"GeneralMotors was trying to save money."that sentence pretty much explains all you need to know about GM. Of course their idea of saving money is short term, short term, short term; screw the long-term that somebody else's problem and doesn't affect my bonus

I was 16 in 2002 and I wanted a Chevy pickup but my Dad insisted on a sensible sedan. So we picked up an 89 Ciera with the iron Duke. I wasnt thrilled but it turned out to be a GREAT car! Everything you said in this video was spot on! Not fast but not slow, Ice cold air, roomy and reliable can't ask for too much more than that for less than 2K at the time. My parents already had a loaded 94 Century that my dad was super proud of, he fancied himself a good deal maker and scored it for cheap with low miles. Man how things have changed... I would definitely love a part 2 going in depth as far as subtle differences, special editions etc. Especially if you have some info on how GM developed these from the X cars 🙏🏾

I’ve always been a huge fan of the GM A Cars, so much so that at age 20 I bought me a brand new sinister-looking black ‘87 Century T-Type with the 3.8 SFI. I didn’t care if it was meant for someone older - I loved that thing. And it could haul, as I soon realized by the growing array of speeding tickets I started accumulating that year.

1985 Cutlass Ciera with the 3800 and the four-speed automatic - the first new car I bought, in part because I liked driving my mom's 1982 Cutlass. While it was no hot rod, the 3800 was a little ripper that could easily move out when called upon. It was in the shop several times for a variety of reasons - but that didn't bother me because it always seemed to be covered under warranty. It did develop a serious clear-coat paint issue, and Oldsmobile also covered the repaint under warranty. Olds only covered a basic repaint taping off all trim. I didn't want it to look like an obviously repainted car, so I made a deal with the dealer's body shop to bring the car to them with all lights, trim, moldings, and emblems removed. The dealer body shop had a fabulous body shop - I got it back with no orange peel or runs, it looked terrific, and was worth the extra effort on my part. I later gave the car to my mom when I did my graduate studies in Boston, and she traded it in for an Olds Bravada when the Ciera trans took a dump.

My mom had an '84 Pontiac 6000. 2 barrel Chevrolet 60 degree pushrod V6, a decent if not spectacular suspension, decent styling. A little cramped, but a decent driving car overall. My parents put an 80 pound bag of salt in the trunk during the Michigan winters [they lived in Temperance, which was very rural] with the idea that it made the car handle better in the snow. I kept telling them the car was FRONT WHEEL DRIVE and that weight in the rear just made the car want to spin out....But parents are parents, you cannot tell them anything~ GREAT video!

The Olds Ciera was an excellent car, especially the early to mid 90s models. I had a 96 Ciera. EXCELLENT CAR! I've been a Ford person all my life, but I will happily admit that my Ciera was one of the most comfortable and best handling cars I've ever driven. I drove mine for 175,000 miles with little trouble. Loved it. The Ciera ran from 86 to 96 and was hugely popular and you still see a lit of them on the road.

Ohh man this brings back memories. I had an 84 Celebrity and when you mentioned the steering rack issue I immediately knew what you were talking about. It's real fun when the power assist stops working when you're trying to make a turn. Only other major thing I remember was it would engage the converter lockup with a huge shudder that would shake the car. It had a bench seat that was fairly comfortable, and the 2.8L was decent power. My buddy had a Celeb with the 2.5L and the fuel economy blew the V6 away. He would get high 30s regularly.

My parents owned an 87 Century with the Duke in it when I was a kid. The whole family loved the car. Got awesome gas mileage and ran great.

My stepdad brought a new Century "Olympic Edition" in 1984, white with tan/brown interior, special gold badging, alloys and V6. That car was kick *ss and never any trouble. I'd love to have another 🤍🤎💛

That duck or goose appearing at 8:38 and paddling from right to left across your screen is hauling the mail!

I LOVE the 'special' versions of the A's - Adam mentions the AWD 6000 STE, which was awesome, but there was also the Cutlass International, the Celebrity Eurosport VR, and the one year only Century Gran Sport.

This channel is a great way to visually go back in time. Lots of great memories when seeing a lot of these cars. And very interesting information on them as well. Great channel Adam!

