MotorWeek | Retro Review: '90 Chevy Beretta GTZ

Hand pump lumbar support = serious sports seats!

[@mitchellkalina8191]

It's pretty wild to think that 30 years ago, GM was able to build a 4 cylinder that made 180 hp without high tech gizmos like VVT, made strong low end power, managed to rev to 7 grand, and got good gas mileage. That stuff is still respectable today 30 freaking years later.

[@DrewLSsix]

The modern tech doesn't make power possible, it makes it compatible with modern standards. Thos thing had a noticeable lope at idle and wasn't the smoothest engine even for a 4 banger. It was also on the large side, in terms of HP per liter it's pretty much in line with average family sedans of the mid 2000s. I still always thought this HO quad should have made it into a rwd car at some point, a light weight 3rd gen f body for example, this engine, a t5 trans and a base shell for light weight, (one of those rare aluminum hoods is almost 50lbs lighter by its self lol) you get a 180hp rwd sports car that I bet could be delivered at around 2800lbs. That's a bit lighter and a bit more power than a base Solstice, with a back seat!

[@ImmortanDan]

@@DrewLSsix I mean, I'd like an engine with foul idle manners. In fact, I think modern sports cars could all use some.

[@boss12]

@@DrewLSsix yes. This car could have been a competitor to the 3-Series and Toyota MR2 with RWD and would probably be more valuable today.

[@tedschmitt178]

And they made up for all of that goodness with poor quality.

[@idontlikecops1]

Not wild at all. 2.4 only doing 180? Pfft

[@montecarloss305]

Maybe it's because I was a 90's kid, but I think the Beretta body has aged quite nicely. It's still a good looking car, particularly with the GTZ.

[@joshkelnhofer5454]

Same. I always loved the Beretta line. My mom had a '92 GT V6 and I thought it was the shit!

[@Coupydog]

That's because this design was originally intended 2B the "All new" Camaro. Smaller, lighter, more economical.

[@bflo1000]

@@joshkelnhofer5454 I was considering both a Beretta GT & a Z24 at one point. I actually ended up w another car mentioned (kind of anyway). An Eagle Talon TSI AWD...….Used, of course!

[@njcdailo8934]

Sorry pal I’m 80-90’s kid and I can’t believe I used to think some of these cars used to look cool. They look busted. But to each his own. Sure there are plenty of cars I think are nice that people think are ugly as f.

[@blaknoizee]

I agree and I do not actually care for American cars. But 2 friends of mine had Beretta's when they graduated, I ended up with an Eclipse. We'd race all the time. I liked their cars and also think its aged well.

[@faznout]

I remember when these were all over the roads back when I was a kid. Also the Chevy Corsica.

[@RoxiSmith]

+faznout Yeah I think I remember bit. Not much on road anymore as I notice that.

[@johnIZaUWL]

faznout I had a 95 Corsica & it kicked ASS! Apart from the alternator on the 3.1's going out like clockwork at 75k +/-! Had a 96 Gran Prix that did the same!

[@benjafovi1cr328]

Most are Gone now. anything that reads "GM 4-Cyl" is likely to be Razorblades by "Year-5"... Nice Styling though, A lot of the cars America produced were Beautiful designs,,, but they simply couldnt match Styling with Reliability...

[@forceline8426]

remember the lumina and lumina coupe😃?

[@smirage22]

@@forceline8426 had 94 base a few years ago, GM shenanigans in design and engineering plagued it for the year I owned it, the press button HVAC off switch failed turning the Lumina into a unbearable car even with the windows down during the Las Vegas summer. The guy I bought it from ripped out the A/C compressor

[@geoffws6]

That was great looking vehicle...especially with the body color wheels. Very ahead of its time..

[@jewllake]

not a bad looking car. I remember these in high school. Those Delco radios sounded really good also!

[@MyRaptorz]

My 98 Chevy Malibu had one of those and it sounded better than most sound systems today

[@MrMadamS69]

Hmm, front is pretty good, but back half looks like sh*t imo.

[@mykejohnson582]

Yessir them things had a allot of bass now, also those Celebritys too i used to love driving my aunt 's Chev. Celebrity and when one of those bassy C&C music factory songs came on it was over.

[@samuelzarcone2160]

I had a 94 Beretta Z26 with the 3.1 liter sequential fuel injection,super sporty looking and fast

[@TheHelghast1138]

I liked it in 1990, and I still like it now. 😎

[@fernandorocha8459]

Very nice this cChevy Beretta

[@christophermarks9659]

You can inflate your seat and take your blood pressure at the same time with the hand pump lol

[@LynxStarAuto]

Christopher Marks 🤣🤣🤣

[@bryantolliver8557]

🤣💀

[@mj-7444]

And something else lol

[@Packer1290]

Why reinvent the wheel? or in this case, why reinvent the air pump?

[@brownnzenn]

Hahaha i was thinking the same thing lol haha

[@myparadiseing]

0-60 in 7.5 sec? That's impressive!

[@therealjeff8086]

You need to proof read. You should have put a ?, not a ! .

[@senorpepper3405]

@@therealjeff8086 grammer notsee

[@plymcousa3002]

Lol I watched the svo stang video earlier and it ran 7.9 to 60

[@plymcousa3002]

the Game, Review and Reallife Channel Better than which car. Chevy or Ford? Also that’s cool but not really that great by today’s standards.

