Would you pay $33,000 for a 1987 Chevy Chevette? Apparently, someone just did. It’s got low miles – just 47 – so it’s basically a brand-new 1987 Chevette.
But nonetheless, a 1987 Chevette.
It weighed about 2,000 lbs. because it came with not much more than a very basic 1.6 liter four cylinder engine with a carburetor (one of the last of them) rather than a turbocharger paired up with a manual four speed transmission rather than a continuously variable (CVT) automatic that sent power to – wait for it – the rear wheels. As opposed to a sideways-mounted transaxle powering the front wheels. It does not have ABS or traction control or any other form of control. 
It has steel wheels that don’t bend irreparably when you rub up against a curb. Its tires are cheap to replace. If the blower motor for the heater ever needs to replaced, you can do that in 10 minutes or less with the most basic hand tools – because the blower motor is right there – bolted to the cowl and easily accessible.
Pretty much everything else is right there, too. And what isn’t there – such as spy-on-you cameras and narc-on-you “connectedness” – is coming to be re-appreciated in these later days of almost 40 years hence.
And that’s why this Chevette just sold for the equivalent of twice as much today than it cost to buy for when it was new back in ’87 – when you could have bought it for $4,995 – which, when “adjusted” for the eviscerated purchasing power of the dollar over the past 38 years amounts to just over $14,000 in 2025 dollars.
That amount of money will not buy you anything new that has four wheels that’s legal to put license plates on and drive – in this country, at any rate.
If it weren’t for the federal government, you would be able to buy something new that’s a lot like the ’87 Chevette only better – like the $13,000 to start Toyota HiLux Champ pick-up you’re not allowed to buy in this country, because the federal regulatory apparat says it is not “safe” (meaning it is not compliant with every last pedantic jot and tittle of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards “Bible”) and because the apparat claims its “emissions” (of the dread gas carbon dioxide which is not a pollutant) are too high.
But you’re not allowed.
You’re only allowed to buy something like the 2025 Nissan Versa, which only costs about $3,000 more in “adjusted” dollars than it cost to buy a brand-new Chevette back in ’87 and for that you get a computer rather than a carburetor and a front-drive transaxle rather than the rear-drive configuration that’s much easier to work on because the transmission and rear axle are separate components that are much easier to get at individually. For example, it is not necessary to remove the rear axle to replace the Chevette’s clutch – and the transmission is much easier to remove (when it’s time to replace the clutch) because it isn’t necessary to remove the rear axle along with it.
The 1.6 liter engine may not produce as much power as the Versa’s same size (1.6 liter) four cylinder engine – which touts 120 horsepower vs. just 70 for the Chevette’s. But the Versa needs the additional power to lug around its 2,600 lbs. while the Chevette gets by with less power because it weighs about 600 pounds less. Which it does because it did not need to be designed around six air bags to be “compliant” with current FMVSS “safety” standards.
Surprisingly, the ’25 Versa’s mileage is about the same as that delivered by the ’87 Chevette, despite the “efficiency” advantages the Versa’s got vs. the Chevette, which – you’ll remember – does not have a computer-controlled, fuel-injected engine or a transmission with overdrive gearing, as the Versa does. Because those advantages are negated by the extra 600 pounds (equivalent to the weight of a fully dressed cast iron V8 engine from a ’70s muscle car such the one in my Pontiac Trans-Am) the Versa is carrying around everywhere it goes.
And then you have the disadvantage of a computer-controlled engine that is beyond your ken and thus not really under your control. Even the throttle is controlled by a computer. When the Chevette’s throttle cable snaps, you can see it snapped – and replacing it yourself is easy. Everything about the Chevette is easy – because it’s simple and comprehensible – things we once took for granted but are beginning to remember and re-desire.
That ’87 Chevette is also more than simple. It is sturdy. Much more so than a 2025 Versa.
