1987 Cadillac Cimarron: Regular Car Reviews
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It's a 1987 Cadillac Cimarron review! In this week's episode of Regular Car Reviews, we'll go into why the Cadillac Cimarron has a reputation as the worst car ever made, and why it represents one of GM's biggest failures. The 1987 Cadillac Cimarron we're reviewing is an interesting piece of automotive history, so we'll go over all the details in classic RCR style, including getting behind the wheel and showing you what the driving experience is all about. Is this car really as bad as its reputation? Or could it be a surprise gem? Check out our review of the 1987 Cadillac Cimarron!
The fact that a 35 year old cassette plays so well in a 35 year old delco head unit is impressive.
The sound from the speakers sounded amazing
None of these tapes ever got worn out, I guarantee it
One of the few quality parts installed in these cars.
There’s only a few stations that still have it, but I think this radio had AM Stereo. I know Chrysler’s K-cars did.
@@AMthefox pretty much the reason why every GM vehicle had an aftermarket radio installed. these things were straight TRASH
That widow impression was way too spot on. Also Jerome totally had another family in Vietnam.
*korea
@@jdl9679 german
@@GrindingGearsZero Japan
@@aregularperson7573 I'll never forgive the Japanese!
France
A friend of mine was shopping for a used car back around 2000. The salesman said, "I have just the car for you", and directed us to a lemon yellow Cimarron. I must admit that, body-wise, it was pretty flawless. It was definitely the "widow" car. This thing even had matching yellow floor mats. My friend wasn't knowledgeable on cars, but my first words were, "Oh God, no." The salesman saw my face and knew this wasn't going any further.
It's the best contraceptive for males ever.
There’s one on auto trader right now for nine grand
@@2steaksandwiches665 crackheads
Ha ha ha!
@port nut Totally. It’s that… I know what I have bullshit mentality. I have a fondness for cars that nobody likes. But I would not pay nine grand for that car. Maybe four grand just for the funny factor. But you also have to find your audience. I have a Saab in very good condition, a 9-5 wagon from about 15 years ago. Kelley blue book it’s worth like 1000 bucks but they sell on forum specialty sites for six grand plus. You just have to know your target audience.
As someone who owned an 84 Cavalier, I can confirm that this is absolutely the same car with different badges and leather seats. GM seriously did not give a shit in the 80's, and then had the nerve to wonder how Toyota and Honda surpassed them in the 90's.
All through elementary and middle school, my best friend's grandmother "always wanted a Cadillac" but couldn't afford it. When her husband died, she finally bought her first Cadillac with the life-insurance money in 1984. I about fell off my chair laughing after you said "widows" as the first category for Cimarron buyers.
The “don’t run the engine in the red part of the tachometer” tells you everything about the people who bought these
The most impressive thing about this is the lack of rust on a 35 year old J body.
This is probably more rare than many Ferrari models.
I have a j body older than this and zero rust. Is it uncommon?
@@germancavallo8277 Very. Most of the 1st and 2nd gen Js rusted out in the rockers and sometimes up the rear wheel wells. Firewall was also prone to leaking, which would rust the floor out.
@@germancavallo8277 I'm guessing that you live in snow-free climate and thus avoid the road salt exposure. Correct? There's no way your J-car can make it through 35 to 40 winters if you're in the Rust Belt.
You know some disgus kept this garaged and washed and babied until they could no longer drive.
When I saw this vid come up, I was like, "Yesssssss...." I knew this would be gold. I'm familiar with the reputation of this car through automotive folklore.
Cadillac had a bad reputation in my family. My dad bought a used 1978 Fleetwood sometime in 1988, as he had just become a realtor and it was a good people mover for showing houses in style (kinda). It had a massive engine (it was the 425). Damn thing could nearly chirp tires on the highway. But it had seen a rough life by the time he got it, and it was as reliable as a politician. In 1990 he traded up to a 1988 Fleetwood. You'd think, "Well then, that would have been a quality and reliability boost eh?" Mmmmmm... no. By 1992 it had what was described as a floppy piston (that's my recollection as a kid). He took it to the local GM dealer. They said they'd take a look (it would take a few days). Meanwhile they gave him a Pontiac Firefly as a courtesy car, after they had originally agreed that if he bought this car, as a realtor he would need a mid-size sedan as a loaner for when he got oil changes or any work done. So that was strike one. His office was right down the road, so when they called him to say it was ready to go, he drove onto the lot and did what I probably would have done (he had already lost some trust with these guys), and check the tires. He had marked them to see if they even moved the car from where it was parked. It hadn't moved. Someone probably got in, started it, shrugged, and said it was fine. I kinda doubt they had handheld diagnostic devices back then. You generally had to pull the car into a bay and do it there.
