This forgotten Nova hasn’t moved from its resting place for at least two years. I know, because I park in the same lot Monday through Friday and see it stationary in all types of light. This morning, I decided to finally grab a picture. Mind you, there is absolutely nothing special about this car. In fact, it’s rather mundane, with its blue New Jersey tag, sealed beam headlights, and wipers left in the “I don’t care” position. But something about it made me compelled to point my camera at it and capture a part of its soul. Or lack thereof?
It makes me wonder how many more of these cars are out there, discarded and disposed of in a rather ungrateful manner. Maybe it’s just that sense of nostalgia kicking in again. I mean, my first car was a 1987 Toyota Corolla, a hand-me-down from my late Papa. And my mom replaced her ’81 Celica with a ’95 Geo Prizm and ran that for six years before the need for a larger vehicle forced its passing to my uncle, who in turn ran it for another six before selling it off. Or maybe it’s just the fact that this car hasn’t been loved for a long time. Regardless of the reason, I felt it finally earned and deserved its fifteen minutes of fame.
Bryan, can you find out who owns that Nova, and how much they want for it?
I owned that exact same car when I was in high school and college – it was an ’87 sedan. My father bought it brand-new, right off the showroom floor, and I still remember the day he brought it home. I was five when he got it, and when it finally parted from the family, I was 20.
A few words of warning to anyone who would consider resurrecting a car that has been sitting for several years: 1) it will need tires, hoses and belts; 2) it will require significant brake work, likely including replacement of some brake lines, calipers and master cylinder; 3) If so equipped, the a/c system will be uncharged and leaky; 4) there will be various electrical gremlins caused by built up moisture and corrosion; 5) the powertrain will seap/leak fluids through gaskets and seals. Finally, it likely hasn’t moved in two years because something major is broken.
To me, I’d much prefer to spend my money on a running example.
I brought an old Plymouth back to life once in 1962. I was living in Corvallis at the time, going to Oregon State University. The early 1949 blue 4-door sat beside a neighboring house without moving for several months. I traced the Oregon plate number to a guy in Colorado – when I called him he said he was going to be in Corvallis the next weekend. We talked, and he ended up selling it to me for $60. I went to the drug/variety store, bought a Sun-Power battery, installed it, and found out that the clutch was stuck. Iirc we broke it by pushing it with another car until the clutch freed. A little gas in the carb, and it started right up.
Those cars had a two-piece hood with a seam down the middle, and the hood on this car sagged enough so that it would get water on the spark plugs every time it rained. So I would often have to sponge off the top of the motor before I drove it. Everything seemed to work okay on it, so after a couple of weeks I stuck an ad in the paper for it at $125. A farmer just north of town came and looked at it, test-drove it, and offered me $100. We concluded the deal, and when he started it to drive away the lights wouldn’t come on. “Aw, don’t worry about it,” he said, and drove off into the gathering dusk.
Things were simpler in those days.
Two years? A Toyota? Bring the jumper cables, and away she goes….most likely.
Just did that to a ’92 Corolla that sat for about that long: it just needed some air in the tires, and some fluid in the clutch master cylinder. Runs like a top; AC too. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-asian/curbside-beater-1992-toyota-corolla-the-almost-free-almost-perfect-beater/
Drinking too much of the koolaide again. Junqueboi echoes my sentiments. Too bad both of us live too far away from this parts donor to make a fair wager on whether it would drive away. I’m saying some major mechanical mayheim made this appliance a statue to reliablephobes. The first clue is that it was backed into the stall. Second clue is the post mortum position of the wipers. Third clue is the expired license plate and emission sticker. I’m thinking busted timing belt or bad clutch/transaxle. Somebody probably coasted into that parking lot and pushed it out of the way thinking they would come back and retrieve it at a later time.
I’ve never been one to prey on somebody elses misfortunes. I run across gems like these all of the time. Most people dont know what the true scrap value of a car is today. And I’m not about to start wasting my time running junk cars to the boneyard to make a quick buck. Most of the time the reason many abandon their car is a combination of no money and they would be just wasting more money getting it back into running condition.
