My first car in 1992 was a 1989 6000STE AWD (in the dark blue metallic - one of only two colors the STE was offered in for its last model year, the other being a metallic burgundy). My first exposure to the STE was my friend's mom's new black-over-grey 1986 model and man, was I blown away! I loved the snarky looking exterior and all the cool details that Pontiac took the effort to integrate into that car: The composite headlamps with matching fog lamps, the single-width blackened taillamp bar (what they called "neutral density" then) with outboard amber turn signals, rear fender mounted power antenna, specific alloy wheels, sunroof, rear seat headrests (when almost no car except expensive European cars had those), even the ceiling-mounted assist handles. And not to mention the digital dash board that was backlit in red and the corresponding steering wheel hub mounted aux radio controls (also backlit in red). I had never seen a more thoroughly outfitted and thoughtfully designed car in my 15 year old life. And that deep guttural burbling V6 exhaust note was unforgettable. Actually, certain Infinitis of the early 2000s had a very similar sounding exhaust and they always took me back when I'd hear them. I was hooked. Adam, I know you're a fan of the Cutlass Ciera, but I'll never forget reading in the 1982 Motor Trend Car of the Year issue where Rich Ceppos, I believe, voted the then-new 6000 for his COTY, while everyone else voted for the Z28. He said that of all the A-bodies (all were included in that year's competition since they were newly introduced) the 6000 looked like the original A-body design and all the others looked like weaker Xerox copies of the Pontiac. I wholeheartedly agreed. There was something (well many things) just 'right' about the 6000. I was 10 when I read that issue and have never forgotten it. When it came time to buy my first car years later, I knew I wanted an STE, and I really, really wanted the 1988.5 AWD that had the original roofline (the AWD model came out mid-year that year), which I preferred, but added the ground effects borrowed from the lower-level 6000 S/E and the new 15" tri-spoke bladed wheels, along with the new "E.T." style front seats stolen from the Bonneville SSE (with power headrests, even!). I "settled" for the '89 since I couldn't find an '88.5 but that car sure was a head-turner. And the AWD worked amazingly well in the Upstate NY winters. It inspired confidence and was a great example of a sports-touring sedan. Such great memories of that car. It never failed to impress anyone who saw or rode in it. And I loved that they were so rare, you'd almost never see another one around. GM limited production to only 1500 STEs that last year, and they were offered exclusively in the NE and Rocky Mountain states. I could go on and on about the STE. I miss Pontiac...
In 1983, my great aunt asked me what kind of car I thought she could get. She was 75 years old and tired of her '80 Eldorado. These had just come out and I told her she should get one. She waited until 1986 and bought a burgundy STE she drove ten years. My parents gave me a hard time for years about suggesting it. She loved that car.
My dad bought one in 1984, and I drove it a lot. At the time, it was the most comfortable and quiet car I had ever driven. Very solid feeling, a big improvement over the crap cars they were building in the 70s.
This was an excellent presentation. My late Father was a Ford engineer, my late friend's husband was a GM engineer, and my Step-Father is a retired GM engineer. Thank you,
I owned a 1988 Pontiac 6000 LE that I got with only 6,000 miles on it in the fall of '89. Less than two months after I had it, all of the paint began to peel off the car right down to the primer. The dealership was no help at all telling me to that I had to call GM direct since it was a factory issue. Then GM wouldn't deal with me since they said I should work with my local dealership. After contacting my state attorney general's office and threatening to take them court, did they agree to repaint the car. Then, the fallowing year I had an issue with the car constantly stalling at traffic lights. I took it back to the dealership and they kept replacing idle sensors, computer modules etc. over the course of 3 years. Yet the problem kept coming back. Finally, in the fall '92 I traded the 6000 in for a then new Chrysler Concorde. Smartest move I ever made since that car was flawless. Hate to say it, but I got so soured with GM cars after owning that 6000 LE that I have never owned another one since.
In 1993 I was a broke engineering student with a couple of kids to support, and my Crown Vic was stolen just before the fall term. I took the cash settlement (about $2500) and bought a 6000 STE from a police auction for $100. It had run over something and the front right wheel was badly out of alignment, although the sheetmetal and paint was fine. I bought a complete sub cradle from a wrecking yard ($150), and changed the cradle as well as some other parts, and while I was at it I did a brake job and gave it four new tires, 20mm wider IIRC. I tuned up the V6, substituting a non-computer controlled 2-barrel carb, richening it a bit, and a conventional distributor that I got recurved. I deleted the EGR and the catalytic converter (it was dented up by whatever the car had driven over anyway), replacing the cat with a glass pack muffler. The original STE muffler was still in place, and the V6 with the STE + glass pack sounded really good, not too noisy but really throaty if you got on it. I got the local tire shop to do the alignment and certify the car road-worthy. Including tires I had about $600 into it, and it was my main ride for 4 years of engineering school. I had to replace an ignition module once but otherwise it was trouble free, reasonably quick and not bad at all on gas.
Love this. I wanted to be an engineer but never had the confidence in my mechanical aptitude. Nowadays, I have several motorcycles that I tinker on, and this week, my proud moment was taking the carb off my snowblower to clean it. Even in middle age, I'm not going to give up trying, but I still admire guys that can do the sort of work you did on your 6000.
@@christopherg9806 Go for it Christopher! If there is something that one of your bikes need, a valve job for instance, then I would encourage you to get a service manual and/or binge watch RUclips for a how-to procedure for that particular bike, get the parts you need, and give it a shot! Be meticulous and organized, and label pieces as they come off. If the procedure requires specialized equipment & skills like a machine shop to do the valve & seat grinding (for my example valve job) then find one in your area and talk to the proprietor. In this case you would be removing and disassembling the engine/head, bringing in the head casting and valves, and then reassembling the engine and reinstalling it into the bike frame. Trust me, you will gain tremendous confidence and everytime you start that motorcycle up you will feel a sense of self-satisfaction rarely equalled. A good step on the way to the above would be to clean & overhaul the snowblower carb. The ethanol gasoline where I am is hard on small engine fuel systems and a yearly overhaul on these carbs is pretty much mandatory for them to run.
I had the 1985 LE with the fuel injected V6 4 speed auto with the digital dash . Wasn't my favorite car . After putting a lot of work in to it for inspection . The transmission ended up going bad . This car gave me nothing but problems .But not the worst car that I owned . That award would go to a 1979 Pontiac Station Wagon that I owned for a few days. Ah memories . Thank You.
I had a 1990 Pontiac 6000 STE. Its the final year for this model . Mine is fully loaded with all options including power sunroof which is rare. Has the 3.1 L V6 with 4speed auto trans. White With matching white wheels . Has all Bosch lights up front . Unique car ! I only use it for summers. Great video Adam! 👍
@@herrgolf Me either. These cars were always oddballs that I was surprised GM made since they offered features that even Cadillac didn't have. In the "MID"-80's you could get these with all-wheel-drive, memory driver's seat buttons, anti-lock brakes, and audio control buttons on the steering wheel! I was always amazed by how tech-heavy these were when GM was so notorious for short-changing most of their models.
If it was a ‘90, it was an SE, not an STE. Pontiac migrated the STE trim to the Grand Prix sedan in 1990. That said, the 1990 SE was the same thing as the previous STE. I also had a 1990 SE with a rare option: all wheel drive. I miss that old tank sometimes. It was pretty advanced for its time.
@@zlinedavid You are absolutely correct. The STE trim level went to the Grand Prix sedan in 1990. It had the 3.1 liter turbo V6 with 205hp. Would love to have that car. The 1990 Pontiac 6000 S/E had the 3.1 liter V6(140hp), AWD, and standard antilock brakes. Worth getting if you can find it.
@@johnnymason3265 The AWD 6000s are needles in a haystack. There were maybe 1300 of them sold over 3 years, as they were obscenely expensive for the time.
My dad, who never understood the word "value", bought one of these in 1985 for my mom, an '84 6000LE. That was a cool car! It drove nice, and it felt fast, with it's 2.8 liter carbureted (?) V6 engine and slush pump automatic allowing it to reach 60 mph in 12 seconds.... These were GREAT cars. Yes they looked pinched up on the outside, but they had tons of room on the inside and since we lived in Michigan at the time, the car handled snowy roads around Temperance nicely. For some reason my dad put two 80 pound salt bags in the trunk, but without them it was a nice handling car. The steering wheel looked like it came from a Porsche 928. Where dad went terribly wrong was buying a used Avis rental car. He bought this thing and noticed the tires were worn, so he went to replace them. They went to do an alignment, and discovered that they couldn't since the whole front end was pushed sideways! The "dogbone" metal brace at the front of the engine was slightly sideways, and the techs at K-Mart showed this to my dad. My dad the big spender, buying K-Mart tires~ Anyway, he complained to Avis and they gave him another 6000LE. And guess what? This one had a bent front end as well! At this point Avis offered him a big rebate and he took it. The car spent 100,000 miles with my parents, and it needed 400 treadwear tires about every 10,000 miles because it couldn't be aligned, but dad happily just drove it down to the local K-Mart and tossed another set of Junkomatic or Texas Steer or whatever the corporate tire brand was called $29 per tire rubber on each corner and went on down the road. And it's not like we were poor, he was a senior engineer at Detroit Edison~ Anyway, eventually it was too beat up to drive anymore and it was sold to a junkyard. I knew the kids of the junkyard owners, and eventually the roof was removed and the car was cut in half for some reason. The 9 year old younger siblings rigged a gas can to the carburetor one day and would start the front half and drive it around the yard, the cutoff body dragging on the ground just behind the front seats. But hey! Those K-Mart tires still pulled it into the crusher one day.... GREAT video!