[@richardparnell3770]

@@plymcousa3002 ya out of that little 4.this things sounds like it want to rip. chev also made the sprint with a 3cyl turbo, that car was almost as fast. Im not sure the engine was a chev but still.

[@jurzyjohner432]

This car was actually faster than they advertised, real fun car.

[@BreakStuffClub]

Their times are always way off. I have an Olds Achieva SCX and their times were way off on that car too.

[@adriannewman1322]

@@BreakStuffClub u had the w41 version uh. That one had 190 hp. I had a Beretta gtz it was a lot of fun to drive Nd woop up on some old hondas

[@eriklarson9137]

@@BreakStuffClub Heck yes! 0-60 in an Olds Achevia (LOL) was lik 2.8 seconds amirite? Please define how they were "way off" on the Achieva. I am betting it's because you owned one, so you KNOW it was faster than a 16 second 1/4 mile right? Lol. No. They were junk. Sorry.

[@BreakStuffClub]

@@eriklarson9137 sorry my comment pissed you off so much.

[@allenmoses1057]

How much faster

[@markhimself44]

Still one of my all time favorite cars.

[@toyoscio]

+Mark Himself It had some good years, unfortunately the last couple weren't some of them.

[@HWolfeIII]

Never forgot I did an ad for the GTZ in an advertising class. the headline was, "Will lead you into temptation".

[@ServantofChrist81]

That shifting seizure was quite pleasant. Lol

[@raver208]

Oh damn, you're right. That was kinda excellent. = - o

[@davidweaver1968]

It honestly made me twitch a little. LOL

[@TheTallMan50]

4:22 OMG! That was Tevin Campbell singing a song call 'Tomorrow' They played that song at my high school graduation back in '90.

[@VictorZell]

Cheers because I was wondering what song that was.

[@dozinalove8634]

That so sweet.. Just goes to show you how fast time flys!!!!😧😳😑🤔🙄👏🏼💯

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Hard to believe you recognized that quick clip of that song with the guy talking through it... I thought 'Tomorrow' was the song from the musical play/movie 'Annie'...

[@aayonce4]

Such a great song

[@dnlcast2]

You......Prince...?? 🤔

[@tylerinsley3913]

180hp is honestly really impressive for a 1990 chevy 4 cylinder. Dual cam vtec engine territory

[@LakeHowellDigitalVideo]

1 horsepower per head gasket replacement.

[@JacobPaul-ix7oc]

*Oldsmobile 4 cylinder.

[@mackrveli]

must...stop...watching...all...these retro videos....must...

[@Hugo-py2ce]

Hahahaha

[@bandccoresohio]

Especially since most these cars are long gone nowadays and we will never get to own one

[@williswhatchutalkinbout4367]

dick liddle eBay. You’d be surprised what’s still out there. Low mileage too

[@theroyalcrownedtiger2946]

I still have a early 90's chevy cavalier, working well too, with the 3.1 V6 and it has 173,000 kilometers. Body needs some work, but still runs like a champ.

[@destructoidx99]

do u even drive sound like a guy who takes a bus

[@mofromango]

I died when he pulled out the hand pump for lumbar support 3:47

[@travisp11]

Anytime they play the radio in the audio test I find myself trying to guess the song. Yes, I have no life.

[@briteidea08]

travisp11 Yes! Back when local Baltimore radio didn't suck.

[@Me-eb3wv]

o

[@MrMike95113]

Tevin Campell - "Tomorrow Will Bring"........I think🤷🏾‍♂️

[@Integrity.is.everything]

@@MrMike95113 Good ear

[@oliverrojas7117]

@@MrMike95113 thanks because I was also wondering what song was playing during the review

[@stclairstclair]

My first year as a young mechanic at GM was 1990, These were junk but also so easy to work on, Life was good and i didn't know how fast life goes on and leaves you in dusty history.......

[@mj-7444]

The 2.8/3.1 were very reliable the 3.1 had 140hp and ran almost side by side with the 180hp GTZ (90’).

[@asmongoldsmouth9839]

As a mechanic of over 30 years and a GM specialist, the Beretta was NOT junk. The fucking Lumina was junk. The 95-99 Monte Carlo was junk. The Lumina van was junk. The crap-a-lier was junk. Although that car would never quit running.

[@isaakwelch3451]

I've heard that the quad 4 is a bad motor, what made it so unreliable?

[@mj-7444]

Isaak Welch Absolutely horrible head gasket. And she spirals out of control from there.Everything else is fine,except the cheap Chinese Clutch.

[@isaakwelch3451]

@@mj-7444 Yeah a lot of those older 4 bangers had crappy head gaskets. Shame about the clutch but thats what aftermarket is for. My chrysler 2.2 had the same issues.

[@Ryan-vo3rm]

Those 60 ft and 1/4 mile times are impressive for a naturally aspirated 4 cyl motor back in those days. I was a mechanic back then and I test drove one of those cars with the quad 4 and was impressed even then.

[@RDEnduro]

These things would hang with the mustang 5.0s my brother had an all black GTZ was really cool looking, the stock rims were awesome I still think it looks good on that bodystyle

[@nissantech8857]

No they wouldnt

[@generalkayoss7347]

@@nissantech8857 Yes they would hang with the mid to late 80's 5.0s. I had an '89 GT

[@TheMattc999]

GeneralKayoss I had a 93 lx 5.0 notchback and my buddy's GTZ consistently had his doors blown off by the notchback.

