My first car was a '79 Caprice Classic. It had a fantastic ride quality, was super easy to maintain and was solidly built. My friends all teased me about buying an old man's car, but whenever we went anywhere, we took my car. My friend, Tony, usually fell asleep in the back seat. He called it a rolling Lazy Boy. The A/C worked perfectly right up till the day I sold it in 1993. The next owner (one of my friends who teased me about the car) only had it for about a month until his neighbor bought it for his daughter. She was soon after hit head on by a drunk driver. The Caprice was totalled, but she survived. I miss that car, it was a gem.
I had a 79 t Bird landua..think I'm spelling that landua rite? Anyways but it was a comfortable ride for sure I kept it clean an I had some Chrome mod rims on it loved that bird!!..But ur rite there was just somethin bout my buddy's Cutlass that just rode like ya said like a lazy boy on wheels!.lol So true..same wth my older brothers big 4door caprice he had for a little while..I use to grab it an take it to work on his day off..I remember one winter mornin Heater roaring exhaust was half off just a rumbleing down the road Coffee in hand almost put ya to sleep it rode so good!! an the ole back road after work too barley pop in hand lol them was the days..Love them old Chevs!!
Me, too. My first car was also a 79 Caprice Classic. 350 V8 with a 4 batrel carb. I don't actually know how fast it could go, because the speedometer only went up to 120 mph! No air conditioning, though. Mine was very basic. Crank windows, basic radio, etc. Too bad that special electric zinc primer didn't protect it from the Michigan winters, though, LOL!
Wasn't the caprice back then the same car as the Cadillac Seville? I remember when caddy went and screwed the seville with that POS HT4100 engine and sliced the trunk off. Good road car, but butt ugly.
79 caprice sta wgn was my pimp mo-bil, elec everything. Could pull my trailers and campers anywhere, snow chains on, jeeps owners would blink twice. Gave it away to a nice guy in the Austin Tx.
@@skiterbite those cars could pull. I once saved my buddy's mud racing truck from the bog when pick-ups failed. I think one door had as much steel as there is in an entire car today.
When I was a Little Dummy my Mom bought a brand new 1979 Caprice Classic. On one beautiful afternoon she stopped by the store to get a pair of shoes. I was bored sitting in the car, so I decided it would be a good idea to make indentions in the headliner with the tip of an umbrella. Needless to say, she wasn't too happy to see the modified headliner. My dumb butt wasn't able to sit down for a week after the whooping I got! Oh the memories...
That ended in 1973 for all American cars. 1973 was the last good year for a really long time. 1971, actually. The government had neutered everything under the hood by 1974.
I had a 79 Impala. Dark blue. Lite blue top. Cruise, tilt column, power door locks. 305. AM FM stereo. A/C . Blow you out. Digital clock. Not in Radio. In the dash. Remote mirrors both sides. Trouble free car. Wish I had gotten the 350. Had the light group. GM
Those were the absolute lowest point of American automobiles EVER the cars were built like trash handled like boats and had a HUGE engine but less than 200hp got maybe 10mpg😂😂
@@hammerthor6441 true and they made those cars because they knew the Japanese were coming. But also a 70s Toyota Corolla had better build quality than a 70s Cadillac
I had a 1974 Chevy Impala 2 door Custom Coupe 2 ton color like a Highland Green & Lime Green inside was the vinyl interior seats with plastic covers it had power steering, power brakes, AM & FM Radio with eight track tape power windows, and your 350 engine 2 barrel carburetor I also liked the big number dash board but I wish I hadn't sold it I should of kept it.
Chris Snyder- It was an awesome car. It drove like a cloud, you could parallel park it with one finger because the steering was amazing. Loved opening the sun roof and hitting the highway.
I had an '80 Caprice Classic with the 305 for my first car, and boy do I miss it dearly. Although GM quality went downhill compared to that car's predecessors - collapsing sunvisors, snapping outside door handles, sagging headliners and door straps that would snap off to name a few - these cars had character. They kept running no matter what you threw their way, and while the ride isn't considered great by today's standards - where everything built just has to handle like a go kart - it was smooth as silk and more comfortable than a living room sofa.
I had a 1982 Buick Electra which is pretty much the same as the Caprice except for softer seats, a little more room to sit (front and rear) and a slightly longer body. I also had a 1983 Lincoln Town Car. I miss both -- I always liked driving the full size, body on frame, rear wheel drive cars. My brother crashed my Electra in the early 2000's. I had the Town Car right up to 2005 when at about 260K miles the wiring harness started shorting out and causing the car to die going down the road. By that time my father and I were both too unhealthy to even attempt replacing a whole wiring harness (finding a professional mechanic to do it is nearly impossible as it is an extremely difficult job and in this case the whole harness had to be replaced) so I dumped the car. The motors on both were still in excellent condition even with 250K plus on them, I kept the maintenance up on both cars and usually the body rusts away before I have problems with the engine and transmission. I no longer drive but still own a minivan for people to drive me to appointments, shopping, etc. and I need to think about replacing that soon, the engine and transmission are in excellent condition (as far as I can tell) but the body is in horrible condition.
I had a 1984 white Chevy Caprice. It looked just like this. I bought it in 1994 from an older lady. It was in mint condition! It only had 45k miles it. Till I got car jacked.....it literally saved my life....We hit Directly into a cement wall. No breaks because I was being strangled from the As$wipe in the back seat. I had my seat belt on. They did not. I was hoping they didn’t survive but they did. That’s the short version. If that were to happen in my 2017 Hyundai ELANTRA I have now I would have been killed instantly.☠️💀 I am in the process of getting a bigger vehicle.