It does not have wafer-thin exterior panels that crumple like tinfoil. It has external bumpers – which means you could bump into things without causing damage that will cost you more than a Chevette cost back in ’87. If you bump into something in a new Versa or any new car, it is likely you’ll tear the plastic bumper cover, which is typically the entire front clip, which is held in place by plastic clips.
People used to deride the Chevette as being “cheaply” made – but you could pull its bumper back into place after bumping into something and it cost you nothing. And the Chevette’s bumpers didn’t tear off because they weren’t held in place by plastic clips.
The headlights – which were made of glass – never yellowed like today’s plastic headlight “assemblies” and those cost a great deal more than the $25 each it typically costs – even today – to replace a sealed beam glass headlight.
External bumpers are no longer allowed, chiefly because chrome plating is no longer allowed. And the manufacturers of new cars – having been forced to design homogenous looking cars due to the template of FMVSS “safety” standards – have resorted to styling over-the-top-looking front and rear clips to try to give buyers of these look-alike appliances something different to look at. That’s why headlight assemblies (and grills) look so Kabuki-opera slit-eyed and sucking catfish-faced. But it’s also part of the reason why you’re paying as much to insure a typical new car for three years as it cost to pay off a new Chevette after about three years, back in ’87.
And that’s why people are returning to buying cars like this ’87 Chevette – which are (for now) the only legal way to buy (and plate) a “new” vehicle that isn’t like the new vehicles the federal government wants you to buy today.
We are beginning to recover our senses. And beginning to realize that 1987 wasn’t nearly as bad as 2025 has become.
. . .
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I would like to see Trump gather the heads of Ford, GM, and others and ask if they could make a car that would sell at $10K or less if there were no CAFE standards, EPA mandates or any other rules that would impact the cost of the vehicle. A vehicle as such would have a universal market.
Remember, God obviously loves the poor, as he made so many of them.
Eric,
After reading your posts about automobiles over the past several years, I’m more convinced than ever that I don’t want an automobile made within the past 10 years or so given all the Nanny State technology that newer vehicles have in them. And given that plus the fact that new cars are increasingly unaffordable for ordinary people, plus they only seem to be built to last a few years compared to older cars, I do suspect that more & more people will be avoiding newer cars as much as possible.
As for the Chevrolet Chevette, I’ve never owned one myself, let alone driven one. I did once have a 1976 Chevrolet Nova that my great grandfather owned until he passed away and I effectively ended up as de facto owner of it when I learned to drive. Speaking of the Chevrolet Nova, IIRC, in the 1980s, the Novas of that era were a smaller car compared to the Novas of the 1960s & 1970s, which leads me to wonder if the Novas of the 1980s were in any way similar to the Chevettes of the 1980s.
The Novas of the 1980s (& 70’s) which I rode around in shotgun were Not at all similar, in any way, to the Chevettes of the 1980s I rode around in shotgun. Dunno about working on any of them.
Also, a teenager had to be more secure about themselves in order to drive a Chevette, not so with the Nova.
I saw a video from the late 80’s where a handful of college guys lifted the rear end of a Chevette and set the (metal) bumper on a (metal) garbage can as a prank. Nothing was damaged. It’s funny because this prank is inconceivable in today’s plastic world.
Had similar happen at a party Back in The Day with 4 passengers inside an 80’s VW Rabbit. Big guys picked it up & moved it all around, this way & that, everyone laughing their heads off the whole time.
Eric,
I just looked at the Versa because it’s one of the few cars one can still get with a manual tranny. I decided against it, because it has lane departure warning and other nanny tech.
I knew plenty of people who drove these because it was what they could afford.
they weren’t fast or comfortable, but the hatch was useful and they were simple.
There’s something to be said for having options.
