- Someone saved a 1990 Chevrolet Cavalier as though it was a genuine collector’s car.
- It has only 305 miles on the odometer and the seller refreshed it recently so it’s ready to drive.
- They’d like $25,000 for it, or about $10,000 more than when the Z24 edition was brand new.
Collectors accumulate all sorts of things, from stamps to baseball cards to cars. However, this particular car might be comparable to collecting a common American flag stamp from yesterday or a baseball card of a player who never made it to the majors. And even those examples only work if someone kept those items in nearly mint condition for many years. This 1990 Chevrolet Chevrolet is probably the closest you can get to a brand-new one today.
Listed on Facebook for a cool $25,000, this Cavalier has only 305 miles (491 km) on the odometer—90 percent of which were added by the current owner in the last three years. They purchased the car in 2021 from an estate sale, where it had just 39 miles (63 km). Since then, they’ve gone to the trouble of restoring it mechanically.
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According to the listing, they trailered it up to the shop, had all of the fluids changed, oiled and greased everything before starting it, and of course, replaced the fuel. Why would anyone save such a car? Well, it is the Z24 trim, which was about as nice as a Cavalier could get at the time. Consider this: the original MSRP before options was just $11,505. It has some $3,099 in options, with the original buyer paying a total of $15,049 with destination nearly 35 years ago. This is basically a fully loaded car.
If you’re wondering what that translates to in today’s money, the U.S. government’s official inflation calculator puts it at roughly $37,200.
Now, compare that to a brand new Corolla that starts from just over $22,000 before delivery and the differences are pretty apparent right away. Of course, just about everything in the Toyota is better. The infotainment, safety, comfort, and fuel economy are all massive improvements. At the same time, you’ll see hundred of folks on the road every day who also own a car that is almost identical.
On the other hand, a car like this Cavalier wouldn’t be entirely out of place in a museum. Of course, as one Redditor humorously pointed out, it should probably be tucked way in the back somewhere. Is it worth $10,000 over the original sticker? Unlike the mark-ups we see on new cars, there’s something this one has going for it: it could very well be the nicest 1990 Cavalier currently on sale today.
