We tend to live a bit in the past here at CC, so the question today is which car from 1985 would you pick to drive for the next thirty years? Given how late it is in the year, either 1985 or 1986 model years are available at your disposal. And since I didn’t want to prejudice your pick, I’m not showing you any cars from 1985. You know them well enough….now you get to re-write history, pick your favorite, and have to drive it daily for thirty years. Rust magically doesn’t exist, but you do have to maintain it.
I think that the 85 or 86 Dodge Shelby Charger would get my vote. Least expensive, fastest and best handling car of the era.
I was working as a car salesman in 1985, and had a Dodge Shelby Turbo Charger as a demonstrator unit..after having had previous experience “underside” as manager of a rust prevention business.
I do not have such a rosy memory of this car.
First,…while the power train provided bags of power and made the chassis a handling dream compared to most American cars of the time, doing the off-ramp and on-ramp athletics that I frequently did with the car over 5000 kms of use, demonstrated the level of grip and abiliy to accelerate, the structural strength was something else.
When I ran the business, I had a customer arrive for his appointment directly from the local dealership with the equivalent chassis, in the form of an Omni 4 door sedan.
Once up on the hoist, it revealed a glaring lack of attention all along the line. The structural longerons that ran from the middle front floor past the lower control arm mounts, all the way to the front crossbar, were NOT WELDED to the floor as they shoud have been!!!
The stamping was literally hanging down from the floor with the flanges that should have been spot welded, NOT touched in any way by production process. I sent the customer back to the dealer with suggestion that he reject that car completely. e specially since they should have seen that in their PDI…and perhaps call the corporate office to complain about their quality control. I never saw that customer again, and never had a referral from that dealer again…but I’d have done the same thing over and over again if it had seemed that the quality was that bad all along.
Secondly, with the demonstrator, I used it hard like the image portrayed it should be used. Yet I found it getting noisier and noisier over such a short time period as I used it….only three months. By noisy I mean there was this strange vibration at the back end that disturbed me…sort of like some piece was loose when it should not be loose. Eventually it got to feeling ‘loose’ in the corners, and rattling when it should not have rattled.
When I returned the car and was due for a replacement at 5000kms, it was revealed that there were spot welds missing, in the suspension mount areas. Parts that were under stress were moving about on their own, whenever there was a load under cornering. The car was, essentially, dying an early death from unsecured structural metal fatigue
After the first demonstration of quality control I discovered at the rust prevention business, followed by this revelation..plus a few examples of ethics consistent with that result…such as PDI checks that discovered computer errors which resulted in abysmal fuel economy in both a Ram Pickup truck and a LeBaron GTI Turbo sedan being returned by the same owner repeatedly until it nearly became a legal test case against the corporation itself, (I sold the two vehicles to a guy who was a service manager of and aftermarket service outlet with a large customer base)…I got fed up with the entire automotive business and quit. I returned to school for a completely different career.
When they were new and still running well, the Omni GLH and Turbo Charger were a lot of fun. I had big block fans walking away in amazement whenever I’d let them drive my demo unit. But the quality control was awful.
I had one of those ’86 Shelby Chargers and absolutely loved it. Was loads of fun. Small, light, nimble yet powerful. Should have kept it. Had no issues at all while I owned it.
Ford Mustang SVO.
This. The 85 1/2 SVO with 205 hp. I had an 84 SVO and absolutely loved that car.
I would drive what I actually did choose in 1985. An AMC Jeep Cj-7.
My first new vehicle!
Very good, Sir!
I can think of only one car I would have liked to have kept all these years. A 1986 Audi 5000 CS Quattro Avant in pearl red and a manual transmission.
W124 300D.
Make mine a 1985 W123 300D, the last year sold in the US.
I agree on the W123, but I’ll take the 300 TD wagon, please.
‘Tho an ’85 Peugeot 505 Turbo Wagon would still be a thrill every time you hit the gas. Long term maintenance would have been a challenge over the 30 years to push me back to the more sedate TD.
How come I didn’t even think at first of a Volvo 740 wagon, first year of Turbo was in 1985? ‘Cause I only switched to them after all the W123s in Chicago were too rusty to continue with.
