Holy crap! Picking out a GM car in the 80s is like picking out a cup of coffee in Starbucks. How many variations can you make on a latte? Never mind that, how many variations could GM make on a family sedan? On the other hand, gotta love that velvety red plush interior. Like driving in a Lazyboy. Ahhhhh...
abracing199 Yes, back then GM was ahead of its time, too far ahead. The system was not very good and a year later they added some push buttons to scroll thru the menus. Those six buttons around the perimeter got more conventional. GM was weird, way ahead on ideas but the execution was horrible.
Bro, as a nineties kid, I still saw these out in the street through out the 90s and the begging of the 2000s. These cars were interesting and loved the attention to detail. Nowadays they look like metallic blobs, however I love the technology, so I guess it evens out. Still, miss these cars.
I used to have an 86' 6000 STE. It was my second car, I bought it in October 2009 when I was a senior in high school with only 119,000 miles. Didn't have a single spot of rust on it! I sold it 2 years ago with 150,000 miles on it and I now drive a 99' Chevy Tahoe LT. I loved that car and I miss it!!!
ActuallyHB You might want to go back and look at how many times Ford almost went under and needed a huge loan (they put their company up a couple of times) from the government. Hell, Ford hadn't paid off their first loan when they asked for another one shortly after the others asked for money.
AZDuffman there's 2 loans they took, I'm sure I can find more. Ford seen a possible problem before the other companies did and got their "bail out" early. I don't even have anything against Ford, but they're no better then the other 2.
But they did not take the loans from the feds, that is my point. Yes, they saw hard times and they took loans early. By luck they got them before the credit markets froze up. But Ford famously said no thanks when they were summoned to DC for the hearings,
I was a kid back in the 80's and I sure do miss seeing all of these cars on the road when they were new. A lot more fun to look at back then compared to what GM has to offer now in todays time.
I was born in 78...I feel ya. Today's car designers are either lazy or incompetent because they all copy each other. GM has actually done a decent job and making their own looks, but give me a 90's and down car anyday!
I have a 86 buick Le Sabre I've had it for 8 years now and I love it. Best seats I've ever sat on in a car feels like a caddy with those shocks lots of space and I get asked all the time how much I want for it...
I had an '84 Monte Carlo SS convertible - yes, you could order from the dealer as a convertible, it would then go to a custom chop shop and be delivered that way. But I'd have never been caught playing Bon Jovi - ugh, embarrassing.
It's strangely satisfying watching softly sprung, under dampened, flex-y "unibody" american sedans wallow around a tight handling course. Sure, they get it done but it's hilarious how much they struggle. Love these videos! Keep 'em coming! Motor Week is a genius for releasing these every week. I'm hooked ha ha.
Yeah since we all drive on GT tracks we ned our cars to handle like a sports roadster? Who cares if it struggles, how often do you really drive like that?? Any modern car cannot compare to the comfort of an American car from the heyday.
LOL! You must not be driving in a major American city lately. You HAVE to have a good handling car with descent acceleration or risk getting run off the road by hostile psychos in large pickup trucks and SUVs!
I'm more concerned with the lack of any bolstering on those plush bench seats. What the heck was keeping that guy from sliding all the way over to the passenger door?
@@Hamburgler6.9 You hold onto the steering wheel, dodo. These cars aren't designed to do high-g maneuvering, my friend. Usually there was a thick armrest that folded down to separate the driver/passenger; that might hold you in place, sort of.
I miss them too. Look much better than the cars now dsys which now days getting more & more computerized. I rather have some of these old school cars especially Cadillac than the new cars we have today.
@@jimmycline4778 The G body’s and Full Size pickups are still around. Not even the s10 and blazer jimmy are common as they used to be. I remember seeing a lot more of the smaller body gm cars and but they’ve disappeared like crazy especially after the 2008 cash for clunkers program took a lot of these cars off the road for good. Shame some of these cars were great like the Buick gran national and somebody actually junked a Buick gnx. Some gm cars were worthy of the road while a lot of them weren’t like the fwd compact cars and hatchbacks.
That was cool to see! I love me some F body, and the Monte SS has held up well too, I still really like those cars. And I had never seen one, but those J Body hatches are cool looking too, esp the Z24. I remember a lot of those cars as a kid in the 80's, my friends mom had a Buick Somerset, my uncle had a Parissienne wagon, my aunt had a Grand Am, and my parent's had a '85 and '87 Celebrity wagon. And in the late 90's I had an 88 Trans Am GTA. I miss that car a lot. And the pickups, Suburbans, and Blazers of that era are some of my favorite trucks ever.
The first car my parents had while I was growing up was an Olds Delta 88'. I remember it being comfortable and reliable.. When I was 4 I thought the a/c vents were coin slots at which point I thought it would be a good idea to put loose change in the vents lol... Miss my dad and that car. Man this video puts a lot into perspective
3:19 Back when you needed 2 keys for your car. Now you need none! I actually owned an 86 Chevy Sprint. It had an intermittent problem with it's 3 speed automatic transmission where it's like to shift in to 3rd while sitting at lights, I'd have to manually put it in to 1st if I wanted to pull away from the light before it changed again. I also owned a 88 Nova, great car that didn't really match the history of the name.
Thank you for this GM video Motorweek. Thank you for the recent ones as well! It is appreciated. I hope to see more. I look forward to many more GM models. It helps to show these videos for those that remember the cars and for those who are just now learning about them. To some of the comments: 1. The 3.8 liter V6 became the 3800 V6 and was reworked over the years. It had 205 hp starting in 1995. I know because my Ninety Eight uses 1995 version of that engine. 2. Yes, touch screens. GM was a step ahead and never followed through to stay with the technologies and improve them. The Riviera lost what you see in the video in 1990. The Toronado got a touch screen called VIC in 1989. It was an option until Toronado was dropped in 1992. It is funny they are in most new cars now. 3. GM had those brands before Saturn existed. GM should have kept all the brands in this video and moved them forward without Saturn. 4. GM admitted they made those cars too small. They assumed fuel prices would reach 3 to 4 dollars a gallon and that we would have a fuel crisis. The government asked GM to lead the way and downsize it cars. As we all know it failed, and gas prices did not get that high until many years later. Starting in 1989, GM started up sizing all those cars they downsized. My Ninety Eight is wider and longer than the one in the video. My Toronado went back up size in 1990. What came out in 1989-1992 at GM is what should have come out in 1985-1986. GM is still paying for this downsizing to this day. This was the early days of the downfall at GM.
