The other car. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that my way of treating my cars is somewhat consistent with Matthew’s discovery of serving masters. One will get somewhat neglected while I lavish all the attention on the other one. But the second it complains about it, my interest will shift to that one, at least until it is fixed and the other one begins complaining. Fortunately, it is genetic. As the Chevette demonstrated.
The Chevette was my mother’s perennial ‘other car’. Unlike her beloved Fiat, I’ve never actually heard where it came from or why she bought it. If I bring it into conversation it doesn’t reignite a primal rage directed to her fellow neighbor. One day it was there, and the next day it wasn’t. As yet another model in the list of her cars, I do have some more memories of it. I know that it was almost identical to this one. I seem to recall that the upholstery was tan and that the door handles were shiny chrome. That one I am sure of; I burned my hand on one.
Still, when I saw this pristime 1987 model, it seemed to trigger a lot of memories in her. This is yet another of those weird cars that were apparently bought to sit on a garage for a quarter of a century. I suppose someone could have taken a power drill to the odometer, but taking into account how pristine it looks, I am more ready to believe that this thing actually does have a genuine 7,174 miles than I am that someone went through the trouble of making sure everything looked perfect.
Okay, this one may actually be identical to the Solis’s Chevette
The listing gives us the following story: “A GM employee bought it to keep and had it for 20 years. A collector in Oregon purchased it and we got it from him 5 years ago.” Sounds right enough. Most likely this nameless GM employee wanted to have an example of something he built. A memento of his career working for the richest, most powerful car manufacturer in the world. The collector was perhaps trying to save something so nice but with very few collectible value from the certain second-owner/crash/scrap cycle that tends to befall most old practical cars.
He certainly didn’t do it for rarity. The T-Platform is one of the best-sold platforms on the planet. More than seven million of them were sold between I-Marks, Kadetts and Acadians. The Chevette alone accounts for almost three million of those. And he didn’t do it for the remarkable achievements present on the design. To borrow a cliche, the only thing remarkable about the Chevette was how unremarkable it was. Utterly conventional design, Not prone to killing itself like the Vega did (we will get back to that in a bit). Not a captive import like the Sprint. It was just…some car. Which come to think of it may have been one of the best things it had going for it as a small GM car.
Our featured model seems to not just be a CS model, but an extremely well-optioned optioned model too. Air conditioning, AM/FM stereo and (regrettably if you subscribe that underpowered cars should be fitted with as little power-draining features as possible) the 3-speed automatic should make for quite a big-car experience. At least until the pace reminds you that all you have to propel you is a 63 horspower 1.6-liter engine. Having my own sub-70 horsepower car with A/C, I can’t imagine anyone being pleasantly surprised with the performance. If you still want to own the museum piece that no museum wanted, grab $6,500 of your hard-earned dollars and click here.
As for my mother’s Chevette. After surviving her driving and a 3-rib incident with my dad at the wheel (To this day he swears that the lamppost jumped into his way), it chugged along until it remembered that it was a small GM product designed in the mid 70’s, and promptly cooked its head. The way they told me the story, it was driven home thanks to a constant stream of water being fed to it and it seized up just as they arrived home. It was sold not too long afterward to a cab owner who intended to drop an I-mark diesel engine on it. Straight drop, y’know? Occasionally I see a taxi-white Chevette clattering along on my commute. It’s unlikely its the same one, but one does wonder.
In spite of all the hate these were good little cars, the last of the econo-boxes with rear wheel drive, that kinda killed them, too .
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-Nate
I like the Chevette, too. A true cockroach of the road (maybe the original) that was nearly impossible to kill, despite all the abuse ladled upon them because those who had to drive them generally loathed the chore. RWD also meant that driving in slick road conditions allowed for a few thrills in an otherwise penalty box experience.
In one of those ‘what might have been’ thoughts, imagine how differently things might have turned out if GM had introduced the Chevette in 1971, rather than the Vega.
These would have been completely unsalable in the US in 1971.
It would have easily sold as many cars as the Vega did in 1971 and, unlike the Vega, not made people swear off GM small cars.
Chevrolet, along with Opel and Vauxhall, were initially involved in a small car project within GM called XP-949 that became the T car, but dropped out around 1971 only to rejoin in the wake of the 1973 fuel crisis. Even if they’d stayed with the project it would have only made a year or so’s difference to the introduction date.