Yup-I have the ’97 Corolla that was my sister’s family’s “oil change car” (it sat at the tire store and was only used when the other cars were in for service) for several years before I purchased it at 200,000. It did need some mileage related work (A/C compressor, shocks, brakes from sitting outside) but now has 240,000 and I like to drive it as much as sister’s ’07 version. These “Novas” (I do wish they were given a more distinctive name-how many potential sales were lost to folks who had owned the real thing?) were indeed Corollas with a little simpler trim, but all the same mechanicals-had two friends who owned them, one the very handy hatchback. Not too fast, a little noisy, leaned over in any curve, but they had that wonderful Toyota assurance that you were going to get there and back, no problem. Something to be said for that.
Just last week I resurrected a 1992 Corolla that had been sitting for three years. Fortunately the gas tank was almost empty! I put 20 litres of premium in it, pumped up the tires and installed a fresh battery and it fired right up.
A thorough inspection showed the drive belts needed replacement and that cost me $30.
We cleaned it up on the weekend, shampooed the interior and it looks quite good considering it has 250,000 km on it!
It is a manual and will serve as the training car for my kids, the first of whom reaches 16 very soon. My total investment is $132 for belts and a battery. The gas was extra but I got the car for free as it was sitting outside a deceased lady’s home on the street.
I resurrected a Contour that sat for two years, with nothing more than charge up the battery, and turn the key. I tossed a new timing belt on it just for grins.
My 77 Chevelle was a different story, it started ok, but the trans was just about shot and it leaked oil like it was going out of style.
My junker parts 77 Chevelle had a blown fusible link, fixed that and put fresh gas in the carb and it fired right up and if the brakes had fluid in the system and working wheel cylinders I’d have taken it for a spin after it sat dormant for 7 years. It actually ran better than my good car but its a rust bucket.
I wouldn’t take this Nova on a long trip first without giving it a good once-over and replacing belts and hoses and possibly tires, but seeing as how the tires are holding air, they probably are aired up regularly or the car does move on occasion.
A good parts car.
Another familiar face but a bit different AKA a badge engineered Toyota Corolla!So much for not invented here!
I went to a Jesuit High School that had about 8 of these as “company cars” for all the brothers and priests that lived in the schools house, they were all this color or white, with the same wheels, base as base could be.
This NOVA is just a ‘badge engineered’ Toyota Corolla – from the NUMMI Plant in Northern California a joint venture between GM & Toyota which built Chevrolet Nova (1984–1988), the Geo Prizm (1989–1997) and the Chevrolet Prizm (1998–2002) Domestic Toyota Corollas and the Pontiac Vibe (2002-2009 (aka Toyota Matrix))
these are disposable cars – it needs hauling off to a junk yard!
The Corolla/Nova was a wonderfully simple and inexpensive car to repair and keep on the road. This particular one looks to have a solid body too. I’d bet someone with decent mechanical skills could make this a daily driver on the cheap and run it for many miles.
I feel compelled to share my NOVA story. I had an ’86 NOVA in High-School; at the time both the car and I were about 18-years old. Mustard yellow, brown interior; engine flooded if you gave it too much gas. You know the type; great car.
The drive to school included a left-turn at a traffic light onto the divided highway. For whatever reason, I was running late one morning. When my light turned green, I gave it the beans… and it flooded; stalled for about 3-5 seconds until it could catch up. And it’s a damn good thing it did – An 18-wheeler went blasting through the red-light. Had the poor little NOVA decided that it was able to use all the gas I had provided it, we’d both have been toast.
So there’s my “A 1986 Chevy NOVA saved my life” story. Thanks for listening.
Bill, when my ’87 Nova was about 14 years old (this was around 2001), it would have the exact same problem yours had when it was cold. It was the car I drove in high school, and every time I made the right turn onto the main road from my neighborhood, the engine would flood and stop. That was why I learned to let it warm up for at least 5 minutes in the morning before taking it out of the garage.
Eventually it rusted to the point where my parents wouldn’t allow me to take it up to college anymore – I’m from Vermont, and the poor Nova had just about had it after 16 years of constant use. My father had bought it brand-new.
I’ll bet everyone here could tell the story of how they almost became toast because of an incident such as this. Mine would involve trying to pass another car on a two-lane highway in a 36HP VW bug (I was 16 – how did we survive those years?). So glad we’re both still here:-)
Am I the only one who is amazed by the fact that the tires still hold air?
