Our move to Rochester in June 1977 was the beginning of a four-and-a-half year period I’ll call “The Good Life” (TGL). My father often said that timing is everything. Apparently, our timing was spot-on in Rochester; we went more places and did more things than ever before.
I experienced many exciting “firsts” after we moved to Rochester. For example:
- First time on a commercial airliner (all 20 minutes of it): Rochester to Toronto, Ontario, July 1977. (Also our first time to Canada.)
- First time I “built” my own bicycle: June 1978. (Also the first of many times I nearly killed myself on this masterpiece.)
- First mid-winter family escape to Florida: Rochester to Tampa, February 1979. (Also our first time to Florida.)
Another first occurred in February, specifically on Valentine’s Day in 1978: my father came home with his company car–a ’78 Bonneville Brougham sedan.
Add two more doors, a two-tone blue paint job, a side of brougham, then remove the vinyl top. Voila! My father’s company car.
Sporting a two-toned Nautilus Blue/Glacier Blue exterior and Rally II wheels, the three of us took off for a celebratory dinner in downtown Rochester. With the Riviera now hibernating in the garage, the Bonneville was our “do everything/go everywhere” car.
The Mythological Company Car
Now, I had heard of company cars before. But, as a near-11-year-old in 1978, my understanding of it was limited to:
- We got a new car.
- It was “free.”
- It was well-equipped.
- We could drive it anywhere.
That told me all I needed to know. It wasn’t until many years later that I discovered not everyone got to pick their own company car and not all company cars were as nice as ours.
In any event, another first for me was that the Bonneville was our first new car as a family. There were so many things to enjoy about it: the trim exterior (although close in length and width to our Riviera), the new car smell, the newness of the interior, the evolution of switchgear and interior fixtures, the improved audio system (with factory 8-track player!), the new car smell (again), the noticeable reduction in road noise, the 20.3 cu.-ft. trunk (twice the Riviera’s capacity), and so on. After a few years of the Riviera’s hot-in-the-summer black vinyl, we all appreciated the Bonneville’s light blue “loose-pillow luxury velour trim” (right from the brochure) seats.
The S.S. Bonneville Brougham’s helm. Instrument panel is aesthetically neat but communicates little beyond speed, time and fuel level. Factory 8-track player is within easy reach.
GM’s successful downsized B-body program is well-documented on CC. I’d argue it was their last product “home run.” Our Bonneville was certainly a good one: it never went to the dealer for a mechanical or functional issue the whole time we had it.
Buying a Car in 1978
My mother and I were thrilled when my father got the Pontiac; the “company car quest” was finally over. At the time, most local dealers acted like:
- It was your privilege to buy one of their cars
- They made more money hoarding inventory than selling it to you
I blame some of this on the “Big Yellow Box” and the “Big X.” Kodak (peak Rochester employment: 60,400 in 1982) and Xerox (Rochester employment: 15,000 in 1981) were the predominant employers in greater Rochester during this time. Every spring, they blessed their respective workforces with generous bonus checks; every spring, all retail operations in the area would gear up to help relieve them of that bonus money.
I don’t think the dealers here cared that much about buyers who didn’t work at Kodak or Xerox. In any event, the process was neither simple nor linear; we whiffed at a few dealers before crossing the finish line.
Stop#1: Buick dealer–Lazy
We started at our lame, local Buick dealer on a chilly Saturday morning. I have no idea how this outfit stayed in business as long as it did. They had little showroom traffic and it was easy to see why. Their sales playbook followed the “We might allow you to buy one of our cars, maybe” approach. The only reason we started there was it was close to the house and we didn’t know any better. On their lot that day was a very sexy ’78 Electra sedan with Dark Gold paint, tan vinyl top and Buick road wheels.
1979 Electra Limited with same color scheme and wheels.
Now, January + Rochester = Partially snow-buried Electra. My father requested that they clean off and warm up the car. In the meantime, we’d run a few errands and return in 45 minutes or so to test drive. When we returned, we found the Electra still sitting where it was, still covered with snow, and still no customer traffic in the showroom. After a very short exchange with one or more salesmen inside, we were no longer in the market for a Buick. Why we didn’t go to one of the (at least) three other Rochester-area Buick dealers, I have no idea.
