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

[davestlouis]

I graduated from high school in 1985, and find myself drawn to the cars my parents' friends and friends' parents drove in the early to mid-80s. Some people who have known me for a long time might argue that I still dress the same, but that's a discussion for another time.

I have fond, if a little fuzzy, memories of riding around in the back of a brown 79 Fleetwood, drunk as a loon, and driving an early 80s Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser that belonged to a friend's dad, not drunk, thankfully. I recall the first new BMW I ever sat in, an early 80s 320i, light blue with navy vinyl interior. My neighbor the hotshot attorney bought that.

Anyway, I'm buying a new car later this morning, doing some horse-tradin' really. It's a 1985 Toyota Celica GT-S convertible. it will fit in beautifully with my other rolling stock, an 85 Continental and an 86 BMW 535i.

Cars from the 80s aren't appreciated as classics yet, but I have to imagine that these are the cars that folks in their 40s would have an interest in...right? It's not just me, I hope.

 

[Gilbey]

Yes, I'm middle aged (45) and my holy grail car is the '82 ...

Although not as potent and powerful as today's Vette, the C3 Mako Shark bodystyle will always be the most exciting "curves" to look at. I'd prefer style more than raw power.

 

[Harp]

My '94 Jaguar XJS' door is frozen stuck.
So much for an early reveille trip to Sud's Laundrymat.

 

[davestlouis]

Gilbey, the exterior door handle on top of the door that push DOWN on the 'Vette was always impressive to me. A neighbor of mine had a 78? Corvette, 2 tone silver and black, it was a pace car or anniversary edition, I don't recall right now. He had always bought Corvettes, then he stunned the 'hood with an 81? 82? Porsche 928, champagne color with brown leather...stunning car, blew me away. I think the 928 in that Tom Cruise film was the same color...can't recall the name of the movie...kid home alone, hires a hooker, etc.

Harp, I haven't tried to open any doors on my carrs since Thursday evening, they may ALL be frozen shut, no telling.

 

[davestlouis]

I was in a weird situation growing up...we lived in a big house, in a very nice neighborhood, but always had less money than the families we lived around, and went to school with. My dad liked to call it genteel poverty...he was a professor and never had an interest in getting rich, but he wanted to live around white collar people, and wanted us raised around upper middle class people.

That meant that we took cheap vacations instead of skiing in Vail, and my parents drove Olds Cutlasses and Dodge Omni's and such, while our neighbors drove S-Class Mercedes and big Cadillacs and Lincolns.

I always lusted after the fancy, high dollar cars from that era. New cars bore me to tears, but 80s cars still get me going.

 

[scottyrocks]

Risky Business

 

[davestlouis]

Risky Business...that's it. I knew somebody here would have a better memory than me.

 

[noonblueapples]

In the last few years I have owned a 1984 and 1988 Porsche 944. I currently have a 1986 Jaguar XJ-S that I am rebuilding the engine on, and I just bought this 1986 XJ6:

but it needs some work before it can take the place of the ratty escort behind it as a daily driver

 

[davestlouis]

Those Series III JXs are beautiful. I like the Alfa too...is that a 164? Looks like the rear wheel is sitting "funny" though on the Alfa.

 

[Harp]

*drools*
What engine does she have?
I've a six-cylinder I6 that bleeds a bit of oil and gives only
fifteen miles per gallon, but it is a joy...when the doors aren't frozen.

 

[noonblueapples]

Surprised you noticed the the wheel on the alfa. The adjuster is broken. The engine on that has dropped a valve. I gave the car to my 13 year old as a project. I have enough extra parts that it should be a pretty straight forward rebuild for him.

The jaguar has the straigt 6 XK engine. the other car I am doing the rebuild on has the V12

 

[davestlouis]

Holy cow, the 5.3liter v12...lots of torque. I had a 95 XJ6 (x300 body) for about a year, what a joy to drive. It was very reliable too, which surprised me. 30mm drain plug on the oil pan too, which amused me to no end. I tried to buy an Alfa like that one about a year ago, the seller thought it was gold-plated, and wouldn't come off a $3500 asking price...and it was a rough old dog.

Rust has eaten a lot of cool 80s cars around here, but the ones with galvanized structures tend to do OK.

 

[Diamondback]

3 '80s cars I aim to acquire:
'84 Firebird. Anyone who's known me for a while around here knows why.
'84? XJ6 Series III. Just like my hero the Equalizer's.
'86 Ford LTD. Men In Black-mobile. 'Nuff said.
And for all three: if they haven't had enough gadgets added to make James Bond crap himself with envy, then my job is not finished.

 

[Viola]

I was born in '84 and the '80s Corvettes, Camaros, and t-top Trans Ams were the epitome of cool in my neighborhood growing up, and in the TV shows I watched when I was five (reruns of the A-Team, MacGuyver, and Knight Rider!). If it had the screaming chicken on the hood and the louvered back window I was there, and drooling on it.

No real attachment to the Jags and more upscale sports cars. Only the ones "the big kids" had.

 

[Jay]

Believe it or not, I actually get a lot of compliments on this old thing...
Nice to see more people appreciate the 80s rides.

 

[davestlouis]

Nice looking car Jay. I got my Toyota today, decent car, traded for a Matco toolbox. It was converted by ASC, and everywhere they cut, it's rusting. I'm going to have to break out the grinding wheel and get to it. If I do that, I might as well attack the rust on the rocker panels on the BMW...the rest of the structure looks OK.

 

[Diamondback]

Jay, that an SE, T/A, Formula or base-model? If the latter, do you still get hit with "Caution Car List" insurance rates on it like you would SE and up?

The fender air-extractors are T/A or Formula, but a competent metalworker can refit those to any F-body. That rib around the swage-line tells me it's either an '85-on or had 'em retrofitted, no spoiler says either non-T/A or removed.

 

[David Conwill]

I've always had a soft spot for boxy GM B-bodies, and FoMoCo Panther platform cars - particularly the Pontiac Parisienne sedan and the Mercury Colony Park (faux woodie) wagon. Until recently, I believed they were the last real American cars anyone would ever build.

-Dave

 

[davestlouis]

If I could find a late 70s Cadillac Seville that wasn't rusted to bits, I'd be all over it...that's the little boxy one based on the Chevy Nova platform. I already had an 83 bustle-back Seville, sea foam green with dark green leather, had the 4100 engine and was anemic! The earlier one had the Olds 350 in it and had some get up and go.

Olds 98s and Buick Electras too cool too, 77-79 and the 80-85, love 'em all!

My wife says I'm ghetto-tastic with all the old iron, but I enjoy driving old cars.

Have any of you tried to buy whitewall tires lately? The selection is SLIM at a normal tire store. Guess nobody wants them but me.

 

[David Conwill]

I actually just put skinny whites on my Falcon. They were called Enduro 75s, I think. They were cheap, but I have no complaints.

-Dave