And yet a lot of idiots bitch and complain because gm had too many divisions. I personally liked all 6 of the original GM divisions. Not everyone likes the same thing, that's why it's called variety
Had the cars been better quality, GM wouldn't have lost core brands despite the similarity between divisions. Ford and Chrysler have done the same thing, only Chrysler has not learned as it has a foot in the grave.
Love the Blazer / Jimmy line up! Wish they still made those boxy suv's! I would buy one tomarrow! Shure did take a long time to have touch screens in a vehicle again.
I'm an Australian who has never set foot in the United States and the gem among these rocks for more was the Pontiac Parisienne Wagon. What a grand looking bus!!
You "kids" wax romantically about this junk, but I grew up in the 1980s and GM and Fords were junk in the early to mid 80s. My parents had three cars just so they could guarantee one would be on the road. One was in the shop pretty much all the time and sometimes two were in the shop. Parts just fell off the inside of cars of this era. And they had no power at all. A corvette had less than 200 hp. Japanese cars were rust buckets and American cars were built the cheapest they hoped they could get away with.
As witness to how bad these 1986 cars were, just ask yourself how many are still on the road today. Not very many. Most found their way to the scrap heap and the crusher long before 2006 (twenty years later). Only a few Cutlass Supremes, Buick Regals and of course Cadillacs and Corvettes were thought worthy enough to make it into the hands of low riders, customizers and car collectors.
Alot of these cars looked pretty sharp when new-- I love the 2-door LeSabre. But the materials were not the best quality and they didn't hold up at all. I haven't seen one in at least 15 years.
My friends mom had a olds ninety eight brougham, every portion available including moonroof. Midnight blue, with blue interior, and it was a sharp car, and pretty darn quick with the 3.8, and overdrive back then. It was probably an 88-89 model but I liked it a lot.
Back then, GM built something for everyone. They had every market covered with at least one choice. Today GM has abandoned most niche markets and try to force you to buy a more mainstream model since that's basically all they focus on. I don't think I'll ever buy a new vehicle from any automaker unless they start building what I want. I don't want a car with too much technology and I certainly don't want it to look like every other car on the road. Even back in the 80s when GM badge engineered so many models, you could at least tell the difference between them. Plus you had more choices on design and trim level. Today it's hard to tell the difference from a Honda or a Chevy. I certainly don't want someone think I'm driving a Honda.
Um I'd sure rather someone think I'm driving a Honda than a piece of shit Chevy! Every model Honda has to offer is worlds better than the equivalent Chevy, both in looks, performance, and especially reliability. And I'm not a honda fanboy, I'm a BMW guy so I'm stating facts.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Buick Skyhawk with hide away headlights. I always loved the clam shell hood on the LeSabre and all that glass made the interior so open and airy
Full touch screen in 86... absolutely amazing and cars today think they're being the first to come out with all this technology BUICK WAS DOING IT WAY BEFORE ANYONE FUCKERS
When GM downsized the Riv, Toronado, and Eldorado, they sucked all the class out of them as well and made them look too much like lesser GMs like the Grand Am and Buick Somerset.
I disagree. Each of the GM E bodies had their ups and downs. But the Oldsmobile was the only one to stand out. When they finally got the Toronado right in 1990 with its beautiful and full body lines, they kicked it to the curb just 2 years later. And that's just typical GM. They do that with literally everything. Even "new GM" finally gets things almost right, then shit cans it. Its been a pattern since the 50's. The Toronado literally had everything going for it. GM just didnt care enough about it to really give it the extra touches it needed to make it the best car on the market.(that and the plastic material they used at the time was just awful.) The Eldarado lived on for quite some time after that though. As for the Grand Am/buick, they look nothing alike. A Grand Am had its own styling, body lines, and interior work, and got the much more exciting Quad 4 later on. This style of N body did pretty well throughout the 80s and 90s.
Sort of what GM is doing again with Cadillac. They kill the CTS for CT5 which looks exactly like a Chevy for twice the cost. Just amazingly dumb to kill, by far, the most popular car to replace it with a dud.
Did anyone notice the horrendous fit and finish of the Buick Century at 12:03? That exemplifies how bad build quality at GM was in the 80s. Contrary to what the narrator says, it has nothing in common with a BMW of the times.
+attcenter I'm a fan of the multiple flavors of common platforms. I think GM could use another brand or 2 now. How awful were those downsized FWD so-called full-size cars tho???
+attcenter I get why the did it, and it makes sense to a degree, especially when you sell as many cars as GM does, but I do think they totally overdid it at times, especially when the sister models don't look different enough.
I was in 8th grade when I saw this on WTTW Channel 11. I wasn't impressed with any of these cars back then, except for the pony cars and Corvette (of course). Even at 14, I could tell just how incredibly mediocre GM's standard cars were. Honda had just introduced their 3rd generation Accords and wow, excellent quality. Of course, Ford and Mercury destroyed GM with their radical Taurus and Sables. My dad finally caved in and bought a 87 Sable then stepped up to a far better optioned 88 Sable with the far more reliable 3.8 liter V6. My parents loved that car. After a 75 Delta 88, getting 30mpg on the highway was a revelation.
Wow what an amazing look back. Loved some of those cars back then. I was 17 so I hated most of them lol. Tha t IROC was nice and the TransAm. Had an 86 Trans Am then a 85 one. Loved them both.Silly me as a kid like the Monte Carlo SS more than the Buick. Ive always hated crappy made Buicks..but if I could Id own that GN.
They have a fan following that deem them worthy of keeping. 1980-something Crown Vics and Dodge Diplomats were about as good, but I haven't seen those on the road in years. Cars built by the hundreds of thousands are meant to last about 10 years so that you'll buy a new one. Unless you invest a part time job's worth of time and/or money to track down parts and keep them rolling. GM built a lot of different B body models across 5 different makes for almost 20 years, so you can find replacement parts.