I watch videos like this and get nostalgic over these cars since this what was around when I was a kid. I wish for a time when these cars make a comeback but then remember this was the height of the malaise era. Nostalgia makes you forget the bad memories of these cars like not starting in the winter making you late for work, rusting out in three years causing bumpers falling off, big V8's with less power than modern 4 cylinder, and Rube Goldberg Contraptions that were called emissions systems. I forget all these bad memories and only remember the good times with these cars of the past.
I agree Anthony, having grown up in the 80s, and driven and repaired my fair share of mid 70s automobiles, there are really solid reasons why these cars were considered rust buckets and pure junk at the time. My parents had a 70s Vega with the shitty aluminum engine that broke and they got screwed by the dealer and lost the money they paid because it was "used". I had many 70s cars that were sometimes less then 5 years old with rust coming through the fenders and into the trunk... The American car companies made it easy for the foreign cars to come in and eat their lunch.
I had a 1979 Buick Electra 225 Limited Coupe. I bought in late 1987. It was 9 years old. No rust. When I sold it 2 1/2 years later it had a little rust on the hood where the paint had peeled off. The late 1970's was NOT the malaise era. The malaise era began when the auto factories started closing permanently en mass in 1980. The late 1970's were the last hurrah for auto manufacturing.
@@jameswillett7186 I totally a agree with you James. I had a few mid 70's to late 70's auto's both American made they was no rust on either both had V8 engines. I have to disagree with Everette. A car rusting out in 3 years from new built in North America?? Sorry I never saw it.
We had a 1978 Caprice, which held up pretty well considering the punishing conditions, but yes, GM cars from that time were notorious for rusting out. I don't know if they were just stingy with the paint, but for some reason Oldsmobile seemed to be the worst offender. 3 different relatives of mine owned Cutlasses (one 2 door, one 4 door, one wagon) from 1978-80 model years, and all 3 rusted at the bottom by 1983. Anecdotally the Chevy models lasted longer among people I knew.
Ahhh the disappearing days of the Detroit chrome mountain. I miss chrome bumpers and grills. I don't miss the boat like handling though - they sure were comfortable but they used to wallow and wander a little.
Not exactly my first, but my first classic car also was and still is a 1979 Monte Carlo, all red, in- and outside. Bought it 2019, all original in perfect condition. Nearly impossible to find today, because they almost all have been pimped with fancy rims and stuff or built to lowriders. Mine definitely will be kept all original. Greetings from Germany
Back in those days porn was John Holmes nailing hot broads and that was good enough. Modern porn is a disgusting deviant freak show where anything goes and normal sex isn't good enough.
Bought a 79 Nova brand new, straight 6, drove 249,000 miles over 20 years. Gave it to my stepson, was still running. PS: last year of the Nova; only one with rectangular (not round) headlights.
Compare the Suburban's option list with a Chevette, the only comfort/convenience/"luxury" option on a fully-loaded Suburban that you couldn't get on a Chevette was rear air conditioning, which is hardly necessary on a small car anyway. If you wanted things like power seats or leather upholstery you'd have to buy a mid- or full-size car that was a *car*.
@@teeroh99 Also, the base Suburban was even more Spartan than the base pickup - I've ridden in both as a kid, my dad's '79 GMC Sierra (regular cab of course) had a metal headliner that was at least double-skinned, girl in my class's family had a Suburban where if you looked up you'd see the metal support ribs and then the outer roof itself, fully painted but that was it! (I guess if they thought the customers would accept it GM would've left it in primer at that!)
@@nlpnt I remember seeing that sort construction. Don't remember the model, though. It might have been a work van. My uncle had an old Jeep Wagoneer (late '60s or early '70s) that I got to drive as a teen on a few occasions. That was an experience. I was just happy to be given the keys to any car at that age.
They did that same "balls in a cup of water" demo for the Chevette, with basically the same results. Sorry, but I'm not buying that the Chevette had the same smooth ride as a Caprice/Impala of that era.
78 Monte Carlo(pretty much the same except taillights) was my first car. Chrome bumper strips disappear or fall off pretty quick,lol. Nice ride. Still love GM G-Body cars.
You want an eye opener. Park an old Monte next to a modern day toyota corolla! The toyota will dwarf the monte! Todays cars are only stylized to appear small, but have dramatically increased in size to haul around today's FAT ASSES!
worldtraveler If you said Camry, you would be close. But a pre ‘77 Monte Carlo would dwarf a Camry and especially the Corolla. The new Camry would weigh about as much as the MC because of the safety enhancements.
The Caprice could tow 6,000 pounds. This is why sedans are dead now. They went to unibody to save weight and gain mileage and all it did was push everyone into buying pickups.
The height of the cheap plastic era. “Long recommended maintenance intervals”… oil changes 12 months or 7500 miles. If you waited that long your soft cam was toast. Truly a forgettable era. The beginning of the end for General Motors. Sad!
Man Looking back at this video makes me remember my childhood some of the best memories I had with those cars I wish GM could reproduce them again Exactly the same way I wouldn’t change a thing
These videos and other American automakers promosshould be played during this time of the cornoa crisis.. to remind us how we did shit ourselves.. took full pride in our own work and craftsmanship.. not nursing off the tits of anything imported.. and least of all not totally dependent... go to your local junkyard and neighborhoods... pull them from the weeds and build again...
My first car. Got it in the mid 90s for 500$ out of the Seattle times news paper. Changed the oil, detailed it, new plugs and wires , racing steering wheel and a new cd stereo. I was rolling! 😂 Ghetto gliding in my 79 impala.
I learned to drive in a '77 Caprice and a '75 Lincoln Towne Coupe. I think you could hide a Chevy Cruze in the trunk of either one. Just don't try to find a parking spot for the Lincoln, each door was about 8' long and weighed as much as a full dress Harley. If you could pass the maneuverability test with that, you could parallel park a Navy destroyer. What a beast!
