Yes, the Caprice was one of the best cars made, just not *THAT* nor *THOSE* Caprices; the last generation, with the option code 9C1, last year of production (1995 or 1996) with the LS1 is one of the best cars GM ever made...
I refuse to buy anything that already has anything but a radio/cd player in the dash. I'm sure the supply of relatively cheap older cars will eventually dry up but I've never owned anything newer than 2006 and I'm aiming to keep it that way. I'd like to be the one driving the car thank you very much. If there's information I can't access with a cheap OBD II scanner then the car has too many doodads and whatsits. All this tech is cool from an engineering standpoint but I don't want to deal with it. If it's any more complex than a double overhead cam, variable valve timing and variable length intake runners then keep it.
As a teen in the fall of '76, a HS friend of mine bought a really nice, one owner '71 Impala 350 from a couple who had just gotten a new '77. Apparently the dealer didn't offer them enough for the '71 on trade, so when the new '77 came home the '71 was evicted from their one car garage and parked on the street in front of their house with a "for sale" sign on it. We happened to be driving by, saw the sharp, 2-door sport roof (hardtop) '71, knocked on the door, and after checking the car over a deal was struck for $1200. Great car. I always liked the 2 door, non-vinyl roof hard top Impalas. They were more rare than the more formal roof, concave rear window, pre-'77 Chevy B-bodies, and to me are reminiscent of the early '60s bubble tops.
That's a keeper for sure. You can run it on propane or natural gas if gasoline becomes too expensive or unavailable down the road. There are conversion kits for this purpose.
My father had a '79 sedan, with the 350 V8. That thing could have been taken into combat and done very well. 143,000 miles and never a problem, just tires, brakes, plugs, fluids and other wearable parts.
this is my favorite gen of the Caprice my dad drove a used 1984 triple brown Classic sedan with the 350 V8 engine under the hood until I was in my mid teens
Considering that they were wobbly, automatic transmission only cars, with poor visibility, that was one of the worst cars anybody could ever learn to drive on.
I had an 85 Caprice Classic that I bought from a St. Vincent dePaul used car lot. It had a front seat that I couldn't move forward, a persistent leak, and mismatched tires. The broken front seat didn't worry me because I could still reach the pedals. I'm not entirely sure anybody under 5'10" would've been able to do it though. Of course, I've told this story before.
Have had a 83 Sedan in Germany. It was incredible huge between all those Audi 80s, BMW 3series and VWs. A neighbour about it's (blue velours) interior: "Oh, it's like a car for kings." I very miss that classic American ride...
This is the iconic American car. It has everything Americans want. I was working at a Chevy dealer when these were still in production and our customers loved them. I rarely saw them in the shop, but we had plenty of Citations and Chevettes to work on.
I hate to say it, but in the late 90s and early 00s, these were the #1 car to steal in my area. I recall people putting Clubs on steering wheels, wheel locks on, aftermarket Chapman alarm systems, underhood cable operated bolt locks with 'safe type keys', removable stereo head units and more to try to avoid theft or break ins. In 01 a friend of mine had an '88. Her insurance kept rising to the point she couldn't afford it and she sold it in 03.
A roommate had it's Pontiac cousin, the Parisienne. You could fit three actual sized humans in the back comfortably. It was great for road trips. It was built for highway cruising.
I got to dtive a lot of these working at a Chevy dealership in the late 80s. They were built well and did everything well that sedans and wagons were supposed to do
Had a new 77 Impala, dark blue. Very nice car overall, roomy, rode well. Had F41 suspension. Extremely stable and good handling. The downside…lots of bugs. Alternator problems, AC problems, transmission problems with TH 200, intermittent wipers stopped working. The 305 was very tame and a little overworked, given the weight of the car. Rust perforation on lower rocker panel after 5 years. It was a great concept, but my example was a disappointment. Maybe I just had a lemon.
@@danam0228 yes, have heard that, and believe it. On the contrary, bought a Nissan Maxima in 1989, first year out, and it was hands down the best car I’ve ever owned, to this day. Kept it 14 years, should have kept it longer. Replaced with Nissan Altima, still driving it. Such a reliable car with 127,000 miles. The late 80s and 90s, early 2000s were kind of the golden age of reliability for many models, it seems to me. Doubt that is true today for most.
