I walked by a pristine Olds Ciera in a parking lot tonight, and thought to myself it’s been a while since we’ve had an A Body at CC. But then we’ve had oodles of them in the past, and covered every permutation (I think). So how about you tell us an A-Body story, short or long. We’ve all had some kind of experience with them, no? If not, that might really be worth documenting. has anyone ever not been in one?
I don’t have a single story about that car. To be honest the ’80s, for me, was a lost decade when it comes to cars. I paid very close attention to all ’60s autos and ’70s autos. Then the ’80s came and I felt let down. I lost interest. I saw nothing that grabbed me. I had my ordinary 86 Mazda 626 for two decades. What stands out is that in 1984 I bought my first car to restore and that was a 68 Mustang which I spent the decade on. You could say it took the place of anything ’80s.
But that’s the beauty of the A-body, even if the 80’s were your own lost decade, they were produced for the majority of the 90’s as well!
Funny timing, as I’m working on a post that includes an A Body (Ciera) and was pulling up the photo today, and then I saw a clean Century parked at the grocery store tonight. Now this QOTD. I’ve never owned one but have driven a few rentals in the past.
Never been in one, but two of my coworkers drive cieras.
I had. 93 Buick Century, red w/ red interior. It was the first nice car I purchased after my divorce. It had the 3.1L 6. Ran it up to 200,000 with no issues. If I could find one again I would buy it without hesitation.
Back in ‘93 I drove a roughly six year old Olds Cutlass Ciera from Portland Ore to Royal Oak (Detroit) Mich. It was a Drive-Away Car, older than most, but it had less than 36,000 miles.
I actually was driving from Seattle to Chicago, a trip I made many times so I changed my route by driving a bit south to see the Grand Tetons, than on through Nebraska. Driving 2000+ miles by yourself can get tedious if you take nothing but interstates, so by checking my Rand McNally I noticed that I could follow the Oregon Trail, which I enjoyed doing on US Route 26. I reached Torrington WY by late afternoon and the Olds started acting up by repeatedly stalling on me, so much so that as I leaving town I had to turn around to seek a mechanic. After 2 hours and $250 I was told that the FWD A body was experiencing a common GM problem that happens around 36,000 miles, (I think it was a computer related, but can’t remember). After it was fixed all was fine. I felt very fortunate that I was not left stranded in Wyoming’s vast remoteness. The Olds owner reimbursed me when I delivered his newly inherited car in Michigan.
As I mentioned a few times before, young T87 was ferried in his father’s 1986 Pontiac 6000 wagon for a number of years. It was white with a grey fabric interior (except the rear-facing back row seat, which had some sort of faux leather) and had the V6 with and a floor-mounted shifter that made little sense in a wagon. My father bought it brand-new second-hand in late 1987 when we moved to the US. We moved back after three years, taking the Pontiac back with us. Not sure why my father chose to do that. But it did mean that after 18 months of painful bureaucracy, the car was homologated and could have French plates.
Ours was likely the only one in the country. The problem of spare parts became an issue: the only folks who had any experience with these near us was the GM importer in Geneva and the prices were astronomical. The transmission gave out in 1995, and that was the end of the 6000.
Don’t recall its year, but it was a white Olds Cutlass Supreme, and it belonged to my parents in their retirement. We drove it during visits to them, during one of which its alternator decided not to alternate anymore. We happened to know a guy who’d been buying, selling, and fixing up cars of every description since his high school days, and he recommended a shop to get the offending part replaced. The price was right, the service was prompt, and on our friend’s assurance that we weren’t deadbeats, they accepted our out-of-town check (that right there tells you how long ago it was). Dad tried to reimburse us, but we wouldn’t take his money (after all, we’d had the use of the car many times). Best $100 we ever spent.
