IDRIVEACLASSIC reviews: Vauxhall Cavalier MK3 ~ Opel Vectra A

[@taks8439]

My dad had cavalier's as company cars back in the 90s. Everything from a GLi to an SRi. Great cars!

[@benofbrown]

My Dad had a brand new GL in platinum as a company car in 1989 right when they were launched. When he got made redundant a year or two later us kids were more upset about the car going back than anything else. Great video, and thanks for taking on the gatekeepers!

[@Kevinfordsynthesizers]

Thank you for this! 27 years after my last company Cavalier 2.0GLi and having owned a few ‘prestige’ marques, I still miss that car more than any. Quality, performance (for the time) - would cruise the M25 at 130 mph (allegedly) when conditions allowed, it was a furniture van when we moved house. Rose tinted retrospectacles? Maybe, I need to drive another - like you - to find out.

[@Britec09]

cruise on M25 at 130 mph? not a chance. A Vauxhall Astra Mk2 GTE will get to 135mph

[@stevecoinitin7521]

Correct! But I wouldn't have tried cruising it at 130mph, more like 80-90mph. I had a 91 115bhp 2.0L Cdi, and my mate an 89/90 115bhp 2.0L Gli. Driving to meet him at a PC World, I saw him in my mirror on the M5 approaching fast in the 3rd lane. I floored it to top speed of 115mph and he just flew passed me! Puzzled, how this could be, we consulted a Haynes manual and found his Gli had the very same engine, but Vauxhall fitted the Sri gearbox for some reason, which took him onto 132mph! I drove, then sold mine in good condition with 142,00 miles and my mate scrapped his with 220,000 miles on the clock, only because he bought another car 2 years previous and never used the Cav. The engine was still strong. He could hardly believe the mileage compared to what his previous Fords were doing before blowing engines from 50,000+ miles! His last Ford Orion did reach 78,000 before its design flaw ended the life of its engine! His Nephew less less lucky with the same engine blowing at 53,000 miles on a 4 year old car! Vauxhall spent more time and money engineering their engines to a much better standard during the 80's 90's.

[@riazhussain2333]

There's no way a GLI would cruise at 130 or the speedometer was clearly way out. I have a 2 litre passat that barely touches 130

[@Richard-Bullock]

Oh wow. A Vauxhall Cavalier mk3 1.8i LS 5 door hatchback. About as middle of the road and as unimaginative as you can get. Which is probably why I love them so much!

[@MattysCars]

Your connotations of this car were so on point. Before you mentioned "friendly neighbour" I was already remembering back to the neighbour at my old house Don who had a red Cavalier that never moved. It's probably still there now.

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

Can't beat a MK3 Cavalier, once a common sight on the roads, sadly now all but gone. Definitely a future classic, it's part of 90s British car culture.

[@ilijapilipovic]

British? What about Vectra? 😂😂😂

[@JohnDoe-bd5sz]

Actually came here to watch this video because i just saw one today out in the wild. Not completely gone, but no many left i would imagine.

[@jackkinkead868]

My Dad had 4 of these between 1989 & 2002, as company cars - all red, all diesel (3 turbo). 2 L spec & 2 GLS. Absolutely loved them! 35k per year, all round Northern Ireland. I’d love to have a go in one now! Great review, as always.

[@deckard6_634]

This video has a warm charm. I have fond memories of Cavaliers'. My friend's dad was a great guy and had a Mk2 SRi company car and we had some adventures in it with him driving us places with the stereo blasting out. One time after getting back their house he stopped, rewound a song on the stereo and hammered it around the estate listening to it again, then when we got back to the house he did it again, and again and again; he was a character. I myself owned a MK3 Cavalier 2.0 SRi for many years. It was a very comfortable car, once drove 6 hours down to the South West coast, did a job and drove 6 hours back again the same day. I wish i had never traded that car in.

[@replevideo6096]

Quiet engines were a Vauxhall thing. I had a 1960 Victor and was waiting in the works car park for someone to move their car with my engine running. A guy who was emptying trash into a skip came over to talk to me, and after a few minutes leaned on the front wing. Only then did he realise my engine was running when he felt the vibration, and it had 90,000 on the clock. Security was not a strong point. My Victor key worked on 2 mates' Victors. Years later I had a Viva, and 3 times I opened the doors with my key for people who had accidentally locked their keys in the car.

