First One Of These I've Seen In At Least 15 Years

"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
03/23/2020 at 23:30 • Filed to: DOTS, Geo Spectrum

A functional Geo Spectrum! I think these were only sold as a Geo in 1989 after being a Chevrolet Spectrum from 1984-88. It is a rebadged Isuzu Gemini. These basically filled a hole in the Chevy lineup underneath the Cavalier as a more modern alternative to the RWD Chevette (which lingered on through 1986), but above the tiny Sprint (captive import Suzuki Cultus). Together, the Spectrum and Sprint served as something of a hedge against fuel prices spiking. Since fuel stayed cheap , though, these were basically sold as cheap basic transportation. As such, most of them weren’t treated very well by their first owners. Add in that they had a habit of snapping timing belts every 50,000 miles on interference engines, and most of these were in junkyards by the end of the early 2000's. Somehow this one escaped and is still out here making a trip to the grocery store to help its owner do some panic buying before we go into a stay at home order tomorrow.

DISCUSSION (11)

pip bip - choose Corrour > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
03/23/2020 at 23:38

aka Holden Gemini

interstate366, now In The Industry > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
03/23/2020 at 23:50

There’s a Corolla/Prizm of that vintage a few doors down from me. I should go photograph it tomorrow.

someassemblyrequired > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
03/23/2020 at 23:58

We had one of those as a rental in Florida for about 20 minutes before Dad decided that horrible noise from the wheel bearing was not going to be something he would need to deal with for a week. We exchanged it for an ‘ 87 Cavalier.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
03/24/2020 at 00:04

A little while ago I saw a Geo Metro four door sedan. What a weird little car. So so tiny. Most of the Geos I see are Metro hatchbacks. I have even spotted a Prizm about a year ago, but never a Spectrum. Good spot!

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > interstate366, now In The Industry
03/24/2020 at 00:17

You should. I don’t see many of them around (more of the later Chevy Prizm models) but do still see them time to time - it was a better source car than the Spectrum - basically a US-built Toyota Corolla.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
03/24/2020 at 00:23

I remember those sedans. It was only the second generation in the US - weird looking things. When they were new there were a fair amount of them around - at least where I grew up they were about an even split with the hatchbacks.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
03/24/2020 at 00:24

Sometimes the land where things never rust can turn up gems.

yitznewton > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
03/24/2020 at 01:19

Wow, I had a coworker in 1999 with a Chevy Sprint; he rusted through the floor and got a well-used Civic hatch after that, which lasted him like another decade and 200k miles.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > pip bip - choose Corrour
03/24/2020 at 05:28

Arguably the worst generation of them too.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
03/24/2020 at 14:32

Also since we don’t have inspections I see a lot more ancient crapcans still using the roads than I did living in South TX.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > yitznewton
03/24/2020 at 14:40

A lot of stuff in that era rusted thru the floor. I worked in a shop that did inspections in Pittsburgh for a few years around 2000 and it was the most common inspection failure. Usually 80’s FWD American cars... A-Bodies, K-Cars and their derivatives... stuff like that. We’d tack weld on old license plates, parts of realtor signs, snipped pieces of old tailgates... whatever we could find to get them back on the road if the rest of the car was still structurally sound which a lot of the time it was.