So into the service department he marched. Our neighbour, a Brit with the stereotypical name Mick, worked there. Super great guy. He only worked on foreign and exotics (I one got to sit in a 1976 Lotus Esprit that was parked in his driveway - that was rad). He saw my dad coming in hot and quickly exited stage left (I don't think he even worked there for much longer, mostly out of disgust). My dad chucked a wobbler and probably ruined the day of a few people. That became strikes two and three.
Side story on the Firefly "courtesy" car: While stewing in the driver seat of that go-cart with doors, he drove to the Ford dealer. There was a 1992 Lincoln TownCar parked on the lot. It had 100 or so km's on it. Basically brand new given that some new cars on a lot will get test driven enough times to get to that point. Well, this wasn't that. It had been owned by an elderly guy who probably drove it to church a dozen times and then he up and passed away, so the car returned. This of course meant it had to sell at a discount, and my dad was there for it. The dealership, looking at his Firefly situation, offered to let him use the TownCar as his surrogate courtesy car (that's such a hilarious power move, by the way). He would buy that car shortly after. It became the car he owned the longest out of any car, and he had gone through many. I think he had it from 1992 until 2006 when he traded it for a 2005 TownCar.
I don't normally write comments this friggin' long, but I thought it was a fun story to tell.
That's a cool story
I have a 1997 Town Car. Your dad made a good choice. Mine still runs as sweet as a nut.
Solid story. Thanks for sharing.
Great story. Your dad did well springing for the Town Car. These are true workhorses.
Amazing story, as a town car owner of 5 years, that’s a great decision. I began with a 2011, and now have a 2009. Rebuilt the 2012 from an accident and my friend drives it now. Has 252K on it currently.
Best part about the Cimarron: No worse than a Cavalier.
Worst part about the Cimarron: No better than a Cavalier.
More disappointing than bad.
Arguably worse than a cavalier because you're paying more for a cavalier
It's worse cause you could have just bought a Cavalier and a used Caddy for the same money
Worse because it has all the notoriously bad 80's GM bells and whistles that break in 8 years or 100K miles. Then when you take it back to Kunkelman Chevy, Olds, Cadillac, Kia they tell you EVERYTHING is off warrenty and on YOUR dime.
My mom had 86 Cavalier and the interior was pretty much identical other than having nicer seats 🫣.
I wonder why they didn't use the A body platform. I guess "smaller". My Dad had a Celebrity and got like 15 years out of it. He lived where there was rarely road salt. It was a pretty good car, for how he used cars.
Has there ever been a feature in ANY car with as cool a name as "Twilight Sentinel"?
Other than that, I like the look of this car. It looks cheap but clean, like it's wearing a Burlington Coat Factory suit that was fitted by their in-house tailor.
My 95 Roadmaster has that, and a sticker proudly stating “PROTECTED BY THE SENTINEL” on the rear passenger window. Hilariously pretentious! I wish modern cars were more campy like that
My girlfriends former 96' Buck Park Avenue had "Twilight Sentinel" on the lights, took me a moment to realize they were auto lights. They actually had a adjustment to how sensitive they were to dark, most auto-lights are just on or off, the manufacture determines how dark it needs to be before turning them on.
Quite a novelty for the time. Its just now starting to become common on cars. I had a 2007 Saturn, 2009 Jeep, and my wife had a 2012 Mitsubishi, none of them had it, but my 2018 Ram does.
I thought Chrysler's "TorqueFlite" transmission was a cool name.
My '99 Buick LeSabre has it too!
Mercedes S class 1987, "When a Mercedes was a Mercedes."
Cadillac Cimarron 1987, "When a Cadillac was a Chevy."
This would've competed with the 190E but your point stands.
@@nlpnt Truly painful to consider as the Cosworth Mercedes 190 models are some of the greatest sports sedans of all time, IMHO.
Those were dark days indeed at Generic Motors.
@@amerigo88 Well Buick made a pretty wicked turbo 6 in 87. The Cutlass was the best selling car in the US for a few years. Dark days for some, coke and IROCS for the rest of us.
@@ericharrison619 Yeah and where is Oldsmobile now?
@@amerigo88 And indeed, GM had nothing at all to compete with *those*, which themselves cost substantially more than a standard 190E.
"affluenza ridden peasants thirsty to drink from life's pimp cup" Sometimes you turn a phrase so well I have to rewind multiple times just to appreciate how good it is
I was scrolling and saw this comment right as he said it 🤣
OMG! I remember my neighbor bringing home his new "Caddy Cimarron" and he was soooo proud.....but my sister had just bought a new Cavalier that looked suspiciously just like it, it was hilarious! It was so hard not to laugh every time we saw it......
Happy Belated Birthday Roman!
That’s so funny. The same happened in the 00’s in Europe when Chevy rebadged south korean Daewoo’s as Chevrolets. Daewoo Evanda for example. I heard that some guy was proud to be driving his new ”american” car so he was quickly told the truth and for some reason he went all quiet…
@@kobbetop Yeah, I remember when the Daewoo-Chevrolet thing happened. The first few times I saw a 'Chevrolet Matiz', I thought it was just a bunch of local Daewoo Matiz owners being cheeky and slapping a 'cool American' badge on their cars.