After watching this video, it got me missing 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera SL. That was not only my 2nd car I've purchased, but 1 of the best cars I've owned. The 3.1 liter V6 and 4 speed automatic transmission was solid. Had zero issues. I had the car for 12 years!!!! From March of 2002 to April of 2014. They just don't make cars like that anymore. 😢❤👍🏾

My dad was a traveling salesman in the 80’s, he had an 85 Buick Century, it was a diamond blue, beautiful car, loved the Delco stereo, comfy seats, quiet and very cold a/c. He bought mom an 86 Honda Accord LXI, the Buick had the 3.0 V6. I used to like the Honda for its sportiness but the Century was actually more comfortable. Dad had over 200k miles on it when he got rid of it. He also put a slightly bigger white wall on his and it looked like a Cadillac of the same era. He handed me a Nissan Stanza that was his previous car but the girls actually liked the Buick over the Honda or Stanza. I missed it when he got rid of it. The Honda died early, 117k miles, stanza went at 350k.

The 3300.. 3.3 liter Buick V6 was an awesome engine. Offered from 1989-1993. A 3800 but smaller with no balance shaft. Very good reliability. I will put this engine up against anything Toyota or Honda gas ever made. 33 + mpg on the highway. The 3.0 V6 did have bottom end issues. The biggest problem was the oil pump would seize up and twist the driven shaft into a licorice stick. The carburetor on these was a Rochester dual jet. It was actually a good carburetor. The carburetor that had issues was the Rochester varajet. The 2.8 V6's has those. 1980 to 1982 Citation iron duke also had this carb.

Thanks for this video, this brought back a lot of memories. My wife’s first car was an ‘85 Celebrity wagon with the 2bbl 2.8 liter V-6…great car and drove it over 200k miles…and yes the car did eventually suffer “morning sickness”. My uncle also sold Chevrolet in the late ‘80s and I loved when he drove the Celebrity Eurosport as his demos. And at the time I also lived near GM’s Framingham, MA assembly plant where many of these A-bodies were built until 1989.

I mentioned previously having a 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity. It had the 2.5 Iron Duke engine. I totally understand going from a smooth and refined GM V8 to a "tractor like " engine in the 4 cylinder. It did prove reliable/fair gas mileage. It was definitely better suited for the Chevrolet S10!

When I was in highschool there were still tons of Cutlass Cieras in the parking lot. Those things were actually good cars.

I had an '87 Celebrity with the 2.5 engine...dead reliable...good on gas...comfortable commuter car...thanks for the great videos you create.

I had a 1985 Chevy EuroSport, 2 door coupe which was pretty rare config. Bought new. Black with red pin stripes, blackout trim and light grey cloth, bucket seat interior, center console shift. Alloy wheels, Goodyear Eagle radials. Loved the interior, incredibly comfortable with great seats, just the right firmness and side support. 2.8L V6 was a decent engine. Had the car for 4 years before kids came along and 2 door wasn’t practical. Thanks for the video.

I still see Cieras and Centuries everywhere. Celebrities and 6000s are harder to find. When production of the A-body Ciera ended in 1996, it was the bestselling car in the Oldsmobile lineup. The Aurora, Intrigue and Alero were good cars (which I also still see everywhere), but really, Oldsmobile as a viable brand ended with the Ciera.

I was a tech at a Pontiac dealership from 84-87, and we sold a ton of 6000's. I owned a 90 6000 with a 3.1 that was a fantastic car. It got fantastic fuel economy, great power, very comfortable, easy to drive. All in all, a great car. One job I did at the dealership was replacing a 4.3L diesel in a 1982. That one was a monster to work on. Very tight. As for steering racks, I changed a ton of them at the dealer. We would always flush the pump and lines at the time we changed them.

I bought a pontiac 6000 LE 2.8 three years ago somehow only had 27k miles and great condition at least interior. Has been super reliable. I love it!!

I had a '87 Celebrity Eurosport wagon with a 5 speed manual transaxle. I bought it from a courier company for $200 in 1993 I ran that 2.8 MFI up to 440k miles before it rusted away. Great car, wish I had it now.

I had an 88 6000 S/E which I owned 16 years...loved it! Before this car,I went to see the celebrity eurosport and when the salesman was telling me the options...he mentioned 4 cylinder engine and I told him no thank you!

The celebrity eurosport VR was pretty unique with the body kit.

I had a Olds Ciera in my early twenties and I absolutely loved that car. I traded the car later on for a Chevy Blazer. Two years ago I was searching for a backup vehicle and steered toward the Ciera. I ended up purchasing a 1994 Ciera S with...22K original miles. An older woman in her eighties had the car 17 years and bought the car with 12K on the odometer. She absolutely adored that car according to her son. It has the 3.1L V6 and it is a great, peppy little car. I still stare across the street and smile. It has its little quirks since the woman barely drove the car but for the most part it is a great car. I would love a Part 2!

