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Model: Vauxhall Cavalier 1.7 TD
Year: 1994
Mileage: 204,600
Tax: End of Feb 2012
MOT: March 6th 2012
Location: Bristol
Price: 450
Back in February I bought a Cavalier TD (Isuzu engine) because I wanted the engine for a major project vehicle I am working on. I wanted just the engine, so I pulled that out and broke the rest of the car. The thing is, driving it the ?? miles back from buying the car I realised what a nice car the Cavalier is to drive and suddenly started looking for another one to have as a daily. My Delica does about 20mpg so I figured something as comfy, reliable and economical as the Cav would be a perfect daily to use whenever I didn't need the Delica which tends to be a lot of the time.
I bought this one at the beginning of March (the one I am now selling) and got it MOT'd then pressed it straight into service.
If you haven't heard of the Isuzu engined VX's before, they are amazing. Totally bulletproof engines which are so economical reliable. Look up on the net about them and you'll come across story after story of how good they are.
It had done 196,000 when I bought it and it drove brilliantly. It passed the MOT first time and has been 100% reliable since. I have driven all over the country in it on numerous occasions and would happily drive it anywhere without any concerns. Literally anywhere. On some of my trips I have covered over 600 miles in a day in comfort and peace without a hitch. It's an awesome mile muncher as has been superb in every respect. I have total confidence in this car and was never intending to sell it. it does everything I could ever ask of a daily and more.
For the first 4 months of ownership I ran it on 100% vegetable oil. No additives, just pure veg and it ran perfectly. I covered a good few thousand miles during this time and would have kept using it if the price hadn't risen to the same price as diesel. I would say it actually runs better on veg...and I would happily run it again if I could find it cheaper.
The clutch starting making a squealing noise about 2 months ago and found it was the release bearing. I ordered a new 3pc clutch which was changed just over 1,000 miles ago. When removing the old clutch, I noticed the date stamp on the clutch plate which read 1994. Yep, this car was still on its original clutch! 203,000 miles on the original item!
This brings me to the mileage - to have covered that kind of miles on the original clutch unit, the car must have done nearly all of its miles on the motorway, and this would also account for its brilliant mechanical condition due to clocking up the miles under virtually no stress. This would also explain the general condition of the bodywork because it's pretty remarkable for a car of this age/mileage.
Most Cavaliers suffer from rotten sills and rotten rear arches but this one is pretty much rust free in those areas. There is some surface rust on the edges of the drivers side front wing, a small patch of surface rust on the step area inside the front passenger door (top of the sill) and another rusty patch just in the corner of the step area at the rear/bottom under the rear nearside door (between the rear wheelarch and the sill) - none of these areas are bad at all...I'm probably making it sound a lot worse than it is, but I would rather be upfront about the car. As said, the wheelarches, sills and door bottoms are very good indeed. Please take a look through all the close-up photos I've taken to show the 'bad' areas.
There is one bit of rot in the very corner of boot floor which was there when I got the car and was an advisory on the MOT which I will sort before selling it. This is a common place to go and I doubt you'll find a Cavalier that hasn't gone there (or hasn't been repaired there). It's only the offside that has this, the nearside is totally rust free.
The only other place is where the drain plug hole is under the floor area in the drivers footwell. Basically the drain plug hole has rusted out a bit on one side of the hole (not bad at all) and isn't an MOT issue because it's an existing hole. I'll also get this welded before selling the car.
I was going to do this anyway because I was intending to keep the car indefinitely due to it being so damn economical, reliable and comfortable. I'm a competent welder and these repairs will be far better than any 'MOT repairs' that most garages will ever do.
Since owning it I have changed the oil & oil filter twice, along with the fuel filter, air filter, wiper blades etc...basically, I have looked after it because I think a well kept car will stay reliable...and these cars are reliable. Very reliable.
I also changed the wheels for some 'period correct' 15" TSW Stealths simply because getting replacement tyres are much easier and cheaper (195/50/15) and because the look of the wheel really suits the car. The car will come with these wheels because I no longer have the 14" wheels the car came with.
The interior is in excellent condition with no rips, tears or stains on the seats, carpets etc...I will get photos of that tomorrow. I didn't have time today because by the time I'd photographed the car it was starting to get dark. I'd rather take the interior shots in the daylight so you get to see everything really clearly.
The car has front electric windows, central locking with 'deadlock' function, total closure (lock the doors and the windows close), manual slide & tilt sunroof etc...