It was by no means an exciting car, but I can understand why so many people bought them. Roomy, comfortable, competent. Nothing to love, really, but nothing to hate. Just what a comfortably-off retired couple like my mom and dad wanted. The Olds was a surprise to us kids; during our growing-up years, Dad NEVER bought new. His M.O. was to buy his company cars when the company was about to get rid of them (think mid-level trim, bench seats, AC but no power windows). The Olds, though, was Dad treating himself and our mom. All the goodies, and brand-new.
In 87 my Grandmother finally decided to trade in her big, faded 73 Chevy Caprice for something new and more modern. I was 16 and went car shopping with her but to my dismay, after checking out and driving the new Taurus, she wanted to look at the Oldsmobiles. She then test drove a white 87 Cutlass Ciera, mid-level model and bought it that day.
As I know I’ve shared before, my aunt Kathy whom I was really close with growing up owned a Cutlass Ciera coupe. It was a 1988 or 1989 model I believe, though unfortunately she already had replaced it with a 1993 Corolla the year I was born.
Of course, numerous other people I’ve known through the years had A-bodies. My two elderly neighbors who were sisters that shared the same two-family house each had Centurys.
Paul, just this week I scheduled an outtake on an ’88 Celebrity!
I’ve ridden in a Celebrity and a Century, and I drove a Century that belonged to a buddy of mine.
Oh, and my uncle owned a Ciera coupe and I got to ride in that once. Beautiful roofline, ugly as hell dashboard.
My introduction to auto repair was a 2.5l Chevy celebrity In the family since 98. After many abusive owners I was that cars last owner. That car never died. I worked on that car in middle school and high school, graduated in 2015. That car taught me about electrical after replacing the engine harness, taught me so much about drivability after the ECM and fuel injector went out along with the icm and coil packs. Needless to say as abused, and worn that car which was a rental back in the day and in 3 accidents it took me every where. That car never let me down. I finally got that car alright but being stupid I put 20w50 to quite the Duke down, only to damage the balancer assy. I somewhat corrected it but it was too late. The final straw was the alternator belt. Some lessons can’t be taught in school. That car taught me more than technical college.
When I started working for NC Division of Public Health, our state cars were mostly Cutlass Ciera wagons, probably mid-late 1990s models. White exterior, blue interior. Nothing memorable. One of the few times I drove our dedicated car, the electrical system failed when I was returning to Raleigh (I remember the dashboard flashing just before the motor died while I was going 55 mph) and I was stranded by the side of the road. The state Public Health vet talked about crossing some railroad tracks and the transmission falling out. The Industrial Hygiene consultants who used them the most just used it like an interchangeable appliance. Later as I found its styling more and more wearing on the eyes, I thought it was the perfect car to give to a teenager–the car just screamed “Loser!” and any teen with any self-respect would rather walk than be seen driving or even riding in such an unfashionable car. Nowadays, when I see a Ciera, I think of “Fargo” the movie.
At the time I was driving my dad’s 1978 Datsun 810. People were ragging on me for driving so old. At least it was unique and I liked it. And it was a good highway car.
In my grad school days circa 2002, when I was living in a low rent apartment in Raleigh, my neighbor had a mid-late 1990s Cutlass Ciera, white with a blue interior. I always wondered if she got it at a government auction or something like that, because that was *the* state government fleet car just a few years prior.
The biggest advantage of my 1986 Celebrity Sedan was staggeringly vast availability of parts in the every corner of the United States: a massive requirement for my extensive road trips through the American West.
Another one is probably the anonymous look with its medium grey metallic paint. The state troopers and police officers often overlooked my car when monitoring the traffic.
1988ish. I had always loved cars and was a a total gear head. I was now getting close to getting behind the wheel as my 13 year old brain conceived a plan to get behind the wheel of my Grandparents brand new Celebrity Eurosport Wagon. The burble of the V-^ was intoxicating as my parents owned an 87 Ford Tempo Sport GL (2.3 HSO Engine + 5 speed option thank you very much)
My plan was to convince my grandfather that I wanted to wash the car for him and I could back it out of the garage and down. what I perceived as a very long driveway (Route 66 in my mind). I would wash the car and ease it back into the garage later in the afternoon.