I remember seeing a brand new 1979 250 cubic inch straight six in an Impala at a Toronto Chev dealer. Had three on the tree manual transmission. This engine also came in the Suburban. Couldn't imagine what the acceleration would be like with 9 passengers, lol.
Love inline engines in older vehicles. Actually fun to mess with. Lots of room to work. My brother had a 79 Custom Deluxe with the 250 CID. This is when "Silverado" was a trim package, and not a name for the entire truck line. I had an 83 F100 with the 300 CID. Maintenance was actually fun.
I sure do miss those velour interiors. It's much more comfortable than leather and modern cloth. Also, those large seats were cozy, almost like a sitting in a lazy boy chair.
My first new car was a 1980 Caprice Classic Coupe white on white with claret (burgundy) interior and wire spoke wheel covers, man what a ride. There’s just nothing quite like your very first new car after driving $500 used cars for years. The wire wheel covers were soon stolen though in spite of having cheesy locks installed.
I remember I had a two door 🚪 Buick lesabre landau with a 350 Buick engine and transmission 4 B barrel and hit the gas ⛽️ pedal and burn rubber loved it
I love that wagon. I bought a 1980 Caprice classic from a neighbor for $75 years ago and still have it. Only problem was the rusted out emissions system on the exhaust manifold which made some bizarre noises. Still got it tho!
@@stclairstclair the rust eliminated most of it already. I haven't started it in over 15 years but it ran pretty good the last time. Its a dark maroon with big ol patches of rust on the side similar to the way most Chevy's from those days rust. The red squirrels seem to have made it their headquarters...
Panther Platform I'm an old GM mechanic, so It it has the 350 save it if you junk it, some of the 305 had heads that were worth saving too, the motor should be saved.
@@stclairstclair it's not going anywhere. I think it's got a 305 in it. I got an old suburban awhile back with a 400 something cubic inch engine. I drove it here and it ran okay. It's even got rear ac. Got an old gmc flatbed with a v6 in it. It's pretty old too. Gots tons of parts
I still remember how I feel when i be inside an American car of that time and smell its interior sitting beside my father or my older brother when they drive it but it was Buick lesabre 1979 and I was 6 years old in that time, great memories that will never be forgotten, RIP my father and my brother.
CARS R NOT BUILD LIKE THIS ANYMORE...INDUSTRY NEED TO MAKE MONEY.....THEYRE NOT IN THE CAR INDUSTRY HOWEVER...THEYRE IN THE FINANCIAL INDUSTRY....NOW CARS R EXPENSIVE,AND WONT LAST MUCH,ASIDE FROM TECHNOLOGIES,TO KEEP AWAY OWNERS,FROM DOING REPAIRS BY THEMSELVES...."
The Chevrolet wagons reminds me of my Parents, Pontiac Parisienne wagons all the same just minor outside cosmetics and trim levels .They were pretty strong and durable cars back in the day and yes very comfortable to drive and ride in .
Notice the HUGE panel gaps you could stick a finger in. This just looks wrong especially for a TV commercial. The good old days - when GM could get away with whatever
Gasoline was 80 to 95 cents per gallon in 1979. Gas stations could service most U.S. made cars. No dealership only plug-in code service computer readers existed in 1979. Boy have we lost our freedoms !
I was an early teenager when these were new. My buddy's stepdad had a baby blue 4 door. One day he was driving my buddy and I to school. Driving way too fast on a washboarded dirt road the ride was so smooth. Then he opened up the small block and put it into a full drift. I was hooked! Have loved these ever since.
These cars were such disappointments compared to their ancestors from the 60' and early 70's. One of my first cars was a 72 Impala. 350 4 barrel blue 2 dr. with sliver vinyl top. Would lay rubber for a block. Later had a 65 with a 327 4 barrel that would do the same. Had a 79 in 1980. 305 gutless shoe box. Can't believe people later started collecting them. Those were the bottom years for all of GM.
>rob black: I grew up with the 80's models and thought the Monte SS and Caprice Brougham were some sharp looking cars. By then, those 60's up to mid 70's cars were trailer park mullet cars by then (cut off shorts, cheap cigarettes etc).
I learned to drive on a 71 Skylark with a 350 4bbl....like you say lay rubber for a block and if you hit the kickdown doing 80 mph it would downshift and leave anything in front of you behind you! (including an unmarked cop car once..cost me $120.00 back in 1980)
@Will Mason yes, so sad we don't have smog anymore. Why not put lead back in the gas, get rid of coolant recovery bottles and let everyone pollute all they want?
When this body style first came out for Caprice/Impala in '77 I thought they were drab, boxy, cheap looking, chopped off, horribly mutilated and undersized compared to what came before. Obviously, I had no idea how bad things would get.
The Caprice Estate Wagon was Absolutely Gorgeous!! It came with a 350 4 bbl. It rode like it was floating!! What A Car!! I wish I could go back in time to buy a new one, The Monte Carlo was Beautiful!
1979 Monte Carlo. Maybe not the greatest or most popular car ever built, and exactly rare because of that today. My 42 years old and all original baby in perfect condition is still so much fun every sunny weekend. Thanks a lot for posting this amazing footage 🙏👍!
I had the 1978 Station wagon. It was the best car I ever had in my life. I traded a 1980 Pontiac Phoenix for it and even give the dealer a extra 1000 bucks for it.
I find it amusing with how Chevy was making the Caprice look like a Cadillac with the body lines; front grille; squared headlights; and two-tone paint.
