That Eighties Funk

[Robert Hall]

Hey! 80s music can't be all that bad since most of the new stuff clearly references the synths and electronics. Not to mention the past few years have been a rehash of some 80s trends...and frankly, I think the girls look hotter these days than they did in the 90s.

Having grown up in the '80s, there is quite a bit of music from that decade that I still like and still listen to...U2, Peter Gabriel, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Simple Minds, New Order, Talking Heads, Bruce Springsteen, Def Leppard, Pink Floyd, John Hiatt, Prince, etc.

Edited February 27, 2008 by moltar

[Camino LS6]

Hey! 80s music can't be all that bad since most of the new stuff clearly references the synths and electronics. Not to mention the past few years have been a rehash of some 80s trends...and frankly, I think the girls look hotter these days than they did in the 90s.

It is that bad - I suffered through it and have permanent scars as a result. Worst decade of music so far by a factor of 10.

[Robert Hall]

It is that bad - I suffered through it and have permanent scars as a result. Worst decade of music so far by a factor of 10.

So far in my lifetime, this decade ('00s) is the worst...way too much $h!e on the radio.

Edited February 27, 2008 by moltar

[Sixty8panther]

So far in my lifetime, this decade ('00s) is the worst...way too much $h!e on the radio.

Agreed!

[CARBIZ]

What a parade of junk!

The 80s produced the most awful cars as well as the most awful music - the decade is best forgotten.

+ 1

I doubt we will see many Datsun 210s, Tercel hatcbacks, Stellars or J2000s in auto museums anytime soon.

However, there was some very cool early electonica (Kraftwerk, Nina Hagen, Giorgio Moroder) to come out of that era, but I guess you have to be into that kind of music. (I am.) Alan Parsons 'I, Robot' perverted me and put me on the path to electronica.

[CARBIZ]

So far in my lifetime, this decade ('00s) is the worst...way too much $h!e on the radio.

I wouldn't know: I have been listening to XM Radio for the past 2 years, and before that only certain digital stations from my cable provider. When I see commercial pop music today (like at the grammies), I think how unoriginal most of this stuff is. However, if you get off the Top 40 stations, there is a lot of good stuff out there.

[Croc]

So far in my lifetime, this decade ('00s) is the worst...way too much $h!e on the radio.

Agreed. It seems to be getting better, though. I only listen to "Indie" stations so as to avoid Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears on a daily basis.

ETA: Throw Good Charlotte, Simple Plan, and others of that ilk on my list to avoid as well.

ETA(A): To clarify, I'm referring to Top 40. There's some great stuff out there outside the mainstream...but mainstream music has blown chunks for a while...

Edited February 27, 2008 by Croc

[ocnblu]

xpn.org, baybees!

[Robert Hall]

There is definitely some music of this decade I like...the Foo Fighters, Audioslave, Velvet Revolver, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Sigur Ros, British Sea Power, Moby, Coldplay, Muse, to name a few..... and I also like the recent albums of long-time artists like Bruce Springsteen, U2, The Who, David Gilmour, and others..

[Blake Noble]

Well, I tried to avoid this car as much as I could, but, I can't resist temptation any longer.

It's that epitome of automotive monotony: the Chrysler K-Car.

The fact that the large slew of cars Chrysler introduced on the K-Platform saved the company from bankruptcy in the 1980s would be enough to make you burn away brain cells at larger rate than drinking trying to figure out exactly why that was. They were slow, they weren't the most reliable thing ever built, and Chrysler almost drove down the final nail in their bankruptcy coffin upon introducing them because they never built the base model cars they were advertising at launch. (Let's not also forget how they got all excited and glued Hemi badges onto the fenders of early Aries K models, just because Mitsubishi built their thrashy little four-cylinder engine that went into those cars with hemispherical combustion chambers.)

Then there's the styling.

In the history of the automotive world, we have seen some bland cars. The Toyota Camry is the reigning royalty in this case, staying bland and boring since the time of it's introduction all of the way to today. And the GM A-Body, previously mentioned in this thread, is a nightmare of forgettable styling as well. But, my god, this almost takes the Camry's crown.

If there has ever been a car you could vote to be most likely designed by a committee of senior citizens all juiced up on Metamucil and tapioca pudding, the K-Car would probably be that car. It is devoid of all emotion. It's devoid of any appeal. It's a downright appliance if there has ever been one. And it's a purebred appliance at at that.

