My 85 year old next door neighbor bought one trading in her DeVille. For 3 months I thought it was a Chevy. When she told me it was a Cadillac I thought she went senile. When she showed me the Cadillac nameplate I could hardly hold back the laughter. She dumped it in 6 months for a new DeVille.
So you wanted a Cimarron story, huh? I was wrenching at Roseburg Motor Company here in Oregon. Buick, Pontiac, Cadillac, AMC, Jeep and Renault. Never lacked for something different to work on. Anyway, customer brought in his 1982, 1.8 liter with a "lack of power" complaint ... imagine. I checked things over and discovered the timing to be 3 degrees late. Interestingly, to set the timing, you had to hold the engine at like 2500 RPM and adjust to spec. The distributor was buried deep down on the rear side and up against the firewall. It was a real peach to get to the hold-down / adjustment bolt. So, propped the throttle to the required RPM, twisted myself into this hole with one hand and holding the timing light with the other. Adjusted the distributor as required. As I was extricating myself from the back of the engine, I knocked the main coil lead off of the HEI coil ... at 2500 RPM. It grabbed me and I couldn't let go until the engine wound down to a stop. Standing there in a bit of a daze, my co-worker buddy came over. He realized what had happened. Trying not to laugh, he just looked at me and said, "Gee Dave, your eyes sure are blue!"
I’m old enough to remember when these showed up on the lots. I could not believe how expensive they were and I pondered sadly the direction Cadillac was heading. I would love to have a nice one like this now.
Right? I'm old enough to remember a lot of cars of the time. I remember the Cadillac Cimarron. I didn't know at first what to make of it. I would love to have driven the car. Never mind what's been said about it. I remember a lot of cars that were criticised for various reasons, some may have been justified, others, unjustified.
Yep. I knew a couple of folks that owned them. One was one of the later ones with the longer front sheet metal. It was yellow. This guy later owned an Allante.
@@flinch622 yes the car itself is not a great car but the value to guys like me is the state of reverie when I’m around these cars. I feel like a teenager again.
My senior year of high school my folks bought a new 1983 Cavalier CL two tone brown with the same, all cloth seats. It was fully equipped with every option you could get on a Chevy. It was a great driver, quiet, reliable and quite comfortable on long drives. Don't let the naysayers rain on this fantastic addition to the collection. Can't wait to see all the work you'll be doing to it!
It probably wasn’t a good decision to try to make a Chevy into a Cadillac, but it’s now history. If it was a mistake, it wasn’t the first one GM made in this era, nor the last. Probably many more to come, but hey, the Cavalier was pretty popular in its day. Anyway, Adam, you wanted a Cimarron, and you found a nice one. Congratulations.
That's part of the problem Cadillac had with it. You could buy the Chevy version with all the options and still be way under the Cadillac pricing. The rest of the problem was that a Cavalier was never going to be anything like what people expected in a Cadillac. Sorry, but the Cavalier was not a great car. It has poor fit and finish. After a couple of years, it would squeak and rattle. Maybe it was fine as a budget compact car for the era if you wanted to buy American, but that's all it had to offer. It was a poor platform for anything with a Cadillac crest.
About that same time, I had a roommate who bought a Cavalier convertible. I got to use it on business when my Camaro was in the shop and it was a well-constructed unit, quiet for a convertible is you put all the windows up.
I graduated High School in 84 and took body shop as a 2 hour vocational class in my Jr and Sr year. Out of high school I got a job at a GM dealership. I am very familiar with 80s GM cars. I can also testify that the quality of fit , finish and engineering on GM cars from that era is really bad. When they switched over to all FWD platform it was even worse. Esp the J cars. You could not give me a GM FWD drive car from this era. I would keep the miles on that "Caddy" as low as I could because once it starts having problems from miles and everyday wear and tear it will just snowball. Make sure the CV boots are in good shape as they will wear out very fast if any dirt, grime gets in them. If they start to wear they will let you know ( clack clack clack noise will drive you nuts ). Make sure that automatic has good fluid and does not get low as they are prone to failure ( they do not need any help ). You do not want to change/repair a trans on a GM FWD drive from that era , trust me. The front axles tend to wear out and give problems as well. They are not that easy to change. Oh and be careful polishing and buffing that paint , the paint thickness on them ( 80s GM cars ) is very thin. The hood , top and trunk lids are very prone to sun damage and fading so keep it inside as much as you can. The interiors do not fare much better from prolonged time in the sun and heat. You are likely correct on the 2 cylinder being a injector issue ,that was a common problem on them. Its been a very long time since I seen one of these in any kind of decent shape and the factory paint has not just dissolved. The survival rate on these cant be good. Not a car I would go out of my way to own or drive but Im glad you like it and saving it for future generations. Good or bad its nice to see it if not just for the nostalgia effect it has for me.
This brings back memories! My grandparents had a new 1988 Cimarron with the cloth seats and manual transmission. I got to drive it all the time when I was in high school. I loved driving it (but then again, I hadn't driven very many cars by that time). The whole family thought it such a fancy car. lol
I worked at a car wash in college in Columbus, OH in the late 80's. We called it a Cavillac. We laughed at it and the people who drove it. The ultimate dorkmobile.
The 2.8 and 3.1 made good power for what they were. The only problem is that they are disposable engines. If they ever have any major issues requiring a "rebuild", it's best to simply buy another engine. Trying to rebuild, deck the block or perform head work is a waste of time and will only result in another more catastrophic failure. As I was a teenager in the early 80s and watched the onslaught of FWD junk coming out of Detroit it's hard for me to offer praise or positive comments. But I will say this: It is good that you are preserving an example from that era purely for historical purposes. Excellent find!
I still remember the first time I saw one of these growing up. All I could think was “who the f put Cadillac badges on a Cavalier?” Turned out it was GM all along LOL
One of my marketing projects in college was a proposed re-launch of the Cimarron and how we would try to start selling more of the dang things! I think my professor’s comment was something along the lines of, “You might have bitten off more than you can chew!” 😂
I like that, real stitching on the door panels. Man Cadillac was spending some real money the only thing is they weren't spending it where they should have.
I had an ‘84 top of the line Cavalier. I thought it was a 2.0 liter 4, but could have been 1.8. It got us there. Over the six years we owned it, the Cavalier provided us with 100% bulletproof performance. Like plugging in a refrigerator. No drama, just everyday get you to where you wanted to go. I wondered about the Cimarron and now have a better understanding of them. Many similarities. Mine was about the same color.
@@fernandorocha8459 my mom had a cavalier, it was not so great and had a few issues but did last the full 6 years like yours did. My lexus is over 20 years old and in great shape.
How awesome! I'm 44 and remember when these were quite popular among the Jewish condo crowhere I grew up in Boca. I would love to come across one just to see it.
That's amazing. I'm jealous. I owned one with the rally suspension, the 2.8L V6, and alloy rims, in black cherry metallic flake. It was a total beast. I could make it dance. It could catch air and land beautifully. It made it to 186,000mi over 13 years, and then the cooling and engine just disintegrated. Enjoy! It was the best car I ever owned. I can't believe it has the original Eagle GT tires!!