The Chevette, especially in hatchback form, is quite a bit shorter and narrower than the Vega, though there’s just under 3″ difference in the wheelbase.
These were the worst small cars you could buy in the US in 1976, except for some other GM cars.
A lot of Chevette and Acadian owners would say otherwise. My wife’s Acadian ran like a champ for years. Of course I ensured it was well maintained.
What would most Acadian owners know about the US auto market? I suppose the Firenza was worse, but that wasn’t a US market car (tho it was GM).
-Nate
I think the success of the Chevette, was due to the fact that the little econo box had charm and spunk. It was American as Apple Pie, cheap, fun, and the hatchback was a neat touch for hauling extra cargo.
I think even the name Chevette was clever play on Chevrolet, cute. The car was super easy to work on. The driving dynamics were crap, but these little cars where designed to be punked around and driven like “Go Karts”. It was like the American version of the British “Mini Cooper”
They sold because the US had 6000 Chevrolet dealers and the Vega became showroom poison. No other reason.
Hubba
Respectfully I disagree, it takes more than that for a car to have a successful 11-12 year run with little upgrades in between years. All the experts say that the Chevette was a high volume, cheap money maker. Remember at the time the car segment that the chevette competed in had several competitors that drove better, better quality fit & finish), and generally looked much more modern than the Chevette.
Yet still Chevette crushed them all in sales and popularity-up until the mid 80’s when it simply was too long in the tooth. So this proves it was not a Chevrolet showroom/Vega fluke as you mentioned. The car just hit the factors I listed above with the general public. Also keep in mind that when loaded with options, the price rose to match that of say a Toyota Corolla.
It sold solely because it was the cheapest car in the most prolific dealer chain in the US, serviced at 6000 Chevrolet dealers and financed by GMAC. The public did not like it, but they preferred it to riding the bus.
It did not crush the opposition. At launch, it was projected to sell 275,000 units in its first year; it quickly became a glut on Chevy dealers (per noted historian Beverly Rae Kimes).
The only years that it was the best selling economy car in the US were 1979 and 1980, when GM had capacity to meet demand for economy cars and Japanese imports were restricted.
Note that the Toyota actually sold for that sticker price, and probably more. The idea of paying full sticker for a Chevette is laughable.
The Chevette was actually the best selling vehicle in the US, period, in 1981. The 346,307 units moved was still down 7% from the year before, so I’d definitely wager inflation and subsequent interest rates played a big part here.
The US’ Lada? Not particularly good but cheap and when it broke down any roadside garage could repair it with dirt cheap parts available anywhere. In a sense, success of sorts.
Wasting time trying to counter blind hate with facts and reality .
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Sort of like tying to get me to buy any Asian cars I know they’re good and prolly more so than the vehicles I cling to and keep going but I simply DO NOT CARE and neither does Hubba .
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-Nate
Hubba
1979 and 1980 were not great years to be financing a car, what with double digit interest rates, so Chevette’s low price was definitely helping to bolster sales.
Hubba / Hardboiled Eggs and Nuts
You may be right with the highest selling year, I was off for sure. However, if this car was such a dud why was it around for so long. Almost everyone of a certain age can recall someone with a Chevette in the drive way (and seem to be ok with them). The little car became a staple fixture on the road.
I mean if the car was as bad as you claim, would it have been smart for GM to pull the plug on the car if it was a money pit in the market that no one wanted. we see cars that have bad sales, generally disappear within 5-6 years from launch easily-Ford Pinto comes to mind. Or perhaps drastically re-worked over to adjust the negative aspects of the car.
I get what you say about the chevette being bland basic transportation, with 63 HP on tap with a spartan bland interior design / driving dynamics (I agree). However, you must admit the Chevette still had charm and character that drove sales. This has to be placed in the equation as well. Why do you think people loved the Dodge Omni, Plymouth/Dodge Neon, Ford Escort etc. These cheap econo cars have to bring something else to the table other than being cheap. Something else in the formula had to make the Chevette have a successful run. The people I knew that had the Chevette (80% where women), Had to also visually enjoy the car to some degree to pay car notes for 3-5 years right?
Sure it was cheap, but for a few more grand one could easily upgrade to a J-car Cavalier, Escort, Tercel, Dodge Omni etc..