I bought a 1986 6000 STE new, black & silver, loved that car. Drove it for a few years then sold it to a lady i worked with. I regretted selling it instantly, especially when i saw it every day at work. Fast forward a few more years & her dad gave her a newer car so i bought it back, I completely detailed it & drove it a few more years.
Adam, GREAT JOB! I owned a 1987 STE and loved that car. It was a great looking forward thinking car for the times. Handled very well and always got many compliments on it. Mine was light chestnut over tan interior. The front seats were fantastic and very comfortable with all the power controls. Neat car. Love Pontiacs - Please continue with your fabulous reviews. You have a talent and many people enjoy your enthusiasm for the classic cars. Thanks!
I test drove a new 6000 STE, I believe it was an 85. That car went like a scalded cat, the tuned exhaust sounded great even if it wasn’t a V-8. Performance was very respectable, even by today’s standards. Even back then it had a pretty hefty price, more than what I could afford.
C'mon man. These were complete dogs by today's standards. They made 130 hp and 0-60 mph took over 12 seconds. A base model Prius would wipe the floor with one.
@@massimoricciardi6202 you want to see bulky (and bulbous). The cars of the 1940s. And they were slow. But in the 1980s we didn't waste our time complaining about the 40 year old cars. The 10 year old cars from the 1970s that we could afford often did not have power locks, or power windows, or power seats, many people drove an old beater that did not have A/C that worked. But we didn't complain, we knew people in many parts of the world didn't even have automobiles
@@mjwbulich today's standards, enough said. Duesenberg engines,for example, built in the 1920s don't have as much hp per cubic inch as modern engines, but they didn't turn close to 6,000 rpm when dynoed like modern cars, but those inflated numbers are not practical anyway because it's torque that moves a car, which most modern engines lack compared to older ones, like a 455 from B-O-P. The Duesenberg engine was decades ahead of everything else regardless of hp rating. Jay Leno showed period literature, it could go 88 mph in 2nd gear, almost 100 years ago. Show me a modern car that can do that. The Pontiac 6000 could be had with all-wheel drive. How many modern have that 40 years later
I inherited my grandma's 89 6000 le just a 2.5L in 2003. With 53,000 miles. In perfect condition . I drove it until 2009 when I moved from Illinois to southwestern Florida. While in Florida I traded grandma's Pontiac for a perfect 88 Celebrity eurosport with the 2.8 multi port FI with 64,000 miles. And ultimately brought the Celebrriy back to illinois. Wish I still had both.i didn't drive them in our winters. And I like to joke and say I retired grandma's car down in Florida.
My first car was a Pontiac so I'm a little biased but these (specifically the STE) were particularly nice cars with more than decent ride and handling, a very robust (for the times) engine and smooth drivetrain and transmission. The interiors were a cut above others from the period and had a sleek, minimalist style, albeit the new trend towards digitally graphic instrumentation was not my cup of tea. But they were quick and nimble and composed and seemed to be built a little tighter than other vehicles available at the time. It's big claim to fame was making the cover of Car and Driver - caught mid air cresting a hill with all four wheels off the ground (they called it full suspension droop). One of the better front wheel drive GM products ever made. The later models with AWD were quite cool.
OMG this brought back good and bad memories of my 1989 Pontiac 6000 STE AWD (yes all wheel drive - 60/40 split) in the Blue color with Gold trim. I believe the sticker price was around $22,000-ish when new. I bought this car used back in 1998 for a daily commuter car and collector car as well, it had only 55,000 miles on it. I loved it and it could go through any snow or ice storm with ease (lived in Connecticut at the time). The steering wheel was unique in that it had multi-function buttons galore and it had an onboard information center if I remember correctly! It also had ABS 4 wheel disc brakes, 140hp - 3.1 liter engine. Now for the bad part, it caught fire on I-95 in New Haven Connecticut, I was headed to the airport and my luggage got burnt as well...I was just standing there on the highway bridge in awe as I watched the fire department put out the flames...
I ordered a two-tone blue 84 Pontiac STE in late 1983. I took possession around Christmas. After the 78 Buick Century 3.8 Litre I had, this car was a burst of power and driving experience. I would like to find another today as I collect classic cars and this one is worthy of such an honor. I sold it to a friend in 1994 when I had over 100K on the odometer. Ray kept it until 2005 when it was a plus 200K car. He was sending it to the Pick N Pull, but I collected those unique, Pallex cloth (leather was also available) bucket seats from the car. They now are the interior of my 65 Chevy C10. My only regret for the STE was in 84 it was supposed to get the fuel injection. It never got it that year. It also was a limited production model, not every dealer received one. I got mine at $500 over dealer invoice as I was in an influential automotive business at the time.
I loved my 82 Firebird SE with the detuned 305 V8 and a 4 speed, manual, with the performance handling package. It looked great, and handled even better. But, it was a mechanical dog. In 88, I traded it in on an 88 mazda mx6 turbo GT, stick, ticket red, spoiler, which I still own with 200k miles, the best car I've ever owned. It's still quick and powerful for its 2600 lb curb weight. Cannot believe it has flown under the radar as one of the great 80s cars. Most do not know about this gem.
I owned a 1985 STE in Burgundy with same color interior. I bought it new and kept it for 5 years before trading it for the new 1990 Lexus LS400. The STE was a great car for its time. It had air suspension which allowed it to have another feature - an air compressor in the trunk with a long hose the you could use to inflate tour tires. My wife and I brought 2 of our 3 new born daughters home from the hospital in this STE. I was a great car for the price and my limited income at the time.
Sounds like that Pontiac was a great 'member of the family' bringing the babies home from hospital. Maybe you can find a wagon version somewhere one day - a nice family oriented bit of nostalgia ?
@@Jag-leaper Idk, as a teenager I saw what I thought were called the A-Specials all over the place.....and Buick especially sold a ton of the Century's. Plus that family made an attractive wagon, something a lot of buyers would buy if it were offered today. Let me say this....I'll still see Ford and GM cars from the 80s and 90s on the road today...not many but they lasted. I NEVER see a Japanese car from that vintage....their primitive electronics, flimsy sheet metal and under-engineered chassis just cannot survive the American highway system.
I'm glad you featured this car in a video, Adam. A friend's mother had one of these 6000 STEs when new -- we cruised in it a bit. I can attest what a revelation that STE was -- Pontiac definitely made a silk purse out of that sow's ear. (And I loved the pigskin upholstery!)
I owned a 87 6000. It was 1 of my favorite cars. Excellent on fuel, and it cut through snow like no man's business. It finally threw a rod at 240,000 miles. Great cars for sure.
I remember a trip to Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦 in 1987. There was a dealership called Addison on Bay. It was a Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, GMC Trucks located on Bay Street. A salesman persuaded me to buy a fully-loaded 1987 Pontiac 6000 LE sedan. It was tu-tone blue with a blue interior that was sitting in the showroom.
My folks had the 6000STE. I occasionally got the opportunity to drive it to high school 😆. It was a looker and had a impressive growl from the rear during start up. I great car for the time!
These videos are getting better and better in their style and presentation, Adam. It's becoming a genuine encyclopaedia of American automotive history.
Driving Pontiac excitement. Things were changing during changing times. You really put a lot of thought into this information. It is well thought out what was stated. Great footage that comes a long with the information Adam. They could have really taken in Audi with this car if they had kept developing the 6000 STE. The STE ran for a while on two models( 6000 and Grand Prix). Pontiac really got the Euro thing down. The issue later became the Pontiac 6000 STE and Bonneville SSE. They shared parts in the late 1980's. Thank you Adam.
My grandfather worked at GM at the time and said the Bonneville was the best car in GM's lineup. It really was incredible. The non-SSE models weren't quite sports cars but they were impressive drivers. And that fantastic 3800 engine and huge, comfortable cabin. I never drove the SSE models but the later ones looked a bit silly to me.
I remember when these came out I very much wanted an STE, but it was sadly beyond the reach my much-constricted cash flow at the time. Now I know what I missed! Thanks for the video. You cover eras much ignored by others, but no less (and arguably more) interesting and relevant. Keep 'em coming!
