For those of us that grew up with these vehicles we love the nostalgia of them. After seeing so many of them used up and abused it is really nice to see a well preserved example of one decades later when pretty much all of them are all but gone now. There are those of us that absolutely love what you are doing despite what others may feel. And for the sake of it, I am not a fan of the iron duke cranking.. however.. I really do like the Omega and I have said it before here, I wouldn't hesitate to tool around town in that car and run weekend errands in it for fun. Although I couldn't drive it out on the highways as I really need something that gets up and moves without any hesitation and without burying my foot in the gas pedal.. I don't like to dog any engine like that.
Count me as someone who enjoys content on the 80s (and 90s-00s) GM FWD vehicles. These are the vehicles I fondly remember from my youth, and the platforms my father spent his entire engineering career developing and improving at GM. Every car and every component within it, no matter how seemingly mundane, has an interesting developmental story behind it. No other channel (across all media) gives this type of inside historical content any sort of exposure, keep up the great work!
Another way to check the A/C compressor: The A/C compressor also comes on when the windshield defrost is on to help pull moisture out of the cabin. If the compressor isn't functioning properly then it will take longer to defrost/defog the windshield
Had one as a rental once, no he doesn't. Only the emblem was European. With low rental car expectations, it still disappointed. No power. Went to second gear just to go over an Interstate overpass.
I had a later Lumina Eurosport, 91 or 92? I can't even remember. But I loved that stupid car. Everything inside broke and wore out, but the damn thing started every day and never left me on the side of the road. And it was by no means fast, but for a teenager in the mid 90s, it got up when you stepped on it. But then I bought a 95 Saturn Twin Cam. Plastic body, hi revving. That thing screamed for a mid 90s naturally aspirated American car. Again by no means fast or even remotely powerful compared to today's 600 - 800 horsepower family cars. Butt GM had their Small Engine surprises all over the streets of this country
These cars were very unloved for ages. Im so happy they survive. I remember and enjoyed many of these cars. They weren't terrible. In the latter 80s and into the 90s many offerings were pretty effecient as well. Cars these days are doing too much. Way too much.
GM needed to make lots of front drive cars as the market demanded it. Perhaps a few rear wheel drive car platforms should have remained. Imagine the Cimarron based on a stretched Camaro platform! The Caddy V8 would have fit.
Let's be clear: there are no "classic" 1980s GM FWD cars. They were all terrible. I say this as a person who grew up in a "GM family", and whose father worked for the Oldsmobile Division from 1957-1975. I drove nothing but GM cars until 1991, when I bought a 1987 BMW 535i. Game over. GM finally regained it's footing in the mid-1990s, and has produced some terrific cars since then. But the mid to late 1970s through the 1980s were an embarrassingly awful time for GM and all American manufacturers. They had lost the plot, what with the incessant demands of new and ever more restrictive California and federal regulations. The Japanese "ate their lunch", and for good reason. In the 1980s, no one even came close to Japanese quality and affordability.
Adam out here holding his own mini car show! Between the cars and the jacket, you can almost picture this being a used car lot sometime in the late 80s or early 90s. Love the appreciation for these often unloved 80s machines. I think my favorite of these cars are the full size machines, particularly the later years of the Cadillacs (4.5 and 4.9) and Buicks (3800). Aside from that, I've always thought the early 80s x-body Skylark was a weird formal car with just a hint of cute.
Personally drove a 93 Sedan DeVille with the 4.9 v8 for 5 years. That was a fine car, and I wish I still had it. It was Cotillion White with a Burgundy red interior. Loved it.
I also have a weak point for the Skylark of that era, somehow the two-door seems like a mini Regal or Riviera. Like you said, both fancy and cute at the same time and offering most of the styling, practicality and front seat comfort of either of those much more expensive cars. :)
What Are In General Motors (GM) J-Body/N-Body Platforms (1st-3rd Generations [Makes/Models]) for Compact/Mid-Size Cars (Coupes-Sedans-Convertibles-Station Wagons) - Automatic Transmission/Manual Transmission (Console-Mounted, Floor-Mounted, and Column-Mounted Shift Levers) & Exterior/Interior Updates (Changes/Upgrades) History Used from (1982-2005) List is?
What Are In General Motors (GM) A-Body/W-Body Platforms (1st-3rd Generations [Makes/Models]) for Mid-Size Cars (Coupes-Sedans-Convertibles-Station Wagons) - Automatic Transmission/Manual Transmission (Console-Mounted, Floor-Mounted, and Column-Mounted Shift Levers) & Exterior/Interior Updates (Changes/Upgrades) History Used from (1982-2016) List is?
The 1987 Pontiac Bonneville was a beautiful design and I loved mine so much that I subsequently bought a ‘91 and later a loaded dark red metallic ’97 SSE - one of my favorite cars that I wish I’d kept.
My friend's mom had a 88 SSE that when it finally crapped out it had 416,000 miles...and really it was just SO rusty, and the fuel injectors leaked down so bad it would be so hard to warm re-start, and she got scared of the rust...I think the junkyard put some used injectors in it, because they used it to haul the torch set all over the 80 acre yard, with the trunk lid removed...I saw it one day about 2 years after I helped drop it off out there.... My friends mom was afraid it was going to collapse in a crash.
It's very odd how a switch from one, large headlight to two smaller square lights instantly makes a car look twice as expensive and 10 times as good. Makes you wonder why they even bothered to ever use the single lights; the $3 saved could easily be added to the sticker without notice. I think this is why the Celebrity always seemed much more of a "mid priced, largish mid-sized" car, almost LeSabre in looks and status, instead of being compared to the Citation and J cars which it was much closer in size to. The Celebrity/Century/Ciera were a rare case of GM compact design done very well. The huge mystery is, since the Celebrity-class cars were SO well styled, engineered and received, why a 4th "C" car, a Cadillac Calais was never produced; it would have taken very well to the basic design, had enough size and presence to appeal to traditional buyers , without bumping into the Seville's pricier, higher tech market segment. But they did make the Cimmarron... a much bigger leap down that we all know didn't work. A "Caddy Celebrity" absolutely would have.
