GM Made A V6 Hot Hatch Ten Years Before Volkswagen

"Margin Of Error" (marginoferror) 03/09/2015 at 12:01 • Filed to: FORGOTTEN CLASSICS, FC, ESSAY

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Resentment, anger and and cynicism are emotions that are often associated with the Chevrolet Cavalier, but there's one exception, because the 1986 Chevy Cavalier Z24 hatchback was made with lust, passion and arousal.

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Welcome to Forgotten Classics.

As demonstrated in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the goal of this series of essays is be to bring cars that are getting no love back in the limelight. FC is also a thorough analysis of why such cars remained obscure and never got the praise they deserved.

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1982 is known for two things, John Cougar's smash hit "Jack and Diane" and the Chevy Cavalier/Pontiac Sunbird twins, or as I like to them , the Cavabird. But let's keep it simple for now and forget about the Sunbird.

The Cavalier was not a simple car, it was a whole family of vehicles with distinct personalities, a bit like if Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde had a twin brother. The lineup consisted of a sedan, a coupe and a wagon that largely inspired BMW in the design of the E30, and a sporty hatch that made you want to blast Joan Jett's "I love Rock and Roll" through the optional AM/FM/Cassette radio with Dolby.

As a cheap compact, the Cavalier was the defacto car for government agencies, car rental agencies, pizza delivery and for people looking for an honest vehicle. But then came the Z24...

With 2.8L of pure glory, the Z24 was not your average pizza delivery guy's car, no Sir. When mated to the precise 5-speed manual transmission, the Z24 was more M3 than Pepperoni.

After all, if this engine was good enough for SAAB until the late 2000's, imagine how potent it was in mid 80's economy car.

Yeah, so how potent was it exactly ? Good enough to propel the car to 60 MPH in just 8 seconds, that's some pretty impressive shit for the era.

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Forcing big things in small places is always great fun, and the the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier hatchback with its big V6 is one fine example. It took almost ten year for Volkswagen to reverse engineer the Z24 and come with their own version, the Golf GTI VR6.

Sadly, the 1996 GTI VR6 was plagued with reliability issues, poor quality, an hefty price tag and was only 0.5 second faster to 60.

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The Z24 hatchback soldiered on until the Cavalier facelift of 1987. Despite its great look and solid performance, the stigma that hatchbacks are only good for Pizza delivery eventually won the war, and only the coupe variant lived on

The Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 hatchback remains a rare vehicle that will probably start to appreciate, like most classics. I will consider a clean example as a wise investment. It paved the way to a generation of powerful hot hatches and should be regarded as a pioneer.

Thanks for reading.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:04

1

Probably the best looking cavalier ever

For Sweden > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:06

20

Z24 is love. Z24 is life

505Turbeaux > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:06

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uh, are you discounting the Rabbit/Golf GTI of the late 70's and early 80's? Or Scirocco? Edit: for some reason I missed the v6 in the title. Although many would argue the vr6 is not a true v6 either

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > For Sweden 03/09/2015 at 12:09

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Z24 is Waymoe?

For Sweden > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 03/09/2015 at 12:09

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only Waymoe is Waymoe

Tohru > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:10

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I owned a '88 Z24 convertible for a short time. It was a decent car. Though considering I sold it to a couple from Milwaukee, and it ended up at a salvage yard only 30 miles from my house, it might not have been as good as I thought.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:11

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And ford did so in 1969 mate :) Ford Capri V6.

Except it was not a hatchback pr say.. oh well.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:11

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"The Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 hatchback remains a rare vehicle that will probably start to appreciate"

Bahahahahahaha do you mean appreciate from $600 to $800? They might be rare but there are also rare flesh eating diseases and I don't want one of those either.

Margin Of Error > 505Turbeaux 03/09/2015 at 12:11

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It was an answer to the Rabbit GTI, but with a much bigger powerplant !

8 seconds to 60 in 1985 was very fast.

Margin Of Error > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 03/09/2015 at 12:13

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What I mean is that it is a good time to get one.

fhrblig > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:13

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150 years ago in the 90's, one of my gas station coworkers had the turbo'd 4 cylinder Pontiac J2000, which was pretty fast in its own right. It was beat up a bit, but was quick.