[@sleepycatpictures1176]

Nice review! The stiff gearshift is a common problem. Lift the bottom of the gaiter up and spray the linkage with WD40/spray grease/silicone spray depending upon your preference. Good engines until you need to change the thermostat!

[@grahamthornton5669]

In the 90s I worked at a GM subsidiary. All managers drove Cavalier company cars, and all non-managers got Astras (senior) or Novas (junior). As a new grad I got to walk. That sea of car park conformity means I will never see 90s Vauxhalls as classics but that's a personal hang up. Beautiful colour, nice car and great review! Thanks Steph!

[@05Forenza]

This is exactly right! Classics are becoming "newer". I saw the potential of a 90's car recently and I scooped it up as quickly as I could. It's a 1991 Honda Accord Estate with a manual transmission, fully loaded trim. Just $500. It's rough cosmetically, but I intend to restore it. While Honda's last forever, you see less and less of them. And the wagons were rare when they were new, especially when paired to the manual! Another "boring" 90's car I would like to own is a 1995 Toyota Camry. My mom owned one basically throughout my childhood. I'd love to have one just for that reason alone. Trying to find a nice one anymore is impossible. They're all beat with 300k miles. I also owned a 2006 Saab 9-3 Aero for a few years recently and drove it like a classic. Stayed in the garage during bad weather, constantly washed and waxed. It was second car that I just 'wanted'.

[@davidwilson4468]

I had 3 of these in 4 years as company cars. We had a company policy to change the cars after 60,000 or 2 years, none of mine made it to 2 years. They were all 100% reliable, fast, I was a rep driving 50,000 mile per year so they had to be, and, most importantly with that mileage, comfortable.

[@Kevwaggy]

And that’s why SRi stood for Sales Rep inside 😂

[@magform]

Nice vehicle. I wish the North American versions were as well built. The J-Car, of which the US had multiple versions, all five NA GM divisions had their own "take" on the vehicle. I like what Vauxhall did better. Most of our Js had the 1.8L when the vehicle was first released in 1982, but the Pontiac had an OHC 2.0L. All were based on Opel designs, even our imported Japanese and Korean versions of this design. Our 1.8L lasted maybe two years, and had been replaced with a 2.2L engine by 1993. I think it is the American passion for V-8 engines and automatic transmission that seems to push all vehicles here to larger and less efficient drivetrains. General Motors was known for great HVAC systems here dating back to the 1960s. Being a veteran of of Opel Kadett A, and later models based on the Kadett B, it is nice to know this engineering finally translated to later Opel designs. Too bad it is not a vehicle of interest for you, as I know you would have provided this vehicle with a nice home.

[@paulnichols393]

It's so funny you mention maybe your Grandad had one of these. My Grandad, who was by far one of the most important and influential people in my life, had a brand new G-reg Cavalier GL (G602 KUG, I still remember the registration) back in 1989 when I was 8 years old. Many of my early trips around the North Yorkshire Moors and Yorkshire coast were in that car; I still remember the car and those days with my grandparents with great fondness, and those places are still some of my favourite and most visited places in the world 34 years later. Every time I see a mk3 Cavalier I'm reminded of those days and of my Grandad who passed away a few years ago and who I miss enormously. I now drive a 2018 Insignia which I know my Grandad would have loved. Thanks for this video and thanks for rekindling some wonderful memories. :)

[@victor3267]

I had 5 Cavaliers , and many Vauxhall’s before and since but the Mk3 2.0GLi I had in 1994 is still one of my favourites, did everything well , fast, quiet, economical and extremely reliable !

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Not my cup of tea, but in automotive history terms, one of those cars I’d class as ‘peak car’ - it did everything well, it was roomy, easy to repair, not too expensive to maintain, aerodynamic, fuel efficient and well built. Everything else after this era of cars, in my opinion, got way too complex, too many electronic aids which, frankly weren’t needed, and by the mid 2010s, everything was just too complex, too expensive to run, and too big.

