When I want to know how a car really performs, I take it on a nice, long road trip.

Such was the case with my mother-in-law's Cavalier Z24, which she's owned for a few years now. The car has some 90,000 miles on it, but with gas prices topping the $3.60 mark lately, my wife and I decided we'd use her car for our most recent trip from Kentucky to Oklahoma.

The Z24 is the sporty Cavalier, which means it comes with a higher-performance 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine (basically the old Quad 4 with an extra tenth of a litre displacement). This engine is teamed with a four-speed automatic transaxle, which is as smooth and responsive as any automatic I've noted in any small car.

Other Z24 goodies include a tasteful rear spoiler, special five-spoke 16” aluminum wheels, low-profile tires, fog lamps, mild ground effects-type rocker trim and custom front and rear bumpers that are sleeker and more aerodynamic than those found on lesser Cavaliers. Our test car was painted in a rich purple hue that is distinctive, yet not particularly a color I'd have chosen.

Inside, the car has fairly supportive bucket seats in the front, and a woefully inadequate (for adults, anyway) fold-down bench in the back. I'd advise occasional rest breaks on long trips, because Cadillac seats they aren't, and the wide, low-profile 16” tires that make the car such a tiger around corners only amplify every road shock to your backside. On rough roads, it'll shake you up!

The dashboard is nicely laid out, with clear, easy-to-read gauges (speedometer, tach, fuel and temperature) and well-marked controls. Headlamp, cruise and wiper controls are stalk-mounted, and easy to use once you figure them out. I did find myself fumbling around on the steering wheel for the cruise a few times, but of course, GM was still (and remains today) fond of stalk-mount cruise switches when this car was built.

Cavaliers are typically known for their rather tepid acceleration, but not the Z24. This high-revving four-banger responds to the crack of the whip with instant motivation. Of course, it also responds with lots of noise, the very bane of this engine since its genesis 'way back in 1988. It's a more sporting, throaty noise than in years past, but it does get old quickly on long freeway runs.

It's the Cavalier's “instant motivation” that comes in very handy on Interstate 44 through southern Missouri. Sometimes you've got to get around that big rig quickly, and when you drop the hammer on this car, it goes RIGHT NOW. The big, easy-to-read speedometer moves from 60 to 80 almost as quickly as the tachometer needle swings toward the redline.

I wish I could tell you that the '97 Cavalier has aged gracefully, but unfortunately, this one has not. It isn't for lack of maintenance or care, mind you. But there are issues:

* The cloth inserts in the door panels, which match the seat upholstery, have begun to lift away from the panels. The only fix for this is to completely remove them and reglue the material to the panel. I'd recommend an upholstery shop to do this.

* The sunroof shade comes off of its track quite easily. It's a flimsy piece of thin, fragile plastic covered with flocking, and it looks as cheap as it evidently must have been. At least the sunroof doesn't leak.

* Worst of all, on uneven pavement and at higher speeds even on smooth pavement, the ENTIRE dashboard shakes uncontrollably. I looked below it for loose mounts or broken supports, but found nothing at first glance. It's done it so much that it has split the plastic trim panel below the windshield in at least three places. And where it isn't completely split, there are cracks where it's working on it. At night, it's less distracting than during the day, thankfully.

Admittedly, we are talking about an 11-year-old car here, but with only 90,000 miles on it presently, my mother-in-law intends to keep it for quite some time. I can only hope these issues will not worsen with time.

Mechanically, it has proven virtually flawless. The engine and transmission are not in bad shape at all. The engine is still as responsive and powerful as a new car, and the transmission shifts cleanly and without any slippage. Good stuff. And, despite the ample power (which I have been known to use!), we averaged more than 31 MPG for our road trip, largely on the open road at speeds of 70 to 80 MPH.

If you are a Cavalier aficionado, the Z24 will give you all of the “MPH” you could dare want, and it'll give you enough “MPG” to make it a guilt-free experience. Just be sure to get the best possible example you can find.
Amount Paid (US$): 4500
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1997
Model and Options: Z24 2.4L automatic