M 50 years old and have had over 30 cars. By heart I’m a ford lover. I had a 6000 STE and I loved it. It ripped pretty good, very comfortable and sporty. Great car Thank you for this video
My first car in 1994 was a 1989 black and silver Pontiac 6000STE that I bought for a little over 9k. I don't remember how many miles it had when I bought it but I think it was around 60-70k. My friends called it the USS Enterprise because of the digital dash and info center that would go through a check of all the systems it monitored. Great reliable car. Funny how Alcantara is what a lot of very expensive high end sport and luxury cars have, but my 1989 Pontiac family sedan had suede leather (basically Alcantara is a synthetic suede-like alternative). It also had air ride suspension in the rear. The 3.1 liter V-6 actually sounded pretty throaty for a V-6. New cars suspensions are so harsh compared to older cars. Wish new cars rode better and had softer suspensions. My 6000STE was the only car I've owned that didn't have a harsh ride to it. Even my new Camry has a more harsh ride because even family sedans are more about performance than ride quality.
I actually inherited a 1985 Pontiac 6000 i think it was if I have it right lol. It was silver & gray interior fully loaded. She retired when she got it new hardly ever drove it all don't know why she even got it. My uncle did most of the driving in his car. When I got it in 1992 it had only 12,345 miles & it was i mean mint condition. Sat in there garage all the time. Original tires plastic on the seat belts. It was like stepping back in time. I had so many people that wanted to buy it from me but respect for my aunt i kept it. I had it for 25 years drove it to Miami several times from Boston and up to family in Quebec Canada several times. It was a great riding car and dependable. Never had any major issues just regular maintenance and preventative maintenance miss that car
Growing up in the 80s, a family friend who attended my church purchased an 83 6000 STE and I fell in love with it! Then after my 90 Grand Am SE was totalled in 91, I purchased a used 86 6000 STE and was again in love with that model. The only reason I sold it 2 years later is due to me wanting another manual transmission car. I do wish I could find an 89 6000 STE AWD though. It was a fantastic model from Pontiac and to me, much better than the other A bodies.
I was also briefly tempted by the STE with AWD, but GM couldn't build the 6000 with both AWD and the 4-speed AT. Just as well since the early THM440-T4 was a reliability nightmare.
I remember being in middle school when the dad of a neighbor/friend up the street purchased one. These had a "sport tuned" exhaust that left a memorable impression when they'd accelerate up the street from the corner.
At a time when there weren't a lot of good looking cars, this was one of the better ones. I owned a Black '84 STE, which was considered the first serious American effort to build a European style sedan. The 70's Grand Ams and Cutlass Salons were euro-inspired but utterly American in approach. The STE had definite Americana as well (the digital dashboard, for example) but handling, interior size, and power were on par with an Audi 5000 Turbo. The boxy shape was also euro-inspired, though the '84 Audi 5000 (still one of the best designs for its time I ever saw) changed the game. It was a great car to drive, firmly planted and 9.7 0-60 at the time was considered quick. The best sounding V-6 I have ever heard, Pontiac really got the exhaust note right. The thing my friends still remember about the car is the air pump that fed off the rear air levelers. On cruise at 65-70, I could get over 26 mpg, pretty good at the time for a 3-speed automatic. Hard to believe but I hung with a Jag XJ-S and Porsche 928 mixing it up in the hills of the Ozarks one time because of tight turns and no real long straghtaways; they walked away from me on any straight road but I could catch up in the curves and corners (those were heavy cars and I was probably pushing harder, though they were definitely pushing each other). At about 65,000 miles the gaskets began to smell and I could feel the engine losing a little power. At the same time the A/C started making noise and ultimately failed. The dealer told me that a defect in the compressor resulted in the compressor mechanicals somehow eating themselves up until failure, yet Pontiac offered nothing, not even some credit, towards replacing the compressor. I was so angered that I traded it for a 1988 Honda Accord EX, disgusted at Detroit. Still, for its day, the STE was one of my favorite cars.
Thanks for this video. It was a great trip down memory lane, as my mom had a 6000 when I was a teenager. I think it was an LE model, with a bench seat and column shifter. I always thought the V6 made it somewhat cool. It was the 2.8 and it felt "fast" to me! I liked the boxy steering wheel -- reminded me of Porsche 928. Thanks again...
Thanks for another well-researched history lesson, Adam. As a Ford guy, I envied the Cutlass Ciera, and thought these A-Specials also made attractive station wagons. I hated to admit it at the time, but those A-Special wagons were much more evolved than the Fairmont /Zephyr, although of course those were a 6 year old program in 1984...
After owning multiple nice Pontiacs from 1969 to 1983 I was really stoked to get my special order ‘83 STE. There was much to like about the car particularly from a design point of view. It was feature rich and quite good looking. Unfortunately, mine was so sloppily built and trouble prone I sold it two years later. Among the problems I remember was factory paint that was terrible. The roof felt like sandpaper and along the drivers side the paint was so thin you could see primer behind it. The rear seat back had a seam in the wonderful suede upholstery that wasn’t even sewn together. You could easily see the foam behind and I was never able to get the wheels and tires to balance despite multiple attempts at my local dealer plus independent shops. At the time I lived in a cold climate and the suspension was rock hard once the temps got below 20 degrees. GM had good designs at this time. It was the execution where they failed miserably. 10:41 Three years later I had a BMW 528 and haven’t looked back since. 10:41
Well, DOA is about as thorough of an execution one could 'Achieva' during the era that brought General Motors' mark of excellence in line with becoming a world standard for capital(sic) punishment: GM Sorry. I really do love GM but considering GM provided 1983 buyers like yourself an opportunity to spend an additional $3,000 over the $9,000 Pontiac, as both an alternative and an upgrade, with the $12,000 Cadillac Cimarron... It reveals how GM unintentionally, but quite literally, primed and groomed its core customer base to be as volatile as it was to the import invasion.
This video brings back so many memories! My dad purchased an 87 6000LE late 88 and his friend bought a 90 STE a couple of years later. Both were so problematic and I remember my dad and his buddy sharing stories about what each of their car was doing lol. One time, I was driving with my dad and the steering column fell and we almost crashed. Scary then, but we still laugh at it today and the few times my dad or myself see a 6000, I can't help it but smile. Thanks for sharing!
One of my fave Pontiac sedans, But its the later 1987 to 1990 6000 and 6000 STE AWD sports sedans. I especially liked with their Euro inspired styling and good performance.
I remember when my cousin Eddie, who only bought Pontiacs, made a deposit on a brand-new model, the 6000STE. He was showing me the brochure, and when he finally got the car, he was overjoyed. I did get to ride in it, and it seemed like a well-done piece of automotive design and engineering. I liked the techno streamlined dash and the overall look of the car. Much like Adam, I am more of a big American luxury car guy, but the STE made an excellent impression on me. I believe the LE came out a year later, and it was also a nice car.
I've owned over 60 varied cars in my lifetime, from Peugeots to Jensens, and my '84 6000 STE is still one of my favorites. Loved the plush carpets and the trunk mounted air pump.
Great review, Adam. My dad had an '85 STE while I was in high school and this video brought back good memories. I loved the exhaust note of his car. It was always a thrill to drive to school.
Thank You for making the video for Us🌞 Wow, 40 years ago the STE was introduced. Great Car! I miss Pontiac... my daily driver today is a 2006 6.0L Pontiac GTO
I clearly remember that early morning, walking into the classroom of my high school auto mechanics, with my Car & Driver magazine under my arm that I had bought the night before, mesmerized by the 6 headlights of the new STE that would enter in 1983, when we broke for morning recess is when I showed the preview. I had never seen anyone go so crazy for the headlight design than my whole class of 35 students, everyone wanted to hold that magazine for themselves. A number of their parents had already purchased 1982 6000 sedans, but I am sure the pressure was on to be the first family to hold bragging rights to owning one. One family did buy an STE, it was silver with very grippy, genuine suede seating that kept you from sliding about no matter how hard you took a corner. The initial attraction of the AWD version later was a great idea, but limited to only a 3 speed automatic transmission made driving at 70 mph+ totally unappealing.
My boss had one of those Pontiac 6000s, and he loved it. I went on a business trip with him, and he even said how he felt lucky to have such a nice (company) car-and he wasn't normally the "appreciative" type, so he _must_ have liked it. This is also when "mobile phones" were making a splash, and there was some kind of unit in the trunk, and he had the center console glove box taken out and the cell phone handset (remember, it's the size of a brick) in the console. He thought he was the coolest dude ever, when he'd pop the console, pull out the phone, and call a customer to say we're running late (like, EVERY time).
Back then, when that kind of seats, steering and undercarriage meant "sporty". Nowadays we only can dream about that comfy ride in normal priced cars...
My parents drove Pontiac most of my teen life. I'm 55 now, miss the Pontiacs. Bonneville, grand Prix, even grand am but I miss her more, love you always mom.....
I remember lusting a little over this car. I bought a new 1980 XR-7, 1981 Bonneville Brougham Landau Burgundy with a matching crushed velour interior Coupe and Honey Comb Rims., 1983 Dodge Charger 2.2 black with Gold Stripes, 1984 Thunderbird Mid Spec Model. I loved Burning Money at age 18-21.
