That interior is actually pretty nice. There is a 1985 Sunbird that has lived on my street since new that only gets driven once a month. Only 31k miles. Interior was mint, big thick blankets covering all the seats to protect them, you know like older people used to do. Owner is getting up there so she finally pulled it out of the garage and put a for sale sign on it last week. I took it for a spin. It was interesting to say the least. When you haven't been in a small car from the 80's in a while it is quite a surprise to remember how small they are. The visability is great though compared to modern vehicles with their chunky A and C pillars. Step on the gas and not much happens when you only have 86HP under the hood. I thought it would of been cool to buy it but what would I do with an 85 Sunbird?? I went home to think about it for the night, told the owner I'd be back. My wife said you better not wait long if you really want that car. I said do you think there is anybody else around here that is dumb enough to want an 85 Sunbird? I took a walk back down the street to take another look and somebody was in the driveway giving her a deposit!!!!! Sold in 3 hours! You snooze You lose.
@new2000car
Жыл бұрын
Cool story, what was the price? We know it has a low value, so between being super slow, you’d have the occasional unobtanium parts to busy up your weekends. Imagine paying good money to suck up all your free time.
@stepheng3667
Жыл бұрын
@@new2000car $2500. Main reason I hesitated was I don't have anywhere to keep it. I already have an old car.
@pjcornell9691
Жыл бұрын
I miss Oldsmobile and Pontiac!
@terminallygray
Жыл бұрын
We all miss them. But these days GM is a changed place to be. Not the good kind of change either.
@67marlins
11 ай бұрын
@@terminallygrayI'm a Ford and Mopar guy, and I miss them too! Olds & Pontiac could almost always be counted on for much better styling and engines than chev.
@butterflylovenj7300
Жыл бұрын
These were cute. Love how the wheels were the same color as the car!
@terminallygray
Жыл бұрын
that's a common option on Oldsmobiles. It kinda gives it a sporty look, WITH WHITEWALL tires (yuck).
@mattt198654321
Жыл бұрын
You know, I'm NOT a huge fan of the J-car styling in general, but I have to say that Olds did a pretty good job with this one
@zythr9999
8 күн бұрын
Cavalier was not bad looking, Skyhawk either.
@socalsteve9734
7 ай бұрын
Family owned one of these in the 80s. Always in the shop.
@MyerShift7
24 күн бұрын
I love the Skyhawk with covered lights. I had one. 4-speed. No a/c. No power steering. Loved it
@quad5186
11 ай бұрын
My Dad had a new ‘84 wagon . After just getting my license, I was alone driving on a wet winding road. Was cranking “Won’t Get Fooled Again” , and as I started banging out the drum solo I slid into a turn, slamming on the brakes, then went off the road stopping about a foot from going head on into a telephone pole. Daltrey’s scream barely beat mine!!!
@joelakers410
Жыл бұрын
my favorite oldsmobile
@sailordave1000
3 ай бұрын
I drove a 1984 Sunbird with this engine and owned a 1984 Buick Skyhawk with the 2.0L OHV base engine with manual transmission. I preferred the 2.0L for its low end torque delivery over the 1.8L OHC. My Skyhawk didn’t have power steering and that made it better to feel the road. Wasn’t difficult to steer at low speeds but did take more effort. The Olds and Buick had a better dashboard over Pontiac, Chevrolet, and Cadillac J-Body vehicles. Made my Buick handle better just by changing to better grade tires than factory stock. Careful shifting and throttle pressure would get you impressive fuel economy numbers of a little more than 40 mpg highway and close to or above 30 mpg city depending on lights and traffic.
@MyerShift7
24 күн бұрын
I had an '87 Skyhawk Custom Coupe with a 4-speed stick, manual steering, no a/c, but cruise and covered lamps. 2.0L OHV. 37MPG mixed driving.
@TurboMan942
Жыл бұрын
They should have called it the Oldsmobile Cutlass Jr. I don’t like that front end though. Good looking car overall. I think the later model Cimmaron’s had the best J car front end.
@Butchcub75
Жыл бұрын
I wanted one of these in a V6 5 speed GT
@Doobie1975
Жыл бұрын
Nice car that I rarely saw growing up, I remember these cars were not commonly seen when I was growing up.
