Our Cars--1987 Chevrolet Sprint Turbo
Submitted by Kenny Heggem for Our Cars Week
Growing up, I always had a fascination for hot hatchbacks. Even as a 12-year-old, while friends spoke of their future dreams of owning a Porche 911 or Lamborgini Countach, I was eyeing Ford Fiestas, Rabbit GTIs and Escort GTs.
In middle school I had a friend, a science teacher, that also shared a love for cars. He once had a Le Car (I always thought he must be cool to have once owned that car) and was driving a Honda Wagon 4WD. He wanted something sportier. The Toyota Corolla FX-16 and Acura Integra were too much money, as were the VW Scirocco and GTI 16v. I told him how fast the Sprint Turbo was supposed to be and that they were very cute. He bought a new 1987 cue-ball-white Sprint Turbo with a pop-up moonroof and AC for $10K.
I recall taking the car up the Santa Teresa Hills of the South Bay. It moved out, and it had a nifty Rainbow Brite-like seat style. Later he added Enkei 13-inch wheels with 175/60 tires and had the springs cut an inch and a half. It stayed quite flat while handling. He owned that car until 1998 and then sold it to his son-in-law. I still knew that one day I was going to have my own hot hatch.
After a brief ownership of abeige 1979 Honda Accord (a royal POS), upon graduation I received a new Montana Green 1992 VW GTI 16v. It was my favorite car of all time, next to the Sprint Turbo. Since this post is not about that car, I will wait until a later date to get into more detail. Let's leave it at this brief description. My parents divorced, there was no money to pay the payments, and I was naive and obviously over indulged with having been gifted such a nice car at a young age. The car was repoed with $12K still owed on the car two years later with 30K miles on the clock.
I was in California, where the infrastructure is less than ideal for car-less living, and I needed a car. I was considering a 1983 or 1984 GTI, as my budget was $2K. The first one I located by complimenting a gentleman's very clean original black GTI at a classic car wash. He said was was likely selling to buy a Mazda RX-7. We met, I drove, and was willing to pay him the $1,500 asking price. At the last minute, he decided to keep it in the family and give it to his brother. D'oh! Not a surprise, though, as GTI owners can be very attached to their machines.
Next I thumbed through Auto Trader. Out popped an ad titled "Little Red Rocket." The rest of the text went: "1987 Chevrolet Sprint Turbo- CC, AC, cassette, new windshield, $2650." I had articles in Car and Driver and Road & Track that attested to how fast these cars were. 0-60 in 8.7 seconds--not bad!
I called the owner to book a test drive within 30 minutes of San Jose in the nearby suburban Gilroy area. The owner was a middle-aged man with kids. His wife felt the car was too fast and small--dangerous for the under 5-year-olds to be driven in. He originally bought it from a guy that sold the car in order to buy new rims for his BMW. I had to laugh to myself because this car is cooler than a BMW, let alone some fancy "rims." New BBS wheels on your BMW 635, or a kick-ass Sprint Turbo? Which would you rather have?
My buddy Scott came with me, and we were offered the keys to take a test drive. We were kicked back in our seats. The rush of power had us both giggling. What a fun car! I told him I was interested but needed to get some more money. I had $1,500 on me, and we agreed on $2150. I came back after taking the car home for one day post-down payment to pay the remainder and receive the title.
I was suddenly experiencing a level of buyer's regret. What if the turbo blows? Is this turbo three-cylinder engine reliable? I was worried that I was manipulated by the sheer rocket-like acceleration and that now I would have to pay the price with a money pit. What was I thinking?
My Dad's long time mechanic friend had worked for several years at a Chevrolet Dealer, so I thought I should visit him for his opinion. He called his other mechanic friend to confirm the car's history and said that he had never remembered issues with the cars. He said they were actually very reliable and parts held up well over the long hall. The brakes rarely needed work, likely due to lack of weight to stop.
I had the maintenance items taken care of--a new timing belt, as it had 107K miles and I didn't have the records, along with belts and tune up. The car kept running just as well. Tires were another $25 apiece six months after purchase, and over the last nearly 17 years and 70K miles I doubt I have spent more than $350 on tires.
