Your Favorite 80's Cars... and GO!

[Ski-me]

Originally Posted by Coley

Here is one for a bit more comedy relief......the Audi 5000....lol.
Anyone remember those?....and za' german marketing campaign around their engineering angle.

When was the last time you saw one?.....again, their ability to rust in half within hours was legendary, lol.

C.

Yep! Had an Audi 5000 Turbo! A blast to drive but the electrical gremlins....

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by Coley

I have to agree on those late 80's Toyota trucks tho'.
If I could find a nice rust free 87-88 (22RE-5 speed with the fuel injection) extended cab truck in mint condition.....I would pay good money for that.

Coley

One of the only new vehicles my dad ever bought were a 1980 Silverado (his brother borrowed and totaled it) and a 1986 Ext. cab Toyota 4x4, in blue, 22R 5 spd.

I like the 84/85 the best, they were the new body style, but still had straight axle front ends. I've owned 3 1986 trucks in the past, but all were 2wd. I'm proof you can blow one up

[NONHOG]

86? Ford LTD LX. 5.0

[special-K]

I listed my three, but a good '80s vehicle was the Suzuki Samurai. Just as things are going FI, square headlamps, and aerodynamic along come this simple and cheap, almost 3rd world-like little tin can. I liked them as the last of the basic simple vehicles. American didn't offer anything like it is how I rationalized buying Japanese. The Jeeps were lame, a much bigger size, no such MPG, and cost close to twice as much.

I bought my fiance an '87 hardtop for something like $7k. I had just bought this old house in the dead of winter, pipes freezing, needing a ton of work, starting my own business, and she was just entering the clinical portion of nursing school. I wanted her to have something cheap and reliable to get her down and back to the school in Baltimore (can't miss time) in any weather. Plus, when it snows here it can be hard to get out of the valley we had a chance to discover, and being the county line we were the last to get plowed. Loved that little thing and the plan was to become an off road toy later on... which never happened. That thing just went and went w/o issue. A ton of fun on the beach!

You could just about fit both of us and our two kids. Bring my nephew or dog and it was cramped. Behind the seat was room for three grocery bags. It served it's purpose and we sold it when she graduated to buy the red '90 Blazer I was still driving when I joined here. N more fuel sipper but first thing we noticed going up the road... elbow room! Kids were much better behaved with each having their own corner back there.

Ours looked like this, but no whitewalls. It was the deluxe (JX) version, but I took the stripes off. I put a sunroof in, tinted the windows dark, cut down a Thule luggage rack (and cross bar mount), and put a size bigger BFG ATs on.

[65truckowner]

Has to be the 5.0 89 mustang blue with white stripes and a 5 speed

[Coley]

Good one on the Suzuki Samurai's....those were really cool, little vehicles.
They are still in big demand around these parts...particularly with the young 4x4 set who seriously modify them for off road activity.
Again, better built and more economical and reliable than the CJ jeeps it seems.
note: I liked the CJ's but I had one for a couple of years and that was enough for me...lol.

Coley

[special-K]

The YJ is what was offered back then. The first "let's get away from the CJ 'J' turn bad wrap as fast as we can" model. Didn't even seem like a Jeep compared to CJs. But like I said, not comparable, two different animals. The Samurai "tin top", though not the fun in the sun version, was an extremely practical economy vehicle that was actually fun and cool. I put the bikes up on the rack and we took a vacation on Cape Cod and Nantucket Island in '89. Had a gas (and hardly used any). The bikes doubled the size of the thing

[Akuzaspur]

I would have to say the 87 Grand national or T-type, 87 Monte Carlo SS and the Chevy blazer 2wd. About 8 years ago I finally bought a one owner 87 T-type to only have it rearended and totaled 3 months after purchase and on my birthday. After the insurance paid out I bought a 87 Monte Carlo SS aero coupe that I had for about 5 months, just not as fun after the T-type.

[Steeveedee]

Most were BLAH. A couple of standouts. One of my younger brothers bought an '86 Monte Carlo. Nice car, but a little anemic with the 305. Having been a serious street racer back in those days, he built a 383 to put in it. Looked bone stock, and he had great fun with people choosing him off for a race, since, unless you knew where to look, there was no way to tell. Most of those guys just beef stuff up, or use nitrous, a turbo or a blower. If they knew anything, they would just have had to look at those obvious bumps in the oil pan.

Anyway. I had an '82 Regal 4-door that I bought cheap after I got rear-ended in a different vehicle. I was wandering through Pick-Your-Part in Sunland and spotted an '81 T-Type Regal with a turbo V-6 in it. It was only missing the hood. If I hadn't been so jacked up by the accident (I wore that collar of shame for about 3 months- I should have just agreed to have them use traction on me for a month, but I knew that nobody would do my job while I was out, and I was right), I would have had a couple of my brothers help me get that drive train. The stock V6 in that '82 Regal was basically a boat anchor. It would have been a great ride with that turbo V6...or the 305 out of my '86 Chevy wagon. If I had known that I had a universal case 350C trans in it at the time, I would have put the 305 in that thing. :burning rubber:

[special-K]

Cars got blah for me in the '70s. '68-'72 was ok, but my interest has always laid in '67 and back... except '72 for trucks because it took longer for them to change.