My memory banks fluttered upon seeing the silver 87 ‘vette. Mine was a flaming lipstick red 84 coupe, with manual 4 speed transmission and windows and no AC. Bought for $200 in 1992 from a college friend moving on up to a truck. Leaked so much oil from a failing rear engine seal I carried a case of oil at all times, and usually filled the gas tank and the crankcase when stopping for gas. Still loved it, cuz it was cheap and reliable. My dad rebuilt the engine and put in a new clutch when I gave it to my sister and it was still tight and leak free when she gave it back to me after finishing college. Lost it when I got T boned by a drunk woman when lived down by the beach. It was just a wonderfully durable inexpensively reliable little economy car, seeing it brings back fond memories of my wayward youth and lots of saved money in my sha-sha-shavette!!! It always reminded me of the ” I think I can ” little engine that could storybook for kids, LOL….
$500 – maybe
DAMN STRAIGHT! Older stuff is simply superior. The golden era of used cars is late 80’s to early 00’s, when you could get the reliability of fuel injection run by a basic computer (not several computers with a bunch of automation you didn’t ask for), and before the complications of vvt — plus a ton of nanny features to drive you crazy. Bonus points if you find something solid post-1994, when they started using freon that’s still widely available.
Thanks, Nevis!
My ’02 truck is endearing to me for just those reasons. A computer controls the EFI – and that’s all it controls. The transmission is controlled by me and so are the windows (manual toll up) and the fan and pretty much everything else. Which also means I can fix pretty much everything myself, too.
91’ Mazda b2600i 4×4. Will never give it up willingly. I’ll cast, weld, and machine parts to keep it running if that’s what it comes to.
If the ECU dies – I’ll migrate to a Megasquirt.
I will not buy new. Starve the beast.
Wait till the slaves get their new cars with driver monitoring and the kill switch.
Wait…”Megasquirt”?
*Googles*
Hey…why have I never heard of this before???
This is like…the Raspberry Pi of EFI.
Frickin WOW, thanks for this…for some reason, I had never heard of this.
it also does distributorless ignition if you want, and the microsquirt does electronic transmission control. All those things are very nice if you control them yourself without a locked and gated proprietary OEM system.
Really cool, I didn’t know such a thing existed. I’m going to start looking into some of the things people are building with this.
DIYautotune and MSExtra are your friends!! I currently have 4 engines running on various MS3 platforms, the latest being the new MS3pro mini on a first gen Suzuki Hayabusa in a dirt rail. It is how I will keep all my junk running if it is otherwise denied by the asshats in power.
The reason the Chevette was discontinued (due to poor sales) is there was no “sport version”. The most HP the Chevette ever produced was like, 70 hp. Had the Chevette also had version that went (sort of) fast, it would have opened up a market segment it missed out on entirely. Want proof of this? Escort GT. Focus RS. Dodge Omni GLH. Civic Type R. Some folks like econoboxes, some folks like FAST econoboxes.
What I wouldn’t give today for a Chevette with a 2.0 NA ICE putting out 100-125 hp with a nice, tight 5 speed and some “low profile” 15’s. Va-room.
Also, Lancer EVO. VW Rabbit GTI.
So many “econo-box” makers understand the need for a sporty econo-box.
Chevy never got that point.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. That was the first car that I owned, and I learned how to do a bunch of car repairs on that thing. It was an economy car, but it was also made from compressed rust and it wasn’t very reliable, so lots of work was needed to keep it running. 1980’s rustproofing, if there was any, was nowhere near as good as today.
I wonder what would happen when you take a young driver from today and have them try to start a car with a carburetor and a choke lever on a cold winter day.
It didn’t have “Rusty Jones” rustproofing? My father’s Buick Century station wagon had that stuff…performed moderately well.
Whatever it had wasn’t good enough to survive New England road salt in the winters.
nothing is. yes some are a little better now, but the stuff is corrosive.
Our latest ‘storm’, they pre-salted the crap on our interstate, about 6hrs too early. The amount was amazing, and it was turning to salt dust. I was driving through a literal fog of salt dust. So now, not just my fenders, etc… but the entire engine bay, undercarriage, etc… is coated in salt. And no practical way to get it off. It’s now embedded in places a water shower will never get too.
They make undercarriage cleaning accessories for your pressure washer, you know.