[@nissantech8857]

@@generalkayoss7347 ... Good for you. No they wouldn't

[@generalkayoss7347]

@@TheMattc999 Early to mid 80's... you know, the weakling 5.0's that barely put out 150hp..... "Well my '93"

[@mtvjackass74]

Memories, 180 hp was a lot back then.

[@mykejohnson582]

Yeah and these cars was very quick, and not many people would challenge them at the stoplight, unless you had something like a Corvette, Firebird, etc, or something close to that caliber, those who lived it knows what im talking bout despite the haters, these cars had gotten their proper respect back then.

[@bluoval3481]

@@mykejohnson582 You are 100% correct.

[@theroyalcrownedtiger2946]

Back then in the 80's and 90's the imports such as 4 cylinder, honda and toyota won't challenge cars like this, when it came to horsepower / torque. The 4 cylinder honda and toyota would get totally smoked by GM cars like this. I miss the old days, when GM cars got proper respect, and imports got treated as the foreigner / outsider it is.

[@upeedinalamb5297]

I once ate the aftermarket alarm wire out of a 1990 Beretta GT. it was yummy.

[@marcusjnewtonz28]

My first car was a stock 89 Beretta with a 5 speed. Very fun first car!

[@georgewidener422]

I love that the Service Engine Soon light is on lol

[@robs1852]

George Widener, yeah what the hell was he trying to do

[@SearchEast2069]

Blacked out taillights before it was cool! lol

[@XXMETAL4LIF3XX]

Antwon Jenkins pontiac was big with it in the 80s , i always found that pretty cool haha.

[@pgtmr2713]

Knight Rider may have had some influence on that.

[@MidnightinSavannah]

Pontiac started it on the T/A in 1979.

[@alexander1485]

well, grayed out at least

[@anonymoususer6683]

It was never cool

[@heinzkitzvelvet]

That hand pump lumbar system is so 90's old school. I love it! 😂😂😂

[@eriklarson9137]

My Celica had that in 82 so...

[@heinzkitzvelvet]

@@eriklarson9137 so...

[@usbombs]

@@eriklarson9137 SO WHAT THEN

[@john-vy1ml]

The quad 4 was a beast when the head gasket held up. And got 33mpg. Motor was ahead of its time.

[@josemurguia8832]

I have 2. Both white. white wheels. 90 n 91. the 91 different dash. thiz car is a gem. the 90. has taken so much nitrous. ive had them. the 90. 18 years. the 91 9 years. n no failures. I brought ny first daughter home. in that car. I could have taken my work Tahoe.

[@smartelectriccar]

My 1991 Chevy Beretta GTZ had the Quad4HO 191HP engine, which was tuned more aggressively than the 1990 Quad4. It redlined at 7800RPM with a chain drive cam, tuned for high RPM horsepower. The car never made a day where I didn't redline it to enjoy the sound of the engine! People commented that it sounded like a plane was passing them when I blew by them on the highway in third gear. The handling was at least a match for pretty much anything else on the road for less than $20K (new cost in 1991). I probably spent $30K (in 1990's dollars) on engine rebuilds, tuning, aftermarket parts and various repairs for pushing the car beyond the limit. One of the very best cars I ever owned from an enjoyment perspective, only beat by my 1996 Z28 and 2013 Tesla Model S.

[@OxBlitzkriegxO]

no, it didnt. it made 180hp just like all the other non W41 cars. it redlined at 6800 with a 7000rpm fuel cut. for funsies, swedish export models were rated at 183hp. perhaps after a few mods, it may have made "191"hp however.

[@throttleblip1]

Quite a car collection

[@iwatchalltheads6737]

SmartElectricCar your lying. Well said tho.

[@therealjeff8086]

All of these engines had timing chains, and many engines use timing belts and rev much higher than these did.

[@DarkLinkAD]

@@OxBlitzkriegxO I know my 2.8 GT had no fuel cut or redline..

[@ozzstars_cars]

Quad 4 = blown head gasket under 35K miles, i repaired a few back in the day. I took a tour back then when GM was building the Beretta and its cousin Corsica at the now vacant Wilmington Delaware Assembly Plant. I was amazed how many cars would not start coming right off the assembly line, they had about 20 lifts and the mechanics were back logged.

[@tytotheler92]

Ozzstar I had a buddy who absolutely loved his 2.3 Berretta GTZ and would rev it to 8k on the daily...it was a 93' so maybe the issues were repaired? He had it for a very long time and never really had any issues.

[@jjuhring1]

+Ozzstar Had a '90 Pontiac Grand Am SE with the HO Quad 4. Blown gasket before it hit 30K miles, so they covered it under warranty. Never had an issue after that and put 200k miles on it before finally letting it go. One of my favorite cars, and was a bargain rocket in the 90's.

[@millerrmann]

+Ozzstar Had the head gasket blow out on the Quad 4 in my 88 Grand Am but was fixed under warranty and back on the street in 2 days. Otherwise I loved that engine

[@OxBlitzkriegxO]

how did he rev it to 8k rpm when the redline is 6800 and the fuel cut is 7000?

