greetings J-lovers! so i'm just another noob here... not actually a J-owner yet but possibly going to be one soon. first, a little about myself: i know next to nothing about vehicles and set out to remedy this situation by jumping into the deep end of the pool and buying my dream truck (1986 K5 Blazer) to teach myself the things any self-respecting American man should know and then immediately drowning in said pool... so here i am with a project truck that will be a work in progress for awhile and i find myself in need of transportation. i stumbled upon a good deal on a vintage cavalier (i have a weakness for bowties and model years that begin with an 8) and then found another on craigslist... which leads to my first noob question: what are the fundamental differences/benefits/drawbacks of first and second gen j-cars? the two cavs i found are an 84 type 10 and an 89 z24, both convertibles. both appear to be in well above average condition. obviously the z24 would beat the 84 in a race, but i'm not buying a racecar. i'm looking for something reliable, fun to drive, and cheap enough that a) i can continue to dump $ into my beloved K5 and b) the wife won't look at me like i'm a moron for spending a fortune on an old vehicle. are there any red flags i should look for in either car?
my other car is a truck
you might as well buy both of them right away. you will get addicted to them and forget all about that blazer. check out the 1st gen forum. t he guys on there are very knowledgeable and friendly and will be more than happy to help you out. when buying any car its all about condition. have someone with a little more know-how look them over with you. rust is always the biggest issue with me. i also stay away from cars that have been hacked up or modified too much. the more original the better. the 4clys are more reliable and fuel efficient and the v6s are just a blast to drive. i have both and i wouldnt shy away from either one. welcome and post some pics of said cars if possible.
i appreciate the input john (nice name btw), but all my extra pennies and nickels are going toward the blazer. i doubt i'll ever be anything but a truck guy at heart, i just happen to be a truck guy who needs affordable and reliable DD and i think a J-car will be great for that. if i were building a collection these would both be welcome additions but for now i need to choose between the two. i'll try posting in the first or second gen forums for input on the benefits of each.
my other car is a truck
The '84 type 10 will be better on gas and easier to work on since it's a 4 cylinder. The '89 z24 will be able to get out of it's own way with the extra tq + hp over the type 10 and be better to keep up with higher speeds of today's highway traffic.
thanks spike. the 84 type 10 looks ridiculously good (probably 8/10 and the 89 is a 7-7.5) and admittedly the square body got my attention immediately... i don't do much highway driving so i'm not really concerned with the ability to cruise at high speeds. that being said i'm not terribly familiar with either engine as i've only had one 4cyl in my life and that was my first truck when i was in high school and knew even less about vehicles than i do now. are there any common major problems with either gen that you think i should be on the lookout for? i plan to do most of the routine maintenance myself but i'm not looking for another project... although from reading a ton on this forum in the past couple days i can certainly see how that might become tempting, i just hope this time it is voluntary!
my other car is a truck