Friends often played pranks on me and my Sprint. A group of five friends used to pick the car up at 2 a.m. and place it on bricks in front of our house. One guy would impress his other buddies by lifting the rear end all on his own. One evening he was particularly smooth; while lifting the back end up off the ground at a coffee shop, he smacked the rear pop out window with the back of his arms, shattering it all over the ground and rear seat. $20 at Pic-N-Pull with a screwdriver took care of that, of course.
This car would park anywhere. In super tight spots, that same friend would just lift up the rear and place the car in a spot that usually only Yugos, Subaru Justys, Daihatsus and motorcycles could fit in. San Francisco road trips from San Jose involved $10 in gas--that included including driving around San Francisco through Haight to Pier 39 and back. Scooting up hills with four people in the car is no problem. For $20 I can go 250 miles on 92 octane gas, even with today's gas prices that are nearly double what they were when I bought the car.
Despite it's pint size, I managed to fit 2 bikes from a garage sale in the back with the split folding seats dropped and the passenger seat folded forward.
I looked up my prior teacher and met at his place to show him my red Sprint. He still had his cue ball white one outfitted with the Enkeis, complete with white lips to match with the paint. Right next to it, the complete opposite of speed, stood a green late 1970s Volkswagen Westfalia Bus. We test drove each others' cars and I was taken by his car's flat handling through a twisty up to the freeway, but it was not nearly as fast as my car. He noticed the same thing. Since then, he has purchased an Audi TT.
Over the years I have had to replace a turbo after it began to trail smoke out the back, a clutch at the same time (129K miles), a distributor about a year later, a water pump five years later, and, per recommendation of a mechanic, I replaced the engine and tranny mounts in the late 90's. Just for maintenance, I had the front rotors and shocks/struts replaced a year ago. Otherwise about three tune ups and consistent $25 3,000-mile oil changes with two treatments of Slick 50 have been the car's history since late '92.
I would say it has been an affordable and fun car with lots of charm and that is handy to scoot in and out of tight areas. Never before have I driven something that returns so much fun for so little expense. It feels like a go-cart, but is well built (OK, a little "tinny," but the fit and finish is better than you might imagine), and offers a practical interior with a decent ride for being 1,670 pounds. Four real-world-sized people can sit in this car.
The non-assisted steering is spot on, the turning radius is amazing, and the car is quite balanced despite little 12-inch wheel/tires. I considered low-profile tires and lowered ride height, but I was concerned that the acceleration and MPG's might be adversely affected. The brakes are effective and the transmission shifts as smoothly as the day I first bought it. The driver's seat could use a re-foaming and new seat cover fabric--I am looking to have this done soon, I recently found the fabric at a shop near my city.
Recently, I have seen these cars trading for over $5K if they are in good shape. I do not think I would sell mine even for $6K. I know everything about it, it costs so little to run, it runs like crazy, and it gets more than 45 MPG in the process. I recently saw a restored 1989 Canadian car, a later body-style version of my car, on eBay for more than $12K. I also saw a fairly heavily modified '87 like mine for almost $8K. Hey, gas mileage like a Prius with the same emissions, for 1/4 of the price, a lot more uniqueness, and power like a V-8 Mustang? Not a bad deal at $5K if it is a good example.
Seeing that I bike commute and run errands on my Breezer bike more than drive nowadays, I can see this car getting at least 15 years more use from me simply because I do not drive more than 4k miles per year between it and my other car combined.
My love for this little go-cart is not just an OCD thing. There are others infected. Spend some time reading multiple posts on www.carsurvey.com--people with more than 300K miles on their Sprint Turbos have nothing but positive comments to make about the little beast. I have pulled a BMW Z3 convertible, been pulled by a mildly modified 1999 VR6 GTI, beat a 1987 Scirocco 16V with an exhaust, cam, and K&N air intake ... and smoked an Integra as well as a Beretta GTZ on the freeway.