Adam: At 5:46 is that a "Saint Christopher be my guide" visor pin clip?????? Cimarrons weren't a bad car, they were good for the day. Thanks for sharing your new Caddy with us.
Oh they were. It's just that the cars the Cimmaron was supposed to compete against were miles nicer and less basic cars. The idea was very sound, the execution was very lacking
What Andyface79 said - and the Cimmaron was priced WAY higher than basic cars. 1982 base cavalier $7,328 1982 base cimmaron $12,131 (about one and a half times the price of the cavalier for basically the same car)
The were not good basic cars in this era . The were garbage. Bothe K car and the Tempo/Topaz were better vehicles. And the Cimarron was a trash pile with the worst reliability of ANY vehicle in the era.
Rushed into production in.81 , because Cadillac dealers wanted a compact. I loved Cadillacs since a boy & thought I would like one as a teenager. I knew rich people who did buy " Cimmies " for their kids to go to college in , or second - third Cadillacs as errand runners etc . I even knew someone who bought one for their housekeeper! Many older people bought them. They seemed to sell enough , that they had a road presence. It should be judged for the era , it was created in. It was Cadillacs poorly disguised, version of the Lincoln Versailles! Only Lincoln was clever enough to update the roofline with a formal look. Cadillac should of disguised the Cavalier style roofline & never put a weak four in it , in the beginning.
It was actually an inline 4 (I don't know of any American-made V4s), but it really was weak in the first year. It also got lousy mileage for such a weak engine. An Iron Duke would have been better.
@@pcno2832 I am glad you corrected me on the engine. I do know the little engine only made 88 hp , first year! Cadillacs reputation & prestige was still high & people gave them a shot . They listed until 87 I believe. I also recall a beautiful girl driving a blue six cylinder one , with a white padded top ! They both surely got my attention!
I love the Cadillac CIMARRON 2.8Liter V6 and my foster Mother had one and the same color and different head lights and you different rims and leather seats and also computer Cagers. She had a 1986
The Catera was the worst Cadillac ever. The Cimarron was a better car even if it was a gussied up Cavalier. I knew a couple of people who owned the Catera, and it was a nightmare dealing with the constant oil leaks, and fluid leaks coming from the engine. The best Cadillac's were the 1955 and 1956 models. A 1970 Cadillac was good too.
@@ericknoblauch9195 When I lived in Colorado Springs in '72'-'74 the local Cadillac dealer had a gently used '67 Coupe DeVille with 70K for $500. My father test drove it and the Caddy was as solid as a rock ,no rattles or shakes, and the pale blue leather interior was spotless. Circumstances precluded us from buying it, but I've always judged newer Cadillacs against that car as corporate products assembled no differently than other GM offerings.
That 2.8 v6 was a fantastic, excellent & rock solid preforming engine back in the day. Had same motor in 88 Chevy Beretta and I still miss it 28 years later
I saw the video of your friend Tony had went & picked it up for you and his clips he made on his way to his house. He said the tires were making the steering wheel wobble from flat spots from sitting.
I've never heard the name Caddilier. My friends and I knew them as Cavillacs. That's really an amazing example of that model. I had a friend in high school with a Z24 Cavalier, which had the 2.8 liter V6, and for a bunch of teenagers with beater cars of that era, it was exceptionally quick.
A high school buddy when out & got a sad, almost used up BMW 318i when he turned 16. We called it "Ein Beeter" since she had chunks of rusted body panels actually dropping off onto the pavement, never to be seen again, but she WAS quick too.
@@jonathannagela2130 I don't have any experience with those Pontiacs, but the Z24 is a pretty well proven formula. Take your economy s- box, fit an engine from your mid- sized car, firm up the suspension and sell it as a sports car. For an 80s car it was fast, it gripped well and cornered flat. We're lucky to not have gotten into more trouble than we did in that car.
Bumper fillers? They want world-class status with a dead rear axle. Pathetic. Shareholders: 1, Customers: 0. Why would anyone give this aberration 5 mins' time?
@@christopherdematteo8645 Because it's infamous. It's fascinating to see one up close in like-new condition. Very little written about this car actually goes into detail about what it was like to sit inside one and drive it. Just a bunch of hyperbole about it being a Cadillac Cavalier.
I owned a used 1984 Cimarron purchased from a Cadillac dealer who had been forced to re-build the motor after a crack in the (2-liter throttle-body) head ruined it for the original owner. Slow with the automatic, but the fuel mileage was good with the lock-up torque converter. I've never seen a stick-shift Cimarron in real life! I'm sure the dealer just wanted rid of the car. It was no BMW, but a lot nicer than any Cavalier. I admire this purchase! -RDM
I've always liked the steering wheel on this. I see the pedals are bright metal trimmed. A lot of nice details. Didn't know you could get cloth/leather seats. If Cadillac could have given it the same treatment as the original 70s Seville...
Nice looking car. People will always trash talk something that isn't main stream. I think that even today it would make a good car for running around town as it is easy to park, has decent room and a nice sized trunk. It would get good gas mileage even by today's standards. Hope you enjoy it and I think it makes a great addition to your collection.
It's an interesting and amazing find. I do remember when they came out...and though it was badged and priced as a Cadillac, the public just still saw it as a Chevy in disguise... There were many many better options with more room and more luxury. But as a piece of history, I see why you bought it.
Back in the day people wondered why Cadillac didn’t use the same platform that the Cutlass Ciera/Buick Century was built on. This would have provided a roomier mid sized car better in every respect over the Cavalier.
The reason Cadillac wanted a small CHEAPER car was that Chevrolet had a fast selling car, the Cavalier and they wanted to "get in on the action" as CHEAPLY as possible. So they used the Cavalier platform and gussied it up, then marked up the price by 50% (because it was a Cadillac). LOL
Not bad for the time. “ Monday morning quarterbacking” isn’t fair by today’s standards . Sold Buicks, Cadillac, and Pontiac in 83. Had the 1.8L engine in a Buick Skyhawk T-Type. Was a Great little car. Wish I had one now.
Yes you're right. The question is how much car do we really need? The Cimarron, also as inline 4 had/has enough power, was/is big enough. What are the qualities of a car? Just think,.....it doesn't had/have to be powered by a big V8 with 4 litre or even more to be good, reliable or luxurious!😊
If it were black, it would be pefect. At 15-16, I had the magazine ad of the Cimarron on my bulletin board. Quad sealed beam headlights and dirving lights, yes, please.
I’m pretty sure the Vast majority of the viewers have no idea the meaning of ‘tart up’, though quite accurate. tart up, Slang. to adorn, dress, or decorate, especially in a flamboyant manner: Example: “The old restaurant was tarted up to look like a Viennese café”
Hey Adam, by 1986 most of the kinks had been worked out!! A neighbor of mine, an older widow, traded in her 72 Coupe de Ville for a new 86 Cimarron with the V6. It was much easier for her to drive the smaller car!!! 👍👍🙂
@@billolsen4360 come to think of it, everyone I saw with one was just as old as the other Cadillac owners . Believe it or not, the younger Cadillac owners seemed more attracted to the sedan de Ville that the Cimmaron
Congratulations Adam. Welcome to the Cimarron Club! You need a full size 1980’s Fleetwood now like I have, so you can do a video from Cimarron to Seville to Fleetwood.