The Gauge Cluster on my 1986 6000 LE was the coolest thing I'd seen. I was easily impressed as a teen.

My Dad had a 1989 Pontiac 6000 ( 2.8L v6 MFI) purchased new. He hated it because sometimes it would not sta He went out and bought a 1994 Mercury GM and gave me the 6000. I soon found out that the fuel gauge was defective and it indicated a half tank when it was empty. I drove the car back to Texas from South Florida making sure I filled up at every opportunity. That car got 30 mpg with my family of 5 and a trunk full of luggage. I was impressed with the gas mileage, super cold a/c , and generally comfortable. After having it for a short time I had to change the intake manifold gasket because of leaks. Sometime later the transmission started leaking fluid (profusely) from the left drive shaft. It would drive as long as you kept pouring ATF in. I had my trusted mechanic check it out. He told me that the faulty part was very cheap but the labor was going to be very high because the transmission had to come out. With those news I sold it to a neighbor cheap. The car had very low miles and it was like new. It waa a fun car to drive and for some weird reason it felt very much like a 1987 Volvo 740 I had in my fleet at the time. If I could find a 6000STE in decent shape and cheap I would buy it.

My Uncle had a white Celebrity Eurosport wagon for years. Rare to see a Eurosport trim package on a wagon I would think.

I saw that magazine when it was new (I was a 16 year old car geek) and bought it. I recently found it and re-read the article. My experience with the A-body is my mom had a 1987 Century Limited coupe with a padded vinyl roof. It was a good car that lasted for years and drove great. Lots of luxury features for the time. Great channel Adam.

I agree with everything you said about the early 80s A bodies. My mom had an 81 Buick Skylark that she only kept 2 years, because someone out of the blue offered to buy it from her. The engine was so noisy she was glad to get rid of it. We found her a new 83 Pontiac 6000 with 2.8 V-6. A lot nicer car, but the rack went out in the 20,000 mile range. The alternator went bad, then the transmission lever came loose, wouldn't shift to reverse or drive. It was a nice car when things were working, but we got her a Toyota '88 Camry to replace it. Was reliable, as one would expect. Problems with the GM reliability drew many people to the Toyotas, Hondas, and Nissans.

About 11 years ago I bought - at auction - a clearcoat devoid black 1989 Pontiac 6000 LE for $380. My plan was to drive the car through the winter as a designated beater for the winter and sell it on my lot to recoup my $$. Well, a buddy had a radio for the car [it came with none, as someone had removed it] so now the car had tunes. The 2.8 L engine was peppy and got mileage in the mid 20s, with zero oil usage or leakage - the trans worked perfectly. It had cool factory aluminum wheels and a spotless burgundy interior, with power everything, functional factory amber fog lamps, cruise and rear window defroster. My paint guy's brother-in-law needed a slick car and he was in need of a vehicle. I had a slick 1990 Chrysler New Yorker in need of a 3.3 engine, taken as a token trade. He was mechanic, not afraid of the 3.3, so I gave him the Chrysler to paint the car. Did I mention it [Pontiac] was black? Max had my 6000 [it is now spring] for 5 weeks. Stripped all the external bolt on stuff [taillight assemblies, grille, etc] massaged all the little dings and dents, sprayed about 5 color coats on and a couple coats of clear. It was better than new! All said, I probably had about $1,500 hard dollars in the car; after paint I put tires, repaired a couple doodads and put a good stereo with bluetooth in the car - but I drove it, trouble free, for about 8 years. It went from NE Oklahoma, where I live , to the suburbs of Chicago, to central Missouri, to the Gulf coast. Was a GREAT car.

Worked at a Pontiac-Buick dealership here in Ottawa, CA for the 87 and 88 model years - loved the Buick Century Limited. The velour on the Buicks competes very closely with the velour in the Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. So many fond memories of those days - especially when the executive from the GM zone office showed up in the new Bonneville SSE. I was always given the keys to the car to do a major in/out cleanup every Friday afternoon while the dude was signing/approving a stack of warranty repairs.

Having worked on and driven alot of these cars, I find that the revised phase 2 (1989+) tend to be the most reliable, especially when equipped with the V-6 and 4 speed auto transmission. The 91+ 3.1v6 and 4t60E is the combo to get if looking for smoothness and reliability. However, the "special" models such as the T-Type, STE, STE AWD, Eurosport VR, etc are definitely more interesting than the later homogenized cars. Even to this day in mid east rural Ohio, its not uncommon to see a Cutlass Ciera or Buick Century still reliably putting along. Great video as always!