My car is not going anywhere--okay, maybe for $6K, maybe, only so I can continue to restore my other fave car, another 1992 VW GTI 16V I bought for cash in 2000, this time in red. All right, maybe for 6 grand, maybe, only so I can continue to restore my other fave car, another 1992 VW GTI 16V I bought for cash in 2000, this time in red.
--Kenny Heggem
epilonious on September 22, 2009 at 05:36 AM
Want!
Lord... I have such a fascination for the sheer utilitarian beauty of the late-80s Suzuki Cultus/Swift AKA Geo Metro... that I am now near-despondent that I didn't know the Chevy Swift Turbo existed.
What a fun and awesome little car! Keep with that instinct to never get rid of it! And thanks for the writeup.
Frbl on September 22, 2009 at 06:40 AM
Ahhh. Hatchbacks I have owned:
1971 MGB GT (until someone pulled out in front of me and totaled it...RIP)
1987 Suburu Justy (3 cylinders!!! And 50+ mpg)
2006 Scion xA (presently owned and loved)
I'm glad you reminded me of the fun of owning a hatchback.. A guilty pleasure one rarely admits to others.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on September 22, 2009 at 06:49 AM
Sounds like a CRX with a back seat. (That's a compliment, by the way.)
That Car Guy on September 22, 2009 at 07:46 AM
Kenny, the day you sell your car will be the first day that you start kicking yourself in the patoot for the rest of your life. And don't worry about it being 'tinny'... weren't all Asian cars around this time a little light in the sheet metal department?
Get a third mortgage, write a lien on your wife's wedding ring, max out your credit cards, but DON'T sell this car! This is what car lust is all about. You have found your automotive Nirvana.
The hatchback of this vintage I lust for is the second generation Geo Metro. I can't fully explain this, but it seems they got the styling right. The wheels are all the way out to the corners, no crazy character lines like a Datsun B-210, and it's not a hybrid, but gets similar mileage. I just wish they were faster.
Great story, man. KEEP YOUR CAR!!!
Robert on September 22, 2009 at 08:05 AM
Gotta love those rainbow and grey seats. Classic!
Rob on September 22, 2009 at 08:29 AM
Wow. Thank you for writing this. This has been one of my car lusts for a very long time, but every time I've been in the market, I haven't found any. I figured most of them blew up or crashed into something by now. Fantastic vehicle!
Anthony Cagle on September 22, 2009 at 08:35 AM
I never got the love for turbo hatchbacks until relatively recently. Always thought of them as starter cars until you could afford a "real" one. Sayeth the guy who has owned a hatchback for almost 20 years now. . . .
Not that I want one -- I'm more of a muscle car guy -- but I get it. There is just nothing like having exactly what you want.
Chris Mallow on September 22, 2009 at 09:26 AM
This is a really cool story. My mom drove a 1983 Scirocco, and I always thought that was a pretty cool car. This one might not look sporty, but it's got turbo, which is always nice...and it sounds like you really love it, which is the most important part. Looks like you've worked hard to keep it in great shape, too. Excellent story.
Brian DR1665 on September 22, 2009 at 09:47 AM
Neat little cars! Thanks for sharing the story with us. It's nice to see something you just don't see every day.
(And I might suggest that it was such a good little car because, aside from some stickers, GM had nothing to do with building it. Remember how the Sunbird Turbo? *DOG*)
Awesome post. Thanks again.
David Colborne on September 22, 2009 at 03:50 PM
That Car Guy - You say "crazy character lines" like it's a BAD thing...
I LOVED these cars when I was a kid. Since my mom had a Justy, the idea of a turbo-powered Justy-equivalent really excited me. Now I'm pondering a Subaru Justy 4WD with an ECVT and a turbo...
(Yes, I know the ECVT was crap. Leave me alone! Imagine a turbo stuck in perma-boost and you'll see why mating one to an ECVT, if only on paper, would actually make sense!)
I'm just glad that we finally ran across an appropriately named GM product. "Sprint" indeed.