I love the older cars n trucks I am 6.4 and need the room I love driving I know my way around I was a semi truck driver todays new cars insult my intelligence I don’t need gps lane departure warning and self parking features the list goes on I don’t need to say more I will take a classic any day of the week today’s cars are cramped ride horrible too complicated to work on if a driver don’t know when to use their lights n wipers then maybe they should not be in the drivers seat and why do the the interiors only come in grey or tan
Man what a great video. I wish my Caprice was factory fresh. I did not know they had Zinc primers. My car has no rust except around the rear of the trunk.
my mom & dad had the 79 Monte Carlo I the early 80' s, sunset gold with the corn bread interior, cream vinyl top, white walls with the chrome spoke hub caps, still my dream car till this day💯
Not a GM but I own an '01 Towncar, '03 Grand Marquis, '06 Grand Marquis and an '11 Towncar. I love the vehicles because they're the last of the body on frame vehicles. I can't sell them because of this fact either.
I had several GM B and G body cars as daily drivers, all had great character and personality to them. Although they were tough and cheap to repair, they weren't great cars by any stretch. Nearly everything you would touch in them fell apart constantly including door handles, windows falling off tracks, plastic pieces rotting in the sun, falling headliners, etc. In the northeast the bodies often rotted pretty badly by the time they were 10 years old.
The corrosion protection bit made me laugh out loud! Had a 78 c10, 79 caprice classic, and an 89 suburban 3/4 ton. None of those survived Chicago winters. They simply disintegrated from the salt.
I'm in northern IL restoring my 2002 Avalanche, the flippin' frame rusted through, so I bought a new replacement frame from GM for $3 grand. They dipped it in black wax and they tell you that wax gives corrosion protection. I'll tell you right now, that wax dip is only good for southern California, a Chicago-style salt spray will wear it off in about 7 years. I stripped the wax off the the outside of the new frame and painted it with urethane. The wax dip is only good for the inside of the rails. And man, that was a tough job getting that wax stripped off and getting the metal clean enough for paint, it took months of putty knife hand scraping and solvent wiping, scraping with screwdrivers in the tight spots and pocketed areas where the suspension mounts, getting every trace of wax out so paint will stick, and that was with the bare frame on a rotisserie. You'd never get that job done right with the frame under the truck. BTW, remember the blizzard of '79 with Chicago mayor Mike Bilandic getting the blame and Jane Byrne getting elected as a result?
My first car was a '79 Caprice Classic. It had a fantastic ride quality, was super easy to maintain and was solidly built. My friends all teased me about buying an old man's car, but whenever we went anywhere, we took my car. My friend, Tony, usually fell asleep in the back seat. He called it a rolling Lazy Boy. The A/C worked perfectly right up till the day I sold it in 1993. The next owner (one of my friends who teased me about the car) only had it for about a month until his neighbor bought it for his daughter. She was soon after hit head on by a drunk driver. The Caprice was totalled, but she survived. I miss that car, it was a gem.
I had a 79 t Bird landua..think I'm spelling that landua rite? Anyways but it was a comfortable ride for sure I kept it clean an I had some Chrome mod rims on it loved that bird!!..But ur rite there was just somethin bout my buddy's Cutlass that just rode like ya said like a lazy boy on wheels!.lol So true..same wth my older brothers big 4door caprice he had for a little while..I use to grab it an take it to work on his day off..I remember one winter mornin Heater roaring exhaust was half off just a rumbleing down the road Coffee in hand almost put ya to sleep it rode so good!! an the ole back road after work too barley pop in hand lol them was the days..Love them old Chevs!!
Me, too. My first car was also a 79 Caprice Classic. 350 V8 with a 4 batrel carb. I don't actually know how fast it could go, because the speedometer only went up to 120 mph! No air conditioning, though. Mine was very basic. Crank windows, basic radio, etc. Too bad that special electric zinc primer didn't protect it from the Michigan winters, though, LOL!
Wasn't the caprice back then the same car as the Cadillac Seville? I remember when caddy went and screwed the seville with that POS HT4100 engine and sliced the trunk off. Good road car, but butt ugly.
79 caprice sta wgn was my pimp mo-bil, elec everything. Could pull my trailers and campers anywhere, snow chains on, jeeps owners would blink twice. Gave it away to a nice guy in the Austin Tx.
@@skiterbite those cars could pull. I once saved my buddy's mud racing truck from the bog when pick-ups failed. I think one door had as much steel as there is in an entire car today.
When I was a Little Dummy my Mom bought a brand new 1979 Caprice Classic. On one beautiful afternoon she stopped by the store to get a pair of shoes. I was bored sitting in the car, so I decided it would be a good idea to make indentions in the headliner with the tip of an umbrella. Needless to say, she wasn't too happy to see the modified headliner. My dumb butt wasn't able to sit down for a week after the whooping I got! Oh the memories...
When GM ment something
That ended in 1973 for all American cars. 1973 was the last good year for a really long time. 1971, actually. The government had neutered everything under the hood by 1974.
@@scdevon Yessir
God these cars are elegant looking, so much chrome and detail everywhere.
Aman I think I just threw up a little.
@@flight2k5 Good for you. 😂
I had a 79 Impala. Dark blue. Lite blue top. Cruise, tilt column, power door locks. 305.
AM FM stereo. A/C . Blow you out. Digital clock. Not in Radio. In the dash. Remote mirrors both sides. Trouble free car. Wish I had gotten the 350. Had the light group. GM
Glad the computer told them that bigger load ratings get bigger brakes ! lol
Those were real cars.
Those were the absolute lowest point of American automobiles EVER the cars were built like trash handled like boats and had a HUGE engine but less than 200hp got maybe 10mpg😂😂
@@95blahblahhaha I had a 76, overall a great car.
