What to look for

BODY BEAUTIFUL

The Cavalier’s bodyshell is well protected, but you should still check for corrosion in the sills and wheelarches. Stonechips on the bonnet are another strong possibility, as many of these cars spent their lives pounding the motorways. The most serious possible issue – aside from poorly repaired crash damage – is that of cracks in the bulkhead at the base of the steering column. The V6 is especially prone to this and unless the car is mint (which is unlikely) the car will probably be beyond saving. If a red car has faded to pink, don’t assume that a quick T-Cut and polish will fix it; a complete respray is often the only solution.

DAMPENED ENTHUSIASM

There’s a good chance that the dampers will have seen better days and the same goes for the track rod ends, which aren’t very robust. See if the suspension arms are straight; if they’ve been used to jack the car up at any point, then it’ll never drive properly. Brake discs aren’t very long-lived, so feel for juddering under braking, signifying they’ve worn. Power steering was unavailable on cars powered by the 1.4-litre engine, standard on all 2.0-litre cars and optional on all others.

BOXING CLEVER

All Cavaliers came with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard; the GSi 16v featured a close-ratio set-up. Apart from the 1.4, GSi, SRi and 4x4, a four-speed automatic transmission was available, shared with the Senator and Astra. Autos are less popular than manuals, but have an in-built snow mode which makes them brilliant in slippery or wintry conditions.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

All Cavalier engines are fitted with a timing belt that should be replaced every 36,000-40,000 miles; it’s an easy DIY job or any garage can do it for you. The plastic timing belt tensioner can fail on 16-valve engines built between August 1993 and August 1995 and all 16-valve engine timing belts also drive the water pump, which can shed its impeller blades and seize, throwing off the belt – which is why you should always change the pump when changing the belt. The tensioner bolt, which passes through the oil pump, is also prone to fracture, leaving the belt untensioned so it then flies off.

SHE’S ELECTRIC

There are a few electrical issues to watch out for, starting with the wiring around the battery. This can chafe, leading to a short-circuit – it’s not fused, so the result can be spectacular.

vee PoWer

The 2.5 V6 engine has unique problems. Air locks occur in the cooling system because the heater is set at the same height as the top of the engine. The gaskets for the rocker covers are also prone to failure, leading to oil leaks. Finally, check the state of the oil cooler, which is located within the vee of the engine. You can’t see the cooler itself, but you can see the white emulsion in the header tank that results from failure of the cooler.

FaMily FavoUriTeS

There were four basic engine families fitted to the Cavalier. Things kicked off with a carburettor-fed 1.4 and carb/injection 1.6, followed by the injected 1.8 and 2.0; there was also a 1.7 diesel (normally aspirated or turbocharged) along with a 2.5 V6 petrol unit. The 2.0i came in 8- or 16-valve forms with a turbocharged 16v unit the most desirable of all. The 8-valve unit was carried over from the Cavalier MkII and it’s a very robust unit. Being non-interference, it also doesn’t suffer terminal damage if its cambelt breaks, whereas the 16-valve unit is an interference fit – so check when the belt was last changed.

ancillary eFFecTS

All sorts of potential engine ancillary glitches can crop up. If an engine refuses to start, it’s probably because either the camshaft or crankshaft sensor has failed; where the diesel is concerned, it could well be the engine control unit (ECU), because they’re not terribly reliable. The diesel engine also suffers from poor starting when the valve clearances go out of adjustment; getting them reshimmed is the only long-term solution. If a 1.6-litre engine feels generally gutless, it’s probably because the camshaft has worn; they’re very prone to this, but replacements are still readily available – for now. Speaking of the 1.6, the choke mechanism is another known failure point. The 2.0i 16-valve engine got a catalytic converter as standard from 1990; the 1.6i, 1.8i and 2.0i 8v followed suit a year later. Failure is an instant MoT failure. If the cabin smells of petrol it’s probably because there are cracks in the plastic fuel filler pipe; fumes enter the cabin as the tank pressurises.