The Pinto was sold from 1970 all the way until 1980, and still sold in high numbers towards the end despite newer, better competition. So that’s not a good example to cite.
While I’m sure the Chevette was reliable and had some happy buyers, I think it was very much helped by an extensive dealer network, no huge reliability issues like the Vega, and sharp pricing/incentives. I don’t know who would have bought one in 1986, but I can guarantee they would have paid nowhere near MSRP.
There was a profound bias against owning a used car through the 70s and 80s, mostly based on fact and somewhat on prestige. Regardless of brand, cars visibly and physically deteriorated in front of you. A three year old Chevelle for the price of a new Chevette would have been a hard choice and would have been considered a risk. Today, a three year old off-lease Camry feels pretty much the same as a new Camry, it’s available with a ‘new car’ warranty and new car financing terms, it gets perfectly acceptable gas mileage, you can reasonably plan on driving it for years after the CPO warranty runs out with minimal repairs, and it probably won’t be faded, rattly, or rusty.
Hubba, you make a good point. Even Vega and Citation sold in big numbers when first introduced, showing what that huge dealer network and GMAC financing could do to prop up the most mediocre offerings. As for “charm” and “spunk”, this penalty box had neither. For better or worse, it was merely a cheap appliance for those who couldn’t afford a Civic.
I would argue that the Mazda GLC and the E70(79-84) Corolla did a far better job of being an RWD econobox than the Chevette.
And they would have rusted away within the first 6-8 years!
As would the Chevette.
The GLC was the car the Chevette dreamed of being.
Toyotas and Hondas were so much better, it was like they were delivered on a spaceship.
The Chevette had very good rust resistance. After the Vega fiasco, this was one area where GM went the extra mile to avoid any problems.
In 1986 a gentleman bought a Pontiac Acadian Scooter for his wife to use on her daily errands.
When I appraised the car in 2015 it only had 6,100 kilometres (just over 3700 miles) on the odometer. It still wears the original tires and is in pristine condition spending a lot of time in the garage. Likely the only Acadian in North America in such condition.
I got some wheel time in these in the 80s. Unfortunately, both of the ones I spent time in were automatics. Later, a neighbor down the street from my first house was a teacher with a young family. His daily driver was a Chevette Scooter, the super-strippo with the cardboard door panels.
Yes, for all the hate these get they were successful at their intended mission.
We were discussing Chevettes this weekend at a pre-Christmas party. Same as us, many of our friends now have children turning 16 and getting their beginners license.
We had a serious discussion that maybe we should buy an old Chevette between us so that we can give our kids the experience of doing RWD donuts in a snowy parking lot.
Dad had a 78 Chevette scooter in the late 80s. No rear seat, so us kids had to ride on the corrogated plastic liner. I had a 76 Chevette automatic in high school. Weak car, but I could tell my friends I had a ‘Vette…they were always disappointed once they saw the car!
Spanish lady come to me, she lays on me this rose…
It rainbow spirals round and round,
It trembles and explodes
It left a smoking crater of my mind,
I like to blow away.
But the heat came round and busted me
For smilin on a cloudy day
Apparently no one likes the Grateful Dead! I see the works “The Other One” and I hear these words from “That’s It for the Other One” aka The Other One
I’ve tried, I just can’t. Although I should have known, I even watched the Bob Weir documentary.
The Other One
Well it’s way off topic for this board, but Jerry Garcia said that The Grateful Dead is “like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice.”
There was some thought the 2.8 V6 in these. Wonder how the small block of the 80s would have woken things up. I doubt they would have needed Lotus to sort the suspension.
John C.
Believe it or not, the really cool looking Pontiac Fiero (introduced in 1984). Used the Chevette suspension and platform. Hard to believe since the two look drastically different. I think even the Citation had the humble platform based off or similar to the Chevette.
amazing what can be created and re-skinned.
I believe until 1988 the Fiero used the Chevette front suspension. The Citation front suspension was used in back under the transverse engine. The 88 Fiero had a new design front and rear. The Chevette work with the 2.8 was an offshoot of the Fiero program.
John C.
Thanks for the clarification. It still amazes me how these parts can be so interchangeable from model to model so drastically. When I was young I use to assume that every single car made in the word had unique parts that were specifically to just that car and that car only.