I love the 85 Lesabre and 84 Park Avenues especially the mid 80 cars as Olds, Buick, Firebird and Camaro all were nice cars though lived without the Cimarron others were nice.
My grandmother had a 90 Lesabre she bought brand new that was in my family till earlier this year with 88k miles on it but, she let my 19 year old cuz use it and he hit a damn pole actin a fool so it was totaled. It road so smooth, we loved it.
SUV Man Tell me about it... All the car ever needed was (2 sets) of tires, 1 new battery and (1 set) of brakes, normal things... Now my cousin has a 14 Focus and want let anyone drive it... Punk azz
A 1990 car that after 25 years only had 88K miles on it. That's less than 300 miles a month. Of course it never needed any maintenance, it was never fucking driven. This thing we never used never wore out, such quality.
As someone born in the 90s its amazing to see this. They had way more cars than they do now. What really shocks me though is how you don't see any of these cars driving around today. You see lots of 90s cars but none from the 80s. I guess they were all sold for scrap. They didn't have the appeal or collectability of the earlier cars being from the "malaise" era but were still too old to keep. I think the reason the 90s cars are still around is because by the late 2000s the cars became too complicated and expensive for many people forcing them to hold onto their older cars. People never anticipated this in the 90s and therefore they sold off their 80s cars for scrap.
My mom has a 1984 Ford tempo she bought brand new. Only has 76,000 miles on it and in immaculate condition. Would love to see a review on the 84, 85, 86 Tempo.
Wayne L. maintenance was key to these cars staying in good running order. My uncle had a buick from around this year and a 89 taurus and they all still run perfectly fine with maintenance
The Grand National was faster than the Corvette back then!i remember test driving a brand new Monti Carlo SS back then as a young man, even then I thought damn this car has no power but I loved how it looked, it only had a 305 pushing out probably 140 HP! 😂 but I loved all these cars! In Mexico you could get a factory new 454 Monti Carlo SS! Google it! They are very rare in U.S.!
13:43.....................I have to confess that I have always had an "It's Complicated" relationship with the Astro/Safari. I LOVED how roomy & comfortable they were, how smoothly they rode, & how quiet they were.........& that 4.3-liter V6 is a TORQUE MONSTER, but fit & finish left A LOT to be desired. I will NEVER forget that it was an Astro which brought me to see Home Alone for the first time, however. I will NEVER forget cruising to Showcase Cinema in Woburn, MA in a blue 1986 Chevy Astro full of kids, BLASTING C&C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)".........ON THE CASSETTE PLAYER (Man, I'm old!!!!!)!!!!!!!
I have a rare 84 Celebrity conv I switched out the carb engine for a multi port fi 2.8 from an 86 great engine gets almost 30 mpg highway and is very smooth
Do a RUclips video of the Celebrity. Would love to see it! My Dad had a grey on grey 86 was a basic model but was still very nice back then. Unfortunately it got rusty yet he took care of it was garage kept but lasted us 8 years.
Definitely a lot of nice products here, with the exception of Chevette of course. I also wish that you guys would still dol the full model line reviews these days. :)
I remember as a kid getting in mail promotion brochures for these cars. My father owned an 84' Olds ninety eight regency. That thing was a boat on wheels and the hub cap attracted thieves leaving you with a donut. Too bad these cars are extinct.
I can't believe just how many cars GM offered back in the day, and they all look so much alike! No wonder they've been losing money/shutting down brands over the years.
They had too many poorly differentiated brands as it was. GM considered killing off Pontiac in the 50s when it had no clear identity and no substantial following. It got some distinct offerings in the 60s, but since they kept the Corvette with Chevy and launched their pony car with the Camaro, it was a half assed effort. Instead of just using Pontiac as their dedicated flashy motorsport division, they mostly left it as a tarted up hand me down.
Despite what some say, my favorite riviera was the 1986-1992 models, I loved the CRT touch screen, so much tech and that was a good 27+ years ago before infotainment systems became popular
Always loved those g bodies. The Monte Carlo and the cutlass supreme were the coolest of the four. Shame they were very underpowered especially for giant v8's.
There are so many cars from this era that I want back. I miss my Chevette. And my Caprice Classic Brougham. And my Impala. And my Buick Electra. And my Olds Delta 88. I've never had a G-Body but I've always wanted one. I even miss my mom's Celebrity wagon and my Grand Am and Olds Ciera. I'm kind of a GM guy
The Best Night of My Life. Losing / dumping my man goo while in a 1986 Buick Electra. God, she was SMOKING HOT and that Hilton Interior!! Oh baby!! The memories.! I Gotta go. All the blood's rushing to my head. Peace!
My paternal grandmother used to have a Buick Park Avenue similar to the one shown in the video and it helped my father to get his driver's license back in the day!!
Don’t forget their Chevy Trucks either, look up what a 86 dodge truck looks like, or a ford truck! They sold more trucks than any car line! Don’t forget their Cadillac’s either, Everyone loved these cars back then but the geeks and nerds! 😂😂🤣🤣 dumb comment!
+BalzyMcGEE The front-drive full-size 'H' cars were very good cars, the Buick 3.8 that powered the vast majority is long-lived with good performance and good highway economy.
I owned an '86 Oldsmobile Delta 88. That 3.8L V6 engine was fantastic -- powerful (for the day) yet still got great fuel economy. Unfortunately the transaxle was a horrible piece of shit. It went through 3 transaxles in 120,000 miles before I finally sold it. I heard that the 1989 model finally got a modified transaxle that actually wouldn't fall apart under the load from the 3.8L engine. Wish they had done that in ''86.
I just came across these MotorWeek Retro videos and I’ve been binging like crazy. I won’t even go into the absurd number of variations of the same cars GM had rolling around. What I do think is absolutely hilarious is that in the 80s and even a bit into the 90s they were desperate to make the US consumer think their car styles were “Internationally” and “Euro-inspired”...the styling was hardly European by any metric.
I'm a FORD guy but one thing I will give Chevy. The Astro and Safari vans were awesome. They got those right over FORDS Aerostar. At least in the 90ies. The 80ies models werent very appealing but once 96 hit they started really getting it with the interiors.
