FWD A-Bodies, one of the staples of CC. Before them, it was B-Bodies. And what will it be when the A-Bodies are gone? It’s happening in front of our eyes, although it’s not exactly going to be tomorrow.
I’m not sure of the exact year, and not in the mood to look through all the subtle variations on their grille textures to figure it out. 1986 or earlier, in any case, thanks to the sealed beam headlights. I wonder just how much money was made on all of these trunk-top racks? WTF? Who ever packed luggage up there? I guess they had to come up with something after the padded vinyl roof business dried up. Equally useless.
All I can think of when I see these is: rental car. Buicks and Olds versions were the staple of the fleets in their day, if you were on a typical business trip expense account. They all blend into one homogenized experience: the nappy seat fabric, the familiar seating position, especially for one who had once had an X-body Skylark as a company car. The slightly raspy drone of whatever flavor of V6 was under the hood that day. And who cared? They all had a lot of initial tip-in, but don’t expect much oomp above 60 or 70. All in all, a highly forgettable experience, yet I can’t seem to forget it. The A Body sticks. And sticks around, a veritable cockroach of the road.
Is there one of you out there above the age of forty or so that’s never driven one, or been in one?
My 1988 Ciera coupe
Ron, it is great to see your latter-day example of the Ciera *coupe* in such fine apparent condition. Yours must be super-rare, and you should be proud of it. Of course you are. It shows.
Thanks, Joseph. It is a SL Coupe model M37 which was $11,845 plus $425 destination charge, equaling $12,270 before options in 1988. It is highly optioned including the top powertrain of the Buick 3.8 liter fuel injected V6 and 4 speed automatic (ME9/MX0) which was $745 extra. The total cost in 1988 was $15,741, excluding tax/title/etc, making it cost more than a base Delta 88 Royale.
It was bought new by 80 y/o Ruth Temple on 10-12-1988 with 48 miles from HARRIS OLDSMOBILE that had been located in Whittier CA. Ruth lived to 98 y/o.
From the Calif Smog history, it was tested for a couple bi-annual smog tests after her death, had a 5 year gap (I am thinking maybe a dead battery), tested again 2 times, then not tested again for 8 years. It being back on the road July 2018.
I buying it 10-2019, then I believing the 43K miles to be original.
Interior:
I always am surprised when I see Cieras with that sweet gauge package, the ones I remember from childhood always used the dull strip speedometer and fuel/temp gauges.
Ruth must’ve sprung for the Truecoat!
Looks a lot like the car my mom’s parents had (also an ’88), except THAT one was a sedan with the 2.5L Iron Duke 4-cylinder. It was bought either new or lightly used from the now-closed Twin City Motors in Batesburg, SC. The former location is now You’re Approved Auto Sales which also has a dealer in Columbia. Interior was mostly the same also, except for the dashboard which looked like this:
The featured car is either an 85 or 86. Not sure if I see a CHMSL. I drove my cousin’s 88 wagon. You’re right, gutless above 70 or so but still very smooth. I was in a colleague’s 94 sedan, that one seemed more powerful at higher speeds.
did they all have bad paint?
Only the tan ones without Tru-Coat.
AND the maroon ones
I’m over 50, almost 60 and have never driven or ridden in one of these cars. A friend’s ex-husband went through two or three of these cars trying to keep them alive long enough to get through their hard times. Every one of them seemed cursed. In the greater Lexington, Kentucky area these cars still survive in enough numbers that you’ll probably see at least one or two anytime you go out.
I came close to riding in a Buick cousin to one of these, but never had any seat time in this family of road machines. They were everywhere in their day, we were surrounded by them. A neighbour had one with a little strip of stupid flags on it for whatever reason GM decided to stick on the thing. I never ventured close enough to inspect all the countries. present.
This image is from Wikipedia.
I’ve seen pics on the internet of various versions and resolutions, but it looks like the countries represented were the United States, Canada, Belgium, Finland, Italy, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Ireland, and (at the time) West Germany. I may have Italy and Ireland reversed, since the flags are so similar.
No idea why these countries’ flags were represented, because I doubt the car was sold in all of those countries, at least not by GM.
