1984 Diesel Chevette Cold Start

This is me starting my 1984 diesel chevette with 310,000 miles after it had been sitting for a few months.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• diesel
• chevette
• isuzu
• 4fb1
• t1000
• 1000

[Seattlecarnut]

I've never understood why the Chevette was one of the least popular vehicles sold in America. Was it really as bad as car magazines said it was?

[dieselchevette]

@Seattlecarnut I think the car magazines were just used to testing V8 rear wheel drive cars from the 70s. When you get into a chevette after you've been in a full size car, it does feel like a tin can.

If you expect the car to just be a utilitarian machine with seats, a steering wheel, and a powertrain, you're not going to be disappointed. The cars run forever if you keep up with them. Most didn't, and there's where the bad rep came from.

[IRONSEAN7]

thats awsome,, i hear these run forever ,,, i saw the mass sticker on the back,, where abouts? the optima batt is worth as much as the Vette

[dieselchevette]

I live in Central CT. Went to school at UmassD, hence the sticker.

The optima is not optional on that shaky thing, it's 7 years old and still works fine. The gold autozone 78 battery that was in it before there was shorting cells every few months.

[divisioneight]

My folks had two. They both got around 50 mpg with the things and they ran them forever. They were great little minimalist recession busters. Too bad we all threw away those little diesels.

[PACKyourSHITfolks420]

Wow, it even has the bare aluminum Isuzu valve cover. That little engine can rev to 5000 rpm. Even new diesels can't do that.

[PACKyourSHITfolks420]

I used to love my chevette's seats. And the little wah wah noises it made.

[Seattlecarnut]

@dieselchevette Some of the most under-appreciated vehicles on American roads. How about taking it on the freeway, see how she performs?

[1984Chevette]

So nice i love it! tnks for this vid...Diesel one's are very rare

[auaiao9]

I had forgotten that there was a diesel chevette.

[Motownbrother]

@dieselchevette I see your shock towers are still in great shape. I guess the diesel fuel acted like a rust inhibitor.

[1978mtb]

anybody I ever talked to that owned a chevette love them. I remember about 20 years ago my dad bought an 80 chevette to run back in forth to work so wouldn't spend all the money on gas driving his pickup. He loved it . He beat the hell of it and that little 1.6 4 cyl never used a drop of oil and ran forever!!

[mercmarc]

I had a 83 volkswagen diesel with over 100,000 miles that started at 10 below zero no problem no shit.

[Seattlecarnut]

@dieselchevette I've always preferred my vehicles to be utilitarian in nature. Does that mean that I don't like comfort? No, of course not. It's just that I like my vehicle to be capable of doing its job in an efficient, reliable, safe manner.

[Seattlecarnut]

@dieselchevette I've driven a tin can before. My stepdad had a 1978 Toyota pickup truck that felt as though I was driving a tin can. Mechanically, it was great, it felt as though it would run forever. But the body was rusting like an SOB.