Stop #2: Oldsmobile dealer – Inflexible
A couple of weeks later, on an unseasonably warm January day, my father came home in a Carmine Red 98 Regency sedan. I thought this would be the one. While I was not crazy about defecting from Buick to Olds, my brand loyalty considerations carried no weight so I kept quiet.
Carmine Red 1978 Olds 98 Regency, plain wheel covers and all.
Later that evening, he came home. “No deal,” he said. He wanted wire wheel covers on the 98 he test drove; the Olds dealer told him, “Geez, that one came with regular wheel covers.” My father said, “This is really easy. Just take the wire wheel covers off that one over there and put ’em on this one.” “No can do,” said the dealer.
So, we were no longer in the market for a Buick or an Olds. Again, there were at least three other Olds dealers in the area. But, I digress.
Stop #3: Chrysler (!) dealer–Stressed
Next, we went to our local Chrysler dealer and test drove a New Yorker. Now, my best friend John’s parents were 110% Mopar. They even had a Chrysler powerboat, which I thought was very cool. But, we’d never had a Chrysler. We’d never even discussed having one. Chrysler was reeling at this point, between quality control concerns and slow-selling “too big” full-sizers languishing on dealer lots. I’m not sure what prompted my father to go off-script like that. It may have been the appeal of “going big” one more time.
The New Yorker we drove was similar to this one. At age 10, I was a fan of those wheels; I’m still a fan today. From https://www.forcbodiesonly.com/
Anyway, he drove it. He liked it. But there was one problem: He didn’t want any of the ones on the lot. I don’t recall what they lacked, but he wanted a certain combination. The dealer didn’t want to special order a car. They spun a yarn about how many decades it would take to get it, etc. In retrospect, I get it. The dealer was saddled with a lot full of brand-new full-sizers practically glued to the pavement. But, no deal once again.
Stop #4: Pontiac dealer–Goldilocks (Finally!)
At the Pontiac dealer, he not only hit pay dirt with the car, he hit pay dirt with the salesman. When the “wire wheel cover” request was made, this salesman was ready. He told my dad, “Bob, of course we can set you up with wire wheel covers, no problem. But, they get dirty easily, they’re hard to clean, and the slush sticks to them and makes them dirtier. Personally, I’d stick with the Rally II wheels. They look good and are much easier to keep clean.”
Wire wheel covers: No! Rally II wheels: Yes!
Touchdown! One hundred percent truth, presented in an agreeable manner. After absorbing this, my father agreed. Well-played, Mr. Salesman.
Ide’s Pontiac dealer was once at the top of the hill and the Honda dealer was at the bottom of the hill. Now, the Honda dealer is in the former Pontiac building and used cars are in the former Honda building. From www.idedealerships.com
Hitting the Road
We went many places in the Bonneville. A Virginia junket included visits to Monticello in Charlottesville, Luray Caverns in (surprise) Luray, and Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. We also made multiple trips to New York’s Hudson Valley, where we visited Washington Irving’s house and Jay Gould’s house (both in Tarrytown), as well as Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s home and the Vanderbilt mansion (both in Hyde Park), among others.
The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome was another memorable experience along that route. If you like biplanes, monoplanes, and offbeat automobiles you should check it out. Of particular note is the air show, which runs Saturdays and Sundays from mid-June to late October.
From https://oldrhinebeck.org/
When my wife and I went in 1998, over 15 years had passed since my last visit as a child. It was just like I remembered: “dueling” biplanes, ideal summer weather, the museum and concessions.
If the Riviera was “George” the Bonneville was “Weasie.” Get it?
The Bonneville was an excellent highway car: quiet, spacious, comfortable, excellent air conditioning/heat, and excellent audio system (Delco 8-track for the win!). However, it lacked in one critical area: it was slllllooooooowwwwww, particularly when passing. CC’s Vintage Review of a ’77 Brougham in Road & Track backs me up: 0-60 mph in 14.8 seconds? It felt like 14.8 years.
