There’s a few things I’ve remained steadfast on over the years, and one of them is that the Chevrolet Beretta is chronically underappreciated. I know, build quality was abysmal and this entry-level model won’t light your hair on fire driving it every day, but it was an attractive model that offered a fair amount of sportiness in an affordable package. The Beretta shown here on craigslist appears to be one of the final year models, and offered an updated interior before it vanished from the lineup.
There are many numerous disappointing GM products, especially at the lower end of their model range. The Beretta and its sedan sibling, the Corsica, replaced the X-body Citation, which was downright forgettable. With the Beretta, Chevy also introduced a wave of respectable models performance-wise, including the GTZ, the GTU, the standard GT, and many of those models offered powerful V6s and the legendary Quad 4 powerplant. In a way, this Beretta seems even more remarkable because it isn’t one of those models and has still managed to survive in decent condition.
The interior improvements in this ’96 will barely register by today’s cabin standards, but for the middle 90s, GM was at least trying to keep the Beretta relevant. I can’t recall if it was 1991 or 1992 when Chevy updated the ergonomics of this entry-level model, but it at least appears to be holding up well. The dash plastics were nothing to write home about, but the interiors did feature logical rotary controls, a decent stereo, slide-out cup holders, and an airbag steering wheel. Additional controls were conveniently located on either side of the steering wheel, not unlike the “floating” controls I had in my Subaru XT6.
My favorite features were the blacked-out taillight panel and the subtle twin-outlet exhaust. With the 3.1L V6, this Beretta kicked out a respectable 155 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque, which will still get you down the road nicely today. The seller has added four new tires and a fresh battery in preparing it for sale. While it will never be collectible, I could absolutely see using this as an interesting daily, and perhaps justify lowering it a touch with some OEM wheels. I love the Beretta – is anyone else a fan? Thanks to Barn Finds reader Curvette for the find.
For $2,700, its nearly disposable, but a decent used car. Neat find, and alone at any C&C near you.
I had one almost like this that was in bright red. It was the first car I ever bought on my own. It was used. It had a V6 (don’t remember which one specifically), but it had a nice understated throaty exhaust; the main thing is it would keep up red light to red light with the Probe GTs and early Fox bodies around town. The engine block cracked while I was on vacation and I coated into a Ford dealership. Drove home with a Ranger XT off the showroom floor 😂