Cavalier z24?

[Adam1978]

hey everyone, well the 78 'maro as we all know is not the best when it comes to MPG, and being a black on black car with no a/c, im looking for a summer beater, i found a 89 chevy cavalier z24 with the 2.8L V6 convertible. although instead of a beater i might actually keep it for a while since the camaro needs ALOT of work. i did alot of research on carsurvery.com and the internet in general, apparently these things will last forever if they are well maintained, have decent pep for an older v6 and get pretty good gas mileage. this could be the summer car of my dreams for around 1000 bucks, anyone have one or know them? what are ur experiences with it? think its a good idea? haha

[HeadlessNorseman]

the 60v6 in general lasts forever. And very easy to work on. I have no idea how well made the convertible top is, but if it doesnt leak, go for it! Seems to be exactly what youre looking for

[JL8Jeff]

I had an 89 Cavi Z24 with the 2.8 v6 and 5 speed. It was a fun little car with decent pep with a chip upgrade. It pulled down 33 mpg on the highway and 24 mpg in daily driving. I towed my 13' Boston Whaler with it for a year before I decided to get a truck. I still have the hitch. I remember seeing those convertible everywhere and they all seemed to have the clouded up rear window. But it was a pretty good car and actually did well in the snow too.

[BonzoHansen]

Not a great car nor a bad one, just one that probably runs forever. IIRC they run a goofy sized tire like 245/60/14. Steering rack issues - you know when they are going bad, they bind bad cold.

[JL8Jeff]

Originally Posted by BonzoHansen

Not a great car nor a bad one, just one that probably runs forever. IIRC they run a goofy sized tire like 245/60/14. Steering rack issues - you know when they are going bad, they bind bad cold.

I think the tires were 215/60/14 Goodyear Eagle GT+4 which were a really good tire for both dry and wet/snow conditions. My Z24 climbed right up the snowy mountain roads in Killington. I would expect with the car being 21 years old now that there will be typical worn out items that could nickle and dime you constantly. And I wonder if it will be tough to find replacement parts with it getting older. I know my 88 4Runner was getting tougher to find parts for.

[Iroc-z86]

i had a 90 cavalier z24, 3.1 v6 and 5spd. very quick car. should have never sold it. i would say it was the best car i ever owned. it only broke on me once and it was the fuel pump. you have to watch with the 2.8s if they were maintained properly otherwise lack of oil changes means #5 rod bearings going. other than that they are very solid.

[Adam1978]

oh wow, thanks guys, my friend just got a 93 3.1L z24 and he is in love with it, the power steering crapped out on him however i can do most of the work on the car myself,i think im going to get this thing now, seems to be the exact car i need for summer fun!

[Adam1978]

well i looked at it today, couldnt drive it bc it has a flat, but they said they will fix that, had a little trouble strarting but i think it has been sitting there for probably a month, the tranny shifted smooth into R,D, and N, the top went down nice and easy, had a little trouble lining up when going up but just needed a little tug, the tranny fluid is nice and red, doesnt smell burnt at all, the oil is a little dark but no caked on gunk or sludge to be found, the altenator sounds like its about to go, or maybe the ac compressor, something in the serpentine belt area but it wasnt super bad, the interior is almost perfect, and last but not least, IT HAS A DIGITAL DASH! lol i always wanted one of those, idk y, oh and 93k miles, they are asking 3 grand for it, what do you think i should start low-balling at? bc i dont have 3 grand but i really want this car haha

[NastyEllEssWon]

do not pay 3 grand for a z24 convertible. digital dash is a big no no in these cars. they love to crap out and finding stuff for them is next to impossible. if youre looking for a cheap car to beat around in that you can get cheap and is kinda like a z24 get a beretta. berettas are a bit more sportier than the cavalier and imo a bit more reliable, plus it was designed by the same studio as the vette and camaro



if you need help finding any gmfwd cars let me know. im all over that area of the car spectrum

[BonzoHansen]

3000 for an 89 cavalier? Maybe $300

[Adam1978]

lol oh dont worry, im not paying 3 grand, when he told me that i laughed and left, i dont need a car thats older than me and not a classic breaking the bank. and its going to be a little more than summer beater, im probably going to keep it for a but while i fix up the camaro, and maybe even after that and just have the 'maro as a toy, it is in really good shape, but hell that thing was 3-3500 probably new! lol not really but still, and the guy selling it is kind of a sleeze, i know a few people he dicked over with cars, although i cought the things wrong with them b4 my friends bought them, they just didnt listen. i dont see anything wrong with this one though, but im going to have my dad come with me, if i can get him down to like 12-16 i might get it, anyone have any other ideas for a nice summer car? i would like a vert but i dont care really haha

[Tru2Chevy]

For $3,000 they better fix that flat by purchasing 4 new tires and provide a list of receipts out the wazoo for major mechanical replacement parts.

