First One Of These I've Seen In At Least 15 Years

Illustration for article titled First One Of These Ive Seen In At Least 15 Years
Illustration for article titled First One Of These Ive Seen In At Least 15 Years
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A functional Geo Spectrum! I think these were only sold as a Geo in 1989 after being a Chevrolet Spectrum from 1984-88. It is a rebadged Isuzu Gemini. These basically filled a hole in the Chevy lineup underneath the Cavalier as a more modern alternative to the RWD Chevette (which lingered on through 1986), but above the tiny Sprint (captive import Suzuki Cultus). Together, the Spectrum and Sprint served as something of a hedge against fuel prices spiking. Since fuel stayed cheap, though, these were basically sold as cheap basic transportation. As such, most of them weren’t treated very well by their first owners. Add in that they had a habit of snapping timing belts every 50,000 miles on interference engines, and most of these were in junkyards by the end of the early 2000's. Somehow this one escaped and is still out here making a trip to the grocery store to help its owner do some panic buying before we go into a stay at home order tomorrow.