Junkyard Find: 1990 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24

Murilee Martin
by Murilee Martin

We saw a 1990 Cavalier Z24 just a few months ago, but lately I’ve developed a sick fascination with the allegedly high-performance versions of the very popular Chevrolet Cavalier. Maybe it’s the wretchedness of the breed in the 24 Hours of LeMons, or maybe it’s the vivid purple paint job. Whatever the reason, here’s another ’90 that I found in a Denver-area yard not long ago.

Are these tape stripes factory-installed? The early 1990s were the heyday of hideous stick-on graphics, but there’s a certain level of Manny, Moe, and Jackness on display here.

The previous Colorado Z24 Junkyard Find had a Heisenberg air freshener hanging from the rear-view mirror, and this one has a “Breaking Bad” DVD inside. Coincidence?

How many acres of this blue velour-ish material did The General consume during the 1980s and 1990s?

The first car more people bring home… is a Chevy Cavalier.








Murilee Martin
Murilee Martin

Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Hagerty and The Truth About Cars.

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  • FAHRVERGNUGEN FAHRVERGNUGEN on Sep 24, 2015

    Love the pinstriping. In the EKG of life, it looks like the Heartbeat of America pulsed once, then flatlined.

  • RHD RHD on Sep 27, 2015

    The first car that people trade in on a Toyota Corolla is... a Cavalier.

    • Drzhivago138 Drzhivago138 on Sep 27, 2015

      They actually sold the Cavalier as a Toyota in Japan, RHD, for a few years in the late 90s. The answer to the question no one would've asked in a million years.

  • JRED My dad has a 2005 F-150 with the dreaded 5.4 that he bought new. 320k miles on the original engine and trans and it's still not only driving, but driving well. He's just done basic maint, including spark plugs and ignition modules. Interior is pretty ratty now but who cares? Outlier I know, but that is a good truck.
  • MaintenanceCosts It is nearly 20 years later and this remains the most satisfying Hyundai product I've driven. It got a lot of middling reviews at the time but the 3.3 V6 was buttery, the transmission shifted well, and the ergonomics were fantastic.
  • Steverock PT Cruiser with the 2.4 turbo. I bought one new in 2004, and it was quick. It was kind of dorky, but it was fun to drive and had lots of room for stuff. My wife drove it to work one day with the parking brake on, and it was never the same after that. Traded it in on a 2005 Mazda6 wagon.
  • Normie 2001 Deville. Euro and J-car snob till then, I was bumped-up by a rental company when my reserved Sentra evaporated.By God, I'd never before felt so utterly suited to a car. If I weren't in late-onset grad school at the time I'd have joined the church.
  • Add Lightness That Tupperware/gardenshed styling of the Pontiac Aztek has grown on me over the years.
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