Growing up one of the local radio stations had a DJ who was still commuting in one of these (in the early 90s) the other on air personalities made fun of him for being such a cheap SOB and driving such a tin can at close to 300,000 miles.
Nope! That was my first thought, too. Also that it apparently hasn’t been vandalized in any way.
And it looks awfully clean for a car that hasn’t moved in two years. Dry climate, perhaps? In Oregon there would be a lawn growing on it by now.
You know a car is bad if you leave a $100 bill underneath the car’s keys and leave them on the front seat you come back later the bill is gone but the keys are still there you know its bad.
I used to leave the keys in my Mom’s 61 Falcon with the 144 six in the mid-60’s and no one ever touched it, much to my disappointment.
My first reaction was that photo must have been taken early in the abandonment of this car as it seemed so clean and with tires full of air.
My brother had a POS Sunbeam Rapier he used to leave the keys in.It had the curse of Lucas Prince of Darkness electrics and probably wouldn’t get far anyway!
“Or maybe it’s just the fact that this car hasn’t been loved for a long time”
Where’s the love indeed. As noted, this ’87 or ’88 Nova is identical underneath to same Toyota Corolla that many CC commentators would consider to be at or near the peak of Toyota reliability. I owned two of these and they were reliable if unspectacular transportation, far superior to the dometic (including Chevy) products of the day. This abandoned little blueberry is very sad.
Far superior? I guess all those 250-300K mile Celebrities I’ve seen over the years were a figment of my imagination then…or maybe that 400K mile Astro Van I ran across at the scrapyard…or that 183K mile ’89 Camaro in my basement that still runs as good as it ever did…or maybe the 300K mile S10 I drove this morning*…. maybe it’s just me.
Having Japanese or European “ties” does not make a car superior.
*engine replaced at some point prior to my ownership (189K) so that probably doesn’t count
Or my grandfather’s 200K+ 95 GMC Sierra (which was sadly sacrificed to the scrapyard gods during C4C because of a large dent (more than 4 in. X 1 ft. X 6 in.) obtained the winter before).
For sure, we can expect the American brand to dominate our market for the foreseeable future. Foreign cars are just a flash in the pan because they won’t start in the winter and rust too fast. They aren’t safe, either, because if you peel back the door panel you can see the flattened beer cans.
There’s a beige sister to this car in the parking lot of an apartment complex (Houston suburb) I pass every day on the way to work; I first noticed it about a year ago and so far as I can tell, it hasn’t moved either. Maybe we should introduce them to each other.
I always liked these ToyotaNovas; drove several as rentals back in the day, and preferred them to most of the subcompacts on offer at the time.
Looks like a sedan version (world’s shortest trunk lid?), we didn’t get that here but did have the liftback (as a Corolla Seca). Instead we had the Corolla sedan, plus a 5-door version of the FX16 hatch. By this time it was mostly older buyers who bought a Corolla sedan.
About 95% of the Nova Corollas were the sedate variety like pictured here. But occasionally you would see the twin-cam version that made the car something of a hot hatch if a bit rough and noisy. Of course we know GM turned this import-hybrids into the GEO brand for 1989.
I would not say that at this point in time Toyota was at its peak in reliability, but more so it reached a peak of refinement for the old dinky tin can design style that marked most of its models until the 1990s when it began to serious work on its interior comfort factor. A 1992 Camry vs a 1991 Camry is a world of difference.
This is intriguing. Cars are such a disposable commodity here in the US, it’s actually possible that this car was abandoned for a very trivial reason, such as being out of gas, or needing a new alternator. That is often the fate of an “uncool” car.
Not many of these around anymore, not that they were not good cars, but they had such a “who gives a shit?” element about them, they were kinda dull but solid transportation, so many people just wanted them gone whenever they got a chance to get something with more style.
I’ve seen clean Novas in the junkyard, some with 50K and 60K on the clock, knowing that they probably drove them there, sad.
My friends aunt had a chalkboard faded red one of these, with a big stripe on the rocker panel that was dealer installed that read NOVA in big letters across the bottom of the doors, you know, in case someone thought it was a Ferrari Testarossa or something.