[@strictlyyoutube6881]

You are exposing your age lol

[@martytdd1606]

@@strictlyyoutube6881 So are you lol

[@daoudfakhri6490]

Too big indeed! Why are modern cars so wide?!

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

What's your cup of tea?

[@alanellis6688]

Great review Steph, my dad had a mk3 cavalier saloon, I hated it, until he managed to get up Sutton bank in it (near flamingo land) towing a 70s caravan with all our stuff, plus 4 people and dog! In spite of the signs saying caravans prohibited on a 1 in 4 hill! It gained my respect that day

[@robertlambert8719]

Good thing the local Plod weren't about!! I've been up Sutton Bank myself, but certainly wouldn't pull a caravan up it!

[@balrajbassi4563]

A nice retro/classic car that has completely vanished from our roads in the last 15 years or so. Having driven both, the Mk1 Mondeo absolutely runs rings around it though, far better handling and road manners in general and I find the interior much more spacious, higher-quality, airy and generally more pleasant. The Cav was a lot more modern than the ‘cooking’ Sierras though and would’ve looked like a spaceship in 1988 but by the 1993 facelift there were much better options in this class.

[@darrenfox9769]

I had new 1.8i and 2.0i company cavaliers in 1990 and 1992 - great cars, mine were totally reliable and the service intervals were 9k & 18k miles which were longer than most makes which were 6k and 12k miles from memory.

[@midinotes]

My first ever car was a 93 LSi Cavalier. Metallic burgundy, done over 150,000 miles with very few issues. Very economical and comfy long distance cruiser, although I often got a bad back from those seats after a long drive! The 8 valve 2.0 was pretty torquey, it was my first step on the Vauxhall ladder (always had Vauxhalls since). It probably would have kept going, but it did begin leaking a lot of oil from the head gasket.

[@stefansworld3351]

The 8valve 2.0 is a cracking engine. We've sadly had to scrap plenty over the years due to bad rot, but the engines were absolutely fine. They have loads of low down grunt plus they sound awesome close to the redline too!

[@Scuba72Chris]

This brings back some memories. We had a couple of these as pool cars at work back in the early 90s. A blue hatch and a red saloon. Those poor cars had such a hard life, they got treated like absolute dirt!

[@JohnDoe-bd5sz]

Company cars...The only cars that can shift directly from 5th gear into reverse :)

[@manofthehour6856]

I always find these profiles interesting for a couple reasons. I've always followed the new cars in magazines, and the old ones in books, but as a Yankee, I never was particularly familiar with newer classics like this Cavalier, while of course the old ones like the recent Humber Lancaster or a Hillman Imp are just absolute nostalgic fun. And even if a rare American like the Plymouth or the Dodge pickup, I enjoy getting a British perspective on these vehicles. There is never a dull moment on this channel. I love the mix up of vehicles.

[@peterriggall8409]

Had one of these as a hire car on a visit to the UK. It was very fit for purpose and I really enjoyed driving it, particularly the nice manual change.

[@dr.t.]

That car is in real good nick, i had the calibra in the 90's, what a car I loved it, a guy i work with has still got his calibra uses it everyday and has owned it for 25 years.

[@philipbunker146]

Had one of those early 90’s, a 1.8GL non injection! Was a very reliable car.

[@DaimlerSleeveValve]

Had a couple of company-issued Cavaliers of this era. They worked well enough, but were hardly exciting, but that was probably the point. Much preferred my Citroen BX 1.9 diesel, which I had passed on to my dad. It handled better and shifted fast enough for me. The SRi went quicker, but the suspension and steering didn't get improved any.

[@andytaylor5132]

This brings back so many memories, had a pre facelift 1.8L about 20 years ago & it truly was a great car. Probably better than the Vectra that replaced it!

[@walkingthroughpixels]

I'm 41, 90s cars are absolutely classics as far as I'm concerned, and my favorite ones

[@dazzlerbob1870]

Cars from the 50's/60's/70's don't make me feel old, but now you're doing 80's/90's cars, I feel very old. I had one 24 years ago.