@@hammerthor6441 without a doubt reliable but also a perfect example of what drove people to foreign cars
@@95blahblahhaha I think that the ford fiesta, Chevrolet vega, dodge omni had more to do with it than the caprice
@@hammerthor6441 true and they made those cars because they knew the Japanese were coming. But also a 70s Toyota Corolla had better build quality than a 70s Cadillac
An electric clock AND the option of paying more for FM radio?!?! What a time to be alive.
LOL $1.18 extra...... there went groceries for that week.
When car's where Still Car's
I miss my 77 impala wagon but it was a rust bucket but rode like a caddy@
...and apostrophes meant nothing.
Had a '77 Impala. It wouldn't quit. Wish I hadn't sold it.
I had a 1974 Chevy Impala 2 door Custom Coupe 2 ton color like a Highland Green & Lime Green inside was the vinyl interior seats with plastic covers it had power steering, power brakes, AM & FM Radio with eight track tape power windows, and your 350 engine 2 barrel carburetor I also liked the big number dash board but I wish I hadn't sold it I should of kept it.
North West you can find anotherone online just type in the year you want
79 Monte Carlo. Damn I still want one. Beautiful machine.
It has tilt wheel, air, and an ELECTRIC CLOCK!!! HE'LL YA!
Chris Snyder- It was an awesome car. It drove like a cloud, you could parallel park it with one finger because the steering was amazing. Loved opening the sun roof and hitting the highway.
Good taste Mr. Snyder 👍
I had an '80 Caprice Classic with the 305 for my first car, and boy do I miss it dearly. Although GM quality went downhill compared to that car's predecessors - collapsing sunvisors, snapping outside door handles, sagging headliners and door straps that would snap off to name a few - these cars had character. They kept running no matter what you threw their way, and while the ride isn't considered great by today's standards - where everything built just has to handle like a go kart - it was smooth as silk and more comfortable than a living room sofa.
I had a 1982 Buick Electra which is pretty much the same as the Caprice except for softer seats, a little more room to sit (front and rear) and a slightly longer body. I also had a 1983 Lincoln Town Car. I miss both -- I always liked driving the full size, body on frame, rear wheel drive cars. My brother crashed my Electra in the early 2000's. I had the Town Car right up to 2005 when at about 260K miles the wiring harness started shorting out and causing the car to die going down the road. By that time my father and I were both too unhealthy to even attempt replacing a whole wiring harness (finding a professional mechanic to do it is nearly impossible as it is an extremely difficult job and in this case the whole harness had to be replaced) so I dumped the car. The motors on both were still in excellent condition even with 250K plus on them, I kept the maintenance up on both cars and usually the body rusts away before I have problems with the engine and transmission. I no longer drive but still own a minivan for people to drive me to appointments, shopping, etc. and I need to think about replacing that soon, the engine and transmission are in excellent condition (as far as I can tell) but the body is in horrible condition.
Back before they all got ruined with subs, bags, and 28" chrome wheels.
🙄🙄🙄
Ruined?? Or improved!
Ruined!! Any car with HUGE rims are the clown cars of the 21st century!
@@rusty3831 go tell some kids to get off your lawn, FFS 🙄🙄🙄
John Evans - Well at least it’s my own lawn that I paid for, and not mommy & daddy’s that I have to mow when told to, unlike you.
I had a 1984 white Chevy Caprice. It looked just like this. I bought it in 1994 from an older lady. It was in mint condition! It only had 45k miles it. Till I got car jacked.....it literally saved my life....We hit Directly into a cement wall. No breaks because I was being strangled from the As$wipe in the back seat. I had my seat belt on. They did not. I was hoping they didn’t survive but they did. That’s the short version. If that were to happen in my 2017 Hyundai ELANTRA I have now I would have been killed instantly.☠️💀
I am in the process of getting a bigger vehicle.
Mom had a 79 bronze 2 door caprice like the second car they showed. Unfortunately in Massachusetts the corrosion resistant treatment was useless.
They rust away so fast you'd never know they put any effort at all into corrosion resistance.
These cars today in this condition is probably worth a fortune😆
I watch videos like this and get nostalgic over these cars since this what was around when I was a kid. I wish for a time when these cars make a comeback but then remember this was the height of the malaise era. Nostalgia makes you forget the bad memories of these cars like not starting in the winter making you late for work, rusting out in three years causing bumpers falling off, big V8's with less power than modern 4 cylinder, and Rube Goldberg Contraptions that were called emissions systems. I forget all these bad memories and only remember the good times with these cars of the past.
None of the issues here are restricted to just malaise era American cars.
I agree Anthony, having grown up in the 80s, and driven and repaired my fair share of mid 70s automobiles, there are really solid reasons why these cars were considered rust buckets and pure junk at the time. My parents had a 70s Vega with the shitty aluminum engine that broke and they got screwed by the dealer and lost the money they paid because it was "used". I had many 70s cars that were sometimes less then 5 years old with rust coming through the fenders and into the trunk... The American car companies made it easy for the foreign cars to come in and eat their lunch.
I had a 1979 Buick Electra 225 Limited Coupe. I bought in late 1987. It was 9 years old. No rust. When I sold it 2 1/2 years later it had a little rust on the hood where the paint had peeled off. The late 1970's was NOT the malaise era. The malaise era began when the auto factories started closing permanently en mass in 1980. The late 1970's were the last hurrah for auto manufacturing.
@@jameswillett7186 I totally a agree with you James. I had a few mid 70's to late 70's auto's both American made they was no rust on either both had V8 engines. I have to disagree with Everette. A car rusting out in 3 years from new built in North America?? Sorry I never saw it.