@Butchcub75
Жыл бұрын
my cousin who used to baby sit us got a new Cavalier Type 10 in like 1982...
@mattt198654321
Жыл бұрын
John Davis is so eternally optimistic. "J-car is the most improved for 1983" Translation: Last year was so cr*ppy, even a minor improvement is a BIG DEAL
@stevebier710
Жыл бұрын
Power seat, but crank windows??
@brians8794
Жыл бұрын
At that time I think you could order stuff one by one so that's why it's like that.
@DerrickOil
Жыл бұрын
Yup😂.
@67marlins
11 ай бұрын
My question exactly!
@Jason_The_Stooge
6 ай бұрын
You were ether very weird or unlucky... I prefer manual windows, so I'm in the weird category
@blisterbrain
4 ай бұрын
@@Jason_The_StoogeIt's much easier to get it open just the right amount!
@nlpnt
Жыл бұрын
Besides repowering and refinement, the big news for the Firenza line for '83 (and the Buick Skyhawk) was the addition of a wagon model. At launch only Chevy and Pontiac had the J-car wagon.
@67marlins
11 ай бұрын
I'm a Ford guy, but I loved the size & styling of these little J wagons.
@DerrickOil
8 ай бұрын
I think the Buick had optional flip up headlights. l
@chrisp679
11 ай бұрын
My dad had one of these. It’s been sitting, dead, in our garage since 1996.
@67marlins
11 ай бұрын
If it's a wagon or hatchback, anywhere near Massachusetts.......let me know. Thanks.
@chrisp679
11 ай бұрын
@@67marlins hatch, but not anywhere near you. Sorry.
@67marlins
11 ай бұрын
@chrisp679 Ah, thank you anyway amigo. Good luck, I hope you find an appreciative buyer!
@blautens
8 ай бұрын
Drinking game - take a shot every time John says "oriental" in these retro reviews.
@jasontylersloan8196
Жыл бұрын
I liked the first 3 generations of J car
@knowbodiesfull5768
11 ай бұрын
Introducing the 1983 Oldsmobile Cavabirdfirenzhawkarron! _(9/30/2023)_
@markcampbell369
9 ай бұрын
In every one of these retro reviews, they talk about loading luggage. How times have changed!
@vermin1970
Жыл бұрын
Can we just appreciate how good cars are now..
@unitedcity_mc4421
10 ай бұрын
Nope.
@67marlins
11 ай бұрын
Beautiful little car.
@johnhall8364
10 ай бұрын
These cars were junky but eventually became reliable later in the model run. Tupperware interiors and junk brakes were the main flaws once the lack of power and steering rack failures were addressed.
@katecool2237
Жыл бұрын
Front reminds me of the Alero
@67marlins
11 ай бұрын
No power windows though......I'd look past it for that reason. My Dad and I drove an '83 Skyhawk with this engine.....it was powerful despite the numbers.
@johnmiller4973
8 ай бұрын
My parents had a base 1983 Firenza hatchback that was painted in poop brown with a poop brown interior... They put 217,799 kms on the clock before trading it in for a 1996 Honda Accord
@roadtripboy
10 сағат бұрын
I think most car companies liked to call that color Gold. I know Dodge did with my 1987 Colt.
@brians8794
Жыл бұрын
Salems... lol my uncle smokes those.
@michaelcoffey7362
Жыл бұрын
Cool 🥰
@4HBirtcher
Жыл бұрын
A car that never last!
@RaymondHaley-lv2mo
3 ай бұрын
First Gen J cars were sorely lacking in drivetrain refinement until the 90,s
@DerrickOil
8 ай бұрын
My basketball coach had a maroon 4 door.
@Skyhawk1987Turbo
Жыл бұрын
Shame they never reviewed a skyhawk
@pl5624
Жыл бұрын
Charger 2.2 at 0-60 in 9.6 seconds would blow this away..
@blisterbrain
4 ай бұрын
I hope all the viewers who are always making fun of him when he calls a 9 second to 60 car quick will now understand whete he was coming from. It's all good anyway though. If you accelerate too fast it makes it hard to light up your Salem!