You could also get that V6 in the Cavalier wagon.

Margin Of Error > fhrblig 03/09/2015 at 12:15

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"You could also get that V6 in the Cavalier wagon."

with a manual ????

Also, J2000 was a pretty sweet name

sklooner > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:16

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Did it have as much torque steer as the turbo ?

ColoradoTaco > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:16

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VR6 Corrados were introduced in 92. 100x better looking than the z24 imo

Tipiak > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:17

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The american ae86 ?

Margin Of Error > For Sweden 03/09/2015 at 12:17

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That's a bold statement, I wouldn't go as far, but still a very interesting automobile.

The Devil Drives a Mustang (Rotary Pending) > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 03/09/2015 at 12:17

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Bahahahahahaha do you mean appreciate from $600 to $800?

Well, a profit is a profit I guess.

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:17

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Is it bad that I've always liked this thing?

505Turbeaux > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:18

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and you could go back earlier to 81 or so and get 8.5 out of a Citation X-11 hatch too!

Margin Of Error > sklooner 03/09/2015 at 12:18

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I never driven one.

Margin Of Error > 505Turbeaux 03/09/2015 at 12:18

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Will probably write a piece on that one soon.

 > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:19

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Cavalier a hot hatch. hahahahaha

Jim > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:19

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Sometimes I miss my old 2.2L Cavalier. Like when I pass the gas station or crank up the A/C on summer days.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:19

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I think I was too harsh. The Z24 is at least unique because of it's V6 (though didn't the Citation X-11 pre-date it?) and the first-gen has semi-cool 80's styling. But I doubt the values on these will skyrocket like we've seen on E30's. Great write up btw! Hope to see more like this.

Raphael Orlove > fhrblig 03/09/2015 at 12:20

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one of those grey cavalier wagons with the V6 parks in my neighborhood. I've spent years trying to figure out how to give the owner a compliment without sounding sarcastic.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:20

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A buddy of mine in Moncton had a Cavalier coupe non Z24 with the 3.1L V6 and manual I think it was a '91 back in 2002 ish. That think would smoke the tires no problem. We had a blast with that car. He used it to deliver pizza for Pizza Delight on Champlain ST.

It looked just like this except it was black(and rust)

 > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:20

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It's never a good time to get Chlamydia.

Chairman Kaga > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:21

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"Forcing big things in small places is always great fun..."

505Turbeaux > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:21

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the cavalier is so much better looking though

Chad Brostorm > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:22

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Would it be 8 years if we're counting the Corrado VR6 which came out in '92?

I probably did it > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:22

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They made a 1.8 and 2.0 turbo hatchback before VW did too, the Sunbird GT and Skyhawk's both available in hatchback and turbocharged form.

Raphael Orlove > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:23

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Anyone know what the relation was between this body shell and the Opel Manta hatchback?

Margin Of Error > I probably did it 03/09/2015 at 12:24

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Really ?

wow, this car is getting more and more interesting. It's funny how little credit the American automakers are getting in that market segment.

turbo-prius > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:24

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I HAD ONE OF THESE!!!!! Bought it in Seattle in 2010. Made two cross country road trips in that car before it met the wrong end of a Yukon on an icy road in Hamburg, Pennsylvania. Unbelievably sadly missed and I'll kick a nun in the throat for another one.

Destructive Tester > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:25

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We actually had one exactly like this one when I was young. It was a pretty cool car back then. Unfortunately, my parents sold it asap. when my dad's collection of speeding tickets became a little too extensive...

Jared Glentz > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:25

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i photoed this very rare one before it got crushed

BIGBLOCK472 - wide and bizarre > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:25

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The 2.8T used by SAAB into the 2009 model year is definitely NOT the same engine referenced by this post, nor is it close enough in design to be referenced.

Blu3RSX > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:25

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A friend of mine had an '86 Z24 coupe in high school; it was blue and probably the start of when I first began to envy anyone for their car. He looked and acted a bit like Kelso (from That 70's Show) and had a really hot girlfriend.