I'm no GM guy, but that B body platform was really good. Easy to fix, easy to maintain, easy to drive and tough as nails. When they finally went to EFI they were even better. I worked with a guy from 1995-2003 that had a 78 coupe with the 305. It had well over 300k on it. It did get a new cam, timing chain and gears early in its life as well as 1 transmission, but was 1 of his favorite cars. He used to call it "Ol green rusty trusty". For 85 and up, GM redesigned some key components that helped prevent oil leaks on the 4.3 and 5.0L, better transmissions moving away from the 2004r and 350C to the 700r4 and better rust proofing throughout its long production run. Interiors were vastly improved and optional stereo systems sounded much better. Better sound insulation was added in key areas which made this car as quiet as any Buick or Olds. If you got 1 with the F41, you would see why these cars were cop favorites.
I had an 81 two door coupe Caprice Classic Landau and later I bought an 82 4 door for my wife. The car was a tank and the engine, while not that strong, was as reliable as they come. This car was the most popular export to Saudi Arabia at the time. The cars were comfortable and luxurious low maintenance. They were so strong that Demolition Derby drivers used them because there were so many of them and they couldn't be killed. They were brutally strong body and bumpers that other cars could never equal. My wife once had someone rear end her in a Chrysler Concord and the Caprice lost some luster in the chrome bumper but the Concord folded like a pretzel. This is probably one of the nicest Chevrolets ever made at least in my opinion.
This was when GM actually built profoundly good cars and should have never gone front wheel drive (except in small cars). GM knew how to build great rear wheel drive vehicles. Sadly as the brand went through the 1980's and 1990's, it increasingly built garbage. Alas, these downsized Caprice's were the best of the last period of GM history and the company should have been sold off part by part and allowed to cease to exist. The current brand is complete and utter garbage.
I can agree with that to an extent. The cutoff, in my opinion, would be when GM got bailed out. That's really when they started producing really unreliable, non long lasting vehicles. They say 90's and early '00's GM cars run like s-*t forever
Always found it interesting that the police version (RPO 9C1) used the same 190-hp TBI 350 as the dull-size trucks & vans. Tip: Swapping heads to the replacements offered for the Formula 350 Firebird nets a substantial boost on performance... no PROM reprogramming required!😊
I miss two tone paint jobs. I noticed that roofs and mirrors with one or two contrast colors, black or white, are out there in small numbers….but it’s no replacement for two tone. Maybe it doesn’t visually work on every newer body style, but it definitely would still look fantastic on some of the current large vehicles.
I bought a used '78 Caprice Classic 2 Door with the 305 engine when it was 5 or 6 years old. I liked the styling and performance. It comfortably fit a family of 4 with luggage.
Lord oh Lord Chevrolet bring back the Caprice you might think it would be foolish but let me tell you you would have more customers in the showroom then you could handle $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
The 1990, killed Caprice sales with the door mounted seatbelts, you thought you were securely in your car, and the door could open and you'd fall out of your car, (with seatbelt on).
I personell had a 1977 Chevy Caprice Coupé some years ago. A very unusual Coupé for Germany. Lovely car, but really too big for our roads and sadly a real money waster. Even my 1971 Rolls Royce had a better fuel cunsomtion.
I had an aunt that owned 4 of them: 1977, 1982, 1985, and 1987. She went with a Buick LeSabre in 1992 and back to the Caprice in 1996. They were some great cars.
Not sure I agree with you on size. While the caprice is styled big, when you see one on the road it's actually not much bigger than a 2024 honda accord for example. The accord is 195.7 inches and the caprice was 212. That's only 14 inches longer. The caprice was 75 inches wide with the accord is 73.3. Just over an inch narrower. The accord is 57 inches tall and the caprice was 58.2, so only 1 inch more. The styling looked much bigger but in reality not that much bigger than a modern car. I sure miss the two tone paint choices and the awesome luxurious cloth interiors
I’m 6’2 and sitting in the back of a caprice was better than the front of most cars. Especially anything newer. Those old cars were great on long trips
If they would stop putting these "no sidewall" low profile tires on the cars these days they would ride pretty good. They all ride like chit because the tires are chit.
I rode in and/or drove/owned a series of '65 -'76 Chevy B-bodies while growing up, and my second ever brand new car was an '81 Caprice V8. What a difference the '77 downsizing made. My '81 felt so much more trim and less floaty but had the same amount of interior trunk space as the big pre-'77 B-bodies. The video said the downsized Caprice was the same size as GM's '70s intermediates, and I believe it. My '81 had the interior and trunk space of a full size but drove like a mid size. I'd love to have my '81 back as it existed when I owned it in the early '80s.