My aunt had a 1984 Pontiac 6000, very nice car and later in High School 1990 a friend of mine drove his parent's 1986 Celebrity Eurosport with the 2.8 MPFI V6. That thing booked it and both cars had awesome sounding Delco sound systems. The Celebrity had the 5 band EQ.

I was a GM loyalist from '65 - '82 and my last GM car was an '82 Pontiac 6000 with the Iron Duke. It was a decent car, but I was not happy with the CV boots rupturing after only 3 years and the AC compressor failing plus I had started an outside sales job that required driving 45,000 miles a year. So finding a car with the best mechanical component durability became a #1 priority. My research led me to Toyota and in 1986 I purchased my first Toyota (a Corolla) and owning it forever converted me to the brand mainly because Toyota mechanical component durability was typically around 500,000 miles or more. Toyota never made interiors as rich looking and feeling as the 1960's - '80's GM cars, however, so if it were still possible to buy a car like a new 1967 Caprice I would buy one for it's rich looking and feeling interior, it's roomy and deeply padded bench seat and its superb ride comfort and quietness.

Love the A-body. I had a less common 87 Ciera with the 3.8 (pre-3800). Light car with nice torque.

My parents owned the 83’ Pontiac Phoenix with iron duke. And 1988 Olds Delta 88 with the 3800, my dad loved that engine.

These cars are one of the reasons that camrys and accords are still selling well today .

I had an 84 or 85 cutlass cruiser wagon 3 later that I got when my grandfather passed away. It was my college car for going to McPherson college restoration program. I drove the hell out of that car a car bumped up the timing ,opened opened up the exhaust. it was surprising reliable I did always run good clean high quality oil in it. It was the quickest heating car I've ever had I would get heat out of the Vents by the time I got to the end of the drive of way!

I think you should do more content on the GM B-Body platform. That 77 Impala you have is amazing. My first car was a 77 Impala. It wasn't anything like yours though. Mine was a worn out baby blue beater with a 305 single barrel. But I loved it so much I ended up with a few more B-Body cars through the years. 1980 Olds Delta 88, 1984 Buick Electra, and my favorite 1988 Caprice Classic Brougham. I miss those cars. The 96 Buick Roadmaster sedan I currently drive just isn't the same. The LT1 engine and 4L60E transmission are better than the previous generation. But I'd gladly give up power to have the boxy styling

These bring back memories as a kid as my mom drove her 1983 6000 from 84 until 96 and the first car I ever drove was in driver’s ed and that was a Celebrity. Don’t forget the Celebrity Eurosport VR. I think that was the goofiest A body of them all.

Great Video! As a child of the 80’s and teen of the 90’s …these cars were everywhere. If I would have had to pick one to own it would have been the 6000(87-91 model) preferably the STE. My dad had a green 96 Century (not by choice)as a company car after having a GP 4 door prior to. I remember when we went to pick up his Century company car and turn in the GP the disappointment we all had…it by then was the ugliest thing on the lot and the salesman agreed. Imo they should have ended production of them all in 90 when the W bodies became available in 4 door…because basically from 91-96 they were just outdated granny mobiles that filled rental lots.

I'm 73 today..."Thanksgiving Day"...as it was in 1949, petty sure my Mom did not have to cook, haha! Have owned 83 vehicles and am sure you know more than myself! However, one of my EASIEST mechanical fives on my '84 Celebrity Wagon was replacing the steering rack as the rebuilt unit was $75 and only took an hour+ of my time. Two 8' bolts plus the "Dogbone".."wham,bama, Thank you Mam!" OWENED MANY OF THECARS YOU'VE SHOWN

I’m sitting in a 1988 Buick century right now watching videos. Runs like a champ. Needs a paint job tho. Inside real nice and comfortable seats.

Family bought a 82 Celebrity CL V6 in 86 with 20,000 miles. Previous owner was a housewife of a GM employee who only drove the car to make 2 mile trips to the supermarket. One day in 87, my dad realized the water coolant had mixed in with the engine oil in the intake manifold and had to do an engine rebuild. After the engine rebuild, the car lasted up to around 98,000 miles until my parents decided to get rid of the car in 92. They then bought a then new 93 Beretta with the 3.1 V6 to replace it which lasted 103,000 miles.