Dang!
https://ibb.co/rFjVFfN
That there is a lifter from the 350 in my Firebird. Apparently my engine has been eating itself. I guess the previous owner didn’t do a good job of breaking in the cam. You never really know what you’re getting when you buy someone else’s junk.
A plan is in place though! And it will still be cheaper than a new car. Or a used car. Especially a $30,000 Chevette.
2 good things are going to come from this.
1. New 383 stroker engine with a warranty
https://ibb.co/2krJyJW
2. I will keep the old 350 block and use it to build an engine from scratch. Something I’ve never done before but always wanted to do.
Philo!
Now is the time to correct what’s wrong! Put a Pontiac in that Pontiac! Easy bolt in as that was what these cars came with – even if some didn’t come with them. All you need are the correct motor mounts for a Pontiac. Chief Plenty Horses is doing his war dance . . . you should join in! Seriously, a mild 455 will easily make 450-plus ft. lbs. of torque…
Eric, I wish I could! I dreamt of putting a Butler Performance 455 in it, but there’s no way I could ever afford it on my budget. 350s and 383s are so damn cheap, it’s really not even a choice. It’s what must be. I have my bone stock Charger garage queen when I want to drive a correct car. The Firebird is my ratty hotrod, no rules anarchy mobile.
I actually had it in to the shop to upgrade that 350 with AFR heads and a tunnel ram and dual carbs sticking through a hole in the hood. Then they found the damage…
An aluminum-block 455 is only like, $10k from TA performance, what’s the problem?
Hi Letme,
Those Butler aluminum engines are nice but I’d rather have a factory cast iron 400/455 for half the cost. Yes, I know – the Butler engine flows massively better and makes more power. How much do you need to have a fun car? My Trans-Am’s 455 makes about 310 horsepower but the real fun is the 450-plus ft.-lbs.of torque applied to the road via 15 inch wheels. I doubt I could use more power – so what would be the point? To hook it up, I’d need to add two sizes larger aftermarket wheels at the very least – and if I wanted all that, I’d just buy a new Mustang…
LOL look man, if you can’t agree that “too much horsepower” is a feature that doesn’t exist in this universe, then I don’t know how we can move forward.
Traction control = gas pedal control. You don’t need bigger tires, though they would certainly be useful. You just need to do manually what computers do for us now – limit the throttle according to speed differences between the driven and undriven wheels. We know this by hearing the howl of the tires (I love listening for the edge of traction) and the feel of the car.
See, Carol Shelby understood this.
Hi Philo,
It can be done for a very reasonable amount if you stick with a cast iron used Pontiac block and heads – and if you use the standard 400/455 (i.e., D port) engines and heads rather than the very pricey round ports. A nothing special 400 or 455 from a mid-70s Bonneville or Grand Prix is a great starting point. Good, rebuildable cores can be found for $1,500 or so and the rest is just machine work plus a new set of pistons and rings, bearings, gaskets, oil pump, cam and lifters, etc. With a mild street cam around 270 degrees you’d have an engine that’s stronger than the ’78-’79 T/A 6.6 400 and those were plenty fun to play with!
I really do appreciate the advice, and I would certainly go that direction if I had any intention of restoring this car. It’s just not in the cards. I’m reusing all of the accessories from the blown up engine and the intake and carb, air breather, valve covers and headers. It’s the only way I can get this car back on the road in a timely manner.
Here’s a nice video of a test drive in a similar setup. I’m losing sleep in anticipation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eaan16BEGb8
You lost your three million dollar home in LA because the Palisades fire burned it to the ground. 10,000 times over. Three million times ten thousand equals thirty billion dollars.
You are driven to distraction, driven away, have to flee, been extirpated.
Buy a used car, it’ll be home for the time being. Other choices besides a Chevette are out there. Why get gouged when you can be housed in your car? Go with the exodus.
Los Angeles keeps the home fires burning, whether they need them or not. Two new fires started today. It is grim.
Satan is wringing his hands in delight. It don’t get no better for the Devil. Happy as a clam.
The Supreme Firebug!
Could it be Satan?