We had a 1978 Caprice, which held up pretty well considering the punishing conditions, but yes, GM cars from that time were notorious for rusting out. I don't know if they were just stingy with the paint, but for some reason Oldsmobile seemed to be the worst offender. 3 different relatives of mine owned Cutlasses (one 2 door, one 4 door, one wagon) from 1978-80 model years, and all 3 rusted at the bottom by 1983. Anecdotally the Chevy models lasted longer among people I knew.
I had one of these, they would run forever
papa bits where are they now? 🤣😂
Caprice was the best car ever made.
Absolutely love the 2 door Impala. Still looks sharp in 2020
And in 2022
Lo cierto es que combinaba funcionalidad y elegancia...una marcha muy suave ☺️😍
Ahhh the disappearing days of the Detroit chrome mountain. I miss chrome bumpers and grills. I don't miss the boat like handling though - they sure were comfortable but they used to wallow and wander a little.
@@agems56 yeah 70 mph should be around 110 KPH like in Australia when they changed over.
1979 Monte was my first. All the options.
Not exactly my first, but my first classic car also was and still is a 1979 Monte Carlo, all red, in- and outside. Bought it 2019, all original in perfect condition. Nearly impossible to find today, because they almost all have been pimped with fancy rims and stuff or built to lowriders. Mine definitely will be kept all original. Greetings from Germany
Rip impala
Last car rolled of the line today.shame
The backing music sounds like a 70s porno sound track.
Kinda dated for '78...some of those tracks were from the early 1970s (this isn't a complaint - I _love_ that stuff!)
U need to upgrade ur porn ..🤣
Back in those days porn was John Holmes nailing hot broads and that was good enough. Modern porn is a disgusting deviant freak show where anything goes and normal sex isn't good enough.
@@manitoba-op4jx It isn't just today and no it aint autism.
Bought a 79 Nova brand new, straight 6, drove 249,000 miles over 20 years. Gave it to my stepson, was still running. PS: last year of the Nova; only one with rectangular (not round) headlights.
Rick Lachowicz yes, it was replaced by the wonderful Citation!
The Suburban sure was a beast back in the day. I remember that generation. Seeing it here, it looks so Spartan.
Compare the Suburban's option list with a Chevette, the only comfort/convenience/"luxury" option on a fully-loaded Suburban that you couldn't get on a Chevette was rear air conditioning, which is hardly necessary on a small car anyway. If you wanted things like power seats or leather upholstery you'd have to buy a mid- or full-size car that was a *car*.
@@nlpnt Such a different time.
@@teeroh99 Also, the base Suburban was even more Spartan than the base pickup - I've ridden in both as a kid, my dad's '79 GMC Sierra (regular cab of course) had a metal headliner that was at least double-skinned, girl in my class's family had a Suburban where if you looked up you'd see the metal support ribs and then the outer roof itself, fully painted but that was it! (I guess if they thought the customers would accept it GM would've left it in primer at that!)
@@nlpnt I remember seeing that sort construction. Don't remember the model, though. It might have been a work van. My uncle had an old Jeep Wagoneer (late '60s or early '70s) that I got to drive as a teen on a few occasions. That was an experience. I was just happy to be given the keys to any car at that age.
They did that same "balls in a cup of water" demo for the Chevette, with basically the same results. Sorry, but I'm not buying that the Chevette had the same smooth ride as a Caprice/Impala of that era.
I'd take the Suburban. Those '73 to '91 Suburbans were beasts. We had two of them, both went well over 200,000 miles.
The SUB or the full-size Caprice wagon any day over those crossovers .
78 Monte Carlo(pretty much the same except taillights) was my first car. Chrome bumper strips disappear or fall off pretty quick,lol. Nice ride. Still love GM G-Body cars.
thought they were downsized and ugly at the time (compared to 76 model) But now they look huge and beautiful compared to todays crap
You want an eye opener. Park an old Monte next to a modern day toyota corolla! The toyota will dwarf the monte! Todays cars are only stylized to appear small, but have dramatically increased in size to haul around today's FAT ASSES!
BS
worldtraveler If you said Camry, you would be close. But a pre ‘77 Monte Carlo would dwarf a Camry and especially the Corolla. The new Camry would weigh about as much as the MC because of the safety enhancements.
@@Lucille69caddy yeah, you're probably right.
Incredible the memories this brought back! Tysm for this
The Caprice could tow 6,000 pounds.
This is why sedans are dead now. They went to unibody to save weight and gain mileage and all it did was push everyone into buying pickups.
The height of the cheap plastic era. “Long recommended maintenance intervals”… oil changes 12 months or 7500 miles. If you waited that long your soft cam was toast. Truly a forgettable era. The beginning of the end for General Motors. Sad!
Man Looking back at this video makes me remember my childhood some of the best memories I had with those cars I wish GM could reproduce them again Exactly the same way I wouldn’t change a thing
I’ll take a suburban
Cassette tapes wow I sure miss these days because now you can't even get a CD player in the new cars now! Lol
These videos and other American automakers promosshould be played during this time of the cornoa crisis.. to remind us how we did shit ourselves.. took full pride in our own work and craftsmanship.. not nursing off the tits of anything imported.. and least of all not totally dependent... go to your local junkyard and neighborhoods... pull them from the weeds and build again...
My first car.
Got it in the mid 90s for 500$ out of the Seattle times news paper.
Changed the oil, detailed it, new plugs and wires , racing steering wheel and a new cd stereo. I was rolling! 😂
Ghetto gliding in my 79 impala.
They don’t make them like they used to, thankfully.
2:33 Ron Burgundy
Great lookin automobiles. Rented one in LA in 1981. Was beautiful on the freeway.
My cousin first car was a 79 mc landau.mine was a 78 nova custom.
Now show ones for the C/K series pickups.