[@throttleblip1]

Lol that must of been some tour... Were they taking volunteers to help fix those broken ones

[@jordanstrang8535]

Lol the “service engine soon” light was on already

[@TheAnunnaki-NYC]

LOL mine was on all the time too! but ran good.

[@tomasnokechtesledger1786]

Come on. The Key is on, but the engine off! All cars do that to show the light is working. After engine start, it goes off. Unless you believe the idle is steady at 200 rpms ... Funny guy.

[@jordanstrang8535]

Tomasnok lol maybe the tach is Broken! Glad I made you laugh.

[@ParadoxdesignsOrg]

I remember driving one of these when they were newish. it felt like a monster!

[@godzillasballs]

That quad four was a beast!!! Had one in my father's Grand Am back in the day.

[@mykejohnson582]

Yeah also the Olds Acheiva had it too and it moved.

[@TheRamGuy]

Those Quad 4 engines were really ahead of their time. A DOHC N/A 2.3l 4cyl engine making 180hp in the late 80's or early 90's. I had one in my 1989 Grand Am and it was a blast to drive but as with anything GM the engine had a major design flaw which made them blow head gaskets all the time. Either way I thought the Beretta GTZ was an awesome looking car back in the day

[@andrewps84]

Quad 4 engines were such shit. I worked for a Buick dealership and we got so many of those engines that came in for blown head gaskets and bent valves. Eventually the parts store ran out of cylinder heads.

[@OldSchoolZ-wy2yx]

Water pumps I believe. Apparently those engines only blew head gaskets when overheated

[@TheRamGuy]

@@OldSchoolZ-wy2yx mine never overheated they just blew headgaskets every 30-50000 miles

[@SUPRAMIKE18]

@@andrewps84 aftermarket headgaskets and other reliability mods do wonders for the quad4.

[@retrocompaq5212]

@@SUPRAMIKE18 mine died from electrical issue a 440k kms, engine was still strong, blew the head gasket once, arp studs and a good head gasket, never had any issues, those engines had reccurent issues because dealership has parts changers, not mechanics :)

[@alfamonk]

i love this stuff - watching retro road-test videos of cars we never got in the UK. Keep it up MotorWeek!

[@paulmoitinho6029]

Everyone seems to think the head gaskets were the problem with the Quad 4s but in reality it was collateral damage caused by something else. The heads had very little material between the exhaust valves and the water jacket that ran near them. It didn't take much for a hair line crack to start between, more commonly, in one of the middle cylinders but it could also affect the valves on outer cylinders as well. These cracks would stand up to pressure and dye tests, or at least the dealerships would have me believe because they didn't want to deal with the problem. All they would do was top up the coolant which would go down inexplicably after a few weeks. Of course, wtih low coolant levels overheating was inevitable. Compounded by the lack of hydrostatic pressure, gasket failure usually resulted in the mixing of oil with coolant as well as cavitation of the water pump that made for the tell tale swings in temperature that are text book indicators of a major "pressure problem" which in most cases meant replacing the gasket, inspecting and machining the heads (for warpage) etc.

[@oliverrojas7117]

Gosh you are an encyclopedia of knowledge, thanks

[@cityside75]

I can't get enough of the way he says "Bherettah"

[@paulmoitinho6029]

I learned about this when I had to make the same repair a second time, this time on my own dime. I tackled it on my own and found a very good machine shop near by that "enlightened" me on the proper repair proceedures. After magna-fluxing the head and identifying TWO cracks in the usually suspect middle cylinders, I was reassured the head could be salvaged (but not cheaply). After drilling and grinding the cracks down to a deeper level they then welded on a thick bead of aluminum on them, and also did something similar on the outer cylinders as a preventive step. They then reshaped the runners, new valve seats, and the usual 3 angle valve job finished the repair. This was the RIGHT way to address the problem but it set me back just over $500 bucks. At that time ('98) a new bare casting could be had for about $400 + whatever it would have cost me for the machine shop to transfer the valves and springs over from the old head. I'm glad I listened to the machinist who advised me to not risk getting the new casting and let them tackle the problem instead.

[@AruaBakayaro]

I absolutely love these retro reviews!

[@bruceh92]

I had the 4 door - Corsica LTZ 3.1 V6 with 5 speed, in black. Never had a problem. Sold it with 200k kms.

[@skillz1855]

Man I always wanted this car as a kid but couldn't afford it so I purchased a used sunbird convertible turbo.. Fun little car as a kid

[@scott8919]

Hand pump lumbar support! Hahahaha

[@vector6977]

Scott K stolen from Reebok!

[@perpelle]

+Scott K Had the same on my old ford transit (made late 2011).

[@fkerpants]

+Scott K My jaw hit the floor on that one.

[@Ecoli-jm5ik]

Push Back you must be a dog then

[@jamesb8305]

Scott K Some Reebok and Nike shoes also had a pump in them around that time.

[@thoughtfinder]

The reason those quad 4 cylinder engines we're prone to head gasket failure in my opinion was the alloy used to make the aluminum heads. The aluminum heads on the quad 4 was known to crack around the exhaust manifold. I'm a welder by trade so I do know some of the series of alloys used in aluminum extrusion. The cast aluminum they used couldn't hold to the demands it asked to do. The strongest aluminum series back then was the 6061 series. Today in the year 2018 the strongest aluminum alloy is the 7000 series. And the 7000 series aluminum alloy only come out in the past 15 years. Today's aluminum heads can take that kind of punishment. Back then not so much.