And wasn’t a similar strip of flags used in the late ‘70s, on the Cutlass Salon?
I remember that strip too–it was on my mom’s parents’ car. Maybe all the Cutlasses used it.
FWD aside, at one point in my life I likened these to the Volvo 240 for the anti-foreign-car crowd. Roomy inside for the exterior footprint. Fairly simple to repair and maintain. 200k miles wasn’t out of the question with a modicum of attention – certain powerplants seemed more durable than others, although I can’t remember which.
I knew quite a few handypersons and tradespeople that drove the wagons in lieu of vans.
One of these in rental grade was the car my brother in law described as the worst he’d ever driven it was badged Buick and handled appallingly any turn taken at speed felt like the tyres were going to peel off, Handing the first one back at LA airport and flying across the US and getting another in Florida didnt change things, I think I would have asked for something else.
My friend’s brother had one that looked like that to me, and it was a 1982.
They took a cross country trip in it, and said it was very comfortable for that. That one did have big cushy velour seats in a nice blue.
I don’t recall ever seeing one of those racks used for anything, but it’s not like everyone uses every feature that a vehicle offers anyway. (I neverYou “could” use it I suppose. I wouldn’t; they seem kind of weak.
The Olds version of this platform wasn’t very common by me. The later “aero” headlighted ones were, and sort of are, all over the place. I even had a ’95. It wasn’t a great car, but adequate. The 3.1L was a big step above the 2.8L of the earlier cars. Typical GM, improved over time and kept around way too long.
I was editing my earlier comment and my tablet started to freeze as a flourish of ads covered the edit box and I got booted out. So my earlier comment was unfinished and probably has some weird sentences.
But not much weirder than my finished ones.
I’d better leave now before the ads realize I’m back. They are still hungry.
This is a 1985 model, based on the finer textured grill pattern. I guess I can call myself
an “expert” on these cars, since I have owned 4 Cieras and 5 Centurys since 2002.
My current car is a 96 Century. All of mine had the V-6 engine (all 3.1, and one 3.3).
I’ve never owned a 4 cylinder model, although I did test drive a ’96 with the 2.2 4 cyl.
I couldn’t believe the difference, like night and day!
The v-6 models are really great cars. Very comfortable seats, good gas mileage. I
wouldn’t give mine up for anything. The only car I would consider would be a Lesabre/
Park Ave. I often drive my mom’s 99 Lesabre, which she has owned for 8 years, and it is
one of the best cars GM ever made, but I still think the Century is better looking.
I rarely ever see any of the pre ’89 models anymore.
Built 1982-1996, these A-bodies seemed like a familiar old shoe. Surpassed early on by the Ford Taurus and at the end by the Chrysler LH cars, they nevertheless became so common as to become part of the landscape. The fact that they all looked almost the same made the fleet seem even larger.
In their last years they were also durable and reliable. Even GM could work out the bugs with that much time to work on them.
There are still several in my neighborhood, well cared for by older owners.
“Unforgettably Forgettable” – perfect description, Paul. But they were EVERYWHERE back in the day. I’m in the age group you describe and have a few thoughts from experience on all flavors of these except for Cadillac (if there even was one)…
1982: Chevy Celebrity. My first wife and I were considering a new car purchase to replace her aging ‘72 Lemans Coupe. We test drove it. She liked it, but I hated its (lack of) driving dynamics. It was in that ubiquitous light blue that seemed to festoon more than 80% of these things. Hard pass….
1992 or so…. Buick Century Wagon… 1986 model, if memory serves. My second wife and I bought one of these for her son. I drove it. It was better than the Celebrity, but not by much. It served him well giving him the ability to haul his band equipment around. He traded it on an ‘88 T-Bird Sport, so at one point we had 3 ‘88 T-Birds in front of the house, but I digress….