There is nothing like the feeling of buying a car and it being a project and working on that car to perfect it. You go for Adam. It will be interesting to see what you do.
It usually annoys me when people say a Lexus is "just a rebadged" Toyota, or the Navigator is just a rebadged Expedition. But for years. GM really did just "rebadge" their base Chevy models into Buicks, Olds, Pontiac and "fancy" Cadillacs.
Let's be honest, GM did a great job turning this corporate J-car into a compact deserving of the Cadillac wreath, taking great efforts to distinguish it for the Cadillac marque.
My only experience with one of these was with and '85 or '86 when new that was burnt orange metallic with a tan full leather interior. Pleasant enough and small is all I remember about it. I look forward to seeing you get it up to your usual standards!
Good work Adam. Those wheels and Eagle GT's really take me back. It looks as absurd today as then, but it was a harbinger of what has come today; the beginnings of a small, performance Cadillac. Catch Car&Driver's take on the CT4 this years Lightening Lap at VIR? Just saying.
What a great little car. My best friend had a step mom with a cavalier. I thought it was a cool car back in the day. Can't wait to see future videos of this caddy. Thanks for taking us all along for the ride.
NO! The rocker panels were good for about 10yrs, IF you did the "under body flush" on a REGULAR basis! They were "flimsy" and were rated VERY POOR in the NHSTA offset "crash tests". Not a SAFE car in a crash!
I remember my older brother getting this brand new in 1986 when he graduated high school. He used it as a NYC car while attending college. It lasted about 2 yrs. He liked it because it was small and easy to park in the City. But it didn't hold up well to the NYC streets. After that it lingered around for a few more yrs as the live-in's car for shopping etc. In 1990 we donated it to a local high school for their mechanical shop program.
I have a 87 Celebrrity , had a miss in it with somewhat low milage , checked and replaced some things on it and turned out to be the spark plug wires.Original wires on a 2.8
I was in the sixth grade in 1982. I took one look at these and immediately thought they were a joke. And I was one of those kids who LOVED cars and knew some things about them.
That 2.8 V6 was a Chevy engine I believe...Jeep bought them for its mid-80's Cherokee's as an upgrade. They were known for oil leaks. We ordered an 85 Cherokee Chief new at the time and the salesman begged us NOT to order the 2.8 for its various problems...we took his advice and bought the cast iron 2.5 Litre Jeep engine. It was slow as molasses (which he warned us) but bomb-proof...got over 200K miles and it never burned a drop of oil or had a single engine-related problem. All of our friends at the time who got caught up in the Jeep craze and bought examples with the 2.8 ended up with engine issues. That 85 Jeep is still my favorite car of all time.
I had to look up whether that was the 2.5L Iron Duke GM engine I had the "pleasure" of owning in 2 different cars. It was a genuine AMC develop motor. I would say you dodged 2 bullets with that one, but the 2.5L Iron Duke truck engine was much better than the lightened car version I had (called the Tech 4).
@HAL 9000 I thought the Pontiac 2.5 Liter Iron Duke had a good reputation for reliability, but was unrefined. Is that the one you had in two different cars? Are you agreeing it was a little rough?
@@HAL-dm1eh I believe the 2.5 L Jeep engine was all American Motors. It was very quiet at cruising speed as well as under load, but man it was gutless. I had a 5-speed stick in the Cherokee and it pretty much loafed on the freeway, there was almost no reserve for passing, but then again, who's in a rush? 😵
@@67marlins The first one I had was in an 84 Olds Calais (loved that car) and it was a good engine until the oil pressure would drop on me going down the road at anything above 70 mph. First time it happened on a trip 3 hrs away from home and had to have it towed all the way back home from there (tourist area, local mechanics wanted to rob me). Ruined the whole trip. 2nd time it happened to me I was on my way to work somewhere and just turned it around and drove it all the way back home without oil pressure and let it almost lock up. I was done with it. Friends were making fun of it anyway because it had piston slap and some other knock it had developed from the last time it did it and I couldn't get it off the interstate fast enough to shut it off. 2nd Iron Duke or "Tech 4" I had was in an 84 Fiero, and ok it was just unrefined as the last one was. BUT, I also was afraid of the thing after what happened to me with the 1st, so I never pushed it at all. You could not push that engine and have some luck with it and have a reliable experience, but as you can see it was not without its issues and others I'm not even mentioning that happened to others and not me. As I said, the truck engine didn't seem to suffer from any of these issues and was much beefier and more durable.
Hi Adam, never really liked these Cimarrons back in the day, as they were really nothing more than a gussied up Cavalier early on, but your other video describing how they came to be was very informative and entertaining. Enjoy your latest acquisition, and keep them coming.
Kudos to giving the Cimarron it's due on the channel and in your fleet. In the late 1990s I purchased a 1987 with the same 14 inch alloys with just over 100K and while not a Cadillac in the realm of my two earlier '77 DeVilles I enjoyed the car nonetheless. Your observations about the 2.8 power train are spot on and with the aid of a really fine set of Dunlop tires on mine the road manners were suitably sporting. I have somewhere a new center cap still in it's GM wrapper, BTW. Now I need to locate it...
2.8 was/is a solid V6, had one in a '89 Chevrolet Celebrity nice torguey engine and had a good sound - the first car I learned to drive with, and the same for the rest of us kids in the family.
Its alot nicer than I expected. At least Cadillac tried to move away from their "land yacht" reputation and attempt to entice younger buyers. Was it a home run...no, but it was a solid ground rule double.
While I doubt that I would of spent thousands of dollars to get the Cadillac badging on a Cavalier when this was new, this is a nice survivor and I know that you will do a good job of taking care of it.
Fun car to add to the collection even though I’m not sure what Cadillac was thinking with such a huge deviation from their demographic sales base. Personally, I prefer the cloth interior. I’d be tempted to replace the tires with some whitewalls. Might change the look, even though the white lettered tires are original.
Hey Adam, What a nice clean little car! You brought back so many memories of my 1987 Cimarron - which was just like yours except for flush headlamps in front. These were nice cars that could not overcome their punchline status, due to being "ultimate Cavaliers" in most folks eyes. The interior is where they really stood out. As you've demonstrated, they were trimmed as Cadillacs; with wool pile carpets, flocked and stitched trim and every electric and electronic convenience as standard equipment. Incidentally, those very comfortable bucket seats were the same ones used in the Eldorado Touring Coupe. The V-6 had very sprightly performance and still returned decent fuel economy. I purchased mine for a song in 1990 with about 12,000 miles on it. The car's reputation made it an incredible buy at the time. We really enjoyed it. Hope you enjoy yours as well!
Not to be snide, but this would've made a nice Chevrolet. At the time, I did actually refer to the Cimarron as a "Chevrollac". The pricing was it's downfall, and Caddy aficionados were rightfully offended.
Adam, I want to like it, and I’m getting there. I appreciate the upholstered door cards most of all. Cad needed to meet mileage standards and this provided it. If it wasn’t for the generic J-body door framing I’d be all for it!
