Is $30,000 a lot of money for a car? It depends on what you’re spending it on. A new Mazda MX-5 starts at $31,065 including freight and feels like a screaming deal for one of the greatest new sports cars on the market. However, spending $30,000 on a 40-year-old Chevrolet Cavalier is enough to raise an eyebrow. That’s more than the thing cost when new, and it’s not like the Cavalier is a blue-chip car. However, the heart wants what the heart wants, which is part of the reason why a 1985 Cavalier just sold on Bring A Trailer for nigh-on as much as a new Miata.
The first-generation Chevrolet Cavalier wasn’t exactly a landmark car, but it sure was popular. It was America’s best-selling passenger vehicle in 1984 and 1985 thanks to a low starting price and a huge array of body styles and powertrains. You could order one as a sedan, a hatchback, a coupe, a convertible, and even a station wagon. Indeed, the practical wagon variant is what we’re looking at today.
Granted, this particular example doesn’t come equipped with the creme-de-la-creme engine option for the first-gen Cavalier, the 130-horsepower 2.8-liter V6. Instead, it makes do with an 85-horsepower two-liter inline-four with throttle body fuel injection. Hitched to a three-speed automatic, forward progress would’ve been adequate for the double-nickel era, but definitely on the glacial side by today’s standards.
However, one big reason this particular Cavalier fetched such a high sum is because of its condition. With just 1,400 miles on the clock, this has to be one of the nicest first-generation Cavaliers anywhere in the world. The upholstery’s absolutely pristine, the hood insulation looks brand new, and the engine bay’s pretty much clean enough to eat off of. While the original Cavalier was once a common sight, few were ever preserved. This really is a case where finding another would be almost impossible, and that’s before you get into any personal connection.
Chevrolet sold more than two million of these things over six years, and that’s just counting first owners. Who knows how many people grew up in the back of a Cavalier, learned to drive in a Cavalier, or picked up a second-hand Cavalier as their first car? With this sort of volume, it’s also entirely possible that at least one couple out there used a Cavalier as their wedding car. Even just on this context, it only makes sense that someone had to own this car.
Unsurprisingly, the market for a concours-grade Cavalier at new Miata money is small. This auction ended up being a two-bidder race from $18,250 up until the end, after which the second-place bidder commented words of advice we should all keep in mind when we see a crazy valuation like this: “Please don’t think this is a market value. This is double what the car is worth. I was willing to pay because I have a history with this car. I’ve been chasing it for 15 years.”
Love makes us do funny things, and sometimes that funny thing is being willing to pay way over market value for a pristine Chevrolet Cavalier. Then again, we don’t exactly know why the winning bidder of this Cavalier shelled out $30,000 on it, but so long as they’re happy, maybe it’s not so crazy. There are worse ways to spend $30,000, aren’t there?
Top graphic image: Bring A Trailer
I had a blue wagon for driver’s ed class in 1984. These were decent for the times. The one we had was essentially brand new, and a lot nicer than the 73 Impala we had at home.
A Cavalier? Maybe the bidder knew there were bars of gold hidden in the rear seats of something.
That was my first thought as well – or some primo 1985 nose candy hidden behind the plastic in the rear of the car…
Heck forget about the number of people who grew up in the back seat, think of the number conceived in the back.
I’m glad they found it and could afford to outbid the other silly goose in the competition of who gets the J-body too perfect to drive.
That part about searching for 15 years hit close to home though. I’m still searching for my grandpa’s ’47 Kaiser. He offered it to me for free as a first car in 1990. The Old Man deemed it too ugly to park in front of the house so it was sold at auction for $1400. As a kid I often sat in it pretending to drive. Overall it was a bit of a homely car, but I always looked forward to seeing it when we’d visit and always thought it would be cool to see it back on the road someday.
Fast forward to around ’03 or so. I had my own house and found it listed online up in Minnesota for $2500. Sweet! Called ready to buy, but they had just sold it. The previous owner never even titled it and it was still in Grandpa’s name. So close.
I still look now and then – it was a rather distinctive shade of light green and had a piece of grille trim missing. If it ever comes out of hiding again I’ll be ready to buy. I might even be willing to overpay a few hundred bucks to get it back in the family.
Must have been someone’s childhood car! Mine is a 1971 Pontiac Grandville! Would love to have that car!
I had a cavalier! Was the second gen, base model, no power steering or AC. Just basic I-4 with a 5 speed.
I loved that car. Paid $500, put a lot of miles on it and it had over 200K when I sold it. I would take that car back in a heartbeat. Maybe not 30K though.
Find another one in this condition. Why would I want to???
Well, you wouldn’t, and I wouldn’t, but those two people did. I’ve seen cars at Mecum go for double their market value just because the right two people were in the room, had the money, and wanted the car. That’s all it takes to drive up the hammer price.
It doesn’t matter what a car is. If it’s old enough, is in good shape, and ticks someone’s memory, it’s worth whatever they’ll pay for it.
There is a school of thought that says any car in this condition is worth about 10 grand. If the odometer gets over 50k, it might be closer to 5k.
I mean, the nearest equivalent in the Chevy line now is the Trax and I don’t think you could option one of those far past 30 grand.
Also I don’t think you could get the V6 on the wagon until at least a year or two after this one was built so this is just about as completely loaded as an ’85 Cavalier wagon could get, along with being a barely driven example of a car most buyers drove the wheels off.
The Cavalier Wagon stayed basically unchanged except for the front clip from 1982 to 1994. Same interior and dash too.
My second car was a 1991 Cavalier wagon I inherited when my grandfather passed. It had 10,000 miles and have never left the city since the day it was delivered. Only had 1 option – that horrible 3 speed automatic. Oh what I would have traded to have A/C and the 5 speed manual.
