vega’s style. I drove a new one outta a Cali county’s fleet with auto. Fine urban (yeah’n interstate too) transportation. Probably not the ‘set it’n forget it’ of a Japanese car tho…
I had the 85 ” last year ” Acadian 5 speed. Nice car for hop to town.
The Teen next door still has it!