1996-ish. This time, an Olds version. And a cool looking coupe at that! The least unforgettable of the lot… My boss’ boss had a new all white sporty version of one of these in coupe form. That car was actually a looker. Being the sporty model, it was set up with better handling, and presumably a faster engine… anyway, she hated it preferring the coddling (and presumably wallowing) nature of the Park Avenue that preceded it…
Late eighties, early nineties maybe? – the Pontiac Version… 6000 STE that my best friend’s wife owned. Since I never drove my boss’ Olds version, this Poncho was the best as far as driving dynamics went. I got to drive it once when my friend and I took it skiing, instead of his Bonneville. She drives like an old lady and never really pushed its potential, and when it was traded, she went with an appliance (Camry) that suits her needs perfectly to this very day.
Did Cadillac have a version of this car? Or did they learn not to go there after the Cimarron?
No Cadillac A body.
These are indeed cockroaches. One of my parent’s neighbors bought a new Buick sedan before I moved out of my parent’s house in the 1980s. An employee at the half-price bookstore in the shopping plaza / business park where I currently work daily drives a Buick sedan that is frequently parked near my truck. I’ve been seeing FWD GM A-Bodies almost daily for almost 40 years.
Despite their familiarity to me, I think I’ve been in one just once – a rare Oldsmobile coupe with the refreshed roofline. A friend got it as a service loaner from his GM dealer. Maybe I’ve been in others, but the rarity of the coupe made that experience memorable.
I’m almost 54, and I’ve never been in one or driven one. But, lawdy have I seen a gob of these on the roads over the years. There’s still quite a few around here in the Portland-Vancouver area. Not that you see one every day, but you won’t do a double-take if you see one. Unforgettably forgettable. Perfectly stated!
When I see these still running along here in New England I always go back to the Valiants and Darts that used to litter the roads. They were everywhere until one day it seemed like they weren’t. I expect the same will happen with these but I still take notice of when I see one.
I’ll never forget the ‘85 (or so) Cutlass Ciera I drove as a drive away car from Portland Ore to Detroit MIch. it was older than a usual for being a drive away in ‘93, as it had under 36,000 miles. I was tired of the driving the Interstate (driven the route many times) so in western Wyoming I decided to take US26 which follows the Oregon Trail (Wagon ruts are still visible in spots), the car started acting up in Torrington, WY. It got so bad I had to turned around instead of leave town to get it serviced. I can’t recall the exact issue (it was $250 to fix) -something to do with its computer or maybe transmission that was told almost always happen when the car reaches 36,000 miles (when warranty expires). The rest of the trip was uneventful.
I’m 63 and remember these everywhere, even in hard-core import enclaves of the Bay Area. But the only ones I’ve ridden in or driven were rentals. Not very memorable.
What made them even less memorable is that from the side they were hardly distinguishable from their Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Buick siblings.
I wonder just how much money was made on all of these trunk-top racks? WTF? Who ever packed luggage up there? I guess they had to come up with something after the padded vinyl roof business dried up. Equally useless.
I’m not sure how luggage could even be secured to them, the only raised portion to wrap cord around is at the very back, wouldn’t you’re luggage just flip over, IF it’s not so flimsy it won’t just break off.
This concept never went away of course though, vestigial utility is alive and booming. How many people actually are strapping luggage to the luggage racks of these things? 27 people? 28, maybe?
How many people actually are strapping luggage to the luggage racks of these things? 27 people? 28, maybe?
Come out to the PNW (or anywhere where outdoor sports are popular), and you’ll see them everywhere toting ski boxes, bike racks, kayak racks, and just luggage boxes, all attached to the roof racks. Hugely popular.
I used the roof racks on my Cherokee, Grand Caravan and Forester constantly. And I have quick-mount cross bars for my xB, as it didn’t come with a rack.
You need to get out of the city more often. 🙂
Yes, those racks serve as a foundation to which you can attach various kinds of rack or bars. We have kayaks on ours (though I had to also get the whole kit as the car didn’t come with any rack). But I’m leaving the rack part on. Much easier to mount the J-cradles when the rack is in place.
These racks add the Utility so you can practice your Sport. It’s weird seeing SUV’s without the racks, hereabouts they are usually in use as well.
Matt, look closely at a newer Subaru Outback (2010 and on) sometime. It has the large black plasticky side rail looking things on the roof. The crossbars actually in the Outback’s case swing out from the siderails and cross over the roof to mount on the other side. Super convenient so they can be tucked away when not in use. Most others like the one in your pic the crossbars are separate items mounted on the siderails. But yes that’s what all the other stuff then attaches to.