[@Dvlx1]

My parents over the last 30 or so years have went through about 12-14 different cars. The Cavalier is the one that is fondly remembered the most.

[@fonzypop]

Had loads of mk3s, loved them. A couple of months ago I ran a Calibra for 2 months as a daily! Was wonderful

[@tobeycat2007]

One of Vauxhalls best ever models, da had couple of these in early/mid 90s from his company, good workhorse cars, never see them now, in early 2000s loads at auctions.

[@awooly77]

I'm, a cavalier owner and I absolutely love it!! what you say is 100% correct. The gearbox was typical of the mk3's with the rubbery changing 😂

[@RichardMaguire110]

Thank you and enjoyable review. In the 90's Vauxhall upped thier build quality a lot and improved refinement. I used to have an 80's Astra and it rattled and was noisy. In teh late 80's a lot of work was going on to make thier cars deel solid and quality. I used to drive Astras in the 90s and only drove one of these once and was impressed, I still remember driving it it felt so refined.

[@konradc12]

I had the same car in white for 3 years between 2000 to 2003. It was long geared, so on the motorway the engine didn't work hard. Just before I sold it, I replaced the water pump and cambelt. The serpentine belt was more involved. That belt went through the engine mount, so the engine mount had to be removed, then split in two, before swapping the belt! Such an easy job. I still have the Haynes manual. Overall a great practical car with good fuel economy. Replaced it with a '98 Toyota Avensis Mk1 GLS 1.8, that was more loaded, reliable for most of my ownership, and really economical. Sold that 7 years ago. Medium sized hatchbacks are rare these days, replaced by SUV's. Great piece on the Cavalier.

[@GazzaView123]

Great review, Steph. I had a Mk3 2.0 SRi hatchback in white (G730 SBM) back in the early '90's happy memories of that car. Cheap to run too, as I worked in the parts dept of the local Vauxhall main dealers, so all parts were bought at cost price.

[@colinwatson8688]

Hi Steph as always amazing review took me well back to my days when I worked for a publishing company and had daily use of a pool cavalier which when I took on had already come of the rep fleet having already covered 85000miles I used this vehicle daily and took it up to 240000miles before it was written off it was always a good drive with no rattles or serious breakdowns I often wonder how much life it would have had left in it, had it of not been written off.

[@donaljamescaddye3805]

That just takes me back - I had one of every model of the mk3 cav at various times ! My #1 car of all time ! They just worked and worked well ! I really want another one now after seeing this review ! My wife is very glad I seen this !!

[@levelcrossing150]

I had a 1994 2.0 GLS and loved it. It was a very pleasant looking car and the 8v engine was a gem. The problems I had was some brittle plastic interior fittings and the radio buttons failed, eventually I parted with it after a transmission fault occured, but by that time the car had done approx 90,000 miles. My Mk3 1.8LX Mondeo that I had afterwards never felt as fun to drive although it was excellent in every other way. For me the Cavalier still looks good today.

[@matthewjenkins1161]

Having minicabbed one of those about 23 years ago, a nice touch I remember is pulling the headlight switch, operates the interior light. The downside of my Deptford Auctions purchase was engine failure after 3 weeks, a recon lump from Redjep's snapping a cambelt a week later, then the auto box giving up another week after that. Then I scrapped it. The 2 litre 8 valve doesn't do valve damage if the belt snaps fortunately.

[@eamonnheffernan6061]

These along with the Astra of the 90’s were the high point for Opel/Vauxhall. They only went downhill after that as GM’s cost cutting kicked in

[@JohnDoe-bd5sz]

I agree, this was by far the best and cheapest vauxhall in terms of repair related costs. Every single Vauxhall i have owned since then has been more expensive to keep running that the previous, up until 1 year ago when i sold my Astra K, that Vauxhall will be the last one i ever own, i completely lost faith in the brand and have changed to a different brand, i could not continue to drive these cars, they were simply to expensive to keep running. The Astra K developed a chain rattle after only 2½ year and since we only have 2 year warranty vauxhall quoted me a price of "More than £2000" to have this fault repaired. I read a bit online and found it was a common manufacturing defect, that they had found a solution for, but if i wanted it fixed, i would have to pay out of pocket, they would not cover any costs.