My dad had a beautiful two-tone sliver and black Caprice. Unfortunately, it was a diesel. GM replaced the head gasket at least once, and finally the whole engine. My dad finally dumped it and bought a VW Rabbit diesel that I eventually took to college. We put a quarter-million hard miles on that Rabbit before it died!
My first car was an 85 Caprice, white with dark blue top and interior and the 305 V8. It was already 11 years old when I got it, only one owner before me and it was in great shape. Cruised like a luxury yacht.
I think Chevy, Pontiac, Olds, Buick and Cadillac all did a commendable job downsizing their cars in '77, these turned out to be some of the best/most reliable road cars GM ever made and we DESPARATLY need something like them again - then they went n dropped the ball BIG TIME in '85! 🙄
Nice video. As the owner of two full-size 1978 Chevies, I will attest to their comfort, ease of driving, and quality. One minor oops I caught. In 1980, the 250 was dropped for the Chevy-based 229 V6; the 231 was regularly-scheduled for California-emissions cars, although I imagine a few 231s found their way into cars bound for elsewhere as production needs/availability required. The full-sized Pontiacs, Buicks and Oldsmobiles, at least those sold in the U.S., all had 231s. I think the Canadaian cars all had 229s, but I'm not sure.
Interesting, GM Holden at time of mid 80's had square shape WB which would be end of era of Legendary Kingswood also with arrival VN smooth, rounded design came with EFi 304 5.0lt V8 with power 165kw over 200hp. Holden was definitely ahead to Chevrolet until LS1.
If GM can sell thirsty, expensive full size pickups today, it surely could sell full size Caprices today (2024) with optimal V-6 engines. Problem is, federal fuel efficiency mandates don't permit this for passenger cars.
I had a 1984 Chevrolet Caprice Classic 4-door sedan. It was Mine & my mom's car. The '84 Caprice got traded in for a 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. Still miss the '84 Caprice to this very day. P.S. The station wagon Caprice only 4 doors, not 5 doors. There is no such thing as a 5 door car.
My first car was a 1987 Caprice which was a previous taxi cab. I got it cheap since the miles were over 500,000. I drove her for another 200,000 miles and sold her. I miss my Caprice. Took me through college. These were very safe cars to drive. They dont make cars like these any more.
It's a shame that there was never a convertible during the years in which they made the 2-door coupes otherwise. I've seen convertible conversions of the '77, and it's a knockout! A gorgeous, sleek, sporty full-size car, far superior than the bloated 1971-'75 Impala then Caprice convertibles that preceded them. I do love the '71-'75 convertibles, even if I sound like I'm contradicting myself. They were the last of their kind, forever. Also the last to have the open 2 and 4-door coupes as well that I miss.
I remember seeing these all over the place when I was a kid in the 80s. By the time it was the mid 90s, they became uncommon on the roads and highways. Chevy did a very good job with elegant, contemporary styling during the car's last few refreshes in the mid and late 80s. These Caprices with the 350 were one of the best police cars of all time.
Reasonably sized excellent durability and comfort super low cost to run with decent performance in those days. My favorites were a 77 impala wagon with 350 4bbl and a 90 ex police with 350 fuel injected. A 78 caprice sedan with 305 was ok but just a bit underpowered best cars ever.
They should bring back the Chevrolet Caprice wagon. Had a Pontiac Le Mans banana yellow. Loved it. Could haul just about anything if you did not have a truck. Popup rear facing set was great. Only problem was facing backwards, there was always some fool in a boat tailgating us. Lol. Seriously though, the cargo areas in those were excellent.
They were very good cars in most respects. Excellent size inside and out, good ride and handling balance. Attractive if not beautiful styling. They had many weaknesses though. Other than the 77-79 350 which was nice and responsive the engines were all weak performers. The early 305 2bbl engines had problematic carburetors and the early 80’s 305’s had endless cam shaft failures. The 200 series transmissions were junk too. In fairness though these cars were overall more reliable than most other GM cars if the same era
Too bad the fuel injected 305 or 350 were not offered on the wagons. While the 307 olds motor was smooth and reliable so incredibly slow in the wagons, I’ve had several . Great cars anyways. Thanks for the videos.
You have no idea how popular this car is here in Saudi Arabia on it's time and till this day. they literally wrote poems and songs about them. it's part of the culture here.
I had customers with these that decided to trade them for the new front-wheel-drive X-bodies in 1980 and I cautioned them not to buy those the first year. (Or the second, etc.) They did anyway, and in a short time they had problems. I just reminded them of all that traction they got in the snow and the gas they saved. One guy was a salesman, and he asked me what to do about this. I said that Chevrolet still makes the Caprice. He bought a new Caprice in 1987 and drove that car for 6 years after that and bought another and had that when he retired. Those cars had some of the nicest interiors you could buy in a passenger car. GREAT VIDEO!