I drove it all over including road trips across many states. It met an untimely end when the Quik-Lube only put 2 quarts of oil in it. Oil light came on at 80 mph and the engine was toast by the time I pulled off the interstate and shut it down.
It did start my love affair with wagons even if it wasn’t a great one.
The recent This American Life episode “The Thing About Things” is instructive here.
For God’s sake, is everyone taking crazy pills? It’s a damn Cavalier! Aside from being a penalty box, the J body GM’s are horrific in crashes. To quote another site, hard No Dice!
PS, Can you guys bring Rob E. over to your site? It would be the cherry on top…
Sweet car 30k well spent
This brings back memories. My dad’s first new car was a Buick version of this, an 82 Skyhawk wagon. That thing took us everywhere, from Costco runs to family vacations up to Sequoia and Yosemite. It lasted almost 200,000 miles, not quite trouble free but more reliable than one would think of an 80s GM product, and I don’t recall it ever leaving us stranded.
While I would never spend this much money on an 80s shitbox, wagon or not, that old Skyhawk started my love of sporty wagons and hatchbacks that still live on to this day and seeing a survivor in this state makes me happy.
Shitbox or not, after looking over the photos, this Cavalier wagon is an absolute gem, and it even has the crotch vent! Congrats the new owner, I hope they put some miles on this thing.
I get this. I’m a huge fan of the Volvo 240 series. I am well aware that by most metrics, the Volvo 240 is not a great car. It certainly does have its merits, though.
And if someone was auctioning a 1985 Volvo 245 with 1,400 miles on it, I would absolutely bid it up to $30,000. But I probably wouldn’t win it.
Well the wagon is rather nice looking. The sedan and two door are pretty awful looking. The version with the blacked out trim and pillars looks a lot better though.
On the other hand the “fake Volvo” vibe is pretty strong.
First car was an 87 cavalier Z-24 2.8 with a manual. Wish I never got rid of that car.
I feel bad for the second place bidder who was chasing this car for 15 years. This is why I will never get rid of my current car, my first new car, and filled with memories and fun.
my reaction as well, but maybe it was for the best that he didn’t lay down $35 large on the white whale cavalier.
Museums, Hollywood, a Chevy dealer to have it as a showroom piece, etc. I can think of several reasons that don’t involve an individual with little common sense that would justify the $30k bid.
Good point! My local Honda dealer has a 1st gen Honda Prelude in their showroom (brown). It looks SO small and nimble off to the side from all of the SUVs in there.
A local Lincoln dealer recently renovated their store to the new Lincoln standards with upper level display windows. In the display windows are every generation of the Continental Mark series from the ‘40s on up including the ‘50s III,IV,V!
My first car was a navy blue 1985 Cavalier Wagon. Paid $250, drove it out of the grass in a lady’s backyard in NW Ohio. Rusted out door sills, crusty paint, iron duke mated to a 3 speed auto. Felt like I hit the jackpot!!
My Mom had one when I was a kid- I think it was an 86, blue on blue, wagon. Not sure which engine because I was too young. She traded it in on a used 88 Celebrity wagon (Eurosport) that ended up being a much less reliable car. All I know was my little brother cried when she got rid of the Cavalier wagon because it was blue and the replacement was white.
And it’s not even a Cimarron 😛
Sorry, I had to!
What’s the real story? Shill bidding, money laundering, drugs, lol wtf?
oooo it has the rare tachometer! Detroit really didn’t like installing one on anything that’s not the top of the line or sporty until the late 90s/2000s
Honestly, $30,000 seems like a pretty good deal when you consider all of the cocaine that will be hidden inside of the trunk.
Does it help us to try and figure this out?
Really not sure what would cause someone to do this.
Unusual purchases happen all the time, but this one…
Given the unexciting configuration here, just doesn’t add up.
Must be something unique about it we aren’t seeing.
Ugly to some, maybe someone finds it beautiful.
Leaves me a bit baffled, but I’ll let it go.
Everyone has their own taste after all.
Some people anchor on their very first car. I believe it’s often an autistic trait.
There’s a Subaru GL leaking various fluids in front of my house that makes me resemble that remark. I never liked my Subaru GL when I had it, but there I was… 35 years later… missing it.
Well I’m sort of on the spectrum , but my first car was a 1960 Maserati convertible. I’m not all that fixated on it but they sell for close to $1 million, so I can ignore that itch.
Congrats on that Maserati life experience! Sounds like a good story or three.
*Even a station wagon*?? Back in the not worst timeline, you could buy a station wagon version of damned near everything that wasn’t a sports car or a luxury car – and some luxury wagons too. I’ve owned a number of them.
But for sure I can think of infinitely better ways to spend $30K. Setting it on fire would probably be a better use of the money, given how cold it is in my SW FL bungalow right this second. Nostalgia is evidently a HELL of a drug. Hope he enjoys it, as my ex-car salesman friend has always said – “there is an ass for every seat”.
Chevy had 3 wagons out of 12 carlines in ’85. Sprint, Spectrum, Chevette, CAVALIER, Nova, Citation, Camaro, CELEBRITY, Monte Carlo, CAPRICE/IMPALA, Corvette. Other GM divisions were the same (apart from Chevy’s glut of captive imports none of which came as wagons – a case could be made for the 5 door Sprint being compliant with Torch’s Rules of Wagonhood but it didn’t appear until ’86) – wagons on J,A and B bodies. Ford likewise did compact, mid and full size while Mopar’s only wagon was the K.
That is still a HUGE variety of wagons. Obviously, wagon coupes are going to be rare things, and the Chevette and Nova were hatches anyway – close enough. And the Japanese had lots of them too. Most of the Europeans had hatches or wagons, BMW being the big exception. Even Audi had the beautiful 5000 wagon.