That interior is actually pretty nice. There is a 1985 Sunbird that has lived on my street since new that only gets driven once a month. Only 31k miles. Interior was mint, big thick blankets covering all the seats to protect them, you know like older people used to do. Owner is getting up there so she finally pulled it out of the garage and put a for sale sign on it last week. I took it for a spin. It was interesting to say the least. When you haven't been in a small car from the 80's in a while it is quite a surprise to remember how small they are. The visability is great though compared to modern vehicles with their chunky A and C pillars. Step on the gas and not much happens when you only have 86HP under the hood. I thought it would of been cool to buy it but what would I do with an 85 Sunbird?? I went home to think about it for the night, told the owner I'd be back. My wife said you better not wait long if you really want that car. I said do you think there is anybody else around here that is dumb enough to want an 85 Sunbird? I took a walk back down the street to take another look and somebody was in the driveway giving her a deposit!!!!! Sold in 3 hours! You snooze You lose.
Cool story, what was the price? We know it has a low value, so between being super slow, you’d have the occasional unobtanium parts to busy up your weekends. Imagine paying good money to suck up all your free time.
@@terminallygrayI'm a Ford and Mopar guy, and I miss them too! Olds & Pontiac could almost always be counted on for much better styling and engines than chev.
My Dad had a new ‘84 wagon . After just getting my license, I was alone driving on a wet winding road. Was cranking “Won’t Get Fooled Again” , and as I started banging out the drum solo I slid into a turn, slamming on the brakes, then went off the road stopping about a foot from going head on into a telephone pole. Daltrey’s scream barely beat mine!!!
I drove a 1984 Sunbird with this engine and owned a 1984 Buick Skyhawk with the 2.0L OHV base engine with manual transmission. I preferred the 2.0L for its low end torque delivery over the 1.8L OHC. My Skyhawk didn’t have power steering and that made it better to feel the road. Wasn’t difficult to steer at low speeds but did take more effort. The Olds and Buick had a better dashboard over Pontiac, Chevrolet, and Cadillac J-Body vehicles. Made my Buick handle better just by changing to better grade tires than factory stock. Careful shifting and throttle pressure would get you impressive fuel economy numbers of a little more than 40 mpg highway and close to or above 30 mpg city depending on lights and traffic.
They should have called it the Oldsmobile Cutlass Jr. I don’t like that front end though. Good looking car overall. I think the later model Cimmaron’s had the best J car front end.
Besides repowering and refinement, the big news for the Firenza line for '83 (and the Buick Skyhawk) was the addition of a wagon model. At launch only Chevy and Pontiac had the J-car wagon.
John Davis is so eternally optimistic. "J-car is the most improved for 1983" Translation: Last year was so cr*ppy, even a minor improvement is a BIG DEAL
My parents had a base 1983 Firenza hatchback that was painted in poop brown with a poop brown interior... They put 217,799 kms on the clock before trading it in for a 1996 Honda Accord
No power windows though......I'd look past it for that reason. My Dad and I drove an '83 Skyhawk with this engine.....it was powerful despite the numbers.
These cars were junky but eventually became reliable later in the model run. Tupperware interiors and junk brakes were the main flaws once the lack of power and steering rack failures were addressed.
I hope all the viewers who are always making fun of him when he calls a 9 second to 60 car quick will now understand whete he was coming from. It's all good anyway though. If you accelerate too fast it makes it hard to light up your Salem!
The 82 sunbird from that year looked way better! My cousin had one new back then. It was rear wheel drive! Correction! The one my cousin had was the 1980 model.✌️
So, that's what 3-door Ascona could've looked like. The front clip design is good enough, the rear is OK. But the engine...bruh, European J-cars had far better choice.
@@runoflife87 the net vehicle weights aren't much different either. There was a comparison of both the Opel and the Chevy back in 1981 and both had strengths and weaknesses. Neither had a refined engine to start off with.
@@5KpGD if there's "not much difference", how come the Cavalier ended up being 300 lbs heavier because of X-car brakes, CV joints and tranny? Are You kidding me? 1981 to 1988 Cavalier had one of the worst GM engines (I4) which were nowhere close to Opel by refinement.