My dad had a beige 79 for a while. Somebody who had it put box speakers in the back window. And it had a four foot antenna mounted center of the trunk. People would t pass him fearing he was an unmarked cop car
I had a 88 European box chevy 305 v8 took the factory 4 barrel carb out put a aftermarket carb on it had a little more power😂the 305 wasn't no power house it was good for what it was built to do😂 btw old car memories or somebody needs to do a official count of how many 307 olds engines were produced they put that engine in everything and their still around 😂😂😂😂
The Caprice was one of the best cars GM ever made. I miss those days.
Yes, the Caprice was one of the best cars made, just not *THAT* nor *THOSE* Caprices; the last generation, with the option code 9C1, last year of production (1995 or 1996) with the LS1 is one of the best cars GM ever made...
You mean LT1!!!@@AnnatarTheMaia
@@jsun9196 I do.
@AnnatarTheMaia You're wrong, of course, but i'm sure that's something you've become used to.
@@melissacarterpresley5786 I'm seldom wrong, and those who do not listen to me usually get severely busted by life.
I miss cars like this. You can keep these new rolling computer screens.
Hate the computer screens
I refuse to buy anything that already has anything but a radio/cd player in the dash. I'm sure the supply of relatively cheap older cars will eventually dry up but I've never owned anything newer than 2006 and I'm aiming to keep it that way. I'd like to be the one driving the car thank you very much. If there's information I can't access with a cheap OBD II scanner then the car has too many doodads and whatsits. All this tech is cool from an engineering standpoint but I don't want to deal with it. If it's any more complex than a double overhead cam, variable valve timing and variable length intake runners then keep it.
You can keep your low horsepower, unreliable, cheap quality brick on wheels
wuh oh my 94 caprice wagon has an lcd speedometer. But I hate all the new tech. I may eventually
go to carb'ed some day
Yeah! Who on earth would want a car that's easy to repair with cheap and widely available parts with a span of 20 years!? That makes no sense to me!
I ordered one in November of 76 got it in March of 77.. owned it for 30 years..sold it in march of 07..wish i hadn't now..
You will receive the car back in March of 2027, for it is written.
@@WinterInTheForest I could only hope..lol..
As a teen in the fall of '76, a HS friend of mine bought a really nice, one owner '71 Impala 350 from a couple who had just gotten a new '77. Apparently the dealer didn't offer them enough for the '71 on trade, so when the new '77 came home the '71 was evicted from their one car garage and parked on the street in front of their house with a "for sale" sign on it. We happened to be driving by, saw the sharp, 2-door sport roof (hardtop) '71, knocked on the door, and after checking the car over a deal was struck for $1200. Great car.
I always liked the 2 door, non-vinyl roof hard top Impalas. They were more rare than the more formal roof, concave rear window, pre-'77 Chevy B-bodies, and to me are reminiscent of the early '60s bubble tops.
I have my grandfathers 1987 Caprice Classic Brougham in my garage to this day. Original family car. I still drive it, beautiful car...
Do u want to sale it
The Caprice was one of the best cars GM ever built. My dad owned 2 of them.
I STILL see them even Now on the road...
That's a pretty Good testament to me.
In twenty years time you wont see todays cars around the electronics ensure they wont last.
@@the_bunse They're designed now to be Disposable essentially. Auto Manufacturers don't want a car to last for 80 years like in the past.
This is my dream car! A 1979 Caprice with the 5.7 L small block V8. Even on today's roads with today's options, I would take this EVERY DAY!
I have a rust free 90 brougham. Never selling it.
That's a keeper for sure. You can run it on propane or natural gas if gasoline becomes too expensive or unavailable down the road. There are conversion kits for this purpose.
U have gold caprice best year 1990
Always a good day when OldCarMemories uploads a new video =)
I agree 👍
My father had a '79 sedan, with the 350 V8. That thing could have been taken into combat and done very well.
143,000 miles and never a problem, just tires, brakes, plugs, fluids and other wearable parts.
The coupe’ with the hot wire bent rear window is awesome looking!
this is my favorite gen of the Caprice my dad drove a used 1984 triple brown Classic sedan with the 350 V8 engine under the hood until I was in my mid teens
@courtneypuzzo2502 Your dad really did good considering that he 350 wasn't available to the public after 1979.
