Regular Car Reviews: 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24

I want my 90's back. This car takes me there, if only for a moment.

[smashingstuff]

I daily drive one of these, Its.. Cheap on gas, Cheap on parts.. Hell its just cheap. But its great.

[jdonns]

possibly the most regular of regular cars

[wumpy]

This car is/has:
a. your local rock station on preset
b. Taco Bell dinners
c.JEG'S stuff; most of it doesn't (perceptibly) work
d. a mausoleum for an abandoned aux/FM tuner
e. (in the trunk) a box full of power steering/trans/engine leak-stop fluids

[snowflakezzonPC]

As a 2003 cavalier base coupe owner who keeps it clean and factory looking, the comments make me sad. Lol

[therealmaxspeedster]

I had a 1996 Cav (base model) with auto. That car was the most reliable vehicle I've ever had. I mean, it just always started up and never broke down or left me stranded ever....Regardless of my negligent maintenance of it. Bought it with about 150, 000 miles on it, around 200, 000 miles in the radiator hoses were bulging so bad it was ridiculous, the upper one finally gave way on the highway. Temp went up but car never overheated, took the next exit and pulled in to the gas station there billowing steam from under the hood. After it cooled I took my pocket knife and cut the bulgy part of the hose off and clamped what was left to to the radiator. I refused to pay the ridiculous price the gas station was asking for antifreeze so I bought a gallon of water instead, dumped it into the overflow and shut the hood. Car started up and finished the remaining 100 miles or so with no complaint. Never had another car since come close to it's durability, sold it about 2 years after that incident at 308, 000 miles....Still running.

[arealistsopinion]

I own a 2003 cavalier. They are great little cars, mine has over 124000 miles on it, still gets 400+ miles to a full tank, and a week after buying it I drove it nonstop from PA to TX. They are cheap and reliable.

[kpag]

I'll say it again, holy crap... did you go to my high school? Your 90's stories are exactly the same as mine. Lol

[BikerJim]

I've owned a couple Cavaliers. They were cheap plastic and the interior rattled like crazy but I couldn't kill them, they seemed to run forever. The front seats I thought were very comfortable in the last generation.

[CootCut]

My girl-friend and I conceived our first 3 kids in a Cavalier.

[standarddef]

I had one, black '97 z24 5 speed. Quick, handled well, fun to drive and dependable. Comfortable seats and driving position. Had alot of fun in that car.

[jhancock]

I have 1997 cavalier 4 door, 2.2 liter. 242, 000 miles on the odometer. Only one owner. The engine and transmission have never been touched for repairs. It’s a daily driver for my son to get to school. It’s far exceeded my expectations.

[roguedogx]

how could you leave out the fact that this car has one of the lowest side impact ratings of any modern (after 2000 when the IIHS tested it) car? If memory serves me this thing got a one star rating on side impact, and that's before they bumped up the difficulty. basically if you get hit on the side with a shopping cart you'll be at the pearly gates in no time.

[VisionQuest]

"You're not nostalgic for the soda, or the high wind... you're nostalgic for... The events that _enveloped_ the artifacts..."

Makes me all sentimental lol. And bang-on with the whole description of the 90's with sun-visor CD sleeves, Pioneer head-units, and detachable CD-player face-plates, and my high-school girlfriend in the late-90's/early-2000's even had a silver Cavalier Z24! Holy shit. Is this just a general Midwestern thing or something?

[trancus]

Loved the video. Met many of these descriptions at the beginning of the videos. I had a 1998 LD9-powered Z24, with the manual gearbox. Bought it brand new--my first such purchase--for exactly $ 15, 500. It was a quick and comfortable car for its size, but the handling and steering were . . . not good. Had a cold air intake on it that deleted a bunch of nonsense air plumbing. It sounded great. I kept mine nearly 13 years, the last 3 of those sitting in my driveway after I bought myself my first "proper" vehicle. I had some of the best times of my life in that car, and most of my 20s. I'm firmly in mid-life now. The memory of that car triggers an entire part of my history. Your video is spot on. Thank you so much for making it.

[jamescollins]

I'm still driving my 2002 cavy. Mine has 221k good cheap car and kicks ass in Wisconsin winter's too with some blizzak tires. It will rust out before the 2.2 dies.

[wulfman]

This 6 minute took me 10 minutes to watch because I was broken with laughter at "I reMEMBER"

[FunkMasterJunk]

You know that Z24, I think still looks good after all these years.

[martinmendiolamm]

Scariest moment when I was in one of these 4 door Cavaliers and somehow made it to 100 mph and the wind gushing into the cabin made me think it was falling apart 😂

[ultramagnus]

Wow, your take on nostalgia is the most accurate I’ve ever heard

[Kaspurr]

You killed me at 4:50, i couldn't breath for a second, these videos are ace