The old NUMMI Nova is one of the last examples of a cheap, solid, reliable, point A to point B appliance, a more modern sixties’ Valiant. Because it had a Chevy emblem attached to it, they didn’t hold resale very well, so it was one of those cars that flew under the radar for most. A bit austere, but they definitely got the job done for the lowest coin.
There were a few who knew it was a Toyota Corolla on the cheap. With just a modicum of care, they would last a couple hundred thousand miles without much fanfare.
In the not too distant future, I would imagine the NUMMI Vibe (aka Pontiac Matrix) will be regarded in the same light.
I have an 88 Nova Twin Cam that I use as my daily driver. It has 233,000 miles on it and next to no rust. It was originally from CA. My oldest brother was the second owner and he sold it to me for $1. Best dollar I ever spent.
I’m sure this was a fine car, and I’ve lived close to NUMMI all my life (and toured the plant when it was building RWD X-bodies) but this not a Nova, despite what the badges may say. It’s a Corolla.
Interesting, how the Nova gets no respect while the Corolla is considered indestructible.
Part of it may be owners’ expectations; and the tendency of owners to either stay on top of maintenance items or blow them off. Many Toyota owners were drawn by the reputation of reliability; and many of them are religious about lube and oil changes, etc.
Someone buying a “throwaway” car from the Chevy lot, a Chevrolet but not really a Chevrolet…heavily discounted…uncool, as noted…may have just driven it into the ground. And all the while never knowing there was a Toyota Corolla under the skin, just waiting to serve the owner for decades.
Why would someone just walk away from a car like that? Why, indeed. Troubles with the law? Died on the way in, and the estate is a mess, car hasn’t even been identified to be liquidated? I can’t think of too many other reasons to walk away from a running car…even if it was limping, it would be worth $75 at the scrappers. Twice that at Honest Harry’s Cars-N-Deals.
That looks like a public lot, or a communal lot for an apartment complex. Isn’t there some policy about non-operable cars being towed after so many days?
At least you have a place to park where you know the car next to you won’t leave a door-ding.
Actually, Toyota has been selling service contracts with their cars for eons now and really started pushing it after the sludge debacle, where Toyota would replace engines if the owner could produce one oil change receipt a year. The take rate is more than 75% now and that goes a long way to prevent major problems. It also really helps if the dealership appointment maker can call the customer and schedule their “free” oil change, which in turn puts the car on the hoist for upselling. In these parts, you can be sure such a car will need front brakes every two years.
While working for GM, I was always surprise how low the take on the GMPP was, but then again the price was ridiculous, for obvious reasons.
In the midst of that statement lies the root of a major difference between domestic and foreign make buyers for most of all but the last 15 or so years of the buying public. Historically, buyers of the Japanese and European brands were more “aware” of their car than domestic buyers, little details like maintenance and the various little quirks that you had to work around to make the most of the car. They were also more diligent about taking care of them because they tended to be more enthused about their car and its workings. We talk about early Vegas blowing up because they would overheat from lack of coolant or oil but a basic difference existed then – domestic buyers expected and often did do little to pay attention to what was going on with their car. Toyotas up until the 1990s were notorious for having their 4 cylinders engines adjusted but the owners knew that and did so. So when technology started to advance, alot of problems developed simply because the new technology was unable to take the abuse. Today’s cars are engineered both to minimize cost and to minimize the need for people to have to pay attention to their cars.
Canucks comment above about the service plans speak to that. Most of the cars we discuss that have had problems, often perfectly fine examples exist owned and driven by people who have been diligent in dealing with the cars` specific needs.
Part of the reason many manufacturers are pushing inexpensive maintenance on cars is partly due to the opportunity to upsell but also to inspect the car to minimize warranty costs. Like the expression goes, “take care of it and it will usually take care of you…”
“While working for GM, I was always surprise how low the take on the GMPP was, but then again the price was ridiculous, for obvious reasons.”
The other obvious reason was, GM didn’t treat warranty claims with the same priority as did some Asian makes.
Which leads us, or me, anyway, to an answer to this: The Nova bombed where the Corolla rolled on, because of CREDIBILITY. Chevrolet, by this time, had less than Toyota. And while the product is the key part of the sale, the company behind it – and its representatives, the dealers – are also important factors.