The family had a 79 Coupe with all the Bells and Whistles, a super nice car. 💋
My dad had an 85 Caprice Classic. He taught me to drive in that car. He had for nearly a decade and put over 300,000 miles on it.
Considering that they were wobbly, automatic transmission only cars, with poor visibility, that was one of the worst cars anybody could ever learn to drive on.
I had an 85 Caprice Classic that I bought from a St. Vincent dePaul used car lot. It had a front seat that I couldn't move forward, a persistent leak, and mismatched tires. The broken front seat didn't worry me because I could still reach the pedals. I'm not entirely sure anybody under 5'10" would've been able to do it though.
Of course, I've told this story before.
@@AnnatarTheMaia
I don't know where you got that idea because none of it is true, except auto only.
@AnnatarTheMaia There you go again, saying things that you know are not true. Troll elsewhere.
@@melissacarterpresley5786 what exactly is not true?
From 1983 to 1986 you could also get a Pontiac Parisienne which was in effect a badge engineered Chevy Caprice.
Also the 78-81 Bonneville. In those yrs, at least some of the available engines were made by Pontiac.
There was a Buick and a Oldsmobile model as well.
The Pontiac version was later known Safari.
Pontiac Parisienne is how I started learning about badge engineering
Yeah, that was the time the Ford Crown Victoria had a great rival in the police force. I miss cars like these.
Best of the best years for GM when it came to reliability, those were the days!!!!
Have had a 83 Sedan in Germany. It was incredible huge between all those Audi 80s, BMW 3series and VWs.
A neighbour about it's (blue velours) interior: "Oh, it's like a car for kings."
I very miss that classic American ride...
Aww man i I miss the Box Chevy!! I've always loved these cars, especially the two-door coupes!!!
1977 Motor Trend Car of the Year.
Have you seen some of the Chevrolet winners for COTY From 1971-80? Vega, Monza, and Citation. What a steaming pile.
@@KevinWindsor1971 Perhaps, but they got this one right. With those others, the idea was good, but the execution wasn't.
Possibly best car GM ever produced. We had a 77, 86, 90.
I’ve owned more of these than I can remember, great cars, they need to bring something like these back!
Growing up, I never appreciated these cars but nowadays these are gems from that era. In 2024, GM nowadays builds garbage 🗑️
This is the iconic American car. It has everything Americans want. I was working at a Chevy dealer when these were still in production and our customers loved them. I rarely saw them in the shop, but we had plenty of Citations and Chevettes to work on.
Lol don't knock on the Chevettes 😊 lol !
Had an 87 with the 305 man that car was smooth 👌
Love these cars, but hate the modern day "ghetto car" reputation it has.
Even back in the 80s and 90s many were ghetto cars.
I hate to say it, but in the late 90s and early 00s, these were the #1 car to steal in my area. I recall people putting Clubs on steering wheels, wheel locks on, aftermarket Chapman alarm systems, underhood cable operated bolt locks with 'safe type keys', removable stereo head units and more to try to avoid theft or break ins. In 01 a friend of mine had an '88. Her insurance kept rising to the point she couldn't afford it and she sold it in 03.
It makes me sick to see those 20" inch wheels on them 🤢
Some of those painted wild body colors did catch my eye from time to time.
The $2,000 wheels on the $1,000 car🤮
If there was one thing GM could do well back then it was build big solid rear wheel drive cars.
A roommate had it's Pontiac cousin, the Parisienne. You could fit three actual sized humans in the back comfortably. It was great for road trips. It was built for highway cruising.
My older sister's '84 was one of the first cars I ever drove. Smooth machine.
I got to dtive a lot of these working at a Chevy dealership in the late 80s. They were built well and did everything well that sedans and wagons were supposed to do
Had a new 77 Impala, dark blue. Very nice car overall, roomy, rode well. Had F41 suspension. Extremely stable and good handling. The downside…lots of bugs. Alternator problems, AC problems, transmission problems with TH 200, intermittent wipers stopped working. The 305 was very tame and a little overworked, given the weight of the car. Rust perforation on lower rocker panel after 5 years. It was a great concept, but my example was a disappointment. Maybe I just had a lemon.
@@johnlandacre767 sorry to hear of all the problems. They used to say don't buy car 1st year car comes out
@@danam0228 yes, have heard that, and believe it. On the contrary, bought a Nissan Maxima in 1989, first year out, and it was hands down the best car I’ve ever owned, to this day. Kept it 14 years, should have kept it longer. Replaced with Nissan Altima, still driving it. Such a reliable car with 127,000 miles. The late 80s and 90s, early 2000s were kind of the golden age of reliability for many models, it seems to me. Doubt that is true today for most.
