What is it about the Mk3 ?

[marksmith]

Just wondering, what is it that makes everyone one here love their Mk3 so much ?

Maybe its because its your first car and so its the sentimental side of things, maybe its simply that you like certain features or certain things about it, maybe its because a family member had one and you grew to love it, maybe its simply that its the way it drives or looks ?

Whatever it is that makes you choose the Mk3 over other cars, I would love to know what it is.

I must admit, being new to Cav Mk3 ownership, I have always liked the look of the Mk3 ( far better looking than a Mondeo IMO ) and the only reason I have not owned one until recently is because one at the right price never came up at the right time.

Now I have one, and used it all day for the first time yesterday, I can confirm I love this car. I like the little things on it, such as the little light in the engine bay and the badge on the top of the bonnet, but mainly I love the way it is so smooth to drive and so comfortable, again, much better than a Mondeo IMO. I also think it looks very smart, a very handsome car, and one of the best looking cars you can buy that has 4 doors and a boot ! ( think it looks alot better than the car that replaced it, the Vectra, never liked the look of Vectras, always prefered the look of the Cav ).

So I am just interested to know what it is about the Cav Mk3 that you all like in particular and how, and why, you first went into owning and loving the Mk3 ???

[Envoy CDX]

Still not sure, just seems to fit with me is all.

[sierrapaul]

i always used to be into 4x4 sierras.but i brought my cav 4 years ago for 200 quid and done 60 000 very near truble free miles in her.shes gone throu every mot ok and hopefully will go throu next week ok again.there just such a nice car to drive can change the clutch in 45 mins.last clutch i changed on my old sierra took 6 hours

[planetc]

...because it always works, costs nothing to maintain and generally serves it's purpose with a minimum of fuss!

[bigmitch]

...because it always works, costs nothing to maintain and generally serves it's purpose with a minimum of fuss!

I have to argree especially last winter the 4x4 was god send ,

[piercedrab]

i was lucky and my dad gave me my cav when he bought a new car but from day one he got it i said one day i woulf have it 7 years later it was mine

[Cavalier342]

I don't know, but there definitely is something there for me. I guess the simple yet clever design, interior features, i.e. total closure, auto-unlocking door (if you leave your keys inside and close a locked driver's door), central locking from the boot, reliable engines, and the body shape. Just stands out. Everytime mine is parked on the street, I just can't help staring at it, thinking how lucky I am to have a Cav. There definitely is something unique about these cars. And having more than one is the dog's bollocks of joys I was offered to buy the auto when I had my old ZX which was quite frankly a good car but falling to bits quite quick. I went for it, and man, how lucky I was to make that decision. Best £350 I ever spent. Most expensive car I bought so far too And I'm proud of it because the amount of driving pleasure she gave me, I can't put a price on that. The manual, I've not had long, but she does have different features to the auto, aside the gearbox of course, and she is special too.
Andrei.

[bigmitch]

Bit I like about the cav comfort .Most cars I drive I always get back ache when driving long
distance, can,t beat the recaros

[humbucker]

for me, my affection for the mk3 was the look of the gsi saloon. friends had them when they were relatively new, and while they were out of my reach back then i always had an affection for them, particularly the bordeaux red ones, which is why i set out to get one before i bought my cdx v6. the btcc sporting achievements were also an eye opener.

as an owner of the mk3 i would say i love it due to a number of things, but they nearly all come down to design. the interior is a great example of why the car is a success - it's beauty is in it's simplicity. ok, it might be a bit dated as far as the spec sheet goes, but it's simple and unfussy. a good balance of design/functionality. this is typical of every other aspect of the car, from the bodywork down to the engine bay.

relatively low running costs and maintenance bills are an obvious advantage, as well as the wide variety of models and trim levels available; a car you can personalise with ease without breaking the bank. the interchangeable parts with other vehicles from the GM stable is also another great feature that opens up possibilities.

i like my creature comforts and the ability to put my foot down, so it's always going to be the top trim level/performance editions that catch my eye the most, but i wouldn't have any hesitation in buying another one tomorrow as a workhorse if i needed one. i would probably go for an sri hatch though (having 5 saloons on my drive and needing help to shift bulky items is a joke).

