You have to love the owners who keep otherwise lost or forgotten cars on the road long after most enthusiasts have moved on to greener pastures. This 1987 Chevrolet Cavalier RS convertible has clearly ended up with the best owner possible, as it has been lovingly maintained and lightly restored with a variety of OEM upgrades. The Cavalier may be a throwaway car to many of us, but given how few of the first generation models like these are left, we’re certainly grateful at least one individual has made it his mission to keep this car on the road. Find the Cavalier here on eBay with a Buy-It-Now of $6,200 and the option to submit a best offer.
The Cavalier was never a world-beater; that much is known. But it was a decent vehicle for anyone needing a cheap ride that was pretty easy to repair. The problem was the small market was increasingly judged by what was coming out of Japan and it really couldn’t compete with the likes of the Civic and the Sentra. Still, those brands didn’t offer their economy cars in convertible form, and the Big 3 loves its drop-tops. So, if you wanted an affordable entry into convertible ownership and a Mustang was either unappealing or outside of your price range, a Cavalier was an attractive option. The seller notes his car is one of just 4,300 made with the V6.
The Cavalier was originally gold on the outside with a matching interior. The seller had the whole car resprayed, meaning he made sure the color change carried over to the door jams and other areas that are usually ignored by budget-minded owners. He does admit the paint job isn’t to exceedingly high standards but it also needn’t be on a car like this. The interior appears to be in great shape and the carpeting has been replaced. It also comes with the factory parade boot, which the seller notes is hard to find at this point given how many have been lost or thrown away. And as you can see, the factory radio remains in place.
The Cavalier has a great stance as well, which is no accident: the seller has lowered the Cavalier and added 14 inch wheels from a Chevy Beretta. The exhaust has been upgraded as well with dual exhausts and Flowmaster mufflers, and you’ll note the hood is from a Z24 with functional tunnel ram equipment transferred over. Personally, I would love this Cavalier even more if the racing stripes were deleted, but I also recognize this is an accepted look among Chevy owners of every model range. The seller notes he bought the car after having been stored for 20 years, and he’s performed all the standard “wake up” maintenance for a slumbering classic. If you’ve been hunting for a cheap, classic convertible, this Cavalier may be worthy of a closer look.
My sister bought one of these new in 1987 and it was a great car lasted well over 250,000 miles. Then my brother got it and drove it several years. It was medium blue with white convertible top. It was a a GT or ZZ4 model with 5 speed manual transmission and V-6. It was a great fun driving car. Had plenty of getty up. Nice interior with leather wrapped steering wheel. She always took good care of it.
Not a fan of Cavaliers, but I have to admit there is something oddly appealing to the rectangular 80’s brick. The convertible option really changes the look of this to something I find myself liking more and more.
Ordered with the standard 80’s GM “Petroleum By-Product” interior. It’s a good thing not too many survived. The off-gassing from the plastic was probably not healthy.
Made a lot of money working on them back in the day,CV boots/axles,ign modules,fuel injectors,fuel pumps,water pumps, power steering pumps,my finger hurts typing could go on and on.
Seemed you got a rare real good one….or the ones that helped you make a living Rw.
My buddy had a 5spd Z24 v6 cant recall it was a 3.1L ? I think. Mayne 2.8..Anyways it was a quick, reliable car, loads of miles too.
My ex wife bought a brand new z24 model in 1986, it broke down on her way home from the dealership. That must have been a sign of things to come as it broke down frequently. The digital dash failed too, $450 for a new one from Chevy with a 30 day warranty. Years later,Sold it and bought a brand new Dodge Neon, which was a nightmare piece of junk.
Ed
My wife and I bought a brand new 2000 Plymouth Neon and it was a great car for us. We never had any real issues with it at all. My daughter took it to college, after which I drove it for a few years. At 218,000 plus miles on it, it needed front end work that cost more than the car was worth, but the engine and transmission still ran fine. Longest time we had it out of service was while the body was being repaired due to a lady running a stop sign and T-boning my daughter (thankfully only the car was hurt). We drove that little car for a bit more than 15 trouble free years.
Made money on the Neons also.
Wow, always appreciated these.. and yes, Mom had one when i was a teen.. ran great, lasted a long time, into the 200s despite having been neglected and abused, MUCH better than a ‘civic or sentra’ by far (again heard mentality) Too bad all the flag waving/sticker folks buy imports and subscribe to lies and misinformation
The Z24 was a car ive always been open to find and own; just dont see em. Yes, this one is exceptional, NICE interior !, nice upgrades.. the stipes gotta go.
These Cavaliers, and well as the Ford Escort GTs deserved way more appriciation and loyalty.
Having said that, anyone know where i can buy a late 80s Escort Gt ??
Usually when someone alters the color it destroys the originality. But this isn’t a classic GTO or Model T antique show car so it doesn’t matter. And I personally like the red a lot better. In 1989, fresh out of the Army, I purchased a red 1987 Cavalier 2 door at Bob McDorman Chevrolet in Canal Winchester near Columbus. Ohio. My dad helped me so I had no car payment to worry about. I loved the front wheel drive traction, compact size and nimble handling. The 2.0 was not powerful but the fuel delivery at all legal speeds was flawless so I never had an issue merging or passing on highways. I took my firstborn son and wife home from the hospital in that car. Drove to Gettysburg. Louisville, Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains in the car. At 50000 miles it needed major engine work. Later. It needed wiring work and the rack from the rack and pinion power steering failed. So. I loved the Cavalier but can understand from long term reliability why GM buyers switched to Japanese vehicles. The convertible looks great and the V6 is a major power upgrade but my Beretta V6 engine blew up at 100,000 miles so no kudos for dependability. Recommend a thorough mechanical inspection based on experience as these cars are fun only while they last.
Had a 87 Z-24 as a loner while my S 10 was in the shop. The wife liked it and told me if we got one we could put off having a kid. I traded my truck two weeks later on a NEW 88 Z-24. Sweet Ride. Had a few mods done to it and it run out pretty good.
I had an 87′ Z24 , wasted many a V8 with that car ! Traded it for a 89 GMC 1500 . I miss both actually. Never wasted anything with the GMC though .
Having owned most of the competitive vehicles mentioned, I can say the interior in this cavalier far exceeds the quality of any of the mentioned imports interiors. I dont have any doubt chevy had mechanical maladies but my civic, toyota, and datsun interiors on cars I’ve had were very poor quality and didnt last long.
The interior plastics in my honda crx are so brittle they will literally shatter if not handled delicately
The wheels are from a Chevy Celebrity. A similar wheel was used for the Citation X-11, but those wheels had “CITATION” embossed into the rim. These clearly have “CHEVROLET” on the rim, so these are Celebrity wheels.
I had a 1992 Z24 Convertable it was triple white and it was gorgeous.I never had any problems with it. I kept it three years than bought a 1995 Cutlass Supreme convertable red with white top and white leather it was a great car. I still miss it.
Always liked the Cavaliers. Had 1983 Type 10 , ran real good too. Then later i got the next best thing to a Cavalier 5 yrs later, The Chevy Corsica which was a close cousin and just as GOOD a car.