[@josephmifsud8261]

It is a classic. Once seen everywhere, now almost vanished. And the memories makes it a classic to an adult remembering them as a child. There is no fixed age for a classic.

[@Captaincavman]

I have a 94 Ls 1.8. I absolutely love it. I've had over 2 years now and it's still, even now a working progress 😄

[@frisco-2.0]

Yeah! More Vauxhalls, PLEASE!

[@Jay-B1750]

Totally agree with 90s cars being classic, my parents had a Ford dealership until the mid 90s, dad was always bringing random stuff home that had tax left on it! I passed my driving test in a Mondeo, we went on holiday in Orions, Sierras, Granadas, mum loved a Sierra so will always always look back on 90s cars with great fondness!

[@jbconno]

Saw you guys filiming this near me in Saddleworth as I drove past, remember thinking "hey a Cavalier". Hope to see more of it in the local area. Keep up the good work.

[@TheStobb50]

I’m always liked the Cavalier, I remember when the mark 3 came out it was like something from a science fiction movie, it was so different from what has gone before, the adverts would be on TV every night saying, this is the future and the future is here now introducing the Vauxhall Cavalier, i’ve always had a soft spot for Vauxhall, my driving school car which I passed my test inwas a Vauxhall Viva, my first car which my dad gave me was a Vauxhall Victor 101 and I’ve Cavaliers victors and Astros over the years, i’m a bit disappointed that GM sold Vauxhall off but they’re still making good cars

[@leona_devon]

I was working for Vauxhall between 94 and 2000 and remember these cars in the garage, there's a 2.5 v6 is really nice. The Calibra was based on the same chassis. The "red top" engine where bullet proof.

[@allanmollison6971]

It's interesting to see that there are modern vauxhall cars around in the UK. I think New Zealand stopped importing them back in the 1980s, because modern ones just don't exist here. My dad had owned a yellow hatchback chevette back in the early 80s. Jeremy Clarkson had driven a 4WD SUV Vauxhall in his last Top Gear episode. Thanks again for another informative video Steph.

[@caw25sha]

Weren't some Vauxhalls/Opels branded as Holden in NZ? I think Ian HubNut mentioned it when he was there.

[@allanmollison6971]

@@caw25sha quite possible. Holden and Vauxhall were both part of General Motors.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Thank you Steph, my aunt's ex husband had one of these on a L Plate 1.8 Club special edition, as a then 12 or 13 year old back in 1996 he used to hoon this around bends and chicanes and was a hoot!

[@RichieRouge206]

90s cars were the last of the best cars. Love Mk3 Cavaliers, and the interior looks fantastic even today. I hste the aggressive, depressing indentikit piano black/black interiors. This is as you say - has enough luxury for a nice drive but none of the useless crap that plagues new cars. Cars of this era was so much better made then modern cars. Brilliant video Steph

[@Lot76CARS]

Nice one Steph. At launch interest for this was mega being far ahead of the Sierra which felt heavier and slower. The leasing company I worked at even had a waiting list!

[@jamesweatherley9215]

Nice review. My first car was a hand me down 1990 SRi. Loved it and kept it until the chassis rusted and wasn't worth repairing.

[@Julianpms]

I had a 1991 2.0 GLi 5-door for four years and nearly 110,000 miles. Really well built, totally reliable and a great motorway car: long-legged and good on fuel. Gearchange was stiff, but never really bothered me. Handling wasn't as crisp as the Mondeo though: I was lucky enough to have a Mondeo 24v after the Cavalier, which was the best company car I ever had.

[@Topshaman-pk2rx]

Nice model and review. I had one of those. Drove up and down the motorway without any problems for a number of years. Very comfortable for long-range motoring.

[@jaytaylor5901]

Thank you steph. Your video brought back so many memories I remember my dad having a red gl, g plate as his first company car. I was probably about 12/13 It was the first car we had with electric windows (front only) and it even had heated wing mirrors.