It was mind boggling that say a 1985 Cadillac De’Ville Brougham, shared the same body frame, etc as say a Chevy Caprice Classic. One cost like $22K new, while the other was around $12K..crazy
85 Deville was FWD and unibody. The Fleetwood Brougham did have a longer wheelbase and some extra welds to stiffen the structure, but you are correct, a similar frame. The loss of the Caddy engine was the calamity that happened to the Brougham that year. Had the 81 V8-6-4 system worked, it would have saved the big block engine a car like that needs and does so much to differentiate from a lesser model. By 1985, only Rolls Royce had a big block V8 in a car.Unfortunately the FWD intended 4100 V8 had to be substituted and was not up to the weight.
The use of Chevette and x-car suspension mash-up was why the Fiero looked the part but didn’t actually handle like a sports car—it wasn’t genius it was cynical and shortsighted. This was typical GM parts-bin engineering. When GM finally ‘completed’ the Fiero with an actual sporting suspension in 1988 it was too late to save its reputation and they killed it after just one year with the car actually perfected. In the end, their effort to save money just ended up torpedoing the whole plan. Classic GM of the era–cut off your nose despite your face.
John C.
Yes the dreaded V8-6-4. I still give GM credit for pioneering the idea/early technology of it. Of course brand new technology will have bugs to work out over the next 5-10 years. Just like the 1st generations airbags, ABS brakes, Fuel Injected engines etc, even the 86 Buick Riviera “CRT” screen was like a prequel to the electronic command center / GPS we have in cars today. And many car makers have returned to the banks using less cylinders in low RPM / speed to save gas. Think “GM Flex Fuel”, Ford Ecoboost. Where the engines run on partial power at stops and low speeds etc. Good chat, learned something new!
GM does get credit for pioneering certain technologies: automatic transmission, obviously; commercially available airbags, I believe so; turbocharged gasoline engines for passenger cars, absolutely; cylinder deactivation, definitely. I’m not so sure about stop-start, which was not part of the V8-6-4 system. (Shutting down the engine at idle and automatically restarting is really a separate technology with different engineering challenges.)
Regarding ABS, GM and Ford began offering the first electronic rear antilock systems at about the same time (MY1970). The first four-wheel active ABS — an adaptation of the Dunlop Maxaret aircraft system — was part of the Formula Ferguson package used by the 4WD Jensen FF, but its direct relationship to modern electronic ABS is limited.
Fuel injection, nope nope. There were other passenger cars with mechanical injection before GM introduced the Rochester system. The ancestor of modern fuel injection is the Bendix Electrojector, which Chrysler flirted with briefly in the late ’50s and which later became the basis of Bosch D-Jetronic.
As for in-dash nav systems, this is an area where the Japanese were way ahead of us, offering the first computer navigation and even GPS setups for passenger cars in the early ’80s. I think Honda was the first, although I believe Toyota’s slightly later Electro Multivision presaged the modern tendency for the electronic screen to absorb the sound system and climate controls. Also, let’s not forget the 1981 Imperial’s electrofluorescent instruments and “Electronic Information Center”!
The first modern (computerized, multi-channel, 4-wheel) ABS system was developed jointly by Chrysler and Bendix. Marketed as “Sure-Brake”, it was optional on Imperials in 1971.
Buddy of mine stuffed a 327 into one. Went stinking fast in a straight line.
The hot T car was built in the UK by Vauxhall and featured a DOHC 2.3 litre four taken from a Bedford van, they were rallied with moderate success around the world but of course unknown in the US.
Shows what the basic chassis was capable of.
The Buick V6 will fit, albeit very tightly (no room for PS or PB)-Hooker actually had a swap kit.
A V6-60 fits easily and looks like it was built that way. I saw one on the Power Tour a few years ago…it had a complete 3400/4L60E swap from a Firebird, done VERY well. (It looked like a factory installation.) 200+HP in that little car would MOVE!
Here in Brazil we try a lot to take advantage of the RWD concept of the Chevette dropping a lot of different kinds of engine in it. Even the 250 in line six.
Love the Brazilian Chevettes. I saw some in Belo Horizonte back in 92. The door door reminded me of the 4 door Isuzu I-Mark.
A 250 inline 6 on that car? unbelievable!