On a more personal note, my mom worked in the service department (worked the computers) of a Chrysler dealership in the late 1990s, and quite a few of these would come in for service, usually because something broke or it was making a strange noise. And I remember I was with my mom after getting off from school one day when she had to return an Aries K back to it's owner (it was part of whatever job she had at the time). I was young at the time, and I don't remember too much about this particular car, except it ... felt as if would just dissolve on the trip back to it's owner. It didn't feel too solidly built at all.

But they tried to make it more than just a bland appliance. Most K-Car models had performance models tuned by Caroll Shelby with turbocharged four-banger engines that some would even call "perky" or "sporty." Yeah, sure. If you say so. At the end of the day, I bet even Caroll Shelby himself wants to forget his association with Chrysler in the 1980s.

And the man mostly responsible for the K-Cars would be Mr. Lee Iacocca. That would be the same man who was involved in the development of the Ford Mustang, first-generation Mercury Cougar, and the minivan (a pretty revolutionary product based off of the very K-Car I'm talking about; it too was bland, but you can't argue when a car opens up a brand new segment of the market). But he was also the same man who had a key role in the development of the Ford Pinto, so I guess for every good idea he had, a horrible one had to follow it up eventually.

Edited February 27, 2008 by YellowJacket894

[Camino LS6]

xpn.org, baybees!

Best radio in the world.

[daves87rs]

alright im going to say it... i will say it once... and then it should never... and i mean ever be brought up in this thread again... you cant even quote this post... trust me on this one you wont want to...

Cimarron

A silver 86 Cimarron coupe ALMOST became my first car. Almost.

[ocnblu]

Coupe?

[04monteintimidator]

dave... what did i say? why would you quote that post? or utter the name of that horrid horrid... thing?

[CARBIZ]

Well, I tried to avoid this car as much as I could, but, I can't resist temptation any longer.

It's that epitome of automotive monotony: the Chrysler K-Car.

The fact that the large slew of cars Chrysler introduced on the K-Platform saved the company from bankruptcy in the 1980s would be enough to make you burn away brain cells at larger rate than drinking trying to figure out exactly why that was. They were slow, they weren't the most reliable thing ever built, and Chrysler almost drove down the final nail in their bankruptcy coffin upon introducing them because they never built the base model cars they were advertising at launch. (Let's not also forget how they got all excited and glued Hemi badges onto the fenders of early Aries K models, just because Mitsubishi built their thrashy little four-cylinder engine that went into those cars with hemispherical combustion chambers.)

Then there's the styling.

In the history of the automotive world, we have seen some bland cars. The Toyota Camry is the reigning royalty in this case, staying bland and boring since the time of it's introduction all of the way to today. And the GM A-Body, previously mentioned in this thread, is a nightmare of forgettable styling as well. But, my god, this almost takes the Camry's crown.

If there has ever been a car you could vote to be most likely designed by a committee of senior citizens all juiced up on Metamucil and tapioca pudding, the K-Car would probably be that car. It is devoid of all emotion. It's devoid of any appeal. It's a downright appliance if there has ever been one. And it's a purebred appliance at at that.

On a more personal note, my mom worked in the service department (worked the computers) of a Chrysler dealership in the late 1990s, and quite a few of these would come in for service, usually because something broke or it was making a strange noise. And I remember I was with my mom after getting off from school one day when she had to return an Aries K back to it's owner (it was part of whatever job she had at the time). I was young at the time, and I don't remember too much about this particular car, except it ... felt as if would just dissolve on the trip back to it's owner. It didn't feel too solidly built at all.

But they tried to make it more than just a bland appliance. Most K-Car models had performance models tuned by Caroll Shelby with turbocharged four-banger engines that some would even call "perky" or "sporty." Yeah, sure. If you say so. At the end of the day, I bet even Caroll Shelby himself wants to forget his association with Chrysler in the 1980s.

And the man mostly responsible for the K-Cars would be Mr. Lee Iacocca. That would be the same man who was involved in the development of the Ford Mustang, first-generation Mercury Cougar, and the minivan (a pretty revolutionary product based off of the very K-Car I'm talking about; it too was bland, but you can't argue when a car opens up a brand new segment of the market). But he was also the same man who had a key role in the development of the Ford Pinto, so I guess for every good idea he had, a horrible one had to follow it up eventually.