Mochi Mochi on September 22, 2009 at 04:11 PM
I got interested in this car base on a readers comments a few months ago (thanks Brian). The car really hadn't been on my radar, but then I started seeing a few here in Los Angeles. In fact there's one on a particular street in Korea Town that I pass regularly. It's bright red and in very nice condition. I'm guessing that this particular block of K-town has some owners with good taste in cars because there's also a perfect looking putty blue Gremlin parked near the Sprint Turbo.
I second the motion - Do NOT Sell this car! If you do you will regret it. If you're still in California there's no reason to believe this car wont last for a very long time. Great article.
tim on September 22, 2009 at 08:23 PM
A turbo 3 hole sprint? Why? No wonder GM died. Good riddence.
Jessy on September 23, 2009 at 05:07 AM
Kenny, I think what That Car Guy said is true "the first day that you start kicking yourself in the patoot for the rest of your life" It is such a cool sweet little car ....
Rob on September 23, 2009 at 08:25 AM
@ Tim: ?! Why is a turbo 3 cylinder econobox a bad thing? I guess you aren't an enthusiast.
kenny heggem on September 23, 2009 at 05:13 PM
You guys have all rocked my world for the day.
I can get passed the rear deffoger not working, never bugged me. One road trip to L.A. from S.J. the AC compressor froze (I rarely used it anyway....likely "why" that happend)
The light switch (?) occasionally causing the lights to suddenly shut off at night... so I need to flick the brights on and off slowly to get the lights to stay on again, oh yeah...the idle will get really low and rattly until I give it a slight "tap" with my foot and then it is super smooth again (MAF? Wires?) and more recently I noticed that the ignition will not respond until I slowly try to turn it a few more times (ignition switch?), oh yeah....I need to have the front wheel bearings replaced now as they are making some slight noise, then there is refoaming the driver's seat and having the new fabric installed.
Once it is on the road....it is a little hellion and I would trust it on a very long trip.
There is little dumb things I would not mind getting repaired in due time (Short of having it professionally repainted I doubt it would more than a $1500 to near cherry it out),the bang for buck is hard to beat, and I managed over 45 MPG driving it up 670 miles to my new home in Portland, OR.
All the major maintenance and needs have always been addressed. Just had the spark plug wires and full tune up done.
The climate here, no salt...rare snow, it should be a solid runner for a long time.
Now the lack of a garage or driveway, that has been what has had me questioning the sale.
I have the GTI and keep it garaged, but this poor little guy is out in the sun, recently got a nice scratch and bump on the side view mirror from a scooter or small motor bike...and I just dread the day some guy in a SUV plows the back end and ....well, I need to get another turbo Sprint to put all the parts off mine onto as needed. ; )
Mainly due to that turbo boost and the way this car feels like a glove, I hold onto it. Well...then you have the rarity (I have seen 1 in town in 2 years), MPG's, and the joy it provides as I hit the go pedal.
The car's following is also small but very vocal.
www.teamswift.net has some guys that have just gotten insane on the turbo Sprint. Mega Squirt, boost bumped up past 15, cam, hollowed the front cat out, opened the exhaust, MSD ignition, modified it to accept a K&N, dropped the car with custom suspension with fat tires on everything from 13" to 17's.
I love it just the way it came from Suzuki with 80's white decals that say (or "said") Chevrolet Sprint Turbo. I took the Chevrolet one off some time back when I bought new decals for it.
The cruise control on Highway 1 for hundreds of miles was handy too.
Trippy little machine. Even has a "turbo light"...not a "gauge" mind you...but a light that says "TURBO" in a almost flourescent GREEN....
Sweet.
That Car Guy on September 23, 2009 at 06:07 PM
Kenny, squirt some WD-40 into the light and ignition switches a few times and see if that cleans things a bit. I did this to the Miata recently, since the turn signal wasn't connecting all the time.