I think those were beautiful great cars
2:09 today there isn't even a full size car anymore they're all midzide don't full you self, everything smaller than a capris is midsize...
these were the best cars gm made
I'm no GM guy, but that B body platform was really good. Easy to fix, easy to maintain, easy to drive and tough as nails. When they finally went to EFI they were even better. I worked with a guy from 1995-2003 that had a 78 coupe with the 305. It had well over 300k on it. It did get a new cam, timing chain and gears early in its life as well as 1 transmission, but was 1 of his favorite cars. He used to call it "Ol green rusty trusty". For 85 and up, GM redesigned some key components that helped prevent oil leaks on the 4.3 and 5.0L, better transmissions moving away from the 2004r and 350C to the 700r4 and better rust proofing throughout its long production run. Interiors were vastly improved and optional stereo systems sounded much better. Better sound insulation was added in key areas which made this car as quiet as any Buick or Olds. If you got 1 with the F41, you would see why these cars were cop favorites.
Drove one with the F41 suspension. What a ride!
I miss the big wagons. The SUV craze killed them.
they lives on in europe
Actually, Minivans killed them.
@@DTD110865 for sure. That segment completely slipped off my radar.
My mom had one as I was growing up. Drove it all over the place. Had very comfortable seats.
I had an 81 two door coupe Caprice Classic Landau and later I bought an 82 4 door for my wife. The car was a tank and the engine, while not that strong, was as reliable as they come. This car was the most popular export to Saudi Arabia at the time. The cars were comfortable and luxurious low maintenance. They were so strong that Demolition Derby drivers used them because there were so many of them and they couldn't be killed. They were brutally strong body and bumpers that other cars could never equal. My wife once had someone rear end her in a Chrysler Concord and the Caprice lost some luster in the chrome bumper but the Concord folded like a pretzel. This is probably one of the nicest Chevrolets ever made at least in my opinion.
This was when GM actually built profoundly good cars and should have never gone front wheel drive (except in small cars). GM knew how to build great rear wheel drive vehicles. Sadly as the brand went through the 1980's and 1990's, it increasingly built garbage. Alas, these downsized Caprice's were the best of the last period of GM history and the company should have been sold off part by part and allowed to cease to exist. The current brand is complete and utter garbage.
What about the Oldsmobile Toronado, and Cadillac Eldorado with its front wheel drive setup
Says Chinese, Iranian, North Korean, Russian
I can agree with that to an extent. The cutoff, in my opinion, would be when GM got bailed out. That's really when they started producing really unreliable, non long lasting vehicles. They say 90's and early '00's GM cars run like s-*t forever
@@CGTV1. partial truths like yours about GM's 90s and 00s vehicles spoken as whole truths are never true
Best cars gm made specially 1990 brugham LS,,
I think if it were made again
It will sell very well.
I just saw a light blue Caprice Classic in mint condition driving down my block thinking how lucky that guy was. Thanks for the thorough video.
Always found it interesting that the police version (RPO 9C1) used the same 190-hp TBI 350 as the dull-size trucks & vans.
Tip: Swapping heads to the replacements offered for the Formula 350 Firebird nets a substantial boost on performance... no PROM reprogramming required!😊
I miss two tone paint jobs. I noticed that roofs and mirrors with one or two contrast colors, black or white, are out there in small numbers….but it’s no replacement for two tone. Maybe it doesn’t visually work on every newer body style, but it definitely would still look fantastic on some of the current large vehicles.
The infamous box Chevy
I bought a used '78 Caprice Classic 2 Door with the 305 engine when it was 5 or 6 years old. I liked the styling and performance. It comfortably fit a family of 4 with luggage.
Those were the days...
Those '76 Chevys were truly boats but they road so smooth. I can still smell the vinyl seats 😅
Had a 1985 and 1988 Caprice.😊😊
Being the proud owner of an '83 Caprice Classic Station Wagon, I wouldn't trade that sturdy girl for the world.
The LS Brougham of 1987-90 was a good car and the 305 made over 20mpg. People kept them forever and used them up.
I got 2 of em! and a 79 Impala, amazing cars
Awesome ) 1977 Motor Trend Car of the Year)
Lord oh Lord Chevrolet bring back the Caprice you might think it would be foolish but let me tell you you would have more customers in the showroom then you could handle $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
The 1990, killed Caprice sales with the door mounted seatbelts, you thought you were securely in your car, and the door could open and you'd fall out of your car, (with seatbelt on).
