Earlier this week we looked at a 1985 Oldsmobile Toronado. In that article’s discussion, CC reader Lokki commented that if he were at his “current age and station” in 1985, he might have bought such a Toronado. Lokki continued by adding: “I sometimes ponder where in the Sloan hierarchy I would have fallen (in an American-car-only world) at various points in my life.” Good question. Other readers followed up and shared what mid-1980s GM car they would buy if they were suddenly transported back in time. It is, of course, and interesting topic for us to ponder, so let’s have at it: What Mid-1980s GM car would YOU buy?
For our QOTD we’ll look at the mid-1980s – let’s say 1983 through 1987 – and assume that we are at our current age with our current vehicle needs. This period was an interesting time for GM, featuring a wildly diverse range of cars and trucks. Traditional rear-drive cars were still plentiful in the mid-1980s, along with smaller front-drive models. Two-doors, four doors, wagons, sport coupes, trucks, you-name-it. The Sloan hierarchy of GM divisions, while somewhat muddled, was still operational, from bargain-priced Chevrolets to aspirational Cadillacs.
For me, at my current age and vehicle needs, I would choose a Monte Carlo. It might not seem an intuitive choice for someone who is middle-aged and with two kids, so I’ll explain. Part of my affection for Monte Carlos was imprinted at an early age – I grew up in a neighborhood where GM G-Special coupes were very popular, and still roam the streets in fairly high numbers today. Furthermore, since I’m frugal and prefer conservative cars, the Monte fits the bill – it was a good value, conservatively styled, and a traditional RWD, body-on-frame construction. And a two-door car wasn’t all that unusual for family transportation 30 years ago. My ideal Monte Carlo would be a base model with the optional 305 V-8 and sport suspension.
To make this a more interesting exercise, I posed this question to my wife. She unhesitatingly said that her pick would be a conversion van. Vans like these served a great purpose in their day, and made a great family travel vehicle – filling the purpose that our Honda Odyssey serves today, but with more space, living-room-style amenities, and maybe even a swoopy graphics package. My wife’s family owned a 1983 GMC conversion van (conversion by Behlmann in St. Louis) for just this purpose, and that vehicle served them very well for 12 years.
So there you have it – instead of owning a Crown Victoria and a Honda Odyssey as we do today, we would drive a Monte Carlo and a conversion van.
So, back to our Question. Imagine yourself walking into a GM dealership like the one above 30 years ago. With GM offering at least 50 models for sale in any given year, there ought to be something for everyone. Well then: What mid-1980s GM car would you buy?
1987 Cavalier Z24 notchback. Not red, please.
They came with the new Gen II 2.8 V6 with cowl induction + the new Getrag 5-speed.
Mom had an ’85 Type 10 coupe, and it wasn’t horrible, so there’s that.
None.
Well, an Opel Rekord, but I don’t think that was on your mind when you asked that question.
Today I would love to be able to buy a 1985 Chevy Caprice! Sedan or possibly wagon. I’ve been pining after a 6 passenger, full sized, rear wheel drive vehicle, and today’s only choices are 4 door pickups!
That said, at the time, I wanted a Chevy Eurosport/Celebrity Wagon, a Pontiac 6000 STE or a Buick Electra T-Type Coupe! Knowing know that I like cheap cars, I’m sure the Buick would be out!
The Chrysler 300 C not being available in the 80s, so I would get a Caprice. The 300 is 5 passenger, full size, AWD, so checks most of your boxes.
Absolutely, I would love a 300 with the nearly 300hp six and rear wheel drive. My wife is a bit of a snob and is African American and can’t stand the image of the 300. She has veto power;-)
I love mine. Even with the v6 it has plenty of get up and go. In c or above trim, it really makes for a nice near luxury/American luxury car. When I bought mine, I was cross shopping Buick, Lincoln and Cadillac sedans.