@@vulpesinculta3238 it was doomed from day one. That Matiz was as bad as badge-engineering can get. And then after few years of making nothing but loss, Chevrolet pulled out of Europe. I heard Cadillac could be coming back. Maybe it’s time for a new Cimarron…
So, the second category?
Thank you! Soon, I'll be Cadillac Years Old.
My parents drove Devil's back then, I remember the dealership tried pushing this thing.
My mother could NOT stop laughing, then went on to tell them they had escaped Buick and Oldsmobile and weren't going back!
My grandma had one of these. My grandpa bought it for her birthday back in '88. He passed in '92 from a heart attack.
But, my grandma is 82, and still going.
One time, when we were sitting in the garage, she told me how often she would take the car for a ride around the lake. Then, she walked over to her current car, (2015 Chevy Trax,) and she opened the trunk. She pulled out the last remaining thing from that old Cadillac: one of the floor mats.
Now, she uses it as a trunk mat to put boxes of plants on top of, when she visits my grandfather's grave.
That's actually really wholesome
@@noobeenaut I thought so too. She really loved my grandfather.
That’s beautiful actually. It’s amazing the little sentimental things that have no value to anybody else but have amazing value that to us. I had my grandfathers pocket watch and a very old revolver. They’re not for sale. When I touch them, I still feel his energy. Take good care of your grandmother. It’s hard when they’re gone.
Wow she sounds just like my grandma who has I think an '84 or '85 Cimarron that my grandad bought new for her sitting in her garage as I type. She's 97. I don't think the car has more than 30k miles on it. She stopped driving sometime in the early 90's. Probably is virtually worthless today and I don't think me or any family that visits has opened that garage in a decade or more. This video is probably going to make me drive over there tomorrow and take a look.
That's awesome...
The late ones like this with a V-6 weren't terrible, and the suspension was firmed up a bit. I had a housemate in the mid 90's who had one and loved it. On the other hand, I had a h.s. friend who had a 1st or 2nd year model. Those had a very loose suspension, and a wheezy 1.8 4-cyl, made in Brazil I think. He had a lot of problems with it and it was very low on power.
I love these bad 80s cars, they’re just so weird.
@D Moll Define simple
@D Moll They were a joke back then too.
Bulk of them by the Big 3
"The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there." - L. P. Hartley
Explains at least half of RCR.
It was a time of great change in the automobile industry. These cars were hated by us young gear heads, we lamented we missed owning and driving the cool cars of the Post War Boomers by a generation.
This intro hit so hard! Nailed how depressing the car was!
I think I found my dream car. It's the embodiment of mediocrity and haplessness, the kind of car that not even people were interested in scrapping during the Cash for Clunkers program.
Yeah I’m gonna need the full Gold Key cassette uploaded. Holy crap. That’s rare.
I saw one of these in a junkyard and wanted to steal the Cadillac badge off the trunk but when I opened the trunk an angry raccoon was in there and it attacked me, I've never slammed a trunk faster in my life.
happy belated birthday Roman!
Suffice to say none of this ever happened, you sad attention seeker. You don't need to open the trunk to take off the bage and why would a wild forrest animal do in the closed trunk of the car? How did it get there in the first place? Do you really need attention this much to make up this pitiful excuse for a story? I pity you and people like you.
To be honest, if you were giving away a 1987 Cimarron I'd be way more likely to enter than for a Corvette. Thank you for your superb content as usual, Mr. Regular!
...Really?????? HMMMMMMMMMM
@@RegularCars Absolutely. Been a subscriber of yours since 2014 and originally I subbed for the rare and eccentric 90s cars. And of course your humor. Also I can't praise you enough for your literary mastery. Some of the advice that comes out though your content has changed my life.
Same, honestly.
A legit free Corvette would make a nice 24 Hours of Lemons car to me though, HAHHAHAHA
Same honestly
@@BlueTrane2028 $500 my @$$! (Why you ruin classic?!)
I worked for a BMW dealership in the 80s. We would occasionally get these things as a trade-in, usually with very low miles. GM made such little effort to disguise the Cavalier. It's amazing that anyone bought one of these.
My hypothesis is that the only reason it sold at all was because some people still thought it was a big deal to drive a Cadillac back then. For my parents it was a big deal. After the Cimarron, they switched to imports.
14:22 - The GM “cup holders” in the glove compartment may be the most useless feature ever designed into a car. Classic GM. Think of a useful feature, then do it poorly.
Wrong, cups back then were only 2 inches tall.
That was an industry standard going back to the '50s, it was so your cups would stand steady in a parked car in the drive-in. Obsolescent by 1987 (it's the original J-car dash designed in the late '70s) but what the people who actually bought them expected. And it's not like the Germans were doing any better.