Isn't playing Revisionist History fun? I was 21 when I saw my first K-car. It was a taxi, actually, sitting at the luxury hotel where I was working at the time. I had just parked a Rolls Camargue (the most expensive car at the time) and had a long chat with the cabby about his car. He loved it. As this thread says, the Eighties Sucked. We all know that. But for those of us who lived it, it was one punch in the head after another: detuned V-8s, the sudden appearance of FWD, hardtops and convertibles gone (then suddenly back, although the Dodge 600 was truly ghastly, too). The automotive world tried to fool us with talking cars (EEK - my New Yorker just told me to F$#K off!) and dazzling digital dashes.

The K-car saved Chrysler. Against the Tercels, J-2000s and Escorts of the day, it was more than competitive. It was cheap, decent on gas (not by today's standards, mind you) and had a lot of space inside - a very efficient interior lay out. They were also very cheap to repair, which you did have to do ofte, but then so did everyone else's POS break down or rust out, too. Trust me, the Citation and the Corolla of its day were no better.

[The O.C.]

A base 1982 Chevy Camaro or Pontiac Firebird powered by the 2.5L "Iron Duke" L4...........

[Blake Noble]

A base 1982 Chevy Camaro or Pontiac Firebird powered by the 2.5L "Iron Duke" L4...........

Good lord. Eight-eight raging stallions from an angry iron hornet's nest. Not one of the worst cars of all time, but my god, it was worth forgetting, you're right.

[Robert Hall]

Good lord. Eight-eight raging stallions from an angry iron hornet's nest. Not one of the worst cars of all time, but my god, it was worth forgetting, you're right.

Ah..the big '80s... IIRC, my '86 Mustang LX 2.3 had 88 hp... my '84 Escort diesel had 52 hp (but got over 50 mpg highway)...have no idea what my '88 Bronco II 2.9 was rated at. My '87 Mustang GT was rated at only 225hp but still feels quick because it's relatively light...

[Robert Hall]

Speaking of bad '80s cars, I'm watching the movie 'Fun With Dick and Jane' now and when Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni had to downsize from their BMW 7-series they end up with a battered yellow Festiva...

[The O.C.]

Ah..the big '80s... IIRC, my '86 Mustang LX 2.3 had 88 hp... my '84 Escort diesel had 52 hp (but got over 50 mpg highway)...have no idea what my '88 Bronco II 2.9 was rated at. My '87 Mustang GT was rated at only 225hp but still feels quick because it's relatively light...

OK....I had some of these 80's cars.....but in a perverted sense, loved every one of them.....

1980 Chevrolet Citation 5-door hatchback. My first car...! Gold with beige cloth, non-split-bench seat. At least it had the 2.8L V6 (with a roaring 110hp) but funny is even at the time, it seemed like it was decently quick. I flipped the whitewalls inside-out and yanked off the catalytic converter.

1984 Buick Skylark T-Type. I loved this car....with the "H.O." V6 and that DORKY bar-strip digital tachometer that they stuck up at the top of the gauge cluster! LOL.

1989 Buick Skyhawk Coupe. NOW this will always be one of my favorite cars ever. My first new car too. By '89, they had done away with the "T-Type" name....but this was, in effect, a "T-Type" coupe Skyhawk. The only options I had on it was A/C and the "T" package, which gave you the "Shelby" 14-inch aluminum wheels, huge Eagle GT tires, concealed headlamps, sport steering wheel, and sport suspension. It was also a 5-speed...! It wasn't too bad of a driver.....by 1989, it had the upgraded TBI Chevy 2.0L L4 and although it was still a pushrod, I think it had somewhere in the neighborhood of 110hp? Ironically, it went 84K miles with nary a single problem....nor did I have to put a clutch in it or anything.

After that, I moved into the '90s.....trading in the Skyhawk for a......<gasp>......1991 Saturn SL1 sedan!!!!!!!! It also had a 5-speed. Interestingly, I remember going from the Skyhawk to the Saturn and thinking about how much the Saturn truly DID feel like an import. Even with the small wheels/tires on the SL1 version, it handled tighter and crisper than my "T" Skyhawk.....and the base OHC engine, with only 88hp, felt peppier than the pushrod 2.0L I had in the 'Hawk. The interior also felt way more import-like. Also had no problems with the Saturn.

Alas.....

[Blake Noble]

I've covered a little of Europe, a little of America, so now it's time to pick on the Japanese a little.