Yes and no to comparing it to the Chevy. I bought a new Cimarron back in 86' for my wife. Much like the one shown except hers was white with the lower silver cladding and an oxblood leather interior with every option GM offered at time. The Caddy had bigger wheels/tires, the V-6 and a ton of sound proofing which made it very quiet inside and ride like a much heavier car. It also had an upgraded suspension for better handling. All in all it was a nice, trouble-free car to own. Alot of my "car-guy" friends used to joke about the car being a Cavalier until they got in and drove it. They all admitted it really was a "baby Cadillac".
Adam- You must be a savant. It amazes me how you roll off facts and figures of so many makes and models, production numbers, wheelbases, etc. Truly remarkable! Keep it coming!!
My Dad had an '86 Park Ave. bought new. Silver, luggage rack on truck, and grey leather. Only GM car we had that never had any mechanical or electric issues.
What do you mean "Buyer's Guide"? You don't have to buy those things; people just give them away. You know there are too many videos on the internet when you see people highlighting the actual worst pieces of crap ever conceived by the mind of man. Haven't you heard about other cars? No one needs to drive garbage like this. This represented a low for the automotive industry.
I remember when the X cars were released....I believe it was in April of 79..I kept the automotive section of the Dallas Times Herald when they were released....is in a box somewhere
I can’t believe people are interested in these cars. GM made total junk during this time period. My dad was a salesman and his company bought him a new GM car every two years and they were unbelievable garbage with ridiculous warranty issues.
Agree, Buick Lesabre was one of the few bright spots of their 1980s FWD models and probably the only one that was common to get to or close to 200k miles. The loose center console shifter alone was downright embarrassing in so many of these cars. Must have cost 29 cents and made ten million Toyota and Honda buyers. 09:16 instrument cluster? Just wow!
12:18 another thing to check the oil for is the smell of gas. It could be a sign of worn piston rings or a misfire. It’s also a good idea to loosen the oil fill cap while it’s running and see if it try’s to jump out, it’s a sign of blow by and a worm out engine.
We had an '87 Cutlass Ciera Brougham, bought new in So. Cal in '86. The were some problems including two transmissions but we had it for 17 years and over 260,000 miles. The interior held up remarkably well and overall it was a very classy car, never had issues with any power accessories and the 3.8 engine was flawless. I think it was at least as good as anything else made at the time.
yes they were good cars .. but back in the day mid 80's .. I went with the Cutlass Supreme coupe (Salon) as I was only in my early 20's. The A cars were very popular for a long time.
Had the Cimarron been on the X body platform I think it would've been a much bigger hit. We had a Skylark when I was a kid and it felt luxurious a Cadillac would have definitely felt more upscale
It probably would have been an initial success. But it would have ended with a worst reputation as far as reliability because the x body the vehicles for more trouble prone in general. The J cars were actually decent for their day.
The 1981 through 1984 Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant were Chrysler's versions of the Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Phoenix. The Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant were also available as station wagons which weren't available with the Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Phoenix. The Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant weren't available with hatchbacks like the Chevrolet Citation and Pontiac Phoenix. I also noticed that the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant have three seatbelts in the front seat which the Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Phoenix don't have.
Fond nostalgia sums it up perfectly. For better or worse, these cars are part of automotive history. I wouldn’t want to daily drive any of these, but I would sure love to have them in my collection to drive occasionally and enjoy. And I second the need to add an A-body to your collection…an ‘87 or later Celebrity Eurosport V6 or 6000 STE or S/E AWD would be great if a decent one can still be found.
The fact that these survive at all is a testimony to them. These weren't good cars when new, but that makes them slightly appealing now. Still can't believe the poor paint quality on the Omega. I do marvel at how good the X-cars could have been and how little effort GM put into their engineering to pull of the launch. I would love the 98, however.
At the time, there were lots of US cars, particularly GM, where the paint had come off in sheets within just a few years. Including the full-size cars. Adam was just careful to select from the best remaining examples.
I bought a 1985 Olds 98 in 1996, and had the sagging headliner repaired by a van conversion place in town for very little money. Don't know whether they glued it back, or what, but it looked great and lasted for the three years I owned the car. I also had the hood and trunk lid repainted. At 166,000 miles when I sold it, the car still looked new. Don't know about the X and the J cars, but the C body was a fine automobile.
Herrera Buick in San Francisco on Geary and Arguello had a Buick GNX on it's showroom floor for years. Well after 1987. As a kid growing up in the city I would look at the car for hours. They other interesting cars too. I always thought that the 1989 Le Sabre T Type Coupe was a great looking car. In San Francisco we had quite a few GN's. Lots of 87 Turbo T Type Regals. Very few Buick Le Sabre Type Coupes. Bay Area had a lot of Acura Legend First Gen Coupes. I always thought the 80's Coupes were cool. You could actually see a Thunderbird SC parked next to a Legend Coupe or a Pontiac Grand Prix.
These cars are so much better than the crossover garbage people drive today. And so much easier, and cheaper, to maintain and repair. The only bad thing about driving cars like this is that modern vehicles are so tall, their headlights are directly in your line of sight
A simple thing that is easy to forget and can be a headache is to check and make sure that the car has the key to get the hubcaps off on those that need one. I imagine that finding one for cars this old may not be easy.
I hate that these cars seem so old nowadays. Makes me feel old. I love a lot of brands and models and have been thinking about getting possibly a gm 3800 engined car at some point. Right now, I have some old dodges. Daytona shelby, etc, and Although I won't be getting rid of the ones I have, I have had my eyes out for some possible early 2000's to 90s gm cars. I'm just barely 40, and it just seems like these cars are a hundred years old. Man, where did time go?
Very good Adam. It would be good if you were able to share details re how to get the 3D printed Cimarron bumper fillers. I need some for my 85 25,000 mile V6 one.
Well done again Adam. I have reglued those headliners. It wasn’t fun but the worst of it was that the job tends not to last more than a few months. I got to learn that the foam is what breaks down, not the glue, so the headliner just starts falling down shortly again.
I didn't have much of a problem finding the replacement fabric in the right color. It's been much harder finding the time to pull the headliner backing board out and scrape all the foam off.
I'm not sure if it was just the way the sound was recorded, but when you did your cranking demo it actually sounded like one cylinder might be down slightly on compression.