I personell had a 1977 Chevy Caprice Coupé some years ago. A very unusual Coupé for Germany. Lovely car, but really too big for our roads and sadly a real money waster. Even my 1971 Rolls Royce had a better fuel cunsomtion.
I had an aunt that owned 4 of them: 1977, 1982, 1985, and 1987. She went with a Buick LeSabre in 1992 and back to the Caprice in 1996. They were some great cars.
Not sure I agree with you on size. While the caprice is styled big, when you see one on the road it's actually not much bigger than a 2024 honda accord for example. The accord is 195.7 inches and the caprice was 212. That's only 14 inches longer. The caprice was 75 inches wide with the accord is 73.3. Just over an inch narrower. The accord is 57 inches tall and the caprice was 58.2, so only 1 inch more.
The styling looked much bigger but in reality not that much bigger than a modern car.
I sure miss the two tone paint choices and the awesome luxurious cloth interiors
In 1986 I bought a 79 caprice and it was indestructible I slept in it with the engine running all night!! Best car ever ❤
lucky u! dont do that anymore, carbon monoxide emmited from the engine can kill u
I’m 6’2 and sitting in the back of a caprice was better than the front of most cars. Especially anything newer. Those old cars were great on long trips
"Today's full size cars". Do those even exist anymore? You won't get it from a domestic auto company.
If they would stop putting these "no sidewall" low profile tires on the cars these days they would ride pretty good. They all ride like chit because the tires are chit.
I'm proud to own 1980 caprice coupe, and 1985 wagon,,
I had a 77Impala two door with a 350 and that car was a bit of a sleeper foresure! I would love to find a low mileage original. 👍🏻
The 79 Caprice Classic is only 3 inches longer then a modern Honda Accord 4 door seadan sport
Guess who has a 1990 Maroon Caprice in the garage......ME!
I just wanted to let you know I was like number 305! The same is the cubic inch displacement in the small V8 in the Chevrolet Caprice😂😂😂😂
I rode in and/or drove/owned a series of '65 -'76 Chevy B-bodies while growing up, and my second ever brand new car was an '81 Caprice V8. What a difference the '77 downsizing made. My '81 felt so much more trim and less floaty but had the same amount of interior trunk space as the big pre-'77 B-bodies. The video said the downsized Caprice was the same size as GM's '70s intermediates, and I believe it. My '81 had the interior and trunk space of a full size but drove like a mid size. I'd love to have my '81 back as it existed when I owned it in the early '80s.
That sounds like heaven.
My dad had a beautiful two-tone sliver and black Caprice. Unfortunately, it was a diesel. GM replaced the head gasket at least once, and finally the whole engine. My dad finally dumped it and bought a VW Rabbit diesel that I eventually took to college. We put a quarter-million hard miles on that Rabbit before it died!
I see these and suddenly I’m seven years old again, watching a local cop car cruise by…
I just bought a garage kept 88 wagon with 80k miles on it.
One of my favorite cars.
My first car was an 85 Caprice, white with dark blue top and interior and the 305 V8. It was already 11 years old when I got it, only one owner before me and it was in great shape. Cruised like a luxury yacht.
My parents had one of these in the 80s, in fact it’s the first car I ever remember riding in.
I had several and I would pay a pretty penny for one in the condition that I had in the 90's!!!!!
Got my license in an '81 Caprice Sedan.
I think Chevy, Pontiac, Olds, Buick and Cadillac all did a commendable job downsizing their cars in '77, these turned out to be some of the best/most reliable road cars GM ever made and we DESPARATLY need something like them again - then they went n dropped the ball BIG TIME in '85! 🙄
Fascinating information.....
This one lasted a long time, but not as long as Ford's full-size LTD/Crown Victoria. And yes, it was great when it was new.
I love my 1984 305
Had a 79 Impala aero coupe. Miss that car.
not big as it was but still kinda big i miss the fender skirts.
I remember the skirts were also on on the Pontiac Bonneville Brougham. Both were beautiful cars.
Nice video. As the owner of two full-size 1978 Chevies, I will attest to their comfort, ease of driving, and quality.
One minor oops I caught. In 1980, the 250 was dropped for the Chevy-based 229 V6; the 231 was regularly-scheduled for California-emissions cars, although I imagine a few 231s found their way into cars bound for elsewhere as production needs/availability required. The full-sized Pontiacs, Buicks and Oldsmobiles, at least those sold in the U.S., all had 231s. I think the Canadaian cars all had 229s, but I'm not sure.