[Envoy CDX]

as an owner of the mk3 i would say i love it due to a number of things, but they nearly all come down to design. the interior is a great example of why the car is a success - it's beauty is in it's simplicity. ok, it might be a bit dated as far as the spec sheet goes, but it's simple and unfussy. a good balance of design/functionality. this is typical of every other aspect of the car, from the bodywork down to the engine bay.

relatively low running costs and maintenance bills are an obvious advantage, as well as the wide variety of models and trim levels available; a car you can personalise with ease without breaking the bank. the interchangeable parts with other vehicles from the GM stable is also another great feature that opens up possibilities.

Good summary

[branny361]

after driving a sierra for years , i bought a cav as the price was right and was blown away by the power difference so much torque to the ford ,
since my first one , i wanted another and my cdx fits the bill , knife and fork car dead simple to work on and when all is right she runs spot on , i haven really had to touch it since the redtop went in it been one reliable car .

[VauxhallGirl]

Have always loved Vauxhalls. My first car was a 1964 Victor. Have also had a Viva and three Mrk 1 Cavaliers, one of which went on for years despite serious neglect from my part. But it was the rust that killed it.

After several years of my other half getting me to drive old 4x4's, I decided i would like a Mrk3 Cav, and got one at the right price and colour.

My immediate impression was that he was built to last.... a nice healthy "chunk" sound when you shut the doors. Heavy. But i like that. Tanks are heavy.
I suffer with Sciatica, and in previous cars could only go a few miles before the pain in my leg was unbearable.... not so with the Cav. Lovely cumfy seats and a nice sitting position. What would make it perfect would be to have an adjustable steering wheel too.
The CD player I put in, but the original speakers are in it, and to be fair, for factory ones they have pretty good sound.
Everything works. The body is in good nick. It's economical....he only sips diesel delicately.
And i was pleasantly surprised by the turn of speed when he stretches his legs on the motorway.

[A-J]

It was a cheap winter bus that got me out of a vw, a winter bus that's just seen me through my third. And I wouldnt sell it for the world. Love the style, love way it drives, it's mile munching capabilities and getting out at the other end and feeling fine. Love the room Inside, the low and easy maintenance, te reliability, just everything. And the personality to boot

[btcctroy]

funny enough i hated the site of a mk3 cavalier, i thought of it as a taxi lol but that changed about ten years ago when my brother got a gsi.
i never seen seen a cavalier gsi before and thought it looked amazing.

shortly after i was without a car so my brother took me to the auction where i won a j reg red cavalier sri with 1 days mot remaining for 175 pound.
i did 100,000 miles in it nearly trouble free, eventually cambelt snapped and i thought that was the end till my brother said fit another to see if it starts. i'll never forget turning it over and it firing into life.

unfortunately the rot got to it (before i had enough kit to deal with it) and in the end scrapped it.

But replaced it with my current sri16v gsi replica.

My cav has earned me a fortune over the last few years travelling to london every week. tbh i cant let it go its so relliable and so robust.

its earned the name YE OLDE FAITHFUL

[Robsey]

Why did I buy my Mk 3 Cav ?

I have my wife to thank...
When we were first going out, she had a 1987 White 1300 Mk2 saloon...
Wow what amazing power for such a little engine.. and a top speed of well over 100mph on a 4 speed box

Good easy mechanicals ...with only a little hassle from the auto-choke.
Fitted a manual choke-conversion and the car performed faultlessly for the rest of it's 176,000 mile life...
Like many others, vandalism and rust killed it off in the end... the engine was still great !!