“Could it be Satan”
Chapelle has an alternate explanation
https://x.com/VigilantFox/status/1880840832254660788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1880840832254660788%7Ctwgr%5Ecc51b7685f5cb950a904e26558c77003a3bc4ebc%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.barnhardt.biz%2F&mx=2
“Early in my career, I learned there are 2 words you never say together…’THE’ and ‘JEWS’.”
Dave Chappelle.
Classic.
I like simple cars (I have an 89 F-250). However, I’m gonna have to disagree with one main point in this article: The body strength and crash protection of the Chevette is basically non-existent. My parents had one in the mid 80s, and got into a minor accident in a snow storm. The car was completely crumpled up, and had to be totaled. They were lucky to be alive, and after seeing that, they swore they would never get another one.
My mom had a 1987 silver 4 door Chevette for many years that she ended up giving to my girlfriend when we split up. Nice girl. Anyway, The car always ran like a top and was amazing on fuel! I don’t remember it ever being in the shop for repairs. So other than the stigma of being a ‘Chevette’ it was nice reliable affordable transportation. Gheesh.. spoiled Americans.
“Gheesh.. spoiled Americans.”
Indeed. Worse than spoiled, I’d argue entitled is the word.
The sad reality is that even if people on this forum got their way and the Orange Fail waved his magic Executive Order wand and nullified EPA, NHTSA and all FMVSS regs, nothing would change.
Everyone wants to blame the alphabet agencies but the reality is they are far too entitled to buy and drive something akin to a Chevette.
As witnessed by the comments, people wouldn’t buy a car like the Chevette in numbers sufficient to justify building it.
Easy lives breed soft people, but being lazy is actually a universal trait. Lions don’t hunt the strongest animals to prove their courage. They hunt the slowest, weakest, easiest animals to catch.
The problem is that someone has figured out this universal laziness and how to exploit it to their advantage. The first step must be the utter acceptance that “the path of least resistance” is inherent in all of us.
They bought a Vette for $33 thousand! A She Vette!
Post of the day, Red Patriot – I saved that one for later!
I used to call them Shoveits. I will leave you to guess why. I remember driving one in the mid 80s, not mine, from Indy to Nashville in a driving rain with 4 other people. Speeds up to 80 mph. Car handled impressively in those conditions.
Actually, a nice mental image. Many a trip to a rock concert piled into cars or pickups like that. After every basketball game & on to the pizza joint, as well. (How many will fit inside) Never did 80 that way, though. …Had to drive, 55
As much as I rag on peasant cars – when you’re working poor and need to drive to work, these little rigs served a vital purpose. Decent on gas, and as Eric pointed out simple to fix most things so even if you didn’t wrench yourself things like that heater fan would be a quick swap by any mechanic for little labor cost. That labor cost today to do what was easy access now buried inside the dash would bankrupt the working poor.
There is a Chevette for sale at a classics auto website for 8895 USD. It looks like it is in good shape.
All you have to do is search for a Chevrolet Chevette for sale, you’ll see something.
Whoever bought the thing paid 24,000 dollars too much.
$8895 is still 90% to high. Just Chevy junk. We owned one when I was in high school, plus we had 4 Pintos in the driveway. The car to get at that time (late 80’s) was the Chevy Sprint, which morphed into the Geo Metro with TBI.
I dated a gal back in the early 80’s that had a Chevette. Transmission bearings howled like Hunter Biden on crack.
The Chevette, in retrospect, wasn’t really a bad car. It was just a cheap one. Never meant to last, and not at all fancy. But it was an honest economy car, plastic door panels and all.
It was available with a (Isuzu) diesel which like all mechanical diesels got spectacular high 40s mpg in a mechanical RWD car. Wish I could find one today.
When I was a senior in high school in 1987 a teacher let me drive her brand new Chevette to pick up pizzas. I was amazed at how little power that thing had, like a hamster wheel powering it. As for this one, I’m wondering why the driver’s side carpeting looks like it’s been beaten down with use as if it has 47,000 miles and not 47.