1977 Bonneville Brougham from R&T article: Looks? Yes. Cooks? No.
Like R&T’s test car, ours had the standard 301 V8 with 2 bbl. carb. Around town it was adequate; as discussed previously, GM tuned these malaise-era engines for low-end torque. But when you needed to pass on a two-laner, the Bonneville didn’t have enough Wheaties to get the job done, in my book. It certainly lacked the Riviera’s space-and-time-bending passing prowess.
It may seem like I’m overemphasizing the need for passing power. There is a reason for that: One of the trips we frequently took during the Bonneville’s time with us was between Rochester and Unadilla to visit family.
The road less traveled (with good reason)
Unfortunately, someone boycotted the simple NYS Thruway/Interstate 81 route for several years because someone got a speeding ticket. So, someone decided we’d all suffer and make the trip on secondary roads. Some of the new route ran parallel to the west side of Cayuga Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. It was not a kind trip: Numerous small towns, neglected roads, brake-baking hills, constantly fluctuating speed limits (55 to 45 to 40 to 30 to 45 to 55, oops, another town, 30), slow drivers, farmers on tractors, Amish carts, etc.
The bad route: 96 to 414 to 89 to 79 to . . . can’t we just stay home? Simpler, faster, more picturesque Route 90 appears on right.
There were not a lot of good places to safely pass. When your opportunity came, you had to be ready. If things weren’t just right, you didn’t do it. The Bonneville needed a bit of a running start to pass comfortably. Combined with the overall foolishness of the route we were taking, it made for some stressful trips.
A few years after I started driving, a friend shared an alternate route to cover the same amount of ground. This route runs along the east side of Cayuga Lake.
On this map, Route 90 appears as an L-shape. To me, it’s L for “Love” as in, “You’ll love taking Route 90 if you’ve suffered through the route on the other side of Cayuga Lake.”
The difference is night and day: Fewer towns, light traffic, great road conditions, picturesque views, no farmers on tractors, no Amish carts. And lots of places to pass, if needed. My wife and I have taken this route countless times. I wish I had learned of this route about 17 years sooner.
You know what they say about all good things
Due to a variety of factors, The Good Life ended abruptly in early 1982, as did our time with the Bonneville after almost 50,000 miles and four years. The Riviera was returned to active duty, looking proud and quite out of step with the state of the world in 1982. But, the Buick was not alone. During The Good Life, we picked up a car for my mother. She got her license in 1980 and while shopping for a car to fit her needs, we ended up with the yang to the Riviera’s yin. The result is the subject of our next COAL–a clash of the titans: My father versus my mother’s car.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1978 Pontiac Bonneville – No, Pontiac Didn’t Just Make Firebirds In The ’70s
Well written. I agree with your statement that the downsized B Body was GM’s last product home run.
My dad owned several cars equipped with wire wheel covers in the late ’70s and early ’80s. As the designated family car washer, I can assure you that everything the salesperson said about them was true.
They trapped snow and slush like crazy in the winter and were difficult and time-consuming to clean (my personal trick – a very long bristled brush).
Like so many things automotive in the 1970s, I’m sure wire wheel covers seemed like a good idea to someone at the time, but today they are a real head scratcher. The past really is a foreign country.
I had factory wires on: ’65 Riviera, ’72 Pontiac Grandville, ’82 Delta 88 and ’87 Grand Marquis. The wires on the Riv were gorgeous.
My solution was a cheap paint brush. I don’t know that it was anymore work then some of the more intricate road wheels I’ve had. Our 2018 Fusion Titanium has a tight multi-spoke design that requires a measure of diligence. I may need to find that paint brush!
Tom—Thank you for confirming what I long suspected: what the salesman told my dad was 100% on point.
In their defense, I thought the B-body wire wheel covers were particularly attractive. Thankfully, I didn’t have to clean them.
Excellent write up, Chris!
Stories of going with Dad to the dealer’s and always getting another car, at least as young kids, are what childhood is made of!