Chevrolet Caprice or Pontiac Parisienne.
I’m with you, as long as it has the SBC. Make my Caprice loaded, minus any vinyl roofs.
I would take a Caprice also, but not loaded. V8, auto, PS, PB, Air and HD suspension. Kind of an upgraded police package.
Just now found this ’86 Oldsmobile SW with 77K miles on PDX Craigslist. I am tempted to buy it. I must resist the temptation
https://www.redfin.com/WA/Vancouver/916-SE-98th-Ave-98664/home/14589881
Sorry, wrong link. Here is the right one,
https://www.redfin.com/WA/Vancouver/916-SE-98th-Ave-98664/home/14589881
I don’t know what is happening but here is hopefully the right link. Having cut and paste problems with my browser lately. I apologize to all the readers. It finally came out right.
http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/5317757551.html
Caprice wagon.
Late 85 Peugeot 405 or Citroen BX TD best handling cars of the era bar nothing, engines still in production untill very recently so parts still available, if only I’d been smart enough and rich enough to buy one
Citroen BX …oh, ah I am actually. Should have kept my CX too
Any station wagon, since we can’t get them anymore.
Towncar
+1
Wonderful question.
Giving it a quick mental thought, I am torn but will choose a single candidate. It would be a 1986 Crown Vic and I would choose it over the 1985 due to it having a superior fuel induction system. It’s a car that would be comfortable for a thirty year older me, fuel mileage isn’t ridiculously bad, and it’s as durable as an anvil. The only demerit for the Ford is the dual drain oil pan and the hard to access spark plugs, since I’m maintaining it.
Sneaking in a pickup, I would go with either a Ford F-150 with a 302 (or 351) or a Dodge Ram 150 with a 318. It would need to a four-wheel drive with an 8′ bed.
Good choices. I’d take the Grand Marquis over the Crown Vic so I could feel a little more high-class.
I’ve driven my ’89 F-150 with 302 & 5-speed for over 26 years, and think I picked the right truck.
Good point, the Merc (which is short for Mercury, not Mercedes) tends to have better seats.
why not just go for a Townie?
I originally said the CV due to my parents having owned an ’85 way back when. However, I could be tempted with a Town Car.
Also the Mercury looked much nicer, especially before the “aero” facelift of the mid-80s.
My parents bought a new Grand Marquis in 1984. My Mother drove it till she quit driving a few years before she passed on. My brother still has the car and it still works but is not used much.
My grandparents bought a year-old ’86 GM from Granny’s brother-in-law who was head mech at Merc dealer in Auburn AL. I often borrowed it as a date night car while living with Granny after college (Grandpa had passed by then), and it was our wedding car once I found “the one.” I never thought it that nice to drive, and never cared for the velour seats, but it was definitely more upscale than my Vega!
Granny stopped driving in her early 90s and asked me to sell the car for her (this would have been around 1999-2000 or so). The car had less than 40K on it.
Toyota Corolla GT-S hatchback coupe. Great engine, sporty RWD handling, not so much “easy to keep running” as “near impossible to kill”.
I would pick the Celica GT or GTS, for the same reasons you cited. I had an 83 Celica hatchback… it was a great car. I miss it.
I’m 99% sure the Celica was FWD by ’85.
It switched for MY1986.
No, 1988. I’m 58 and I was there. And I watched them closely. The 2-door coupe and hatchback Corollas went to FWD in 1988. Look it up.
George, me and Ate Up are correcting you(Look at your previous posts) that the Celica was STILL RWD in 1985… It switched to FWD in 1986.
Now, you’re arguing that the COROLLA is what you mean now? You don’t even know which model you’re arguing about.
Your right, the Corolla coupe went FWD in 1988, but in the US, there was NO Corolla hatchback no longer offered. None.
The RWD Corolla hatchback and FWD Corolla 5 door hatchback were both gone by 1988.
The 1987 models were the last hatchback Corollas sold in the US market.
Ate Up With Motor, you are absolutely correct. My mom bought an 86 Celica when they came out. The styling was completely changed, and they were FWD for the first time.
Wrong.