1ST new car i bought 86 pontiac std touring edition with that powerful 2.8 v6 and onboard air compressor in trunk for that extra element of luxury and performance !
GM should've made H car station wagons, to replace the A car wagons, the W body cars in 1988 were less than in virtually every department the H cars were would've been the perfect replacement for the A bodies.
YES, YES, YES........A MILLION TIMES YES!!!!!! GM & Ford were ON FIRE for the '86 model year!!!!!! With 2 new chassis & MAJOR improvements to their carryover cars, this was DEFINITELY their year!!!!! Also, the background music that is used for the '86 carryovers beginning at 7:04 is the EXACT same piece of music that you used for the '87 GM carryover models!!!!!! 12:03.............is that hood on that brand new Century faded ALREADY?!!!!!!!!!! Typical GM paint quality
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
I just love retro motorweek.
As do I
Holy crap! Picking out a GM car in the 80s is like picking out a cup of coffee in Starbucks. How many variations can you make on a latte? Never mind that, how many variations could GM make on a family sedan? On the other hand, gotta love that velvety red plush interior. Like driving in a Lazyboy. Ahhhhh...
Lol You got a point my friend
I miss the velour interior. I don't like leather
I'd love to see modern cars with vulgalour upholstery.
@Merv Stent True!!!
Was hard to chose which GM car to buy, I liked most of them, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile & Cadillac of the big luxury cars.
Thanks for making me feel even older! GM used to be the top dog, look at them now. RIP Olds and Pontiac!
Full function touch screen In the 80s!?
abracing199 it was a 60lb CRT that failed within a year. Cost like $2000 to replace too.
abracing199 I'm still trying to figure out how they did that, it must have had physical buttons behind the screen.
abracing199 I was in a Reatta recently with one that worked ! It was super cool.
abracing199 Yes, back then GM was ahead of its time, too far ahead. The system was not very good and a year later they added some push buttons to scroll thru the menus. Those six buttons around the perimeter got more conventional. GM was weird, way ahead on ideas but the execution was horrible.
paradoxdesigns No, haha; the tech was available at the time.
Bro, as a nineties kid, I still saw these out in the street through out the 90s and the begging of the 2000s. These cars were interesting and loved the attention to detail. Nowadays they look like metallic blobs, however I love the technology, so I guess it evens out. Still, miss these cars.
Gilbert I agree with you 100%
😂😂😂 😂😢😢😂😊😂😂😂😂😂
It's a GM product! Complete garbage crap!Its 2022 and GM still has that cheap ass looking interior.When will they learn?
I used to have an 86' 6000 STE. It was my second car, I bought it in October 2009 when I was a senior in high school with only 119,000 miles. Didn't have a single spot of rust on it! I sold it 2 years ago with 150,000 miles on it and I now drive a 99' Chevy Tahoe LT. I loved that car and I miss it!!!
My God, the problems of the Big Three become apparent in this video...
...they competed too much against themselves.
ActuallyHB You might want to go back and look at how many times Ford almost went under and needed a huge loan (they put their company up a couple of times) from the government. Hell, Ford hadn't paid off their first loan when they asked for another one shortly after the others asked for money.
Ford did not take a loan from the government
AZDuffman you go look that up again
AZDuffman there's 2 loans they took, I'm sure I can find more. Ford seen a possible problem before the other companies did and got their "bail out" early.
I don't even have anything against Ford, but they're no better then the other 2.
But they did not take the loans from the feds, that is my point. Yes, they saw hard times and they took loans early. By luck they got them before the credit markets froze up. But Ford famously said no thanks when they were summoned to DC for the hearings,
Back when almost anybody could afford a new car...Loved the 1980's and 1990's cars
I was a kid back in the 80's and I sure do miss seeing all of these cars on the road when they were new. A lot more fun to look at back then compared to what GM has to offer now in todays time.
+faznout Not me. That decade was great for many things, but the cars were just plain ugly.
80s cars are simply terrible.. Bar few..
+faznout 80's cars are terrible dude, yeah I grew up with them too but the GM of today is light years ahead of where they were in the 80's.
I'm with you, the 80's and 90's vehicles I liked the best. now they're all exactly the same car.
I was born in 78...I feel ya. Today's car designers are either lazy or incompetent because they all copy each other. GM has actually done a decent job and making their own looks, but give me a 90's and down car anyday!
Love that cluster ! In that buick ! Touch screen, so sick! Love all that throwback green digital
That was pretty sick
And it is probably still working, unlike a Tesla's which will likely die after a few years.
Love how the Tornado's grille wasn't even straight when new!
dodgeguyz ya I noticed that too lol
That was very noticeable, but I thought maybe it was supposed to be that way? You never see any of the cars on the road anymore, they were all junk.
Yes this is when quality went down and profit was all that mattered .
Junk
Had two '77 Toronados..WHAT A GENERIC PIECE OF CRAP THEY WERE!
I have a 86 buick Le Sabre I've had it for 8 years now and I love it. Best seats I've ever sat on in a car feels like a caddy with those shocks lots of space and I get asked all the time how much I want for it...
I had a '86 Monte Carlo SS. Black with T tops. Beautiful car, fun to drive...loved it!
Can still hear the Bon Jovi rocking - You Give Love a Bad Name.
Steve S I still have one. It's actually my son's. A father - son project. It's a lot of fun.
I still play it in my Suburban lol
I had an '84 Monte Carlo SS convertible - yes, you could order from the dealer as a convertible, it would then go to a custom chop shop and be delivered that way. But I'd have never been caught playing Bon Jovi - ugh, embarrassing.
First car was '83 Grand Prix with t-tops, loved it!
I used to watch this show as a kid. I'm glad it's kept up with the times and is still going strong
This programme runs as long as the motorcar exists lol
Awesome video!! Love Motor week, it was pretty cool seeing all those old cars in new condition!!
This will be the only time I ever compliment a Cavalier, but that Z24 Cavalier looks pretty cool.
It's strangely satisfying watching softly sprung, under dampened, flex-y "unibody" american sedans wallow around a tight handling course. Sure, they get it done but it's hilarious how much they struggle.
Love these videos! Keep 'em coming! Motor Week is a genius for releasing these every week. I'm hooked ha ha.