Just don’t throw big rims or stick on chrome or candy paint on it and it won’t have an image problem. 😉
Charger?
A 1985 Buick Riviera with the 5.0 litre Olds V8. I’d have preferred an Eldorado, but wouldn’t have wanted to risk the HT4100 “Power System”.
If money were no object, since you included 1987, GNX all the way.
If we’re going with “current age and station” and keeping it to cars we could actually maybe afford, I’d probably go with the GNX’s slightly less hairy (and significantly cheaper) sibling and go with an ’87 Regal Turbo T. Even in “standard” form that was a strong engine and I think the G-special cars were handsome to the end, if a little traditional.
Speaking for my wife, I could see her in an ’87 Pontiac 6000 STE, though the desirable AWD option didn’t come along until ’88 and is therefore out of this discussion’s range.
If we were to switch it up and give her the two-door car and put me in the 4-door, then the choices would be different. ’87 Sunbird GT convertible with the turbo 4cyl for her, ’87 Bonneville SE for me.
Both a an S10 and a SIlverado 1500, a Cavalier just to see how bad it is, and a Monte Carlo for smooth cruising.
Count me in for a Regal Grand National as well. An 87 Corvette and a loaded 4×4 Suburban round out the garage.
I would also be tempted by a loaded 87 Fleetwood Broughan D’Elegance with the iron block 5 liter. A friend had one and I was astounded at the unusual options.A carpet that looked like a Persian cat, swing out footrests and rear seat trays.
Loaded Suburban, yes.
Since I own a 1984 Z28, a 1987 Chevy Astro & a 1988 Fiero Formula, I guess those would be my picks.
Late 80’s A-body wagon would be high on my list since I’ve owned four of those in the past.
I’ve always wanted a 1987 Buick GN too.
If we extend mid 80s to 1988. A dark blue Eldorado with blue velour buckets optional real wood trim, ABS, sunroof, and the alloy wheels. Caddy did the best E body refresh because they added traditional styling cues without going retro like Riviera and adding wasted bulk like the Toronado. The exclusive transverse V8, who else in the world was doing that except Lancia, grew for 88 adding horsepower, durability, and torque. What a distinctive package, and aimed right at a young up and comer, except without the ability to charge what the car deserved
aimed right at a young up and comer
You must be kidding. What was the average age of an Eldorado buyer back then? 65? 63? What universe where you living in in the mid 80s? Under a rock? 🙂
I am actually curious; if you don’t mind, just how old are you?
By skipping traditional styling and in the new international size, that is exactly what it did. The generation ahead of it’s time control set up was also aimed at the young. If eyes were closed to it because GM was dead to them, that is not the car’s fault. 47 years old
Thank you. And that explains a lot. You obviously formed a lot of important and lasting impressions at the time these cars were out, due to your age then. I’ve seen this effect commonly here: folks see the past through the eyes of a child/teenager. It’s quite understandable; I certainly have written about my youthful impressions here too. But they’re almost invariably not very reflective of the reality of the time. Kids are not good judges of the bigger picture. And it’s hard to get a sense of what things were really like, and what really motivated adult buyers when you were a kid, except perhaps your own family and your own inclinations and passions.
Making assumptions like your hypothetical 28 year old of 1961 and 1969 are examples of that. You’re over-reaching in doing so; there’s no way to encapsulate any given one person/buyer, and make a stereotype out of them. Adults, and the market, are more complex than that.
Your choice of the Eldorado made me guess you were between the ages of 12 and 18 when it came out. There was no other explanation. If you had been a genuine young up-and-comer (30-35) in 1988,there’s no way you’d have been lusting over an Eldorado. Or extremely unlikely, anyway. I was an up-and-comer that age at that time. Take it from me.
You’re projecting your childhood perceptions and their corresponding desires unto situations that were in reality quite different than how they apparently seemed to you at the time.
Count me as another teenager who liked the late 80s Eldo – or at least thought it was a massive improvement. Of course, I also lusted after the BMW 5 series that came out around that time.
