Hi everybody!

[HWADD]

Hi everybody! I am Hugh Waddell from Newcastle upon Tyne I have owned two cavaliers 1 white 1.8 L and a smoke grey 2.0 GLS. But have not owned a cav for some time now but would like to have one again! I'm just not really sure what to look for! lol

HUGH

[vauxhallnutter]

Welcome along Hugh, there are still some nice Cavaliers around but the main enemy is rust so have a good look around any potential purchase very carefully. Places to look are:

Rear spring seats
Inner sills
Floors
Rear wheel arches especially if the paint looks new

if you can get the door sill covers off and have a good root around under the carpets to see if there is any sign of dampness. If there is then check carefully to make sure the floor hasnt rotted out. The leak will 99.9% be the fan motor surround in the bulkhead which is an easy fix.

Also check inside the boot at the back edges as thats another rot hotspot and check the sunroof drain tubes are clear where they exit the sills at the front and the rear quarters behind the bumper. Also check the aeriel appreture to make sure it isnt full of water.

Good luck in your search!

[Cavalier342]

I think he meant which model/spec to look for lol.

Welcome to the forum. There are plenty for sale nowadays still, all depends on what you want/need. Prices are varied, depending on spec and condition, basic LS/GLS models are still fairly cheap, too cheap to be honest, depends on your mind and your wallet at the end of the day.

[colin1]

Hi Hugh
whereabouts in Newcastle are you? I'm a Gateshead lad (Low Fell) though it's been a while since I lived there

What's your budget?

[Lowrider Dave]

Welcome Hugh. Hope you manage to get the Cav you're looking for!

[Ads]

welcome Hugh, I'm from the north east, born and bred in Sunderland, moved to Peterlee when I met my partner, ive had all sorts of cavs over the years but my present cav turbo 4x4 is definetly the best, awesome performance and handling even in standard guise, I know they are now expensive to buy . but I think now is the best time as they will only go up in price the rarer they get, anyway good luck in your search whatever cav you end up going for, Ads

[HWADD]

hi ads! I paticularily like the cd but i have my eyes on a really nice white sri in kelty scoltland!
www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/c585057

HUGH

[HWADD]

Hi Hugh
whereabouts in Newcastle are you? I'm a Gateshead lad (Low Fell) though it's been a while since I lived there

What's your budget?

Jesmond

[humbucker]

hi ads! I paticularily like the cd but i have my eyes on a really nice white sri in kelty scoltland!
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/c585057

HUGH

Ad gone. Did you buy the car?

[HWADD]

No, still trying to finad a garage lol!

HUGH

[HWADD]

Hi folks I'm back after 3 and a half years!!
I now have a 2001 mgf trophy and a 1981 tr7 dhc!! But am still interested in cav ownership!!!
Is this one any good?!!
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C926648
I would really like a white pre face lift sri!!
HUGH

[Mazza]

My recommendation would be a higher spec car - cdi / diplomat / Sri .. all 16v 2lt engines.

More comfortable to drive along with the trim package...

If you’re a bit adventurous then the gsi / turbo models as these are going up in price.

Personal choice though... good luck

[HWADD]

Or this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/vauxhall-cav ... SwF8Bcq7G3

I know it's a bit of a shed but I could turn it into a beautiful swan!!

HUGH

[Robsey]

Oops - that has gone... sold.

Trim level depends on you.

Yes SRi, GSi, Turbo, Diplomat, Cesaro are more sort after, and so often carry a hefty purchase price.

A CD / CDX should have a lot more toys as standard, so less to do in order to upgrade.

Do consider that many interior and exterior trims are getting hard to find.

Also be sure that the power steering pipes etc are in good condition, as pipework is definitely no longer available.
Although you could fit Corsa-C EPAS, with a non-assisted rack.

You can make a moderate car out of a basic model.
I have a 1994 LSi, but fitted with SRi interior, exhaust, alloys and lowered suspension - but no exterior trims or spoilers.
I get lots of admiring looks, positive feedback and requests to buy the car.

What I am saying is - yes you can get a tired-out rot box, and make it into a gem of a car.

As you have some nice cars already, I am certain that you will make sure you give the car body a good dose of looking at, especially underneath before parting with your hard earned cash.

As you know, the places to watch for rust are sills, arches, chassis rails and rear spring seats.
Talking about arches and sills - bad outers usually hide bad inners.

[Mazza]

I would agree with Robsey’s comments... pretty much bang on!

Make sure the shell is rock solid- no rust regardless model you go for.

Have a good look around, especially under the shell, arches, sills, chassis front and rear. If you have a torch handy use it... don’t be shy! Check the vin plate, engine and tags match. You’d be surprised how many I’ve seen where they are removed or etched out.

If you feel suspicious about the car, just walk away. Worst thing ever is when it’s something much deeper than you expected.

Take your time - Be paitient and you will find a gem, especially if it’s owned my the same owner for many years.

[iangsi]

Depends on what your after a project or something to ready to drive, you've got one of each there. The e-bay car is going to need a respray at the least.

[HWADD]

Yeah I would go with what you are saying Robsey!! I would really like an pre-facelift Sri in white I did find/like an immaculate one in kelty Scotland viewtopic.php?f=22&t=11552
but it had sold before I could make any “proceedings”!! Then I bought my mgf in feb 2016, and my tr7 in oct 2018!! So the trail has gone cold ever since! Although there is the one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1990-VAUXHAL ... 2635319668

HUGH

[Robsey]

It is a bit tired looking inside and out, but quite repairable.

It mentions that it needs window switches.
These are still quite easy to get hold of via ebay.

Plenty of work to do, but mainly welding and a fresh paint job.
Red Vauxhalls do bloom very badly, and it looks like at least one arch needs attention, so a full respray in white could be quite feesible / desirable.

Being a pre-facelift SRi, it will have the 20SEH engine. 130 bhp and quite bomb proof.
A very good service should ensure a good long lasting and reliable powerplant.

[HWADD]

Yeah, it does look quite tired out, but does it have the potential to be an excellent car?!!
Also how do you change big pictures to put as ur profile picture?!!

HUGH

[Robsey]

You simply edit your photo to about 80x80 pixels.

I use the mobile version of the forum, so I don't see avatars / profile pictures.

As for - "does it have potential".
Any car can be made great, it just requires time, patience and money.

My car was a total rust-bucket by the end of 2014. Fit only for the crusher.
2 years later after a lot of welding, fresh paint and about £7500 it now looks pretty good.
It cost far more than an LSi will ever be worth financially, but a fair cost for a car that has a lot of memories and history... 24 years worth in our ownership.

It is a balancing act between spending thousands on a minter, or spending thousands creating a minter.

[HWADD]

I think I’d rather spend thousands on creating a minter than buy one!! Lol

And thanks for the tip about the profile picture!! How do you decrease the size exactly?!!

HUGH

[Robsey]

Use any photo editor or picture manager program.
Most will give the option to crop and to "resize" either by percentage or by pixel quantity.

I use the crop option to create a square image,
Then
I choose resize and pixel.
Normally it is possible to type in 80 pixels.

[HWADD]

Thanks very much Robsey!!Actually I entered 120!! But it seemed to be ok!!

HUGH

[Robsey]

Good man Hugh...

glad I was able to help

[HWADD]

Don’t mention it!!

HUGH.