After many compelling arguments on my part, my Grandfather agreed and flipped me the keys. they even had the passkey chip embedded on the key!
Now, to clear, I had driven a car before. My Dad had a 1978 Scout II with a 345 and 727 Torqueflight that I would drive at our camp on dirt roads. I miss that old scout dearly.
Back to the caper: I walked out to the driveway and hit the button on the garage door opener and the door slowly began to rise. Ferris Bueller Style. There it was. Bright Silver, blackout trim, red GTI knockoff stripe around the beltline, Rallye Wheels.
I walked over to the drivers door and eased into the drivers seat. I was a pretty small 13 year old, so I adjusted the seat and lowered the tilt wheel into place. Inserted the key, twisted, and the V-6 roared to life. That GM v-6 snarl that was ever present in the 80’s and 90’s filled the Port Allegany, Pa air but I was instantly waiting in the pits at LeMans.
I need to remind you that my previous experiences behind the wheel involved the old Scout, various Go Karts, a Honda 200s Three Wheeler and our boat. All of which needed a good bit of throttle to get them going.
I slipped the shifter into reverse and gave the gas pedal a pretty healthy stab. Immediately I was hurtling backwards at what felt like 200mph down my grand parents, suddenly much shorter and narrower driveway. I raced past the wood pile on the left and the house on the right.
Realizing I was way above the legal limit, I mashed the brakes and the Eurosport stopped violently at the end of the driveway. I sheepishly shifted into drive and pulled forward a few feet and eased it into park.
I began furiously washing the Celebrity as I was hoping to make everything appear as normal. I don’t know if my grandparents witnessed my backwards NHRA drag racing qualifying run but I sure hope they missed it.
When it came time to ease the Silver Streak back into the garage, I started it up and let the throaty V-6 idle back into the garage. No need to touch the gas pedal this time.
I returned the keys to my Grandfather and he said I did an outstanding job washing the car. I have driven a few A-bodies since then (Cieras, Centurys, Celebritys, and a 6000) however I will always remember my first and it was My Grandparents New Eurosport Wagon.
I have heard from time to time that GM used touchy gas pedals to enhance the illusion of acceleration. I don’t know if they all were like that but that Eurosport sure had it!!!!
The GM FWD A-bodies were some of the best cars ever built…for Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, you name it.
“Here, we’re gonna build crap from now on, YOU can have our loyal customers!”
First one I drove was an ’85 Celebrity wagon that belonged to a pastor friend of mine. Just a year old, yet it wandered all over the highway. And I remember looking out the side mirror and seeing the below-side window trim going in THREE directions when it should’ve been one.
A year or so later, Avis Car Rental did a liquidation, for which my station did a series of live radio broadcasts. These largely consisted of driving the featured cars and then giving my impressions and hopefully a strong call to action.
But EVERY. SINGLE. ONE! drove like my pastor’s Celebrity. None of these cars had over 30k on them, yet the steering was vague and loose. Buick, Pontiac, Olds, Chevy. They ALL drove similarly horrible.
Realizing SOMEBODY was buying A-bodies – a lot of somebodies back then, in fact – I just looked for something positive to say and kept my negative opinions to myself.
My in-laws bought a Taurus a little while later.
For a GM fanboi like me, driving the Taurus was a sucker punch to the solar plexus. It was everything the GM cars weren’t and would never be.
In fact, I think I can safely say that my son’s 25-year-old Honda Accord feels tighter TODAY than any A-body I drove back then. I’m happy for those who can share positive experiences of these cars, but I just had to put my two cents in.
And I’m happy that any recent GM FWD-based rides I’ve had the chance to drive have been solid, tight, and dare I say it? FUN.
