This wrong attitude is really getting tiresome .
According to whom?
This is what the articles says about the Chevette’s option configuration
"Chevrolet developed 1.4- and 1.6-liter versions of 52 and 60 horsepower respectively. The larger engine was contrived in the vain hopes of running an air conditioner and an automatic transmission. "
A/C and auto trans w/only 60 HP? I can definitely see why that option would be a no-go. I could have purchased my Corolla w. that option, and even with a more powerful engine than the Chevette had, I soundly rejected it based on a test drive.
The Chevette was also sold as with a diesel…
0 to 60 took about 25 seconds.
Chevy had the Monza, a small 4 cylinder car. Available with a V6 or V8 as an option. The Chevette was smaller.
GM thought it was the crappy small car people wanted. GM had no real understanding of Japanese cars. Since they never saw any in Michigan, the GM brass did not understand how good the competition was. What they forgot was how many people living in Michigan had relatives that got large discounts on Ford, GM and Chrysler cars. No one paid MSRP so you got a big car for small Japanese car prices. Not to mention your union brother would kick your a$$ and bust your Japanese car’s windshield. You might have to park a mile away from the plant, too. Salaried guys would not get raises or promototions.
Gee, no wonder there were few foreign cars in Michigan.
And the bast thing to come out of all that crap was the V8 Monza, great little light weight short wheelbase Monster with a hopped up SBC… Step one remove the little 110-140? V8 and step two drop in a high revving built 327/glide combo or whatever… and go have some fun…
A friend of mine ordered the California emission option V8… so he got a 350 instead of a 305. He built it to 400 hp or so. It would spin those 13 inch tires when you tipped in the Holley secondaries in 3rd gear! We stuffed a 9 inch in with 15 inch much wider wheels under it.
The Chevette was universally despised and ridiculed by most everyone I knew back then. We called it the “Shove It” for good reason…Crapalicious pretty much summed it up for me
I worked with a guy who owned one as his economical commuter car. One morning, on the very busy Raritan River Bridge, the rear axle parted company with the car. Even though it was only ~2 years old, he dumped it immediately after it was repaired.
A neighbor owned the badge-engineered Pontiac T1000, which was identical to the Chevette, except for the grille and some minor exterior trim details. It was a problem-ridden disaster from the day that she brought it home from the dealership.
I thought about this before I posted because of someone who always claims to see or know of any vehicle mentioned here. A little over a month ago on a Saturday ( car show day ) I passed a Chevette that looked like it had just rolled of the show room floor . It was painted a some kind of cream color. I suspect it was of those family vehicles that had a meaning or someone who just liked quirky cars.
And, some day it will be a “classic”.
NOT!
Only because of age, Definitely not for collectibility.
Let’s not forget the “Scooter”, a strippo version of the cheapo Chevette:
“The Scooter was offered as a base model with a $2,899 suggested retail price (equivalent to $15,500 in 2023), two front passenger seats, an optional rear seat, deletion of most exterior chrome (e.g., window surrounds), painted rather than chrome bumpers, an open glove box, black carpeting, door-pull straps in lieu of arm rests, fiberboard door panels, and a passenger seat without fore-aft adjustment. A total of 9,810 Scooter models were manufactured, compared to 178,007 regular hatchbacks.”
+1
In case you didn’t realize it, I was being sarcastic.
I have no idea about this car, but a few months ago, I was driving in my work truck, and I had to stop at an intersection with a Chevron station on the southwest corner…and what did I see? A silver 4-door Chevette, similar to the one my father once owned, parked next to the fuel pump closest to the road I was on. Since I was stopped at a light, I got out my phone and took a picture.
Before this, it had literally been about 12 years since I saw a Chevette in use. I would assume that at this point, anyone who owns such a car has only kept it for sentimental reasons, as just about anything else would be vastly superior in every way.
You were being real, it will never be a classic or collectable.
Some comments from folks who owned Chevettes at the time. As expected those who owned the MT version seemed to have the most positive comments. For the minimally configured versions, harsh ride & noisy are the main downsides; inexpensive and reliable to 200k miles if well maintained are the main upsides.