Well, I could list the Toyota Cressida here, but that's way too obvious. So which car can I add to my list from the Land of the Rising Sun?

Say hello to the Nissan Pulsar NX.

Quite honestly, this little car was jut all around bad. Totally foul. It had about fifty-nine pavement-pounding ponies on tap from it's base four-banger and could do zero to sixty in around the fifteen-second range. And you thought your four-cylinder Mustangs and Camaros were bad. These were performance ratings that were best left to the 1930s.

Then there's the styling of course. It's painfully boxy and the nose of the car is an unsuccessful emulation of a Porsche 924 Turbo. It was also a compact car that horribly looked the part. Just by looking at the exterior, you know there is no way in hell you'll be able to sit in the backseat for a long trip without purchasing a series of contortionist lessons on tape.

It was also dreadfully cheap and honestly unreliable. My mom owned one of these cars when I was a small child, traded her first car in on it (a '76 Nova), and I can say that, from what I remember about it, the four-banger under it's boxy little hood sounded like a Hamilton Beach blender being raped by a fork. I also remember that the interior was an unpleasant place to sit in as a small child: it was brown, it was boxy, and it was, like I already mentioned, quite loud.

I decided to bring up the subject of the little car tonight, and my dad talked about how a lot of stuff on the car usually broke down and needed to be replaced, the heater core just to name one. Japanese quality, what?

Edited February 28, 2008 by YellowJacket894

[Croc]

1989 Buick Skyhawk Coupe. NOW this will always be one of my favorite cars ever. My first new car too. By '89, they had done away with the "T-Type" name....but this was, in effect, a "T-Type" coupe Skyhawk. The only options I had on it was A/C and the "T" package, which gave you the "Shelby" 14-inch aluminum wheels, huge Eagle GT tires, concealed headlamps, sport steering wheel, and sport suspension. It was also a 5-speed...! It wasn't too bad of a driver.....by 1989, it had the upgraded TBI Chevy 2.0L L4 and although it was still a pushrod, I think it had somewhere in the neighborhood of 110hp? Ironically, it went 84K miles with nary a single problem....nor did I have to put a clutch in it or anything.

Ummm...your favoritest car ever appears to be an X-body. Is that your final answer?

[2005 EquinoxLS]

Not 100% of the X-bodies were junk. Nor do all of us see FWD as a bad thing. The 2 1980's cars I own are good but things have come a long way since they were made. Reliable A/C is a huge improvment over these cars. Same with fuel economy and winter driving. Now I love my old cars to death and love driving them. But I can see where they arent so perfect.

[ocnblu]

Skyhawk was a J-body. I liked some of the J-bodies, like the Sunbird Turbo, and the later Sunbird GTs with the half-hidden headlamps and the V6. The first and second-gen Z24 Cavalier was not too bad, that 60-degree V6 growl was so distinctive.

[The O.C.]

Ummm...your favoritest car ever appears to be an X-body. Is that your final answer?

Oh poor Croc....you need to go back to GM school......the Skyhawk was a <gasp> J-body....!

(ooops....OCN beat me to it.)

J-cars could be good in the right iteration. I always liked the interior in the Skyhawk (and Firenza) WAY better than the Cavalier/J2000/Cimarron interior. The Skyhawk had a great gauge cluster under an instrument hood, the dash top was a plastic-stitched leather-like soft plastic, and the seats were more supportive/more plush.

Plus, my car with the "T" package had that great, thick, 3-spoke sport steering wheel Buick offered.....and the hidden headlamps....and charcoal-blacked out taillamps.

The only bad thing was.....if you ordered the standard 5-speed manual, you couldn't get any power accessories. You could order the "T" package with all it's suspension/tires/styling goodies....but nothing else. So my car was a stripper (but did have A/C) with no pw, no pl, no cruise.

Edited February 28, 2008 by The O.C.

[Croc]

Skyhawk was a J-body. I liked some of the J-bodies, like the Sunbird Turbo, and the later Sunbird GTs with the half-hidden headlamps and the V6. The first and second-gen Z24 Cavalier was not too bad, that 60-degree V6 growl was so distinctive.

Oh poor Croc....you need to go back to GM school......the Skyhawk was a <gasp> J-body....!

(ooops....OCN beat me to it.)