Amazingly enough, this article made me realize that I have never driven a GM A-body of this vintage. I did ride in a co-worker’s 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera four-door sedan one time. That ride reaffirmed to me why GM was losing market share, and why Oldsmobile was at death’s door.
No one aspired to own a Ciera by that point. It was quite a come down for both Oldsmobile and the Cutlass nameplate, particularly compared to the 1972 Cutlass Supreme hardtop sedan featured in another article.
“No one aspired to own a Ciera by that point”
I’m too young to have experienced Oldsmobile prior to the A body years, but I did briefly have a 91 Cutlass Ciera some time ago. You’re right, it wasn’t aspirational. Impressions now are vague but I remember it being a complete embarrassment compared to the lat-80s Accord and Camry. When the high-water mark 92 Camry landed I imagine the A-bodies sold only on brand loyalty and the price disparity.
Still, it was comfy, quiet, torquey and smooth with the 3300 V6. The clank! of the doors closing reminded you that the car was indeed made of metal. It drove like a car 3x its size, which is good or bad depending on what you want. The blue velour puts most modern automotive fabrics to shame. And screaming through the empty desert two-lanes at highly questionable speeds felt like being aboard a hovercraft–no sense of anything actually touching the asphalt. Which was interesting in a way the rest of the car was not.
What I remember is riding in my co-worker’s Ciera, and seeing the instrument panel featuring gaps bigger than the ones on my parents’ 1973 AMC Gremlin.
That level of assembly and panel fit would have embarrassed a contemporary Ford Taurus, let alone a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry.
This was Oldsmobile’s best-selling car by the 1990s. It’s no wonder that Oldsmobile’s image was in the dumps by the mid-1990s.
My Boss used to let me drive his new 86 century to make Ice Cream deliveries. alway thought it was so pretty and with the 3.8 v6 it seemed fast.
Now almost finished restoring a rare 86 H&E convertible. comfortable, smooth and always runs
Dad was a failure. Attempting to couch that statement more gently would dilute its truth.
It was the summer of 1987. My family had barely scraped by over the seven months since being forced to move from my childhood home due to foreclosure; now, our time appeared to soon be running out once again. A 30-day notice had just been posted on the door of our shabby rental, and I was devastatingly angry at my father for that fact. For all the fights. For making my mother cry.
At the time, my family’s only car was a white Cavalier wagon, a hand-me-down from my grandparents. It was a decent vehicle, but already rusting along its rocker panels from three Midwestern winters and even my 11-year-old self recognized its utter lack of inspiration and passion. It seemed a fitting symbol for our situation.
However, one day I was surprised to come home (that wouldn’t be my home much longer) to find a new Cutlass Ciera in the driveway. I think it was a 1988, but it may have been a late-’87 model.
Two-doors with the “fastback” rear window, flush composite headlights and gorgeous paint (that carried the banal name “Medium Red Metallic”) set off by blackwall tires mounted on gold crosslace wheels. It was weirdly equipped, too: the Iron Duke four-cylinder with a 3-speed automatic, power windows but no power locks, plush velour seating but no tilt or cruise. I believe it may have even had just a Delco AM radio.
Nevertheless, it was supremely rich-looking to my young eyes… and, surprisingly, it was ours. The Cavalier had conked out that morning as my father was heading home from one of his long-distance sales trips, and my grandfather had helped him that afternoon with a deal on the Ciera. (I’m pretty sure Grandpa wound up carrying the note outright.)
I hadn’t said a word directly to my father in weeks, but even with all the sadness and stress I still saw a hint of pride in his eyes, and I managed to weakly tell him “that’s a pretty car.” He paused a few seconds before quietly replying, “I think it’s time you start learning how to drive.”
Later that evening, he took me over to my old grade school’s parking lot, and I sat behind the Ciera’s thin plastic steering wheel and took control of a vehicle all by myself for the first time. After a few slow circuits around the lot perimeter, I looked over and saw my father crying.