I had a 1985 back then - same exact color combination with leather. Enjoyed that car a lot for exactly what it was - Cadillac's version of the J body. Those that whine about it being a Cavalier need to remember that EVERY SINGLE DIVISION of GM had their version of the J body. (CAFE standards) Two things were outstanding on this car. The bucket seats and the sound system. Additionally this was the best car I ever had for driving in snow. While others were getting stuck I just slowly maneuvered around them and kept going. This was the perfect urban Cadillac for the times.
Cadillac was not dumb, they made this car for a reason and that is the same reason Ford took a Granada and make it a Lincoln. CAFE or pay (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) When added into the lineup it raised the average economy of the whole line allowing the "big boys a bit longer," to drop some pounds. As for the Catera that came later down the line I wish it had done better. (Yes it was a German Opel with Caddy badges but I like it too.)
Wow, remarkable condition, that interior. My uncle had one of the first ones as a 4-cyl, 5 speed, sunroof, foglights, leather... I thought that car was so cool back then. :-) Today I'd tune up the engine, fix the AC and use it as my daily driver and feel cool. :-) Nice buy!
I’m glad this finally arrived. TH-cam pushed me to the videos of the gentleman who picked it up for you in Illinois. Apparently one of the tires is quite bad.
The 86 was improved by that time. I remember the older men seeing that car they always had something negative to say. On the other hand I owned a Cavalier sold it at about 135 thousand miles. Your car looks like a fun car and not a clone car now. Not bad I like it.
My Grandma bought an 84 in the late 80's she loved it. It was the 2.2L but it was a good car. No major issues. My mom had the 86 Cavalier and had nothing but problems. both kept the maintenance up on each. Luck of the draw I guess.
I'd Love to see this compared directly to a Z24 from the same year/era. V6 5 speed, Digital dash I was thinking for those inserts, something could probably be made from fiberglass, but the other guy with the 3D printing idea definitely had the better idea.
I remember seeing one of these with a digital instrument cluster . I think the digital cluster gives it a more upscale look than the cavalier cluster that this one has and at least makes the interior appear more upscale.
Every time I see your low miles “like new” cars I want to know the backstory. Who owned? Why are the miles so low? Where did it come from? You have talent finding these gems. Love it.
The Cimarron was Cadillac’s response to the Mercedes 190E that also came out in 1982. The problem was that the Mercedes was a true Benz all around just in a smaller (midsize in euro standards) size and that’s why people called it the baby Benz, while the Cimarron was simply a rebadged Chevy Cavalier with a bit more plush interior. It did not have any of the riding qualities of the Cadillacs. Having said that this example in the video is a great find given the condition and low miles. Huge bonus that is the V6 version.
I had one brand new! I ordered it loaded, including a front grill and moon roof. I wish I still had it. It was manual which added to the performance. I had a need to get a larger car to pull a trailer.
I love it, Adam! It's basically an Opel Ascona that we had in Europe, but with the high quality interior and the V6 it is a lot more special. Does the stereo work? It looks very cool too. Looking forward to some videos about this car ❤️👍🏻
I really like your Cimarron, maybe it because I have an 88 s10 pick up with a 2.8 v6 with 200,000 miles on it still going strong. I love my s10 and could only imaging a smaller car. And I see all the design cues from the 80's chevy in the Cimarron. Although the door panels have real stitching and not as cheap as the s10,, the visual style of them look very similar to the doors in the s10. I think Cadillac was thinking that the tightened steering with a front wheel drive (which was sort of new for them) they could get this car to compete with European luxury sports cars.
I'm not surprised you bought a Cimarron. Good find! I own 5 J Bodies, including a 1985 Cimarron and three Cavaliers. I have tons of Cimarron parts as well.
These were inexpensive cars with lots of cheap material sold as something that they were not for a price that was too much. And GM barely even tried to make them look different from the Cavalier that they really were. They were kind of fun to drive though.
My 85 year old next door neighbor bought one trading in her DeVille. For 3 months I thought it was a Chevy. When she told me it was a Cadillac I thought she went senile. When she showed me the Cadillac nameplate I could hardly hold back the laughter. She dumped it in 6 months for a new DeVille.
So you wanted a Cimarron story, huh? I was wrenching at Roseburg Motor Company here in Oregon.
Buick, Pontiac, Cadillac, AMC, Jeep and Renault. Never lacked for something different to work on.
Anyway, customer brought in his 1982, 1.8 liter with a "lack of power" complaint ... imagine. I checked things over and discovered the timing to be 3 degrees late. Interestingly, to set the timing, you had to hold the engine at like 2500 RPM and adjust to spec. The distributor was buried deep down on the rear side and up against the firewall. It was a real peach to get to the hold-down / adjustment bolt.
So, propped the throttle to the required RPM, twisted myself into this hole with one hand and holding the timing light with the other. Adjusted the distributor as required.
As I was extricating myself from the back of the engine, I knocked the main coil lead off of the HEI coil ... at 2500 RPM. It grabbed me and I couldn't let go until the engine wound down to a stop. Standing there in a bit of a daze, my co-worker buddy came over. He realized what had happened. Trying not to laugh, he just looked at me and said, "Gee Dave, your eyes sure are blue!"
Sounds like you invented the Taser.
I’m old enough to remember when these showed up on the lots. I could not believe how expensive they were and I pondered sadly the direction Cadillac was heading. I would love to have a nice one like this now.
Right? I'm old enough to remember a lot of cars of the time. I remember the Cadillac Cimarron. I didn't know at first what to make of it. I would love to have driven the car. Never mind what's been said about it. I remember a lot of cars that were criticised for various reasons, some may have been justified, others, unjustified.
Not worth it. Like corvettes, the markup on all parts cadillac is stupid. Need a similarly styled piece of junk? Get a chevy celebrity.
I wonder what examples like this are going for these days.
Yep. I knew a couple of folks that owned them. One was one of the later ones with the longer front sheet metal. It was yellow. This guy later owned an Allante.
@@flinch622 yes the car itself is not a great car but the value to guys like me is the state of reverie when I’m around these cars. I feel like a teenager again.
My senior year of high school my folks bought a new 1983 Cavalier CL two tone brown with the same, all cloth seats. It was fully equipped with every option you could get on a Chevy. It was a great driver, quiet, reliable and quite comfortable on long drives. Don't let the naysayers rain on this fantastic addition to the collection. Can't wait to see all the work you'll be doing to it!
Nobody is ripping on Cavaliers, they were great cars. We are ripping on GM for trying to pass them off as Cadillacs.
@@boataxe4605 This.
It probably wasn’t a good decision to try to make a Chevy into a Cadillac, but it’s now history. If it was a mistake, it wasn’t the first one GM made in this era, nor the last. Probably many more to come, but hey, the Cavalier was pretty popular in its day. Anyway, Adam, you wanted a Cimarron, and you found a nice one. Congratulations.
That's part of the problem Cadillac had with it. You could buy the Chevy version with all the options and still be way under the Cadillac pricing.
The rest of the problem was that a Cavalier was never going to be anything like what people expected in a Cadillac. Sorry, but the Cavalier was not a great car. It has poor fit and finish. After a couple of years, it would squeak and rattle. Maybe it was fine as a budget compact car for the era if you wanted to buy American, but that's all it had to offer. It was a poor platform for anything with a Cadillac crest.