For the most part, unless you are really lucky, the X-bodies pretty much always end up needing to be repainted eventually, at least the 1982 and on ones with the water-based paints. The original owner of my Citation X-11 had the paint fail, he did a backyard respray, which has also failed because backyard respray. The car will eventually get a full repaint when it doesn't cost as much as the car is worth. I usually drive it once a week. It's as much fun as you can have driving slowly. And the carbureted V-6 X-bodies seem to respond really well to driving it like you stole it. Mine always runs better and better after a day of stomping on it and holding on through the torque steer. GM really did get a LOT right with these cars.
That's a lot of profound information - great! But I'm not sure, if this video is encouraging people to want one of these cars. The Cadillac looks quite attractive.
My dad bought my mother a new 1984 Omega. I hated it. I still had my 1980 Cutlass Supreme Brougham and the Omega just seemed so cheap, cheesy and under powered as compared to my Cutlass. It was the last American car they ever owned. They switched to Honda and me to Acura in the 1990’s. Olds lost loyal customers due to the quality of that Omega, sadly. I’ve been with Acura ever since. But I’d love to have your Ninety-Eight Regency, though!
We had an 81 Olds Omega Brougham 4 door. A nice car, had the extended warranty for 50k. The aluminum head wrapped just prior to 50k. It soldiered on for more years after that. Thank you, Hansel & Ortman, RIP, the world's oldest Olds dealer.
This was another interesting video. If your collection is deep enough to host a Ford themed comparison, like Escort/Lynx to Tempo/Topaz to Taurus/Sable, that would be good. Or if you ever have some K variants to AA bodies to cloud cars, that would also be fun. Or 1 X body compared to 1 K car and to 1 Fairmont/Zephyr would also be a good one. With your collection and connections, maybe these would be possible some time.
Congrats on your finding such rust free specimens. We had so many J,X,A &C FWDs in Western PA, and the biggest problem is rust. Check those strut & shock towers for rust. Our 81 Omega Landau rusted under the dash weakened the A pillars. 9 years only 40k miles, killed that ride. What ever you do on acquiring the tidbits of info, like why the Cimarron was a J, keep doing it.👍🏽🏁💯
There’s an Oldsmobile Omega for sale down the road from me which is an 1984 which they are selling dirt cheap I sort of have my eye on which I am going to take your advice and check that car thoroughly
A milky looking residue on the bottom of the oil fill cap doesn't always mean there's an issue. If a car sits a lot, especially in humid climates, any moisture will evaporate and collect on the inside of the oil fill cap
I liked the way GM fixed it so you could disconnect the front dog bone mount and rock the engine/transaxle assembly forward for working on the back of the engine where the distributor (if it had one) and the ignition coils were.
If you are going to get an Olds Firenza, get a Cruiser wagon. Not only are they rare, but you can haul quite a bit with them. My dad had an '84 and I hate to tell you all the stuff he hauled with his over that car's life.
This video is a keeper. All the advice from so many of your other videos rolled into one. However, I wouldn’t be able to test a potential buy the way you do. A lot of that is also experience. I however particularly liked the front end of the video comparing the J, X and C bodies. You don’t get comparisons especially in that detail on other channels. Also, I hope you land that Firenze.
I owned a 91 Caprice, I thought it was a great value.large, comfortable, reliable, stainless steel exhaust, small v8 Changed the starter myself in the driveway, very easy
These fwd GM videos are very nostalgic to me in my early adulthood. These are cars I had to buy to get to work. I agree GM was on the uphill all of the 80s. I found water pump bearing issues are the weak point in 4.1 4.9 transverse motors and the 7mm steel interior grade screws in the aluminum timing cover is a design failure and results in a major repair. If quality is a demand it’s clearly a 2.8 A body 86 up and 3.8 88-89 for me. I think the X car was the best but like a raw cake, was unfinished. The J and A with exceptions to rare high end models seemed like oatmeal to me in a Buick Olds town. The C/H were the crown of this era capped with the 91-93 Park Avenue Ultra.
That happened to me once in my dad’s ‘80 Citation (in the rain) when it was relatively new. I wonder if there’s an aftermarket fix, e.g. different proportioning valve, to correct the problem. However, with an old car, you probably won’t be driving it much in the rain, to keep it from rusting.
Well, I owned many x-body’s (and one 81 skylark right now) the brake (proportionings valves on the brake master cilinder where reviesed with the “recall” they received in the early 1981 model year. Also the brake schoes where changed. Never had any issues with all of them. But after 40 plus years you schuld replace the hydraulic system that contains any rubber components.
Yes indeed, but only when the engine compartment is nice and hot to build enough pressure in the a/c system to run the compressor. The compressors will not run when the car is bone cold as you saw with Adam's car.
My parents had an '86 Chevy Celebrity. As much as I really didn't care for the smaller GMs of that era, it really wasn't that bad. It was no frills and served it's purpose.
Worked on most all of these cars as a GM tech when they were new.... You hit most all of the important points... Thanks for posting and Happy Motoring !
I love how theyr'e big comfy couches on wheels. I LOVE old cars like Buick Century. Because yesterday we took 2 hour drive through Midwest backroads to get to Costco. We have 2018 Tiguan. But I was dreaming how BEAUTIFUL Midwest backroads with farms in the Summer & Spring will be, & it would just be over the top beautiful & American in an old Luxury car, wow!!! with my kids in the back, windows down, so nice.
one of the rarest of the group, was the 3800 corsica sedan. a generic rentabox. a legit 15 second car. capable of humbling pretty much EVERYTHING except turbo buicks.
I had an 86 Pontiac 6,000 SE with the 2.8, it was completely shot when I got it, but boy did that thing run. Then, I got an 87 Celebrity Euro-Rust, she was an awesome car, but it got stolen and stripped my Senior year of high school. Your channel brings back so many great memories. I love your collection of cars! The Iron Duke is very common in the marine world, and is known for being pretty much bullet proof. They are crude though! I’ve owned a few.
I owned both an Omega and a Citation. I was unaware they were both the same platform. I also like both cars in spite of all the negative reviews of the "X" body cars. Both had the V6 that provided ample power and fuel economy. I'd own another one if it came my way.
