The Epicentre of Shite? How envoyous!

[sutty2006]

Let me first start by saying two things. Happy new year to all. And, All vauxhalls are shit.

 

I bought this at some point last year. I read the advert wrong and when I turned up, noticed something missing. A turdbo. Even the T is missing from the badge. How sad did I feel? Very. But alas, the misery was welcomed and I bought a cheep cavalier diesel. I took it home and the journey was cheep, cheerful and dirty. (it was local, so not all bad).

 

Its got power steering and central locking. Thats the good bits done and dusted. There isnt really much else to rave about, other than the 145K just run in 1.7 GM diesel engine runs sweet as a nut, and fairly economically. Its quite a plesent car to drive, no knocks, bangs, doent pull (at all) and has so far been quite reliable. (ish)

 

 

As far as POG goes, it was horrid. The lad I bought it off admitted that the rubbish inside was from the guy HE bought it off! Epic.

 

 

I filled two plastic bags with bottles of corona (some half full) and redbull, and half eaten cheetos from under the seats. Grim. The seats were brown.

 

 

 

 

It took 2 whole days to clean, evict past inhabitants and cleanse.

 

But alas, it came up clean and tidy. Shes a little rough around the edges, scabs, surface rust, tip-ex repairs etc.. but she does the job of carrying me to work.

 

 

 

But not every cloud has a silver lining. Within the first couple of days driving I noticed the clutch was biting High. So with that in mind, I bought a clutch off ebay for £4. The gearbox is one of those that doent need to be removed to change it! BONUS.

 

 

I tried a set of manta wheels i had lying around

 

 

Wasnt happy with the size of tyre so put the steels back on.

 

So yes, its the slowest car ive ever driven (apart from the 2.1/4 series 3 ambulance) and really wouldnt pull the skin off a rice pudding. But I love it. It brings a bit of fun back in driving, taking the racing line round roundabouts, shouting at people for making me loose momentum (because it all counts!). So far its also had a radiator that fell apart (£40), roll bar links (£10) starter motor gave up a week before xmas (£45 repaired) and a set of front winter tyres (£60). What makes me smile, is that those repairs are a fraction of the cost of repairing a new modern car. So thats what its all about!

 

And the compulsary Autoshite sticker got fitted.

 

 

Enjoy the epic shiteness!

[SiC]

I can smell it from here.

 

Why can't all cars be like that?

[Skizzer]

Well done, these 1.7 NA Diesels take a special sort of person to love them.

 

I had one as a rental once. It was so grim I think I may have decided not to bother going wherever I was supposed to be going.

[MikeR]

thats the best type of car to get , no fiddly shitty bits to break or go wrong or just throw a wobbler ....  that entails a £40 scam scan by a dealer !!

[Wingz123]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me first dibs on this when/if you decide to move on - my dad had one and just brings back memories for me!

 

Granted his was an sri saloon but nonetheless it still does it for me!

 

Looks great!!!

[stephen01]

​Looks lovely that, and above all it's doing what it does best- get you to work (most of the time) 

[Kiltox]

what a difference a valet makes FFS

 

Miserable. In a good way.

[pauldoubleyou]

Where can i get such a sticker?

 

My dad had the Isuzu TD engine and it was rapid at the time - until it threw a track rod end going round a roundabout. I remember sitting in it while he bodged it back on.

[sutty2006]

The only issue im having at the moment is water ingress and a blower motor that keeps breaking. Already changed the thermo resistor on the motor and it continued to work for a few weeks but has packed in again. Tried freeing it off but alas, its blown again... so picking another up tomorrow hopefully.

 

Had the tracking done on this a few months before xmas as it was out due to a broken spring. The tracking place were adamant the rods would be seized, so I took it home, freed them off the good ol way and took it back. Job done.

[Uncle Jimmy]

That is utter smeg, congratulations

My old man had the same model, same engine, same colour on an 'N' plate.

Slower than the second coming.

Sold it to a mate of his, the engine promptly grenaded, old man was well upset.

[Rusty_Rocket]

You sir, are clearly a highballer.  I'd love another Cav to smoke around in.

 

I must confess, I was sure they'd dumped the 1.7D GM engine after the Isuzu lump was introduced in the Cav in 1991... but this totally puts me in my place.  I even ran your VIN through EPC, and yep, LU7 engine, pride of Luton!

Surely it must have started life as some sort of fleet 'special'?  I mean, who would order the n/a over Isuzu power?!

 

I love the way you got a clutch on eBay for £4 and fitted it in the time it would take to remove the undertray on some modern POS.  That is totally the point of running a good simple car like this.  Enjoy, and long live the Cavalier!