I have a soft spot for the 6000. My grandparents had two of them in fact. The first one had the 2.5 liter four cylinder and the second one had that diesel. I don't recall them ever having major issues with either car. My grandfather was particularly fond of the diesel. They lived about 3 hours away from us and I remember him going on and on about how little fuel they used on the trip :)
Wow! I used to have a 1985 Pontiac 6000 SLE station wagon with a 2.8 cast iron V6! I loved how it could fit a twin sized mattress in the back so me and my girlfriend could use it after her dad gave it to me on Thanksgiving 2008.
Very nice video. I had a 1985 black over silver one from new and that car is still one of my very favorite cars ever! It was so much fun to drive and I drove it for four years and every mile was a blast! I had just gotten a new job and the celebration was this car. That tuned low rumble from that 6 cylinder was intoxicating. Too bad our modern 6 cylinder engines don't sound that way. The digital dash rivaled the corvette's of the era and was so very easy to read to know what your car is doing. Miss it for sure ...!
We had a friend that owned a 6000 STE back when they first came out with the V6. It lasted over 20 years and was a favorite car amongst all of those that drove it. Plate C
My buddy had one of these 20 years ago his dad gave him. We drove it everywhere, it already had 300,000 miles when he got it. Very unheard of in those days
Neigbour purchased a 6000STE new just when these came out. It was loaded with options in beautiful silver paint. He said the car was very expensive in the day but was world-class, fun to drive and garnered a lot of attention. The car was a winner everywhere but those headlights just looked fantastic. Some complained the name was a bit long and generic.
The 6000 STE was offered with a plastic windshield for one year which forced the placement of the Massachusetts inspection sticker to be put on the passenger window.
I look at the later STEs as GM / Pontiac actually trying. A V6, AWD, stickshift, with height correcting suspension and digital dash? That's some fancy stuff!
My wife and I had an '84 STE. Best handling front-drive car I have ever driven. The air-assisted suspension was perfection and its load-leveling capabilitiies were excellent. The seats, though plush, actually had decent side-cushion support. The sound system was excellent. The only, and I mean only real problem was the way GM doled out engines. The Chevy Eurosport and Pontiac STE were saddled with the 2.8 V6, while Olds got the 3.8. The STE's 150 hp from the high-performance version of the Citation just wasn't enough. It needed more torque AND more horsepower to make it a superior vehicle. Instead, it was just a very good one. I always wondered what the STE platform would have been like with the supercharged SSE motor in it.
This opened a memory vault. I had an 1987 STE in 92 and for a college student , it felt like the more luxurious vehicle I ever owned. The suede interior was a conversation starter as were the Knight Rider-esque dashboard especially at night. The auto air leveling rear suspension failed about a week into my ownership but I enjoyed all the miles I put on that car while I had it. Of course it had its typical GM quirks and issues but the cool details on this car really made it special for an 80s A body. Anyone remember the little bulb over the driver side window controls ?
A neighbour had ordered an '86 STE but they couldn't get it, so he got a fully loaded S/E which had the same engine as the STE. It was a great handling car and effortlessly cruised on the freeway and had a nice growl to the exhaust.
I used to porter these fresh off of the trailer...I always hated that anti chip paint that they sprayed on the lower portion of the vehicles back then. That was the time that automatic floor shifters we're taking off..I remember the ste's exhaust note was a bit more raspy, and cooler sounding...especially the Bonnie ssi's, used to Rev the piss outta them...lol
We had an ‘86 6000 SE Wagon bought new. This had front reclining buckets and a console, sunroof, rear facing third row seating (my oldest son still talks about being afraid of the headlights while sitting back there) and a self leveling compressor when extra weight was put in the back. Unfortunately the Chicago winters did this one in by ‘94. It did its job before mini vans became popular for our 6 member family.
The 8,000 price was not for the STE, by '85 it was listed as nearly 15,000 base in Car and Driver's "10 best" list. It has nearly every 6000 option other than leather seats and sun/vista roof. It even included a neat accessory package that had a a 12v spotlight, raincoat, first aid kit and an air hose you could use to pump up the tires with the auto leveling air shock suspension system.
5:31 That was one nice steering wheel. The plastic was just soft enough, the spokes offered a comfortable place to put one's hands, and it was perfectly round with no bumps or protrusions. I also miss the "European arm rests" with integral door pulls, which helped by making it easy to hold on with the left hand and steer with the right one. I always found it easier to guide the car down the highway with one hand than with two and today's cars (other than Mercedes Benz models) almost force you to put both hands on the wheel. Then again, with the torque steer one felt in my father's base-level 6000 (the STE might have added an intermediate shaft to reduce this), one needed all of the control one could find.
I had an 86 6000 with the 2.5 iron duke ! I got it cheap it just needed a cam gear ! it was one size bigger than most imports of the time ! Simple and easy to maintain - good road manners ! Wife needed a minivan cause you know kids ! Dam i miss that car !
Around the mid/late 80’s I had an ‘83 5000 automatic, pre aero and quattro. The STE AWD was a bit of a unicorn I wanted. I’d see them around town but being in highschool I couldn’t afford anything that nice!
Loved my '84 STE. You forgot to mention the whacky steering wheel with a dozen buttons in the center for various controls. Also the built-in air pump in the trunk. Had really plush carpet too.
My ex had a new 6000 STE. One of the last model years. It was surprisingly nice. Plenty of power for a midsize car and was very comfy. Drove great. I have yet to see another STE.
I had a 89 Pontiac 6000 ste , all wheel drive, awesome car, loved it, loved all the options, rear air ride was problematic, the drive train is tuff, shame gm did not persu the awd, another option of the awd was to lock the differential, I rarely needed that because on dry pavement, the tires would scuff when taking a turn, like the old 4x4s, fun and comfortable car
My brother-in-law had one and he let me drive it quite a bit. I was 16-17 at the time and a car nut. It was fun to drive, had the suede upholstery and digital dash. It was just a really cool car for the time.
In 1984, my company car was a leased 6000STE....at 40K the transmission exploded like a hand grenade......I moved on to a 1986 Mercury Sable....one of my favorite company cars ever!
We had the infamous 4.3L Diesel engine in a 1982 Buick Century 2 door. That thing had problems all the time. However I will say that it moved my entire family in summer of 1986 from eastern Iowa all the way to our new home in coastal California. That’s 5 people crammed into that relatively compact 2 door coupe for 3 full days straight through driving! The rear end was sagging like crazy with 3 in the backseat and the trunk crammed with luggage. I was only 6 at the time so I don’t remember much about the trip. But I can only imagine that 85hp getting all 5 of us through the Rocky Mountain passes as well as the Sierra Nevadas. We must’ve been climbing at 25mph and near boiling over radiator. We made it though!
Without considering the engineering of these cars & the likely road handling superiority of the 6000, the Olds Ciera & Buick Century were (to my eye) more attractively designed…
You couldn't look in any direction without seeing at least one of these driving or parked somewhere in the town I grew up in. We had one car dealership and it was Pontiac. I think we had the highest per capita of Pontiac & GMC pickup owners of any town in North America.
My first car in 1992 was a 1989 6000STE AWD (in the dark blue metallic - one of only two colors the STE was offered in for its last model year, the other being a metallic burgundy). My first exposure to the STE was my friend's mom's new black-over-grey 1986 model and man, was I blown away! I loved the snarky looking exterior and all the cool details that Pontiac took the effort to integrate into that car: The composite headlamps with matching fog lamps, the single-width blackened taillamp bar (what they called "neutral density" then) with outboard amber turn signals, rear fender mounted power antenna, specific alloy wheels, sunroof, rear seat headrests (when almost no car except expensive European cars had those), even the ceiling-mounted assist handles. And not to mention the digital dash board that was backlit in red and the corresponding steering wheel hub mounted aux radio controls (also backlit in red). I had never seen a more thoroughly outfitted and thoughtfully designed car in my 15 year old life. And that deep guttural burbling V6 exhaust note was unforgettable. Actually, certain Infinitis of the early 2000s had a very similar sounding exhaust and they always took me back when I'd hear them. I was hooked.
Adam, I know you're a fan of the Cutlass Ciera, but I'll never forget reading in the 1982 Motor Trend Car of the Year issue where Rich Ceppos, I believe, voted the then-new 6000 for his COTY, while everyone else voted for the Z28. He said that of all the A-bodies (all were included in that year's competition since they were newly introduced) the 6000 looked like the original A-body design and all the others looked like weaker Xerox copies of the Pontiac. I wholeheartedly agreed. There was something (well many things) just 'right' about the 6000. I was 10 when I read that issue and have never forgotten it.
When it came time to buy my first car years later, I knew I wanted an STE, and I really, really wanted the 1988.5 AWD that had the original roofline (the AWD model came out mid-year that year), which I preferred, but added the ground effects borrowed from the lower-level 6000 S/E and the new 15" tri-spoke bladed wheels, along with the new "E.T." style front seats stolen from the Bonneville SSE (with power headrests, even!). I "settled" for the '89 since I couldn't find an '88.5 but that car sure was a head-turner. And the AWD worked amazingly well in the Upstate NY winters. It inspired confidence and was a great example of a sports-touring sedan. Such great memories of that car. It never failed to impress anyone who saw or rode in it. And I loved that they were so rare, you'd almost never see another one around. GM limited production to only 1500 STEs that last year, and they were offered exclusively in the NE and Rocky Mountain states. I could go on and on about the STE. I miss Pontiac...