“I’m trying,” he told me. “I haven’t been able to do much lately, but I am trying. And at least I can do this for you.”
That’s a touching story. Hopefully things improved (with both your relationship as well as the situation). I totally get how things happen (now) but remember back when I didn’t or couldn’t realize that.
Thanks, Jim. Thankfully the situation did ultimately improve across all fronts.
I hadn’t thought about any of this in years. It all came flooding back to me when I saw this post.
There used to be a woody Century wagon in the neighbourhood I grew up in. Since it looked just like my grandparents’ late ’70s Malibu, young me assumed it was as old. Only when I started reading CC did I learn it was probably only a few years old at the time.
Whoever owned it must have had a very particular preference for American cars, since they were not widely available in western Europe. Moreso since it lacked most of the attributes that make an American car stand out here.
However, I felt the clean lines of this early model Celebrity seen in Mexico looked quite smart.
I’ve had my 86 Century T Type for 32 years:
Interior pic:
1989 Eurosport wagon, 2.8, white, red interior. Most memorable thing was the drivers reclining seatback. If you stepped on the gas a bit too hard, the reclining seatback would recline. Immediately. All the way. You could imagine how old that got!
Otherwise, an anonymous car.
My great-grandmother’s final car was an late-80s Buick Century, in white of course.
Never rode or drove one. Can’t remember anyone I knew that owned one. But they were everywhere back in the day.
My memories are of an 89 Pontiac 6000 SE. Dark red, red interior. Seats were soft, comfortable but not at all supportive. A good car to take on a highway drive. What I remember the most is the hair trigger throttle on the GM V6. Too aggressive on the throttle would cause the car to jump from a stop. Of course, the engine ran out of breath over 4000 rpm. Coming out of a 4 cylinder at the time, it was a little surprising. It did become an issue in wintertime when driving on slippery roads.
Dad had bought a Cutlass Ciera when he was retired. One morning, Mom notice the car was missing out of the driveway when she went to get the morning paper. The car was found several days later in a gruff neighborhood sans the 4 cylinder engine.
Why the thieves wanted a 4 cylinder is still a mystery to this day. Even the insurance adjuster was surprised.
Considered buying a nice-looking 15 year-old Celebrity as a beater. $1200, said the for-sale sign. Guy in the house at the other end of the driveway threw me the keys. Everything worked (including the must-have-in-Phoenix AC on that July day). I was sold until it stumbled and died halfway through a left-hand turn on one of the fastest streets in town. I got it restarted in time, but I’m pretty sure I still had some of the seat foam stuck between my buttcheeks as I tried to exit the car and give the keys back. It was a nice little reminder of why I never wanted one new, much less used.
A couple years before I got my license, right around when I was beginning to notice cars (of the type a person could actually own) my dad’s employer took a foray into purchasing company cars. I remember my dad complaining bitterly that this was a way for them to avoid giving raises.
They gave him two Celebrities in a row. An ’84 wagon, which my parents purchased after two years, and then an ’87 sedan. I remember thinking the ’87 looked much cooler with its composite headlights and less chrome. I learned to drive on that one, and later wished that it was the even better-looking (to me, back then) Eurosport with red stripes and blackout trim.
The A-body I really wanted, though, was the Cutlass International coupe, with its 3.8 V6. I never drove one, but it must have been pretty fast (for an A-body)
My parents went on to have two Cutlass Ciera wagons in a row, the first with the 3.3 V6 and 3-speed automatic, which must have been geared fairly short as it was a rocket going away from stoplights. The second had the 3.1 and felt noticeably slower. The only serious issue any of them had was that the second Cutlass wagon’s transmission started to slip at around 120k. Not bad for an early 90s GM car.