Overall, it's a brilliant car and one I've loved owning and genuinely only selling due to having bought a new daily on Saturday which certainly won't be as comfy or as economical (don't ask! It's just something I need to get out of my system)
As extras, the following items will come with the car for only £50 extra (which is a true bargain!):
4 x 195/50/15 tyres which are in excellent condition with loads of tread. The current tyres on the Cavalier are fine, but I have these as a back-up set because I pulled them off a Puma which I broke back in the summer and kept for spares for the Cavalier. They can come with the car because I have nothing else to put them on.
A set of rear electric window regulators & switches...basically I bought these to convert the rear windows to electric but haven't got around to fitting them yet. They are from a Cavalier, so are a direct fit. They shouldn't take too long to fit and come with the proper centre console with all the switches/rear window lock switch etc...
An electric sunroof motor, switch and console. I also bought this to convert the sunroof to electric. It's fully working and is the complete package to replace the winder mechanism etc...should be a simple fit and, like the other items, I just haven't got around to fitting yet (always too busy driving the thing to do all this!)
A 5speed diesel gearbox! There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the current gearbox, but when I broke the original Cavalier TD I didn't need the gearbox for my project so I kept this to one side knowing it was costing me nothing to keep and would be great 'just in case' something was to go wrong with the current gearbox. I have every faith in the exisitng 'box but kept this one all the same and it's no use to me once I sell the Cavalier, so it might as well go with the car as part of the extras package.
So in summary - the car is totally reliable, totally trustworthy, very economical, very, very comfortable, a TRUE WORKHORSE that all works as it should and comes with a load of 'bits'!
I am looking for £500 for the car as it stands with the simple bit of welding done AND the spares/extras (£450 for just the car with the welding done). If you look at prices of these cars, they usually sell for £350+ for a rough one to £550-£600+ for a good one due to the Isuzu engined Vauxhalls being fairly sought after. I would say this is certainly a good one and the price is on the lower end for one in this condition, especially when you consider the new clutch, the spares it comes with, the nice wheels and the general condition.
As said, photos of the interior will come tomorrow but in the meantime, if you have any questions, please just ask.
I will be keeping the car as a daily driver until it sells because if I sawp the insurance onto my new car, I have to cash the tax in and then it makes it harder to buy. The mileage will go up a bit in the meantime, but at least the car remains fully road legal for anyone wanting to drive it home.
I am happy to deliver this car ANYWHERE in the country for the cost of fuel & return train fare so anyone wishing they didn't live so far away from Bristol....now you don't have to worry.
Year: 1994
Mileage: 204,600
Tax: End of Feb 2012
MOT: March 6th 2012
Location: Bristol
Price: 450
Back in February I bought a Cavalier TD (Isuzu engine) because I wanted the engine for a major project vehicle I am working on. I wanted just the engine, so I pulled that out and broke the rest of the car. The thing is, driving it the ?? miles back from buying the car I realised what a nice car the Cavalier is to drive and suddenly started looking for another one to have as a daily. My Delica does about 20mpg so I figured something as comfy, reliable and economical as the Cav would be a perfect daily to use whenever I didn't need the Delica which tends to be a lot of the time.
I bought this one at the beginning of March (the one I am now selling) and got it MOT'd then pressed it straight into service.
If you haven't heard of the Isuzu engined VX's before, they are amazing. Totally bulletproof engines which are so economical reliable. Look up on the net about them and you'll come across story after story of how good they are.
It had done 196,000 when I bought it and it drove brilliantly. It passed the MOT first time and has been 100% reliable since. I have driven all over the country in it on numerous occasions and would happily drive it anywhere without any concerns. Literally anywhere. On some of my trips I have covered over 600 miles in a day in comfort and peace without a hitch. It's an awesome mile muncher as has been superb in every respect. I have total confidence in this car and was never intending to sell it. it does everything I could ever ask of a daily and more.
For the first 4 months of ownership I ran it on 100% vegetable oil. No additives, just pure veg and it ran perfectly. I covered a good few thousand miles during this time and would have kept using it if the price hadn't risen to the same price as diesel. I would say it actually runs better on veg...and I would happily run it again if I could find it cheaper.
The clutch starting making a squealing noise about 2 months ago and found it was the release bearing. I ordered a new 3pc clutch which was changed just over 1,000 miles ago. When removing the old clutch, I noticed the date stamp on the clutch plate which read 1994. Yep, this car was still on its original clutch! 203,000 miles on the original item!
This brings me to the mileage - to have covered that kind of miles on the original clutch unit, the car must have done nearly all of its miles on the motorway, and this would also account for its brilliant mechanical condition due to clocking up the miles under virtually no stress. This would also explain the general condition of the bodywork because it's pretty remarkable for a car of this age/mileage.