In 1983, my great aunt asked me what kind of car I thought she could get. She was 75 years old and tired of her '80 Eldorado. These had just come out and I told her she should get one. She waited until 1986 and bought a burgundy STE she drove ten years. My parents gave me a hard time for years about suggesting it. She loved that car.
What a beautiful story about your aunt and her cars. Cars were so much less complicated during that time.
OMG. Pontiac 6000STE was the most underrated GM car. Was too young to drive but it was one of my favorite sedans.
My dad bought one in 1984, and I drove it a lot. At the time, it was the most comfortable and quiet car I had ever driven. Very solid feeling, a big improvement over the crap cars they were building in the 70s.
This was an excellent presentation. My late Father was a Ford engineer, my late friend's husband was a GM engineer, and my Step-Father is a retired GM engineer. Thank you,
That’s so great.
I owned a 1988 Pontiac 6000 LE that I got with only 6,000 miles on it in the fall of '89. Less than two months after I had it, all of the paint began to peel off the car right down to the primer. The dealership was no help at all telling me to that I had to call GM direct since it was a factory issue. Then GM wouldn't deal with me since they said I should work with my local dealership. After contacting my state attorney general's office and threatening to take them court, did they agree to repaint the car. Then, the fallowing year I had an issue with the car constantly stalling at traffic lights. I took it back to the dealership and they kept replacing idle sensors, computer modules etc. over the course of 3 years. Yet the problem kept coming back. Finally, in the fall '92 I traded the 6000 in for a then new Chrysler Concorde. Smartest move I ever made since that car was flawless. Hate to say it, but I got so soured with GM cars after owning that 6000 LE that I have never owned another one since.
I owned an 1984 STE model for about five years. It was fun to drive.
I had a 6000 STE in high school. It was a tank that could take a beating plus the digital dash was sweet.
In 1993 I was a broke engineering student with a couple of kids to support, and my Crown Vic was stolen just before the fall term. I took the cash settlement (about $2500) and bought a 6000 STE from a police auction for $100. It had run over something and the front right wheel was badly out of alignment, although the sheetmetal and paint was fine. I bought a complete sub cradle from a wrecking yard ($150), and changed the cradle as well as some other parts, and while I was at it I did a brake job and gave it four new tires, 20mm wider IIRC. I tuned up the V6, substituting a non-computer controlled 2-barrel carb, richening it a bit, and a conventional distributor that I got recurved. I deleted the EGR and the catalytic converter (it was dented up by whatever the car had driven over anyway), replacing the cat with a glass pack muffler. The original STE muffler was still in place, and the V6 with the STE + glass pack sounded really good, not too noisy but really throaty if you got on it. I got the local tire shop to do the alignment and certify the car road-worthy. Including tires I had about $600 into it, and it was my main ride for 4 years of engineering school. I had to replace an ignition module once but otherwise it was trouble free, reasonably quick and not bad at all on gas.
You might have been broke FINANCIALLY but you were rich in natural-born TALENT. A born engineer you were! Mighty impressive you could do all of that.
Love this. I wanted to be an engineer but never had the confidence in my mechanical aptitude. Nowadays, I have several motorcycles that I tinker on, and this week, my proud moment was taking the carb off my snowblower to clean it. Even in middle age, I'm not going to give up trying, but I still admire guys that can do the sort of work you did on your 6000.
@@christopherg9806 Go for it Christopher! If there is something that one of your bikes need, a valve job for instance, then I would encourage you to get a service manual and/or binge watch RUclips for a how-to procedure for that particular bike, get the parts you need, and give it a shot! Be meticulous and organized, and label pieces as they come off. If the procedure requires specialized equipment & skills like a machine shop to do the valve & seat grinding (for my example valve job) then find one in your area and talk to the proprietor. In this case you would be removing and disassembling the engine/head, bringing in the head casting and valves, and then reassembling the engine and reinstalling it into the bike frame. Trust me, you will gain tremendous confidence and everytime you start that motorcycle up you will feel a sense of self-satisfaction rarely equalled.
A good step on the way to the above would be to clean & overhaul the snowblower carb. The ethanol gasoline where I am is hard on small engine fuel systems and a yearly overhaul on these carbs is pretty much mandatory for them to run.
Awesome! I like that story. Good 👍 for you man
Sounds like you were an excellent engineer and mechanic even before finishing your education. Amazing accomplishments. Kudos.
I owned a 1986 STE one of my favorite cars. Drove it for years!!
I had the 1985 LE with the fuel injected V6 4 speed auto with the digital dash . Wasn't my favorite car . After putting a lot of work in to it for inspection . The transmission ended up going bad . This car gave me nothing but problems .But not the worst car that I owned . That award would go to a 1979 Pontiac Station Wagon that I owned for a few days. Ah memories . Thank You.
I had a 1990 Pontiac 6000 STE. Its the final year for this model . Mine is fully loaded with all options including power sunroof which is rare. Has the 3.1 L V6 with 4speed auto trans. White With matching white wheels . Has all Bosch lights up front . Unique car ! I only use it for summers. Great video Adam! 👍
Wow never seen an A body w a sunroof
@@herrgolf Me either. These cars were always oddballs that I was surprised GM made since they offered features that even Cadillac didn't have. In the "MID"-80's you could get these with all-wheel-drive, memory driver's seat buttons, anti-lock brakes, and audio control buttons on the steering wheel! I was always amazed by how tech-heavy these were when GM was so notorious for short-changing most of their models.
If it was a ‘90, it was an SE, not an STE. Pontiac migrated the STE trim to the Grand Prix sedan in 1990. That said, the 1990 SE was the same thing as the previous STE. I also had a 1990 SE with a rare option: all wheel drive. I miss that old tank sometimes. It was pretty advanced for its time.
@@zlinedavid You are absolutely correct. The STE trim level went to the Grand Prix sedan in 1990. It had the 3.1 liter turbo V6 with 205hp. Would love to have that car. The 1990 Pontiac 6000 S/E had the 3.1 liter V6(140hp), AWD, and standard antilock brakes. Worth getting if you can find it.
@@johnnymason3265 The AWD 6000s are needles in a haystack. There were maybe 1300 of them sold over 3 years, as they were obscenely expensive for the time.
My dad, who never understood the word "value", bought one of these in 1985 for my mom, an '84 6000LE. That was a cool car! It drove nice, and it felt fast, with it's 2.8 liter carbureted (?) V6 engine and slush pump automatic allowing it to reach 60 mph in 12 seconds....
These were GREAT cars. Yes they looked pinched up on the outside, but they had tons of room on the inside and since we lived in Michigan at the time, the car handled snowy roads around Temperance nicely. For some reason my dad put two 80 pound salt bags in the trunk, but without them it was a nice handling car. The steering wheel looked like it came from a Porsche 928. Where dad went terribly wrong was buying a used Avis rental car. He bought this thing and noticed the tires were worn, so he went to replace them. They went to do an alignment, and discovered that they couldn't since the whole front end was pushed sideways! The "dogbone" metal brace at the front of the engine was slightly sideways, and the techs at K-Mart showed this to my dad. My dad the big spender, buying K-Mart tires~
Anyway, he complained to Avis and they gave him another 6000LE. And guess what? This one had a bent front end as well! At this point Avis offered him a big rebate and he took it. The car spent 100,000 miles with my parents, and it needed 400 treadwear tires about every 10,000 miles because it couldn't be aligned, but dad happily just drove it down to the local K-Mart and tossed another set of Junkomatic or Texas Steer or whatever the corporate tire brand was called $29 per tire rubber on each corner and went on down the road.
And it's not like we were poor, he was a senior engineer at Detroit Edison~
Anyway, eventually it was too beat up to drive anymore and it was sold to a junkyard. I knew the kids of the junkyard owners, and eventually the roof was removed and the car was cut in half for some reason. The 9 year old younger siblings rigged a gas can to the carburetor one day and would start the front half and drive it around the yard, the cutoff body dragging on the ground just behind the front seats. But hey! Those K-Mart tires still pulled it into the crusher one day....
GREAT video!
I'm convinced my dad should have worked at GM instead of Detroit Edison~
Nice
There’s a video on one just like that of another 6000 with the roof cut off and cut in half
@@dylanmooney327 bud
@@redsealjourneymanreviews6647 ?
I bought a 1986 6000 STE new, black & silver, loved that car. Drove it for a few years then sold it to a lady i worked with. I regretted selling it instantly, especially when i saw it every day at work. Fast forward a few more years & her dad gave her a newer car so i bought it back, I completely detailed it & drove it a few more years.
Adam, GREAT JOB! I owned a 1987 STE and loved that car. It was a great looking forward thinking car for the times. Handled very well and always got many compliments on it. Mine was light chestnut over tan interior. The front seats were fantastic and very comfortable with all the power controls. Neat car. Love Pontiacs - Please continue with your fabulous reviews. You have a talent and many people enjoy your enthusiasm for the classic cars. Thanks!