At any age, 4 and a half years of good time with relatively few problems is a really good time. I hope the rest has also been reasonably good, and I’m waiting for your next installment.
Thank you, Rafael. Agreed, getting another car was always an exciting event during childhood.
Also agreed that four plus years w/little to complain about is a good time. Writing these COALs has stirred my memory; my mother and I have spent much time over the last few weeks reminiscing about long ago events and adventures.
My Dad had the 1980 Bonneville, but his was the 2 door. Very nice car, but I have to agree with that 301 being very slow.
My favorite taillights on these were your Dad’s 1978, and when I saw that the 1981 taillights when back to that styling, I had wished that my Dad would’ve waited just one more year to get his Bonneville.
That car met its demise when a Chevette crossed the centerline on Falls Road (MD-25) in Northern Baltimore County and hit my parents head on. Thankfully, they were ok, but I was absolutely amazed by how much damage that little Chevette had done to that Bonnie. For me, the physics just did not add up.
I loved that car’s interior, and especially its gauges…
RetroStang Rick—Agreed about the taillights — those were my favorites also.
I can see why you were surprised by the amount of damage the Chevette laid on your folks’ Bonneville. I would have expected it to be the other way around.
I’ve never heard of a company car chosen by the employee. This was the age of tax bracket creep and higher rates, so a car in lieu of higher pay was a good deal. Not having to keep track of non-work-related miles is another.
My employment contract at Telemundo included a $500/month prevision for a car lease. Thanks to interest rates coming down at the time (1985) I was just barely able to lease a new MBZ 300E for $499/month for 5 years.
I actually got in trouble for that as the big wigs in NYC heard incorrectly that I’d gotten an S Class, and that would have been too uppity for my then position, given that’s what they then drove.
When my father moved to his new job in 1972 he negotiated a car allowance. It was sufficient to lease a 72 911E Targa and then a 74 450SL. The President drove an American car and wasn’t pleased with what my father drove. Working for a company that was owned by growers who created the Co-Op they were the ones to decide any disagreements. One came up pitting my father against the President to decide a major issue as to the direction of the Co-Op. My father had a large number of growers with him but not enough so he was out. The President gloated that he could now take that 450SL. My father gloated a few years later when the Co-Op went under, like he said it could, and was bought out by another.
Ralph L—The gentleman my dad worked for was was very generous. My dad produced results and I think because of that, he was happy to let my dad pick out his own company car. My dad, to his credit, knew to show some restraint and not pick a car from the local Cadillac dealer.
In New York State, or at least in Rochester, a “car allowance” as Paul and tbm3fan mentioned, became more common in the 1980s. There seemed to be some tax law changes that complicated the company car model and made the car allowance a simpler approach.
Chris, great write up. I am loving the upstate NY coverage, and in particular in this article your time in Rochester during its heyday. Over the past 5 years, I’ve become familiar with the city due to one of my sons living there first as a college undergrad and now a grad student. It’s a fascinating place for all of its incredible industrial history; and it seems now mostly for how all of that collapsed so rapidly in the 1990s, leaving the whole place with a sort of post-apocalyptic feel (to me at least).
Obviously there are lots of cities that have a post-industrial malaise, but Rochester may be second only to Detroit in terms of the height from which it fell. And arguably, Detroit has started to pull itself up in a way that doesn’t seem to have yet taken hold in Rochester.
I’ve driven a lot in the Finger Lakes region as well and I don’t recall the west side of Cayuga being that bad…but then again I wasn’t in a 1970s Pontiac.
What did your dad do at Kodak (or Xerox)?
Jeff—Glad you’re enjoying the series. When you live in one area for so long, the evolution takes place right under your nose and you don’t always think about how far the evolution has covered.
In my opinion, Rochester is now a giant “college town” — it has the University of Rochester and its medical center, Rochester Institute of Technology, and several smaller colleges (St. John Fisher, Nazareth, SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo, and Roberts Wesleyan). For a city barely breaking 200,000 in population, that seems like a lot of schools. However, the outlying areas, what the cheerleaders like to call “greater Rochester” has about a million people.