I will say First, I am a FoMoCo guy...But when I met my wife she had an H Car (1988 Delta 88) - Hers was a stripped down model, had A/C but no Power Equipment... I found a few of quirks, couple that IRRITATED ME...A couple that made me chuckle. 1. The crank windows crank the WRONG WAY of any other vehicle I have ever owned! - IRRITATING when the A/C Quit and we were too poor to fix it, as you use the windows a lot then! 2. The Aero-Headlights used FOUR 9004 Bulbs, so when Low Beam burned out, you could swap it with the High Beam bulb (provided it had not been swapped before) and continue on with life. - Made me chuckle... 3. Though the car did NOT have power locks, while trying to find an electrical gremlin on the car, I found, if I put in a fuse (or used a jumper wire) where the power lock fuse went (it had metal connection terminals in the fuse block at that position, but no fuse, so I thought it was missing a fuse, possibly "fell out" or whatever...MN Roads are bumpy and it has happened before!) it would make ALL FOUR DOORS produce a loud CLUNK sound like the doors were locking (though they were not actually locking the doors - Honestly don't think I checked to see if they unlocked while doing that trick!) But I will tell you, the first time it made me just about sh!t my pants, as I wasn't expecting the driver's door SIX INCHES away from my head to start making a loud clunking noise! - Made me chuckle afterwards... 4. GM made Wheel Covers that had some sort of "Lock Mechanism" in the center requiring a "TOOL" to remove them...STILL to this day I have no idea how that trash worked...Being a FoMoCo Guy, I broke them, My Father in law (who is a GM guy) thought I was a "Dumbass" for "Not Knowing it had Wheel Cover Locks" - I explained out of the literally DOZENS's of cars I grew up around...NONE had that crap, and only a "TOOL" would design something like that...Its design also make the wheel covers RATTLE while driving it (Why I was trying to remove them)...NOW I KNOW WHY...most of those C/H cars drove around without wheel covers, the rattle will drive you NUTS! - I had never heard of a car that would rattle at crawling speed, with engine off and in neutral... The Brake Calipers also clunk while going over bumps, and the "Link" for the front swaybar is weak...I just about went in the ditch when it broke! - Can you tell I hated that car? - Oh and the splash shields to change oil... The car DID last a long time...over 200K easy...I got tired of fixing it, every week...and it lost the Sequential part of the EFI, (even replaced the sensor, and inspected the trigger in the timing gear, seems the ECU or wiring was faulty. So sometimes it would run like crap!)
First generation junk. I would also include Ford and Chrysler Plymouth products right off the showroom floor junk. Mechanics worst nightmare, buyers worst nightmare. Stick to the square body Chevrolet truck line.
Own a 89-88. Bought mew. 235000 miles. Still runs well. 30 mpg at 75 mph. Great car. Of course paint fade on hood,roof and deck lid. Rear bumper fillers gone.
You need a GM G-Body 77-88 Pontiac Grand Prix, Olds Cutlass, Monte Carlo or Buick Regal in your stable. Back in the mid 80s, everybody had one. My 87 Buick Century was total JUNK. The paint on all GM cars in the 80s was horrible. Dark colors was worse for cracking than lighter colors but light colors would crack too.
I had an 86 celebrity. Great memories from my youth...but yeah....they were unequivocally malaise era junk. Period. Things started to improve in the late 80s with cars like the buick gnx and then the zr1 corvette.
the full size GM front wheel drive cars of the 1980s/90s are similar to a modern day Toyota Camry which rides on a 111.3 in wheel base and 194 in length similar to a modern Chevrolet Malibu and 2 in shorter than a Cadillac CT5 V Blackwing though a base Buick Skylark of that era weighed 2,600 LBs while a base Camry of that era weighed 2,326 or 274 LBs less my late maternal grandmother drove a used 84 Skylark for about 2 years when I was little loved that car
I inherited a 1986 LeSabre with the 3800 V6 engine. Bulletproof mechanicals. I had to say goodbye when a storm came through and blew a 4' diameter oak tree onto the trunk, squashing it.
For those of us that grew up with these vehicles we love the nostalgia of them. After seeing so many of them used up and abused it is really nice to see a well preserved example of one decades later when pretty much all of them are all but gone now. There are those of us that absolutely love what you are doing despite what others may feel.
And for the sake of it, I am not a fan of the iron duke cranking.. however.. I really do like the Omega and I have said it before here, I wouldn't hesitate to tool around town in that car and run weekend errands in it for fun. Although I couldn't drive it out on the highways as I really need something that gets up and moves without any hesitation and without burying my foot in the gas pedal.. I don't like to dog any engine like that.
Count me as someone who enjoys content on the 80s (and 90s-00s) GM FWD vehicles. These are the vehicles I fondly remember from my youth, and the platforms my father spent his entire engineering career developing and improving at GM. Every car and every component within it, no matter how seemingly mundane, has an interesting developmental story behind it. No other channel (across all media) gives this type of inside historical content any sort of exposure, keep up the great work!
Another way to check the A/C compressor: The A/C compressor also comes on when the windshield defrost is on to help pull moisture out of the cabin. If the compressor isn't functioning properly then it will take longer to defrost/defog the windshield
Can unhook the low pressure sensor and jump the plug connector also.
I am not sure when GM started doing that, I know it took Ford until the 90's on some cars....
You need a Celebrity Eurosport to round out the collection.
Or a 6000 STE.
Had one as a rental once, no he doesn't. Only the emblem was European. With low rental car expectations, it still disappointed. No power. Went to second gear just to go over an Interstate overpass.
My mom had a Celebrity wagon with the 2.8 V6. Loved that car. I can't remember what year it was, but it still had a carburetor
I second this. I love the exhaust note of the multiport V6.
I had a later Lumina Eurosport, 91 or 92? I can't even remember. But I loved that stupid car. Everything inside broke and wore out, but the damn thing started every day and never left me on the side of the road. And it was by no means fast, but for a teenager in the mid 90s, it got up when you stepped on it.
But then I bought a 95 Saturn Twin Cam. Plastic body, hi revving. That thing screamed for a mid 90s naturally aspirated American car.
Again by no means fast or even remotely powerful compared to today's 600 - 800 horsepower family cars.
Butt GM had their Small Engine surprises all over the streets of this country
It's great to see your cars out before winter. Loving the amount of content you've released as of late
These cars were very unloved for ages. Im so happy they survive. I remember and enjoyed many of these cars. They weren't terrible. In the latter 80s and into the 90s many offerings were pretty effecient as well. Cars these days are doing too much. Way too much.