J-cars could be good in the right iteration. I always liked the interior in the Skyhawk (and Firenza) WAY better than the Cavalier/J2000/Cimarron interior. The Skyhawk had a great gauge cluster under an instrument hood, the dash top was a plastic-stitched leather-like soft plastic, and the seats were more supportive/more plush.

Plus, my car with the "T" package had that great, thick, 3-spoke sport steering wheel Buick offered.....and the hidden headlamps....and charcoal-blacked out taillamps.

The only bad thing was.....if you ordered the standard 5-speed manual, you couldn't get any power accessories. You could order the "T" package with all it's suspension/tires/styling goodies....but nothing else. So my car was a stripper (but did have A/C) with no pw, no pl, no cruise.

Yup, my bad...it was the Skylark that was the X-body.

[Robert Hall]

Yup, my bad...it was the Skylark that was the X-body.

Yeah, the names are similar so it's confusing... things got really confusing with Cutlass, which was used on a G body, A body, an N body, a GM-10/W body at different and overlapping times...

[Cory Wolfe]

What a parade of junk!

The 80s produced the most awful cars as well as the most awful music - the decade is best forgotten.

Now, now.. there was some good stuff, as Croc and Moltar mentioned. I guess it depends on what you're exposed to. Every decade has awful music.

Oh, and to contribute... I'd say the lovely Plymouth Turismo and it's Dodge/Chrysler counterparts. I was reminded of these because I actually say one for sale, a TC3. Total mind trip. I hadn't seen one of those... well.. probably since my Mom had one back when I was a toddler.

Edited February 29, 2008 by blackviper8891

[vonVeezelsnider]

I wouldn't mind another J-Bod if it was only a convertible Cavalier or Sunfire that I didn't depend on every day.

[Croc]

J-bods sucked in the end. Glad they're all gone.

[Cory Wolfe]

J-bods sucked in the end. Glad they're all gone.

Amen.

[cletus8269]

my parents had an 81 sunbird with a v6, i dont remember the car but i assume it had the 3.8 in it. was a 4 sp too. my dad said if you tried hard enough you could catch second, said it was a suprisingly fast car for what it was. the car we had in the 80's that i hated was a 4 banger cavalier station wagon... what a pos that thing was. with i could have set that thing on fire and rolled it down a hill. dad sold his 77 vette for downpayment money for that trash. tell my sister to this day that cost me a corvette when she came along.

[Mike D.]

Other bad 80's GM Cars and engines include:

1. Cadillac V8-6-4: That variable displacement engine was conceived during rising gasoline prices in the early 80's. Crude technology kept it from being reliable.

2. Oldsmobile (and other GM cars) powered by the 5.7 Olds diesel: That engine was a true boat anchor.

3. Cadillac Cimarron: Who wants to pay $12,000 for a rebadged version for the not so wonderful Chevy Cavalier.

[gmpartsgirl]

Sorry, it's not an 80's car but I had to mention it. We've debated here at work the worst out of GM. Many say the Citation, or Chevette, but I think it has to be the Cadillac Caterable. Seriously, just the # of blown head gaskets alone. I think my Used Car dept almost went under one year, cause they were getting good deals on them at auction, and then the head gaskets would blow a week after they sold them, they finally got wise and stopped buying them. The Catera is a running joke around here.

Edited March 6, 2008 by gmpartsgirl

[!!!TED!!!]

But, you know, all this talk about bland cars from GM during brings me to another particular car I have little love for: the Chevrolet L-Bodies (Corsica and Beretta).

It's never a good thing when you sell the first examples of a particular car to a rental fleet. And it's especially never a good thing when you decide to up and replace the Camaro with a bland front-drive coupe based on a even more bland front-drive sedan. (Thank god, that never came through.)

The styling on these cars are like ... Mr. Rodgers. Neighborly, not offensive in any sense, and plain. Plain, plain, plain. If it were a food, I think it would taste like ... stale crackers. It's honestly geriatric (although no where near as bad as a Chrysler K-Car).

On a personal level, I've had two different aunts own examples of the Beretta. One aunt had two, the other just stopped the insanity at one. One car lasted until 160,000 miles or so when it was traded off for an Isuzu Rodeo, the other two cars wound up eventually as one, with one car with a bum body donating it's good transmission amd engine to the car with the bum transmission and engine and good body. Then, after that, I think it was sold for next to nothing, the money going towards a low mileage example of a 1993 S-10. I know that the Beretta wasn't exactly the most reliable car GM built, either, as my aunt who managed to live with two of them at the same time was always having problems out of one when the other wasn't good for anything at all.