Love it, but the Chevette was not helped by the facelifts, unfortunately.
98 HP 86 Calais needed to have the AC off to pull with any sort of dignity. {and it was sort of dignity}.
86 Calais only had 92hp. Leave the AC on and pull away slow with dignity. Never let them see you sweat.
These were pretty spartan in basic form (esp. as the Scooter penalty-box model) but could be dressed up with lots of options which made them acceptable daily commuters. Mostly unloved but a better effort than some of GM’s offerings, and they were very easy to fix.
I collected additional options for mine whenever I found them at the junk yard: gauge cluster with tach and temp, tilt wheel, intermittent wipers….two things my last Chevette did not have and i did not want: air conditioning and an automatic.
When I drove it cross-country in 1988 I really wished for cruise control.
The little Chevette is so humble and homely that it makes you want to root for it and love it. The front face of the car looks so bland and sterile that it makes you want to adore it.
I always wondered how this car managed to run all the way to 1987. About a 11-12 year run with not many upgrades over the years. That in of itself is success. This little Go Kart made GM billions over the cars run. It pulled the weight of other dud cars of the era, which lead to GM staying afloat.
The only people who want to root for the Chevette were people who didn’t have to live with them. The technology, if you want to use that word, was from the 50’s. They were tiny, miserable cars, rough running and crude, and noisy. It was always a car that sold strictly on price, with no real virtues of its own. It was sold for so long because it was was a huge help to Chevrolet in sneaking in under the federally mandated CAFE standards. I had a friend who had a Chevette, new, with cardboard door panels. It did have an automatic transmission though. I remember he parked one day facing uphill and it would not move with the weight of four teenagers in it. We had to get out and wait till he turned it facing downhill. Driving it was very sad for those of us who had driven the great GM cars of the 60’s…. which didn’t have steering wheels canted to one side as the Chevette famously did. GM didn’t bother to fix that in 11 years by the way.
But, but, you say: look how many GM sold! They must have been good cars. Nope. They sold because the average interest rate for a car loan in 1980 was 16%.
http://www.carloanpal.com/car-loan-blog/post/a-look-at-historical-car-loan-interest-rates
Your average working Joe couldn’t afford anything else especially since the inflation rate was 13%
http://www.1980sflashback.com/1980/economy.asp
And Joe needed good gas mileage too because gasoline was $1.25 a gallon on average (equal to $3.66 today)
I will say that they were durable, mostly because they were crude as tractors.
Compared to ’70s competitors like the RWD Ford Escort or the E30 Corolla featured the other day, the T-cars were above-average in certain areas, at least par in others. By the ’80s, the U.S. versions were falling behind the times in terms of performance and refinement and were pretty clearly being sold on price.
I’d say an E30 Corolla as delivered in a US dealership is better than a Chevy Chevette in every possible way, except maybe price.
AFAIK, the RWD Escort was never available in the US; Ford dropped the Cortina in the US when the Pinto was released.
Not at all true. A good friend of mine in high school had a Chevette…and I had a good point of comparison, since my sister drove a contemporary Civic. The Civic was a pure penalty box–incredibly loud much past 50MPH, and it rode like a buckboard–the racket and the ride rivaling a canvas-top Jeep. The Chevette was quieter and, while I won’t say it rode well, it was much better…more like, say, a Scrambler or a Gladiator pickup than an old CJ5. I never did a comparison, but he claimed low 30’s for mileage in the Chevette, my sister claimed the same for her Civic.
Rust was VASTLY worse on the Civic, which basically dissolved, and was scrapped because the body was pretty much gone. (The Chevette, a year older, went 5 more years.)
Power seemed comparable, though the Chevette was not at all forgiving of being in the wrong gear. Handling was also comparable…I would rate the Chevette as better, though I admit I have a fairly serious dislike of front wheel drive cars.
Service costs showed stark differences. Civic parts were pricey. Chevette parts could be bought for the change in the ashtray. (I recall doing a full brake job on it for about sixty bucks, and a starter for twenty.)
Those cars were the reason I bought my first metric tools.
The idea that GM made something like $1000 per Chevette is absurd.
No, the RWD Escort wasn’t offered in the U.S.; this is why I said “T-cars” rather than “Chevrolet Chevette,” since there were variants in many different markets.