[@adrianmassey6673]

When I had my first job, the senior managers mostly had Cavalier SRIs, which seemed like the best cars ever! Funny when you think back to the early 90s, when literally every other car on the motorway as a Cavalier, Mondeo or maybe a Rover

[@francolubatti6802]

Hi Steph! Very good review! Here in Argentina we used to received Vectras (similar to Mk 3 and 4 Cavaliers) from GM Brazil, named as Chevrolet Vectra, except the Turbodiesels, they came from Germany and were actually Opels with a Chevrolet logo change. Lovely comfort and handling in all versions. Greetings from the very very south!

[@paulillingworth1242]

Had a few Cavaliers from 1.6 , 1.8 and 2.0 from an earlier one to the last one I had was a 1995 mk3 some years ago, adored them, they were superb cars, my last one was sold with almost 200k on the clock, it then went on to be a taxi after i sold it. It was a very reliable car especially the 2.0i, I even moved house twice using my Cavalier.

[@knightofcydonia07]

You make an interesting point about the interiors. My dad had a 1991 GL from '95-00 and it was so plush inside for a mid-spec. Padded dash top, tasteful velour, solid feeling trim etc. So when I got my 1993 320i SE in 2007, I was aghast at how cheap and low rent that interior felt. Flimsy door cards, fragile glove box covers and cheap cloth for the seats. The leather was never an option as a used purchase, as even after 13 years it would have cracked and sagged. Today, leather equipped non-M E36s are almost always tatty.

[@mattb106]

My Dad had new F-reg then a slightly higher spec (GLS!) M-reg mk3 Cavalier hatchbacks as his 1st and 3rd company cars with a mk3 Astra estate in between and a Vectra SRi after. Not sure I’m awfully misty eyed about them but they do bring back a lot of memories from our first family holidays to France etc. I always wished he had a BMW e36, which I later bought myself, but alas company cars were VERY hierarchical back then and he just wasn’t a high enough level at work.

[@WestfieldFreshAir]

Had an F reg one, 2.0L. Was very comfortable, plenty quick enough, loved pulling onto a motorway in 3rd, upto 90 in no time. Gearing was long so it was economical if you didn't thrash it. Sold at about 98,000 miles and only non service item from new was a faulty relay for injection system. Great cars.

[@TheShinyShow]

I smile on the odd occasion I see one these days, so many on the road when I was little.

[@briforks7681]

My dad ran company cars from 70s till early 90s and I think half of every meeting he had was comparing each others cars.He used to come home with tales how someone said they used to tow their caravan at 90mph with their 1.6 cavalier.I doubt that but they did seem very fast on the motorway.

[@robertlambert8719]

A good, reliable car, easy to work on and doesn't cost too much to run. What's not to like? Once so common, now you rarely see one. How many classic cars have been lost due to ill-advised scrappage schemes? Such a wicked waste of resources! A lovely car in remarkable condition for its mileage! Definitely a classic car! Thanks Steph for another great video!🙂

[@hutchcraftcp]

Very interesting car. The USA didn't get the mk 3, we soldiered on with versions of the early 80's Cavalier just with sheet metal changes for 20 years.

[@chrisheyes5531]

I had a 2.0l in blue in the 90’s. Great car to drive and comfortable too. Thanks for the memories.. 👍

[@cj92akl]

Loved the shout-out to the Corsa B! I had one and I absolutely loved it.

[@idriveaclassic]

I have one coming up on test 😊

[@williamegler8771]

My father was a engineer at Opel when these were designed engineered and manufactured.

[@markmiwurdz202]

@William Egler. In 1989, my first Vauxhall Cavalier Mk3 here in the U.K. was really an Opel. There were Opel badges/insignias all over the 2.0 litre 8 valve engine. Excellent finish on the rest of the car too. Seemed like the Opel production workers built the cars with real pride in their work. Stay safe and well.

[@williamegler8771]

@@markmiwurdz202 All Vauxhall's since 1980 have been rebadged Opel's or vehicles from other GM subsidiaries. Vauxhall's last car developed independently of Opel was the Viva.