@@nlpnt Then again, it took until the turn of the millennium for German carmakers to actually integrate cupholders into their cars and not use some aftermarket looking thing that were all but useless.
My 88 Volvo has them. Even the glove box I swapped it with from a 90, has them. Good for when you're at somewhere like a Stewart's or sonic.
@@MiamiZombie2012
That's precisely what they are for.
They were never meant to be used while the vehicle was in motion. They were there to provide a flat space to place a beverage while parked, such as a drive in resturaunt or theater.
Been waiting for this one for a long time! As someone who thinks of badge engineering and "aspirational goods" as bougie bullshit, thinking the whole concept of luxury brands as obnoxious, I love this car. It is GM/Cadillac unintentionally parodying their own nonsense. Making it plainly clear what Cadillac, and luxury brands, really are. Trying to make cars feel more valuable (and accordingly charging more for them) by putting a different name on them.
Happy belated birthday Roman!!! The perfect automotive example of the aggrogence of America exceptionalism immortalized in steel & plastic. Is there a Razzy award equivalent in the auto industry? Cadillac Cimarron, most likely to have an existential identity crisis. Love you guys!
Thanks! I'm quickly approaching the ideal age range for this car.
@@LimitedTimeRoman You'd be a GOD in Florida!!
Its amazing how different the same basic platform can be between markets. In the UK and Europe we got the J-Body as the Vauxhall Cavalier MK2 and the Opel Ascona C. We never got an outright "luxury" one (just a high trim Cavalier) but we did get the SRi which got 130bhp from a 2.0 four cylinder 8v unit (though the 1.6 and 1.8 models were much more popular). The later MK3 Cavalier/Vectra A got more rounded styling and both the 2.0 16v Red Top (150bhp) and a 2.5 V6 (170bhp).
Vectra -> SAAB 93 -> Caddilac BLS
Mazda 3 - Ford Focus -Volvo S40
@@jareknowak8712 or Camira -> Vectra -> insignia/Commodore
@@jareknowak8712 I've got a Focus MK2 1.8 petrol (Mazda MZR), a mate had a Volvo C30 1.6 (Ford Zetec-SE) and my other mate has a Mazda 3 MPS (Mazda 2.3 Turbo). I'd have loved to have tried those three back to back
cause UK and Europe aren't that stupid, not to mention the small car market there is a whole lot more competitive.
My glorious Cimarron fever dream is a late model with the aero headlamps and a 5-speed manual, onto which the arse of a Cavalier wagon is seamlessly grafted such that it looks factory-built. I would drive that to every Cars & Coffee I could and make up a new fake origin story for every venue.
When I was a kid, the adults played at this club called Club Cimarron. I was quite Cavalier to their activities at that time, but this video single-handedly put things into perspective, 25 years later.
Were there Skyhawks and Sunbirds in the trees? Did they serve you Pizza Firenza? Was it served by the three servers: Aska, Camira, and Ascona? Was it anywhere near Monza?
lol. J-Body K. J-Body K.
@@Doctor_Robert The entry code on the gate was “J2000”.
I love that no matter how long I watch your videos even through all these years they are never boring and always have some nice story’s and deep looks into why people like the cars they do. Thank you Mr.Regular and Roman for being awesome and for spreading the PA sense of humor not many get to see
I knew an old couple that had a stick shift version! I believe the transmission was made by Isuzu. It was geared pretty low and had some pep. I remember we raced it against an 80's square-body Maxima and was surprised it was faster. It was literally the color of legal paper, and hilarious.
Wow! I had an '81 Maxima with an automatic and it was quick. Would have been embarrassed if I'd been beat by a Cimarron that's for sure.
I had a friend who swapped his cavalier front end and rear end with a Cimarron. It was kind of cool.
Someone's gunning to be a GM exec!
I once saw a "Buick" El Camino. In black, of course for the whole "GNX" vibe. Homemade "badge engineers" can get creative!
I'd do that with a Cimarron, but I'd want to swap with an Opel Ascona or Isuzu Aska
Speaking of badge engineering. I was behind a Chevrolet SS the other day that had the Chevy Bow Tie replaced with a Holden emblem. Made me wonder if the Aussies swap out their Holden badge for a Chevy badge on their Commodore's.
@@marcusdamberger The Chevy SS WAS a rebadged Holden Commodore!
I actually think the Cimarron has really nice styling.
I always wondered what might have been if GM had chosen the A-body platform as the "small" Cadillac. Called it the Calais even.
Ok it was not a great idea, but as European i really like seeing a 4.5m long Cadillac.
Its shape looks more proportionate than the usual Cadillacs, but this is my opinion based on the fact that here a 5.5 m car is considered a wheeled cruise ship.
All i see here is an Opel Ascona tarted up to look a cheap hooker.
