1989 Chevrolet Cavalier Baseline Wagon review from North America

Water pump - Hard to replace because of inaccessibility.

Brake rotors - worn out considerably.

Transmission - still slipping - not corrected.

Brain box - replaced before I got the car.

Engine - previous owner didn't check any fluids.

Locks - rear hatch and passenger door locks seized. Ignition lock and driver's door locks worn. (don't need a key)

Starter solenoid - wore out and corroded when it sat for a few months.

Bodywork - badly rusted - repairs underway.

Bodywork - Dents, dings, scrapes.

Bodywork - the previous owner had an accident.

Interior - moldy - needs to be re-installed.

Front axles - wore out.

Handbrake - out of adjustment and therefore does not work.

Nothing else besides routine maintenance.

The car is a family heirloom. My grandmother bought the car in 1993, and it has therefore been in the family as long as I have. The car was then owned by my Grandfather, then my aunt (the one who seized the engine and crashed the car) and then my parents, who kept the old girl running before it was parked at a farm for a few months before it was recovered and repaired by me.

When I received the car, it looked like it belonged in a scrap pile. It actually looked like it had been in one; Covered in algae and dirt and moss and tree sap, the car was barely recognizable. There were dents and dings, rust that made the car look as though it wasn't worth fixing.

But it has been. The bodywork is nearly finished, the upholstery only requires a new carpet and it shall be installed along with the rest of the interior. The outside only requires a new corner light, and the car has even received new pinstripes and more.

If you read the mileage, then it told you that I have only traveled 0.1 of a kilometer in the car. I know how the car works and how it drives because my family has had it for fourteen years, and it's 19.

The car runs very smoothly, even the first time after sitting for months. The throttle is actually easy to push, and is light. The brakes work very well too. The steering is also very smooth and predictable, as the wheel only turns twice lock to lock.

The inside is blue. Blue and bluer. Kind of dark, but it reduces glare. I have no headliner, only roof painted blue. The car is reasonably light on fuel, despite being a station wagon.

The car is mild mannered and quiet until you put your foot down, and it gets very loud very fast. No wonder, because it's basically the same as a Z24 or RS underneath, apart from the Fuel injected Over-head valve in-line four. So, it handles like a sports car.