If anything your opinion at that age is perhaps more objective, because you aren’t considering the implications of actually purchasing one.
Sorry, man but youre delusional if you think ANY ’80s Eldo would appeal to a ‘typical young up and comer’. Oh sure, theres SOME outliers out there, but that’s an incredibly small minority. I’m 42, so I was a kid in the 80s….and I grew up in West TN were GM could literally do no wrong whatsoever. Any Eldo drivers were solidly WWII generation. Not till the ’90s when the Eldo was sleeker and more contemporary did it have a chance in hell of any kind of mass appeal to the non AARP crowd.
I liked them when I was 19. and I like them now. Never said anyone else had to agree. Sales did go up on the 88 refresh and improved yearly for the rest of the run. The engines also continued to improve.
I think they appealed to more young people than you might think. The guy my Dad worked for bought himself an 85 Biarritz in black and a matching white one for his wife. At the time, his 17 year old son kept telling his father he wanted the black one when his Dad would go to trade it in on a new one in a few years. Of course, they hung onto those 85’s for quite a while because the 86 restyle left them disappointed.
Interesting – in the early 80’s – 83-84 – I was 20-21, a gay vegan punk and into a pretty alternative lifestyle. And the car I wanted more than anything else – a fully loaded Cadillac Eldo or Fleetwood Brougham, with a padded vinyl top and deep button velour upholstery, lots of chrome and woodgrain. Ideally a 70’s one, but I would definitely have been keen on a contemporary one too. Also a full size Buick or Olds wagon, with similar upholstery and the woodgrain exterior trim wwas very much high on the wish list too. And still would be today
Peter, minus the vegan part, I was 30 and lusted after the Chrysler Fifth Avenue as the symbol of my success setting out to open a bookstore in Palm Springs with a tattooed hillbilly and his slave auction “bride”.
Thank the gods everything went bust and I got out of there before I could make any more bad decisions.
H-body Bonneville. Ample space and pace, and a much better dashboard then the Lesabre and 88.
+1
A dark blue 1986 A-body Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser wagon but without the woodgrain. Perfect proportions for me and usable cargo space from an era when station wagons were common.
+1. Make mine silver with the disc style wheel covers and the dark blue interior
My family had an ’84 Cutlass Supreme; I loved that car, so I’d get one myself. Maybe a Canadian Pontiac Parisienne; there were a few around town (1 is still going), I’d consider one. And I did like Suburbans from the ’80s, maybe a nice GMC. Options, options…
I’ll just browse the used lot for German Rabbits, thank you.
Make mine an ’83 GTI please, or a 1st gen Scirocco
monte carlo ss
There’s a vast gap between what I would want and what I would actually buy in my current situation. I’m handicapped by being a skinflint.
So I’d probably make my way to the Buick dealer and waste a salesman’s time test driving a Grand National and an Electra T-Type. Then I’d decide I’m better off just nursing whatever heap I’m driving for another year or two.
The 1987 Bonneville SE was very nice. I owned one. That cool all-red dashboard lighting made you feel like you were in a fighter jet. Power and handling were decent and the styling was a nice compromise between the new aero look cars and it’s angular H-body siblings.
Unfortunately, reliability was not it’s strong suit. But outside of that it was a nice balance of performance, style, and practicality.
Tough question. I was in the market then, but as a 26 year old guy looking for his first new car. I said no to the General then. However, I later owned an 84 Olds 98 Regency coupe and an 85 LeSabre Limited coupe. The second one barely counts, as it was for a total of 3 weeks before I resold it. Both of those are cars I might have chosen.
But with a fresh choice, I would opt for a wagon. One of the A body wagons with a V8 would be nice (Malibu or Cutlass). Maybe the Olds would have the nod for its 307 over the Chevy 305. Or maybe a B body wagon, so again the Olds tops the list.