You need to get out of the city more often. 🙂
That is true 🙂
Don’t get me wrong, I definitely see them, especially when I travel to Denver, but not often on brand new vehicles, I’ll see them most commonly on 10 year old Jeeps, Subaru’s, etc that may be on their second or third owner, or longterm first owner where the new car shine has worn off and ready to take it on adventures. It almost falls into the Manual transmission category of things new car buyers don’t need/want/appreciate, but second hand owners love. To urbanites though, my point stands that they’re about as vestigial as luggage racks, albeit feasible to actually use if so inclined.
I’ve only noticed various roof racks on SUV/CUV/BLT/123s in use on the Interstate. Always out-of-staters passing through. They often have expensive bicycles on top, sticking straight up, sometimes in the winter, getting sprayed with dirty, salty snow. I sometimes wonder where they went to have wanted their cycles with them in the winter. With the LWB Town & Country, 3 mountain bikes and a BMX fit inside the back. But we only rode them in the warm weather because we weren’t THAT into it.
For securing luggage. …. both the front and rear of the trunk- mount luggage rack on my 88 Pontiac had metal loops to secure straps. The system worked well and I’m a bit baffled at the luggage rack hate here. They were fine and useful in a pinch.
I don’t hate luggage racks, I just don’t know how this Ciera one, among many other doppelgänger designs(like on MN12 Cougars), are supposed to work. There is no front loop on it like you describe, it seems to be just for show.
Compare that to the luggage racks on C3 Corvettes ten years earlier, which are arguably a necessity, are true racks with numerous bars to tie luggage down to. Not just four flat bars with a single raised loop.
I’m always bugged by this particular iteration of the front end, as the black pieces on the sides of the headlights seem like they should be side markers, but instead look like a 16 year old sprayed nite shades paint over them but had the responsible wherewithal to add blocky regular side markers. It’s arguably the most attractive front end treatment of the Ciera to my eye, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a detail that bothers me nonetheless.
+1! Alternatively, it looks like part of a quick and nasty slapdash factory prep job for one of their dumb European export programs, few or none of which I can imagine breaking even. If you look really closely, you can see the factory-blacked-out rear side marker light on this ridiculous Euro-export Omega…if you’re not too distracted by the rear fog lamp, the rear reflex reflectors, the sideview mirror, etc.
I’m 56 and I’ve never driven one, but then I can’t drive at all due to extreme nearsightedness. However, I did have an acquaintance who had a T-Type variant of the Century, and I remember thinking it was a pretty nice interior at the time (circa 1990 or so).
This takes me back. The A-bodies are still around here and are hardly rare, but their numbers have been thinning quite a bit the past few years. I always liked the earlier ones with the quad headlights. It’s certainly been quite a while since I’ve seen one of these earlier ones on the road.
I remember renting what was probably a ’91 or so of these during my last year in college for a spring break road trip with a few others to Baja, Mexico. A complete zero dynamically but smooth and quiet. And it was white. That’s it for the memories (of the car anyway).
Perhaps a good question of the day would be,
“What is your favorite GM A-body?” since they were such a rich tapestry of mediocrity.
I just thought of that. Y’all can use it I you like.😁
(Unless it’s already been done. I didn’t check.)
My first choice would be a final year Buick Century Wagon with 3.8 and no woodgrain on the sides
Second choice would be a Pontiac 6000 STE wagon with AWD (did they make the wagons in AWD)?
Third choice would be a final year (1990) Chevy Celebrity Eurosport wagon
Hi JerseyFred,
I didn’t know there was an STE wagon. I would love to check out one of those.
My favorite would have to be the ’87 Celebrity Eurosport we had. It worked flawlessly until 150,000 miles when we sold it. It even had the Tech 4/2.5L that nobody likes. But out of the A-bodies I had, none of which were 6000s or STEs, it worked the best. Whatever changes were made to it to make it feel “European”, didn’t make it feel European but did seem to improve it above the standard. It seemed to handle a little better, had quicker steering (I think), and a smaller, thicker steering wheel. Always got great mileage. It was also fairly easy to maintain. I liked the oh-so-80s pewter gray with a red pin stripe down the beltline trim. The interior was a sort of dark Cranberry color, which I found attractive.