Have fun!
tim on September 23, 2009 at 08:25 PM
Rob, you're baiting me. I am an "enthusiast". Therein lies the problem as I'm sure I'm older than most of the visitors here. I remember the old GM, Ford, and Mopar. Big cars and big motors available. I was lucky enough to have owned some of them (a '69 SS396 Chevelle rests under a cover in my garage as I write this, along with a 2001 Suburban Z71 with 61K on it. What a great truck!). I'm lucky enough to have lived in the days when gas was .30 a gallon, or even $1.23 a gallon when I only made $2.25 an hour. The 70's came and American cars went downhill, leaded high octane gas was deemed a threat to our enviroment, and politics helped to dictate what car manufactors could do or couldn't do. Eventually these corporations (Ford is still surviving, but for how long?) dug themselves a big hole they couldn't get out. No offense to people that like the Sprint or any of it's like engineered cousins. My emotions got the better of me when I made the above post. Happy motoring
kenny heggem on September 24, 2009 at 07:42 AM
Cool deal, TIm. I dig all kinds of cars. My Dad spoke of the Mustang with a Cobra Jet engine he had and sold before I was born...I heard about it for many years.
Maybe I will need to sell the Sprint due to a child entering the picture as well. Yikes!
The whole safety thing just does not jive much with me. While I was in Europe full on families...kid, kid sister, mom, dad...all were stuffed in a Fiat no bigger than my Sprint Turbo.
Then again the gas milage might be appreciated when we hit European prices, then we have a fuel efficient car for those under 3000 miles a year.
kenny heggem on September 24, 2009 at 07:45 AM
That Car Guy...Thanks for the tip!
So I suppose I need to get access to the switch that controls the headlights...spray some WD-40.
The other option is just getting the entire column (I think it is the mount under the steering wheel) from a junk yard.
The idle thing is minor...might just need to see a mechanic, luckily I do not do that often at all.
That Car Guy on September 24, 2009 at 09:51 AM
Kenny, I'm hoping you can save your ignition switch and use the same key. I found the separations in the plastic of the switches, sprayed into the cavity on a few occasions, and never had to remove a thing. The WD-40 not only cleans but also lubricates, though it may take a while to remove any crud that might be blocking the contacts of both the light switch and ignition.
The car will smell like WD-40 for a few days, but that will go away. I would at least give this a try for a couple of weeks before searching for new parts. Good Luck!
kenny heggem on September 24, 2009 at 04:07 PM
So, do you just spray inside the steering column where the stalk sticks out?
That Car Guy on September 24, 2009 at 07:19 PM
Kenny, that's what I did, and all went well. Please try to aim the spray tube at anything that might click. You'll need to work the switches several times to try to get any grit out (no unusual force, just regular use), but that's a first approach to cleaning electrical contacts.
If that doesn't work after a week or two of use and several spray applications, then at least you tried. I hope that works!
tigerstrypes on September 24, 2009 at 09:02 PM
Those cars are loved here, not just the turbo versions (those are rare and highly sought after) but the regular N/A versions! Especially if it's the Suzuki versions. All the reasons you love yours are the same here. Cheap (in the good way), reliable, easy to work with, charismatic, small and peppy... it goes on! Hell, it was the first manual-trans car I drove in!
BTW, if you're worried about safety, why not add a rollcage? Something practical, mind you, not a jungle gym! Just an idea.
Rob on September 25, 2009 at 07:03 PM
Tim: My first car was a 68 Charger, with a 383 and hurst 4spd. I grew up on gigantic cars with V8s as well. However, they all handle like poop. Yes, they are loud, obnoxious, and fun, but I think you're kind of bordering on the fringe of enthusiast here... and more like insecure. If you attack a small car purely because it is small, then claim that yours are better because they're gigantic, you sound a bit insecure about... something.
I'm just saying lighten up. I like musclecars, but the auto auctions ruined them with exorbitant pricing, plus nobody can afford gas for them anymore anyway. Evolve man... small cars with great suspension and boost are a complete riot on twisty roads.
tim on September 25, 2009 at 08:15 PM
Rob, I'm happy that your first car had a v8 and a "hurst" aftermarket shift linkage set-up. I apologized for my first post if it offended folks. Now I will bow down in honor of your car knowledge and vast psychiatric talents.