The last year for the RWD Celica was 1985. I’ve owned an 82 GT coupe and an 85 GTS coupe.
I sold my 1985 Celica GTS notchback coupe, back in 2011.
I wish I never sold it. 🙁
* Similar to mine.
Yes, it was FWD in 4-door form, introduced in 1984. But they kept the RWD SR-5 style around until 1987 to facilitate the Twin-Cam 16-valve engine. I had one, and it was RWD. Was my last RWD car, and I will swear by FWD now, but that little missile really was a RWD blast! I’m glad I am not the only one here to have mentioned it or owned one after all! It was a once in a lifetime experience.
Say what?
You must be thinking of the Corolla… The Celica was NEVER a FWD 4 door in 1984, the Corolla was.
Check your info, again.
The only 4 door Celica, ever made, was the Celica Camry in Japan, and that wasn’t really a Celica… Only in name, and that was RWD.
I’ll go ahead and say a Mercedes 500 SEC. Those car have never gone out of style and the coupe is ever more beautiful and rare. And obviously, if I could’ve afforded that car new, the gas and maintenance for it would be no problem.
+1
I’m with you on the Mercedes-Benz, though I’d go with the 500 SEL. Best sedan in the world at that time, sumptuous front and rear.
Heather Locklear.
COTD
Buick Estate Wagon
For me, the ultimate luxury car that was sold during that period. The Mercedes Benz 560SEL.
Honda CRX Si. I was in college at the time and that was the car I coveted.
86 Omni GLH Turbo.
+1
Mercedes 300D or 300SD come to mind immediately….they could easily run for 30 years at 15,000 miles or more a year with routine maintenance, and look good doing it.The other fiddly bits (HVAC, window regulators, vacuum locking system) would be problematic for sure but there’s not many 30 year old cars that you can pull up to valet parking in…..
Thunderbird Turbo Coupe.
I’d go with the 30th Anniversary ‘Bird with the 5.0… I had both an ’88 5.0 LX an ’88 Turbo Coupe and got much better longevity out of the V8 T-Bird. There was something about that unique color on that special edition ’85 T-Bird I really liked.
On my short list as well. I’m torn between that, a Mercury Capri, a Regal GN or an Olds Cutlass V8 with T-tops.
1986 Honda Accord. I had one and got it to almost 200k before the Vermont rust monster got to it. It was comfortable, reliable and was of the era in Honda’s history when they were paying a lot of attention to handling. One of my all time favorite cars.
I’m a year offset, but I did own my ’86 VW GTi for 15 years (about the same for my ’00 Golf)…almost the same vehicle but two different physical cars…I’m sure I’ll still be driving the ’00 next year, so in a way you could say I drove much the same car for 30 years (have owned VWs only since 81, so 34 years spread among 3 models). I’m a hatchback fan, and haven’t found many cars I’ve wanted to trade what I already have for (I’m big into daily drivers, don’t need to sample different cars)
Still, in my family my mother holds the ownership duration record of 21 years (she had a ’88 Ford Tempo up to 2009 that she only gave up due to the state version of “cash for clunkers” mostly because the AC gave out and my sister refused to drive it without AC). My other sister has owned her ’98 Nissan 240SX since new, so she’s sneaking up on my Mother’s duration. I had an Uncle who had a ’69 Ford LTD for a long time, but I’m not sure when it disappeared (we don’t live near him) so he may actually hold the family record, and I’m just not aware of it…have to ask him next time I talk to him.
Without question, a 1985 Volvo 245 Turbo with M46 4+o/d manual.
Me too
Volvo 245T wagon style, if it’s posible 🙂
If this car has to be kept for 30 years and used for “all duties reasonably required”, then Id go for a Mercedes-Benz 300TE. This may not be the most exciting car, but is likely to be more dependable than Rover 3500 SD1 Vitesse or a late Jaguar XJ12 Series III.
But the Jag is tempting me……
‘Likely’ as in ‘it us likely Monday not Saturday will come after Sunday’
I would take a 1986 Porsche 3.2 Carrera, coupe body style, no spoilers.
The 1985 Chrysler Laser that I still own and drive daily.
Wow! You did not have to mull over this question at all!
Nice ride! I love the pre 87 G body.