I owned a 1988 Chevy Celebrity 2.8 liter multi-port V6 medium gray metallic four door sedan (purchased new) that I finally said goodbye to in 2021. It had 513,779 original engine miles on it. AC and radio long stopped working, but it was warm as toast inside during cold weather. Three of the four power windows worked, as well as the cigarette lighter (I don't smoke, so it was never really used). Shocks and struts were shot, but when it was on the highway it was smooth sailing just like the day I drove it off the dealer's lot. Chrome bumpers and whitewall tires. What finally forced me to give it up was when I was told it would not pass inspection because the undercarrige rust was pretty bad (30 plus years of New York State winters will do that). Boy, do I miss that car!

Thanks! Love the content!!! I miss seeing the A Bodies on the road.

My first car was an 89 buick century. Good car. Reliable. Rode like an old truck and burned oil, but I never had any engine problems. Transmission problems on the other hand...

I had an 83 and an 86 Cutlass Ciera back in the day. The 86 is still the best car I’ve ever owned.

Dad had a dark blue Celebrity Eurosport wagon in 86. I totaled it, which he then bought a Eurosport sedan. Great cars. But that wagon was just stunning.

I remember going to Disneyland in 1988 and GM was sponsoring it and had a full line display. I recall a cool Buick LeSabre T Type Coupe. It looked good imo.

Loved these cars - I had three. 88 600 LE, 85 and 86 Ciera. My 85 Ciera was a strange car. It had the 4 cylinder but fully loaded including seats. I remember being too afraid to use the air conditioning as I assumed the engine was too anemic and I’d overheat. Now I use it all the time in my ATS 2.0T AWD coupe! The power antenna was front mounted whereas my 88 6000 was rear.

Hey Adam, I love the tranquil setting, the pond behind you looks very inviting!!! I think that the early eighties was kind of a low point for GM, for the entire US auto industry for that matter!!! Thanks for sharing another informative video!!! 👍👍🙂

Always amazes me, in the 1980s everyone was downsizing in cars and about 15 years later everyone started buying big SUVs and trucks. By the way going down the freeway a older Lexus on the on ramp in front of me and I thought to myself, Toyota sure didn't hide the Camry on that Lexus. The early 80s Riviera's were sure nice good cars , some people bought several of them over the 7 years they built that car

About this video you released, I was never a person that like these A body's, my favorite of the 80s GM cars has to be the J car , I owned or rented several Cavaliers and fell in love with it, in my foster family there was my foster brother who had the X car ( 82 Skylark) which was nice but the engine seemed like it was disconnected from the chassis, then my foster Aunt had the unknown year A body Celebrity w/ the 2.8L, and then the odd ball of the bunch was my foster father with his 82 Eldorado, we were a GM family for while there back in the late 80s

I grew up in the GM A Body cars. My Dad traded our '78 Chevy Malibu Classic Wagon (which was a very reliable vehicle) for an '86 Buick Century Limited Estate Wagon. He ordered it with the carbureted 2.8L V6. This was disappointing as we had test driven the 3.8L equipped wagon. The 2.8 engine had barely enough power to move the heavy wagon, but the car was extremely reliable and was excellent in the snow. Later on in the early 1990s I purchased a used '86 Pontiac 6000 STE sedan. It had the "high output" fuel injected 2.8L V6. Lots of fun with that car. It was an oddball car as it was an early '86 model built in late '85. It still had the "X" type intake manifold. My friend had a later '86 model that had the newer "2.8 Multi Port FI" intake manifold. Learned how to wrench on it fixing various GM flaws on that car. As for "quirky" versions, the Chevy Celebrity had the Eurosport package that gave the car blacked out trim, ground effects, a unique interior, and aluminum wheels. They even offered the package on their wagons, which looked a little odd with the ground effects kit.

I love all the "inside baseball" information your channel has. I started my subscriptions to Car and driver, Road & Track, Hot Rod, at 14 years of age in 1972. I was 12 when I got my 1st car. It was a navy blue 4 door 1960 Buick Electra (not a deuce and a quarter)( it was free and already on our property) The magazines were always big on telling us all about the "What" of new cars, but very little about the reasons "Why" behind them. My wife's first new car was a left over 1985 5 door 4 cyl. Citation II that her Dad picked out for her (He was notoriously cheap, and I had not met her yet). Of course I bought the Shop Manual for the car to do the work on it . The shop manual also covered all the A bodies as well. because it seems that GM used the '84 and '85 X-bodies to implement fixes for all the more pressing defects of the model so that they wouldn't be be passed along to the A-bodies which GM absolutely needed to hit a home run with. For example the throttle body single point fuel injection to get a smidge more power (along with roller lifters and a stainless steel tubular header) and improved drivability. Also the hydraulic motor mounts to address engine shaking issues. There were still issues with the power steering racks and typical GM rapidly wearing door hinge pins and sagging coil springs that I am pretty sure GM used to get their customer base to trade in their cars more frequently . They could no longer get away with that once folks started to drive Corollas and Civics that were cheaper to buy and didn't fall apart as quickly. She had a head gasket fail at 60K and My comment to the Shop Manager at the dealership was How the hell could a head gasket fail on an engine with both cast iron block and head and 8-1 compression at 60K when they used to be able to build massive big V8's like my '67 Goats with 10.5 to 1 compression and other engines that were even higher that would out live the car!

