Cavalier wagon mebby?

Stopped and looked at a CLEAN ride today that turned out not to be for sale, but the owner said he'd sell it to me.

It's a 92 Cavalier wagon with the buzzy 4 banger - but here's the lowdown: it's a dark gray florida car, ZERO rust, tinted windows (yea yea, so bobody can see me - yuck it up) elderly owned, dealership serviced, and only like 85,000 miles on it. No wrecks, dent, dings, or NOTHIN. Cruise, air, tilt, and BRAND NEW tires. The thing looks mint. The dude said $1,000 - but I bet if I showed him a little less he might bite.

He's retired and bought it EIGHT years ago from a family that took it away from their 90+ year old grandmother due to her failing eyesight. He's kept it in the garage in the winters, and just used it to tool around town in the summertimes.

The sales pitch here at home was that I'd sell hot-n-heavy - buy that, then sell Adria's beater that needs to be replaced anyway - and pool all that's left over to get her something a little nicer.

I'd obviously miss the LT1 with 373s, etc - but at 3.50+ per gallon and empty pockets, I drive everything like a hypermiling old man anyway.

The logic being that it'd give me an economical, rust free oddball car(that's cheap to fix with lots of easy to find parts) to use as a fresh canvas to violate - and it's still a wagon - and she could have a nicer car, which she sorely deserves.

That and I think - in a sick way - I'd kind of get off on the challenge of trying to make it cool.

Your thoughts?

Ready?

[flame suit on]

GO!

Sounds like a made for Bewber deal of deals.With gas prices where they are this purchase makes
a lot more sense than the last 5 "Deals"combined.Quit rationalizing and buy it.Those cars run forever when taken care of and sounds like this one was.Think about all the cheap goodies on
ebay alone for that wagon and the cheap wheels that will fit it.Dont think I have ever seen one
in dark gray though so pics please.
Take Care
Jim Gordon

At WF, we'll just tell everyone your car got left in the dryer too long

Haha, no kidding.

The biggest thing is the mileage. I kind of plan on having to do some traveling this summer as part of my artistry travels and ongoing networking/learning/working progression.

I've got at least 2 trips to Pat's house planned - 2.5 hours each way, MAYBE wagonkookfest at like 8-10 hours each way, and a trip to Lloyd 2's annual B-Body cookout that's about 7 hours away.

The second biggest thing is rust. This thing is rust free. I laid on the ground and looked up at the floors expecting to see carpet padding and the pans look like brand new. Needless to say, the same claim cannot be made regarding my current floorpans.

I don't even know what I'd do with a dang cavalier, theme wise. The last one I really ever had in my head was when I was in HS and I wanted to swap in all my big subwoofers and amps to have a "Temple of BOOM" - with "fat rims".

Invest in head gaskets. On the upside the heads don't tend to warp, so it's a fairly easy job.

Cavalier Z-24 hood and wheels bolt right on!

-Mike

a cimmeron front clip, 79 eldorado tail lights, some black paint, some padded vinyl and small landau bars......and that skull hood ornament I made you

Bewber wrote:

Haha, no kidding.

The biggest thing is the mileage. I kind of plan on having to do some traveling this summer as part of my artistry travels and ongoing networking/learning/working progression.

I've got at least 2 trips to Pat's house planned - 2.5 hours each way, MAYBE wagonkookfest at like 8-10 hours each way, and a trip to Lloyd 2's annual B-Body cookout that's about 7 hours away.

The second biggest thing is rust. This thing is rust free. I laid on the ground and looked up at the floors expecting to see carpet padding and the pans look like brand new. Needless to say, the same claim cannot be made regarding my current floorpans.

I don't even know what I'd do with a dang cavalier, theme wise. The last one I really ever had in my head was when I was in HS and I wanted to swap in all my big subwoofers and amps to have a "Temple of BOOM" - with "fat rims".

I'm telling you, a Z-24 wagon would be easy to make and would get attention. Trim, wheels, the Z-24 hood was fiberglass. They can still be found in salvage yards. Would be cool!

I'd be feeling a z24 wagon in a heartbeat, but not the stock wheels.

You know what though, the "this is what the factory shoudl have built" is a sweet deal, but it's not necessarily me - especially when you start adding up the costs of Z24 parts.

I'd be just as likely, I think, to try to make a mini-me of my surf wagon - red wheels with fat whitewalls, etc.

The other thing to keep in mind, is that it would really be a good idea for whatever I drive, cavalier or not, to be like a rolling business card of my work - so Flames wouldn't be an option - like it or not, they'd be mandatory.

Maybe a flamed z24 wagon looking wagon then.

The flames would need to be vertical,..