About that same time, I had a roommate who bought a Cavalier convertible. I got to use it on business when my Camaro was in the shop and it was a well-constructed unit, quiet for a convertible is you put all the windows up.
I wonder if it's possible to have those bumper fillers 3-D printed.
What a good idea!
Probably not. Need to wait until 4-D printing becomes commonplace.
I've seen 3D printed filler panels for a similar year olds 98 -- maybe someone will let you borrow a good filler panel for scanning!
@@paulparoma With the way those missing panels look, I'd say "waiting" isn't an option. Anything would be better than nothing.
@@HAL-dm1eh I was being facetious, but that's OK.
I graduated High School in 84 and took body shop as a 2 hour vocational class in my Jr and Sr year. Out of high school I got a job at a GM dealership. I am very familiar with 80s GM cars. I can also testify that the quality of fit , finish and engineering on GM cars from that era is really bad. When they switched over to all FWD platform it was even worse. Esp the J cars.
You could not give me a GM FWD drive car from this era. I would keep the miles on that "Caddy" as low as I could because once it starts having problems from miles and everyday wear and tear it will just snowball. Make sure the CV boots are in good shape as they will wear out very fast if any dirt, grime gets in them. If they start to wear they will let you know ( clack clack clack noise will drive you nuts ). Make sure that automatic has good fluid and does not get low as they are prone to failure ( they do not need any help ). You do not want to change/repair a trans on a GM FWD drive from that era , trust me. The front axles tend to wear out and give problems as well. They are not that easy to change.
Oh and be careful polishing and buffing that paint , the paint thickness on them ( 80s GM cars ) is very thin. The hood , top and trunk lids are very prone to sun damage and fading so keep it inside as much as you can. The interiors do not fare much better from prolonged time in the sun and heat.
You are likely correct on the 2 cylinder being a injector issue ,that was a common problem on them.
Its been a very long time since I seen one of these in any kind of decent shape and the factory paint has not just dissolved. The survival rate on these cant be good.
Not a car I would go out of my way to own or drive but Im glad you like it and saving it for future generations. Good or bad its nice to see it if not just for the nostalgia effect it has for me.
This brings back memories! My grandparents had a new 1988 Cimarron with the cloth seats and manual transmission. I got to drive it all the time when I was in high school. I loved driving it (but then again, I hadn't driven very many cars by that time). The whole family thought it such a fancy car. lol
I worked at a car wash in college in Columbus, OH in the late 80's. We called it a Cavillac. We laughed at it and the people who drove it. The ultimate dorkmobile.
Makes the Lincoln Versailles version of the Ford Granada look downright distinctive. That said I like it. Peak J car.
Adam, The title "Best Cavalier Ever?" would be a more positive alternative. 🤣😁😂😉
TRUTH!! If the cavalier had some of these upgrades it would have been nice. For a caddy it wasn't that nice!!! lol
The 2.8 and 3.1 made good power for what they were. The only problem is that they are disposable engines. If they ever have any major issues requiring a "rebuild", it's best to simply buy another engine. Trying to rebuild, deck the block or perform head work is a waste of time and will only result in another more catastrophic failure. As I was a teenager in the early 80s and watched the onslaught of FWD junk coming out of Detroit it's hard for me to offer praise or positive comments. But I will say this: It is good that you are preserving an example from that era purely for historical purposes. Excellent find!
Had 1987 for my wife. The dealership never called it a Cadillac. It was made for Cadillac as they liked to say..
Enjoy yours.
Mr. Hahn
Florida
I still remember the first time I saw one of these growing up. All I could think was “who the f put Cadillac badges on a Cavalier?” Turned out it was GM all along LOL
Nice to see the AM stereo radio! You should scan the dial to see if anyone in your are is broadcasting in the C-QUAM format.
One of my marketing projects in college was a proposed re-launch of the Cimarron and how we would try to start selling more of the dang things! I think my professor’s comment was something along the lines of, “You might have bitten off more than you can chew!”
😂
If VW turned the Jetta into a Bentley gas saver sedan, we would equally throw up in our mouths these days.
@@xFactoryUSA Or if Chrysler turned a LeBaron into a Maserati around the same era.. Oh, never mind.
I like that, real stitching on the door panels. Man Cadillac was spending some real money the only thing is they weren't spending it where they should have.
I had an ‘84 top of the line Cavalier. I thought it was a 2.0 liter 4, but could have been 1.8. It got us there. Over the six years we owned it, the Cavalier provided us with 100% bulletproof performance. Like plugging in a refrigerator. No drama, just everyday get you to where you wanted to go. I wondered about the Cimarron and now have a better understanding of them. Many similarities. Mine was about the same color.
Very beautiful this car. Cadillac Cimarron is luxuous, confortable, solid and great space interior. 2.8 V6 is great and nice engine
@@fernandorocha8459 my mom had a cavalier, it was not so great and had a few issues but did last the full 6 years like yours did. My lexus is over 20 years old and in great shape.
@@jonathannagela2130 Please, don't disrespect a Lexus by comparing it to a Cavalier!
The carbureted 1.8L was so bad it was replaced after the first year.
How awesome! I'm 44 and remember when these were quite popular among the Jewish condo crowhere I grew up in Boca. I would love to come across one just to see it.
I'm 48 and remember vividly and didn't like them then and definitely not now lol
That's amazing. I'm jealous. I owned one with the rally suspension, the 2.8L V6, and alloy rims, in black cherry metallic flake.
It was a total beast. I could make it dance. It could catch air and land beautifully. It made it to 186,000mi over 13 years, and then the cooling and engine just disintegrated. Enjoy! It was the best car I ever owned. I can't believe it has the original Eagle GT tires!!
Just becasue we can doesn't mean we should.
Here's to your point in song: th-cam.com/video/XbNgt8jh9io/w-d-xo.html
Sounds like sex with my ex.
Same for lane assist, heated seats, and the plethora of electronics they pack into modern cars.
That is funny.
@@joshuagibson2520 heated seats? 'Ya been up north much?
Adam: At 5:46 is that a "Saint Christopher be my guide" visor pin clip?????? Cimarrons weren't a bad car, they were good for the day. Thanks for sharing your new Caddy with us.
GM got a lot of crap (deserved) for making this car. An absolute embarrassment. Now, 37 years later, we look back with fond nostalgia.
The right hand turn signal works, thanks to your friend
Awww, thank you, buddy!
Reminds me of the 87 Celebrity i had, 2.8 FI V6 and 4 speed auto. Was a good economy commuter , decent mpg under 65. Roomy too.
What a time capsule, incredible low miles and pristine condition. Great addition to the fleet!
I always thought these both Cavaliers and Cimmarons were good basic, uncomplicated cars for what they were. Nice find Mr. Adam!
Oh they were. It's just that the cars the Cimmaron was supposed to compete against were miles nicer and less basic cars. The idea was very sound, the execution was very lacking
What Andyface79 said - and the Cimmaron was priced WAY higher than basic cars. 1982 base cavalier $7,328 1982 base cimmaron $12,131 (about one and a half times the price of the cavalier for basically the same car)
The were not good basic cars in this era . The were garbage. Bothe K car and the Tempo/Topaz were better vehicles. And the Cimarron was a trash pile with the worst reliability of ANY vehicle in the era.