I test drove a new 6000 STE, I believe it was an 85. That car went like a scalded cat, the tuned exhaust sounded great even if it wasn’t a V-8. Performance was very respectable, even by today’s standards. Even back then it had a pretty hefty price, more than what I could afford.
I had the same experience 10 yrs later with a GTP grand prix 🙈
C'mon man. These were complete dogs by today's standards. They made 130 hp and 0-60 mph took over 12 seconds. A base model Prius would wipe the floor with one.
@@mjwbulich Cars of the 80's were bulky and slow in my books big engines slow HP .
@@massimoricciardi6202 you want to see bulky (and bulbous). The cars of the 1940s. And they were slow. But in the 1980s we didn't waste our time complaining about the 40 year old cars. The 10 year old cars from the 1970s that we could afford often did not have power locks, or power windows, or power seats, many people drove an old beater that did not have A/C that worked. But we didn't complain, we knew people in many parts of the world didn't even have automobiles
@@mjwbulich today's standards, enough said. Duesenberg engines,for example, built in the 1920s don't have as much hp per cubic inch as modern engines, but they didn't turn close to 6,000 rpm when dynoed like modern cars, but those inflated numbers are not practical anyway because it's torque that moves a car, which most modern engines lack compared to older ones, like a 455 from B-O-P. The Duesenberg engine was decades ahead of everything else regardless of hp rating. Jay Leno showed period literature, it could go 88 mph in 2nd gear, almost 100 years ago. Show me a modern car that can do that. The Pontiac 6000 could be had with all-wheel drive. How many modern have that 40 years later
I inherited my grandma's 89 6000 le just a 2.5L in 2003. With 53,000 miles. In perfect condition . I drove it until 2009 when I moved from Illinois to southwestern Florida. While in Florida I traded grandma's Pontiac for a perfect 88 Celebrity eurosport with the 2.8 multi port FI with 64,000 miles. And ultimately brought the Celebrriy back to illinois. Wish I still had both.i didn't drive them in our winters. And I like to joke and say I retired grandma's car down in Florida.
My first car was a Pontiac so I'm a little biased but these (specifically the STE) were particularly nice cars with more than decent ride and handling, a very robust (for the times) engine and smooth drivetrain and transmission. The interiors were a cut above others from the period and had a sleek, minimalist style, albeit the new trend towards digitally graphic instrumentation was not my cup of tea. But they were quick and nimble and composed and seemed to be built a little tighter than other vehicles available at the time. It's big claim to fame was making the cover of Car and Driver - caught mid air cresting a hill with all four wheels off the ground (they called it full suspension droop). One of the better front wheel drive GM products ever made. The later models with AWD were quite cool.
OMG this brought back good and bad memories of my 1989 Pontiac 6000 STE AWD (yes all wheel drive - 60/40 split) in the Blue color with Gold trim. I believe the sticker price was around $22,000-ish when new. I bought this car used back in 1998 for a daily commuter car and collector car as well, it had only 55,000 miles on it. I loved it and it could go through any snow or ice storm with ease (lived in Connecticut at the time). The steering wheel was unique in that it had multi-function buttons galore and it had an onboard information center if I remember correctly! It also had ABS 4 wheel disc brakes, 140hp - 3.1 liter engine. Now for the bad part, it caught fire on I-95 in New Haven Connecticut, I was headed to the airport and my luggage got burnt as well...I was just standing there on the highway bridge in awe as I watched the fire department put out the flames...
I had a neighbor who lived across the street that had a 6000STE. The exhaust sounded throaty and powerful for the time.
I ordered a two-tone blue 84 Pontiac STE in late 1983. I took possession around Christmas. After the 78 Buick Century 3.8 Litre I had, this car was a burst of power and driving experience. I would like to find another today as I collect classic cars and this one is worthy of such an honor. I sold it to a friend in 1994 when I had over 100K on the odometer. Ray kept it until 2005 when it was a plus 200K car. He was sending it to the Pick N Pull, but I collected those unique, Pallex cloth (leather was also available) bucket seats from the car. They now are the interior of my 65 Chevy C10. My only regret for the STE was in 84 it was supposed to get the fuel injection. It never got it that year. It also was a limited production model, not every dealer received one. I got mine at $500 over dealer invoice as I was in an influential automotive business at the time.
Call me weird but i could watch those old dealer videos for hours lmao
Love that early 80s disco music
I loved my 82 Firebird SE with the detuned 305 V8 and a 4 speed, manual, with the performance handling package. It looked great, and handled even better. But, it was a mechanical dog.
In 88, I traded it in on an 88 mazda mx6 turbo GT, stick, ticket red, spoiler, which I still own with 200k miles, the best car I've ever owned. It's still quick and powerful for its 2600 lb curb weight. Cannot believe it has flown under the radar as one of the great 80s cars. Most do not know about this gem.
An ex coworker owned had a red 88 or 89 MX6 base, with the 5 spd for about 15 years. Most reliable car he ever owned
I owned a 1985 STE in Burgundy with same color interior. I bought it new and kept it for 5 years before trading it for the new 1990 Lexus LS400. The STE was a great car for its time. It had air suspension which allowed it to have another feature - an air compressor in the trunk with a long hose the you could use to inflate tour tires. My wife and I brought 2 of our 3 new born daughters home from the hospital in this STE. I was a great car for the price and my limited income at the time.
Sounds like that Pontiac was a great 'member of the family' bringing the babies home from hospital.
Maybe you can find a wagon version somewhere one day - a nice family oriented bit of nostalgia ?
You went from a mediocre pricey GM rattle rust bucket to a premiere Japanese luxury sedan. Well done 👏 ✔️
@@chuckymurlo5654 You're reading comprehension isn't very good.
Look at what the car owner said about his Pontiac, then try again.
@@67marlins I am a die hard GM fan, but I have to agree , this car was mediocre trash
@@Jag-leaper Idk, as a teenager I saw what I thought were called the A-Specials all over the place.....and Buick especially sold a ton of the Century's. Plus that family made an attractive wagon, something a lot of buyers would buy if it were offered today.
Let me say this....I'll still see Ford and GM cars from the 80s and 90s on the road today...not many but they lasted. I NEVER see a Japanese car from that vintage....their primitive electronics, flimsy sheet metal and under-engineered chassis just cannot survive the American highway system.
my aunt had a maroon 1984 6000 with the carbureted 2.8 V6. It was a great car and had a great sounding Delco Sound system.
I'm glad you featured this car in a video, Adam. A friend's mother had one of these 6000 STEs when new -- we cruised in it a bit. I can attest what a revelation that STE was -- Pontiac definitely made a silk purse out of that sow's ear. (And I loved the pigskin upholstery!)
I owned a 87 6000. It was 1 of my favorite cars. Excellent on fuel, and it cut through snow like no man's business. It finally threw a rod at 240,000 miles. Great cars for sure.
I remember a trip to Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦 in 1987. There was a dealership called Addison on Bay. It was a Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, GMC Trucks located on Bay Street. A salesman persuaded me to buy a fully-loaded 1987 Pontiac 6000 LE sedan. It was tu-tone blue with a blue interior that was sitting in the showroom.
My folks had the 6000STE. I occasionally got the opportunity to drive it to high school 😆. It was a looker and had a impressive growl from the rear during start up. I great car for the time!
Great video! Had an 85 STE. what a great car that was
These videos are getting better and better in their style and presentation, Adam. It's becoming a genuine encyclopaedia of American automotive history.
Driving Pontiac excitement. Things were changing during changing times. You really put a lot of thought into this information. It is well thought out what was stated. Great footage that comes a long with the information Adam. They could have really taken in Audi with this car if they had kept developing the 6000 STE. The STE ran for a while on two models( 6000 and Grand Prix). Pontiac really got the Euro thing down. The issue later became the Pontiac 6000 STE and Bonneville SSE. They shared parts in the late 1980's. Thank you Adam.
My grandfather worked at GM at the time and said the Bonneville was the best car in GM's lineup. It really was incredible. The non-SSE models weren't quite sports cars but they were impressive drivers. And that fantastic 3800 engine and huge, comfortable cabin. I never drove the SSE models but the later ones looked a bit silly to me.
I remember when these came out I very much wanted an STE, but it was sadly beyond the reach my much-constricted cash flow at the time. Now I know what I missed! Thanks for the video. You cover eras much ignored by others, but no less (and arguably more) interesting and relevant. Keep 'em coming!
How did it compare to saab
My mom had one, but I much preferred her SSEi that she got later.
M 50 years old and have had over 30 cars. By heart I’m a ford lover. I had a 6000 STE and I loved it. It ripped pretty good, very comfortable and sporty. Great car
Thank you for this video
My first car in 1994 was a 1989 black and silver Pontiac 6000STE that I bought for a little over 9k. I don't remember how many miles it had when I bought it but I think it was around 60-70k. My friends called it the USS Enterprise because of the digital dash and info center that would go through a check of all the systems it monitored. Great reliable car.
