81 Chevy chevette $2500/not mine

[Buick35]

Just listed on Space coast Florida's craigslist.Sorry I can't do the pictures.

Edited October 2, 2022 by Buick35
Price (see edit history)

[Leif in Calif]

Quite a rare car today...I hope it can find a good home. 

https://ocala.craigslist.org/cto/d/beverly-hills-1981-chevrolet-chevette/7540506725.html

1981 Chevrolet Chevette, 4dr, around 30k miles, garaged it’s whole life. AC, Automatic, vinyl interior, roof rack. Hasn’t been moved for about 15 years. Will need hoses, gaskets and related replaced from sitting. Body is in excellent shape. Ran when parked. Can be viewed 10/8-10/10. If ad is up car is still available. email: d6ea874945e93d92b1b11bd501435581@sale.craigslist.org

[John Bloom]

“Chevy chevette, it’ll drive you happy”.....

I can still hear the jingle. 
 

I am pretty sure I told this story previously, but my dad had one of these. They had a 1.4 liter engine , but he stepped up and bought the Rally 1.6.  The performance model chevette 🤪

 

he was the superintendent of schools in my home town. First year teachers had cooler cars.  After having it for 6 years and taking immaculate care of it, it had 49,000 miles on it.  He told me as I prepared to head off for college my freshman year “John, this will be a good reliable car for you at school”. I drove out of the driveway with it loaded to the brim and headed for college. For some strange (foolish) reason, my dad gave me the title and I took that also to college. Important Fact.... we are both John Bloom. Different middle names, but same first and last name.   The title said John Bloom. 
 

I had been at school about six weeks when I saw a 1974 Porsche 914 at a used car lot off campus. I traded even up the chevette for the 914. 
 

my dad’s face was priceless when I came home for fall break driving a strange car he had never seen.  Why he didn’t kill me, I’ll never know. 
 

chevettes are just terrible cars. I am struggling to think of a reason to buy one in 2022............  your first child was conceived in one???

 

 

 

 

[TAKerry]

John, I love that story and probably would have done the same. The car in the ad is def. a time capsule and not many around. But not something I have been waiting to put in my garage. I had a GF in HS that had an ugly brown one. It was ok to run around in and thats about all. 

[John Bloom]

16 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

John, I love that story and probably would have done the same. The car in the ad is def. a time capsule and not many around. But not something I have been waiting to put in my garage. I had a GF in HS that had an ugly brown one. It was ok to run around in and thats about all. 

The one great thing about the rally 1.6, was that I must’ve taught 20 friends in high school how to drive a stick shift in the car.

[58L-Y8]

I only had the displeasure to ride in one a few times, it was a miserable car to ride any distance in.  Fortunately, rust cleared most of them away quickly.

[plymouthcranbrook]

My Mother  in Law had one, an 81 I think, for a while. I don't remember any real issues in it but as a non air conditioned car she had a bad time in hot weather as she could not stand wind blowing in her face and wouldn't put the windows down in any weather.

[avgwarhawk]

My pop had one.  I learned to drive a stick in his Chevette.  My dad hated the car.  He would leave the key in it in hopes someone would steal it.  

[John_S_in_Penna]

A man I know bought a new one in 1980.  He drove it

for 19 years as his everyday car, and I've never heard him

say anything bad about it.  These 4 cars, averaging about

20 years' use apiece, have sufficed him for over 80 years.

 

"Why get a new car when the old one still works?" he said

to me, yet he lives in a house of 17 bedrooms on 500 acres.

Modesty is a virtue, and a Chevette can keep a person modest!

 

Edited October 4, 2022 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[John Bloom]

4 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

A man I know bought a new one in 1980.  He drove it

for 19 years as his everyday car, and I've never heard him

say anything bad about it.  These 4 cars, averaging about

20 years' use apiece, have sufficed him for over 80 years.

 

"Why get a new car when the old one still works?" he said

to me, yet he lives in a house of 17 bedrooms on 500 acres.

Modesty is a virtue, and a Chevette can keep a person modest!

 

Love that story. 

[TAKerry]

4 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

A man I know bought a new one in 1980.  He drove it

for 19 years as his everyday car, and I've never heard him

say anything bad about it.  These 4 cars, averaging about

20 years' use apiece, have sufficed him for over 80 years.

 

"Why get a new car when the old one still works?" he said

to me, yet he lives in a house of 17 bedrooms on 500 acres.

Modesty is a virtue, and a Chevette can keep a person modest!

 

One better, I had a next door neighbor growing up that owned the local phone co., sold it off and made millions. He lived in a 1200sf rancher, in a modest neighborhood. Drove a base model Nova, and his wife did not drive. Nicest guy around. If you saw him on the street you would think he didnt have 2 nickles to rub together.

[John_S_in_Penna]

1 hour ago, John Bloom said:

Love that story. 

5 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

A man I know bought a new one in 1980....yet he

lives in a house of 17 bedrooms on 500 acres.

He still has it, though it was his regular car for "only" 19 years.

A message to all car salesmen:  When a man comes into

the showroom driving a 19-year-old Chevette, don't

disparage him.  Here's a glimpse of where the Chevette lives:

 

Edited October 4, 2022 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[1957Birdman]

The Chevette was born in the 1970’s, a bad decade for cars in general and American cars in particular. I believe that when Car & Driver did their initial article on it that two paragraphs in they referred to it as a “**it box”. My only experience with one was riding shotgun with a co-worker in one. It was winter and with our coats on our shoulders were pressed against each other’s and the windows. It was a very uncomfortable car to ride in. I have not seen one on the road in a long time.

Lew Bachman

1957 Thunderbird

[TAKerry]

They were a product of the time and filled a niche. Im not sure what the mileage was like but I would think much better than a caddy or lincoln, or even a big oldsmobile. I doubt anyone at the time thought they were getting anything more than an econo box, that was good on gas and made a decent reliable daily driver. They were never meant to compete with a family sedan or european luxury. They were built cheap but cheap to buy. I wish there was a new car for sale today that would be comparable. 

[Joe Cocuzza]

If this was a diesel I'd seriously consider buying it.

[Leif in Calif]

16 hours ago, TAKerry said:

They were a product of the time and filled a niche. Im not sure what the mileage was like but I would think much better than a caddy or lincoln, or even a big oldsmobile. I doubt anyone at the time thought they were getting anything more than an econo box, that was good on gas and made a decent reliable daily driver. They were never meant to compete with a family sedan or european luxury. They were built cheap but cheap to buy. I wish there was a new car for sale today that would be comparable. 

No Kidding! I read that in August the average new car cost over $48K. I don't know if I could get myself to go there....