Today's cars are more of a device and not so much a machine.
You need a Pontiac 6000 STE to review. When you buy it, I want it.
GM needed to make lots of front drive cars as the market demanded it. Perhaps a few rear wheel drive car platforms should have remained. Imagine the Cimarron based on a stretched Camaro platform! The Caddy V8 would have fit.
Let's be clear: there are no "classic" 1980s GM FWD cars. They were all terrible. I say this as a person who grew up in a "GM family", and whose father worked for the Oldsmobile Division from 1957-1975. I drove nothing but GM cars until 1991, when I bought a 1987 BMW 535i. Game over. GM finally regained it's footing in the mid-1990s, and has produced some terrific cars since then. But the mid to late 1970s through the 1980s were an embarrassingly awful time for GM and all American manufacturers. They had lost the plot, what with the incessant demands of new and ever more restrictive California and federal regulations. The Japanese "ate their lunch", and for good reason. In the 1980s, no one even came close to Japanese quality and affordability.
Any J car is my choice over any X car.
There still a part of automotive history and General Motors. They deserve to be preserved.
Adam out here holding his own mini car show! Between the cars and the jacket, you can almost picture this being a used car lot sometime in the late 80s or early 90s. Love the appreciation for these often unloved 80s machines. I think my favorite of these cars are the full size machines, particularly the later years of the Cadillacs (4.5 and 4.9) and Buicks (3800). Aside from that, I've always thought the early 80s x-body Skylark was a weird formal car with just a hint of cute.
Personally drove a 93 Sedan DeVille with the 4.9 v8 for 5 years. That was a fine car, and I wish I still had it. It was Cotillion White with a Burgundy red interior. Loved it.
I also have a weak point for the Skylark of that era, somehow the two-door seems like a mini Regal or Riviera. Like you said, both fancy and cute at the same time and offering most of the styling, practicality and front seat comfort of either of those much more expensive cars. :)
The jacket rules. All kidding aside, Adam has one of the most informative and entertaining channels on YT.
What Are In General Motors (GM) J-Body/N-Body Platforms (1st-3rd Generations [Makes/Models]) for Compact/Mid-Size Cars (Coupes-Sedans-Convertibles-Station Wagons) - Automatic Transmission/Manual Transmission (Console-Mounted, Floor-Mounted, and Column-Mounted Shift Levers) & Exterior/Interior Updates (Changes/Upgrades) History Used from (1982-2005) List is?
What Are In General Motors (GM) A-Body/W-Body Platforms (1st-3rd Generations [Makes/Models]) for Mid-Size Cars (Coupes-Sedans-Convertibles-Station Wagons) - Automatic Transmission/Manual Transmission (Console-Mounted, Floor-Mounted, and Column-Mounted Shift Levers) & Exterior/Interior Updates (Changes/Upgrades) History Used from (1982-2016) List is?
Id love to see a Buick Skyhawk T-Type...Citation X-11 and Cavalier Z24/RS hatch.
The 1987 Pontiac Bonneville was a beautiful design and I loved mine so much that I subsequently bought a ‘91 and later a loaded dark red metallic ’97 SSE - one of my favorite cars that I wish I’d kept.
My friend's mom had a 88 SSE that when it finally crapped out it had 416,000 miles...and really it was just SO rusty, and the fuel injectors leaked down so bad it would be so hard to warm re-start, and she got scared of the rust...I think the junkyard put some used injectors in it, because they used it to haul the torch set all over the 80 acre yard, with the trunk lid removed...I saw it one day about 2 years after I helped drop it off out there.... My friends mom was afraid it was going to collapse in a crash.
@@misters2837 Great story, thanks.
It's very odd how a switch from one, large headlight to two smaller square lights instantly makes a car look twice as expensive and 10 times as good.
Makes you wonder why they even bothered to ever use the single lights; the $3 saved could easily be added to the sticker without notice.
I think this is why the Celebrity always seemed much more of a "mid priced, largish mid-sized" car, almost LeSabre in looks and status, instead of being compared to the Citation and J cars which it was much closer in size to.
The Celebrity/Century/Ciera were a rare case of GM compact design done very well.
The huge mystery is, since the Celebrity-class cars were SO well styled, engineered and received, why a 4th "C" car, a Cadillac Calais was never produced; it would have taken very well to the basic design, had enough size and presence to appeal to traditional buyers , without bumping into the Seville's pricier, higher tech market segment.
But they did make the Cimmarron... a much bigger leap down that we all know didn't work.
A "Caddy Celebrity" absolutely would have.
I really like the 86 Cimarron. They really got the styling right with this model. Only problem is, its still a Cavalier.
I prefer the years with the composite headlamps!
Yes and no to comparing it to the Chevy. I bought a new Cimarron back in 86' for my wife. Much like the one shown except hers was white with the lower silver cladding and an oxblood leather interior with every option GM offered at time. The Caddy had bigger wheels/tires, the V-6 and a ton of sound proofing which made it very quiet inside and ride like a much heavier car. It also had an upgraded suspension for better handling. All in all it was a nice, trouble-free car to own. Alot of my "car-guy" friends used to joke about the car being a Cavalier until they got in and drove it. They all admitted it really was a "baby Cadillac".
Adam- You must be a savant. It amazes me how you roll off facts and figures of so many makes and models, production numbers, wheelbases, etc. Truly remarkable! Keep it coming!!
My Dad had an '86 Park Ave. bought new. Silver, luggage rack on truck, and grey leather. Only GM car we had that never had any mechanical or electric issues.
What do you mean "Buyer's Guide"? You don't have to buy those things; people just give them away.
You know there are too many videos on the internet when you see people highlighting the actual worst pieces of crap ever conceived by the mind of man.
Haven't you heard about other cars? No one needs to drive garbage like this. This represented a low for the automotive industry.
I remember when the X cars were released....I believe it was in April of 79..I kept the automotive section of the Dallas Times Herald when they were released....is in a box somewhere
I can’t believe people are interested in these cars. GM made total junk during this time period. My dad was a salesman and his company bought him a new GM car every two years and they were unbelievable garbage with ridiculous warranty issues.