[@fernandochaves9665]

Nice looking car. And those times are impressive for a 4 cylinder three decades ago. More than decent power. Respects from a Ford man..

[@igotajopamerica3040]

Whats scary is some people calling this a classic. Dam I'm getting old. When new this car picked up chicks.

[@montestu5502]

I bought one new in 1990 for $12,500 on sale for $3000 off sticker! Of course financing was 13% interest back then! Great car. Killer looks. Mine was black with gray interior.

[@theKevronHarris]

Happy 35th anniversary, MotorWeek!

[@a2cryss]

How can the Ford/Mazda turbo4 make only 145HP? The Quad 4 was really ahead of its time and was the upgrade over the V6.

[@stussels]

the quad 4 was probably crankshaft hp. the ford mazdas numbers were taken at the wheels. it also had 190 torque at the wheels. i had an mx-6 gt 4ws, same as a probe gt, it was fast. great midrange that fell off on top. just keep shifting.

[@waggitnshaggit6592]

@@stussels nope they're both measured the same Quad 4 for quite a while was gm highest producing 4. W41 version was 190 hp.Your right about the torque being stronger in the Probe,Quads were pretty cool but kinda thrashy vibrating little beasts.

[@_baller]

The handling, acceleration, good mileage, and looks make this a really nice car... Just needed better braking and quicker shifts.. they gotta remake this

[@83gt17]

i had one of these. Actually a fun little car.

[@donbrooks9851]

These where so popular, fast and handled ok. My friend Matt drove his like a maniac. He would put it in reverse floor it throw it in drive when it hits redline. Lol It would burn the front tires like you wouldn't believe. It was a smoke show. It never broke. They just disappeared though.

[@deadkemper]

I love these retro rides, I'm from the UK and I have never even seen one of these

[@dynodon8592]

One of the cars that made Toyota so popular.

[@deasttn]

Add Ford tempo to that list.

[@karlsmith4160]

toyota is popular for being a UGLY piece of SHIT toyota GARBAGE toyota is TRASH

[@LynxStarAuto]

karl smith and what were these things? The holy grail of trash?

[@everett8811]

It's a fact that toyota was superior in the 90s. Lol

[@smirage22]

Still more 90s Toyotas on the road

[@kcirrednosrednad3596]

Had a 95 L body Z26 M motor. Was a lot of fun back in the day.

[@justsumguy2u]

I had a Beretta GT, and there was one thing about that car that I never got used to--the position of the steering wheel. Imagine your car, but with the steering wheel 2 inches off to your right, and at an angle at that. I thought that I would get used to it after awhile, but I never did

[@thebionicbassplayer]

I had an 89 Beretta GT and I don't remember anything unusual about the steering, but I'll never forget that the car leaked when it rained. Also, the cruise control once got stuck on the freeway and the car kept on accelerating, talk about your death defying ride!

[@thedude5472]

I had 1 of these high school... my favorite car I've ever owned.

[@jayyoutube8790]

When I was a senior in HS, you were the shit if you had one of these.. Lol and a true bad ass if you had a z24 with a 3.1l... And if it was a 5 speed, well you were a god!! Lol I had a Honda Civic si 😞

[@LynxStarAuto]

jon doe Not sure if serious...

[@soundseeker63]

That actually sounds pretty good for a little 4-pot! Not sure the rear drums and lack of ABS was such a good idea on a quick and "sporty" car though! :-s

[@MA-yh2ko]

I remember going to Langhorne PA dealership where there was a track to drive both the Beretta and the Taurus SHO. Eventually got an XR4Ti.

[@adriannewman1322]

I had one of these and I loved it it was fun to drive with the quad 4 and the 5 speed

[@kondor99999]

They called this a poor mans M3 back when it came out. I had a very slow BMW 318i at the time and remember really wanting one of these!

[@bobbyagosto3412]

that car sounded GREAT!

[@theKevronHarris]

At 4:19-4:28, they're playing Tevin Campbell's hit song "Tomorrow" on the radio!! Plus, I sing along to it whenever I watch this review & it also brightens up my day! AWESOME!!

[@TheVintagetamiya]

I remember the Quad 4 engine blowing had gaskets faster then dealership could restock them

[@wakjob961]

Due to under sized cooling lines that had to run between the oil pan and frame if I remember correctly. Great engines otherwise.

[@OxBlitzkriegxO]

uh, no. the oem victor reinz gasket was at fault. gm spec'd it wrong against v-r's recs.

[@therealjeff8086]

Great engines other than the fact they could not last 30k without blowing a head gasket? sure, great engine other than that.

[@repnatl]

GM always had gasket issues almost like a bmw does. They used plastic gaskets for lower intake manifold on the v6 engines they are known to blow showing signs of a blown head gasket too. I'm not even going to start on the northstar failures. Gm also used a v6 transmission for their fwd v8s.

[@LynxStarAuto]

Quad 4's were terrible engines. One of the worst water pump and timing chain designs I can recall. You don't want GM making OHC engines, they are terrible at that.

[@smithraymond09029]

That's a great looking car. I'd love to own one.