@@Bruehoyt Putting "lipstick on a pig" might fool SOME people some of the time. LOL
@@Andyface79 Yea when you are coming for the German small luxury segment you have to come proper, not with a rebadged chevy.
Rushed into production in.81 , because Cadillac dealers wanted a compact. I loved Cadillacs since a boy & thought I would like one as a teenager. I knew rich people who did buy " Cimmies " for their kids to go to college in , or second - third Cadillacs as errand runners etc . I even knew someone who bought one for their housekeeper!
Many older people bought them.
They seemed to sell enough , that they had a road presence.
It should be judged for the era , it was created in.
It was Cadillacs poorly disguised, version of the Lincoln Versailles! Only Lincoln was clever enough to update the roofline with a formal look.
Cadillac should of disguised the Cavalier style roofline & never put a weak four in it , in the beginning.
It was actually an inline 4 (I don't know of any American-made V4s), but it really was weak in the first year. It also got lousy mileage for such a weak engine. An Iron Duke would have been better.
@@pcno2832 I am glad you corrected me on the engine. I do know the little engine only made 88 hp , first year! Cadillacs reputation & prestige was still high & people gave them a shot .
They listed until 87 I believe.
I also recall a beautiful girl driving a blue six cylinder one , with a white padded top !
They both surely got my attention!
I love the Cadillac CIMARRON 2.8Liter V6 and my foster Mother had one and the same color and different head lights and you different rims and leather seats and also computer Cagers. She had a 1986
At Cadillac we called it a “Cavalier with chrome” 🤭
Lets not forget the Catera, when was the last time one of those has been spotted ?
The Catera was the worst Cadillac ever. The Cimarron was a better car even if it was a gussied up Cavalier. I knew a couple of people who owned the Catera, and it was a nightmare dealing with the constant oil leaks, and fluid leaks coming from the engine. The best Cadillac's were the 1955 and 1956 models. A 1970 Cadillac was good too.
@@ericknoblauch9195 When I lived in Colorado Springs in '72'-'74 the local Cadillac dealer
had a gently used '67 Coupe DeVille with 70K for $500. My father test drove it and the
Caddy was as solid as a rock ,no rattles or shakes, and the pale blue leather interior
was spotless. Circumstances precluded us from buying it, but I've always judged
newer Cadillacs against that car as corporate products assembled no differently
than other GM offerings.
@@johnbarnes6832 That year was exceptional for Caddy styling. Stacked headlamps canted forward, rear blade taillamps.
That 2.8 v6 was a fantastic, excellent & rock solid preforming engine back in the day. Had same motor in 88 Chevy Beretta and I still miss it 28 years later
I saw the video of your friend Tony had went & picked it up for you and his clips he made on his way to his house. He said the tires were making the steering wheel wobble from flat spots from sitting.
I've never heard the name Caddilier. My friends and I knew them as Cavillacs. That's really an amazing example of that model.
I had a friend in high school with a Z24 Cavalier, which had the 2.8 liter V6, and for a bunch of teenagers with beater cars of that era, it was exceptionally quick.
I have a automatic 1982 Citation X-11 with the H.O. Carburetted V6. It's pretty quick off the line. It does run out of breath quick, though.
z24- what was gm thinking with that and the grand am and grand prix?
A high school buddy when out & got a sad, almost used up BMW 318i when he turned 16. We called it "Ein Beeter" since she had chunks of rusted body panels actually dropping off onto the pavement, never to be seen again, but she WAS quick too.
@@jonathannagela2130 I don't have any experience with those Pontiacs, but the Z24 is a pretty well proven formula. Take your economy s- box, fit an engine from your mid- sized car, firm up the suspension and sell it as a sports car. For an 80s car it was fast, it gripped well and cornered flat. We're lucky to not have gotten into more trouble than we did in that car.
I still can't understand why Cadillac went cheap on their bumper fillers? It seems like all of them are rotten, or missing. What a stupid design.
Bumper fillers? They want world-class status with a dead rear axle. Pathetic. Shareholders: 1, Customers: 0.
Why would anyone give this aberration 5 mins' time?
its a GM product..
@@christopherdematteo8645 Because it's infamous. It's fascinating to see one up close in like-new condition. Very little written about this car actually goes into detail about what it was like to sit inside one and drive it. Just a bunch of hyperbole about it being a Cadillac Cavalier.
@@christopherdematteo8645 Using a Cavalier to gain "World Status"? Are you F**king kidding me?
I owned a used 1984 Cimarron purchased from a Cadillac dealer who had been forced to re-build the motor after a crack in the (2-liter throttle-body) head ruined it for the original owner. Slow with the automatic, but the fuel mileage was good with the lock-up torque converter. I've never seen a stick-shift Cimarron in real life! I'm sure the dealer just wanted rid of the car. It was no BMW, but a lot nicer than any Cavalier. I admire this purchase! -RDM
I've always liked the steering wheel on this. I see the pedals are bright metal trimmed. A lot of nice details. Didn't know you could get cloth/leather seats. If Cadillac could have given it the same treatment as the original 70s Seville...
Nice looking car. People will always trash talk something that isn't main stream. I think that even today it would make a good car for running around town as it is easy to park, has decent room and a nice sized trunk. It would get good gas mileage even by today's standards. Hope you enjoy it and I think it makes a great addition to your collection.
With the V6 and 3-speed mileage is gonna be middling by any standards...especially around town.
I wouldn't let my dog drive this, yack. If Volkswagen made a Bentley sedan out of the Jetta, that's the equivalent of what's going on here,
@@Aforementioned 22-24 around town. Better than many cars in that period.
These cars are certainly "mainstream"... but troubled...
Lol. It’s a cavalier. JUNK
It's an interesting and amazing find. I do remember when they came out...and though it was badged and priced as a Cadillac, the public just still saw it as a Chevy in disguise...
There were many many better options with more room and more luxury.
But as a piece of history, I see why you bought it.
Great purchase, Adam. I look forward to seeing how things develop.
Back in the day people wondered why Cadillac didn’t use the same platform that the Cutlass Ciera/Buick Century was built on. This would have provided a roomier mid sized car better in every respect over the Cavalier.
The reason Cadillac wanted a small CHEAPER car was that Chevrolet had a fast selling car, the Cavalier and they wanted to "get in on the action" as CHEAPLY as possible. So they used the Cavalier platform and gussied it up, then marked up the price by 50% (because it was a Cadillac). LOL
Not bad for the time. “ Monday morning quarterbacking” isn’t fair by today’s standards .
Sold Buicks, Cadillac, and Pontiac in 83. Had the 1.8L engine in a Buick Skyhawk T-Type. Was a Great little car. Wish I had one now.
Yes you're right. The question is how much car do we really need? The Cimarron, also as inline 4 had/has enough power, was/is big enough. What are the qualities of a car? Just think,.....it doesn't had/have to be powered by a big V8 with 4 litre or even more to be good, reliable or luxurious!😊
It's solidly built, today it would look okay on the streets
If it were black, it would be pefect. At 15-16, I had the magazine ad of the Cimarron on my bulletin board. Quad sealed beam headlights and dirving lights, yes, please.