I thought the same thing looking at that picture. It looks like a five speed. Still way overpriced, even if it really has only 47 miles
Front wheel drive, arrggggghhhhh, brings back bad memories. in the 80’s those popular japanese 70’s cars were what we could afford in HS. They were not great cars.
I can’t tell you how many transmissions (manual) and axles, clutches, head gaskets, etc…. I had to replace. It was self inflicted mostly because we towed 1-2 dirbikes on a homemade trailer with those Civics. We didn’t know they had a zero tow rating. we found out.
I got so good at it that I made it a biz, and ended up putting myself threw college with the earnings, so there is a silver lining sometimes. My house had 3-5 honda/toyota’s on the street at any given time. The neighbors did not complain because I fixed all their (bad) japanese cars.
And why I migrated to trucks, like many, when the US brands went mostly FWD too. The only FWD car I liked was the Park Ave. with the blown 3.8, great car.
To this day, I still only buy RWD vehicles, currently the Grand Cherokee has my favor.
Yep the wonders of ‘70s head gaskets sandwiched between an iron block and aluminum head. Not the little Nippers finest design. Guaranteed to fail. Helped a friend with his Mazda back in ‘77 then did my brothers Datsun B210 early ‘80s. I never got the fascination with Oriental rolling stock back then, other than I guess the brainwashing by the Consumer magazine love affair with Toyota.
Hi Sparky, Honda’s CVCC engine would blow the head gasket between 3 and 4 religiously at 50-80K miles. About the the time the cam belt had to be replaced too (per Honda). Of course no one changed the belts either, so I got good at them and owned the aftermarket out of my mom’s house at 16-23yrs old.
If the owner failed to replace the belt, wammo, bent valves, and I got the cars for nothing.
It helped that the local honda dealer was a scammer, big time.
A local 3-bay mechanic learned of my ‘honda’ specialties and hired me to work on the weekends (when I was at college during the week). He would set them all up, and I came in and would knock out 3-4 cars, big bucks and no more at my mom’s house. He begged me to become part owner of the place, but I went down the path my parents demanded, engineering degree, etc…. Who knows how it would have worked out. Loved that guy.
Funny, we had an informal bet at the place on who could do a honda water pump the fastest. I think my record held at 4.5 minutes, haha………..
We had a degreed engineer at work (Perdue) that was also a motorhead. Even with his full time job, for extra money he did driveway auto repairs at his house. Another moonlighted at the auto parts store. Most of us wrenched ourselves. Even the family friend that was a captain for an airline still did his own, especially after the local shop screwed up the front end parts repair on his aging Ford pickup.
The sad part is there is no way a determined youth could fix today’s cars like before. The amount of tech/tools needed to troubleshoot/repair is likely out of reach for an enterprising youth.
And why they probably ‘code’, and ‘social media’ now, haha………
Every government requirement for cars, which we did not vote on, has added to the cost of vehicles. The sophisticated, elegant cars of the past have been replaced by trucks. I’d rather drive a 71 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. There are no convertibles today or hardtops or station wagons or limousines. Everything is a rectangular block in the wind shaped SUV or pickup truck. How dod this happen? The government made it happen. They took away our choices. I blame them! And poor Chrysler is gone. What about them? Stellantis needs to sell Chrysler back into American hands. This was more government meddling. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep are part of our heritage and are now owned by foreigners. This is wrong!
Dave, those were the days…………….. My dad drove Pontiacs. Catalina’s, Bonneville’s and Grand Prix’s, late 60’s early 70’s. I still lust over those cars.
Today, 4-door pickups are basically what men drive today, about the same size/space equivalent.
My first car was a 1985 Ford Tempo GL.
While it did have front wheel drive, a 3-speed automatic transmission, and throttle body injection, it had actual bumpers, even though they were painted matte black and body color instead of chrome, 13 inch steel wheels, zero air bags, manual door locks and crank windows, and absolutely no spyware.
Man, I wish I had that car right now.