It still kind of surprises me that these were made all the way to 1987. I suppose the Omnirizon was another 70’s compact that made it into the late 80’s (and without the benefit of a facelift) but it was a thoroughly more modern car to start out.
I’ve seen precisely one Chevette in recent memory, a wonderful tan late 70’s example.
The persistence of these toads in the showroom was down to priorities. The X body disaster and the disappointment of the first J cars had to be fixed, pronto. GM then prioritized the next generation of its profitable full size and mid size cars. The Chevette was left to fend for itself as long as it was able, then flushed away and replaced in the showroom with stuff like the Metro and the Sprint.
Thanks Gerardo.
At the time these came out the family was driving a 73 Montego. Dad brought home a Chevette rental and offered to let me drive it. I wondered why he thought I would want to, it didn’t seem very exciting, dark red with plaid interior. We took it out on familiar country roads; with no experience of anything Euro or small beyond a neighbor’s squareback, it seemed like a revelation. It was like flying.
When my time came to buy a car it was a 76 Rabbit. I remember mom being horrified at how small it was for the price when she drove me to pick it up. Her mom had a 60’s Fury III at the time. When we reached the entrance ramp to the 4-lane, I left that Montego behind.
If you were living in a rural part of the country and needed a small car with a warranty and dealer service and decent gas mileage, the choice was between these, the Colt or the Pinto. This one was the most modern and promised Chevrolet access to parts in practically every town in America. The Colt was too Japanese and the Pinto exploded upon impact, so this was the best choice for the time. They did acquire a rep for being tough, my only experience in one was being a passenger in a cousin’s. It was missing the door panels and didn’t have a back seat, but she drove it for years and years in the Ft. Worth area.
There were 2,793,353 sold between 1976-1988. The Scooter was priced at $2,899. There’s a lot of love for the Chevette in the Wikipedia article about it.
That A/C compressor and alternator look like the same parts that are in my 5.0 liter Cadillac Brougham engine compartment. An ordinary size for that car looks huge here. What a struggle for that poor 63HP Chevette engine to handle all of that drag with a 3-speed automatic behind it. I don’t think the Chevette came with a power steering option but if it did there would be a PS pump under there too. I sat in one once and was surprised at the size of the transmission tunnel, it was as wide as a seat and I forgot why. Probably to make room for another oversized GM common part. Outside it looked like a Fiesta but underneath it was more like a Pinto.
Calibrick.
I know right, can you imagine 4 grown adults being pulled around on a super hot day, with luggage in tow, with the A/C on full blast, trying to climb a steep street like say in San Francisco. Doing on this on just 63 HP, and if you elected the slow diesel option that probably had like 45-50 HP. The strain the car must have been under was unreal to move.
You have no idea ~ .
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We had dozens if not hundreds in our Municipal Fleet so we stole one from Salvage and used it to ferry Mechanics ’round, to lunch etc.
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As preventative measure they decided to replace the rubber cam belt and of course installed it one tooth off retarded (a *very* common error on such engines back then) .
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After that the leisurely pace was _glacial_ even with the AC off .
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I tried to explain the simple fix to the (crooked) supervisor who’s car it was but he shined me on and no one ever wanted to drive / ride in it after that .
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We broke the ” CHEVETTE ” badging and epoxied quarters in front of “VETTE” and called it our ‘ quartervette ‘.
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-Nate
I suspect the basic nature of these helped endear them to owners because, when they did break, they weren’t particularly difficult to fix.
A Scooter in decent shape would be tough to find today. For one thing, drag racers liked their low cost, light weight and ease of jamming a SBC in the engine bay. Personally, I think a swapped V6 would be much more livable for street driving.
Per Wiki:
1987 model
“Sales fell to just over 46,000 units, and production ended on December 23, 1986”
So in 3 days is 30 years since last US Chevette was built. Didn’t quite make it to ’87 Calendar Year.
Cool tidbit. They must have quit a few days early for the Christmas holiday. I wonder if anyone will be celebrating the Chevette’s final day?
Originally was supposed to go a full year, I remember reading in Automotive News at library about the cut.
Always love a Chevette CC.
Thanks Gerardo!
A college mate of mine bought one of these brand new back in 1984, with the manual transmission. It got 40mpg on the highway, which not many American cars could do at the time. He owned it for several years. It was basic transportation and nothing more, with a low cost of ownership and easy to repair as well.