Funny how Alcantara is what a lot of very expensive high end sport and luxury cars have, but my 1989 Pontiac family sedan had suede leather (basically Alcantara is a synthetic suede-like alternative). It also had air ride suspension in the rear. The 3.1 liter V-6 actually sounded pretty throaty for a V-6.
New cars suspensions are so harsh compared to older cars. Wish new cars rode better and had softer suspensions. My 6000STE was the only car I've owned that didn't have a harsh ride to it. Even my new Camry has a more harsh ride because even family sedans are more about performance than ride quality.
I actually inherited a 1985 Pontiac 6000 i think it was if I have it right lol. It was silver & gray interior fully loaded. She retired when she got it new hardly ever drove it all don't know why she even got it. My uncle did most of the driving in his car. When I got it in 1992 it had only 12,345 miles & it was i mean mint condition. Sat in there garage all the time. Original tires plastic on the seat belts. It was like stepping back in time. I had so many people that wanted to buy it from me but respect for my aunt i kept it. I had it for 25 years drove it to Miami several times from Boston and up to family in Quebec Canada several times. It was a great riding car and dependable. Never had any major issues just regular maintenance and preventative maintenance miss that car
Growing up in the 80s, a family friend who attended my church purchased an 83 6000 STE and I fell in love with it! Then after my 90 Grand Am SE was totalled in 91, I purchased a used 86 6000 STE and was again in love with that model. The only reason I sold it 2 years later is due to me wanting another manual transmission car. I do wish I could find an 89 6000 STE AWD though. It was a fantastic model from Pontiac and to me, much better than the other A bodies.
I was also briefly tempted by the STE with AWD, but GM couldn't build the 6000 with both AWD and the 4-speed AT. Just as well since the early THM440-T4 was a reliability nightmare.
I remember being in middle school when the dad of a neighbor/friend up the street purchased one. These had a "sport tuned" exhaust that left a memorable impression when they'd accelerate up the street from the corner.
I remember these well growing up in the 80s. Thanks for sharing Adam.
At a time when there weren't a lot of good looking cars, this was one of the better ones. I owned a Black '84 STE, which was considered the first serious American effort to build a European style sedan. The 70's Grand Ams and Cutlass Salons were euro-inspired but utterly American in approach. The STE had definite Americana as well (the digital dashboard, for example) but handling, interior size, and power were on par with an Audi 5000 Turbo. The boxy shape was also euro-inspired, though the '84 Audi 5000 (still one of the best designs for its time I ever saw) changed the game. It was a great car to drive, firmly planted and 9.7 0-60 at the time was considered quick. The best sounding V-6 I have ever heard, Pontiac really got the exhaust note right. The thing my friends still remember about the car is the air pump that fed off the rear air levelers. On cruise at 65-70, I could get over 26 mpg, pretty good at the time for a 3-speed automatic.
Hard to believe but I hung with a Jag XJ-S and Porsche 928 mixing it up in the hills of the Ozarks one time because of tight turns and no real long straghtaways; they walked away from me on any straight road but I could catch up in the curves and corners (those were heavy cars and I was probably pushing harder, though they were definitely pushing each other).
At about 65,000 miles the gaskets began to smell and I could feel the engine losing a little power. At the same time the A/C started making noise and ultimately failed. The dealer told me that a defect in the compressor resulted in the compressor mechanicals somehow eating themselves up until failure, yet Pontiac offered nothing, not even some credit, towards replacing the compressor. I was so angered that I traded it for a 1988 Honda Accord EX, disgusted at Detroit. Still, for its day, the STE was one of my favorite cars.
Dad had an ‘86 STE and it was a great car. Had real suede upholstery that you had to brush but it was beautiful.
Thanks for this video. It was a great trip down memory lane, as my mom had a 6000 when I was a teenager. I think it was an LE model, with a bench seat and column shifter. I always thought the V6 made it somewhat cool. It was the 2.8 and it felt "fast" to me! I liked the boxy steering wheel -- reminded me of Porsche 928. Thanks again...
Thanks for another well-researched history lesson, Adam.
As a Ford guy, I envied the Cutlass Ciera, and thought these A-Specials also made attractive station wagons.
I hated to admit it at the time, but those A-Special wagons were much more evolved than the Fairmont /Zephyr, although of course those were a 6 year old program in 1984...
After owning multiple nice Pontiacs from 1969 to 1983 I was really stoked to get my special order ‘83 STE. There was much to like about the car particularly from a design point of view. It was feature rich and quite good looking. Unfortunately, mine was so sloppily built and trouble prone I sold it two years later. Among the problems I remember was factory paint that was terrible. The roof felt like sandpaper and along the drivers side the paint was so thin you could see primer behind it. The rear seat back had a seam in the wonderful suede upholstery that wasn’t even sewn together. You could easily see the foam behind and I was never able to get the wheels and tires to balance despite multiple attempts at my local dealer plus independent shops. At the time I lived in a cold climate and the suspension was rock hard once the temps got below 20 degrees. GM had good designs at this time. It was the execution where they failed miserably. 10:41 Three years later I had a BMW 528 and haven’t looked back since. 10:41
Well, DOA is about as thorough of an execution one could 'Achieva' during the era that brought General Motors' mark of excellence in line with becoming a world standard for capital(sic) punishment: GM
Sorry. I really do love GM but considering GM provided 1983 buyers like yourself an opportunity to spend an additional $3,000 over the $9,000 Pontiac, as both an alternative and an upgrade, with the $12,000 Cadillac Cimarron... It reveals how GM unintentionally, but quite literally, primed and groomed its core customer base to be as volatile as it was to the import invasion.
9:00 Whoa, dig that plaid jacket.
This video brings back so many memories! My dad purchased an 87 6000LE late 88 and his friend bought a 90 STE a couple of years later. Both were so problematic and I remember my dad and his buddy sharing stories about what each of their car was doing lol. One time, I was driving with my dad and the steering column fell and we almost crashed. Scary then, but we still laugh at it today and the few times my dad or myself see a 6000, I can't help it but smile. Thanks for sharing!
One of my fave Pontiac sedans, But its the later 1987 to 1990 6000 and 6000 STE AWD sports sedans. I especially liked with their Euro inspired styling and good performance.
I remember when my cousin Eddie, who only bought Pontiacs, made a deposit on a brand-new model, the 6000STE. He was showing me the brochure, and when he finally got the car, he was overjoyed. I did get to ride in it, and it seemed like a well-done piece of automotive design and engineering. I liked the techno streamlined dash and the overall look of the car. Much like Adam, I am more of a big American luxury car guy, but the STE made an excellent impression on me. I believe the LE came out a year later, and it was also a nice car.
I've owned over 60 varied cars in my lifetime, from Peugeots to Jensens, and my '84 6000 STE is still one of my favorites. Loved the plush carpets and the trunk mounted air pump.
Great review, Adam. My dad had an '85 STE while I was in high school and this video brought back good memories. I loved the exhaust note of his car. It was always a thrill to drive to school.
I thought back in the day that this was the most futuristic dashboard for a sedan 4 door, love these cars!
Thank You for making the video for Us🌞
Wow, 40 years ago the STE was introduced. Great Car!
I miss Pontiac... my daily driver today is a 2006 6.0L Pontiac GTO
I clearly remember that early morning, walking into the classroom of my high school auto mechanics, with my Car & Driver magazine under my arm that I had bought the night before, mesmerized by the 6 headlights of the new STE that would enter in 1983, when we broke for morning recess is when I showed the preview. I had never seen anyone go so crazy for the headlight design than my whole class of 35 students, everyone wanted to hold that magazine for themselves. A number of their parents had already purchased 1982 6000 sedans, but I am sure the pressure was on to be the first family to hold bragging rights to owning one. One family did buy an STE, it was silver with very grippy, genuine suede seating that kept you from sliding about no matter how hard you took a corner. The initial attraction of the AWD version later was a great idea, but limited to only a 3 speed automatic transmission made driving at 70 mph+ totally unappealing.
My boss had one of those Pontiac 6000s, and he loved it. I went on a business trip with him, and he even said how he felt lucky to have such a nice (company) car-and he wasn't normally the "appreciative" type, so he _must_ have liked it.
This is also when "mobile phones" were making a splash, and there was some kind of unit in the trunk, and he had the center console glove box taken out and the cell phone handset (remember, it's the size of a brick) in the console. He thought he was the coolest dude ever, when he'd pop the console, pull out the phone, and call a customer to say we're running late (like, EVERY time).
Back then, when that kind of seats, steering and undercarriage meant "sporty". Nowadays we only can dream about that comfy ride in normal priced cars...
I like how the front grille looked a little bit like the 1977 firebird, but with 2 extra lights!
My parents drove Pontiac most of my teen life. I'm 55 now, miss the Pontiacs. Bonneville, grand Prix, even grand am but I miss her more, love you always mom.....
I remember lusting a little over this car. I bought a new 1980 XR-7, 1981 Bonneville Brougham Landau Burgundy with a matching crushed velour interior Coupe and Honey Comb Rims., 1983 Dodge Charger 2.2 black with Gold Stripes, 1984 Thunderbird Mid Spec Model. I loved Burning Money at age 18-21.