As a European, this is a rebadged Opel Ascona. I kinda like the design though.
@@vadim6385 yup
Over in the US, this looks stubby. Cadillacs and Lincolns are supposed to have hoods and trunks you can land a plane on. They're not just land yachts, they're aircraft carriers.
Wow actually never seen 1 of these in the wild. And i was a tech 4 years. GM in the 80s was crazy. The c4 got a targa top but had no reinforcement fot it as the execs requested it so late. Craziness. Also guy in passenger seat looks like James from AVGN
He was taking Mr. Regular back to the past, to drive the shitty cars that suck ass.
For some reason, GM was more focused on buying up tech and aerospace companies than building cars.
Lol, no he doesn't? Can you provide a timestamp?
I can top you on that. My dad owned an independent repair shop for 25 years, but prior to that, he was the service manager at a Cadillac dealership for 15. So naturally, a number of his core customers were Cadillac owners. I also am somewhat of a J-car historian, given that my first car was an ‘89 Z24 convertible.
Put those two factors together….and I’VE never even seen a Cimarron in the wild.
My grandparents inherited a Cimmeron from my great grandmother after a few accidents. Also my neighbor sold a minty super low mileage one identical to the one in the video a few years ago. Otherwise, can't say I've seen one.
I like how the commercial states that the car is “functional”. Boy that’s something to aspire to. To bad it didn’t live up to this claim.
We never had this in Europe. But…we had Opel Ascona which is the same exact car with smaller engine, different front/rear fascia and interior. It was basically Europe’s Chevy.
TAPE:- "If your cimmeron is equipped with the butt buster 9000 - you can attach this also to the passengers seat so they too can feel maximum enjoyment of being shafted!"
That's an interesting interpretation of the verbage used on that tape. I wouldn't disagree with your analysis though
The crack at Penndot got me dying, quality review as always. Happy birthday Roman!
Thank you!
I have a Cadillac ATS, which I love, and I can probably thank how bad this luxury shitbox was for how good my ATS is. I am sure that the Cimarron was in the back of their minds when they were designing the first small Caddy in like 3 decades.
I have an ATS as well. Have tinkered with the idea of getting a Cimarron badge from eBay and tucking it in the glove box for fun.
When I think of Roger Smith's GM, this is exactly what I think of.
We all think of Roger Smith as this. Looks rich outside but a piece of crap inside
@@gdi9320 Great comparison.
There are only two good things that came out of Roger Smith:
1. Saturn
2. DirecTV
My uncle had one of these. Even when I was 10 years old, I could tell that driving this tarted up shit box meant his life had peaked a lot lower than he had hoped.
He’s dead now. Not because of the car, more the alcoholism. Which also tracks for a divorced middle-aged salesmen.
He must've been a real piece of work for you to speak of him this way in death.
If I did a Top Gear esque cheap car challenge through the US I would definietly consider getting a decent condition Cimarron. They seem comfy and are dirt cheap. Alternatively I'd also pick something Eagle related from AMC, if not just an Eagle outright.
I just saw an AMC Eagle this past weekend, thought about how it might be cool to own one, my friends dad had one back in the 80's. I then thought about the upkeep or what might break. I hardly see them on the road anymore, then it's likely the parts are hard to come by. No modern junk yard keeps vehicles that long anymore, be lucky to see early 90's cars in any junk yard these days unless it just came in that week.
Speaking of Eagle, I'd try to find an Eagle Premier (originally designed as a replacement for the long discontinued Matador). Not that finding one in decent shape would be possible.
I used to attend the “Snowbird Nationals” in South Florida in the early nineties. There was a racer running a 1987 Cimarron and 1987 Seville in the Stock Eliminator class.
The Cimarron was running mid 14s and the Seville was running high 13s in the 1/4 mile.
When I saw this video come out, my eyes lit up. I had to watch it now. I’ve been waiting for RCR to review this car...
Part of the reason I love this channel is that I get the same feeling of anticipation that I get watching a False Swipe Gaming video.
How BAD was the Cadillac Cimarron ACTUALLY? "Unfortunately..."
My dad owned a tow company and I was born in 1992. My mom had 1 of these till I was about 3. It was free and almost new bc somebody got it impounded and my mom took it. She put a z24 body kit on it over time and never had a license till she was in her 40s but still drove everyday. She finally got a ticket and had to get her license after being pulled over bc the muffler fell off. She traded it for a ASTRO van
Mr. Regular, please please post an unabridged recording of this tape, both sides if applicable. It needs to be preserved.
I unironically love all GM J-body cars. i have never owned one but something about them just attracts me to them. i 100% plan on buying one as a side car soon just for the history alone. Id LOVE it to be a cimarron too
I'm really loving that you're trying some new stuff. Loved the Kunkleman bit. Keep being awesome!