Nick

A Cavalier....... REALLY........... a Cavalier......... kidding right......... Before you go that route look at a Pontiac Vibe. 31-36 MPG, they even made a 6 speed turbo charged model. Great little wagon. Or go the way of Crovo. The Subeys are great little wagons, just watch the timing belts and head gaskets. Just saying there is a lot better options out there.

But if you do go down that road I say you get some RM trim, gee you think you know anyone with some RMW parts. PUt a moon roof in it, the RM roof rack, and wood sides. A buick grille. Make a Mini-Me wagon. Or a mini Ratmaster, I can bet Pat will be in on this.

THEN you can come to WF.





(BTW, you BETTER be at wagon fest!)

Oh and in the words of Pat, "No pictures and it didn't happen......"

Haha, man if I could find a sooby or a 6spd turbo vibe for $800 - I'd be all over it like white on rice, but that isn't gonna hap'n cap'n.

More than anything, this was about finding a stupid clean gas sipper with stupid low miles for stupid cheap. It's just dumb luck that it happened to be a wagon model of that car.

And WF is a definite maybe - but even the past 2-3 years almost didn't happen financially - and those were better years than this one so far in that regard.

I can't believe you're even thinking about this!!!!! And you call yourself my brother....

























Dude. Sell the hot n' heavy fer chrissakes! You'll get the same you can buy the turd for! GET THE TURD!

I think your whole attitude is too "Caviler"

Knights are Cavilers, how about a flaming knight on horseback, or a knight that's a flamer?

Dave..... DO NOT quit your day job .......... Leave the comedy to the professionals.....


Like Bewber in his Cavalier!!!!!! LOL

I'm out on Workman's comp for a few more weeks. Humor and drugs are what's keeping me alive.

lakeffect wrote:

I'm out on Workman's comp for a few more weeks. Humor and drugs are what's keeping me alive.

You crack me up Mr. Dave.........................

BigBlackBeaSSt wrote:

lakeffect wrote:

I'm out on Workman's comp for a few more weeks. Humor and drugs are what's keeping me alive.

You crack me up Mr. Dave.........................

Now you're just humoring him...

Good point Bill..................

Have you picked it up yet?
with that color combo I'd be all over it!! You could always put the LT1 in it

BUY IT! then sell it to one of us!

yukk

I may have a spare 3800sc series II and tranny and harness laying around...

John's out getting some feathers,..
Nick

Did you notice the sticker on the back of that wagon that says:

"This is not an abandoned vehicle"

It should be!

uh, wait...we are convincing him to sell hot'n'heavy! people...wake up! he wants to sell a B Body wagon.. i talk about selling TiKi and 20 people jump on me! so i dont!
here i see people cheering him on...WTH?

BEWBER: keep the H'n'H and scrape together the change to get the Cavy, you'll regret getting out of B bodies! just my .2

he has a 65 B body wagon, a 9C1 former OPP/now impala ss wannabe clone, hotnheavy, a suburban, an olds aveo, an old gmc truck from the 50's a mid 70's converted blue bird winnabego camper bus, and a car dolly.

If he wants a cadavalier its cause he's also a car slut....

but on a budget.....unlike his corsican twin

Did somebody call me?

Well, FWIW - no cavalac wagon yet, but I did stop by the boneyard today for a B-body part, and found they had a complete and correct year'd Z24 - and my homeboy Dale at the counter said he'd sell me everything Z24ish offin it (both bumper covers, ground effects, door pieces, the hood, and the fancy gauge cluster) for $300.

Who buys parts for a car they haven't even DRIVEN yet?!?!?!?!? Seriously?

LMAO - inorite?!

I actually was there for a "new" prop valve bolt when I saw the Z. It only made sense to ask.

Bewber wrote:

Well, FWIW - no cavalac wagon yet, but I did stop by the boneyard today for a B-body part, and found they had a complete and correct year'd Z24 - and my homeboy Dale at the counter said he'd sell me everything Z24ish offin it (both bumper covers, ground effects, door pieces, the hood, and the fancy gauge cluster) for $300.

Do it! Those fiberglass Z-24 hoods are cool and would look interesting on a wagon.

Surely you can't be serious? A Crapalier!? If you want to downsize in the name of fuel economy, and want something cheap, get a 4-cylinder [FWD] A-body wagon at least. A nice Celebrity/Cutlass Cruiser/6000 Safari would be almost as good on gas as a Cavalier (only like 1mpg off or something) and has WAY more room in it, -in fact it's got more room then the old RWD A/G-body wagons, and is just an all around nicer car.

Dude it isn't like I've been checking off my list of dream cars as I buy them up one-by-glorious-one, and I'm finally down to the highly coveted Cavalier wagon. It's a car that I stubbed my toe on that happens to also be both rust free, cheap, low miles, cheap, and cheap.