Yeah since we all drive on GT tracks we ned our cars to handle like a sports roadster? Who cares if it struggles, how often do you really drive like that?? Any modern car cannot compare to the comfort of an American car from the heyday.
LOL! You must not be driving in a major American city lately. You HAVE to have a good handling car with descent acceleration or risk getting run off the road by hostile psychos in large pickup trucks and SUVs!
I like watching cars do that too, lol!
I'm more concerned with the lack of any bolstering on those plush bench seats. What the heck was keeping that guy from sliding all the way over to the passenger door?
@@Hamburgler6.9 You hold onto the steering wheel, dodo. These cars aren't designed to do high-g maneuvering, my friend. Usually there was a thick armrest that folded down to separate the driver/passenger; that might hold you in place, sort of.
Being a young driver in the 80's I miss seeing these cars.
What, you still see these cars on the road!
I get a bit nostalgic too.
I miss them too. Look much better than the cars now dsys which now days getting more & more computerized. I rather have some of these old school cars especially Cadillac than the new cars we have today.
@@jimmycline4778 The G body’s and Full Size pickups are still around. Not even the s10 and blazer jimmy are common as they used to be. I remember seeing a lot more of the smaller body gm cars and but they’ve disappeared like crazy especially after the 2008 cash for clunkers program took a lot of these cars off the road for good. Shame some of these cars were great like the Buick gran national and somebody actually junked a Buick gnx. Some gm cars were worthy of the road while a lot of them weren’t like the fwd compact cars and hatchbacks.
Wow! This brings back memories! And is a reminder of the large number of vehicles in the GM inventory!
That was cool to see! I love me some F body, and the Monte SS has held up well too, I still really like those cars. And I had never seen one, but those J Body hatches are cool looking too, esp the Z24. I remember a lot of those cars as a kid in the 80's, my friends mom had a Buick Somerset, my uncle had a Parissienne wagon, my aunt had a Grand Am, and my parent's had a '85 and '87 Celebrity wagon. And in the late 90's I had an 88 Trans Am GTA. I miss that car a lot. And the pickups, Suburbans, and Blazers of that era are some of my favorite trucks ever.
I want the Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham!
I had one it was a great car until the engine suffered a catastrophic failure
The first car my parents had while I was growing up was an Olds Delta 88'. I remember it being comfortable and reliable.. When I was 4 I thought the a/c vents were coin slots at which point I thought it would be a good idea to put loose change in the vents lol... Miss my dad and that car. Man this video puts a lot into perspective
Yeah these videos are time capsules, though I'd prefer them to be time machines sometimes
3:19 Back when you needed 2 keys for your car. Now you need none!
I actually owned an 86 Chevy Sprint. It had an intermittent problem with it's 3 speed automatic transmission where it's like to shift in to 3rd while sitting at lights, I'd have to manually put it in to 1st if I wanted to pull away from the light before it changed again. I also owned a 88 Nova, great car that didn't really match the history of the name.
Love these, they explain the complicated GM family, brand structure and line ups!
Thank you for this GM video Motorweek. Thank you for the recent ones as well! It is appreciated. I hope to see more. I look forward to many more GM models.
It helps to show these videos for those that remember the cars and for those who are just now learning about them. To some of the comments:
1. The 3.8 liter V6 became the 3800 V6 and was reworked over the years. It had 205 hp starting in 1995. I know because my Ninety Eight uses 1995 version of that engine.
2. Yes, touch screens. GM was a step ahead and never followed through to stay with the technologies and improve them. The Riviera lost what you see in the video in 1990. The Toronado got a touch screen called VIC in 1989. It was an option until Toronado was dropped in 1992. It is funny they are in most new cars now.
3. GM had those brands before Saturn existed. GM should have kept all the brands in this video and moved them forward without Saturn.
4. GM admitted they made those cars too small. They assumed fuel prices would reach 3 to 4 dollars a gallon and that we would have a fuel crisis. The government asked GM to lead the way and downsize it cars. As we all know it failed, and gas prices did not get that high until many years later. Starting in 1989, GM started up sizing all those cars they downsized.
My Ninety Eight is wider and longer than the one in the video. My Toronado went back up size in 1990. What came out in 1989-1992 at GM is what should have come out in 1985-1986. GM is still paying for this downsizing to this day. This was the early days of the downfall at GM.
i have never seen so many choices for one brand! there was really something for everyone's taste back in 86 :D
And yet a lot of idiots bitch and complain because gm had too many divisions. I personally liked all 6 of the original GM divisions. Not everyone likes the same thing, that's why it's called variety
That's also why they drove themselves into the ground. Ridiculous excessive spending and waste. Horrible management of the company in the 80s.
Had the cars been better quality, GM wouldn't have lost core brands despite the similarity between divisions. Ford and Chrysler have done the same thing, only Chrysler has not learned as it has a foot in the grave.
You can start at the top with Roger Smith as the No.1 horrible manager. That man drove the wheels off of GM in the 80's.
This is why they failed. Just pick chevy as their main line up and Cadillac for luxury.
Cars, cars, cars, cars, cars, vague reference to trucks, cars.
How times, and product offerings have changed.
How fat ppl have gotten who neee more room and dont want to get up from their seat, but step down
Lol
I was born in '86. That beautiful black Grand National stood out to me out of all of these from the general.
Literally no one cares about the opinion of a millennial.
@@rodmunch69 ok boomer
Raz_ Nick homosayswhat?
3.8L SFI Turbo Intercooler w/365 bhp/400 ft/lbs torque - the only thing that could hang with it was a Corvette 🏁🏎️🚓👮👮!!
IMHO these were the best years of GM. Generally reliable and nice driving cars....
Ima fan I wish they would have done more with the RWD ones but they were definitely trying back then.
The best years of GM were the 50s and 60s.....same as the best years of most American automakers.
I must have watched this 6 times already...and I always love it more than the time b4
1:00 this was my Grandpas car, It had a LT1 Corvette engine swap in it at the time! He just didn’t tell you that!
nothing sells cars like 80s porn music
oregontrailrunner
Ahhhh yes the porn of the 80’s. Obviously fake boobs with scars and all and huge bushes.
