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Chevrolet Cavalier
2171 messages, Last post on Aug 23, 2012 at 6:41 PM
You are in the Chevrolet Cavalier Forum.- Your Hosts are Kirstie@Edmunds & Karen@Edmunds
What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Cavalier, Sedan
#862 of 2171 by teo
Feb 04, 2002 (9:10 pm)
The crash test scores of the Cavalier tell the whole story on how outdated this platform is:www.iihs.org
The minute GM stops giving $2500 rebates on the Cavalier just watch those things pile up in dealer lots catching dust.
Tomcat: The Cavalier will sell again in quantities without hefty incentives when the next generation "Delta" Chevy Astra makes it to market in 2004.
GM is hurting in the low end of the car market because its offerings are no longer competitive.
Suggestion: Go and climb inside (and drive) a basic 2002 VW Golf GL 4-door. That car looks, feels and drives like a near luxury sedan, but it costs 50% less. My sister bought a new Golf 2 weeks ago...what a car! The interior, materials, fit and finish, handling, details and the whole cleverness of the design leaves the Cavalier in the dust. 6 Airbags, ABS, adjustable headrests in all seating positions, lap shoulder seats belts for everyone, incredible brakes. If VW can make a WORLD CLASS small car, why can't GM the NUMERO UNO manufacturer in the world?
Bob Lutz: Please bring the Opels and pronto!
#863 of 2171 by dindak
Feb 05, 2002 (7:01 am)
Actually guys, I have to agree with Teo to some degree on this "out dated" issue. We have a leased 99 Cavalier and while it's totally dependable and fine, it's simply dated compared with most other small cars on the road. I suspect that the 2.2L Ecotec available this year will make things much better, but unfortunately that's an option and 90% of the Cavaliers have the old 2.2L which is noisy and not particularly fuel efficient in the city. Cavalier was the #1 selling car in Canada for 7 years, but lost the title to Civic 2-3 years ago. It came close to loosing second place this past year also. I think most people agree that there are better small car choice out there. Parts are cheap, but lets face it, most people don't buy a small car for that reason.In the end, a replacement is overdue and hopefully Bob and the boys will make it a priority. Until then people who want a Cavalier can enjoy cheap cars with big rebates. I know our lease rate is 0.9%. Don't think you will find many cars offering that kind of deal.
#865 of 2171 Dindak by jpelder
Feb 05, 2002 (7:49 am)
I agree totally with you Dindak. However, can't you do alot to update or modernize a car without changing the platform?Interior materials, fit and finish, engine (as you mentioned)...even ride characteristics can be revised without a change in platform.
Don't misunderstand me, I think it's past time for GM to remake this car, I just am still trying to fully understand this platform issue.
#866 of 2171 by teo
Feb 05, 2002 (7:54 am)
Again, the basic architecture of the J-body cars hasn't changed since 1981. You can perform one thousand updates to the car over the same basic platform, change the body, add safety systems, change the interior, tweak the suspension, drop a different engine, etc.But the car deep down is still a 1981 product. Just think about it. A 2002 Cavalier/Sunfire still ride on a platform that was developed in the late 1970's! Ouch!
#867 of 2171 Platform... by vocus
Feb 05, 2002 (7:59 am)
No matter how much you tweak a platform, it's still not going to "feel" the same or perform the same in crash tests. The IIHS results are proof of that.#868 of 2171 jpelder by dindak
Feb 05, 2002 (8:12 am)
No point in updating the rest of the car if it's sitting on a 10+ year old platform. GM needs a new car all around. That's why improvements to the Cavalier have been small. I also think the name Cavalier should be dumped when the replacement comes so people know it's an all new car.#869 of 2171 Dindak... by vocus
Feb 05, 2002 (8:28 am)
A company had to go through alot of copyrighting stuff (from what I have heard) and legal stuff to start a new car name. That's one of the reasons Chevy brought back the Malibu and Impala names. They saved alot of money reincarnating the names from the past. Also, they drew in people who, back in the day, had the same car and got intrigued by its name appearing again.#870 of 2171 Ford Focus by joe3891
Feb 05, 2002 (10:30 am)
now thats a real up to date car,rear drum brakes.#871 of 2171 joe by seminole_kev
Feb 05, 2002 (10:57 am)
Focus is still one of the quickest 60-0 stops in it's class. Small, FWD cars really need the braking power up front. And you can still get rear discs on the Focus if you want.I'm still looking forward to see what GM brings out with the new Vauxhall/Opel based Cavalier replacement. Hope they make a 5-door hatch available.
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