Damn that’s a nice-looking Laser, Hemi. White is not usually a flattering colour but it works on those. I love these early Gs.
D’oh! You almost beat me to the punch…
I might add, it has an intercooled turbo 2.5L with a Getrag 5 speed and 4 wheel disc brakes.
In 1985 I was thirty years old and had just moved back to the Bay Area. I was newly married and we had just bought a new 1984 Mercury Cougar. A pretty nice car but not my dream, which was a Cadillac El Dorado. We had toyed with the idea of buying a used one but decided to buy the new Cougar instead. I would be happy driving a clean Eldo now. I’m not the kind of person who would keep any car for thirty years. I just did buy that Jaguar XJS, a 1989 but still basically still the same car in 1985. I’ve still got some issues to address before I start driving it, hopefully soon
Assuming “you have to maintain it” means “you have to pay someone to maintain it”, Citroen CX Turbo diesel.
Or if I’m on a somewhat tighter budget, a Mini. It still bugs me that I didn’t buy one when 10 year old ones cost tuppence ha’penny.
A Ford Scorpio. I think the design has aged well and it still doesn’t look as old as it is, in my opinion. I don’t know how the mechanicals on these cars hold up over time, though. If worse come to worse, I’ll just swap out the entire engine or transmission.
1985 Pontiac Parisienne Base, 305 4-BBL. I’ve had an 86 for years and love it.
Exactly
Chevrolet C10 Suburban Silverado, 4X4 with barn doors, red paint and a 350. I consider the third gen pickups the last of the really nice looking Chevys. There’s just something un-truck like about plastic dash boards, so 88 is my cutoff date for Chevy trucks.
I had an 85 C10 pickup with the 6.2 litre diesel. Was a great truck until my kid sister burned it to the ground. Always wanted a Suburban.
Of all the cars mentioned I think the Suburban would be the easiest and least expensive to keep maintained. And it would be very useful and comfortable still. Around Houston having an old well maintained Suburban is envied. However, buying the gasoline required would be a challenge.
I would choose an 85 Chrysler Fifth Avenue.
Me too…good call…!
Second on the CRX Si. I owned an ’84 CRX 1.5 for ten years and loved it.
Wasn’t the Si introduced for he 1986 model year? But I suppose an early unit would be “from 1985”.
Nope, the U.S.-market Si was introduced mid-1985. The JDM CR-X Si was added at the beginning of the model year and would be the one to have, if you could pick anything — it had the twin-cam ZC engine used in the first U.S.-market Integra, plus bigger tires and better brakes.
The rules of this QOTD specify either 1985 or 1986 model years. At any rate, Ate Up With Motor is right – the Si was a mid-year intro and was also the first CRX offered in black.
Me? I’d drive either a 1985 Ford Mustang GT with the 5.0 HO, or the Saleen version.
~Ben
+1, nothing else to say about 1985 cars.
86 Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R turbo 5spd wide body.
1986 Audi Quattro Turbo (it would be one of the two total sold in the US that model year) or the 1986 Mercedes-Benz W124 300E.
I did own a 1986 Buick Electra T-type. It was a nice car although GM did have some issues with these in the first couple of years. The engine/transaxle seemed not well tied down to me as there was a bit of commotion during shifts.
I had a 1988 Electra T-Type for 16 years – despite its problems (bad paint, weak brakes), it had 221K miles on the original drivetrain (even original axles and CV boots, original exhaust right back to the tailpipe) when I sold it and it was still going strong. It was one of the best cars that I have ever owned, foreign or domestic.
If I had to pick from something in 1985, it would be a Buick Electra Park Avenue sedan (or similarly-equipped Electra, or fully loaded Lesabre, you get the idea), white exterior, with the dark blue crushed velour interior (with a mildly-darkened aftermarket window tint). I still remember showroom-shopping those cars with my dad back then. Complete with whitewalls and the wire wheel covers.
For that time period, Buick really had high build quality. I seriously would drive that car today if I could find one in good enough condition.
Lincoln Mark VII for me, thanks.