Love the Blazer / Jimmy line up! Wish they still made those boxy suv's! I would buy one tomarrow! Shure did take a long time to have touch screens in a vehicle again.
Don’t forget the G.M.C. Syclone and G.M.C. Typhoon! They were super sweet back then and today!
I'm an Australian who has never set foot in the United States and the gem among these rocks for more was the Pontiac Parisienne Wagon. What a grand looking bus!!
You like these? I have three full size RWD Caprice Wagons which look this this! And a Parisienne sedan. Awesome, solid machines to drive!
Man that classic 80's intro theme is sooo comfy.. Takes me right back to my childhood. Thank you for uploading these.
❤❤ Monte Carlos SS 😍😍😍
You "kids" wax romantically about this junk, but I grew up in the 1980s and GM and Fords were junk in the early to mid 80s. My parents had three cars just so they could guarantee one would be on the road. One was in the shop pretty much all the time and sometimes two were in the shop. Parts just fell off the inside of cars of this era. And they had no power at all. A corvette had less than 200 hp. Japanese cars were rust buckets and American cars were built the cheapest they hoped they could get away with.
As witness to how bad these 1986 cars were, just ask yourself how many are still on the road today. Not very many. Most found their way to the scrap heap and the crusher long before 2006 (twenty years later). Only a few Cutlass Supremes, Buick Regals and of course Cadillacs and Corvettes were thought worthy enough to make it into the hands of low riders, customizers and car collectors.
Alot of these cars looked pretty sharp when new-- I love the 2-door LeSabre. But the materials were not the best quality and they didn't hold up at all. I haven't seen one in at least 15 years.
@Donovan Campbell Yeah but you never found out they were because they are rust buckets
My friends mom had a olds ninety eight brougham, every portion available including moonroof. Midnight blue, with blue interior, and it was a sharp car, and pretty darn quick with the 3.8, and overdrive back then. It was probably an 88-89 model but I liked it a lot.
Back then, GM built something for everyone. They had every market covered with at least one choice. Today GM has abandoned most niche markets and try to force you to buy a more mainstream model since that's basically all they focus on. I don't think I'll ever buy a new vehicle from any automaker unless they start building what I want. I don't want a car with too much technology and I certainly don't want it to look like every other car on the road. Even back in the 80s when GM badge engineered so many models, you could at least tell the difference between them. Plus you had more choices on design and trim level. Today it's hard to tell the difference from a Honda or a Chevy. I certainly don't want someone think I'm driving a Honda.
That's pretty much every company. It's weird how more competition has led to fewer choices in segments.
danthechevymanc6 the customer is NOT always right...
Um I'd sure rather someone think I'm driving a Honda than a piece of shit Chevy! Every model Honda has to offer is worlds better than the equivalent Chevy, both in looks, performance, and especially reliability. And I'm not a honda fanboy, I'm a BMW guy so I'm stating facts.
Every GM brand sold the same car with different underpinnings and components.
No wonder Oldsmobile and Pontiac are gone.
Finally someone else understand
Yeah, GM's lineup used to be realllly overinflated lol
Actually, WONDER G.M. IS STILL AROUND...THEIR ENTIRE LINE WAS HORRID!
Totally agree had a 1997 Riviera with grand am parts WTF!!
@@captainkirk5622 Guess whatever worked..SAD!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Buick Skyhawk with hide away headlights. I always loved the clam shell hood on the LeSabre and all that glass made the interior so open and airy
very cool '86 wow I was what 14 years old gees where did the time go I'll be 45 in July
80s GM: Why make 10 models when you can make 100.
Full touch screen in 86... absolutely amazing and cars today think they're being the first to come out with all this technology BUICK WAS DOING IT WAY BEFORE ANYONE FUCKERS
Eric Cymbura ya!!!...fuckers
Who said cars today think they were the 1st? Cars can't think Dick Wipe. Maybe the 1st - definitely shit. Just saying
Eric Cymbura ....and they put it in a shit car. Priorities all wrong there.
When GM downsized the Riv, Toronado, and Eldorado, they sucked all the class out of them as well and made them look too much like lesser GMs like the Grand Am and Buick Somerset.
Interestingly, each of those three models, as a result of the downsizing, and not being able to recapture sales, were discontinued.
I disagree. Each of the GM E bodies had their ups and downs. But the Oldsmobile was the only one to stand out. When they finally got the Toronado right in 1990 with its beautiful and full body lines, they kicked it to the curb just 2 years later. And that's just typical GM. They do that with literally everything. Even "new GM" finally gets things almost right, then shit cans it. Its been a pattern since the 50's.
The Toronado literally had everything going for it. GM just didnt care enough about it to really give it the extra touches it needed to make it the best car on the market.(that and the plastic material they used at the time was just awful.) The Eldarado lived on for quite some time after that though.
As for the Grand Am/buick, they look nothing alike. A Grand Am had its own styling, body lines, and interior work, and got the much more exciting Quad 4 later on. This style of N body did pretty well throughout the 80s and 90s.
The 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado was terrific. They were never able to top it in subsequent years though. 1986 Toronado was about as exciting as oatmeal.
The downsized Riv, Toronado, and Eldo all looked so awkward.
Sort of what GM is doing again with Cadillac. They kill the CTS for CT5 which looks exactly like a Chevy for twice the cost. Just amazingly dumb to kill, by far, the most popular car to replace it with a dud.
Did anyone notice the horrendous fit and finish of the Buick Century at 12:03?
That exemplifies how bad build quality at GM was in the 80s. Contrary to what the narrator says, it has nothing in common with a BMW of the times.
Spot on!
Troy Lilly ? ?
Rudolph Tomaselli Panel gaps not uniform mainly. Trim pieces not perfect, especially in the corners. Plus they had already developed a patina.
Selling the same cars under different name plates especially so many is a recipe for failure. I can't believe no one at GM saw it coming...
+attcenter I'm a fan of the multiple flavors of common platforms. I think GM could use another brand or 2 now. How awful were those downsized FWD so-called full-size cars tho???
+attcenter
I get why the did it, and it makes sense to a degree, especially when you sell as many cars as GM does, but I do think they totally overdid it at times, especially when the sister models don't look different enough.
