Been a fan of the Cav for years and years. My (hopefully) brief Cav related history as follows. After owning Astra Mk1 and 2 it got to the early 00's and moved up to owning a couple of very very (very!) rough SRi's. Oh how they were rough, but I loved them all the same. Sadly I'm struggling to find any pics of them or the Astra's.
Fast forward a bit and I land a "proper" job. So I decided to buy a "new" car. I ended up in a ****ing awful Renault Megane... Oh god. Ran that thing for about 4 years until it (thankfully) got written off. Meanwhile I'd got another ropey old Cav. But it wasn't really roadworthy. So the Renault got taken away and I was left with a pittance from the insurance. My great job had disappeared from under my feet and I was on a low wage, we'd just had our first kid and I needed wheels.
So here comes "Buggy" A 1994 1.8i LS. Seen on autotrader with 74000 on the clock, and some service history. And not far away!
We ran this car from 2008 until 2014. I added the alloys (eBay cheapie) stuck a 'leccy sunroof in and the dreaded towbar (I actually do need one!) All it cost me was servicing, a radiator and two new driveshafts (£60 for the pair in 2012!) Alas the tinworm eventually won it's battle and the old girl, with 99999 on the clock, went to the scrappers. I wish I'd saved her, but she was rotten, the clutch had had it, it needed brakes, exhaust.... All sorts. And, the paint was bad. Really bad. The lacquer had crazed and peeled and flaked all over the body (it was like that when I bought it!) But it gave me 6 years of trouble-free motoring for a couple of hundred quid. I absolutely loved that car (still do), and I happily admit I burst into tears when I left the scrap yard that day
One thing I took away from it was how underrated the 1.8 lump is. Sure it's no ball of fire, but it's bomb proof. And it sounds lovely (I love that 8 valve sound)So, then I went and bought a 2002 F**d M****o. One years boring motoring later expensive repairs were on the horizon. So along came...
I've owned this one (no name as of yet) for four weeks. Another 1.8i, but this time in "posh" GLS trim. 105000 on the clock this time, with unbelievable service history. It was a good few miles travel away, but I decided it was worth a shot, and I'm glad I went for it. It is a peach of a car! Just today I've popped an electric sunroof motor etc in it, replaced a couple of bits of interior trim that were missing or damaged, the usual tidy up job. The arches are very good, underneath is solid. Nit picking would be the lacquer on the mirrors, and the clutch seems a bit "fierce" but then I'm getting used to it again after a year of hydraulic clutch action with the F**d.
So, that's about it really. I've had a good browse around, read some topics about stuff that's very familiar to me. I've never really needed to bother with the net much when it comes to Cavaliers, as they just, work... I posted a couple of time on VXon back when I first bought the LS, I think that was just about sunroof fitting though if I remember right. Certainly nothing major anyway. (Unlike the Renault!)
Cheers all, and thanks for reading
Bob