University of Rochester is the “new” Kodak with 30,000 employees, which makes them the area’s #1 employer. Most of those employees work at the UR Medical Center/Strong Hospital. The difference in today’s Rochester employment base is, other than U of R, there are more employers that each employ fewer people. When we moved here in ‘77, it was all Kodak, Xerox, Bausch & Lomb, and Rochester Products.
Today, Xerox is #14, B&L is #18, and Kodak is #21. The four of them combined employ a total of 5,000. The top five for 2023 are University of Rochester, Rochester Regional Health, Wegmans (grocery store), Paychex (payroll and HR) and Rochester Institute of Technology. The five of them combined employ about 72,000. It’s predominantly healthcare and higher ed now.
Rochester suburbs range from average to quite affluent. But the city itself suffers from the same issues that many cities struggle with: poverty, low school attendance, lack of development, street crime/violence. Various city government administrations have pursued expensive, fruitless boondoggle in an attempt to “revive” downtown. We can talk offline if you’d like about those.
I once thought that Rochester and Binghamton weren’t that far apart in terms of recovery. Today, I realize that in most metrics, Rochester is way in front of Binghamton. To me, Binghamton looks far more post-apocalyptic than Binghamton.
In its defense, the suburban Rochester school districts are highly rated, real estate was (until recently) affordable, it’s 90 minutes away from Canada/Niagara Falls, less than an hour away by plane from NYC, less than an hour by car to Letchworth State park (“the Grand Canyon of the east” so it’s said) and 60 minutes or so by car to the legendary Watkins Glen race track. When I travel for work, I am always grateful to return to Rochester’s clean, modern, moderately populated airport. I know that once in my car, I will be home in about 20 minutes.
I’ve never been to Detroit, although I’ve long wished to go there. There appear to still be many vestiges of their once mighty industrial output. There is some of that in Rochester, too, although they’ve torn down several buildings in what used to be Kodak Park.
I used to be highly critical of Rochester when I was younger. But, once I started traveling for work in the ‘90s, I learned to appreciate some of the advantages of living here.
And, you asked what my dad did — he started as a technical recruiter for the Rochester office of a large contract employment company. His main client was Xerox. He was quite adept at selecting and “packaging” (identifying skill sets, writing resumes, etc.) candidates who were not good at packaging/presenting themselves, helping them to land lucrative assignments at Xerox. Xerox liked the people he found; they kept requesting and he kept supplying. That was his “right place/right time/right guy for the job” moment.
That Pontiac 301 always seems noted as a bit of a dog. The 305 in our family’s ’78 Caprice was decent, and the company Delta 88s my dad would bring home were 403s, and I believe the 350 was the top engine available for ’79, and was quite adequate.
Two-tone blue Poncho Bonnie Brougham with a slick top and Rally IIs would have been awesome, but make mine a 350 please.
While I love the last big Chrysler NYBs, it looks like a barge among the GM offerings.
I’ve mentioned my father’s 1978 Bonneville Brougham in CC before. It had a true Pontiac 400 cu. in. V8 and, of course, a 3-speed Turbo Hydramatic. Even with a ridiculously tall rear end (2.29:1) it could chirp the tires going into second gear when really pushed. Since the speedometer pegged at 85 I had no accurate way of knowing its top speed but it had to be drag limited. 🙂
Dad custom ordered his Bonneville to his taste. It had the radial-tuned suspension option, no vinyl roof and what may have been the standard wheel covers. They looked cheap on this nice car. My sister called them “cheese grater wheel covers.” By the way, the image of the wheel cover came from eBay where this particular one is available for $18. That’s probably about what Dad paid for each of those he replaced 45 years ago.
Be that as it may, since Dad liked to park his car behind his drug store where the building shaded it from the afternoon Texas sun, the wheel covers (all four) were stolen twice! The second time the rear fender skirts went away with them. Another time someone stole the license plates from the Bonneville. I fact made known to Dad when the police called him to confirm he owned the plates which found there way onto a earlier model Impala that was used in a robbery!