Back in the early 80s Chrysler made a budget Limo they called the Executive which was basically a stretched front wheel drive LeBaron with a glass partition between the driver and passengers in the back seat. If Cadillac stretched the Cavalier body 2 or 3 feet to give more interior legroom and added a turbo to the engine to give it more power it might have stood out more than it did, but it's a Cavalier no matter how you look at it.
The mid to late 80s really were and are the future
For a pimped up Cavalier, the Cimarron actually seems like a nice car, especially nowadays with the fuel crisis hurting land yacht owners. (Not like these are economic anyway.) The Cadillac Cimarron could be a great budget luxury car for younger enthusiasts and others.
That was the idea, but this thing can't hold a candle to any Mercedes 190E, BMW 325is, Audi 4000 or the Volvo 240 this Cimarron was intended to draw buyers away from
My mother owned one it was nice for a GM J-body but it was NO 190E/240/4000/325is competitor
Moved to Gallup NM 20 years ago. Neighborhood I was in was built in the early 1950s and was the first development in the little city of 20,000. Next block over from my house was a Cimarron in chocolate brown with a tan lower body and windows too tinted to see what the interior color was. It had the aluminum wheels and proudly advertised the 3.0 V6 on it's trunk lid. It was sitting in front of a house where the residents remembered WWII as the event of their high school years. I lived there 4 years and patiently waited for it to come up for sale. It moved just enough to prove that it was driven but was so clean you could have set up computer chip manufacturing on the hood.
Sadly I was never blessed by seeing a "for sale" sign on it.
Happy birthday Roman! I've been listening to your documentaries on the podcast while transporting lately, Fordlandia and the Saab one were amazing. Cheers guys.
Thank you! I'm so stoked that you're enjoying the videos/podcast.
My dad used to be a GM mechanic. This car is one of the reasons he became a Ford guy.
It was an 87 Chevy Cavalier I took driver ed in. I can remember the instructor yelling to floor it down the hill so we could get up the other side. I would have been pissed to do this with a Cadillac.
Automotive shingles .. haha, how do you come up with this stuff!?! love it!
My dad bought a used one in the late 80's as a commuter car, he commuted about 35 miles to work every day. He liked it for what it was, an inexpensive beater with comfortable amenities. But it was always kind of a joke of a car, we called it the Cadlette.
As a kid I distinctly remember sitting in the barbershop chair looking at the Cimmeron commercial playing on the wall mounted tv. “Testimonials” from “customers” who had compared Cimmeron to BMW and Audi and gone for the Cadillac. My family had owned several BMW’s at this point. At 12 years old I thought...yeah, give me break. Who the hell are these people? I would drive one today just for the nostalgia value.
Oh man... that instruction tape is hilarious... but now it makes me wonder just how dated this idea truly is. My 2010 Lincoln MKS has something similar, but instead of a tape it's an interactive DVD that works with the in-dash touch screen with video to go along with the instruction. This is going to look just as hilarious as this in due time, I'm sure. Best believe I'll be maintaining this car and keeping that DVD pristine for as long as I can just so I could see the day.
The first car handed to me was a 1990 Cavalier--no A/C, no tape deck, no passenger side mirror and for a very short while not even a heater core or blower motor. Even at 17 I recognized that humble J-body for what it was--a generically engineered lump of mediocrity that was only designed to move its similarly uninspired occupant from A to B. Even with the Iron Duke I-4 and 3-speed auto that thing would overheat and ping like a bitch under fairly modest load. That car was not designed for the 2.8L underhood at all, yet Z24s of that generation have them and were reliability nightmares.
That said... mine lasted me a good 4 years in college and 40k miles over the 85,000 already on it. It had been fairly well cared for and wasn't a bad runabout for what it was--the passenger room was generous for a compact car and the all-metal body was sturdy enough for teenage abuse. It still needed to be torn apart to solve its HVAC issues in true GM fashion when we first bought it, and again at 117k. When the ignition finally shit the bed we hotwired the thing so my dad could drive it for four hours back from college and to a scrapyard.
Long story short... I can't imagine that J-body serving as an aspirational vehicle in any way. But I could see owning one of these Cimarrons solely for kitsch's sake. Just don't ever drive the damn thing unless you want acid reflux. This was Generic Motors in its purest form.
Happy Birthday Roman.
I don’t know what reliability issues you suffered. I had a 1993 Sunbird with the 3.1L V6, and it proved very reliable. 250,000 miles and never had the engine apart. I did overhaul the trans once, as it apparently didn’t like being neutral slammed from 6,000 rpm EVERY DAY, but that was my fault, not the car’s. Aside from the trans, I did one heater core, one water pump, and one alternator. And I took it to a drag strip once and it ran 16.08 in the 1/4 mile. Not blistering by any stretch, but not bad for what it was supposed to be either. Unfortunately, that car succumbed to Midwest rust and I got rid of it in favor of a 1998 Seville SLS, which was a wonderful vehicle.
