I'm stuck in the 80s...automotively

[Diamondback]

Yeah, Dan, it's been a while... and I didn't think most of this would exactly be "cheap", but it's quite possible that those AI's may be as close to having "children" as I ever get, so I want to ensure that they're as well-equipped to handle the world after I'm no longer able to take care of them as I can.

Besides, I want the ego-gratification of beating the Prius greenies at their own game, then dropping the hammer and smoking 'em like a cheap stogie performance-wise too... plus I'm trying to prove a point that the double-nickel is an utter crock of bovine-scatology and that we can have safe, fast and environmentally-sound capabilities all in the same vehicles... and that it can all be refitted to existing machines, so proposed "clunker laws" are bullcrap too.

 

[David Conwill]

In terms of absolute performance, cars from the 80s are pretty tame compared to new cars...for crying out loud, a V6 Honda Accord has 260HP. I just can't warm up to the way new cars look and feel, and the complexity scares me off. The other issue I have is that I'm thrifty, and when I can buy a good, working car for $500, insure it for $500 a year, and work on it myself, my cost-per-mile is minimal. I talk to friends who have multiple car loans totaling over $1000 a month, plus hefty insurance premiums, and it makes me feel evern better about my trusty old beaters.

I've been trolling the local craigslist this morning, looking for good candidates...there were 2 Dodge Diplomats on there in the last 3 days..talk about a dependable, cheap car. They sold already.

See, the other part of my interest in '80s cars is that technologically, they're similar to cars twenty years older, and lend themselves to similar performance mods. I will say, though, that I'm not nearly so ambitious as Diamondback.

-Dave

 

[DetroitFalcons]

There were a lot of cars that I liked back then, although most of the car blogs speak derisively of the era (using the term malaise era). I like weird stuff so I wouldn't mind having a Peugeot 505 Turbo, a Volvo 242 (again), maybe even a Fiat/Bertone or a late 80s Porsche 924S. I'm not fond of much of the American stuff outside of the Buick GN/GNX, Olds 442/HO, and Monte SS aerobacks (sorry, the Pontiac 2+2 is just too hideous even though it is rare).

Let's not forget that this decade also gave us the best overall SUV ever (it's been scientificially proven ), the Jeep Cherokee XJ. Even though it took 4 years to get the right engine in it, the Cherokee is a great example of what Americans (with French "help") can do with a really small budget. Despite the fact that our clunker socialism scheme destroyed many of them last year, it truly was one of the best vehicles of all time.

 

[davestlouis]

Detroit, you're right about the "baby Cherokee". Aside from a door opening that's too small so I catch my heel every time I try to climb in, that was a tremendous vehicle. They're getting really cheap around here, and they seem to run forever. I'd like a big Grand Wagoneer also, if someone else would pay for the gas. I had 2 of the little Cherokees, one had almost 300K miles on it, with the 2.8L and a 5 speed, of all things, and was still chugging along when I sold it.

 

[DetroitFalcons]

I'd like a big Grand Wagoneer also, if someone else would pay for the gas.

I love the SJ fullsize platform. I kind of grew up with it as my dad always had Wagoneers then Grand Wagoneers (remember the cool Oxblood color with the same color seats?) and my mother had a couple of the big Cherokees. If you think about how the platform lasted from 63 to 91 it really was a timeless design. I'd love to have an old Gladiator or even one of the newer J10/20/Honchos.

When the little XJ came out, I hated how small it was. With time I came to admire its packaging, even though, like you said, the doors were a problem. I think the back seat/doors are only for groceries lol. I really started to admire what AMC and Renault had done when you consider how badly executed the Liberty was as a replacement. A 900 lbs weight gain, plus you add in the mediocre 3.7, the vehicle being top heavy, and the disapointing IFS, ball joint problem, and DaimlerChrysler really messed up the gold standard SUV. I wish someone would make a unibody SUV again with solid axles and a bulletproof simple engine (diesel anyone?) that didn't weigh the same as the Wagon Queen Family Truckster.

 

[davestlouis]

A neighbor of mine had horses when I was a kid, and had a progression of Cherokee Chiefs and Grand Wagoneers, the last was in the oxblood color with leather and corduroy seats. Is the XJ in production anywhere in the world today? Seems like an ideal vehicle to be made for a developing market like China or India.

I seem to recall that the older of the XJs I had didn't have power windows or locks, it was dead simple, and even had the "pedestal" seats with one central mount, like the Renault Alliance of the same era. The seats kind of rocked, instead of sinply sliding back and forth...ah, the vague memories.

 

[David Conwill]

Volvo 242

Love those. I guess the Volvo 4-banger is really something, but if I had one, I'd be hard pressed not to perform a jagsthatrun.com V8 conversion.

-Dave

 

[davestlouis]

Talk about cars that can be modified...Volvo 200-series cars have a huge following. There are several web forums devoted to "bricks" and "turbobricks". I had a 245 wagon for about 2 weeks one time... I bought it and turned it...tough old beast, and didn't handle too bad, given that it was old, and had well over 200K miles on it. There are some 302 Ford conversions out there, I have to think they can scoot!

 

[DetroitFalcons]

Is the XJ in production anywhere in the world today? Seems like an ideal vehicle to be made for a developing market like China or India.

I'm not sure if it is still in production (I've read conflicting info) but Beijing Jeep made a Chinese XJ called the 2500. Here are a couple of links that talk about that model, and rebadged Grand Cherokees:

http://www.chinacarforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3583

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/jeep-2500-a-535985/

Also, AMC was one of the first American/Western car companies to go into China. I seem to remember reading an old article on google news that mentioned AMC having to infuse cash to prop up their Chinese partner back in the 80's. Boy, times have changed. :eusa_doh:

 

[Pilgrim]

My daily driver in good weather: 1983 Datsun 280ZX Turbo. Bought it in 1990 and still driving it. Has only about 120K miles.