Just now, writing this, I can feel the seething rage begin to stir up again. He was known to "catch 3rd" in this car as he'd readily do whenever leaving any place we'd be gathered.

scottyvnc > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:25

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I just choked on my wad of Big League Chew.

Derek Steinkamp > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:26

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is this a troll article or a joke?

It took almost ten year for Volkswagen to reverse engineer the Z24 and come with their own version, the Golf GTI VR6.

grammar mistakes aside, this sentence (and the entire premise the article is based on) forgets the Corrado VR6 (1992) and also apparently excludes the Corrado G60 (1988) as a hot hatch. Does the Mk2 GTI 16V (1986) count?

And, you gotta look at the long term trend here: which car's current MY model would you rather drive: Golf or Cavalier? Oh wait- they stopped making Cavliers 10 years ago. Even comparing against its replacement car (Cobalt), Golf wins 8 days of the week.

Vlan1 > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:26

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The 2.8 SAAB used was an entirely different engine that didn't debut until 2004.

Margin Of Error > Raphael Orlove 03/09/2015 at 12:26

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Looks more like the Oldsmobile Starfire to me which is pretty handsome too.

I probably did it > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:27

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%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fjalopnik.com%252Fbuick-needs-this-kickass-abarth-fighting-euro-hot-hatch-1580025867%3B270%3B117

%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fhatchheaven.com%252Farchives%252Ftag%252Fpontiac%3B880%3B544

MaxRebo > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:27

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My first car was a 1988 Z24 coupe. Not a horrible first car. I could have been up to my neck in skanky, trailer park girls if I had been into that kind of thing. They came running when they saw that car. If only my standards weren't so high then.

signinsrlame > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:27

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so we're pretending the '92 vw corrado vr6 didn't happen I take it?

mtdrift > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:27

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Hey sweet cheeks, goin' my way?

Katsumoto > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:27

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I owned an 87 Cavalier wagon.

It had the 2.8 MPFI of FURY. It was an automatic, but for a cheap first car it was fun. Many stupid stickers, cardboard body kits(to make fun of ricers at local car meets) and memories later.

I eventually graduated HS, and moved into a car from the new Millennium and gave it to my uncle. Who eventually blew the headgasket, cracked the block and ended its life.

Rock Bottom > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:27

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The old GM 60 Degree engine wasn't the same one Saab used. Common mistake. Same displacement, different engine families.

472CID > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:28

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The 2.8 wasn't a great engine buuut it did have 120hp which was pretty impressive for a compact in the mid 1980s.

For comparison a Civic Si at the time made 91hp.

JSWilson64_g > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:29

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You're gonna have to roll the clock back further... 1981. Citation X-11, V-6. Hatch. Zero torque steer (at least on the versions Car & Driver and Road & Track got to review... ).

I probably did it > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:29

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greenagain > Raphael Orlove 03/09/2015 at 12:29

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Nothing as far as I'd know. The Opel was RWD.

marcoaml78 > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:29

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The cavalier pretty much defined my childhood, my mom had a z24 and we traveled all over the country in it. incredible car. i remember that it was so fast back then.

a_d_a_m > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:29

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"1982 is known for two things, John Cougar's smash hit "Jack and Diane" and the Chevy Cavalier/Pontiac Sunbird twins, or as I like to them , the Cavabird."

What about the Olds Firenza and the Buick Skyhawk? Cavafirebirdhawk ?

Margin Of Error > signinsrlame 03/09/2015 at 12:30

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The Corrado was much more expensive, not even in the same league.

greenagain > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:30

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Except that I was a young gear head then, I worked for GM, had the "A Plan" when it was a rare thing, but I still went out and bought a 4 cyl GTI instead.
One of the best car buying decisions ever.

CrazyCracker > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:30

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My 1995 Escort GT just turned 20 with 38k miles. Classic hot hatches are fun, especially when they still drive like a new car. The little BP 1.8L has fuel cut at 7200 rpm.

You could get a 1.8L V-6 in the Mazda MX3...downsized 2.5L MX6/Probe GT engine I assume.

west-coaster > 505Turbeaux 03/09/2015 at 12:31

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Yes, THIS! Came here to say the same thing.