Cadillac Cimmaron isn’t a bad car, either. It just never should have sported a Cadillac badge, as it was too expensive to be a J-Body.
@@paulwindisch1423 It may have been problems specific to the 2.8L or throttle body injection then, or resolved later in the J-body's lifespan. All I know is that the engine bay was cramped with an I-4, I can't imagine how much of a bitch it would've been to work on the V6 models. The alternator on mine died too, but that was around 105k in so you could do worse.
Thing is, while the Cimarron never deserved s Cadillac badge, the car itself near the end of its run was actually half decent. Like many GM failure stories (ie: Fiero), they killed so many cars just once they started to get them right.
I can almost smell this car. I love it.
Old cars are just magical, there's nothing like the smell of raw gasoline, man made fibres and slight smell of burning
Now these are the videos on this channel I look forward to the most
My aunt had the Buick Skyhawk version of this car. I can still smell the cigarettes--with the windows up and the A/C recirculating the smoke. The car wouldn't die, so she finally sent it to the yard after 200k miles.
First car I ever bought: '84 Skyhawk coupe, second (and final) owner, '91 through 98. Was it fantastic? No -- for one thing, that POS 1.8L went through gaskets and heads faster than I went through acid-wash jeans. (Discovered after purchase that Buick had replaced the engine under warranty too; I think I can guess why.) But compared to my grandmother's '78 Fury which kept having the accelerator stick at the worst possible times -- on icy roads, in heavy traffic -- and was getting 10 MPG maximum at the time of the first Gulf War... OMG no. At least I could push the Skyhawk.
I had a friend who drove one of these as her first car in the 90's. Was gonna share this video until I got to the part where he's calling the people who had these locals, fools and peasants. Glad I didn't ruin my friendship by sharing this.
How rare must a still surviving manual Cimerron be?
When Cadillac was approached for the Cimarron, they wanted an extended X-car (the FWD X-car) and time to make a real Cadillac out of it. If memory serves, they were given a J-car and 6-6-6; 6 months to make it a Cadillac, 6 inches of the front end, and 6 inches of the rear end. Everything else, with the exception of a few interior accouterments, was to remain the same. Same doors, hood, roof, glass, etc. So that is what the Cimarron received. If they had been given the opportunity to do it correctly, it could have been huge for them. The first generation Seville (1976-1979) was the smallest Cadillac you could buy at the time and it was also the most expensive. They proved so popular, Cadillac couldn't keep them in stock. Coincidentally, the Seville was also based on an extended X-car platform, but the previous RWD version in this case. It was a large success for them, albeit short lived.
Now, in the end, Cimarrons weren't exactly bad cars, especially with the MPFI 2.8L V6, but they were never nice enough to bare a Cadillac nameplate, and they certainly shouldn't have garnered the pricetag with which they came. I owned a 1993 Sunbird with the 3.1L version of that engine, and it was a great car, but I couldn't imagine paying Cadillac money for it.
At this point, if I could find a 1987 or 1988 Cimarron with the V6 in nice shape, I would drive it, totally un-ironically.
This brings back distasteful memories of my third car, a 1981 Pontiac J2000 purchased from my cousin for $1,000 in 1990.
What a lump of shit. BUT. It was a four speed manual. My first stick. Even though it was a dogshit transmission and clutch, I was hooked. I’ve continued to own and drive three-pedal cars and trucks on a daily basis to this day.
From J2000 4spd then to a C7 7spd today. Thanks, Pontiac! I can’t wait to see what a clutch job is going to cost me on a 2014 Corvette.
(Spoiler alert: at least two grand)
On the subject of Cadillac- it’s pretty cool that you can buy a 670hp, RWD with a 6spd manual in present times. For $95,000.
Yay!!! back to truly regular car!!!
I can remember my grandfather had one of these in the mid 90s and I can remember him saying that the reason he bought it was because of 2 reasons: #1 it was cheap used and #2 its a vehicle no one would want to steal. The previous owner had an anti theft immobilizer installed on it and he would always point out how pointless it was to have that on a car not worth stealing!
With the incredible new Lyriq and Celestiq, let's remind ourselves of Cadillac's darkest hour
Cadillac gone ghetto years ago.
14:00 “The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the red zone.”
“Don't you tell me which zone is for loading, and which zone is for stopping!”
“Listen Betty, don't start up with your white zone sh!t again.”
Once Cadillac axed the Cimarron in 1988, they did the same thing again in the late 90s and early 2000s with the Catera, which was basically a rebadged Opel. That was another Cadillac that tanked and flopped as well.
Back in the late 80's I made a parts delivery to the local Cadillac dealership, I freaked them all out when I told them that next year Cadillac was going to put a diesel version of the V8/6/4 engine in the Cimmaron. The guy behind the parts counter turned white as a sheet when I said it.
No, he didn't.