I was given one as scrap about 10 years ago. Damn thing was hideous, and I was prepared to hate it. But it took a $20 fuel pressure regulator and a set of plugs to make it run, and the damn thing was cheap and bulletproof. It helped that the 4 cyl was a variant of the old falcon 144/170/200 pushrod straight six with 2 cylinders removed.
Incidentally, I scrapped my Tempo not because the engine or transmission failed, but the frame rails rusted through.
It wasn’t a Tempo GLS was it?
That was a rare bird, and a fun one as well. An Escort-platform car with a 3.0 V6. See, Ford always understood the need for “econo-box rockets”.
I only wish…
My daughter was in an accident over the holidays, totaling the other driver’s 2017 Silverado with her 2016 Corolla. We were able to fix the Corolla, but the truck was a total loss.
Since the $14k payout from The Gecko is not enough to get the other driver a replacement for what tuned out to be his work truck, he hired a lawyer to try and get money from a personal injury claim.
The Capo is going to punish me with the next rate increase if I’m not dropped. I already had a 25% jump in rates after my son hit a 2022 Accord in a minor bumper-to-bumper contact on the freeway and the Accord was deemed a total loss.
Which would make it out alive, 1976 Vega or a 2024 Corolla?
A Vega would win but I’m not impartial as I used to own a ’71 Vega. A real rust bucket. After riveting some rusted out panels I painted it grey using a wagner electric paint gun.
I truly admire the simplicity and repairability of the Chevette, but let’s be honest, that car was otherwise very shitty. Setting aside its spyware and “connectedness,” I would gladly take the Versa.
I’ve sort of come to terms with the computer controlled aspect of cars and other durable goods. I don’t think we’ll ever go back to non or minimally computerized things that are mass produced. My coming to terms has come about mainly by watching the South Main Auto channel on youtube. This guy does an excellent job diagnosing computer and electronic problems on modern cars (although he does employ a $1,500 scanner).
https://www.youtube.com/@SouthMainAuto/videos
Now, I just need to find a guy who knows how to disable the spyware.
Apparently the first generation of spymobiles — roughly 2013-2017(?) — ratted out the owner via the 3G cell network, which went dark several years ago. Thus no need to disable them.
It’s baffling why specs on each year model’s spyware are so difficult to find. People aren’t aware — or they don’t care?
Currently Texas is suing State Farm for buying telematics data from carmakers, including Stellantis and Toyota, when they couldn’t get cell phone data.
TBH, I have not spent any time on the spyware issue because I’ve been driving around in 2G era cars. However, they’re getting old and a bit unreliable at this point. At some point, I’ll have find a way to defeat spyware (there has to be a way), unless I pull the trigger on a modest 3rd Gen 4Runner restoration (which I think I could pull off for $20k-$30k).
Hi Mister,
Yup, the Chevette was a piece of crap. But we could have vehicles like the $13k HiLux that aren’t. And Trump could make that happen.
My guess is airbags, etc… is the main reason. God forbid we buy one without. 🙁
I’d buy one immediately.
The Ford Maverick seemed so promising in its base form, but Ford only wants to produce the loaded-up models. All Ford would have to do is put in a naturally aspirated 4 cyl (150-175hp) with a 5 or 6-speed manual (with optional 6-speed auto) and keep it under $25k. I could even accept the FWD design.
Ditto that, Mister!
I am trying to figure out a way to get Toyota to “loan” me one for a few years…
A Maverick below $25k would be a target for games by the dealers unless the customer was a large fleet buyer.
Nissan is supposedly bringing something similar to the US called the NP300. Small, barebones, naturally aspirated, three pedals. I think it’s currently produced in Mexico for that market so they’ll avoid the chicken tax. Supposed to be in the low $20k’s. We’ll see.
Maybe it will happen. Here’s a direct quote from Trump’s inauguration speech:
“..we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American autoworkers. In other words, you’ll be able to buy the car of your choice. We will build automobiles in America again at a rate that nobody could have dreamt possible just a few years ago. ”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/transcript-trump-inauguration-speech-2025/
But nothing about stopping carbon credits, huh?