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

@@williamegler8771 Not a rebadged Opel… Cavaliers and Astras were jointly designed with British markets (and production) in mind which is why they were so successful here, certainly compared to European countries (including Germany). I lived there in the mid / late 80s and Opel were not big, and the improvements through the versions were on the back of British popularity. It could even be that Irish Opels were rebadged Vauxhalls from GM UK…. Opel did sponsor the Irish football team.

[@williamegler8771]

@johnmoruzzi7236 It most definitely was a rebadged Opel. It was almost wholly developed by Opel in Germany and Vauxhall's input was largely limited to chassis and steering tuning and specification levels. Vauxhall production facilities just assembled Opel designs. How is Opel not big? Vauxhall is only relevant in the UK as that is the only market it is sold in. Opel sells in exponentially higher numbers throughout Europe and the world. Outside of the UK right-hand drive versions are sold as Opels, not Vauxhalls. Vauxhall is just a marketing division!

[@class395driver]

I had the MkII and MkIII Cavaliers. Great cars and excellent quality compared to my previous old Sierra! Had the MkIII 1.6 GL (H reg) for 5 years and it never went wrong. Only sold it as fancied a change.

[@edwardgwatterson1618]

Great Video Steph really a modern classic. Can't believe how long it is since I last saw a cavalier

[@split_pin]

Thanks for choosing a 'regular' Cavalier, the kind of one that used to be everywhere, I agree it is therefore absolutely a classic. On my last Cavalier I thought the gearshift was sticky but then I discovered that the mat was catching on the clutch pedal. Once I found that extra bit of travel the gearshift was great!

[@Imrooot]

Nice Vectra, brings up memories.

[@JohnDoe-bd5sz]

I had one of these, i think it was called "Expression". Mine was the 2.0 8 valve 115 bhp (Had the CAT, i think it would have had 122 if without) I have to say, i modded mine a bit. Clock exchanged for a fuel computer from another car, had to reprogram the EEprom to have it display "accurate" data. Sunroof, i retrofitted a motor from a higher spec to have electric sunroof. Found a Check Control module from a higher spec car, but did not come with the speedo, so had to make a PCB with bulbs myself, luckily the facia inside the speedo, had the corresponding telltale images. Had to retrofit another coolant tank, a different washer bottle and a different oilpan to get signals for coolant level, washer fluid level and oil level and cut a few wires to the bulbs to get bulb monitoring. I also retrofitted a cruise control, was my first car with CC. The stalk was a genuine Vauxhall one, but the rest was bought, and i had to fabricate a bracket to attach the cruise control motor cable to the throttle body.

[@mauricebrereton7662]

Had one of these and it was probably the best car I've ever owned!

[@Mjk10957]

I have so many memories sitting in the vauxhall caviler and old rovers as a kid. I would love to drive both so for the nostalgia of it.

[@BBoySnakeDogG]

I miss my Chavalier, had to sell it a couple years ago. Had the 1.8 petrol and a previous owner had decatted it so sounded proper yobbo.

[@retrocarsyndicate8867]

Very smart I like that’s such a shame you don’t see more of these old cavalier about👌

[@iantownsend6708]

If I remember rightly the pocket above the glovebox was where the passenger airbag unit went on models that were equipped. I think the front was blanked off and it was supposed to come out at the top of the dashboard when deployed.

[@AliMackMechanical]

Had a few of them myself from the 1.6 right up to the 2.0 16v it was a good practical car. In my eye's it is s future classic there pretty thin on the ground now due to scrapage schemes. 👍

[@dbt2787]

That colour is gorgeous! My mum had a red diesel cavalier when I was young followed by a mk1 tigra

[@colchristie2076]

I hade the very same K reg model in 1993 in metallic maroon. I got it up to 130 mph on a German autobahn, no problem.

[@curtisj2165]

Colour matching your outfit with that Cavalier was a nice touch

[@macartm]

At work we had a Cavalier that passed through various people in the department and lasted for over a decade before it ended up gone ... :D P reg it was First the manager had it. Then he sold it on to one of the other guys for a few grand. And eventually HE sold it on to someone else who needed a cheap car for a few hundred quid. It lasted with him for years until rot got to it. Never had a chance to drive it myself :)

[@mrc7478]

Absolutely majestic vehicles, these. Beautifully designed and assembled, joyous haptics from the controls. A genuine high point in British motoring. Shame you don't see many about anymore.