Agree, Buick Lesabre was one of the few bright spots of their 1980s FWD models and probably the only one that was common to get to or close to 200k miles. The loose center console shifter alone was downright embarrassing in so many of these cars. Must have cost 29 cents and made ten million Toyota and Honda buyers. 09:16 instrument cluster? Just wow!
12:18 another thing to check the oil for is the smell of gas. It could be a sign of worn piston rings or a misfire. It’s also a good idea to loosen the oil fill cap while it’s running and see if it try’s to jump out, it’s a sign of blow by and a worm out engine.
We had an '87 Cutlass Ciera Brougham, bought new in So. Cal in '86. The were some problems including two transmissions but we had it for 17 years and over 260,000 miles. The interior held up remarkably well and overall it was a very classy car, never had issues with any power accessories and the 3.8 engine was flawless. I think it was at least as good as anything else made at the time.
yes they were good cars .. but back in the day mid 80's .. I went with the Cutlass Supreme coupe (Salon) as I was only in my early 20's. The A cars were very popular for a long time.
Had the Cimarron been on the X body platform I think it would've been a much bigger hit. We had a Skylark when I was a kid and it felt luxurious a Cadillac would have definitely felt more upscale
It probably would have been an initial success. But it would have ended with a worst reputation as far as reliability because the x body the vehicles for more trouble prone in general. The J cars were actually decent for their day.
@@dmandman9 I can say that my mom drove our car forever without any major issues, it finally gave out though lol she bought another Buick, a Regal
Yes I love 80’s and 90’s cars!
put the defroster on high the ac compressor should come on thats how ou check in the winter worked on them in the 80s
I find the X cars so unattractive. J body cars had way better proportions.
The 1981 through 1984 Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant were Chrysler's versions of the Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Phoenix. The Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant were also available as station wagons which weren't available with the Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Phoenix. The Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant weren't available with hatchbacks like the Chevrolet Citation and Pontiac Phoenix. I also noticed that the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant have three seatbelts in the front seat which the Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Phoenix don't have.
Fond nostalgia sums it up perfectly. For better or worse, these cars are part of automotive history. I wouldn’t want to daily drive any of these, but I would sure love to have them in my collection to drive occasionally and enjoy.
And I second the need to add an A-body to your collection…an ‘87 or later Celebrity Eurosport V6 or 6000 STE or S/E AWD would be great if a decent one can still be found.
Don't forget about the uber rare Eurosport VR.... less than 500 total production
The fact that these survive at all is a testimony to them. These weren't good cars when new, but that makes them slightly appealing now. Still can't believe the poor paint quality on the Omega. I do marvel at how good the X-cars could have been and how little effort GM put into their engineering to pull of the launch. I would love the 98, however.
At the time, there were lots of US cars, particularly GM, where the paint had come off in sheets within just a few years. Including the full-size cars. Adam was just careful to select from the best remaining examples.
I bought a 1985 Olds 98 in 1996, and had the sagging headliner repaired by a van conversion place in town for very little money. Don't know whether they glued it back, or what, but it looked great and lasted for the three years I owned the car. I also had the hood and trunk lid repainted. At 166,000 miles when I sold it, the car still looked new. Don't know about the X and the J cars, but the C body was a fine automobile.
Are you wearing your member only jacket …..🤓
A small person today is the equivalent of a full size person in the early 1980’s.
Herrera Buick in San Francisco on Geary and Arguello had a Buick GNX on it's showroom floor for years. Well after 1987. As a kid growing up in the city I would look at the car for hours.
They other interesting cars too. I always thought that the 1989 Le Sabre T Type Coupe was a great looking car.
In San Francisco we had quite a few GN's. Lots of 87 Turbo T Type Regals. Very few Buick Le Sabre Type Coupes.
Bay Area had a lot of Acura Legend First Gen Coupes. I always thought the 80's Coupes were cool.
You could actually see a Thunderbird SC parked next to a Legend Coupe or a Pontiac Grand Prix.
It's a shame what they did to the Omega and the Skylark. Early to mid 70's those cars were the SHlT.
These cars are so much better than the crossover garbage people drive today. And so much easier, and cheaper, to maintain and repair. The only bad thing about driving cars like this is that modern vehicles are so tall, their headlights are directly in your line of sight
A simple thing that is easy to forget and can be a headache is to check and make sure that the car has the key to get the hubcaps off on those that need one. I imagine that finding one for cars this old may not be easy.
This was a great comparison video, Adam. Lots of good information for potential buyers to consider.
I always look forward to you're videos because we have the same interest in cars. One of the best channels 👌 on TH-cam. Happy holidays Adam.
Two words, QUAD FOUR! ,coil pack failures , timing chain stretch,power steering leaks and fuel pump failures, what's not to love about them.
I just find these downsized American cars depressing, a once mighty industry defeated by American politicians and unelected bureaucrats. Yuck.
I hate that these cars seem so old nowadays. Makes me feel old. I love a lot of brands and models and have been thinking about getting possibly a gm 3800 engined car at some point. Right now, I have some old dodges. Daytona shelby, etc, and Although I won't be getting rid of the ones I have, I have had my eyes out for some possible early 2000's to 90s gm cars. I'm just barely 40, and it just seems like these cars are a hundred years old. Man, where did time go?
Very good Adam. It would be good if you were able to share details re how to get the 3D printed Cimarron bumper fillers. I need some for my 85 25,000 mile V6 one.
I had a 1981 omega, it rode and drove great but the paint was terrible. LOL
By 1987 the paint looked like arts and crafts crackle paint! 😂
A 3-door Olds Firenza or Buick Skyhawk would be an awesome addition!
Well done again Adam. I have reglued those headliners. It wasn’t fun but the worst of it was that the job tends not to last more than a few months. I got to learn that the foam is what breaks down, not the glue, so the headliner just starts falling down shortly again.
I didn't have much of a problem finding the replacement fabric in the right color. It's been much harder finding the time to pull the headliner backing board out and scrape all the foam off.
I'm not sure if it was just the way the sound was recorded, but when you did your cranking demo it actually sounded like one cylinder might be down slightly on compression.
You need a Pontiac 6000 STE!