Interesting, GM Holden at time of mid 80's had square shape WB which would be end of era of Legendary Kingswood also with arrival VN smooth, rounded design came with EFi 304 5.0lt V8 with power 165kw over 200hp. Holden was definitely ahead to Chevrolet until LS1.
If GM can sell thirsty, expensive full size pickups today, it surely could sell full size Caprices today (2024) with optimal V-6 engines. Problem is, federal fuel efficiency mandates don't permit this for passenger cars.
I had a 1984 Chevrolet Caprice Classic 4-door sedan. It was Mine & my mom's car. The '84 Caprice got traded in for a 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. Still miss the '84 Caprice to this very day. P.S. The station wagon Caprice only 4 doors, not 5 doors. There is no such thing as a 5 door car.
My first car was a 1987 Caprice which was a previous taxi cab. I got it cheap since the miles were over 500,000. I drove her for another 200,000 miles and sold her. I miss my Caprice. Took me through college. These were very safe cars to drive. They dont make cars like these any more.
It's a shame that there was never a convertible during the years in which they made the 2-door coupes otherwise. I've seen convertible conversions of the '77, and it's a knockout! A gorgeous, sleek, sporty full-size car, far superior than the bloated 1971-'75 Impala then Caprice convertibles that preceded them. I do love the '71-'75 convertibles, even if I sound like I'm contradicting myself. They were the last of their kind, forever. Also the last to have the open 2 and 4-door coupes as well that I miss.
I remember seeing these all over the place when I was a kid in the 80s. By the time it was the mid 90s, they became uncommon on the roads and highways. Chevy did a very good job with elegant, contemporary styling during the car's last few refreshes in the mid and late 80s.
These Caprices with the 350 were one of the best police cars of all time.
Reasonably sized excellent durability and comfort super low cost to run with decent performance in those days. My favorites were a 77 impala wagon with 350 4bbl and a 90 ex police with 350 fuel injected. A 78 caprice sedan with 305 was ok but just a bit underpowered best cars ever.
They should bring back the Chevrolet Caprice wagon. Had a Pontiac Le Mans banana yellow.
Loved it. Could haul just about anything if you did not have a truck. Popup rear facing set was
great. Only problem was facing backwards, there was always some fool in a boat tailgating us.
Lol. Seriously though, the cargo areas in those were excellent.
The styling of the 'box Chevy' was heavily influenced by the 1976 model year Cadillac Seville.
They were very good cars in most respects. Excellent size inside and out, good ride and handling balance. Attractive if not beautiful styling. They had many weaknesses though. Other than the 77-79 350 which was nice and responsive the engines were all weak performers. The early 305 2bbl engines had problematic carburetors and the early 80’s 305’s had endless cam shaft failures. The 200 series transmissions were junk too. In fairness though these cars were overall more reliable than most other GM cars if the same era
Too bad the fuel injected 305 or 350 were not offered on the wagons. While the 307 olds motor was smooth and reliable so incredibly slow in the wagons, I’ve had several . Great cars anyways. Thanks for the videos.
You have no idea how popular this car is here in Saudi Arabia on it's time and till this day. they literally wrote poems and songs about them. it's part of the culture here.
I had customers with these that decided to trade them for the new front-wheel-drive X-bodies in 1980 and I cautioned them not to buy those the first year. (Or the second, etc.) They did anyway, and in a short time they had problems. I just reminded them of all that traction they got in the snow and the gas they saved. One guy was a salesman, and he asked me what to do about this. I said that Chevrolet still makes the Caprice. He bought a new Caprice in 1987 and drove that car for 6 years after that and bought another and had that when he retired. Those cars had some of the nicest interiors you could buy in a passenger car. GREAT VIDEO!
F41 sport suspension ,gauge package 350 LM1 1977-79 did like the 80 refresh
My dad had a beige 79 for a while.
Somebody who had it put box speakers in the back window. And it had a four foot antenna mounted center of the trunk.
People would t pass him fearing he was an unmarked cop car
And then govt banned them. For pollution....
So now we drive 3 ton light trucks instead.
I never understood how American land yachts produced such low power figures with such massive displacement thirsty engines.
I had a 88 European box chevy 305 v8 took the factory 4 barrel carb out put a aftermarket carb on it had a little more power😂the 305 wasn't no power house it was good for what it was built to do😂 btw old car memories or somebody needs to do a official count of how many 307 olds engines were produced they put that engine in everything and their still around 😂😂😂😂