Last intriguing option is a Suburban, a low trim version with a 350 and a stick, if that combo was still available.
Tough question for me, actually, since GM became such a hot mess so fast in the 1980s. Sure, there were still tried-and-true BOF RWD cars, but they seemed dated and the engines were not as strong as in the late 1970s versions of the same cars. The new FWD stuff was so boxy and undifferentiated, and in some cases like the ’86 E-Bodies, downright awful. So I’ll break my answer into chunks:
1983: Olds Cutlass Supreme. My mother had the sedan with the V8, and it was a good car. I’d pick a Calais coupe and load it up.
1985: Really tough year for GM, as I don’t think any of the choices were especially compelling. That year my Pop had to replace his ’84 Regal sedan which had been submerged in a flood. For 1985, the Regal sedan was no longer offered, and Pop wanted 4-doors. He thought the FWD Century and the new Electra were way too boxy and “cheap feeling.” He wound up in a LeSabre Collector’s Edition (white with red leather) which we nicknamed the “bloody marshmallow.” It wasn’t well built (in spite of the design being in its 9th year of production), and just felt really old-fashioned at that point. Pop did not care for the car, and I thought it was awful. Though great when new, the B-Body was past its prime, which by 1985 was pretty much how all the GM RWD fleet felt, except for the F-Body and Corvette. So that’s what I would have bought–give me a midlife crisis ’85 Corvette.
1987: GM’s domestic fleet had completely lost me at this point… I’d have to move to Europe to buy an Opel Omega. Still RWD and very sleek/contemporary, a nice cut-price Audi.
Omega (as Vauxhall Carlton) for me please. European Car of the Year 1987. Somewhere in the world, the General was getting it right.
1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera Custom Cruiser. Of course with the fake wood, as it would befit my social and economic status and fill my needs, or maybe the full size Custom Cruiser. Either one would fit my needs and of course the prestige of the Oldsmobile name.
A CCCC for CC. Good choice.
Monte Carlo SS or Regal T-Type
I’ve always kind of liked the 1987 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Touring Sedan.
J-Body station wagon: cheap, practical, and despite its lack of refinement and various cut corners it will end up clinging to curbside life for decades to come.
the usual answer is prob grand national…. but they haven’t really skyrocketed in value… too many collectors bought them thinking they would go up…. so supply is high. the GNX is another story. but for now, imo the fiero GT might be a good one. only the last two years GT. —- bump up a few years and the trans am 4.3 turbo might be interesting…. but they also went up in price,,,, cyclone and typhoon.
+1 I agree with you and Ed – GNX or the Fiero GT. No tacky replica body kits on the Fiero unless it’s the actual Mera.
The one I *did* buy was a used ’82 Cavalier Type 10 hatch. If “today’s me” could go back in time, I’d lean heavily toward the ’87 GNX. EDIT – saw ricks post after I did mine, and would agree on the Fiero GT (last year) as a runner-up.
Pre-downsized Riviera or Regal, please.
If I were looking for economy it would be a 1985 Pontiac Firefly. LOL, just kidding. I would first go with a 1985 Pontiac 600STE for some fun if limited to GM. Full size would be the 1985 Parisienne over the 1985 Caprice with 350 as I like the looks of the Pontiac better. Those would be for mid-80’s between 1984-86.
I didn’t know the Pontiac had a 350! Only a 305 in Chevy right? I’d have to take the Pontiac then, as long as I could get one without fender skirts and with a painted roof!
I don’t think you could get the Parisienne with a 350, though I could be wrong. Maybe the wagon, but not the sedan. And I think the Caprice sedans only got the 350 in police-spec 9C1 trim.
The fender skirts were standard on the ’85-’86 Parisienne, but if you take them off, the only tell is lack of chrome lip molding. We owned an ’86 for 5 years, and no one ever mentioned it except me (the previous owner had removed them). Non-vinyl roof was standard on the base model, and might have been a delete option on the Brougham.