I’m pretty sure the Vast majority of the viewers have no idea the meaning of ‘tart up’, though quite accurate.
tart up, Slang.
to adorn, dress, or decorate, especially in a flamboyant manner:
Example:
“The old restaurant was tarted up to look like a Viennese café”
The tach displays 400 RPM when not running ??
Tony's video is worth watching for the drive on back roads.
Thanks, buddy!
Hey Adam, by 1986 most of the kinks had been worked out!! A neighbor of mine, an older widow, traded in her 72 Coupe de Ville for a new 86 Cimarron with the V6. It was much easier for her to drive the smaller car!!! 👍👍🙂
All the kinks except it still looked almost JUST LIKE the cavalier 😅
@@dmandman9 it was a cavalier LOL. the cavalier was a decent car but a bad Cadillac
She was the Cimarron's target-market, GM just didn't know it yet.
@@billolsen4360 come to think of it, everyone I saw with one was just as old as the other Cadillac owners . Believe it or not, the younger Cadillac owners seemed more attracted to the sedan de Ville that the Cimmaron
I wonder why it was discontinued in '88, could it be that buyers got sick of FAKE Cadillacs?
Adam - been following this Caddy on Tony’s Channel.
Looking forward to seeing it cleaned up and restored to its former glory!
The Cimarron is the BEST looking 80's J car. Caddy did a good job with what they had to work with, in my opinion.
Congratulations Adam. Welcome to the Cimarron Club! You need a full size 1980’s Fleetwood now like I have, so you can do a video from Cimarron to Seville to Fleetwood.
There is nothing like the feeling of buying a car and it being a project and working on that car to perfect it. You go for Adam. It will be interesting to see what you do.
It usually annoys me when people say a Lexus is "just a rebadged" Toyota, or the Navigator is just a rebadged Expedition. But for years. GM really did just "rebadge" their base Chevy models into Buicks, Olds, Pontiac and "fancy" Cadillacs.
Let's be honest, GM did a great job turning this corporate J-car into a compact deserving of the Cadillac wreath, taking great efforts to distinguish it for the Cadillac marque.
My only experience with one of these was with and '85 or '86 when new that was burnt orange metallic with a tan full leather interior. Pleasant enough and small is all I remember about it. I look forward to seeing you get it up to your usual standards!
Good work Adam. Those wheels and Eagle GT's really take me back. It looks as absurd today as then, but it was a harbinger of what has come today; the beginnings of a small, performance Cadillac. Catch Car&Driver's take on the CT4 this years Lightening Lap at VIR? Just saying.
What a great little car. My best friend had a step mom with a cavalier. I thought it was a cool car back in the day. Can't wait to see future videos of this caddy. Thanks for taking us all along for the ride.
Love it, happy for you Adam. 8 second 0-60 video next plz😊.
Great addition to your collection Adam, what a NOVELTY Car. Yes total POS pretty much, but how FUN. :) :)
One good thing about the Cimmerian was that the cavalier never had a bad rust problem and where pretty solid structurely
Cimmerian? Must be the Armenian made model 😀
NO! The rocker panels were good for about 10yrs, IF you did the "under body flush" on a REGULAR basis! They were "flimsy" and were rated VERY POOR in the NHSTA offset "crash tests". Not a SAFE car in a crash!
I remember my older brother getting this brand new in 1986 when he graduated high school. He used it as a NYC car while attending college. It lasted about 2 yrs. He liked it because it was small and easy to park in the City. But it didn't hold up well to the NYC streets. After that it lingered around for a few more yrs as the live-in's car for shopping etc. In 1990 we donated it to a local high school for their mechanical shop program.
I have a 87 Celebrrity , had a miss in it with somewhat low milage , checked and replaced some things on it and turned out to be the spark plug wires.Original wires on a 2.8
That coin holder was very cool in its day. 80's cars were pretty bad looking back. Always enjoy your shows.
80s cars were boxy looking, think the Ford Taurus changed all that
I was in the sixth grade in 1982. I took one look at these and immediately thought they were a joke. And I was one of those kids who LOVED cars and knew some things about them.
That 2.8 V6 was a Chevy engine I believe...Jeep bought them for its mid-80's Cherokee's as an upgrade. They were known for oil leaks. We ordered an 85 Cherokee Chief new at the time and the salesman begged us NOT to order the 2.8 for its various problems...we took his advice and bought the cast iron 2.5 Litre Jeep engine. It was slow as molasses (which he warned us) but bomb-proof...got over 200K miles and it never burned a drop of oil or had a single engine-related problem. All of our friends at the time who got caught up in the Jeep craze and bought examples with the 2.8 ended up with engine issues. That 85 Jeep is still my favorite car of all time.
It sounds like that salesman saved you a lot of grief!
I had to look up whether that was the 2.5L Iron Duke GM engine I had the "pleasure" of owning in 2 different cars. It was a genuine AMC develop motor. I would say you dodged 2 bullets with that one, but the 2.5L Iron Duke truck engine was much better than the lightened car version I had (called the Tech 4).
@HAL 9000 I thought the Pontiac 2.5 Liter Iron Duke had a good reputation for reliability, but was unrefined.
Is that the one you had in two different cars? Are you agreeing it was a little rough?
@@HAL-dm1eh I believe the 2.5 L Jeep engine was all American Motors. It was very quiet at cruising speed as well as under load, but man it was gutless. I had a 5-speed stick in the Cherokee and it pretty much loafed on the freeway, there was almost no reserve for passing, but then again, who's in a rush? 😵
@@67marlins The first one I had was in an 84 Olds Calais (loved that car) and it was a good engine until the oil pressure would drop on me going down the road at anything above 70 mph. First time it happened on a trip 3 hrs away from home and had to have it towed all the way back home from there (tourist area, local mechanics wanted to rob me). Ruined the whole trip.
2nd time it happened to me I was on my way to work somewhere and just turned it around and drove it all the way back home without oil pressure and let it almost lock up. I was done with it. Friends were making fun of it anyway because it had piston slap and some other knock it had developed from the last time it did it and I couldn't get it off the interstate fast enough to shut it off.
2nd Iron Duke or "Tech 4" I had was in an 84 Fiero, and ok it was just unrefined as the last one was. BUT, I also was afraid of the thing after what happened to me with the 1st, so I never pushed it at all.
You could not push that engine and have some luck with it and have a reliable experience, but as you can see it was not without its issues and others I'm not even mentioning that happened to others and not me.
As I said, the truck engine didn't seem to suffer from any of these issues and was much beefier and more durable.
Cadillac knew right away what an embarrassment this car was. Why did they let it have such a LONG model life???
Hi Adam, never really liked these Cimarrons back in the day, as they were really nothing more than a gussied up Cavalier early on, but your other video describing how they came to be was very informative and entertaining. Enjoy your latest acquisition, and keep them coming.
I saw Tony picking it up. Ahh. At least you got a nice one, for what it's worth.
I didn't like them till now! 😅
Wow, wild to see one today and in that good of shape.