I drove a rental 3.8 Buick century back in '92. Very comfortable and a torquey engine.

I remember when these cars came out. The windshield was steeply racked, like the Ford Tempo. I believe the Pontiac 6000's hood did extended to the grill /headlights. No filler plastic like it's cousin cars. Interesting information you provided.

I recall reading somewhere that GM spent effort tuning the A-body to feel like a B-body. To feel heavy, if that makes sense.

A friend had one of these about 14 years ago, a '95 Cutlass Ciera sedan with the V-6. It was such a pleasant, nondescript transportation module. The funny thing about that car is that they were EVERYWHERE in NV and CA. And even today, it's not that unusual to see a Cutlass Sierra or Century runing around -- but never the Celebrity or 6000. I refer to them as cockroaches, since they are (were) everywhere and won't die!

This has quickly become my favorite KZfaq channel, and that encompasses a breadth of bandwidth! I covet your 66 Catalina 389 2bbl and the Bonneville 428. Wish I could do some Pontiac Widetracking today. Well done.

I ordered a Ciera ES 3.8L the first year of production. No one else had the 3.8L at that time. It took 9 months to get it. The radio died on the way home and the car went downhill from there. It had transmission troubles (they knew about it but sent them out anyways) and they just stalled recalling them for months. Half the bolts under the hood had yellow paint on them and I found out later that was so the mechanics would know that they were metric. The non painted one were SAE thread’s. The mechanics told me that they would have to lower the engine cradle to change the firewall side spark plugs. They had to call Detroit to find out where the oil filter was. It was hidden under a cross member and couldn’t be seen or removed until you removed the cross member. And the list goes on. I never bought another American car again. I did buy a Mopar truck and van but they had their problems too. In rust we trust. Lucky me.

This brings back great memories. I bought an 83 2dr Celebrity with a 2.8 V6. I loved this car - nice ride, nice interior, sporty looking, good performance, excellent traction in winter. The first year the steering rack went south. The dealer had a sport version of the rack which he switched in. Had a shorter turn ratio which I never liked as well as the original. There was a rear brake lock up issue which got worse with time. Changed out brake pads, emergency brake cables (several times) but nothing seemed to help. During a drive down a slippery winter road I just touched the brakes, the rear brakes locked up sending me and the family spinning off the road. Later that year while a garage was installing new tires, the mechanic informed me my brakes were shot. After protesting that the pads were new and it had passed a safety inspection, he showed me stains on the the rotors. I dismissed this as water spots, and he then poked a screwdriver through the rotor. It was just “polished rust”. The result was a significantly reduced front braking ability. Apparently the rotor castings on these cars were porous and were prone to rusting internally. New front rotors fixed the lock up problem.

I wouldn't buy one but I do appreciate the nostalgia trip back to the 80s when I see these.

I loved my 95 Ciera. 115k miles for $500. Lasted a week before the axle dusted through the frame. Fun while it lasted

Love my A bodies! Have an 86 celeb sedan 2.8 V6 carb 54K miles, driven only on nice days, 95 Ciera sedan 3100 V6 garage stored last 18 years, and 88 Ciera coupe 2.5 duke, just a woods beater, cut trunk section off, now its a notchback!

Spot on advice on these cars Adam, avoid 1982-1986 cars like the plague. My friend’s mom had an 85 Celebrity with the Iron Duke, and while comfortable with decent fuel economy was broken down often, interior and exterior pieces literally falling off it, and scary dangerous brakes in snow or rain (rear lock-up on snow was nearly instantaneous). His grandparents had a 1991 Century with the 3.3 V6, which was nearly bulletproof (being thoroughly abused by 16-17 year old drivers), braking sorted out and much improved build quality. That V6 was a great engine, torquey and smooth with remarkably good 30-85 mph passing power.

I remember my mother's 1986 Oldsmobile Delta 88 with the power steering "morning sickness". I believe it had a 3.0 with fuel injection.