The current Mk3 Cav... A simple 1800 CFi LS 1994 Hatchback in Dark Blue Metallic.
I bought this for the wife as a Christmas present in 1995.. it was 15 months old with 23,000 on the clock - an ex-lease car. It cost £7500.

200,000 miles and 15 1/2 years later, it is still going strong... had a few basic maintenance niggles.. sensors etc... but it still just keeps going

So why do I love my Mk3..

So easy to maintain,
Just keeps going even if you don't maintain it.
Comfy smooth driving...
Parts are dirt cheap, and easy to fit.
Retro-fit upgrades are also easy to fit too...
I love mine because it has parts that no-one else does..
CD70 Sat Nav and also Astra GTE Digi Dash...
always blows "Non Vauxhall" people away, when they see the dash..

I get mixed reactions about the electrical mods from Cavalier enthusiasts, and one day, I may just revert back to standard radio and instruments...which I still have in my shed .

[Envoy CDX]

I get mixed reactions about the electrical mods from Cavalier enthusiasts, and one day, I may just revert back to standard radio and instruments...which I still have in my shed .

Nah, just needs to be tinkered like you said

[marksmith]

Some great answers there, and I agree with all of them - exactly why the Cav is one of the few cars in the world that I have never heard a bad word said about them !

A good point made above really made me think.....

It quite unreal to think that the Cav Mk3 was released while Ford was still making that old Sierra !!! There really is no comparison between the two - even the Mondeo, which was the all new Sierra, In my opinion, could not come close to the Cav for all the exact reason above !

[TurboSteven77]

i just love the look of the saloon cavalier no matter what egine under the hood just the way they stand, plus the drive is lovely as most know i have had most vauxhalls out there and no matter what i always come back to the cavalier
yes vectra saloon nice but there nothing like a cavalier drive, plus the looks they get by the younger genration is
they like what kinda car is that never seen 1 be4 ,and when you get gsi seats in them they sooo cumfy

[Squig]

Mine;
Cheap to run, cheapish to insure, quick enough, comfortable, always feels very good on the road and provides a very positive amount of feedback and I fit nicely... I've owned this car for over 4 years now and I've just taken her over 150k today. Don't think I'll be getting another car for a long time and if I do it'll be to keep the cav all nice not to replace it.

[jacko-lah]

In 1997, I made a big mistake and sold the 1.6 GL mk2 cav (D Reg) that my father in law had sold to me in 1992 to buy a mk3 cavalier. In 2000 when he offered me the mk3 cav, I wasn't going to say no, especially as my wife negotiated a pretty good deal £0 - no warranty on a 27K mile one owner car.

I can't see why we'd make the same mistake again. I'm hoping that It'll last a good while yet.

[VauxhallGirl]

Some great answers there, and I agree with all of them - exactly why the Cav is one of the few cars in the world that I have never heard a bad word said about them !

A good point made above really made me think.....

It quite unreal to think that the Cav Mk3 was released while Ford was still making that old Sierra !!! There really is no comparison between the two - even the Mondeo, which was the all new Sierra, In my opinion, could not come close to the Cav for all the exact reason above !

I hadn't thought of it like that.... the Cav3 being out the same time as the Sierra.... how many of THOSE are left! Not many. They weren't built to last like the Cav.

[branny361]

I hadn't thought of it like that.... the Cav3 being out the same time as the Sierra.... how many of THOSE are left! Not many. They weren't built to last like the Cav.

Cavs still rot away like any car its just theres a big affection towards them and have been looked after better, even mine! , which ive had 4 years now is starting to show its age , i have had to do my first welding this year for the mot and only this weekend , when i gave it a wash, theres extra little scratches showing that wern't there last year , trying to keep it tip top is a labour of love .

the downside for me is its my only car so is my daily hack as well so it is getting well used , ideally i wish i could lock it up for the winter , it would last longer than it will, but Im enjoying it while i can .

[HAIRIBO]

If mine had cruise control and a vectra CDX style Digital Heater controls I'd be a very happy bunny. Apart from that I Love them