[@ncampos613]

I had one in high school....awesome car....great sound system ❤❤❤love this car

[@ChowDownDetroit]

I wanted this car so badly when I was in high school. Still looks pretty cool.

[@Kgio-2112]

But not after graduation day?

[@astick7777]

If it had been RWD, this car would still be around today. Unfortunate, b/c its a great car.

[@claudespeed277]

What stupid logic is that?

[@eriklarson9137]

@@claudespeed277 No rules against stupid logic.

[@DS-wo8wr]

Because Chevy makes so many cars now in 22/23. I believe the number is 3 and 2 of those are in their last year of life.

[@samuelskillern7365]

It would be kind of neat to see a two-door Cruze with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder found in the Chevy Malibu and Buick Regal and slap-on a Cruze GTZ badge and obviously add some suspension upgrades and aerodynamicy features.

[@chrishuber8930]

Strong Tower Lawn Care the cruze is reliable

[@chrishuber8930]

Samuel Skillern you can get that in the buick verano 2.0 turbo 6 speed.

[@smirage22]

The Cruze is also dead now like most GM sedans

[@markarnold6257]

Cobalt SS? i agree though. the Cruze is a very attractive little car. GM needs to get on the ball.

[@oliverrojas7117]

exactly

[@plymcousa3002]

I have not seen one on the road in a very long time. Definitely liked the look back in the day when I was a kid.

[@imserious2187]

these were good little cars, I had a 90 gt, performance chip in it and a few other mods and that little coupe was deadly quick, won alot of money streetracing things in my class lol

[@squirreldust5254]

+MotorWeek Got any 1990 Cavalier Z24 reviews laying around anywhere?

[@richardparnell3770]

Yes just dub over Beretta with z24 every time they say it. I kid, I've also looked for the z24 review.

[@timothymcinvale1174]

@R Robert would like to see the Z24 you talk about I had a 1990 Z24 red and silver also had the 3.1 multi port 5 speed manual very sharp car had the moonroof also not sure what they called the hood but it had air intakes it was my favorite car as a 18 year old kid would love to find another one and customize it some

[@timothymcinvale1174]

@Thystaff Thywill the problem was the 2.2 I had two different ones with the 3.1 v6 and they were good engines for that era but I loved the Z24 5 speed it was fun to drive

[@timothymcinvale1174]

@Thystaff Thywill ya they were a good looking family car for the time and still fun to drive

[@eriklarson9137]

@R Robert Imagine if you were telling the truth (lol). And if you could have a magic device you could hold in your hand that would shoot video. Then, if you could get on a website dedicated to allowing you to upload said video for free. Man. If only.

[@TURBOCHEVY4BANGER]

Great little car. That Quad 4 H.O. has plenty of pull and sounded great. GM should have released the turbocharged variation.

[@rjheidt]

Agree. It was plenty fast but with a Turbo ? Look out Mustang GT !

[@louisbabycos106]

It would have 4 cylinder car encroaching on V8 engine performance and GM wouldn't have that .

[@guspolinski2881]

My first car was a 1989 Beretta GT in 1995 and it was this color. That thing was mint! Paid $3300 for it.

[@suttonssuperstars7679]

I had a 91 GT.. I really liked it. Motor mount went bad.. drove like hell after that. Love the look and the rims.

[@mega-hb4re]

That was a sweet car

[@jonasgrumby1093]

Quad 4 engine paved the way for the ecotec

[@repnatl]

Thats not a good thing. The ecotec is still a pile of shit especially with timing chain failures and oil consumption. Constant VVT issues too.

[@bsgarey]

If you like putting head gaskets in. Quad 4 went through 3 in 200,000 miles

[@DavidR-ub2dp]

I never liked the quad 4 complete junk I remember seeing those quads in grand ams and cutlass Calais

[@bsgarey]

@@DavidR-ub2dp There are other quality cars on the market.....unfornatually GM is not one of them.

[@chrisylink]

This car is so sick. Looks great even today. I'd take this in a heart beat over anything put out now days.

[@Matp345]

Even being FWD such an awesome car. The manual alone makes it cooler then anything GM makes today.

[@Sawashi32]

In your world, solely having a “manual” makes a 1990 four cylinder Beretta with dirt cheap all plastic interior and crap reliability cooler than a new ZL1, SS Camaro or a ZR1, ZO6 Corvette or a Cadillac CTSV..... And I should add that just about all of the later are offered with a “manual”.

[@VitoVeccia]

A friend had one in highschool. He loved it since it was his first car. I couldn't believe the legroom in that thing! Sounded throaty and handled well, but his had the 2.8 v6 and was a base model. The transmission lost reverse and first gear after doing A LOT of donuts and J turns in the snow...hmmmm. I don't know what could have happened....

[@rootsmanuva82]

These cars are cool and simultaneously complete shit at the same time ha ha

[@trikelyfe6090]

Jackmerius Tacktheritrix the corsica 2.2 was cooler

[@throttleblip1]

They did look cool for the time, I liked the wheels

[@trevorkosolofski8976]

So so sooooo ACCURATE lol

[@daw162]

Beretta, Celebrity, Corsica, Lumina, Lumina APV. Pretty much all of them "seemed like they could be better", but were very GM loss leader feeling. When they dressed up cars with the low power V6 that they made and put ground trim on them and a loud exhaust, it was a perfect example of "you could've made something out of this with the same effort if you hadn't chosen not to from the outset".