Just hear me out here.... this car would make a great Bosozoku build
I would love a cimarron or any of its sister cars. I already had a 87 cavalier that I got hit in and it got totaled and it had only 87,000 miles. To me the rarest are the Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Buick versions i see those the least.
Congratulations on paying Cadillac money for a Caviler.
but it came with a gold key! and its a Caddy! doesnt Cadillac mean automatic success??
Maybe I'm just a weirdo with bad anxiety and I'm too used to typical relaxation sounds, but *goddamn* that introduction tape through the in-car audio is like a lullaby.
I remember listening to the Gold Key cassette tape when Dad bought his used 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood D'elegance from his late business partner's widow back in 1990.....cool flashback
Thank you on the GIF pronunciation, I don't care if the inventor says it's JIF, he is WRONG!
I can't help it if he's a clever programmer but he's otherwise illiterate.
I almost had one of these, was at a car dealer from a trade in. It was some rich old persons car they left at one of their local summer home so the employees had a car to drive there at the house. Only had like 30-40k miles on it, it looked pristine. They sent it to auction before I could drive up and buy it for 800$.
I always thought of these as Cadillac's equivalent to "new" Coke. No one asked for it, and everyone was glad to see it go.
12:55 also, I was not expecting to hear what it's like to give Mr. Regular a B.J.
Interesting. 🤔
When I was a kid in the 80s one of my mom’s friends had a Cimarron with a manual… My mom had the Audi 5000!! Not much better!! I don’t remember hearing my mother’s friend complaining about the Cimarron.. However my mom had many little issues with her Audi 5000…. My parents traded the Audi for a 1991 Acura Legend.. They were so happy with the Acura!!! Problem free. To this day they still only buy Honda products. ( side note) my parents had a 1984 Volvo 760.. they actually kept it for many years after the Audi came and went, it was my first car to drive in high school… way better car than the Audi, but probably not as reliable as the Acura. I honestly just always get a Honda…
God, my aunt had a first gen Legend, black on tan leather interior, five-spoke thick alloys with gold accents, gold-plated badges. It's still an incredibly good looking car and would love to find a manual transmission one day.
This is the most luxe package for Opel Ascona I've ever seen.
As someone who was young in 1987 I can confirm that nobody would be caught dead in one of these even though we were all driving beat up mini trucks and Tercels. Happy boof day Roman.
Jesus Christ, what a treasure. Now I want to watch the local cable origination video on how to set up your VCR.
My neighbors at the time bought one of those. They were so proud. For like 6 months. The car just dissolved.
The 80s was truly a time for American cars lol
So much so that to say that the Ford Taurus was a revolution would be an extreme understatement.
The random Jeep Liberty on the side of the highway at 17 min, is a nice touch.
The weird husband-and-wife team who attempted to talk my parents into Amway in the mid-80's drove a Cimarron.
Hearing the cassette tape boast about the robust warranty while Mr. Regular silently but violently thrusts his existence down on the trunk of the car over and over was almost enough to make me choke on my blueberry bagel.
Another Monday morning spent just the way I like it 🥰
Something is fishy here, why does the side profile of this car look like an European Opel Ascona? Which was NOT a luxury car.... hmmm....
Also, an Alfa from the 80s with a 2.0 liter inline 4 carburetor engine made more power, and had RWD. The decline of the american automotive industry was inevitable.
that's to argue that the american automotive industry was actually at a high point vs the rest of the world. i'd argue that the euro companies were always just a little ahead, unless you wanted sheer opulence, which most of the world viewed as wasteful. im american, 6-0, 240 pounds, but i drive a mk3 Golf. it fits my kids, hauls stuff, has a v6, dont need to waste space, materials, fuel, etc. i just dont get it.
The 2.8 was tuned for torque and fuel economy and while the numbers are laughable, in practice they felt a lot stronger than the numbers would suggest.
@@twoeightythreez Cannot argue with you there, as torque does give you the G's when accelerating. At the same time though, that torque would be cancelled by the huge and I assume very heavy barker loungers in the front. And if not, that torque would surely induce, in the worst case torque steer if the engine is transverse, and the best case scenario would be hopeless understeer. As for tuning it for economy, I mean... why bother? It was supposed to be luxurious.
That's since it is, they are all GM J-Body vehicles
@@twoeightythreez compared to the 88 HP 2.0 4 cylinder motor most of these had before 1987 that 2.8 would feel like a beast motor lol
These were also sold in Europe as Opels & Vauxhalls. The front and back looked different but the doors and glasshouse look identical..
Cadillac Cimmaron - official car of "hey, at least it's not an X-car."
Still have my 84 Cimarron, even has the Astro-roof. Bought it off the original owners 10 yrs ago. It's reliable and fun, what more do you want from an old car?
My mom was in love with this car. She ended up getting a 1986 Chevy Celebrity wagon which ended up being my first car.
Those trunk racks that no one ever used! 😆