The Chevrolet Cavalier is typically seen as just another econobox introduced by General Motors, and is generally not sought out by collectors. When the Z24 trim was introduced, it introduced another tier of desirability that didn’t previously exist, as the sporty trim and cosmetic enhancements made a snooze-worthy car much cooler. Then, along came the convertible version, which combined the fun of drop-top cruising with the aforementioned benefits. The Cavalier shown here on craigslist has supposedly been in the care of one owner since 1989 and just recently woken up after years in the garage.
The seller is asking $10,500 for the Cavalier, which is strong money for a supposedly “cheap” runabout. However, this may be one of the nicest ones left, and you certainly don’t see cars like this preserved. These were the entry-level high school cars for young drivers when I was 16 years old, so they were disposable way back when. Now, they’re downright impossible to find in anything approaching decent condition. The Z24 trim added the alloy wheels, side skirts, front and rear valences, and special badging, along with a responsive 2.8L V6 engine paired to an automatic transmission.
A manual was available but those appear quite infrequently, likely owing to the fact that Chevy wasn’t actively courting enthusiast drivers with this trim line. That may seem ironic, but let’s face it – it was still a basic front-wheel drive platform that wasn’t like a Honda Civic Si of the same era that came out of the factory with super responsive handling. This was an economy car offering through and through, and although the Z24 was more exciting visually, it wasn’t meant to light your hair on fire from the driver’s seat. However, speaking of the driver’s seat, the interior of this Cavalier is in exceptional condition and certainly supports the low mileage claims.
The 2.8L V6 was good for 130 horsepower and 160 lb.-ft. of torque. Now, if you put that in coupe form and paired it with a 5-speed manual, that would be a decently fun car to drive, especially if you made some suspension improvements of your own. But would it really be worth it? Probably not, so it’s best to enjoy this car for what it is – a rare survivor-grade example of a peak-80s drop-top that hardly ever appears for sale, especially with l0w miles and long-term single ownership. While the seller’s price is strong, I doubt you’ll see another one any time soon. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the tip.
This seller obviously never did any Friday night boulevard cruising. If you had a hard top or convertible you NEVER left your rear windows up. Other than that, nice car here.
If that’s the same engine in the Fiero there are a lot of upgrades available to make it a runner.
Same engine in the Fiero, S trucks, and a lot of GM cars.
If that’s the same engine in the Fiero there are a lot of upgrades available to make it a runner.
I wonder if the rear window motors are stuck or inoperable
If that’s the same engine in the Fiero there are a lot of upgrades available to make it a runner.
I grew up around these cars and several of their GM ilk. My tastes ran to pre-downsized cars back then, so these front-wheel-drive unibodies were pretty much invisible to me.
But now, the tastefully plain styling, the typical ‘80s GM interior and door latches, and familiar sound of the starters GM used on nearly every four and six of the era bring back memories of those optimistic times in the ‘80s.
Now I’m understanding the power of nostalgia. I hope this car gets a good home.
When I was a teenager, I had a plain iron duke 4 cylinder sunbird and wanted one of these Z24’s so bad, but couldn’t afford one. I can’t believe that the V6 was only 130 hp because it drove and sounded like a race car compared to the 80 hp iron duke 4 door sunbird.
This is local to me and I’ve watched it at that price on Facebook marketplace for 4 months. Nice looking car but strong money IMHO.
We saw a red one less than a week ago for 4K cheaper. That would be the one to go for.
Good write up Jeff