Great article! And so true! In 1983, my Dad bought my Mom her next new car; a 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera Brougham sedan. It was the most luxurious car she had by then. It was loaded, with the 6-cyl. engine. It looked like this one (see photo), but in medium blue, and – NO Coach lamps (darned!). The interior was sumptuous blue velvet, and had all the power toys. It also had great pep (so I thought, I had just started driving). I was allowed to drive it to my High School Formal (“i.e. “Prom”). Here is a pic to share. These A-bodies were just EVERYWHERE in Toronto, Ontario.
I have another tale to tell: My Partner owned a 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity Eurosport coupe (really a 2-door sedan) before we met. It was white, similar to this photo of a 1985 model. It was a special order with the 2.8 L V-6 engine, the CL interior option, centre console, floor shift, and A/C. He tells me that it got looks wherever he went. I have read that all G.M. A-body 2-doors were quite rare. He got over 300,000 kms on it, and that he just loved that car!
My dad had an 84 Olds Cutlass Ciera, in that pinky-beige color seemingly every third A-body was painted. His had the diesel V6 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Diesel_engine#LT7
I remember when we got it, it was winter of 87. There was a whole row of these diesel vehicles and of course he picked the cheapest one…. The front clip was a slightly different color, and there was overspray in the engine compartment. The cars were salesmen’s vehicles (the paperwork I remember looking at, said the previous owner was McDonalds corporation. There was also McDonalds paperwork in the glove box (like equipment ordering forms). Anyway this car had an auxiliary fuel tank in the trunk, where the back seat would have folded down, (had it folded). My dad had an over 100 mile daily commute, and if he filled both tanks up, he could go almost two weeks between fill ups. Which was good, because for the most time we had this, there wasn’t a fuel station that sold Diesel in our town…
We used the car to pull a pop-up camper all over the Midwest. It never struggled or missed a beat, the Diesel engine made a lot more power than the usual Iron Duke powered A-body (a good friend’s parents had a Celebrity in the same color as our Olds, with the Iron Duke and it always felt and sounded agricultural to me, and with 5 people in it it would struggle up hills. The seats in our car weren’t very comfortable. It had a bench seat, that if my Mom pulled it up far enough for her to reach the pedals, everyone else’s knees were up against the dash. My back hurt after a few hours on the seat, too-I don’t know how my dad spent so much time in it.
We kept the car until it had over 100k miles. It started being hard to start, my dad took it to a couple GM dealers (the Chev garage in our town and an Olds place where he worked) He said they didn’t want to work on it, and the diesel truck repair place near us wouldn’t touch it either. Then, the gas station in town got a Diesel pump, but it was “full service” only, and it was an issue getting them to NOT put gasoline in it. Finally one time at that station, the attendant actually did fill it with Unleaded, and the cost of repairing the fuel system caused the insurance company to total the vehicle. It was a good vehicle, I don’t remember us having any problems with it.
We inherited a 92 Ciera (which I would never have chosen of my own volition) and learned pretty quickly to love it. It was utterly reliable, relatively comfortable, mechanically simple and relatively easy to work on, and served us extremely well until New England structural rust eroded enough of the underpinnings to make it unroadworthy. We happened upon a 90 Century, coincidentally the same color, and acquired it as a logical replacement. It had the same noble disposition as its predecessor, as well a many interchangeable parts and pieces which I used to good advantage. The biggest single part exchanged was the Olds headliner into the Buick to get rid of a bad case of the saggy-baggies — so much so that just before the swap I could hardly see out of the rear window through my inside mirror. Headliner droop seems to be a chronic aging Buick trait. Eventually the Century succumbed to the same rust deterioration that I was so familiar with, albeit after many years of combined good service from both cars. Ther 3.3 in both cars was superb (both over 200K miles with nothing but routine maintenance) and both cars had the 3 speed non-overdrive Turbo-Hydro with the lock-up converter, which gave me very little grief save for a sluggish lock-up solenoid in the Buick around 200K (do you perceive a recurring theme here?) Yet again, I can honestly say that if I could acquire a new one of either of my A-bodies right now, I’d dump what I’ve got currently and go back to the past in a heartbeat.