In 1980 (when the revamped 1981 X-11 was introduced), the magazines fell all over themselves in praise of this car. Yes, it was a Citation underneath, but it had a growling, high-revving engine, cowl induction hood, and 60-series tires, all things unheard of during the dark days of the Malaise Era.

Chevy order code trivia: In keeping with Z being the alphabetic prefix of any performance option code, the X-11 was actually a "Z19."

Corinthian Leatherface > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:32

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That the Z-24 is finally getting its just due is being celebrated whole heartedly!

benn454 > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:32

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Oh god help me. I would totally rock that.

505Turbeaux > west-coaster 03/09/2015 at 12:32

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the more you know! I did not know that at all

shinoahdeath > Raphael Orlove 03/09/2015 at 12:32

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pretty sure the cav was used a vauxhaul

nottoosurewhattouse > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:33

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Citation X-11 beats the Z24 by a couple of years - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet…

Jim is one of KFCs secret ingredients > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:33

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That Cavalier ad at the top takes me back. My Mom had a blue Cavalier station wagon when I was really young. I remember my brother crying when she got rid of it and replaced it with a white Celebrity Eurosport wagon... because it wasn't blue.

Kid was wise beyond his years and knew what a pile the Celebrity would be.

waybackredblklumberjack > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:33

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In the midwest, the Z-24 and this below were the "hot cars" in the high school parking lot, along with a couple of F-150's owned by the "rich kids."

signinsrlame > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:33

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it's a vw

it's a hatchback

it's a v6

factsaboutrats > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:33

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My Mom had a Z24 sedan, 1st gen stick. After the Chevette and Citation she had that I learned to drive on, the Cavalier was a beast. I went many places very fast in that car. My Grandpa also left me a Cavalier Wagon, which I loved as well. Good times!

P.S. Wrapped the next 2nd Gen baby blue Cavalier around a tree on a foggy night in Maine, going way too fast. My Mom found out by seeing it on a flatbed with trees sticking out of it's nose. Less than good times(but still cool)

GrauGeist > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:34

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This is all well and good, but if we're going with V6 hatches, why not go to the original inspiration?

Chevy Monza Spyder , and, of course, it has a V-8 in top trim.

JayHova > Raphael Orlove 03/09/2015 at 12:34

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There isn't that much - the Manta B was the Coupe version of the Opel AsconaB:

which was the predecesor of everybody's favourite car plattform- the J-Car.

Have Jeep, will travel. > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:34

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VR6 had reliability issues? Such as? You can't count the thermostat housing. Other than that its rock solid save for eventual timing chain issues. Compared to shit like Camrys of the 90s that guzzled oil, Mitsubishis that needed head gaskets, 4runner 3.0s with head gasket issues, meh.

The 12V VR6 has to be one of the best sounding engines ever, AND GMs V6 didnt share ONE cylinder head.......

Cé hé sin > Tipiak 03/09/2015 at 12:35

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More like the American Monza:

GrauGeist > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:35

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That's an Olds-badged Monza H-body.

365Daytonafan > Raphael Orlove 03/09/2015 at 12:35

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Both Styled by Wayne Cherry at GM?

signinsrlame > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:36

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Incidentally, if you think that z24s are going to be worth more than scrap metal rates at any point until there are like 8 pristine examples left in the entire planet, i think you need to open the windows there must be a gas leak in your house

Eezep > 505Turbeaux 03/09/2015 at 12:36

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Dammit, you beat me.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Raphael Orlove 03/09/2015 at 12:36

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I saw a clean PT cruiser the other day with a lone single bumper sticker across its rear end. The sticker read

Cool PT Cruiser!

- Nobody

So you never know. They may have a sense of humor about these things.

Margin Of Error > GrauGeist 03/09/2015 at 12:37

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Yes, in that regard the foxbody mustang could qualify as a V8 hot hatch, but the Cavalier is more in the spirit of the sporty econobox

OtisHoyt > fhrblig 03/09/2015 at 12:38

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My mom had a similar car, a 1986 Sunbird Turbo GT 150hp was nothing to scoff at back then.

Margin Of Error > Have Jeep, will travel. 03/09/2015 at 12:38

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Anything VW have issues.