Looks like I relied on Wiki a little too much as I was checking out the different 85’s. The engine list shows the 350 V8 but really doesn’t say what years. Might alter my view given the engine as no big car should have less than a 350 minimum. Nonetheless, I still like the looks of the car.
I was only thinking of the gas engines–that’d be the diesel 350 you were seeing on the options list. It was available, but you wouldn’t want it. 🙂
Actually, in 1987 I bought a new Mustang after a bum experience with a Chevy Monza. At my age now I’d pick a Thunderbird instead.
I totally forgot! I would love to buy a Mustang! V-8 Stick shift!
Wait, GM only, that’s why I forgot
Well… not a US GM car but… either an Opel Omega CD, a Corsa GSi… or a Kadett GT/E
Caprice Classic Estate (station wagon) – the small block Chevy was more eager to rev and made more horsepower than the 307 Oldsmobile engine that was in all the other B-body wagons by then.
The only real options I’d want would be power windows, power seat (the manual version was too low to the floor), AC, enough of a stereo upgrade that I could adjust the balance front to back and side to side. I’d need the towing package as well.
That would be a beautiful family cruiser.
That’s tough. Asking me which Mid-80s GM car I want is like asking what sort of venereal disease I’d like to have.
I would go with the obvious answer of a Grand National, but I couldn’t afford one of those. I like the Pontiac Trans Am GTA, but there’s no way I could live with the body structure and cheap plastic interior. The Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds edition is pretty nice, but it’s all show and very little go, and the cool paint job and extra goodies don’t justify the near 20k asking price for a full loaded model.
Tough to say, but if I had to choose. 1987 Chevy Caprice Classic Brougham. It may’ve been outdated and tacky, but those rock solid mechanicals are too good to pass up. Plus these big RWD BOF sleds were one of the few halfway decent things the General could build during that time, so there you go.
“That’s tough. Asking me which Mid-80s GM car I want is like asking what sort of venereal disease I’d like to have.”
that’s the quote of the day!
Asking me which Mid-80s GM car I want is like asking what sort of venereal disease I’d like to have
lol!
The F-Body body structure’s notoriety comes heavily from experiences with the ones with T-Tops, the closed coupes feel about the same as anything else from the era. No excusing the interiors though, they’d make my short list otherwise, I always liked the looks of the Firebird.
+1 To me an F body, say 1987, still looks better than any camaro of today.
Make mine a Pontiac Formula 350, as Im frugal, but still like power. And subframe connectors stiffened up these bodies immensely , been there done that.
Gonna have to disagree on the F bodies. Yes the T tops were definitely MUCH worse, but I spent a LOT of time in these back in the day. The F bodies looked great, but the whole body structure is a flimsy, poorly assembled POS. A contemporary GM G body, Mustang, Daytona, Celica/Supra or Z car would have been a FAR better choice.
They’re poor build quality and materials amplifies the structural flex, but in reality they aren’t much worse than the Fox and definitely not as bad as the Daytona – I had a friend with one of those and the doors couldn’t be opened if it was sitting on two jackstands!!! – I agree though, third gens rank below most of those cars on my list, I’d pick a 5.0 Mustang(and a slew of other 80s Fords) outside of the GM constraints of this question.
How could I have forgotten to mention the 1989 TransAm Pace Car edition with the GNX motor. Not easy to find one today.
87 K5 Blazer/Jimmy. Manual everything, please.
Solid choice, but Id want a first gen ‘bullnose’ model. A ’74/’75 would be acceptable since it still had the full removable top. By ’76 the appeal of that rig was shattered…at least for me. But then, ever since it became a bloated 4 door mom mobile, ANY K-5 is a godsend by comparison…
I’m not a Ford guy by any means, but I do applaud them in soldering on with the removable top well into the 90’s.