Most Cavaliers suffer from rotten sills and rotten rear arches but this one is pretty much rust free in those areas. There is some surface rust on the edges of the drivers side front wing, a small patch of surface rust on the step area inside the front passenger door (top of the sill) and another rusty patch just in the corner of the step area at the rear/bottom under the rear nearside door (between the rear wheelarch and the sill) - none of these areas are bad at all...I'm probably making it sound a lot worse than it is, but I would rather be upfront about the car. As said, the wheelarches, sills and door bottoms are very good indeed. Please take a look through all the close-up photos I've taken to show the 'bad' areas.
There is one bit of rot in the very corner of boot floor which was there when I got the car and was an advisory on the MOT which I will sort before selling it. This is a common place to go and I doubt you'll find a Cavalier that hasn't gone there (or hasn't been repaired there). It's only the offside that has this, the nearside is totally rust free.
The only other place is where the drain plug hole is under the floor area in the drivers footwell. Basically the drain plug hole has rusted out a bit on one side of the hole (not bad at all) and isn't an MOT issue because it's an existing hole. I'll also get this welded before selling the car.
I was going to do this anyway because I was intending to keep the car indefinitely due to it being so damn economical, reliable and comfortable. I'm a competent welder and these repairs will be far better than any 'MOT repairs' that most garages will ever do.
Since owning it I have changed the oil & oil filter twice, along with the fuel filter, air filter, wiper blades etc...basically, I have looked after it because I think a well kept car will stay reliable...and these cars are reliable. Very reliable.
I also changed the wheels for some 'period correct' 15" TSW Stealths simply because getting replacement tyres are much easier and cheaper (195/50/15) and because the look of the wheel really suits the car. The car will come with these wheels because I no longer have the 14" wheels the car came with.
The interior is in excellent condition with no rips, tears or stains on the seats, carpets etc...I will get photos of that tomorrow. I didn't have time today because by the time I'd photographed the car it was starting to get dark. I'd rather take the interior shots in the daylight so you get to see everything really clearly.
The car has front electric windows, central locking with 'deadlock' function, total closure (lock the doors and the windows close), manual slide & tilt sunroof etc...
Overall, it's a brilliant car and one I've loved owning and genuinely only selling due to having bought a new daily on Saturday which certainly won't be as comfy or as economical (don't ask! It's just something I need to get out of my system)
As extras, the following items will come with the car for only £50 extra (which is a true bargain!):
4 x 195/50/15 tyres which are in excellent condition with loads of tread. The current tyres on the Cavalier are fine, but I have these as a back-up set because I pulled them off a Puma which I broke back in the summer and kept for spares for the Cavalier. They can come with the car because I have nothing else to put them on.
A set of rear electric window regulators & switches...basically I bought these to convert the rear windows to electric but haven't got around to fitting them yet. They are from a Cavalier, so are a direct fit. They shouldn't take too long to fit and come with the proper centre console with all the switches/rear window lock switch etc...
An electric sunroof motor, switch and console. I also bought this to convert the sunroof to electric. It's fully working and is the complete package to replace the winder mechanism etc...should be a simple fit and, like the other items, I just haven't got around to fitting yet (always too busy driving the thing to do all this!)
A 5speed diesel gearbox! There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the current gearbox, but when I broke the original Cavalier TD I didn't need the gearbox for my project so I kept this to one side knowing it was costing me nothing to keep and would be great 'just in case' something was to go wrong with the current gearbox. I have every faith in the exisitng 'box but kept this one all the same and it's no use to me once I sell the Cavalier, so it might as well go with the car as part of the extras package.
So in summary - the car is totally reliable, totally trustworthy, very economical, very, very comfortable, a TRUE WORKHORSE that all works as it should and comes with a load of 'bits'!
I am looking for £500 for the car as it stands with the simple bit of welding done AND the spares/extras (£450 for just the car with the welding done). If you look at prices of these cars, they usually sell for £350+ for a rough one to £550-£600+ for a good one due to the Isuzu engined Vauxhalls being fairly sought after. I would say this is certainly a good one and the price is on the lower end for one in this condition, especially when you consider the new clutch, the spares it comes with, the nice wheels and the general condition.
As said, photos of the interior will come tomorrow but in the meantime, if you have any questions, please just ask.
I will be keeping the car as a daily driver until it sells because if I sawp the insurance onto my new car, I have to cash the tax in and then it makes it harder to buy. The mileage will go up a bit in the meantime, but at least the car remains fully road legal for anyone wanting to drive it home.
I am happy to deliver this car ANYWHERE in the country for the cost of fuel & return train fare so anyone wishing they didn't live so far away from Bristol....now you don't have to worry.