Chevy “Shove-it” we called them. Not out of disrespect, but we always have fun with names. “Physic” is what we still call a Honda Civic.
I never drove one of these, but did ride in one a few times, a four-door w/AC. Not as bad as I had thought, but then again, I wasn’t the owner.
For the Chevette to hang around so long, something had to be right with them.
Such an ugly wretched penalty box of a car. But damn if they weren’t reliable and tough. These things would get regularly flogged around by my classmates in H.S. with virtually no maintenance whatsoever yet theyd just keep coming for more. Pity that they couldn’t have built the Vega similarly. I guess you could have a good looking POS or a solid reliable car that looked about as appealing as a butthole sandwich. But GM isn’t giving you both in one package.
Don’t forget, the Isuzu Impulse was also built on this platform.
And it wasn’t bad with the “handling by Lotus” upgrade.
I owned one, once, non-turbo, and it was quite nice.
The T-car platform wasn’t all that bad, initially (keep in mind that would be model year 1974 for Europe, and I believe 1973 for South America.). Those variants sold elsewhere received much more variety and even had some performance models, like the Impulse.
Japan made some hot models in the form of the Gemini ZZ series beginning in the latter part of the 1970’s, powered by their DOHC 1.8 liter G180W, in both fastback coupe and 4 door sedan variants, with up to 130ps with fuel injection.
Opel had their Kadett GT/E fastback coupe, powered by their 1.9 Cam-In-Head 19E that got up to 115ps via fuel injection. Very popular with amateur rally drivers of the era, specially once the 5-speed became available.
The most powerful variant outside of the Impulse, however, was Vauxhall’s Chevette HS and HSR models; a 2.3 liter 16 valve slant four was fitted good for 135ps. These models were intended for FIA rally homologation, but they have quite a suspect history behind them, as described here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cohort-sighting-vauxhall-chevette-hsr-the-chevette-goes-racing-quite-sucessfully/
And the Chevette in Brazil got a longer lifespan until 1993 and it included a pick-up version made until 1995. http://vauxpedianet.uk2sitebuilder.com/vauxhall-t-car—aka-chevrolet-chevette-brazil
I know that by 1986-87, Chevrolet was also selling the FWD Spectrum (built by Isuzu), Sprint (built by Suzuki) and the Nova (built in California by NUMMI, a collaboration between GM and Toyota). All of those cars were more modern than the Chevette, which has a basic RWD design dating to 1976.
One of the cars in my “fleet” is an ’84 2 door with the Isuzu 1.8L diesel and 5 speed OD transmission.
Many times I came close to pulling the engine/trans and scrapping the rest, but something told me not to. It runs/drives and with some work could be roadworthy. I’ll just keep it around and maybe one day, it will get a new lease on life.
It would be a heck of a conversation piece at car show.
In a sea of Mustangs, Camaros, and old Chevys, a well-kept old Chevette diesel would be a welcome relief at any car show.
+100
Back then, a set of chrome trim rings, and lug nuts would really dress up a plain steel wheel. Unlike the HORRID plastic wheel covers placed on base model cars today! 🙂
I know they catch a lot of grief, but I like Chevette’s too. I’d buy a 79 in a heartbeat if I could find one for the right price.
Although I’ve never owned or driven one, I remember the Chevy Chevette. I prefer the 1981 and later years for the car. I’d buy one with a diesel engine, if for nothing else other than fuel economy.
If a diesel Chevette meets your current transportation requirements, a golf cart might be a better option.
Driving a diesel Chevette in modern interstate traffic would be like driving a Ford Model A. You WILL get run over (and crushed to death) by someone who doesn’t anticipate that you can’t keep up the same speed going uphill as on level ground.
Reminds me that, just yesterday, I saw an old VW Microbus cruising along in the fast lane of a 70 mph highway. The outward appearance was definitely modded (mostly dechromed with no bumpers, bigger, custom tallights, and a funky blue color) so I can only presume he had serious engine mods. And it seemed to be riding pretty damn high, too, for a big, ole brick.. Of course, I’d forgotten how those old cars would be, at high speed, what the highway patrol called ‘getting air’ in that the bodies would lift up off the suspension. It used to be one of the classic ways they could tell someone was speeding. For a great example, check out McQueen’s Mustang in Bullitt when he’s on the highway.