They posted that a few months ago.
I learned to drive in a '77 Caprice and a '75 Lincoln Towne Coupe. I think you could hide a Chevy Cruze in the trunk of either one. Just don't try to find a parking spot for the Lincoln, each door was about 8' long and weighed as much as a full dress Harley. If you could pass the maneuverability test with that, you could parallel park a Navy destroyer. What a beast!
Not a SUV in sight!
Suburban is the only SUV I saw.
Truck based wagon doesn't roll off the tongue to well.
No more station wagons today.
I did not know that they had inline-6s in cars in 79. I learned something.
I remember seeing a brand new 1979 250 cubic inch straight six in an Impala at a Toronto Chev dealer. Had three on the tree manual transmission. This engine also came in the Suburban. Couldn't imagine what the acceleration would be like with 9 passengers, lol.
Love inline engines in older vehicles. Actually fun to mess with. Lots of room to work. My brother had a 79 Custom Deluxe with the 250 CID. This is when "Silverado" was a trim package, and not a name for the entire truck line. I had an 83 F100 with the 300 CID. Maintenance was actually fun.
Chevy always were the best cars ever made.I owned one myself. 30 years ago.I still wish I owned 1 again today.great style looking car.go Chevy.
I had a 79 monte carlo.
I sure do miss those velour interiors. It's much more comfortable than leather and modern cloth. Also, those large seats were cozy, almost like a sitting in a lazy boy chair.
My first new car was a 1980 Caprice Classic Coupe white on white with claret (burgundy) interior and wire spoke wheel covers, man what a ride. There’s just nothing quite like your very first new car after driving $500 used cars for years. The wire wheel covers were soon stolen though in spite of having cheesy locks installed.
I remember I had a two door 🚪 Buick lesabre landau with a 350 Buick engine and transmission 4 B barrel and hit the gas ⛽️ pedal and burn rubber loved it
I love that wagon. I bought a 1980 Caprice classic from a neighbor for $75 years ago and still have it. Only problem was the rusted out emissions system on the exhaust manifold which made some bizarre noises. Still got it tho!
Panther Platform , Now that it is no longer required to pass emissions you can eliminate a lot of the emissions crap.
@@stclairstclair the rust eliminated most of it already. I haven't started it in over 15 years but it ran pretty good the last time. Its a dark maroon with big ol patches of rust on the side similar to the way most Chevy's from those days rust. The red squirrels seem to have made it their headquarters...
Panther Platform I'm an old GM mechanic, so It it has the 350 save it if you junk it, some of the 305 had heads that were worth saving too, the motor should be saved.
@@stclairstclair it's not going anywhere. I think it's got a 305 in it. I got an old suburban awhile back with a 400 something cubic inch engine. I drove it here and it ran okay. It's even got rear ac. Got an old gmc flatbed with a v6 in it. It's pretty old too. Gots tons of parts
Panther Platform , Take a look at what people are getting for those motors and parts, going up a lot.
I still remember how I feel when i be inside an American car of that time and smell its interior sitting beside my father or my older brother when they drive it but it was Buick lesabre 1979 and I was 6 years old in that time, great memories that will never be forgotten, RIP my father and my brother.
CARS R NOT BUILD LIKE THIS ANYMORE...INDUSTRY NEED TO MAKE MONEY.....THEYRE NOT IN THE CAR INDUSTRY HOWEVER...THEYRE IN THE FINANCIAL INDUSTRY....NOW CARS R EXPENSIVE,AND WONT LAST MUCH,ASIDE FROM TECHNOLOGIES,TO KEEP AWAY OWNERS,FROM DOING REPAIRS BY THEMSELVES...."
I liked the GM B and C body cars of the late 70's and into the 80's
It has been down hill with GM for many of the models that came afterward.
Plate C
I agree as soon as GM switched to FWD, these boats lost its appeal.
The Chevrolet wagons reminds me of my Parents, Pontiac Parisienne wagons all the same just minor outside cosmetics and trim levels .They were pretty strong and durable cars back in the day and yes very comfortable to drive and ride in .
Notice the HUGE panel gaps you could stick a finger in. This just looks wrong especially for a TV commercial. The good old days - when GM could get away with whatever
Gasoline was 80 to 95 cents per gallon in 1979. Gas stations could service most U.S. made cars. No dealership only plug-in code service computer readers existed in 1979. Boy have we lost our freedoms !
I want to bathe myself in velour luxury, even today.
I was an early teenager when these were new. My buddy's stepdad had a baby blue 4 door. One day he was driving my buddy and I to school. Driving way too fast on a washboarded dirt road the ride was so smooth. Then he opened up the small block and put it into a full drift. I was hooked! Have loved these ever since.
I would love to find one of these cars in good shape a 2 door please comment back
These cars were such disappointments compared to their ancestors from the 60' and early 70's.
One of my first cars was a 72 Impala. 350 4 barrel blue 2 dr. with sliver vinyl top. Would lay rubber for a block. Later had a 65 with a 327 4 barrel that would do the same.
Had a 79 in 1980. 305 gutless shoe box.
Can't believe people later started collecting them.
Those were the bottom years for all of GM.
I'm pretty sure it was emissions control that made these cars so slow.
rob black, that 305 sucked...but the 3.8 was damn good in some GM's.
>rob black: I grew up with the 80's models and thought the Monte SS and Caprice Brougham were some sharp looking cars. By then, those 60's up to mid 70's cars were trailer park mullet cars by then (cut off shorts, cheap cigarettes etc).