Clearly! lol you’re even worse than I was during that era
I have a soft spot for the 6000. My grandparents had two of them in fact. The first one had the 2.5 liter four cylinder and the second one had that diesel. I don't recall them ever having major issues with either car. My grandfather was particularly fond of the diesel. They lived about 3 hours away from us and I remember him going on and on about how little fuel they used on the trip :)
I remember my father got one for a company vehicle. I was amazed by all the buttons and lights.
Wow! I used to have a 1985 Pontiac 6000 SLE station wagon with a 2.8 cast iron V6! I loved how it could fit a twin sized mattress in the back so me and my girlfriend could use it after her dad gave it to me on Thanksgiving 2008.
Very nice video. I had a 1985 black over silver one from new and that car is still one of my very favorite cars ever!
It was so much fun to drive and I drove it for four years and every mile was a blast! I had just gotten a new job and the celebration was this car. That tuned low rumble from that 6 cylinder was intoxicating. Too bad our modern 6 cylinder engines don't sound that way. The digital dash rivaled the corvette's of the era and was so very easy to read to know what your car is doing. Miss it for sure ...!
We had a friend that owned a 6000 STE back when they first came out with the V6. It lasted over 20 years and was a favorite car amongst all of those that drove it.
Plate C
My buddy had one of these 20 years ago his dad gave him. We drove it everywhere, it already had 300,000 miles when he got it. Very unheard of in those days
Neigbour purchased a 6000STE new just when these came out. It was loaded with options in beautiful silver paint. He said the car was very expensive in the day but was world-class, fun to drive and garnered a lot of attention. The car was a winner everywhere but those headlights just looked fantastic. Some complained the name was a bit long and generic.
The 6000 STE was offered with a plastic windshield for one year which forced the placement of the Massachusetts inspection sticker to be put on the passenger window.
I look at the later STEs as GM / Pontiac actually trying. A V6, AWD, stickshift, with height correcting suspension and digital dash? That's some fancy stuff!
I liked the style of the STE back in the day. These A bodies continued on till '96? They were everywhere. Now you rarely ever see one.
My wife and I had an '84 STE. Best handling front-drive car I have ever driven. The air-assisted suspension was perfection and its load-leveling capabilitiies were excellent. The seats, though plush, actually had decent side-cushion support. The sound system was excellent. The only, and I mean only real problem was the way GM doled out engines. The Chevy Eurosport and Pontiac STE were saddled with the 2.8 V6, while Olds got the 3.8. The STE's 150 hp from the high-performance version of the Citation just wasn't enough. It needed more torque AND more horsepower to make it a superior vehicle. Instead, it was just a very good one. I always wondered what the STE platform would have been like with the supercharged SSE motor in it.
This opened a memory vault. I had an 1987 STE in 92 and for a college student , it felt like the more luxurious vehicle I ever owned. The suede interior was a conversation starter as were the Knight Rider-esque dashboard especially at night. The auto air leveling rear suspension failed about a week into my ownership but I enjoyed all the miles I put on that car while I had it. Of course it had its typical GM quirks and issues but the cool details on this car really made it special for an 80s A body. Anyone remember the little bulb over the driver side window controls ?
A neighbour had ordered an '86 STE but they couldn't get it, so he got a fully loaded S/E which had the same engine as the STE. It was a great handling car and effortlessly cruised on the freeway and had a nice growl to the exhaust.
This car was the inspiration for the 6000 SUX in RoboCop.
Story being that Pontiac wouldn't give them any for the movie, so they made fun of it.
My uncle always drove a Pontiac 6000, right up until you couldnt buy them anymore. Loved that car.
I used to porter these fresh off of the trailer...I always hated that anti chip paint that they sprayed on the lower portion of the vehicles back then. That was the time that automatic floor shifters we're taking off..I remember the ste's exhaust note was a bit more raspy, and cooler sounding...especially the Bonnie ssi's, used to Rev the piss outta them...lol
I had a 6000 LE and it was a very nice car. Drove it for many years.
I had a 87 6000 STE fully loaded silver in color. I wish really hard that I had that car again. Just loved it.
We had an ‘86 6000 SE Wagon bought new. This had front reclining buckets and a console, sunroof, rear facing third row seating (my oldest son still talks about being afraid of the headlights while sitting back there) and a self leveling compressor when extra weight was put in the back. Unfortunately the Chicago winters did this one in by ‘94. It did its job before mini vans became popular for our 6 member family.
The 8,000 price was not for the STE, by '85 it was listed as nearly 15,000 base in Car and Driver's "10 best" list. It has nearly every 6000 option other than leather seats and sun/vista roof. It even included a neat accessory package that had a a 12v spotlight, raincoat, first aid kit and an air hose you could use to pump up the tires with the auto leveling air shock suspension system.
Starting in the parts business in 2001 I still had the occasional customer who claimed they had a Pontiac Goole (6000 LE) 😆
I laughed out loud when I heard the 'low maintenance diesel' - those were dogs of that era!
5:31 That was one nice steering wheel. The plastic was just soft enough, the spokes offered a comfortable place to put one's hands, and it was perfectly round with no bumps or protrusions. I also miss the "European arm rests" with integral door pulls, which helped by making it easy to hold on with the left hand and steer with the right one. I always found it easier to guide the car down the highway with one hand than with two and today's cars (other than Mercedes Benz models) almost force you to put both hands on the wheel. Then again, with the torque steer one felt in my father's base-level 6000 (the STE might have added an intermediate shaft to reduce this), one needed all of the control one could find.
I had an 86 6000 with the 2.5 iron duke ! I got it cheap it just needed a cam gear ! it was one size bigger than most imports of the time ! Simple and easy to maintain - good road manners ! Wife needed a minivan cause you know kids ! Dam i miss that car !
Around the mid/late 80’s I had an ‘83 5000 automatic, pre aero and quattro. The STE AWD was a bit of a unicorn I wanted. I’d see them around town but being in highschool I couldn’t afford anything that nice!
I had a 6000 STE and at that time the dashboard is what sold me on the car it was awesome just after dusk.
Clappppp 👏 I had this same car and it was very reliable!!!! Loved that car. Cloth bench seat up front and nice sound system I installed.
Loved my '84 STE. You forgot to mention the whacky steering wheel with a dozen buttons in the center for various controls. Also the built-in air pump in the trunk. Had really plush carpet too.
My ex had a new 6000 STE.
One of the last model years.
It was surprisingly nice.
Plenty of power for a midsize car and was very comfy.
Drove great.
I have yet to see another STE.
I had a 89 Pontiac 6000 ste , all wheel drive, awesome car, loved it, loved all the options, rear air ride was problematic, the drive train is tuff, shame gm did not persu the awd, another option of the awd was to lock the differential, I rarely needed that because on dry pavement, the tires would scuff when taking a turn, like the old 4x4s, fun and comfortable car
I owned three A bodies over the years. 1986 6000, 1989 celebrity and last being a 1996 cutlass Cierra. Absolutely bulletproof platform.
Nice video. I remember the Pontiac 6000 well, they were popular cars in my town, so was the Chevy Eurosport.
The All-Wheel-Drive models were very cool. Rare, but very forward-thinking.
Delco 6x9's bumped in the 6000 package tray.
I owned two of these over the years. Loved these cars
Yay a A-body video and my favorite car on that platform the 6000 lucky for me I get to see a 6000 every day when I look out my window
Own a white 84 STE, it was great driver for the time and had a VIP service agreement. free loaner and a few other perks.
My brother-in-law had one and he let me drive it quite a bit. I was 16-17 at the time and a car nut. It was fun to drive, had the suede upholstery and digital dash. It was just a really cool car for the time.
In 1984, my company car was a leased 6000STE....at 40K the transmission exploded like a hand grenade......I moved on to a 1986 Mercury Sable....one of my favorite company cars ever!
I had one of these!! $1200 got you a whole lot of car in the mid 90s!
Great channel! The 6000 STE AWD was a very cool car.
We had the infamous 4.3L Diesel engine in a 1982 Buick Century 2 door. That thing had problems all the time. However I will say that it moved my entire family in summer of 1986 from eastern Iowa all the way to our new home in coastal California. That’s 5 people crammed into that relatively compact 2 door coupe for 3 full days straight through driving! The rear end was sagging like crazy with 3 in the backseat and the trunk crammed with luggage.
I was only 6 at the time so I don’t remember much about the trip. But I can only imagine that 85hp getting all 5 of us through the Rocky Mountain passes as well as the Sierra Nevadas. We must’ve been climbing at 25mph and near boiling over radiator.
We made it though!
Without considering the engineering of these cars & the likely road handling superiority of the 6000, the Olds Ciera & Buick Century were (to my eye) more attractively designed…
You couldn't look in any direction without seeing at least one of these driving or parked somewhere in the town I grew up in.
We had one car dealership and it was Pontiac. I think we had the highest per capita of Pontiac & GMC pickup owners of any town in North America.