[cypressbog]

1987 GNX
84-86 SVO Mustang
1986 Monte SS Aerocoupe

[67ChevyRedneck]

Cars did suck in the mid 70's through the 90's. The original premise of the facebook post was to pick 3 cars from an era that kinda sucked and have those be your only 3 cars you can have for the rest of your life, so it really made you think about what you did think was cool back then, or hated back then and kinda dig now.

That's why I listed a sports car, a 4x4 truck, and a family car. Figured I had all the bases covered. I guess I could have rolled a couple into one with a 4x4 2500 burb, but I really like SWB trucks.

Lots of cars I had forgotten about that weren't really that bad have been listed

Keep it going, it's fun to read what everyone thinks is cool from the 80s.

[Warrens69GMC]

1987 El camino with the 4.3L TBI motor

[Boog]

Back in the late 60s to early 70s I was smitten by the Grand Prix. During the summer months out of school I would go with Dad to buy cars for the lot and I got to bring in a 70 GP. It was triple black with the 455 I think. Man o man. I fell in love with everything about that car. Low miles and still smelled new. One of my school buddies' dad bought it for him and he totaled it in less than a year. What a shame.
A couple of sample pics.
Whoooops! I fell out of the 80s cars this thread asked for. My bad.

[davischevy]

My eighties cars.

In 1985 I ordered my wife a new S 10 Blazer loaded with the big wheels and tires. It was a good looking rig, but nothing could over come that disappointing 2.8 v6 engine. I loved the looks of that thing and it was trouble free but I hated that thing.

In 1986 I was in cheap mode and I bought myself an S10 pickup. It was dependable and fun to drive but hard to brag about. I sold it and bought myself a big block 71 Cheyenne.

In 1988 I ordered a new Monte Carlo SS with all options. I loved that car. It was in storage most of the 11 years I had it. I needed space and sold it to a collector.

I bought my wife a 1980 Mercedes diesel to drive so the Monte could sit. Now that Mercedes was a good car.

I had a 1988 SWB K10. My wife drove it to work and sold it one day. Yes she called me first.

The eighties sucked in the world of automobilia.

Monte Carlo SS
Buick GN
87 GM SWB truck because you could get a 350 engine.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by Boog

Back in the late 60s to early 70s I was smitten by the Grand Prix...

...Whoooops! I fell out of the 80s cars this thread asked for. My bad.

I fixed it for you

[davischevy]

Originally Posted by special-K

I fixed it for you

I've never seen one of them, and I've seen everything.

[Killer Bee]

I posted 87 GNX above if I had to pick one, but after reading Davis's post I just realized something..

I've own several used and a couple of new cars and trucks from 60's, 70's, 90's, and 10's or whatever the heck that decade is called.. but never owned anything made in the 80's

[Boog]

Originally Posted by davischevy

I've never seen one of them, and I've seen everything.

Me too. I've only seen them on the race track. Pontiac had to sell x number of them to the public for them to be legal for Nascar racing. Can you imagine what a new rear glass would cost IF you could find one? No thanks. I like the 71 GP better.

[special-K]

I like what you like the most. Really an iconic car in it's own right. But how about what came just before? WOW! Talk about a Turnpike Cruiser or Land Yacht. Big cars were never for me. But these Grande Prixs are too cool in their own way.




From the '80s I have had an '84 K/20, '84 K30, and '85 Jimmy Diesel. My ex-wife started out with a '79 Fairmont Futura straight6/3+1, '82 Rabbit, and '87 Samurai

[Coley]

Originally Posted by special-K

I like what you like the most. Really an iconic car in it's own right. But how about what came just before? WOW! Talk about a Turnpike Cruiser or Land Yacht. Big cars were never for me. But these Grande Prixs are too cool in their own way.
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From the '80s I have had an '84 K/20, '84 K30, and '85 Jimmy Diesel. My ex-wife started out with a '79 Fairmont Futura straight6/3+1, '82 Rabbit, and '87 Samurai

Ha, is that ever ironic.
I had one of those big pontiacs as my first car, which I bought from my parents for $500 when I was 17.
It was a '67 Pontiac Grand Parisienne (the Canadian Gran Prix or Bonneville equivalent).
Like all Canadian pontiacs of that era it ran a chevy 327 engine.
...big 4 door hardtop, great highway car...smooth but waaayy big.

It was a really great looking car in retrospect tho'....with the hidden headlights, marker light slits and slightly different back end then the other big similar pontiacs.

Good choice, even if it isn't from the 80's!

All good
Coley