There’s a reason GMT400 2 door Tahoe/Yukon trucks still command a premium over their 4 door counterparts.
Based on what I drive now, the basic 1987 K5 is very comparable.
Agreed. The REAL disappointment is my favorite of the big 2 door sports utilities (Ramcharger) was the first to go integrated roof and then disappear entirely. In my head Ive built a full open top RC based on the 2nd gen Ram and it would be AMAZING.
make one for me too!
very nice no frills truck (well, I also love Broncos and Ramchargers )
I will stick to what the baptist priest in River Forest told me, when I was 19 in 1980.
“If you are ever going to buy a second hand car, buy a Cadillac!”
I would pick a low milage Fleetwood Brougham with possibly large engine.
I am a great fan of Lincoln Mercury cars, but the 1980’s is a decade to leave out.
Yes, they are comfortable and smooth, but also truly boxes on wheels with no potential for a long lasting love affair.
I’ll take the Buick in the lower right (NO VINYL though)…. if GM was the only choice. Then again a Firebird with no graphics, etc. would be okay.
Had an ’87 Caddy Brougham as a winter beater way back when, rather liked that car. So let’s go with one of those, shall we?
Well, since I had an ’82 Z28, how about one newer with more than a boat anchor under the hood and a Chevette transmission. Maybe an ’87 Z28, with TPI and a 700R4. Yes, the stripes were rather gaudy by then, but for some reason I like the look more than an IROC. Contrary to most people, I liked the basic car. If only it had been made to Toyota standards for durability.
I would be interested in a Fiero as well. And for some reason, I liked the Cutlass Ciera sedan, too.
1985 B body Buick LeSabre in dark gray with a V6, loaded. I’m in no rush to the grave.
A mid-80s Cutlass Supreme coupe with T-tops, V8, rally wheels, and bucket seats.
’83 Buick Regal T-type, or any mid-80’s Chevy Caprice classic.
Well let’s see, 0n LaborDay weekend, 1985, I walked into Amity Chevrolet in Amityville, NY., and ordered a 1986 El Camino with every option but positraction. It arrived two days before Thanksgiving. I still own it all these years later and, it’s only traveled 6,600 mikes and been garaged all its life. Since I’ve also owned an 84 Caprice Landau Coupe and currently own an 80, as well as an 80 Monte Carlo Landau, those would still be my alternative choices for mid decade as well.. actually, they were on my list back then but, the El Camino, fully loaded was within my budget, whereas the Other two were a bit more than a 26 year old me was able to afford.
Why no posi? That was best option on my 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
I knew this car would never see any kind of weather for posi to be of use, and my Dad insisted I not order it as he said they were more trouble than they were worth. As a mechanic, he had worked on numerous ones and he knew my driving style so it did t take much to talk me out of it.
is it cheating to pick an american built toyota?
chevy nova 5 door hatchback with a 5 speed manual transmission.
I’ll “cheat” and go for a Corolla-based Nova. Hatchback, manual everything, no a/c but I’m willing to consider the CL trim if the deal’s right (yep, another skinflint). Oil undercoating on day one and every November thereafter.
If I’m being a total skinflint, a manual Chevette (preferably 5 speeds rather than 4) would also be doable. Especially since safe as milk had the Nova idea while I was typing but typed faster!
Love seeing the number of tightwads, pennypinchers and skinflints posting today. Financial prudence and thrift are not a disease !!! Pinch on !!!
Either a Sunbird Turbo or a Z24 Cavalier.
A Pontiac 6000 STE or a Bonneville SSE.
Well, I did buy a used ’84 Chevette in 1986. It gave good service. If my station in life were the same as then, I’d probably buy another one.
If my finances then were comparable to today, a GM car that caught my eye in the mid 80’s that nobody else has mentioned is a Buick Somerset Regal. The full width taillights looked cool at night and I also thought the digital dash looked cool.
CC effect? Someone down our street has been driving one.