[@michael85225]

My mom had 2 and both were destroyed by assholes who crashed into her. They weren't shitty cars as they never broke down on her and repairs were only minor.

[@jefferysmith3930]

Always loved the look of these. I detailed a new 88’ GT for a friend of a friend back in the day. Cool car. Seriously cheap interior! My best friend’s mom worked with AIDS patients back in those dark times when the AIDS was a certain death sentence. The car belonged to one of her patients. He bought it as a farewell present to himself and died a few months after I met him. Very sad. My mother in law had a base 5 spd. 95’ model that was not at all bad to drive and seemed well put together. I came close to buying a 2dr. Olds Calais with this same engine. The car was a blast to drive but head gasket horror stories scared me off.

[@ramm1rezvids972]

That hand pump lumbar though 😄

[@chrisdooley6468]

Wow that's the same 0-60 time as the SHO I just watched. I remember those Quad 4 HO engines being the bang for your buck budget powerhouse back then :)

[@rootsmanuva82]

Rumor has it every QUAD 4 equipped car came with a 3 year/36,000 mile supply of Advil.

[@uscfroadie]

@Chris Dooley The Quad 4 delivered great power (for that time), but it was a truly awful motor in terms of reliability. By 60,000 miles they were done, whereas the much smoother more livable V6 that came in this car could easily go three times as many miles before calling it a day.

[@byronmohawk]

I have a H.O. 91 Grand Am SE with 187k on it and the motor is fine. My brother had a 1990 H.O. that lasted till 265K with him racing it regularlly for the last 50k. They are actually bulletproof unless they get too hot. Most buyers in this class weren't big on maintenance it seems, so the reputation is bad.

[@diegoaccord]

But the output and lack of manual for the V6...

[@pontiachotshot]

I noticed in the video that the SES light was on already ! lol

[@jalenarcher9167]

To all of those who are unfamiliar with the 2.3 quad 4 beretta gtz, this video seems to be somewhat misleading. First off, this video was probably produced prior to 1990 since quad 4 gtz's were originally manufactured sometime in the very late 1980's. Only a small handful of quad 4 gtz owners were actually capable of demonstrating accurate test results at that time and I can guarantee you all that our motor trend driver here wasn't one. A 15.9 quarter mile? Really haha? Try a 15.1-15.2 @ 91-92.5 mph (bone stock) with the right driver mod, tires, and fair climate conditions. 27 mpg? I can't really argue there but they actually averaged 31 mpg on the highway. Well, at least the 91-92 models did. Also keep in mind that these cars topped out @150-155 mph stock on a healthy motor. What other affordable NA 4 cylinders could come close to producing those numbers bone stock back then? I've personally ridden in one that would walk multiple mid-14 second cars from a roll with only an aftermarket exhaust.This was the platform that impelled honda to engineer the infamous NA s2000 and NA rsx type-s. Their interior was indeed decent considering the interior quality of competitors. You have to think retrospectively to fully understand the potent nature of these beasts.

[@OxBlitzkriegxO]

i agree with everything expect the top speed. my bone stock GTZ never got over 140mph. redline in 4th on a stock tire size comes out to 134.xxmph. the car couldnt pull the .81 5th gear, at least not much. it never got much above 5500rpm in 5th on a loooong straight. thats right at 140mph.

[@AdemJashari56]

look bro.. i respect your car and this car in what it has achieved. quiet frankly i dig the look it has some euro styling going on. i do agree that a 189hp motor is capable low 15's and a 89 to 91mhp trap speed.. i am very impressed as a owner of a 97 A4 1.8t with mods i have run consistently 15,6, 15,2 @ 90mhp and 92mph with stock clutch and i have dynoed at around 210bhp . BUT to say chevy had put out anything that others had to offer in a 4 cylinder is a bit overboard.. yea it did AFTER 3 incarnation of the same model.

[@DarkLinkAD]

@@AdemJashari56 4 Bangers were not a Chevy thing back then. My 2.8 V6 sounded great and was extremely reliable but anyone with a V8 had 0 respect for it.

[@LynxStarAuto]

Tickle Fingers precisely. Gave me a good chuckle though. "Infamous RSX and S2000" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@smirage22]

And how many GTZs do you see still rolling around in this decade 0. I see Integras, S2ks, RSXs daily

[@nikemac84]

This was my dream ride in high school, specifically the 1993 GTZ........

[@markwagner4909]

We had a 90 GT and it was the best car I ever owned trouble free for well over 175k miles

[@williamsinger4124]

You'll be happy to know that I still have a 91 gt that I've owned for 23 years. Just manual swapped it this year. Original engine is running perfectly to this day. I won't part with it. Nor has it ever been in the salt (I live in upstate NY)

[@markwagner4909]

William Singer I wish I still had mine

[@williamsinger4124]

@@markwagner4909 I'm honestly glad I kept mine. It was my first newer car straight out of high school. It was a big accomplishment paying for it myself. Sure I've done plenty of repairs over the years, but, overall it's been more loyal to me than most people have.

