1995 VAUXHALL CAVALIER 1.8i LS
Used car addict Keith looks back at his best – and worst – classic buys. This week, a Vauxhall Cavalier bought for peanuts and enjoyed all the way to Germany… and back
WHY DID YOU WANT ONE?
I was looking for an emerging classic to use as a commuter car for my forthcoming job as the editor of Classic Car Weekly, and had been fruitlessly searching various online sites when this tidy, mid-spec Vauxhall Cavalier with a mere 70,000 miles on the clock and rust-free rear arches stumbled into my life. It had been languishing at my local bombsite dealer for some time without me even noticing it. Now it was on my radar, sitting there gleaming at me, it was in the game. Without thinking it through, and spurred on my mate Richard Kilpatrick, I negotiated with the surly seller and managed to score £100 off as long as I agreed to take it away and never come back with it. But seeing how tidy this ex-main dealer part-ex was and how clean it was under the bonnet, I knew that it was going to be a good one.
WAS IT A JOY – OR A NIGHTMARE – TO LIVE WITH?
I have a confession: I do love a pre2000s Vauxhall, and the Cavalier MkIII probably represents peak Griffin for me, even if I’d still take a MkI or MkII in preference. They’re sturdy, reliable, an absolute cinch to work on and evoke memories of happier times for me. This one was an absolute joy in the workshop, although I admit that I enlisted my mate and ex-Vauxhall man, Mike Humble, to give it a thorough check-up. He was delighted to see how tidy it was – and ended up changing the oil, filters, plugs and cambelt in a couple of hours.
Brakes? A piece of cake! Not that they needed doing. Once that was done, it was just a case of enjoying this fine piece of engineering, knowing that it would get me to wherever I pointed it. I wish I still had it today.
WHAT’S YOUR ABIDING MEMORY OF IT?
Between jobs, I took it for an impromptu trip to Germany and adored its ability to cover distances without breaking sweat. I remember hitting the mother of all roadworks in Belgium and being backed up in stationary traffic for almost two hours in 30-degree heat and it never missing a beat. I remember the thrill of opening it up on the derestricted autobahn all the way up to 116mph… despite the speedo reading north of 130mph! But mostly I remember a carefree few days in the company of good friends, ambling around the Belgian Ardennes, not being on a timetable and not needing to be anywhere at a specific time. That rarely happens in my life and I enjoyed every single second. Inevitably I pressed it into the daily commute when I returned to the UK and not once did it cause me any bother. In the end, I sold it to a chap in the Scottish borders and ended up delivering it. I can think of many modern cars that would have left me more tired on the A1/A66/M6 trip to Carlisle than my trusty old Cav’.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR BUYING ONE?
Cavaliers might have the look of a suave sophisticate but they’re actually really simple underneath. They’re also pretty bulletproof, especially the lower-powered versions. Main areas to watch are for corrosion around the rear arches and inner wings – it can spread and render seatbelt anchorage points useless. Also watch for engine lights as a result of ageing wiring and connectors in the engine bay getting brittle and failing. Like I said, there’s not much to worry about.
ENGINE 1796cc/4-cyl/OHC POWER 89bhp@5400rpm TORQUE 107lb ft@3000rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 114mph 0-60MPH 11.9sec FUEL ECONOMY 32-36mpg TRANSMISSION FWD, five-speed manual