This car really made me notice the difference tires make. The skinny, WalMart tires on it made it handle like poo in the dry but cut through snow like pizza cutters. I put wider, white-lettered tires on it which looked great with it’s Rallye style rims and vastly improved it’s dry road feel, but killed its Supercar abilities in the snow. It was just a decent, highly functional and pleasant car with no surprises. Good enough for me.
No STE wagon. There was a S/E wagon, which had most of the goodies the STE sedan had minus a few. FWIW, the S/Es are fairly desirable for the folks who collect A body Ponchos.
My dad bought an 83 Ciera and we both drove it for about 5 years. The car was perfect. Nothing broke, nothing went wrong, excellent fit and finish and performed flawlessly.
A friend had an 82 Ciera with a similar result, perfectly reliable. I recall the base suspension was too soft, the handling package was essential. The base 4 cyl was too slow and noisy, the V6, especially the 2.8 was quiet and smooth. They were lightweight cars for their size but they felt roomy and substantial.
Of course what was a great car in ’82 was completely outdated 14 years later, at the end of the production run, so I can appreciate the more negative views. But for 1983, for my family, it was an excellent choice.
I considered buying a pristine example recently. Despite the tug of nostalgia, it seemed too tame and ordinary for the investment and I bought a DeVille from the same era, for the same (cheap) money.
Nice. Would love to see a COAL on the 1983. And best wishes with the DeVille. I guess it is a FWD as that would be more like the Cutlass Ciera, but would love to read about that as well.
…hence Chevy Chase’s “Oldsmobuick” quip in 1985’s “Fletch”. I’ve seen others expand the slur to ChevrOldsmoBuAc to encompass most of GM’s passenger car brands, but “Oldsmobuick” was the original.
My aunt and uncle had one of these, an ’84 or so (like it matters) Cutlass Ciera or so (like it matters) painted blue or grey or beige or so (like it matters). My most enduring memories of it are the “CONGRESSIONAL” dealer nameplate on the trunk lid, and the thrashy, we-don’t-have-to-care; we’re-GM sound of the engine.
The sound. Yes, the era when GM put loud factory mufflers on, especially, Pontiacs. I hated them for disturbing the peace in the neighborhood. There are still some on the road and I still hate them.
I think you might be thinking of a slightly later era; the Lumina/Corsica/Beretta/etc timeframe (which did overlap with these Cutlasses) when GM put dumb gargle-sounding mufflers on their cars to make their pathetic engines sound mean and tough. The noise I’m bitching about was from the crude engine itself.
For sure. Scully was often seen driving an Olds Ciera in the early seasons of the X-files.
41 and have never driven one but have been a passenger. I considered these shit cars at the time but if I had the space and time for an older car I might actually consider one of these, mainly before the 86 “we think this is aero” restyle.
38 and drove one regularly. My best friends mom picked up an 87 model with the sealed beam headlights it was a midyear model before the aero front end four-cylinder with a solid bench seat silver paint blue Valore interior. Was a great car we drove for about four years had around 200,000 miles on it when it was traded for a Plymouth neon. It was a great car served her well I miss it and would buy another one in a hurry if for just nostalgic reasons
60 yo here. A friend had a Pontiac 6000 wagon. Super floaty and had that odd crabbing sensation when on the power. I thought something must be loose. And I’ve read that indeed it was… by design… the engine & subframe mounts were super mushy to quell vibration, and the steering bits were mounted to that. Mom had a Buick wagon version for a while. I don’t recall ever riding in that.
I’ve been FWD A body adjacent for years. The pic of the car in the lede is a copy of my MILs second Ciera. The first one they had (an 82, IIRC) was totaled in their driveway by a neighborhood kid trying to be a race car driver. The ’85 they replaced it with ran forever and was replaced in 1992 with a Pontiac Grand Prix (which I should have bought off of them, opportunity missed).