I’ll go with a B-body Caprice/Impala/Parisienne/LeSabre/Delta 88 and there was still a 2-door Caprice made until 1986 or 1987. Or the G-body Cutlass Supreme (2 and 4-door)/Regal/Grand Prix/Monte Carlo/El Camino and off-course the F-body.
For FWD, I’ll go with a Cavalier Z24, Celebrity Eurosport, Cutlass Ciera or a Pontiac 6000STE.
And for a foreign oddity, a Brazilian Chevrolet Opala. 😉
’86 Cutlass 442, ’87 GNX, or maybe a GMC General with an 8V92TTA. Then again, I always liked the GP60.
’83 Hurst Olds, with T-roof.
And a close second for this. Every El Camino should have looked like this, I can’t fathom why the standard look was that dumpy Malibu face. Sorry, Jim!
Gosh, I can’t stop. Really, I’m not a GM fanboy. I’ve never owned one. Maybe that’s why I like them! But my dad had one of these, an ’86. Much crisper handling than later models, roomy inside but lean outside, close to 30 mpg in rural driving, single year sealed beams.
I love that LeSabre coupe roofline!!!
No offense taken, Scott. Funny that many of my friends at the time asked why I didn’t order mine this way. Then, as now, I prefer the chrome grille and bumper as well as the front air dam on mine. It always reminded me of a Caprice. I never cared for body colored bumpers, and still don’t. Interestingly, mine is an SS also, though the SS nameplate appears nowhere on the car. It does appear on the build sheet, factory invoice, and order form, all of which I still have. There were two different SS models available. The Choo Choo Customs version, and the SS Sport Decor option, which is what mine is.
I suspect the Choo Choo SS was a fair chunk of change pricier too?
I’m sure there was an upcharge. I’m not sure by how much, because I never considered ordering the Choo Choo SS
This generation of El Camino is one of my favorites…only a ’68 or ’69 SS with the sharknose/4 eye style grabs me more!
I was a college student in 1986, and flirted with actually buying a new vehicle. An accredited state university and a part time job had a much better cash-flow relationship back then. The Mercury Cougar, Ford Ranger, and Chevy S-10 were all test driven. I came closest to pulling the trigger on the Ranger. The S-10 was what started the venture, it was advertised at a great price in the paper as a clearance model. What the black & white picture did not reveal was it’s baby blue and white paint, and awkward proportions as a rare long bed. The most similarly priced Ford had a few less options, but was not embarrassing to look at.
I kind of regret not getting a little truck back then. With biking and rafting hobbies, it would have been fun.
But, my debt adversity led me to buy a few more old classic sleds that had escaped time by being housed in the garages of the elderly. They were easy to work on and could be bought for cash – not such a bad deal.
Getting back to the question: An S-10.
In my current station in life, a ‘Burb would be about the only vehicle to come into consideration. Everything else in the GM line was either dated stuff, or their usually awful FWD replacements.
The Suburban was vintage 1973, the B-body wagons were five years newer. Just sayin’
It’s an oddity, but old designs like the ’73 Suburban and the ’63! Grand Wagoneer were trendy in ’86, and had received many updates to keep them relevant.
GM’s ham-fisted efforts to update the B bodies after 1979 were mostly focused on making them CAFE compliant, while the rest of the vehicle was allowed to remain stuck in 1977.
Replying in the present time of what would I pick was partially based on towing considerations. The last B body wagon I would have considered was the ’78 Custom Cruiser with the 403. An ’86 with the 307 and fragile AOD transmission would be a non-starter for me.
I drive an ’84 Delta 88 coupe every day that I absolutely love, but I desperately want an ’86-87 Grand National and a K5 Blazer. Notice that they are all ’70s leftovers.
’85 or older Riv, IROC/GTA, GN, Monte Carlo SS, a Chevy C10 (’87 and back), boxy Z24 hatchback…I think these have all been mentioned already (probably for a reason).