I totally get that a century wagon or a 6000 or something like that might very well have been a nicer car in 1992, but at the end of the day - in 2011 - I'd rather have a clean old cavalier to work with than a the luxury of a slightly roomier pile of old cancerous crap.

Trust me when I tell you that I have the sub-$1,000 "good mpg" wagon market on LOCK DOWN around here, and this one is the best deal I've found.

I stopped in the other day to let them know that I'm working on fundraising, get their phone number, and to take this super sexay glamour shot:

You know. That doesnt look half bad. It's kinda grown on me.

I hate you.

Dude I know! I've tried to NOT want to buy it since the first time I saw it, but every time I drive past, it gets worse.

Bewber wrote:

I stopped in the other day to let them know that I'm working on fundraising, get their phone number, and to take this super sexay glamour shot:

Take off the ugly wheel-well trim, add a set of Z-24 wheels from the salvage yard. Add a Z-24 hood and "grill panel" between the headlights, painted to match, and use Satin Black to paint all the door frame around the windows. Window tint once it's in your budget..or is it tinted already? Hard to tell in your pic. In any case the frames around the glass would look better satin black than grey.

Done!

Later on if you want to tackle adding a Z-24 front bumper that would look good too, but on a budget, with a few trips to the salvage yard and a Maaco-painted hood and grill, and some rattle-can Satin, it'd look decent.

It's a good clean start!

-Mike

It could look like this

Mike, Wheres the car in the first picture?

Cadet57 wrote:

Mike, Wheres the car in the first picture?

What car? There's a car in that pic?

81X11 wrote:

Cadet57 wrote:

Mike, Wheres the car in the first picture?

What car? There's a car in that pic?

I know, right?

I like the hood bumps in the grey one in the first pic.

And dude... It'd be pretty hard NOT to rawk that car! Couple hunny bucks in hood, bumper, grille and paint and it'll be a sexay commuter!

GOPHER IT!

toomanytoyz wrote:

GOPHER IT!

It'd have to be a pretty big hole.

Don't you think I'm trying?

Bro, I've got 4 refrigerators, 3 water heaters, and 2 stoves for sale on Craigslist RIGHT NOW!

I also have a bunch of B-body parts that I'll be listing soon too!

And FWIW, I think I've formulated a plan for the project build too.

I'm down to 2 -3 paths - and all include the bumpy hood and painting the black bumpers to be body color. I like that tone of the color, but not actually that color. It's too flat. So I've got some directions in my head:

1.keep it a similar body color, but maybe a few ticks darker or lighter - with a fair amount of metallic in it - and do a subtle flame job on it in several similar shades of color from that same family - silvers, gray, charcoal, etc. This would require a charcoal wheel with a chrome lip. This setup would also include some newer factory SS badges like from a TBSS or a malibu SS or something - to make it look not only like it was a factory SS car, but that I then modified it from there.

2. Say to hell with it and flex my flame muscles all over this thang. Shave it and do something like an orange creamsicle deal - Orange body with cream flames - and a cream roof covered in orange flames. This would need orange smoothies with a chrome hub and fat whitewall tires. I dunno, it's just a random formula that would realisicly work on any wagon, and I'm sure I'll have one like this at some point.

3. Orange, but no cream, and ghost in a ton of silver metallic flames - with some kind of 5 spoked shiny wheel.

I just know that I'm not really feeling the Z24 thing - and that I don't want black, white, pure red, pure blue, yellow, or pure green.

I'm digging the 1st idea. I'm a fan of metallic and darker colors. Someone on the New England board just did their black '96 SS with some metallic gray flames and with the black it looks freakin amazing. I think something similar here would look cool too.

Yea that's the one that I'm feeling the most. I love orange creamsicles on 70 chevy trucks and VW beetles, and there'll be a day I do it to a wagon, but probably not this one.

I like the second idea on ANYTHING.

That is my favorite generation of Cavalier. I had a light metallic green-blue VL sedan back in 2000. Bought it for $1000 with about 84K on it from a UNT student who was moving back to Cali. He decided to keep his lavender LeBaron convertible for that trip. It ran rough and was diagnosed with a blown head gasket by two Chevy dealers so the kid decided to dump it cheap.

I took it to a third dealer because it wasn't losing coolant or oil, had no excessive pressure in the cooling system, no overheating. This dealer (Van in Carrollton, TX) grew a brain and tested the basics. Fuel, spark, compression.

It was a simple fix. Two of the four plug wires had rubbed through and were shorting to the engine block on the back side of the engine. But there was a SLIGHT oil leak at the back of the head gasket where it would typically be. At any rate, $286 later I had a fresh gas filter, fresh plugs and wires, clean oil and coolant, and it ran like brand new.

I sold the car to another college student (chick at TCU this time) for $2800 cash.

I enjoyed that car and would have enjoyed it more had it been a gray or black wagon.