[@Pmjs]

I used have a pre facelift 92K Cavalier 1.6L saloon. I didn't like the ride&handling so traded it in for a Peugeot 405 1.6GR 93K. I liked my OHs mk1 red Cavalier Coupe.

[@mattw8332]

I love all marks of Cavaliers. This 1.8i should be plenty quick enough. The Vectra B that replaced it was very underwhelming though. Lost interest in Vauxhall after that however they might have turned my interest around with the PSA based ones.

[@stefansworld3351]

Anything based on a PSA platform and powertrain is going to be worn out within 3 years or so, plus the driving dynamics of modern PSA vehicles are awful. There's a certain intangible quality and character that 80's & 90's Vauxhall's have and sadly, that won't ever happen again with any new product.

[@mattw8332]

@@stefansworld3351 I must admit - although I like the styling of the new ones I did wonder how durable the PSA mechanical will prove to be.

[@alexmcwhirter6611]

I recall hiring one from Hertz in London at the beginning of the 1990s. I can remember the Cavalier as a great auto for the motorway with little wind noise at speed.

[@simonc858]

Lovely to see another video Steph x

[@nicholasdavis657]

Nice video. I'm old enough to remember when these were new and I always liked them. Great to see how well this one has held up.

[@grayfool]

Excellent video Steph. Those things were so common as to be almost invisible for years. I've had some experience with both extremes of the range. One friend had a base model 1.6 while another had the top spec GSi 16V. Both very good at what they did. I would argue that a classic is any car that represents a particular point in history but for many different reasons. I think our Lexus LS400 from 2000 was a classic. Looking at the values now, it seems the market agrees.

[@neilmustow368]

Last of the line Cavalier the Mk 3 remember when it was launched in 1988 this one the facelift 1993 model a well kept car Steph 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@davidrumming4734]

I remember when these first launched…I had a ride in a loan car…really impressed me, the smoothness, the quality, & comfort. Note the 5speed being a bit tricky… I think this era of Vauxhall’s and maybe not just them, when introducing the new 5 speed, they didn’t necessarily get it right first time round. I found the MK3 Astra (related to that cavalier) didn’t have a great gear change. Agree with the modern classic thing. Theirs a young kid at work has a MK1 Metro….daily driver. Worth a bit now. A few years makes a difference. Theirs a slightly older guy that I work with and he’s into the traditional classics, MGB-GT, that stuff. But for me, being a few years younger it’s Ford XR3i, MK1 Golf, Astra MK1 GTE.

[@Zadster]

Gorgeous day up in the hills! New microphone Steph? It sounded pretty crisp and clear. Extra points (as always) for the colour co-ordination. For me, possibly the last really good Vauxhall. The Vectra, Insignia etc just somehow didn't keep up with the times, not least their styling. At the time of this car, Ford were still selling the last Sierras, and the Mondeo wasn't yet officially out. With due deference to Kev, the Mondeo and it's Duratec engines moved things on quite a lot, but we are all allowed our preference!

[@garrylogan4554]

You know you are getting old when IDRIVEACLASSIC is reviewing a car you used to drive. I graduated to a Vauxhall Omega- lovely luxurious car to drive but also getting very scarce now.

[@idriveaclassic]

Don’t panic, my first car is a classic now 😂

[@SuperRetroville]

Youre so right, what's a "classic" is entitely subjective. Time moves on!

[@MaddRIP1]

brings back all the memories of my Mk3 SRi 130

[@peterowen4456]

Great review. I'm pretty old and I can tell you that one of my favourite cars was the predecessor to this car - a Mk2 Cavalier on a 1987 "D" Plate. I replaced a Sierra with that car and I felt the Vauxhall was a step change in terms of modernity. Unfortunately I only had it for about 18 months. It got stolen and written off from outside Newton Le Willows train station. I still think about that car.

[@kidcowdy1231]

Quite right steph I'm 26 and when I was about 5 years old my dad had a cavalier l 2.0i on a h reg