But, I have to say, in spite of GM's blandmobiles, I love the good old company with all my heart.

From Car and Driver (January 1994):

[Oracle of Delphi]

Ahhh, the beautiful Chevy Corsica Hatchback, made in the lovely town of Linden, NJ, before they switched to the Chevy S-10.

[Robert Hall]

Ahhh, the beautiful Chevy Corsica Hatchback, made in the lovely town of Linden, NJ, before they switched to the Chevy S-10.

That's one I don't remember..I remember the Corsica sedan, but not the hatchback. I also remember the Canadian Pontiac Tempest version of the Corsica, saw a couple of those in Florida years ago...

[ocnblu]

Partsgirl, imagine the fun to come for you at work. GMNA is set to get many more cars just like the Opel Omega, whoops, I mean Cadillac Caterable. Yaaaay!

[daves87rs]

Oh poor Croc....you need to go back to GM school......the Skyhawk was a <gasp> J-body....!

(ooops....OCN beat me to it.)

J-cars could be good in the right iteration. I always liked the interior in the Skyhawk (and Firenza) WAY better than the Cavalier/J2000/Cimarron interior. The Skyhawk had a great gauge cluster under an instrument hood, the dash top was a plastic-stitched leather-like soft plastic, and the seats were more supportive/more plush.

Plus, my car with the "T" package had that great, thick, 3-spoke sport steering wheel Buick offered.....and the hidden headlamps....and charcoal-blacked out taillamps.

The only bad thing was.....if you ordered the standard 5-speed manual, you couldn't get any power accessories. You could order the "T" package with all it's suspension/tires/styling goodies....but nothing else. So my car was a stripper (but did have A/C) with no pw, no pl, no cruise.

Very true.....

My first car was a 87 Cavalier coupe with the "rally sport" package.....

I only replaced a few things on that cav...the starter and fuel pump in the 75k that I put on it before a dumbass rear ended while it was parked...

I loved the dark blue color, the rally wheels, the blacked out trim....the 2.0 had a decent amount of pep.....

It even had a sunroof...

I've had good luck with J bodies......

My 93 Cav wagon is still running well, with well over a 100k (142k) and the 3.1 has good power......

Even the wife's 03 w/ the Ecotec has been a good car....it just turned over 40k....

The one thing that annoys me in the 3rd gens (95-05) is that damn dash rattle......

[Screaming Trees]

How about the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon twins

[Blake Noble]

How about the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon twins

They debuted in 1978 as Simcas so they're out of this timeline.

[gmpartsgirl]

Partsgirl, imagine the fun to come for you at work. GMNA is set to get many more cars just like the Opel Omega, whoops, I mean Cadillac Caterable. Yaaaay!

Seriously man, no fair. Awful, oh well, more money for me, I do sell parts afterall, and they aren't cheap on a car like that. :AH-HA_wink: Gotta find the silver lining.

[gmpartsgirl]

You know, I'll have to say that the front-drive A-Body Buick Century/Olds Ciera are just as worse as the Celebrity, too. I mean, I can't get past the styling of those three cars, the ultimate trifecta from boring automotive hell. The only thing that could make it worse is if you throw in the crown king of boring blandmobiles in with it, the Camry. I can't get past how every single one of them on the road today look exactly like they did over two decades ago: like a fat, bloated, disposable appliances on wheels. How in God's name they managed to sell the Century and Ciera into the late 1990s without some sort of major overhaul is beyond me.

I can only imagine the pains many designers went through when they designed the first front-drive A-Bodies.

Good thing they replaced the Celebrity with the Lumina when they did, or else Chevrolet would have dropped off most buyer's radars completely.

Out of all of the cars GM has produced over it's century-old run, they are by far some of the worst cars they made. Of course, you have Jack Smith to blame for it. When you have put a man who knows little to nothing about driving and virtually nothing about cars in general in charge as your CEO, what can you expect to be approved but disposable and insignificant blandmobiles?

I'll give credit where credit is due, however. The Celebrity, the Century, and the Ciera were reliable and safe cars during the 80s. They were affordable and they had some interesting "performance" models like The O.C. mentioned.

But, you know, all this talk about bland cars from GM during brings me to another particular car I have little love for: the Chevrolet L-Bodies (Corsica and Beretta).

