My New Car!

[Fierce Critter]

Well... it's not "new" new.

It's a 1988 Chevy Cavalier Z24. This will be my 3rd, though my first convertible model. I just really love this model car.

It needs work. Especially the following:

1) The top needs to be replaced. It's in your basic shit-shape for a convertible top of this age. aMostly sound, but the back window is gone out of it. I can get a new one off eBay or any number of websites. I'll need to pay someone to install it.

2) Needs new muffler. This one has a hole in it and it's loud as fuck. And not in a good way.

3) Driver's side automatic window is tempermental motor-wise. And the window doesn't close aligned right. The weather stripping/molding might need to be replaced, too.

4) Needs a new outer door handle on the driver's side. It works, just is 95% gone, so you only have a small piece of plastic to lift to open it.

5) Needs some cosmetic work on the back dashboard that sits just inside the back window. I'll have to see what it's supposed to look like to determine if that's something I can do myself, or if I'll have to have help.

6) Convertible top motor leaks, so it mostly has to be operated manually. I'm not super concerned about this, so it's very low on the list of what I want to do to it.

7) Needs new tires. I'll probably buy a good set of used ones when I'm ready to take it on the road.

8) Cooling fan may not operate at all. That'll be a high priority fix, though I have no clue what's up with it.

9) The usual inner detailing that I always do myself. At least this time I won't have to recover the fucking headliner - had to do that to the last one and it was a mutherfucker of a project I don't care to repeat.

Overall, it's not bad for the $500 we paid for it. It has 132,000 original miles on it. Body-wise, it's in damned nice shape with barely a ding or two that I might not bother having fixed. Once all the things that have to be done to make it weather-proof are finished (window, top), I'll be switching out the CD player from our minivan and getting new 3-way 6x9's in the back.

I'm not in a hurry to do any of this. Have other financial priorities first, and the minivan is a sound daily driver for now. But once the time comes, if anyone is capable of any of these things and wants to make some side $$, let's talk. (Marc?!?!?)

[Msterbeau]

Willing and able mam!! Your first priority is the fan. And making sure the roof doesn't leak.

Get a manual for it... Should be able to pick one up on EBay or whatever...

[Rayne]

I got a similar deal on the car I drove in high school. $200 for a 1988 Chevy Beretta GT with a seized engine in 1996. Car itself was in GREAT shape. 123,000 miles. Replaced the engine for $400 with a used one from the junkyard.

10 years later it still ran. I gave it to my brother to sell for rent money.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

You should be able to get a J body Chiltins at any chain auto store for about $15-20. Lemme check though... I might have one I can just send you.

When you say "cooling fan"... do you mean the main engine cooling fan? If so, it may actually be working.. this time of year is hard to tell. See, it only comes on when the engine is above a certain temp. You would ahve to run the car for a good long time in cold weather to get it to turn on. Therre is a way to test it.. to see if it's the fan motor or the sensor... Ijust don't, off the top of my old head, rember how. I know the last J body I owned (I've had 6), the sensor burnt out and for the condition of the car it was not worth it to by the sensor. I just rigged a 12vot Switch on the dash and turned it on once the car warmed up.

[Msterbeau]

You should be able to get a J body Chiltins at any chain auto store for about $15-20. Lemme check though... I might have one I can just send you.

When you say "cooling fan"... do you mean the main engine cooling fan? If so, it may actually be working.. this time of year is hard to tell. See, it only comes on when the engine is above a certain temp. You would ahve to run the car for a good long time in cold weather to get it to turn on. Therre is a way to test it.. to see if it's the fan motor or the sensor... Ijust don't, off the top of my old head, rember how. I know the last J body I owned (I've had 6), the sensor burnt out and for the condition of the car it was not worth it to by the sensor. I just rigged a 12vot Switch on the dash and turned it on once the car warmed up.

Yeah... if the sensor is bad... we can rewire it. I just need a schematic so I know which wire to connect the switch to. Testing the fan shouldn't be difficult. We just run a wire to the battery (More or less) and see if it runs.

[Pandora]

Wow a cavalier, my second car. My first was an Omni that I promptly smashed into oblivion, poor tree.

Last four months have been fun, drove a Dodge Shadow for 2 years, then the engine blew up. Then an Acclaim for a month, then That engine blew up. Now on my Intrepid which I love, hopefully avoiding this engine blowing up. Has a trans leak and a slight oil leak but other than that everything's great. Love my intrepid.

[Msterbeau]

Wow a cavalier, my second car. My first was an Omni that I promptly smashed into oblivion, poor tree.

Last four months have been fun, drove a Dodge Shadow for 2 years, then the engine blew up. Then an Acclaim for a month, then That engine blew up. Now on my Intrepid which I love, hopefully avoiding this engine blowing up. Has a trans leak and a slight oil leak but other than that everything's great. Love my intrepid.

Chrysler products.. Ack!!!! No wonder you keep going through cars!!

[Pandora]

StepDad is a Master Mechanic for Chrysler, can't be helped!!!

[Rayne]

Chrysler products.. Ack!!!! No wonder you keep going through cars!!

Exactly. I bought the Neon in January 2000, in early 2001 (with 57,000 miles on it), the head gasket blew. Thankfully I had bought an extended warranty.

I showed up at the dealership and said, "The head gasket just blew in your parking lot." The guy looked at me in disbelief and said "It couldn't have." He walked out there and looked at it, came back in and said "Well, I'll be damned.".

The head gasket itself isn't expensive, but the expense of having a dealership or shop do it is VERY expensive just on labour. Chrysler fixed it and when the car was totalled by a semi truck in late 2001 (then 115,000 miles on it), it was still running smoothly.