Reading the article referenced it looks like the car really needs a new headliner and some serous detailing on the aluminum. That said; if I was rich this might well be the kind of car I might buy just for a laughs I would get driving it around.
There’s a YouTube channel where this guy buys vintage cars like Model T’s and drives them in LA. Other drivers seem tolerant and friendly even though the cars can’t keep up with traffic though.
Back in the 80s, GM headliners fell if you looked at them the wrong way.
Even well into the late 90s GM headliners would fall down on any excuse. I usually use windows and the air turbulence makes them very angry.
Back in the 90’s Car Craft magazine managed to fit a 500 CI Cadillac engine into a Chevette. It might not of looked pretty but it was fun to drive apparently.
At least back then things like that were possible with a sawzall and a mig welder but now not so much.
There’s a guy who runs a Chevette at our local dragstrip. It says laughable as the guy who runs my beloved Vega station wagon. Not sure if he put a Chevy small block or what he did for the powertrain but it does zip down that little track pretty good.
Lo Teks
“Low technique, low technology, they’d think that shotgun trick of yours was effete.”
—Molly
Lo Teks are a tribe who reside in The Pit, the levels above Nighttown. They were black marketeers.
In the past Molly Millions had done them a lot of favors.
Despite their low-technology lifestyle, they apparently had access to immunosuppressive, as some of them transplanted tooth-bud canines from Dobermans. Their aesthetics were centered around dog teeth, scars and tattoos.
They have a ritual Killing Floor where they dance under some music, which is supposedly intended only for themselves. It is perhaps the only place where they use electricity.
They communicate with long taut cords, tied to eyebolts, and vanish to the distance. Plucking them in some pattern or code, directs some message around their territory. They sleep in mesh hammocks that hang above the chaos of Nighttown.
https://williamgibson.fandom.com/wiki/Lo_Teks
We should come out of hiding. *flashes toothy smile*
I had a Vauxhall Chevette back in the late 80s.
The thing I liked was the tranny hump with the gearstick on top. Felt “sporty”.
It was a lot of fun on Scotland’s single track country roads, 40 mph felt like a rally race.
Hi Robert,
Yup! I’ve driven Chevettes and they had their charms, under-appreciated at the time. Such as the rear wheel drive economy car. Imagine that – today! Today only expensive luxury cars are RWD. And the manual tranny – which is essentially unavailable today. Even in economy cars. The 2025 Versa is, I think, the last one that has one.
The Miata is still RWD isn’t it?
I’ll never forget the time I found out the hard way that the Miata I was driving was rear wheel drive not front wheel drive.
It was in the mid 1990’s and I rented a convertible Miata to just “bang around in”. It was southern California before it went totally to shit, and I was out having fun.
Having a lot of experience banging hard on speedy front wheel drive cars, I was driving it about as hard as it would go on the freeway onramp, figuring a little front end slide would tell me when I was nearing the point of lost traction. Except, it was a rear wheel drive Miata, and right about the time I was hitting the apex of the curve nearing the point where the lanes merge when the ass end decided it was more comfortable pointing the other direction. Now I’m pointing the wrong way on a busy California freeway with 3 lanes of traffic headed my way. That was certainly a learning experience in my driving career. Never assume a car is something it might not be. Like front wheel drive.
You’ve never seen such a fast and expertly done “James Bond turnaround”, btw. I hammered that little 5 speed and was gone, luckily none the worse for wear.
So…yeah, that’s my Miata story.
Yep, the tranny hump with the gearstick on top. Fun times, actually. With a manual transmission a Chevette could be coaxed into doing unforgettable “Bunny Hops”.
No A/C on a hot & humid Summer night was slightly miserable. But, it was a car! And, it took us places! …Fun places! …Places with Fun people & hot chicks. …Sometimes, we could even convince hot chicks to get inside & go for a ride.
Anyway, it was a heck of a sight better looking than a Pinto.
Pinto, aka “Mustang II”, lmao!