Sarrgon of Harambe I know you want lots of attention, but this is all you're gonna get from me. Sorry.
it worked for a long time until the competition from overseas poked holes in each segment GM had
attcenter Exactly
I was in 8th grade when I saw this on WTTW Channel 11. I wasn't impressed with any of these cars back then, except for the pony cars and Corvette (of course). Even at 14, I could tell just how incredibly mediocre GM's standard cars were. Honda had just introduced their 3rd generation Accords and wow, excellent quality. Of course, Ford and Mercury destroyed GM with their radical Taurus and Sables. My dad finally caved in and bought a 87 Sable then stepped up to a far better optioned 88 Sable with the far more reliable 3.8 liter V6. My parents loved that car. After a 75 Delta 88, getting 30mpg on the highway was a revelation.
Dios mío el paraíso! En su máxima expresión, esos controles al volante son lo máximo
Holy balls that's a lot of cars! No wonder they needed a bailout. They made more cars than customers!
Wow what an amazing look back. Loved some of those cars back then. I was 17 so I hated most of them lol. Tha t IROC was nice and the TransAm. Had an 86 Trans Am then a 85 one. Loved them both.Silly me as a kid like the Monte Carlo SS more than the Buick. Ive always hated crappy made Buicks..but if I could Id own that GN.
Despite GM legendary and unrivaled unreliability, some of this cars look really good. I like those red interiors too.
I am so in love with all the 86 j-body fastbacks
I love this motorweek you should do an updated version of this episode.
I had an 86 z28 tuned port 305 with all options including a rear window wiper. It was my 1st cool car.
My family has probably owned half of the cars in this video. On the memories.
My grandmother had that same 86 Riviera. I thought I was the shit getting dropped off at school in that.
I think it's crazy how many stock 80's Chevy Caprices and its variants are still on the road. They're ugly, but I guess they last.
Those cars are built Body-on-Frame and they're bulletproof. That's why cops and taxis used them for so long.
They have a fan following that deem them worthy of keeping. 1980-something Crown Vics and Dodge Diplomats were about as good, but I haven't seen those on the road in years. Cars built by the hundreds of thousands are meant to last about 10 years so that you'll buy a new one. Unless you invest a part time job's worth of time and/or money to track down parts and keep them rolling. GM built a lot of different B body models across 5 different makes for almost 20 years, so you can find replacement parts.
Caprice is not ugly.
Im guessing you live in the country
I still like the looks of the Chevrolet Caprice Classic which I saw one a few days ago. Look better than what GM has now days.
Mid 80s GM cars are awesome
NFSCalex the rear drive ones were
I love the 85 Lesabre and 84 Park Avenues especially the mid 80 cars as Olds, Buick, Firebird and Camaro all were nice cars though lived without the Cimarron others were nice.
My grandmother had a 90 Lesabre she bought brand new that was in my family till earlier this year with 88k miles on it but, she let my 19 year old cuz use it and he hit a damn pole actin a fool so it was totaled. It road so smooth, we loved it.
what a shame. dumb-ass kid.
+keri ellerbe What a dumbshit!!!
SUV Man Tell me about it... All the car ever needed was (2 sets) of tires, 1 new battery and (1 set) of brakes, normal things... Now my cousin has a 14 Focus and want let anyone drive it... Punk azz
A 1990 car that after 25 years only had 88K miles on it. That's less than 300 miles a month.
Of course it never needed any maintenance, it was never fucking driven. This thing we never used never wore out, such quality.
Never let young drivers behind the wheel.
What a great model year for GM.
theplayernkc
Quit smoking crack...
Little do they now know, they fucked up.
Actually one of the worst.
As someone born in the 90s its amazing to see this. They had way more cars than they do now. What really shocks me though is how you don't see any of these cars driving around today. You see lots of 90s cars but none from the 80s. I guess they were all sold for scrap. They didn't have the appeal or collectability of the earlier cars being from the "malaise" era but were still too old to keep. I think the reason the 90s cars are still around is because by the late 2000s the cars became too complicated and expensive for many people forcing them to hold onto their older cars. People never anticipated this in the 90s and therefore they sold off their 80s cars for scrap.
I miss my Buick dashboard and all, the Riviera, Camaro/ firebirds interior V6 engine technology Buick comfort.
My mom has a 1984 Ford tempo she bought brand new. Only has 76,000 miles on it and in immaculate condition. Would love to see a review on the 84, 85, 86 Tempo.
Wayne L. maintenance was key to these cars staying in good running order. My uncle had a buick from around this year and a 89 taurus and they all still run perfectly fine with maintenance
I still like the Monte Carlo SS,Grand Prix,Buick Regal rear drive cars,back then I always wished they dumped in the Vette 350 ! They never did !!
01trsmar In 2006 my neighbor sold his 86 B. Regal with only 65k miles for 3 grand to another neighbor.
01trsmar,don't forget the El Camino,and the Malibu,all of them G bodies.Gotta love that G body shuffle!!!
The Grand National was faster than the Corvette back then!i remember test driving a brand new Monti Carlo SS back then as a young man, even then I thought damn this car has no power but I loved how it looked, it only had a 305 pushing out probably 140 HP! 😂 but I loved all these cars! In Mexico you could get a factory new 454 Monti Carlo SS! Google it! They are very rare in U.S.!
King pool
Mom
13:43.....................I have to confess that I have always had an "It's Complicated" relationship with the Astro/Safari. I LOVED how roomy & comfortable they were, how smoothly they rode, & how quiet they were.........& that 4.3-liter V6 is a TORQUE MONSTER, but fit & finish left A LOT to be desired. I will NEVER forget that it was an Astro which brought me to see Home Alone for the first time, however. I will NEVER forget cruising to Showcase Cinema in Woburn, MA in a blue 1986 Chevy Astro full of kids, BLASTING C&C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)".........ON THE CASSETTE PLAYER (Man, I'm old!!!!!)!!!!!!!