I would also imagine that the showroom experience was a lot different, with the Chevy salesman furiously trying to up-sell the customer into something with a higher commission. The Toyota dealership experience was likely different.
Absolutely…to the tenth power! Man oh man…I’d forgotten this.
Out of the Navy in the early 1990s. Needed a new car, fast!! Wanted to buy new-new since I’d had lousy luck with lot-found used cars and didn’t have the time to shop private sales.
A Navy friend had a Geo Metro…good, reliable, cheap transportation. And fun to drive, in a go-cart sort of way. I wanted.
Go to the Chevrolet dealer…of course, there’s none on the lot. And “for a few dollars a month more” I could get a Malibu.
And I couldn’t MAKE that salesman, or the next, or the third at other dealerships…understand: I DIDN’T WANT A FREAKIN’ MALIBU!! I frankly didn’t want a GM product; but I’d make exception with the CAMI-built Metro.
I didn’t get a Metro; it wasn’t until years later that I got one used. I got a Nissan truck instead…and I renewed my vow to have nothing to do with GM its products, its pitches and its annoying hard-sell.
Wow, they must have been selling prototype Malibus in the early 90’s, since they didn’t come out until 1997. You should have bought one, it could be collectible today.
I heard Toyota salesmen were all priests, but they were rejected by the church because they were too good, they never even took commisions, they worked for free, like monks….
If you could see me, I’m rolling my eyes of course.
Aren’t Malibus from the 1980s onward sort of the automotive equivalent of Muzak in elevators? Sometimes it is not there, but you don’t notice that its not there.
Yeah, good call – it wasn’t a Malibu. Don’t think it was a Celebrity, either…might have been a FlashFire; or a Flashlite, or a Firewood.
It was whatever intermediate size Chevrolet was around for m-y 1995. I didn’t want; I wasn’t interested. As I said, I have no interest in anything Garbage Motors makes – some significant past models excepted.
Maybe a leftover ’83 Malibu?
That would make sense.
Explain the salesman’s frantic efforts, anyway….
Corsica or Lumina would have been what was on the floor then, neither would have been that tasty, and I was selling them at the time. I dont think I ever test drove anyone in a Corsica the last year they were out.
Tales of an community college car salesman, could be a good article.
We had many dozens – may have even been in the hundreds – of ’95-’96 program Corsicas come through the Chevy dealer I worked at in 1997. I hated demoing them – the then-new Malibu was a huge improvement, though still pretty similar under the skin.
The only Corsica I remember selling was to a friend’s mother, who was looking for a basic and reliable used car. A white ’95 ex-rental, with the 3.1 V6 and about 40K on the odometer, seemingly fit the bill. Quick cash sale, and my third deal to roll that Saturday – the one and only time I pulled a hat trick in my short automotive sales career.
Unfortunately (and unbeknownst to me) her mechanic soon found evidence that the car had been hit in the front, and she turned it back in Monday afternoon. No sale, no hat trick, no spiff. She wound up buying a used Subaru Outback that served her faithfully.
Ah, the hat trick. I remember doing that many times, I even sold 4 cars on a Saturday once. I never demoed a Corpsica, a Berreta once, but the guy had no credit, he loved the car of course. I remember selling a bunch of the then new rounded out Cavaliers, and the new Blazer.
If you are going to abandon your car – wouldn’t you at least take off the plates?
I see these cars all over the place in Montana
I tell ya, I’m really rooting for this car. I love reading and reminiscing about the baroque excesses of The Great Brougham Epoch, but econoboxes like this NUMMI Nova are nearest and dearest to my heart. If cars can be likened to pets, then this car is a lonely, loveable, ugly dog that likes to play fetch-the-stick. At the other end of the spectrum, you might consider an Alfa Romeo to be a feral cat…
As both Paul and Canucklehead have demonstrated with their respective ’92 Corollas, this car could be a real bargain. Or, it could have a snapped timing belt…
Alfa as a feral cat? To me an Alfa is like one of those fat, pampered “fancy feast” cats that still craps in your shoes even if you feed it pate.
Well, you might say all cat are feral. I guess it’s just a matter of degree.