It's never a good thing when you sell the first examples of a particular car to a rental fleet. And it's especially never a good thing when you decide to up and replace the Camaro with a bland front-drive coupe based on a even more bland front-drive sedan. (Thank god, that never came through.)

The styling on these cars are like ... Mr. Rodgers. Neighborly, not offensive in any sense, and plain. Plain, plain, plain. If it were a food, I think it would taste like ... stale crackers. It's honestly geriatric (although no where near as bad as a Chrysler K-Car).

On a personal level, I've had two different aunts own examples of the Beretta. One aunt had two, the other just stopped the insanity at one. One car lasted until 160,000 miles or so when it was traded off for an Isuzu Rodeo, the other two cars wound up eventually as one, with one car with a bum body donating it's good transmission amd engine to the car with the bum transmission and engine and good body. Then, after that, I think it was sold for next to nothing, the money going towards a low mileage example of a 1993 S-10. I know that the Beretta wasn't exactly the most reliable car GM built, either, as my aunt who managed to live with two of them at the same time was always having problems out of one when the other wasn't good for anything at all.

But, I have to say, in spite of GM's blandmobiles, I love the good old company with all my heart.

You know as much as I hate to admit it, I really liked the Beretta. Hated the Corsica, and the berettas and corsicas had some door falling off and paint peeling issues, but the beretta was cool when i was in high school. And another car I liked... early 90's 3.1 Z24 Cavaliers. Ok let the ragging begin.

Edited March 9, 2008 by gmpartsgirl

[knightfan26917]

That's one I don't remember..I remember the Corsica sedan, but not the hatchback. I also remember the Canadian Pontiac Tempest version of the Corsica, saw a couple of those in Florida years ago...

My parents had a 1990 Corsica hatchback:

http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/collection...7708r8_jpg.html

Can't see it very well ... it's at the center of the RHS of that pic. Can't tell it is a hatchback from that angle, but it IS a hatchback. It was, actually, quite handy. Though, I hated the rolling vinyl thing to cover the lower portion of the "trunk" area. The '90 Corsica replaced the '82 Chevette.

And, while we were in CA in 1991, we saw a Pontiac Tempest ... thought it a bit weird as it passed by us. Then, at the rest stop, we saw it again ... and realized it wasn't a Corsica, but a Pontiac.

Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve&pacemaker

WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"Nowadays you can't be too sentimental" ... Billy Joel ... 'It's Still Rock And Roll To Me'

[2005 EquinoxLS]

They sold the Corsica as the Pontiac Tempest in Canada. I never much liked the Corsica. The few I sat in I never could get comfortable. That was also one of those cars where if I wasnt careful getting in I would bang my head getting in. I actually liked the 1982-94 Cavalier better than this for that very reason.

[Teh Ricer Civic!]

you know, despite all the crap Yugo gets, they arent that unreliable and they are dirt cheap to fix, even in the absence of actual yugo parts

[The O.C.]

How 'bout getting a bit more specific......

Not JUST the Beretta and Corsica, but the original dash/interior for the Beretta/Corsica (before they got the much-needed, and greatly improved, update.....)

http://www.beretta.net/model_info/1990.htm

[Oracle of Delphi]

I always liked the Corsica, it was a tank, you could do anything to it and it still kept going. The 91 interior refresh was a godsend though. It's been what 12 model years after they rolled off the line, and I still see them all over, when I'm in the USA.

[The O.C.]

I always liked the Corsica, it was a tank, you could do anything to it and it still kept going. The 91 interior refresh was a godsend though. It's been what 12 model years after they rolled off the line, and I still see them all over, when I'm in the USA.

That's one sucky thing about living in Southern California......(AAS and I were talking about this yesterday at the car show.)

Because it's been SO import-dominated.....for SO long......you never see any GM cars, say from early-80's to mid-90's....that are in any good kind of condition. Cars like the 6000 STE....or the Skyhawk Sport/Hatch Turbo......or ANY Buick T-Type for that matter......or said Corsica or Beretta.....especially the Beretta GTZ.

At one time, way back when, I had an Olds Achieva SCX W41.......remember that car? Limited production, track-tuned suspension (supposedly...lol) and the 190hp Quad4. I can't remember the last time I saw any Achieva, even a ratted-out Achieva here....much less a nice-condition SCX coupe....

[!!!TED!!!]

I never realized that only the first year Berettas had chrome window surrounds. Interesting.