16th May 2001, 06:20

I've got a 1981 Mark1 Cavalier - last of the breed - with 20s engine. Goes like a good 'un. 17 years of ownership 120,000 miles. From the stone-axe school of engineering and rare now, which I like. I shall keep it until one of us dies of old age.

4th Jun 2001, 05:36

I used to own a 1980 2.0 GLS saloon, it was a fantastic car, hours of fun annoying the boy racers on country lanes, they just couldn't understand how an "old shed" could beat them round corners. Classic car in a strange sort of way.

12th May 2002, 21:20

I still drive a 1980 2.0 gls sportshatch. It's a great car, but I find that a lot of people assume that it's a manta. makes them look twice when you say it's a cavalier!

12th Jun 2002, 12:44

I own a 1980 mk1 cavalier 1600ls, it's only done 26,000 miles from new. It is in immaculate condition and is still the body colour underneath. I do love the car, but find the 1600 a bit slow, so I'am looking for a 2.2lt engine to put in. Nice to know other people share an interest in the old mk1.

14th Sep 2002, 15:19

These cars are incredibly under rated, they are worth diddly-squat, which is a shame in some respects because we loose too many to the scrap yards. However, this also makes them cheap fun and as with mine (a 1976 1.9 coupe) they turn as many heads as a TVR!

As I said, for those interested, I have a 1976 1.9 coupe GL in metallic Monza blue. I bought it from a scrap yard for £100 with 50K on the clock, I took it for an MOT and it only needed a brake overhaul! since then I did over 25,000 miles in one year (to and from work). This car owes me nothing, it is utterly brilliant. It now has a more gentle life.

Why not join the Club, Cavette Club (Cavaliers & Chevetes) just type it in your search engine.

29th Mar 2003, 10:16

I have owned my 1980 1600GL Sportshatch for the last 20 years and together we have seen over 100,000 miles of fun.

Numerous trips to France, Scotland, Devon, everywhere really.

The car is stunning to look at in sparkling mint white paintwork with a set of polished wolfrace slots, wide tyres & lowered suspension a real head turner & with a few engine mods pretty quick for its year.

All in all the best car I have ever had (for the past 15 years I always have had a 2nd car).

Long live the Cavalier Sportshatch.

10th Jun 2003, 13:47

I have owned my Cavalier Coupe 1.9GLS for over 3 years. It is metallic green with a black vinyl roof and for the little I paid for it gave me sterling service for eighteen months. I am the third keeper of the car and it never failed to attract positive attention and some very kind comments. I think the Mk1 Cavalier range is ridiculously underrated and believe they are one of the most usable everyday classics you can drive. They are the last of proper cars without complexity for its sake and which allow you to actually get involved in maintaining and looking after the car. The car is now garaged, but will make a welcome return to the open road next summer when I have sorted out a few of its blemishes.

I get such a buzz out of owning and driving the car that I joined the Cavalier Mk1 owners club which has been a great way to meet fellow enthusiasts.

Gerry (E Yorkshire)

28th Oct 2004, 16:34

Great to see such positive comments about the ol' mk1 Cavalier. It was a great car in it's time, more stylish, better built and quicker than it's rival the mk4/5 Cortina (in my opinion).

I had a 1300 'L' as my first car back in 1988. Yes, it was underpowered (but still quicker than a 1300 Cortina going by the magazine road tests), though the 1256cc Chevette was simple and easy to work on. You could fall into the cavernous engine bay trying to find it!

I put nearly 35,000 miles on the clock, drove everywhere in it and loved it to bits. Sadly it got involved in a nasty accident back in 1994 so had to come off the road after that.

I had it on my driveway for 10 years, and kept hoping that one day I would be able to restore it. Or more likely fit a 16 valve 2.0 litre Astra engine or do a Rover V8 conversion. However, 10 years took it's toll on the bodywork and it was too rotten to really do anything with it. Very reluctantly I let it go to the great road in the sky early in 2004.

I have a lot of very fond memories of my Cavalier, and rate them highly compared with the rivals of it's time. Handling, roadholding and performance was light years ahead of the Marina or Avenger, and it could certainly show a thing or two to the Cortina.

Shame they aren't as collectable as the aforementioned rivals as they were nice cars to drive.

Nice to see that there are still enthusiasts keeping some of the few remaining on the roads. Keep it up!

31st Dec 2004, 08:58

I bought a Cavalier Sports-hatch 1.6 GLS new in 1980 for £5364. I kept her for 7 years. She was very reliable except for the first year of ownership, when under warranty the wheel-bearings and gearbox both failed and were fixed.

Apart from that, she was brilliant. Of all the cars I've subsequently owned the Sportshatch was definitely my favourite. The car looked great in her copper metallic paintwork, and compared to my dad's Cortina, handled like a dream. The Sports-hatch was dynamically way ahead of her direct rival the Ford Capri{even though of course the Capri was a much better seller}.With hindsight I do wonder about the "penny-pinching" attitudes of the then British motor manufacturers----the G.L.S.{supposedly the range-topper} came with a radio only, no offside door mirror, rear wash/wipe or sunroof---all items I had to have fitted after purchase. However despite these shortcomings and quite modest performance compared to the 2 litre the car aroused a great deal of interest simply because even then they were quite rare. In short despite selling her in 1987, I do wonder if she is still around.

29th Jun 2014, 18:54

Hi. Could anybody help me? I'm looking for a Jamaica yellow mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier Sports Hatch GLS.

My father used to own one for years and years, and he only sold it to buy me a car for my 17th birthday.

I want to buy one and park it on his driveway with a thank you note in it!

Must be yellow; no other colour would have the same effect.

Please contact me on recovery103@outlook.com

Thanks for looking.