- Justin

[Adam1978]

i was thinking about saying "i'll pay sticker if u get 4 new tires, change all breaks belts, full tune up, rad flush change the altenator and water pump, plus full cleaning" lol but even then idk lol

[JL8Jeff]

Way too much for that car. Not like there is a big demand for something like that. And you would definitely want to take it for a decent drive to see what else is wrong with it. But that price is so high it might not be worth trying to negotiate.

[Iroc-z86]

3g's??? damn. i only paid 1300 for mine, it needed a tune up and exhaust. but it drove lol the plus side of it was it had new paint and only 100k. although 3 weeks later the clutch went.... but eh still got my money out of it and then some.

id offer him 2g at most. the convertibles are worth more esp with the digital dash. www.v6z24.com they have even better info on these cars.

[WildBillyT]

LOLOL. $3 grand? I'd sell my GTP to you for only a little more than that.

[NastyEllEssWon]

Originally Posted by WildBillyT

LOLOL. $3 grand? I'd sell my GTP to you for only a little more than that.

hell ive seen early gtp's like yours go for less than 3k too

[WildBillyT]

Originally Posted by NastyEllEssWon

hell ive seen early gtp's like yours go for less than 3k too

LOL. Not like mine exactly...

[trashman01]

go find a berrata (z26 or gt) or a mid 90s z28, i have a 02 z24 and i love it. 2.4L twin cam, 5spd (150hp, 3.92s) i get bout 28 in the city and 35 on the highway, and i threw a set of snows on it, and go everywhere, plus its comfy for me

[NastyEllEssWon]

if you want reliablility get a 660 car (60 degree v6). id stay away from the quad's...2.3's and 2.4's. theyre not known for their longevity thats for sure. the 660s are almost bulletproof motors in stock shape

[nj85z28]

my brother had a 91 Z24 with the 3.1 it was a very good car for him. no major problems. just had to replace exhaust, the horn, i think a seal on the gas tank and the TCC

[Slow-V6]

I had a 88 Cavy. Paid 600.00 with 76,000 miles on it. Do not pay the 3000.00 for it. Its a very cheap car that has alot of problems although not major ones but still alot of problems in general. At most I would pay 1200.00 for it. Hell for 3000.00 you should be able to find a pretty nice 3rd gen F-body, Or if you want good gas miles a 4th gen V6 F-body.

[Pampered-Z]

I've had 4 or 5 cars with the 2.8 V6, it's a good running engine. But so you know, the performance ones are geared differently and some don't have the MAS, which hurts milage a bit. So you woun't get the same gas milage as a none Z24/Eurosport 2.8s. I guess 21-25 MPG, the none Zs get 3-4 MPG more. (if that matters)

Daughters had a 88 Z24 vert automatic O/D (another one added to the list of cars totaled by my daughers!) Pretty good car.. well, it didn't fair well against the back of a Ford excursion! But as long as you know how to work on them they aer fine, over all good engines, the minor stuff could drive you nuts on the 2.8s:

The cars with the O/D trans are known to have issue with the torque convertor lock up going bad. (easy fix is to unplug it), but that hurts MPG probably to 20 MPG or less? This is very common, so before you buy the car check that the plug on the front/top of the trans is pluggd in. It's a 3-4 pin wire connector.

Oil leaks, valve covers and the dreaded distributor plugs leak! The disy plug is just one of those PITA parts that cost little but you have to take all kinds of crap off to get to it.

Also the crank position sensor is another $20 part that is a PITA to replace.

There use to be a company that repaired the digital dash, and you needed to send your back for a core credit.

And make sre the top works properly. They are a MAJOR PITA to work on and parts are very hard to find! You can get the hydrolic pump for it fixed locally, but if any of the arms are bent you may have issues with finding parts.

And check the floor pan for rust, leaking tops is common.

[NastyEllEssWon]

the distributor plug seal isnt hard to get at really. its right under the t-stat. but yup pretty much hit the head on the nail pampered.

[Adam1978]

the top doesnt leak, i made a point to look at it on a raining day, and the top goes down and comes up smoothly, although it takes a little intervention to line up PERFECTLY with the latches, however i didnt expect an old convertible roof to line up exactly in place, it sounds like it needs a tune up, and the digi dash works perfect, and god i love digi dashes lol idk y, the mexican on the lot said 3grand but he wasnt sure, he wasnt the owner of the lot, i was gunna ask the main guy and offer him a grand to start off, i'll go once i get my refund check back haha