[@markwagner4909]

William Singer we didn’t have too many repairs in the 12 years we had it Tires tune up brakes oil changes The only thing we had to do at about 100k miles was injectors and the shift links to the transmission rusted (5spd) We had 3.1 liter I drove it for years then my son when he turned 16 until he got his first car A co worker’s son had his car blow up and needed a car for college so he drove that during college and got a new car at graduation so he sold it

[@williamsinger4124]

@@markwagner4909 that ain't bad at all. I've done engine wise injectors, timing chain and gears, upper end gaskets, the occasional coil pack, etc as repairs. Considering I've owned it nearly a quarter century, I'd have to say that isn't bad. I just manual swapped it this year actually. Had to get two parts cars for the job, but, on the flip side, I now have plenty of replacement stuff for the hard to find stuff.

[@yfz350twin]

I had a red 1991 GTZ with the 3.1 automatic and updated dash. I wish I had that car yet.

[@williamsinger4124]

My first newer car straight out of high school is a bright teal 91 Beretta gt. I still own it to this day. Was a big accomplishment working to make sure the payments were done on time. I just manual swapped it this year. Had to buy an 89 gt 5 speed for the trans etc, as well as a 93 base model for the console shift plate etc. But the original engine is running perfectly to this day. And now I have two parts cars stashed for them occasions I can't get a certain part.

[@g00dl00kinb0i]

lol

[@Acc0rd79]

The first car I ever bought for myself was a used '93 Chevy Beretta!!! :) I loved it but some old dude not paying attention tboned me and then didn't have insurance, thank God I had full coverage!!! They said they were going after his ass for me;)

[@humperdinckfangboner9749]

Acc0rd79 That's pretty crazy I had the same thing happen to me only in a 92 Corsica 'LT'(the L stood for limited), got t-boned by a guy running a stop sign who had no insurance. I really liked the car too in spite if it's problems (which were plenty). It had a charm and decent pep too in spite of it's low HP

[@Acc0rd79]

David Sepulveda yah, I was 19, I bought it used with only 30k miles. Good thing I had full coverage on it form Progressive, I had the paycheck the next day. Took it and bought a brand new 2000 accord coupe right off the lot and got my ass handed to me in payments haha, dumped that car 2 years later!

[@tbok75]

Acc0rd79 too funny I had a 90 GT that I totaled after a month owning it. This was in 96. I was 21 and stupid. Took a 35mph corner too fast. Broke the tail loose and got someone sideways... Then got hit by the Talon I was racing. But... I was ahead

[@9890jsp]

+VaperBok75 really? I had a 94 5.0. I sold it when I realized a gm v6 made more horsepower. that thing was slow

[@tbok75]

+9890jsp omg my first car (one before the Beretta) was an 81 mustang. an inline six that was THE slowest thing ever.

[@Porsche996driver]

This was a little better than I remembered ha.

[@clay9333]

I dated a girl that had one of these way back in the 90s. All white with white wheels. Manual transmission. It was a ripper! Surprisingly fast.

[@Clearanceman2]

"pump my seat honey?"

[@MidnightinSavannah]

Those Quad 4s were known for blowing head gaskets.

[@maxdm1583]

blown head gaskets span across many GM vehicles

[@rootsmanuva82]

And ear drums

[@Ecoli-jm5ik]

midnight savannah that and the timing chains...weak design and build

[@maxdm1583]

You can molest a cheap azz civic or corolla like a dumbass on a race track with little to no maintenance, yet you see no such issues with head gaskets or notorious intake manifold gaskets, unlike those found on GM boxes

[@MidnightinSavannah]

I worked for GM in the late 80s and the Quad 4 was junk. It made great power but was a bad design from the oil filter location to the head gaskets. I was driving a Beretta GTU with a 2.8 down the highway and it just shut off and wouldn't crank back up.

[@geoffk777]

We had one of these back in the day. The flashy digital display died, and we had all kinds of problems. We got rid of it pretty quickly.

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

my 85 300ZX Turbo had pump seats too. Worked great.

[@Chevroldsmobuiac]

I always cringe when they show the test driver yanking the shifter, levers and buttons like they want to see if they can pull something loose. That wasn't exactly a period of stellar GM quality... ;-)

[@shawnclyne1904]

The size of a civic with a 3.1 V6! GM was ahead of the import scene with this car with handling and looks.

[@andrewwilken9725]

Except for the eclipse/laser/talon which was better than this car in every performance aspect. That is a naturally aspirated to turbo comparison though.

[@shawnclyne1904]

@@andrewwilken9725 They absolutely were better! Diamond star's were beasts back then.

[@randyw5964]

I had a red GT in high school (1988) that was a cool car to have and the stereo was awesome!

[@CoastalAutoReactionCAR]

My sister had a GT and it was a fast car! Would hang with almost anything on the road back then car was solid and lasted her 10 years.

[@paulxaviercyr]

was... that... a... freak'in... hand pump?!? i am so underwhelmed.

[@mlane7261]

I laughed at that

[@intention21]

Paul Cyr lmao!!!!! That's what I said

[@OxBlitzkriegxO]

dont laugh too hard. those are recaro seats.

[@FeartheCyr611]

Paul Cyr nice name!

[@dante04srt]

They are most definitely not Recaro seats. They are good, sport seats with decent side bolsters, but nothing too special by today's standards.

[@12345s4321]

How about 95 Lexus sc400 1990 Acura legend coupe! I've owned both!