 

[davestlouis]

Pilgrim, cars don't get much more "80s" than a two tone 280ZX...does it have velour seats with square buttons set into the tufts? I always liked those cars. I also grew up in a house that looked vaguely like yours...mom called it Dutch Colonial, we called it the barn.

 

[davestlouis]

I'm pleased to announce that I have officially stepped into the 90s automotively...I traded by BMW 535i for a 5 string electric bass, sold the Celica Convertible to someone who doesn't seem worried about the structural rust, and my 85 Continental finally died today. Several windows quit going up and down, the driver's door sagged so much it wouldn't stay latched, and would open all by itself on the interstate, and the heater core was leaking so much it threatened to kill me with fumes from the coolant. The capper today was a fried water pump that puked all of the coolant on the ground and killed the sturdy old 302 V8, with 171,152 miles on it.

I needed wheels TODAY so I could get to work tomorrow, so I dropped the huge sum of $300 on a 1991 Audi 100 Quattro 5 speed sedan. I have officially, perhaps temporarily, left the 80s in the dust.

 

[Javelina]

Bought this back in 2005. Pleasantly affordable to buy, but not in the maintenance & repairs dept. Still, it's a blast and more fun than the modern day model.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I've got a couple of big 77-91 GM platform cars myself, that go well with your stuck in the 80's automotively theme.

1979 Buick Electra Limited, 8.5 out of 10 or better condition and 90,000 original miles.

My car that got me everywhere, no matter what, my lovely 1987 Chevy Caprice Estate Wagon. If you're going to buy one car your entire life, buy something like this!

 

[David Conwill]

I'm pleased to announce that I have officially stepped into the 90s automotively...

You're going the wrong way!

-Dave

 

[Pilgrim]

I'm pleased to announce that I have officially stepped into the 90s automotively...I traded by BMW 535i for a 5 string electric bass, sold the Celica Convertible to someone who doesn't seem worried about the structural rust, and my 85 Continental finally died today. Several windows quit going up and down, the driver's door sagged so much it wouldn't stay latched, and would open all by itself on the interstate, and the heater core was leaking so much it threatened to kill me with fumes from the coolant. The capper today was a fried water pump that puked all of the coolant on the ground and killed the sturdy old 302 V8, with 171,152 miles on it.

I needed wheels TODAY so I could get to work tomorrow, so I dropped the huge sum of $300 on a 1991 Audi 100 Quattro 5 speed sedan. I have officially, perhaps temporarily, left the 80s in the dust.

Dave, keep my PM address handy if you have problems. We put a TON of miles on a 1984 5000 Turbo and a 1990 200, so I'm thoroughly checked out on the Audi type 44 chassis cars. There is a fantastic resource at http://www.audifans.com/ ....I'm sure a ton of my old posts are in there.

WONDERFUL cars to drive, and the 5-speed is a great transmission. That 100Q is one of the greatest road cars ever built!

And yes, the 280ZX has the velour upholstery but no diamond buttons or tufts...and it's pretty threadbare by now.

 

[davestlouis]

Thanks Pilgrim! I just spent 30 minutes scrubbing the leather steering wheel rim...how gunk gets built up on the wheel is a mystery to me, but it was a mess...oddly enough the Conti had the same build up on the wheel when I bought it. I'll let it dry overnight and hit it with some Lexol conditioner and it should be OK.

I expect to gradually clean this car up, so that in a month it's a presentable daily driver. The hood is peeling, so I'm going to hit it with maroon Scotchbrite, then shoot it with spraycan lacquer, let it sit for a day or two, sand with 2000 grit wet paper and buff...it won't be beautiful, but it'll be presentable.

David Conwill, I'd love to move backward in time, automotively, but rust has killed almost everything pre-1980 around here. I also only have the budget and time for one car at the moment, and I'd feel silly going on sales calls in a 35 year old car. If I find a 4 door T-Bird from the late 60s-early 70s I'd have to buy it, no matter what!

 

[davestlouis]

There must be something wrong with me...I find myself admiring atomiceratom's GM's more than javelina's 911sc. That Porsche is a pretty one though...is it at the stock ride height? It looks low to me, but a "good" low, not freaky lowrider low.

 

[MisterCairo]

My '87 Crown Vic:

I bought it a couple of months ago from a 93 year old woman who kept it in her garage undriven for the past 10 years - only 32,000 original miles and in like-new condition. It's the first Big American Car I've ever owned and I've come to love driving it. There's something very reassuring about piloting 2 1/2 tons of steel in a world of little plastic cars...

It'll soon be the end of an era. Crown Vics and Mercury Grand Marquis are made in St. Thomas, Ontario, along with Lincoln Town Cars, and the plant is scheduled to shut down next year. All three models will be gone. Police forces across Canada are crying, as the CV is the most popular cruiser by far.

 

[David Conwill]

It'll soon be the end of an era. Crown Vics and Mercury Grand Marquis are made in St. Thomas, Ontario, along with Lincoln Town Cars, and the plant is scheduled to shut down next year. All three models will be gone. Police forces across Canada are crying, as the CV is the most popular cruiser by far.

That's the last body-on-frame passenger car being produced, isn't it? Too bad. American manufacturers do best when they stick to American cars, IMO.

Instead of ending production, they should expand the lineup to include a coupe, a couple wagons, and a convertible. Maybe make that all Mercury produces.

I wish I could buy one brand new before production ends.

-Dave