We own a relatively rare 93 Cutlass Cierra SEL, which was highly optioned, including the 3.3 liter V6 with multipoint fuel injection and 4 speed automatic with lockup, GM remote start (we kept being told no one had ever seen another Cierra that came from the factory with auto start), automatic climate control, power everything (windows, door locks, mirrors, seats, etc). Although high mileage (something like 260,000 km), it was in excellent condition at the time. Unfortunately in January 2001 I parked it beside our barn, because my wife wanted a small station wagon and we had just bought a 2000 Saturn SW2. We never got around to selling it and it still sits there today. I took a look at it yesterday and all 4 hubcaps (the winter tires were on steel rims with hubcaps from a lesser equipped Cierra) have fallen off due to the tabs rusting away. The body still looks in good condition from above but the interior reeks of dampness and I suspect the grass under the car will have rusted out the undercarriage badly. That car was always 100% reliable and had a very smooth, relatively powerful 3.3 V6 that gave it a sense of quality that our previous 1986 Cutlass Cierra didn't have with its less refined 2.8 liter carbureted V6. It is sad that I didn't park it indoors somewhere because it truly was in exceptional condition when we stopped driving it, with a flawless body (not even a single spec of surface rust anywhere), and literally every single option, including the rare stock GM remote start and rare automatic climate control, with ice cold AC, all still working flawlessly.

My favorite variant was the '85 Buick Century T-Type with the 3.8L. They had enough power to be peppy and sounded nice for the time. The '85 T-Type grille looked the best to me.

Had one of each. 82 Buick Century V6, 84 Buick Century V6, 85 Pontiac 6000 V6, 86 Chevy Celebrity 4 cylinder, 86 Olds cutlass Ciera 4 cylinder and was my favorite of them all. Bought them all cheap back in the late 90s. Last one I had was a 88 Buick Century 4 cylinder back in 08-09 that I got for free from my grandparents. Drove it for like a year and brought it to the scrap yard due to severe rust.

We had a number of Buick Centuries from this generation. All with a V6 and all lasted over 250,000 with little problems. The A bodies might have looked the same on the outside but the interiors did a good job of maintaining GM's hierarchy of brands.

My mother bought an 89 Electra t type new. It had yellow turn signals in the rear and the 3800. It was way ahead of the imports with power seats, locks, mirrors, exterior temperature, climate control, 16 inch alloys. It had a cool center console and 3 point steering wheel. Also, a two pipe exhaust outlet, and silly luggage rack on the trunk. I used to compare it to the Olds 88 and this Electra was way more plush and sporty. Good looking with those turn signals down low

I'm mesmerized by the background... Aren't you?

I was gifted a 1985 Cutlass Ciera Brougham 2.5, had 40,000 miles at the time. So much nostalgia. Thing was really reliable, just had a drain related to the cassette head unit. It was easy to make fun of in the early 2000s from engine perspective. We will never have a car with that much of an open cabin again and visibility again, so comfortable.

We had 4 A Bodies in my family. Three X chevy celebrity and a Pontiac 6000. I remember my cousin Tim's Celebrity the most. It was a two door RS 2.8 that was black over champagne. I miss them all and would love to have them back

Loved my H body 1991 88 Royale dark blue pearl metallic even had the gauge package.

Grew up and live in the Boston area. These were the last cars that came from the GM Framingham plant near me. That plant closed in 88. Its still there, home of a massive auto auction, Adesa.

Great topic. We have had plenty of A body cars in the family and a few years back an older gentleman sold his 1994 Cutlass Ciera with a 3.3, only 30k…1200$ and mint. I was so impressed with that car….smooth, comfortable , reliable and fast, not the best handling but a well rounded vehicle.

Very interesting conversation. I enjoy your chats and would love to hear more on the GM A bodies

The Olds Ciera was very popular in the rural midwest. One set of grandparents had one ( a '87). I drove it a few times. Soft ride, hard to get into the back seat, under powered (it had the iron duke 4). Front seats very comfy. I last was in one about 1995 when a visitor to my work had a rental and we went out to lunch, so one of the last ones. Even today, you occasionally see a later Ciera chugging around this area. The Chevy and Buick versions are pretty much extinct.