Captain Hostile > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:39

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"Hot" being a relative term in the eye of the beholder of course. Once a Cadaver-lier always a Cadaver-lier.

Tipo Stradale Fever > ColoradoTaco 03/09/2015 at 12:39

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This! I came here to mention the Corrado. With the BBS rims it looks 100000x better than the z24.

Margin Of Error > signinsrlame 03/09/2015 at 12:40

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People are paying good money for CRX and AE86, I don't see how it would be different with the Z24

Union of Smog Techs of CA > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:40

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Now thats a hot v6 hatch, and also its RWD, so yeah. Ignore the mercdes with a chrysler body kit and those two PT cruisers making out.

spookiness > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:40

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I've always had a perverse idea that it would be fun to take a 1st Gen Cavalier Z-24 ragtop, swap some interior parts, wheels, front and rear facia, and make a one-off Cimarron V-6 convertible.

FusiliJerry > Tohru 03/09/2015 at 12:41

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I co-worker of mine bought one when they were released. It was kind of cheap inside but it was a fun car, until he was driving home and the oil pressure zero'ed out and the engine came to a halt instantly. No oil on the road either. Don't remember what happened, but he got rid of it soon after.

Seems to me there were 2 body styles. The first was a mid-sized body and then after a couple years, it changed to a more compact body, the one it shared with the Sunfire.

Union of Smog Techs of CA > Raphael Orlove 03/09/2015 at 12:42

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Poor reliability and broken dreams.

TheStigsGermanCousin > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:42

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I want it, I need it.

Margin Of Error > spookiness 03/09/2015 at 12:42

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Would like to see that !

gokstate01 > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:42

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I like these cars looks. In fact, linked a z24 in the ebay challenge of 90's classics.

However, what is up with all the porn references in this article?

Pizza delivery guys, lust, passion, arousal, and "Forcing big things in small places is always great fun..."

Margin Of Error > gokstate01 03/09/2015 at 12:43

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I don't see it

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Cé hé sin 03/09/2015 at 12:44

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Nah, this is the American Monza

AdjustableWrench > 505Turbeaux 03/09/2015 at 12:45

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It doesn't even matter. That 2.8 v6 was such a steaming pile of shit that VW's shitty 4 cylinder engine gave about the same performance.

I guess this is how to make it as a writer, find something that's so universally known as garbage, find some angle that makes it appear to be superior to something and stretch it to a few hundred words, and magically a car that was a bottom-feeder 30 years ago becomes a little less terrible with rose-tinted retrovision.

Dave > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:45

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I'm totally baffled if this article is total snark and stayed in character, or if you genuinely think the car is nice. My buddy had a 4 cylinder stick wagon. The base model. Sure it was slow and buzzy - small cars were then. What I always thought was awful about these cars though was the handling. They didn't ride softly and they rolled so much in a corner that as the driver you felt like you could look out the window and see the ground. But I was a kid back then so all cars might have been just as bad.

The styling really does look pretty good though. I want to say the Chevy Monza had a similar overall shape but I may have the model name confused. I hope the next gen of the Cruze is finally the model that is as good as the Japanese. The first gen Cruze was a good first try - just awfully heavy and a motor with 2/3 of the tech it needed. We'll see.

OneHeadLight > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:45

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IIRC, this was the car that had an impossible to change rear spark plug. Mechanics used to drill a 2" hole in the wheel liner to get the plug out.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:47

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Well you see, Ford did it before GM

crowmolly > GrauGeist 03/09/2015 at 12:48

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Probably won't make the cut.

Like this:

Or this:

Blze001 > 505Turbeaux 03/09/2015 at 12:48

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Assuming it didn't rattle itself into a hundred pieces along the way, yeah!

west-coaster > 505Turbeaux 03/09/2015 at 12:48

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The GTI didn't come to the U.S. until 1983, and it was fairly watered down.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:48

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Who is old enough to remember Rick Dobbertin's insane Pro Street J2000?

gokstate01 > Margin Of Error 03/09/2015 at 12:49

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Just a joke. I see an 80's B grade skin flick in the wording.