Yeah you get some weird looks showing up a cav, even weirder looks when you beat them LOL. Name one thing worse then getting owned by a cavalier LOL.
And your right they are considered to be a wet noodle of sorts, the early 3rd gens with the 2.2 OHV pushrod engine matted to a 3 speed automatic are alot of the reason for that, they are like 18 second cars not to mention the low models didn't have any sway bars... wet noodle is giving i a bit to much credit
But then again the new ones with the 2.4 and the newest with the Eco's are a night and difference considering they are on the same platform.
My car for exmaple, I went to the track with an intake, motor and trans mounts, bumped up the rev limiter, short throw, and koni/sportline setup my car went a 14.9... on cheap all season 14's on stock steelies.
And the motor... the ecotec. GM has a build book, what you need, part numbers, and where to buy everything needed to build the motor 300 hp, 450 hp, 600 hp, etc all the way up to "1400+ hp". Enough said