Kudos to giving the Cimarron it's due on the channel and in your fleet. In the late 1990s I purchased a 1987 with the same 14 inch alloys with just over 100K and while not a Cadillac in the realm of my two earlier '77 DeVilles I enjoyed the car nonetheless. Your observations about the 2.8 power train are spot on and with the aid of a really fine set of Dunlop tires on mine the road manners were suitably sporting. I have somewhere a new center cap still in it's GM wrapper, BTW. Now I need to locate it...
I feel its all about the nostalgia and reliving the memories from long past good or bad its definitely a time capsule !
2.8 was/is a solid V6, had one in a '89 Chevrolet Celebrity nice torguey engine and had a good sound - the first car I learned to drive with, and the same for the rest of us kids in the family.
Its alot nicer than I expected. At least Cadillac tried to move away from their "land yacht" reputation and attempt to entice younger buyers. Was it a home run...no, but it was a solid ground rule double.
While I doubt that I would of spent thousands of dollars to get the Cadillac badging on a Cavalier when this was new, this is a nice survivor and I know that you will do a good job of taking care of it.
Fun car to add to the collection even though I’m not sure what Cadillac was thinking with such a huge deviation from their demographic sales base. Personally, I prefer the cloth interior. I’d be tempted to replace the tires with some whitewalls. Might change the look, even though the white lettered tires are original.
I definitely think the white walls would look better, Adam!
Hey Adam, What a nice clean little car! You brought back so many memories of my 1987 Cimarron - which was just like yours except for flush headlamps in front. These were nice cars that could not overcome their punchline status, due to being "ultimate Cavaliers" in most folks eyes. The interior is where they really stood out. As you've demonstrated, they were trimmed as Cadillacs; with wool pile carpets, flocked and stitched trim and every electric and electronic convenience as standard equipment. Incidentally, those very comfortable bucket seats were the same ones used in the Eldorado Touring Coupe. The V-6 had very sprightly performance and still returned decent fuel economy. I purchased mine for a song in 1990 with about 12,000 miles on it. The car's reputation made it an incredible buy at the time. We really enjoyed it. Hope you enjoy yours as well!
Not to be snide, but this would've made a nice Chevrolet. At the time, I did actually refer to the Cimarron as a "Chevrollac". The pricing was it's downfall, and Caddy aficionados were rightfully offended.
We always called them Cavaliers with power windows
7:37 I see Tony was as good as his word and fixed the ashtray cover.
Thanks, buddy!
That pod mounted center brake light looked so cool.
Adam, I want to like it, and I’m getting there. I appreciate the upholstered door cards most of all. Cad needed to meet mileage standards and this provided it. If it wasn’t for the generic J-body door framing I’d be all for it!
Enjoy your Cavalier Adam! There’s probably a reason the previous owner never drove it…
It identifies as a Cadillac. I guess it was ahead of its time.
😂😂 👍
I had a 1985 back then - same exact color combination with leather. Enjoyed that car a lot for exactly what it was - Cadillac's version of the J body. Those that whine about it being a Cavalier need to remember that EVERY SINGLE DIVISION of GM had their version of the J body. (CAFE standards) Two things were outstanding on this car. The bucket seats and the sound system. Additionally this was the best car I ever had for driving in snow. While others were getting stuck I just slowly maneuvered around them and kept going. This was the perfect urban Cadillac for the times.
Cadillac was not dumb, they made this car for a reason and that is the same reason Ford took a Granada and make it a Lincoln. CAFE or pay (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) When added into the lineup it raised the average economy of the whole line allowing the "big boys a bit longer," to drop some pounds. As for the Catera that came later down the line I wish it had done better. (Yes it was a German Opel with Caddy badges but I like it too.)
Wow, remarkable condition, that interior. My uncle had one of the first ones as a 4-cyl, 5 speed, sunroof, foglights, leather... I thought that car was so cool back then. :-) Today I'd tune up the engine, fix the AC and use it as my daily driver and feel cool. :-) Nice buy!
I’m glad this finally arrived. TH-cam pushed me to the videos of the gentleman who picked it up for you in Illinois. Apparently one of the tires is quite bad.
The 86 was improved by that time. I remember the older men seeing that car they always had something negative to say. On the other hand I owned a Cavalier sold it at about 135 thousand miles. Your car looks like a fun car and not a clone car now. Not bad I like it.
No matter what people say, keep preserving history. I would like to do the same
My Grandma bought an 84 in the late 80's she loved it. It was the 2.2L but it was a good car. No major issues. My mom had the 86 Cavalier and had nothing but problems. both kept the maintenance up on each. Luck of the draw I guess.
lol, I like the white lettering on the tires, dont see that much any more
I'd Love to see this compared directly to a Z24 from the same year/era. V6 5 speed, Digital dash I was thinking for those inserts, something could probably be made from fiberglass, but the other guy with the 3D printing idea definitely had the better idea.
I remember seeing one of these with a digital instrument cluster . I think the digital cluster gives it a more upscale look than the cavalier cluster that this one has and at least makes the interior appear more upscale.
Every time I see your low miles “like new” cars I want to know the backstory. Who owned? Why are the miles so low? Where did it come from?
You have talent finding these gems.
Love it.
The Cimarron was Cadillac’s response to the Mercedes 190E that also came out in 1982. The problem was that the Mercedes was a true Benz all around just in a smaller (midsize in euro standards) size and that’s why people called it the baby Benz, while the Cimarron was simply a rebadged Chevy Cavalier with a bit more plush interior. It did not have any of the riding qualities of the Cadillacs. Having said that this example in the video is a great find given the condition and low miles. Huge bonus that is the V6 version.
I had one brand new! I ordered it loaded, including a front grill and moon roof. I wish I still had it. It was manual which added to the performance. I had a need to get a larger car to pull a trailer.
Like the pedal trim....lol. The Calais series never had it. Nice small touch as is the felt A-Pil
I love it, Adam! It's basically an Opel Ascona that we had in Europe, but with the high quality interior and the V6 it is a lot more special. Does the stereo work? It looks very cool too. Looking forward to some videos about this car ❤️👍🏻
Ascona underpinnings??
@@orkoto6057 yep. Ascona C (1981-1988)
Also so a varaint i Norway in addition to the Opel Ascona, was an Isuzu Aska
So curious, the ascona could be seen on a daily basis in Spain... Greetings!
LoL "high quality"😂
Not bad at all. Would prefer this particular car to any new car.
I really like your Cimarron, maybe it because I have an 88 s10 pick up with a 2.8 v6 with 200,000 miles on it still going strong. I love my s10 and could only imaging a smaller car. And I see all the design cues from the 80's chevy in the Cimarron. Although the door panels have real stitching and not as cheap as the s10,, the visual style of them look very similar to the doors in the s10.
I think Cadillac was thinking that the tightened steering with a front wheel drive (which was sort of new for them) they could get this car to compete with European luxury sports cars.
I'm not surprised you bought a Cimarron. Good find! I own 5 J Bodies, including a 1985 Cimarron and three Cavaliers. I have tons of Cimarron parts as well.
These were inexpensive cars with lots of cheap material sold as something that they were not for a price that was too much. And GM barely even tried to make them look different from the Cavalier that they really were.
They were kind of fun to drive though.