After those incidents Dad riveted the license plates on the car and etched the VIN on the replacement wheel covers (still the cheap looking OEM ones) and fender skirts. He continued to park the car behind the store (stubborn) until he moved to Arizona in 1986.
My dad special-ordered a 1977 Bonneville Brougham with whatever the standard full-coverage wheel covers were. Didn’t care enough to inventigate what they looked like; I think we both assumed it was the finny design below which was shown on many brochure cars like the one below. The only brochure photo with the concentric-circles design was on a Grand LeMans and I associated them with that roundy car and was surprised to see them show up on a Bonneville. It worked well on the curvaceous LeMans, less so on the boxy B bodies. The holes proved large enough to swallow an occasional pebble which could be then heard bouncing around the space between the wheel and hubcap; these had to be emptied about twice a year. The last few years we had this car we drove with the wheel covers and at least one of the rear wheel skirts off.
I bought a new 1978 Bonne. Black 4 dr sedan. Came with the 301 which turned out to be smooth and quiet, but it was a dog! Should have gotten the 350 (I think). Paid $6250 for it. Only kept it for 2 years, as the gas shortage loomed. Sold it to a coworker and bought a 1980 Datsun 510 Wagon. Lucky move as it got about 30mpg compared to about 12-15 with the Bonne.
I remember going with my best friend and his mom to pick up her ‘78 Bonneville Brougham coupe at Glenn Straub Pontiac in Wheeling West Virginia. It was such a sharp looking car! White with a burgundy vinyl landau top and burgundy vinyl interior. Powered by a Buick 350, it had enough scoot to get her teenage son into trouble after getting his license. Oh, the stories that car could tell if it could only talk!
The car she traded in was pretty cool too… a maroon ‘74 GrandVille coupe with a 455. It’s a good thing he was too young to drive it, or neither he or I might not be here to tell about it.
My Dad had a 1978 Bonneville 2 door brougham. It was a step down from his normal (used) Cadillacs and Lincoln Marks but it was new. I visited him once in a while (I was a Lt then in the Air Force) and it seemed to be a good car. It was sort of a copper brown with a lighter brown half vinyl top and the cushy velour interior. A few years later he traded for a new one, maroon with the Brougham half vinyl top. It was better looking than the first one.
Thanks Chris, I enjoyed your tale very much and look forward to the next installment. Your Dad make a superior choice. The first picture says it all, displayed on a carpet with crest woven in, reflecting in the stainless trim and glowing in the background, the ad highlights why Pontiac was the best looking automobile for GM of 1978. I agree with feeling about the 301. My 77 GP had the 2 bbl version and strictly a cruiser. Although I appreciated the 23 mpg on the highway, it wasn’t a stoplight warrior. When I rebuilt the carb, I found it was a 4 bbl casting with the secondaries blocked. As a poor engineering student, I didn’t have the cash to swap the manifold and carb, but I’m sure that would have given it a little more go. Before the tax laws changed, I was lucky enough as a sales engineer and fleet manager to pick what I wanted (within reason). First a black 1999 GP GT, then another black 2006 GP GT and a 2009 G8 GT – a real rocket! My last one was a 2013 Charger R/T (a more comfortable rocket). I really miss my G8, but my current ride, a 2003 Aztek scratches the Pontiac itch..a least until the next time it overheats…
I’ve been enjoying this series, as it literally covers a lot of familiar ground. My wife has very deep roots in the Rochester area, so I know it well from annual family visits over the past 35 years. True to its reputation as perhaps the nation’s largest company town, her father, both grandfathers and at least one great-grandfather were all Kodak employees. Now, not only do none of her many relatives work at Kodak, which now employs only a couple thousand people in Rochester, but virtually all of those under the age of 65 years have left the area and Upstate New York altogether. As noted above, it’s hard to think of a place that has fallen harder, except maybe Detroit.
As for the 1977-79 Bonneville, I always liked them a lot and thought they were a big step up from a Caprice, especially when loaded with options, which they often were (at least in the U.S.). Sounds like your Dad chose well, omitting the vinyl top, springing for the two-tone paint, and opting for the plush cloth interior. Also, the earlier downsized B-body Pontiacs were handsome, whereas in my opinion, the 1980-81 updates made them the ugliest of the lot.