Various family and friends have owned these things, but most of my experience with them was with company owned cars that I drove in the ’80’s. I mostly snagged the V8 Caprices when I had the opportunity, but I liked the post 1987 fuel injected V6 models next. A divorcee I used to work with bought these cars serially, as they were dirt cheap, reliable and relatively inexpensive to repair when they did break.
Like them or not, they achieved Cockroach status years ago and redeemed their X car ancestry.
As often with American cars of this time period, one had to “work the option list” to get a better car.
I had the Buick version, the Century Luxus 4 door for a company car for about 2 years. I was encouraged to order it the way I wanted it to be.
Mine was graphite gray with dark burgundy cloth/velour interior, 3.8 EFI V6 engine, 4 speed automatic, heavy duty suspension package, dashboard “gage” package, the “Concert Sound” AM/FM/cassette/equalizer stereo, power windows/locks/seats & cruise control.
I found it to be a competent car for the time period (1986-ish). Friends of mine with Accords & Camrys expressed surprise and delight over the Buick.
Looking back, I can see now that the company car was the best part of that job.
These were the cars the Citation family should have been, just like the Monza et al were the cars the Vega/Astre should have been.
I hated them from afar, until my Dad got them as company cars, an Olds, than a Buick wagon. The Buick rode so smooth, even well over 100+mph – it was hard not to be impressed. Despite myself, I just loved driving it.
I’m in my mid 40s and those were everywhere-and I mean EVERYWHERE-when I was growing up and well into the ’90s and 2000s.
I’ve driven and ridden in countless numbers of them; my driver’s Ed car was a Century, my high school girlfriend had a Ciera coupe, my Mom had a Celebrity wagon company car for awhile, and, as sentimental as I am about cars, I have no connection to them whatsoever. I don’t hate them, I just don’t consider them. Im much more in tune with the G-bodies, both as an enthusiast and the warm fuzzies of youth. But where even the most basic G-bodies have become fairly collectible cars, I still see a fair amount of A-Bodies, particularly Centuries and Cieras, plugging away as drivers on the road.
“And what will it be when the A-Bodies are gone? ”
Dodge Journey
Yes I am pretty sure it is going to be the Dodge Journey. Like the A-Body, the vehicle is outdated and has been in production for a long time. The A body for 14 years (82-96) the Journey is now in production for 11 years (09-present) so only 3 more years and it will equal the A Body in time made.
These cars were old when the Taurus showed up. Yet GM couldn’t do anything with them for another decade. With every one they sold after 1986, they affirmed the idea that GM was out of style. A decade of that marketing message? It didn’t matter what they cost, what they did to enhance the interior, the motor under the hood – these cars were instant Studebakers.
GM thought they could make their version of an elongated K-Car and sell it as a real car. This was never a real Oldsmobile or a real Buick, regardless of options. Worse, they cheapened the brands that carried them. After the Cimarron fiasco, it seemed that GM just pimped out their luxury heritage with these basic rides. Old folks drove them. They were work cars. Government cars.
These cars weren’t Deadly Sins, but they came close.
My mom had one, a light blue 84. I want to say it was a Brougham because I distinctly remember its blue velour interior. It was a turd. The last GM car my mom owned. Replaced by a 95 Nissan Altima, which was also a turd, but for different reasons–a reliable turd, but a turd nonetheless.
We had two of these: 92 Ciera and a 91 Century, both in the same burgundy red color. You’re correct that they’re nondescript and utilitarian, but that’s what a lot of us gravitate toward for reliable day-to-day transportation. Both of these cars succumbed to New England rust with drivelines still performing well at approximately 200,000 miles each. Neither were purchased new by us, but during our ownership (the majority of the life of the vehicle-we keep ’em a long time) neither required much beyond routine maintenance.The lock-up converter on the Olds began to stay engaged almost to the point of the vehicle being stopped, but neutral still worked so it wasn’t a crisis, and the rear suspension mounts failed before we got around to repairs of the transmission. That whole family of cars seemed to serve people like us well. We were probably especially favored in that both had 3.3’s which seemed to be unbreakable. Wish I could find something that would run for a similar cost-per-mile today!