Sell, Lease, Rent or Kill: 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier

Steven Lang
by Steven Lang

Like the Chrysler LHS, this one was bought for $1000. A red, automatic 4 door model with power nothing and an aftermarket radio system. Florida, land of a million rentals was flooded with these vehicles ten years ago, and why not? It is an honest and decent piece of transportation that can go well north of 200k with proper maintenance. This particular one was bought at 150k with no paint fade on it. A very surprising plus for a car from Hotlanta. But the rear seat cushion has the usual ‘smile curl’ where the ends peak upwards due to excess sun exposure and let’s face it… this one is a parts bin special.


If I sell this vehicle I will probably get around $1800. Maybe $2000 to $2200 if I save it for tax season which comes in a couple months. A good version of these vehicles is often swarmed on Craigslist and Autotrader with hundreds of others that were abused to varying degrees. Cheap tires, cheap oil, and not so cheap financing arrangements for sub-prime finance customers are ‘the life’ for many of these sleds. This better kept version represents an unwanted rarity for the cash buyer. Many will test drive a couple of dogs and just give up on the idea of buying one. A wealthier or more credit worthy person will typically consider the far nicer competition that has a price premium to match it. But still an $1800 price represents a very healthy profit with little effort.

Renting this vehicle may be the best choice. I had a 1998 Pontiac Sunfire that had been financed a few months back. Although the parent was supposed to be the driver of the car, it was obvious that the 16 year old son became it’s owner with predictable results. An overdose of street racing, Lucas additives and non-certified oils blew the motor. I took the vehicle back and found a wrecked donor car with a good engine and transmission for $350. The Sunfire was fixed and since then it has seen consistent rental duty for the last several months and 7,000 miles. I have plenty of spare parts for the Cavalier should I choose to keep it.

Financing this vehicle would likely yield $500 down and $50 a week for anywhere from 50 weeks to 15 months. Economical vehicles have a red hot demand at the moment and if the cost of gas spikes past $3.50 next summer, you may likely see these vehicles come within a hair lick of a Crown Vic’s profit at the buy-here pay-here lots. The Ford may be far more durable. But the Cavalier is cheap and when a big chunk of a working person’s pay stub goes toward the gas pump, the gas guzzler gets replaced. I get several tons worth of trade-in’s during the July/August period from folks looking to better balance their commuting costs. Cavaliers, Sunfires and Saturns go for very good money during those times.

So should I sell it for the quick and easy profit? Rent it for a long-term return? Finance it for the same reason? Maybe a combination of scenarios would be the best way to go. What says you?

Steven Lang
Steven Lang

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  • Spartan Spartan on Nov 10, 2010

    My parents still have my 97 Cavalier that I abused during my undergrad years. 2.2L OHV 4 Banger, 3 Speed Auto (yes a 3 speed auto), plastic bumpers, and one option, power locks since it had four doors. That car was impossible to kill then, I'm sure the same can be said now. Reliable transportation and it costs nearly nothing to run. Bought it for $1500 then and could sell it for more today. My Hondas of yesteryear gave me far more trouble than that Chevy ever did. Oh yea, sell it!

  • Stingray Stingray on Nov 12, 2010

    That thing is clean, It would make an awesome beater. And it was dirt cheap. A Cavalier in that condition here is about US$ 7-8K. I'd say, wait until tax season and sell it. Meanwhile, can be rented.

  • The Oracle Well, we’re 3-4 years in with the Telluride and right around the time the long term durability issues start to really take hold. This is sad.
  • CoastieLenn No idea why, but nothing about a 4Runner excites me post-2004. To me, they're peak "try-hard", even above the Wrangler and Gladiator.
  • AZFelix A well earned anniversary.Can they also attend to the Mach-E?
  • Jalop1991 The intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged due to suspected improper assembly by the supplier. Over time, partial engagement can cause damage to the intermediate shaft splines. Damaged shaft splines may result in unintended vehicle movement while in Park if the parking brake is not engagedGee, my Chrysler van automatically engages the parking brake when we put it in Park. Do you mean to tell me that the idjits at Kia, and the idjit buyers, couldn't figure out wanting this in THEIR MOST EXPENSIVE VEHICLE????
  • Dukeisduke I've been waiting to see if they were going to do something special for the 60th Anniversary. I was four years old when the Mustang was introduced. I can remember that one of our neighbors bought a '65 coupe (they were all titled as '65 models, even the '64-1/2 cars), and it's the first one I can remember seeing. In the '90s I knew an older gentleman that owned a '64-1/2 model coupe with the 260 V8.
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