3:21 I was waiting for the ice bucket and bubbly
I have a rare 84 Celebrity conv I switched out the carb engine for a multi port fi 2.8 from an 86 great engine gets almost 30 mpg highway and is very smooth
Do a RUclips video of the Celebrity. Would love to see it! My Dad had a grey on grey 86 was a basic model but was still very nice back then. Unfortunately it got rusty yet he took care of it was garage kept but lasted us 8 years.
Definitely a lot of nice products here, with the exception of Chevette of course. I also wish that you guys would still dol the full model line reviews these days. :)
I remember as a kid getting in mail promotion brochures for these cars. My father owned an 84' Olds ninety eight regency. That thing was a boat on wheels and the hub cap attracted thieves leaving you with a donut. Too bad these cars are extinct.
They are not! I still see them on the road today!
I can't believe just how many cars GM offered back in the day, and they all look so much alike! No wonder they've been losing money/shutting down brands over the years.
They had too many poorly differentiated brands as it was. GM considered killing off Pontiac in the 50s when it had no clear identity and no substantial following. It got some distinct offerings in the 60s, but since they kept the Corvette with Chevy and launched their pony car with the Camaro, it was a half assed effort. Instead of just using Pontiac as their dedicated flashy motorsport division, they mostly left it as a tarted up hand me down.
"I'll take two cokes, one of them cherry. Make it snappy!" Lmao
14:53 ...and two burgers and fries - this guy was on a mission- I think hes still out there in that empty field waiting for his order..
I have a 1989 Buick reatta. I personally like the digital gage and computer that came with for a few years with a Riviera.
My first car was an '84 Camaro. 165 hp Slow-as-Fuck V8 but that car was fun! Especially with the T-Tops off in the summertime blasting Motley Crue.
Yeah, but you looked good driving it, and that's all that mattered at the time, LOL
Despite what some say, my favorite riviera was the 1986-1992 models, I loved the CRT touch screen, so much tech and that was a good 27+ years ago before infotainment systems became popular
B Gerbs My Favorite Riviera Is 1977!! 403 Cubic Inches Of TERROR!!!
Always loved those g bodies. The Monte Carlo and the cutlass supreme were the coolest of the four. Shame they were very underpowered especially for giant v8's.
Hahaha that rotating cup/coin holder is so cool
I love these cars
4:54 Hey cousin, let's go bowling
There are so many cars from this era that I want back. I miss my Chevette. And my Caprice Classic Brougham. And my Impala. And my Buick Electra. And my Olds Delta 88. I've never had a G-Body but I've always wanted one. I even miss my mom's Celebrity wagon and my Grand Am and Olds Ciera. I'm kind of a GM guy
Camaro and firebird was nice. But GM fed it's customers so much garbage cars those years
The quality was good, but many just got a bit too small.
The Best Night of My Life. Losing / dumping my man goo while in a 1986 Buick Electra. God, she was SMOKING HOT and that Hilton Interior!! Oh baby!! The memories.! I Gotta go. All the blood's rushing to my head. Peace!
Wish I had my dad’s 86’Monte Carlo SS. Miss doing donuts and drifting in the mall parking lot after a good snow.
My paternal grandmother used to have a Buick Park Avenue similar to the one shown in the video and it helped my father to get his driver's license back in the day!!
Wow loved the j cars! Owned 4 Skyhawks and a sunbird GT in the early 90's. Really need to find another one or 2 j cars
Plastic Leaf Springs !! Awesome ....
My dad and I are laughing at this video, 😂 he said he didn’t like any of these cars when they came out back then.
Don’t forget their Chevy Trucks either, look up what a 86 dodge truck looks like, or a ford truck! They sold more trucks than any car line! Don’t forget their Cadillac’s either, Everyone loved these cars back then but the geeks and nerds! 😂😂🤣🤣 dumb comment!
The only one I'd care for is the Corvette. lol
@@jimmycline4778 Lol.. These cars just pushed GM closer to bankruptcy.
If only they had spent less on building dozens of variants of the same car with different badges and more on building better engineered platforms.
Crazy, I still a lot of these cars driving around.
+BalzyMcGEE The front-drive full-size 'H' cars were very good cars, the Buick 3.8 that powered the vast majority is long-lived with good performance and good highway economy.
I owned an '86 Oldsmobile Delta 88. That 3.8L V6 engine was fantastic -- powerful (for the day) yet still got great fuel economy. Unfortunately the transaxle was a horrible piece of shit. It went through 3 transaxles in 120,000 miles before I finally sold it. I heard that the 1989 model finally got a modified transaxle that actually wouldn't fall apart under the load from the 3.8L engine. Wish they had done that in ''86.
Rule of thumb is to avoid the first year or two of a generation when there's still kinks to work out.
I just came across these MotorWeek Retro videos and I’ve been binging like crazy. I won’t even go into the absurd number of variations of the same cars GM had rolling around. What I do think is absolutely hilarious is that in the 80s and even a bit into the 90s they were desperate to make the US consumer think their car styles were “Internationally” and “Euro-inspired”...the styling was hardly European by any metric.
I'm a FORD guy but one thing I will give Chevy. The Astro and Safari vans were awesome. They got those right over FORDS Aerostar. At least in the 90ies. The 80ies models werent very appealing but once 96 hit they started really getting it with the interiors.
1ST new car i bought 86 pontiac std touring edition with that powerful 2.8 v6 and onboard air compressor in trunk for that extra element of luxury and performance !
3:45 "GAGES"? Seriously?
It was the way GM spelled it.
GM should've made H car station wagons, to replace the A car wagons, the W body cars in 1988 were less than in virtually every department the H cars were would've been the perfect replacement for the A bodies.
YES, YES, YES........A MILLION TIMES YES!!!!!! GM & Ford were ON FIRE for the '86 model year!!!!!! With 2 new chassis & MAJOR improvements to their carryover cars, this was DEFINITELY their year!!!!! Also, the background music that is used for the '86 carryovers beginning at 7:04 is the EXACT same piece of music that you used for the '87 GM carryover models!!!!!! 12:03.............is that hood on that brand new Century faded ALREADY?!!!!!!!!!! Typical GM paint quality
I wish they still made cars like this today....
What kind of steering wheel is on that car at 1:52 - 1:56?
I drove a hand me down Regal in med school. It was a great car. Very reliable and comfortable.
I love digital gauges on car dashboards!