Buying Guide Vauxhall Cavalier MkII

You can buy Vauxhall’s Eighties gamechanger for as little as £1000. Here’s how to bag the best example

he stakes were high when Vauxhall launched the secondgeneration Cavalier in September 1981. It had long struggled to beat arch-rival Ford, whose Cortina had been a strong seller for almost two decades and regularly outsold the original rear-wheel drive Cavalier, which was launched in 1975. But the MkII caught Ford napping when it arrived six years later. Attractive, refined, comfortable and powered by a range of frugal engines, the new Cavalier was a big hit.

Buyers could choose between four-door saloon or five-door hatchback, powered by 1.3- or 1.6-litre transversely-mounted

Tpetrol engines. All cars featured a 101.3-inch wheelbase but the saloons were 4.1 inches longer to increase boot space. The front suspension was by MacPherson struts, while at the rear there was a semi-independent

‘ bending beam’ set-up. Later came estate, convertible, diesel and sports models with up to 130bhp, ensuring that there was something for everyone.

Predictably everyone wants the luxurious and sporty editions; the Calibre, assembled by Aston Martin Tickford (and the SRi 130 that sired it) along with the 2.0 CD. The two-door saloons also have a following; they’re rare in Vauxhall form due to a short production run, but were sold in Germany as the Opel Ascona for several years.

Usability was always the Cavalier’s ace card, however – it was built to transport people and stuff at minimal cost with little fuss – a brief that it fulfils completely. In its day, this was one of the best-selling company cars in its class. They can still handle modern traffic with ease; the 2.0 fuelinjected models in particular show a great turn of speed, but even the 1.6-litre models can keep up on today’s motorways.

‘The frontdrive Cavalier MkII caught Ford napping. It was a hit.’