@marshalmagooo3899
Жыл бұрын
Pontiac... you owe me a reliable car that doesnt bankrupt consumers
@notchism
Жыл бұрын
I own one
@anibalbabilonia1867
Жыл бұрын
The 82 sunbird from that year looked way better! My cousin had one new back then. It was rear wheel drive! Correction! The one my cousin had was the 1980 model.✌️
@nlpnt
Жыл бұрын
Technically, the '82 model was called the Pontiac J2000, it was rebranded back to Sunbird by 1984. Rear-drive Sunbirds were made from 1976-80.
@anibalbabilonia1867
Ай бұрын
@@nlpntyou’re right! I made a mistake! Her’s was a 1980 model👍
@peep39
11 ай бұрын
usually these guys are spot on, but "minimal body roll" is just not true
@runoflife87
Жыл бұрын
So, that's what 3-door Ascona could've looked like. The front clip design is good enough, the rear is OK. But the engine...bruh, European J-cars had far better choice.
@5KpGD
Жыл бұрын
The base Opel engine choices weren't that great either. X3
@runoflife87
Жыл бұрын
@@5KpGD but the Asvona was much lighter👆🏻
@5KpGD
Жыл бұрын
@@runoflife87 the net vehicle weights aren't much different either. There was a comparison of both the Opel and the Chevy back in 1981 and both had strengths and weaknesses. Neither had a refined engine to start off with.
@runoflife87
Жыл бұрын
@@5KpGD if there's "not much difference", how come the Cavalier ended up being 300 lbs heavier because of X-car brakes, CV joints and tranny? Are You kidding me? 1981 to 1988 Cavalier had one of the worst GM engines (I4) which were nowhere close to Opel by refinement.
@fernandorocha8459
Жыл бұрын
@@5KpGD this Oldsmobile Firenza is version of Pontiac Sunbird, Chevrolet Cavalier, Pontiac J2000, Buick Skyhawk and Cadillac Cimarron. This engine 1.8 is GM from Brazil
@christianheidt5733
Жыл бұрын
Voof, what a stinker 😐
@MrHeem94
Жыл бұрын
Trash GM car from the early 80's. As were most of their lineup at the time. Garbage.
@marshalmagooo3899
Жыл бұрын
How dare you insult Toyota
@wingsley
11 ай бұрын
"Just about right"... Hmmm... This MotorWeek video from the early 1980s did not age well. The forgettable GM J-cars of that era were alot closer to the "Jedsel" nickname originally bestowed on them, and incremental improvements were far from enough to change that. Even when equipped with Chevrolet's 2.8-liter 60º V6, it was never enough to rehabilitate the J-platform's failing image. Of course, it wasn't all the fault of the weak lineup of available engines and transmissions. The J-body was flimsy all around. It was a cheap car, cheaply built, and the first-generation J was never improved enough to be adequate. The South American-sourced 1.8-liter TBI SOHC Four was inadequate, but a (small) step in the right direction. The original J-car Fours were that bad! GM really screwed up by failing to come out with Oldsmobile's impressive 150-horsepower "Quad4" 2.3-liter DOHC Four masterpiece until 1988, and it never graced a J-car. If only GM had come out with a better J-body, and given it a Quad4 instead of the 2.8 V6. Of course, even if GM had introduced the Quad4 in 1982 instead of '88, the company still did not have a modern front-wheel-drive transmission to handle the superior torque of the modern engine, so once again GM was caught with its pants down. MotorWeek's ridiculously generous review of the '83 Firenza may have seen well-intentioned at the time, but time has been cruel to all of GM's 1980s J-cars. They just weren't built well enough, and they lacked the necessary powertrains to make them work properly and up to American expectations.
@terminallygray
Жыл бұрын
Over 14 sec to 60 mph with a 5 speed ?? Extra skinny tires ?? Way, way too much body roll. No CD player, just a radio ? All for the low price of $9,800 (1983 dollars)?? Huh, neat...so why did it bomb again ? (being sarcastic) looks like you're gonna need more than that $1.00 to make those payments. Damn..... that car could definitely use ABS. Got those radials squealing like a pig. I think John Davis dared those two guys to think of ANYTHING good to say about the car or they'd be fired on the spot !!
@dave1956
9 ай бұрын
These were really awful cars. No wonder I started buying Toyota’s in 1987.
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