1986 Honda Accord LXI 3 door. Honda at it’s styling peak and just new enough to have the modern enough FI 3 valve engine. Built before the hoodlines rose and they started getting oversized. The durability and economy of operation should counteract the increased maintenance requirements of Hondas.
I did also own a 1986 Corvette. This car was perhaps one of GM’s best cars in this time frame. I once had it up to 200 almost.
Easy: either a G- class with diesel or a Toyota Land Cruiser.
Toyota Celica Supra. Back when Toyota made exciting cars, instead of toasters.
Ok one more +1, loved me some Toyo’s in the 80s………what happened?
The ’90s, basically.
1986 Grand National with T-Tops.
I was 12 and so desperately wanted one back then (and still do). Its one of the few cars from the 80s that’s actually a desireable collector car. 3.8Ts and TH200-4Rs are easy enough to maintain and service so I would have no problem keeping it on the road and theres still strong aftermarket support for them 30 years later. I would still be cranking Rush and Van Halen tapes from it too.
Chrysler 5th Avenue.
Easy question: the 1985 Mazda GLC LX that I had, for 12 years. Only parted with it due to rust and a few minor issues. According to CarFax, someone else had it on the road until 2006. Anvil like reliability, which put my 98 Civic (driven for 15 years) to shame. The Mazda, being the top trim option, had features that were unavailable on a Civic hatch by 98: tach, remote hatch release, light in cargo area, light in ignition keyhole, light in door keyhole. It also had better sightlines than the Civic and a more accurate shifter, which never, ever missed a gear, unlike the Civic.
Pix of mine are on my other computer, so here’s a scan from the brochure. Mine was “Tornado Silver” which was a very dark metallic clearcoat grey, with a black and dark grey interior. Fabulous car. I don’t think Mazda has matched it since.
I owned the successor: ’86 Mazda 323 DX. It had a Bosch fuel injection system and it too was super reliable. I miss that car but it did not pop up in my mind for today’s question. Since rust does not matter here, I think you chose well.
’86 Mazda 323 DX. It had a Bosch fuel injection system
My 85 had an electronic feedback carb, iirc a Hitachi, and a brilliantly simple exhaust air injection system. Feedback carbs tend to have a bad reputation, but I found it I used good quality gas, and gave it a snootfull of carb cleaner once or twice a year, it ran better than any car I ever had up to that point, with the possible exception of my Renault R5, which had a manual choke Weber. The GLC also had the most sensitive manual steering I ever had. I could feel the texture of the pavement in my fingertips, and I knew immediately if I was on ice or snow, or starting to hydroplane, because I would lose the feel of the pavement texture.
The Canadian-market-only Mercury Marquis LTS.
It was the twin to the LTD LX – 5.0 V8 , sport suspension and blackout trim. It’s super rare and I WANT one.
Here:
I have one 🙂 !
1985 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE. 13B rotary, 5 speed, fuel injection. Last year of the original body style.
This one made my short list as well.
Give me an AMC Eagle, or the Jeep Cherokee.
I own a 1986 Dodge D250, and could see owning it for 30 years as a work truck, but I couldn’t foot the gas bill to have it as a daily driver.
I was thinking Wagoneer or Cherokee too. Both would still be fashionable in 2015 and easy to maintain provided you aren’t anywhere the tinworm is too strong. Plenty of first-gen Cherokees are still going strong everywhere.
The Eagle is definitely the more interesting option and is probably what I would choose, if only for weirdness’ sake.
Maxima
Tough to choose. At the top of the list:
Toyota Cressida wagon
Volvo 740 or 240 wagon
Nissan Maxima wagon
Honda Civic wagon
Acura Legend coupe
VW Vanagon GL Westfalia
Toyota Van
Manual transmission, of course.
Well I actually have a 1985 car that I would have choosen to drive for 30 years. It is a 1985 Cutlsaa Surpreme sedan. I bought it back in 2011. It has been a good car.
However driving it for 30 years is one question, whould I make it my daily driver for 30 years is another. The answer on the latter question is a big no. There have been too many advances in safety and technology to drive the thing as my main car. Things like fuel injecton, abs and radio’s with USB and bluetooth tech. (the latter can be added aftermarket wise but does not look right in a lot of cars)
BMW 735i