For the most part, unless you are really lucky, the X-bodies pretty much always end up needing to be repainted eventually, at least the 1982 and on ones with the water-based paints. The original owner of my Citation X-11 had the paint fail, he did a backyard respray, which has also failed because backyard respray. The car will eventually get a full repaint when it doesn't cost as much as the car is worth. I usually drive it once a week. It's as much fun as you can have driving slowly. And the carbureted V-6 X-bodies seem to respond really well to driving it like you stole it. Mine always runs better and better after a day of stomping on it and holding on through the torque steer.
GM really did get a LOT right with these cars.
That's a lot of profound information - great! But I'm not sure, if this video is encouraging people to want one of these cars. The Cadillac looks quite attractive.
i owned a 84 olds frienza LX....sedan....with pop-up sunroof.........had the brazilian built 1.8 OHC TBI
My dad bought my mother a new 1984 Omega. I hated it. I still had my 1980 Cutlass Supreme Brougham and the Omega just seemed so cheap, cheesy and under powered as compared to my Cutlass. It was the last American car they ever owned. They switched to Honda and me to Acura in the 1990’s. Olds lost loyal customers due to the quality of that Omega, sadly. I’ve been with Acura ever since. But I’d love to have your Ninety-Eight Regency, though!
The Cadillac 4.9 in the later front drive DeVille is an excellent and reliable engine.
My 1974 Honda Civic came with 12 inch bias ply whitewalls. I soon replaced them with 13 inch wheels and tires.
We had an 81 Olds Omega Brougham 4 door. A nice car, had the extended warranty for 50k. The aluminum head wrapped just prior to 50k. It soldiered on for more years after that. Thank you, Hansel & Ortman, RIP, the world's oldest Olds dealer.
Automatics in drive at engine idle speed can set up a cabin sound reverberation.
I would love to get my hands on a Cimmeron , always liked those
This was another interesting video. If your collection is deep enough to host a Ford themed comparison, like Escort/Lynx to Tempo/Topaz to Taurus/Sable, that would be good. Or if you ever have some K variants to AA bodies to cloud cars, that would also be fun. Or 1 X body compared to 1 K car and to 1 Fairmont/Zephyr would also be a good one. With your collection and connections, maybe these would be possible some time.
I think my father had one of those Olds and the torque converter locked up while they were traveling south.
Congrats on your finding such rust free specimens. We had so many J,X,A &C FWDs in Western PA, and the biggest problem is rust. Check those strut & shock towers for rust. Our 81 Omega Landau rusted under the dash weakened the A pillars. 9 years only 40k miles, killed that ride.
What ever you do on acquiring the tidbits of info, like why the Cimarron was a J, keep doing it.👍🏽🏁💯
My parts car is a Michigan car and it rusted out at the based of the A-pilar, and, of course , the base of the fenders and the bottoms of the doors.
There’s an Oldsmobile Omega for sale down the road from me which is an 1984 which they are selling dirt cheap I sort of have my eye on which I am going to take your advice and check that car thoroughly
Loving the 80’s GM content. Some pretty cool cars you got there. The Buicks from this era are some of my favorites.
10W-30 is preferred for many vehicles produced at the time.
A milky looking residue on the bottom of the oil fill cap doesn't always mean there's an issue. If a car sits a lot, especially in humid climates, any moisture will evaporate and collect on the inside of the oil fill cap
Great vid!!! 👍👍
I liked the way GM fixed it so you could disconnect the front dog bone mount and rock the engine/transaxle assembly forward for working on the back of the engine where the distributor (if it had one) and the ignition coils were.
That’s the “trick” I always used when servicing the rear of the engine bay!!
The C bodies were awesome cars with the 3800
Adam, the Olds 98 is gorgeous!
If you are going to get an Olds Firenza, get a Cruiser wagon. Not only are they rare, but you can haul quite a bit with them. My dad had an '84 and I hate to tell you all the stuff he hauled with his over that car's life.
Gotta love than snazzy Members Only jacket Adam is sporting while discussing these 80’s cars 😅
This video is a keeper. All the advice from so many of your other videos rolled into one. However, I wouldn’t be able to test a potential buy the way you do. A lot of that is also experience. I however particularly liked the front end of the video comparing the J, X and C bodies. You don’t get comparisons especially in that detail on other channels. Also, I hope you land that Firenze.
I owned a 91 Caprice, I thought it was a great value.large, comfortable, reliable, stainless steel exhaust, small v8
Changed the starter myself in the driveway, very easy
Way back when I had an 81 Oldsmobile Omega Brougham, it was a good little car that was comfortable & got good mileage!!! 🤓
I had an Olds Omega for a few years … I really liked it, dependable reliable daily driver
These fwd GM videos are very nostalgic to me in my early adulthood. These are cars I had to buy to get to work. I agree GM was on the uphill all of the 80s. I found water pump bearing issues are the weak point in 4.1 4.9 transverse motors and the 7mm steel interior grade screws in the aluminum timing cover is a design failure and results in a major repair. If quality is a demand it’s clearly a 2.8 A body 86 up and 3.8 88-89 for me. I think the X car was the best but like a raw cake, was unfinished. The J and A with exceptions to rare high end models seemed like oatmeal to me in a Buick Olds town. The C/H were the crown of this era capped with the 91-93 Park Avenue Ultra.
What about the problem with the rear break lockup. The first year X-Cars would do a 180 degree spin if you had to do a panic stop.
That happened to me once in my dad’s ‘80 Citation (in the rain) when it was relatively new. I wonder if there’s an aftermarket fix, e.g. different proportioning valve, to correct the problem. However, with an old car, you probably won’t be driving it much in the rain, to keep it from rusting.
Well, I owned many x-body’s (and one 81 skylark right now) the brake (proportionings valves on the brake master cilinder where reviesed with the “recall” they received in the early 1981 model year.
Also the brake schoes where changed.
Never had any issues with all of them. But after 40 plus years you schuld replace the hydraulic system that contains any rubber components.
Hey Adam good stuff as usual.
The AC compressor engages when in the defrost position on GM cars
Yes indeed, but only when the engine compartment is nice and hot to build enough pressure in the a/c system to run the compressor. The compressors will not run when the car is bone cold as you saw with Adam's car.
How many cars does he own.
Very cool Members Only jacket, very 80's BTW. I sported one in 1984, very Chic.