Normally, old VWs (at least original ones) would seem to fall into the same category as Chevette diesels as being serious, slow-moving highway hazards. In fact, they should really put one of those reflective triangles on the hatch lid.
I had considerable seat time in two different Chevettes, in the late seventies/early eighties. My brother and his wife bought a new one (their first new car) because my sister in law had a lengthy commute to and from work. This one had the four speed manual and, while it was certainly not a hot rod, rowing hard allowed one to keep up with traffic. They only kept the car a couple of years because they decided they needed something with more room.
One of my sisters bought a used Chevette not long after my brother bought his. This one had the three speed auto and it was a total slug; getting the car past 58 MPH required patience and a long stretch of road. It wasn’t even particularly economical as one tended to treat the gas pedal as an on/off switch. This one was traded away as soon as my sister finished nursing school and returned to the work force.
To quote an old friend who owned a scrapyard. “There was a time when I thought the world would never run out of chevettes. Some days we would pick up seven or eight of them. We couldn’t crush them fast enough and all of a sudden it stopped.”
There’s one still slugging away in my area with paint worn so thin that surface rust in gradually taking over.
Ah the Chevette
I had a 1983 2 door Scooter model for 3 years in the 1990’s. I actually liked mine a lot and do regret selling it to a coworker who promptly wrecked it. Mine had factory A/C that blew super cold but only allowed you to go 30mph or below when it was running. I used to call the A/C off switch my turbo button because when I turned it off the car took off.
It was a pain in the ass to change the spark plugs as the dist. was under the a/c compresser
I thought the Chevette was an honest little car, it was sold as cheap fuel saving wheels or as a second car/spare car
A+,probably the most honest car Chevy made back in the day. My family had an `81 coupe, totally basic with auto, AM radio and nothing else. Silver with red vinyl interior. Hot as hell in the summer, but the car was indestructible, and believe it or not, FUN to drive, as long as you didn`t play Speed Racer. Bare bones transportation at it`s best. And unlike a friend`s 75 Pinto, the front passenger seat was adjustable.
Haters and Enthusiasts laugh all you want. I bought 1987 Pontiac Acadian brand new as my 1st car. It was an UP Level model – 2 door hatch, 2 tone paint – grey on silver, automatic, upgraded cloth seats, am/fm stereo radio with rear speakers, cargo area cover, dual mirrors, etc. It was basic transportation at its best and with an upgrade to decent tires pretty fun to drive. It met the criteria for my 1st car – cheap to buy, run & maintain and reliable. The closest competitor to this was the also rear wheel drive Hyundai Pony only sold in Canada. I think this car which was sold from 1984 to 1987 helped with Chevette & Acadian sales. People looked at the Hyundai and bought GM due to dealer network and proven track record. My Acadian served me well. It never broke down on me and always started during our harsh Canadian winters. I drove that car until 1995 and 400,000 km`s when I let it go due to under carriage rust and oil leaks. For most folks that bought these new or used they served their mandate as cheap reliable basic transportation.
And there are still a few Chevettes and Acadians running around where I live. Should have kept the wife’s Acadian. Under my care it might still be with us.
I’m surprised how many of you have had or knew someone who drove a diesel powered Chevette. I can’t recall this engine being popular up here in the Chevette. Perhaps a more popular engine in the US?
The funny thing is I still see these driving around on occasion, a testament to there reasonable reliability. There is a 1976 orange 2 door Scooter sitting behind our dodge dealer that would be fun to play with. It’s in decent shape too with very little rust and just over 100K miles.
Was the Chevette the #1 selling car for 79 model year? Cutlass was for ’76, then big Chevy came back for 77-78, but gas crunch got Chevette up there.
Citation was #1 in 1980, then Escort for a while.
It was 1981. The 346,307 sold was down 7% from the year before.
As for the crash test pic, i’m just crazy enough to say I found the online written info for the exact test to a 79 Thunderbird (well actually a rear crash test for fuel system integrity which it failed!) got the VIN, and ordered the Marti Report on it. Shame there’s no equilvalent for Chevy. The dealer that sold it was only 2 miles from the test place and when I checked a year ago was still in business under the same name. Here’s the report for a car that no longer exists!