I learned to drive on a 71 Skylark with a 350 4bbl....like you say lay rubber for a block and if you hit the kickdown doing 80 mph it would downshift and leave anything in front of you behind you! (including an unmarked cop car once..cost me $120.00 back in 1980)
@Will Mason yes, so sad we don't have smog anymore. Why not put lead back in the gas, get rid of coolant recovery bottles and let everyone pollute all they want?
'
both good cars are so strong thick metals and heavy weights...
but sadly that both cars are NOT haveing 2 amber yellow lights on the rear taillights
Same car that broke down three times on a vacation when I was a kid. Good times.
Lets try the same bump test with a 2020 chevy cruze.
1979 sure was a long time ago...
The 1980s GM cars where terrible all across every lines thank God for the Japanese they forced GM to make better cars
Anyone catch the "Walt Disney Production " slide right before the Monte Carlo film?
When this body style first came out for Caprice/Impala in '77 I thought they were drab, boxy, cheap looking, chopped off, horribly mutilated and undersized compared to what came before. Obviously, I had no idea how bad things would get.
When made in america mean proud quality long lasting products,not anymore those days are gone sad
*Balls sold separately.
Hard to believe car companies produced stuhh this hokey 40 years ago.
2:32 Is that Robert Goulet?
It's great to be back in Burbank, Johnny.
The Caprice Estate Wagon was Absolutely Gorgeous!! It came with a 350 4 bbl. It rode like it was floating!! What A Car!! I wish I could go back in time to buy a new one, The Monte Carlo was Beautiful!
1979 Monte Carlo. Maybe not the greatest or most popular car ever built, and exactly rare because of that today. My 42 years old and all original baby in perfect condition is still so much fun every sunny weekend. Thanks a lot for posting this amazing footage 🙏👍!
I had the 1978 Station wagon. It was the best car I ever had in my life. I traded a 1980 Pontiac Phoenix for it and even give the dealer a extra 1000 bucks for it.
Back those day they use groceries paper bags
walt disney production :D
What a charming and cozy advert
I find it amusing with how Chevy was making the Caprice look like a Cadillac with the body lines; front grille; squared headlights; and two-tone paint.
I love the older cars n trucks I am 6.4 and need the room I love driving I know my way around I was a semi truck driver todays new cars insult my intelligence I don’t need gps lane departure warning and self parking features the list goes on I don’t need to say more I will take a classic any day of the week today’s cars are cramped ride horrible too complicated to work on if a driver don’t know when to use their lights n wipers then maybe they should not be in the drivers seat and why do the the interiors only come in grey or tan
Man what a great video. I wish my Caprice was factory fresh. I did not know they had Zinc primers. My car has no rust except around the rear of the trunk.
My first car was a 79 Monte Carlo.
12 months 7500 miles on an oil change my ass LOL
Same as my 2001 Jeep WJ has.
I bet a lot of these engines sludged up on those who fell for that BS.
That old oil out of the steel cans was not refined very well yet, sludge city!
My Dad had a 79 Suburban from brand new until he sold it in 2010. A lot of memories!
my mom & dad had the 79 Monte Carlo I the early 80' s, sunset gold with the corn bread interior, cream vinyl top, white walls with the chrome spoke hub caps, still my dream car till this day💯
Those Suburbans still looks good.
Imagine : a 7.4 litre V8!
Not a GM but I own an '01 Towncar, '03 Grand Marquis, '06 Grand Marquis and an '11 Towncar.
I love the vehicles because they're the last of the body on frame vehicles. I can't sell them because of this fact either.
The cops fell in love with caprice and the thieves of montecarlo
I had several GM B and G body cars as daily drivers, all had great character and personality to them. Although they were tough and cheap to repair, they weren't great cars by any stretch. Nearly everything you would touch in them fell apart constantly including door handles, windows falling off tracks, plastic pieces rotting in the sun, falling headliners, etc. In the northeast the bodies often rotted pretty badly by the time they were 10 years old.
هذه السيارات من عمري ومن مواليدي احلى سيارات واقوى سيارات هي الشوفرليت اعشق السوبر بان🇮🇶🇮🇶🇮🇶🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💖💖💖💖🌷🌷🌷🌷
I was born in 1979 😊
I need to find a way to go back in time! OMG.
The corrosion protection bit made me laugh out loud! Had a 78 c10, 79 caprice classic, and an 89 suburban 3/4 ton. None of those survived Chicago winters. They simply disintegrated from the salt.
it's like they designed then for Arizona summer and Florida winter hahahah
I'm in northern IL restoring my 2002 Avalanche, the flippin' frame rusted through, so I bought a new replacement frame from GM for $3 grand. They dipped it in black wax and they tell you that wax gives corrosion protection. I'll tell you right now, that wax dip is only good for southern California, a Chicago-style salt spray will wear it off in about 7 years. I stripped the wax off the the outside of the new frame and painted it with urethane.
The wax dip is only good for the inside of the rails. And man, that was a tough job getting that wax stripped off and getting the metal clean enough for paint, it took months of putty knife hand scraping and solvent wiping, scraping with screwdrivers in the tight spots and pocketed areas where the suspension mounts, getting every trace of wax out so paint will stick, and that was with the bare frame on a rotisserie. You'd never get that job done right with the frame under the truck.
BTW, remember the blizzard of '79 with Chicago mayor Mike Bilandic getting the blame and Jane Byrne getting elected as a result?
Those wagons are so cool
Grandma had a gold caprice with blue valour interior. Long gone car..as most cars are from then
I had a 77 Caprice and an 83. They were good, cheap used cars in the 80s and 90s. My dad had a 79 Monte Carlo. He bought it just for the looks.
Those were the good old days when a front bench seat meant you were more likely to get some from your girl...!!!
When America was still a great country with classical voice and car were build worh pride.
Me gusta el Chevrolet Impala & Caprice Classic 1979; igual la Suburban