Good thing you didn’t get the New Yorker. Listening to those that have one on my C Body Forum and the complaints about Lean Burn, Auto-Temp II, and the one year only plastic wiper cam is always fun.
My first new car was a 1978 Bonneville Brougham 2 door. I ordered it with the 350 V8 which was made by Buick. To a young guy who had a heavy foot, the 350 was a dog. I should have ordered the 400 with a 3.23:1 rear axle. I ordered so many options that the car had two window stickers. I still remember that the MSRP was $9,280.00. That was significant in those days. The quality was abysmal and the chrome pitted after the first time that the roads were salted. The inner and outer layers of the hood came apart and at highway speeds it looked like you were driving with the hood only on the safety catch. After a little fighting, GM gave me a new hood. My next car was a 1980 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Brougham 2 door with a diesel. I drove it for 3 months and got rid of it. My last GM car was a 1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham 2 door. Lovely car, but the 3.8 litre V6 with a 2.14:1 rear axle was so frigging slow!
David Cook, I’m not sure why the Buick 350 was so slow. A high school buddy of mine had a 1972 Skylark with that same engine and it ran pretty well but it was a highway cruiser, not a stop light stormer.
Yes, the Pontiac 400 was definitely the engine of choice for merging onto freeways (especially those in Houston) and cruising all day with that 85-mph speedometer pegged. It’s funny you should mention the MSRP for your car. My memory on that subject for Dad’s car is not crystal clear but I do remember $9,2XX.XX on the bottom line of the Monroney sticker. Of course, he paid less than MSRP and drove the car for over a decade so it seemed like a good deal. If you can keep it out of the sun Texas and Arizona weather are fairly benign for automobiles.
I enjoy the articles. Quick question—what does the acronym COAL stand for?
Cars Of A Lifetime
Never been a Pontiac guy, but I will say that I think they had some of the nicest seats and dashes of the GM brands.
My mom was about to buy a new 1978 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency and asked me to go look at it and check it out (my father and I had done the same when she bought her 1972 Chevrolet Caprice, but my dad had since died). I looked at the car and studied the window sticker carefully. I noticed that it had wire wheel covers listed on the sticker but had the plain Oldsmobile wheel covers on the car (I suspect a previous customer had made the same request as your father asked and they obliged). I told her they either need to put them back on or take some more off the price. She decided to have them take more off the price.
These Bonnies were my second favorite behind the Olds 88 for the 1977-79 generation. The 2 bbl 350 in Mom’s 74 Luxury LeMans was a dog too, so your experience with the 301 is not surprising.
Also not surprising is your experience with the dealers. GM dealers were enjoying a bonanza in the late 70s.
Our neighbor had the Bonneville; nice car. I loved the lower chrome sides, fender skirts & dash. We had the 78 New Yorker Brougham. Drop-dead gorgeous inside & out. We could put 6 people in, tow an 18′ boat with dual Chrysler outboards–and still pass easily from 60-90 mph. I think that was the nicest car we ever had. Nicer than our 98 Regency Brougham, Cadillac Brougham or even the 2 Lincoln Town cars.
Lifelong Rochesterian here, and my mother had a ’79 Bonneville with that same light blue interior but a white exterior with blue landau top (but she bought it from Piehler, not Dick Ide). That car was a beast…my brother and I beat the piss out of it in the mid-late 80s driving to/from high school (car caught air more than once). It’s become a family legend.
As for the city itself, I have friends in Detroit and have been there several times. The loss of Kodak/Xerox/B&L has had an appreciable impact on the area but not nearly the impact that Detroit experienced. A lot of the laid-off high-tech employees of Kodak/B&L/etc went on to found a number of smaller professional companies here (especially in the optics industry). Still, the long winters and high taxes have lead to a loss of population.
Very nice article on a time gone by I think the 70s produced some great cars and that Bonneville is a looker even today. Great story it’s that we have memories to share about cars.