Great show! I rode in an '84 or '85 front-drive Pontiac 6000 STE briefly at a dealership, rode as a passenger in a plain early-80s Chevy Celebrity sedan on an inter-county road trip, and briefly drove an '85 or '86 Buick Century V6 sedan, nicely trimmed. I was impressed with the STE and the Century. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why GM never offered any of the A-body base sedans with the new-for-1988 Quad4 engine. The Quad4 might've been a little rough, but it had smoke and got great gas mileage. I think it would have made a great replacement for the "Iron Duke" (aka "Iron Duck"). It also boggles the mind why GM didn't move faster in giving Buick's 3.8 V6 the "Series 3800" treatment, and making that motor more widely available and sooner. Maybe GM should have given the Duke the "Series 3800" treatment as well. It also blows me away that GM went to the lengths of investing all that money in their downsizing and modernization program, but they let the cars leave the factory with inferior paint jobs and only three-speed automatics instead of four-speeds with overdrive. Even Ford was quick to get that right with the Taurus and Sable. It would be interesting, by the way, for you to do a comparison show on the mid- to late-80s rivalry between the mid-size bread-and-butter passenger sedans, showing how these new wave cars competed with each other. How did the Taurus' introduction affect GM? How did other competitors affect the Taurus and the A-cars? That would be an interesting segment. Thanks for sharing.

I live in Michigan too and I can't remember the last time I saw a Pontiac 6000 STE. Beautiful cars. Especially in that dusty rose color they had. I liked how the guages were displayed across the dash. Iron Duke? You can STILL hear those running in the squarish U. S. Mail delivery trucks.

We grew up with a 1984 Celebrity 2.8 V6. Mom and dad Pulled a tent trailer all over Alberta and BC with it.

My dad special ordered an 85 celebrity wagon with the 4 cylinder a four speed manual and a bench seat. We never saw another like it.

Thanks, Adam. I'm jonesing for a later 7-passenger wagon, and this gives me valuable tips to use in my search.

My parents had a 1985 Celebrity and it was a nice car and fairly stylish. My daily driver is a 1994 Century Special. It's been a very reliable car.

I bought my aunt's 1992 Olds 88 in 1999. In 2002, the seals blew out on the steering rack, and it got traded for a 1999 Chrysler Concord LXi. Talk about different cars!

It's funny how rare all these super common cars of the 80s have become. They were just drove into the ground and then crushed as soon as they needed a big repair. The early 90s successor Lumina is another one that was everywhere back in the day and so many of those got crushed due to mechanical issues. The lumina eurosport was actually pretty cool looking but I had one for all of about 6 months and it was nothing but headache after headache and getting left stranded and then the head gasket blew which was the final straw (and the last GM car I ever owned).

I still see one of these Buicks driving around every so often, in decent shape, AC still making the driver comfortable in an Oklahoma summer.

We had a Celebrity Eurosport wagon when I was a kid, it was really ahead of it's time with the blacked out trim and red accents

Very informative. You forgot the Ciera had an International Series sports package with bucket seats and more. There was a Cutlass Ciera GT too. There was a XC coupe too. The Ciera were nice when equipped with the brougham package. You could get digital gauges on the Oldsmobile and Pontiac. I am not sure about the Century, but I bet you could. There was a Century GS too. Chevrolet had the Eurosport trim too. Thank you for sharing. These videos are always interesting. I would love to see you discuss the downsized era 1985-1991 and why GM upsized all the cars properly and what changed. A C or H body or E body discussion would be nice too. Thank you Adam.

My first car was a 1983-84 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cierra. 2.8L. I got it in 1988. My dad said it looked like it had been cut from a bar of soap. It was white with a blue interior. Split bench front seat. Mid-level trim with power doors and windows. It wasnt a quick car by any stretch, but, it could get out of its own way. I remember it being super easy to drive with its over boosted power steering. The powertrain operated relatively smoothly. It always ran great. Never had a problem while I owned it. Being a teenager, I of course upgraded the radio and speakers. Swapped out the chrome saucer wheel covers to something a bit sportier. At the time, I tried my hardest to lessen the grandma vibes. I loved that car then. And now almost 35 years later, I have nothing but fond memories.

Years back we had a Chevy Aveo, I know it's off shore, that lasted forever. It would always start----summer or winter. We drove it till the wheels fell off. It really was worth the money..... Really..... Adam, thanks for your time and work.

I bought an 88 S10 base truck with AC and the iron duke. Only paid $5600 at Bill Heard and I added a rear bumper and a radio/antennae. It was a great noisy truck. Got 30 mpg on the highway at 60 MPH and with the 3.73 rear gears in back and it only weighing about 2500 lbs would spin first, second, and third. Had to do the valve cover gasket about every 12-15K though. It was sealer from the factor and Felpro maid a real dense thich cork that would last a while longer. At least it was an easy one to do.

I only drove a Celebrity Eurosport once as a rental and although it wasn't bad, I can't say it left any lasting impression. Thanks for the interesting history but I really don't miss them.

I really enjoy your show.