You should do a video about the crazy cars GM exported to Mexico. The 90s Celebrity was awesome.
My parents had an '86 Chevy Celebrity. As much as I really didn't care for the smaller GMs of that era, it really wasn't that bad. It was no frills and served it's purpose.
Going to be looking at a 1983 Sunbird convertible this weekend... probably going to buy it.
Worked on most all of these cars as a GM tech when they were new.... You hit most all of the important points... Thanks for posting and Happy Motoring !
Thumbs up just for your audible compression test ....Wahl, Wahl, Wahl !
Lol ! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving !!!!
Another AWESOME Video Adam. Thanks so much. !!! I Love these Cars. :) Also Man you live in a Beautiful Neighborhood. !!!!
I love how theyr'e big comfy couches on wheels. I LOVE old cars like Buick Century.
Because yesterday we took 2 hour drive through Midwest backroads to get to Costco.
We have 2018 Tiguan. But I was dreaming how BEAUTIFUL Midwest backroads with farms in the Summer & Spring will be, & it would just be over the top beautiful & American in an old Luxury car, wow!!! with my kids in the back, windows down, so nice.
one of the rarest of the group, was the 3800 corsica sedan. a generic rentabox. a legit 15 second car. capable of humbling pretty much EVERYTHING except turbo buicks.
I had an 86 Pontiac 6,000 SE with the 2.8, it was completely shot when I got it, but boy did that thing run. Then, I got an 87 Celebrity Euro-Rust, she was an awesome car, but it got stolen and stripped my Senior year of high school. Your channel brings back so many great memories. I love your collection of cars! The Iron Duke is very common in the marine world, and is known for being pretty much bullet proof. They are crude though! I’ve owned a few.
I owned both an Omega and a Citation. I was unaware they were both the same platform. I also like both cars in spite of all the negative reviews of the "X" body cars. Both had the V6 that provided ample power and fuel economy. I'd own another one if it came my way.
I will say First, I am a FoMoCo guy...But when I met my wife she had an H Car (1988 Delta 88) - Hers was a stripped down model, had A/C but no Power Equipment... I found a few of quirks, couple that IRRITATED ME...A couple that made me chuckle.
1. The crank windows crank the WRONG WAY of any other vehicle I have ever owned! - IRRITATING when the A/C Quit and we were too poor to fix it, as you use the windows a lot then!
2. The Aero-Headlights used FOUR 9004 Bulbs, so when Low Beam burned out, you could swap it with the High Beam bulb (provided it had not been swapped before) and continue on with life. - Made me chuckle...
3. Though the car did NOT have power locks, while trying to find an electrical gremlin on the car, I found, if I put in a fuse (or used a jumper wire) where the power lock fuse went (it had metal connection terminals in the fuse block at that position, but no fuse, so I thought it was missing a fuse, possibly "fell out" or whatever...MN Roads are bumpy and it has happened before!) it would make ALL FOUR DOORS produce a loud CLUNK sound like the doors were locking (though they were not actually locking the doors - Honestly don't think I checked to see if they unlocked while doing that trick!) But I will tell you, the first time it made me just about sh!t my pants, as I wasn't expecting the driver's door SIX INCHES away from my head to start making a loud clunking noise! - Made me chuckle afterwards...
4. GM made Wheel Covers that had some sort of "Lock Mechanism" in the center requiring a "TOOL" to remove them...STILL to this day I have no idea how that trash worked...Being a FoMoCo Guy, I broke them, My Father in law (who is a GM guy) thought I was a "Dumbass" for "Not Knowing it had Wheel Cover Locks" - I explained out of the literally DOZENS's of cars I grew up around...NONE had that crap, and only a "TOOL" would design something like that...Its design also make the wheel covers RATTLE while driving it (Why I was trying to remove them)...NOW I KNOW WHY...most of those C/H cars drove around without wheel covers, the rattle will drive you NUTS! - I had never heard of a car that would rattle at crawling speed, with engine off and in neutral... The Brake Calipers also clunk while going over bumps, and the "Link" for the front swaybar is weak...I just about went in the ditch when it broke! - Can you tell I hated that car? - Oh and the splash shields to change oil... The car DID last a long time...over 200K easy...I got tired of fixing it, every week...and it lost the Sequential part of the EFI, (even replaced the sensor, and inspected the trigger in the timing gear, seems the ECU or wiring was faulty. So sometimes it would run like crap!)
First generation junk. I would also include Ford and Chrysler Plymouth products right off the showroom floor junk. Mechanics worst nightmare, buyers worst nightmare. Stick to the square body Chevrolet truck line.
Own a 89-88. Bought mew. 235000 miles. Still runs well. 30 mpg at 75 mph. Great car. Of course paint fade on hood,roof and deck lid. Rear bumper fillers gone.
You need a GM G-Body 77-88 Pontiac Grand Prix, Olds Cutlass, Monte Carlo or Buick Regal in your stable. Back in the mid 80s, everybody had one. My 87 Buick Century was total JUNK. The paint on all GM cars in the 80s was horrible. Dark colors was worse for cracking than lighter colors but light colors would crack too.
The new Trax has a 106 inch wheelbase, 178.60 inch length, 61.70 or 61.42 height, 71.80 width for a comparison to Chevy's most basic car of today.
In Europe GM had the Opel Kadett D FWD transverse engine from 1979, so technically the X Car was the second GM FWD transverse engined car.
I had an 86 celebrity. Great memories from my youth...but yeah....they were unequivocally
malaise era junk. Period.
Things started to improve in the late 80s with cars like the buick gnx and then the zr1 corvette.
the full size GM front wheel drive cars of the 1980s/90s are similar to a modern day Toyota Camry which rides on a 111.3 in wheel base and 194 in length similar to a modern Chevrolet Malibu and 2 in shorter than a Cadillac CT5 V Blackwing though a base Buick Skylark of that era weighed 2,600 LBs while a base Camry of that era weighed 2,326 or 274 LBs less my late maternal grandmother drove a used 84 Skylark for about 2 years when I was little loved that car
I inherited a 1986 LeSabre with the 3800 V6 engine. Bulletproof mechanicals. I had to say goodbye when a storm came through and blew a 4' diameter oak tree onto the trunk, squashing it.