[cort1977]

Had an L plate TD Envoy for years that I loved.

 

Can I put second dibs on this please, it will be installed in my Dad's garage in London for me to use on holiday.  'No need for a hire car this time love, I've got something special waiting at my Dad's'

[John F]

Cavaliers, especially Mk 3s, are ace in every respect.

 

That is all.

[chaseracer]

Where can i get such a sticker?

 

Speak with Ruffgeezer of this electronic parish.

[Matt]

the rubbish inside was from the guy HE bought it off!

 

Suuuuuure.

[somewhatfoolish]

That's miserable; winning.

[fatharris]

How delightfully grim, although this motor will last forever, top buyage there!

[sutty2006]

And here, ladies and gentlechodes..... is the heart of the beast. Looks can be decieving, and they most certainly are here. The 1.7 D resembles so much like the 1.8, even down to the sound it makes. Very odd, yet strangely satisfying.

[Talbot]

Utter top chodding.  Engine aside, a MK3 cav is the second-most comfortable car for driving position I have ever owned (first place going to a MK2 Cav).  With the added bonus* of a cheap to run engine, this surely makes for the best comfortable and cheap travel possible.

 

Three randoms please!

[sierraman]

I hope you have small hands and dexterity to swap the oil filter. On the 1.7 these are a right pain hidden right round the back.

[sutty2006]

I hope you have small hands and dexterity to swap the oil filter. On the 1.7 these are a right pain hidden right round the back.

 

Yeah i did wonder why they put it there, much like the starter motor hidden away. That was one of the first jobs I did on it. Oil + filter, fuel and air filters. gotta keep her sweet!

[sutty2006]

So todays antics have been, with a bit of luck, productive.

 

One of the main issues with this car is the water leaking into the cab. The windows mist up like its going out of fashion. And the blower motor packed up. The first time it packed up I free'd it off and replaced the thermo resistor and it lasted a couple of weeks until it blew again. Today has seen the introduction of a second hand blower motor

 

 

And upon replacing said demisting devise I found the culprit of the water leak coming in behind the dash.

 

 

Note the wiper arm..... dripping directly into the heater box and into the car. I think its coming in from round the wiper hole in the scuttle panel. This has been addressed with lots of bathroom sealant. So we shall see in the morning if my bodge has worked.

[Rusty_Rocket]

I hope you have small hands and dexterity to swap the oil filter. On the 1.7 these are a right pain hidden right round the back.

Nope, that's the Isuzu engine. The GM one is easy to get at- straight on the oil pump by the bottom pulley.

[lesapandre]

I had one - 1.8 when it was 3 years old. Good car - munched the Motorways. In my view the first 'modern' car on British roads - lots of innovation in the body design and shape - especially those concealed gutters  - an amazing step forward when it came out.

[dave21478]

winnerwagons.

 

Miner was a 1.8 pezzler auto, white hatchback, LS spec....probably one of the least desireable models ever.

 

[sierraman]

How come its fitted with the earlier Family 4 based diesel, I'd have thought it would have the 1.7 Isuzu unit in it?

[sutty2006]

How come its fitted with the earlier Family 4 based diesel, I'd have thought it would have the 1.7 Isuzu unit in it?

 

Base spec cheapness. Much like the more modern mk4 astra ECO4. Everything is cheap, but when they realised they were loosing money on repair bills they put a stop to it (like the hole in the gearbox for the clutch)

[AndyW201]

Ah memories!. I used to drive a 1.7 n/a Envoy dizzler as a taxi some years ago.

N392 XHN was a doom maroon hatch, a lot like this,

 

 

It must have been one of the last Cavs to hit the road because the company bought a couple of new Vectras a couple of weeks after they got it. It was a couple of years old when I got given it and it already needed a severe de-pogweaselling. Having had a Sapphire GLX at the previous company I worked for, the amount of bASe was a bit depressing, although I did attempt to pimp it up with a set of rear headrests from an out of licence GLS at the back of the yard and a set of Vectra wheel trims. While not as quick as the Isuzu TD Cavs and Vectras we had, working Saturday nights, I soon learned to row it along at a fair whack. And it was good practice for when I drove an Octavia SDi later on...

[Hendry]

Would love a P reg Cavalier, there used to be a locally registered 1.7 TD CDX saloon one kicked about, sadly since scrapped. 

 

Was it only the higher spec ones which got the additional lights on the boot panel? 

[Talbot]

 additional lights on the boot panel? 

they are just a plastic trim piece.. no lamps in there at all.