@@5KpGD this Oldsmobile Firenza is version of Pontiac Sunbird, Chevrolet Cavalier, Pontiac J2000, Buick Skyhawk and Cadillac Cimarron. This engine 1.8 is GM from Brazil
"Just about right"... Hmmm... This MotorWeek video from the early 1980s did not age well. The forgettable GM J-cars of that era were alot closer to the "Jedsel" nickname originally bestowed on them, and incremental improvements were far from enough to change that. Even when equipped with Chevrolet's 2.8-liter 60º V6, it was never enough to rehabilitate the J-platform's failing image. Of course, it wasn't all the fault of the weak lineup of available engines and transmissions. The J-body was flimsy all around. It was a cheap car, cheaply built, and the first-generation J was never improved enough to be adequate. The South American-sourced 1.8-liter TBI SOHC Four was inadequate, but a (small) step in the right direction. The original J-car Fours were that bad! GM really screwed up by failing to come out with Oldsmobile's impressive 150-horsepower "Quad4" 2.3-liter DOHC Four masterpiece until 1988, and it never graced a J-car. If only GM had come out with a better J-body, and given it a Quad4 instead of the 2.8 V6. Of course, even if GM had introduced the Quad4 in 1982 instead of '88, the company still did not have a modern front-wheel-drive transmission to handle the superior torque of the modern engine, so once again GM was caught with its pants down. MotorWeek's ridiculously generous review of the '83 Firenza may have seen well-intentioned at the time, but time has been cruel to all of GM's 1980s J-cars. They just weren't built well enough, and they lacked the necessary powertrains to make them work properly and up to American expectations.
Over 14 sec to 60 mph with a 5 speed ?? Extra skinny tires ?? Way, way too much body roll. No CD player, just a radio ? All for the low price of $9,800 (1983 dollars)?? Huh, neat...so why did it bomb again ? (being sarcastic) looks like you're gonna need more than that $1.00 to make those payments. Damn..... that car could definitely use ABS. Got those radials squealing like a pig. I think John Davis dared those two guys to think of ANYTHING good to say about the car or they'd be fired on the spot !!
That interior is actually pretty nice. There is a 1985 Sunbird that has lived on my street since new that only gets driven once a month. Only 31k miles. Interior was mint, big thick blankets covering all the seats to protect them, you know like older people used to do. Owner is getting up there so she finally pulled it out of the garage and put a for sale sign on it last week. I took it for a spin. It was interesting to say the least. When you haven't been in a small car from the 80's in a while it is quite a surprise to remember how small they are. The visability is great though compared to modern vehicles with their chunky A and C pillars. Step on the gas and not much happens when you only have 86HP under the hood. I thought it would of been cool to buy it but what would I do with an 85 Sunbird?? I went home to think about it for the night, told the owner I'd be back. My wife said you better not wait long if you really want that car. I said do you think there is anybody else around here that is dumb enough to want an 85 Sunbird? I took a walk back down the street to take another look and somebody was in the driveway giving her a deposit!!!!! Sold in 3 hours! You snooze You lose.
Cool story, what was the price? We know it has a low value, so between being super slow, you’d have the occasional unobtanium parts to busy up your weekends. Imagine paying good money to suck up all your free time.
@@new2000car $2500. Main reason I hesitated was I don't have anywhere to keep it. I already have an old car.
I miss Oldsmobile and Pontiac!
We all miss them. But these days GM is a changed place to be. Not the good kind of change either.
@@terminallygrayI'm a Ford and Mopar guy, and I miss them too!
Olds & Pontiac could almost always be counted on for much better styling and engines than chev.
These were cute. Love how the wheels were the same color as the car!
that's a common option on Oldsmobiles. It kinda gives it a sporty look, WITH WHITEWALL tires (yuck).
You know, I'm NOT a huge fan of the J-car styling in general, but I have to say that Olds did a pretty good job with this one
Cavalier was not bad looking, Skyhawk either.
My Dad had a new ‘84 wagon . After just getting my license, I was alone driving on a wet winding road. Was cranking “Won’t Get Fooled Again” , and as I started banging out the drum solo I slid into a turn, slamming on the brakes, then went off the road stopping about a foot from going head on into a telephone pole. Daltrey’s scream barely beat mine!!!
Family owned one of these in the 80s. Always in the shop.
I love the Skyhawk with covered lights. I had one. 4-speed. No a/c. No power steering. Loved it
my favorite oldsmobile
I wanted one of these in a V6 5 speed GT
I drove a 1984 Sunbird with this engine and owned a 1984 Buick Skyhawk with the 2.0L OHV base engine with manual transmission. I preferred the 2.0L for its low end torque delivery over the 1.8L OHC. My Skyhawk didn’t have power steering and that made it better to feel the road. Wasn’t difficult to steer at low speeds but did take more effort. The Olds and Buick had a better dashboard over Pontiac, Chevrolet, and Cadillac J-Body vehicles. Made my Buick handle better just by changing to better grade tires than factory stock. Careful shifting and throttle pressure would get you impressive fuel economy numbers of a little more than 40 mpg highway and close to or above 30 mpg city depending on lights and traffic.
I had an '87 Skyhawk Custom Coupe with a 4-speed stick, manual steering, no a/c, but cruise and covered lamps. 2.0L OHV. 37MPG mixed driving.
Nice car that I rarely saw growing up, I remember these cars were not commonly seen when I was growing up.
my cousin who used to baby sit us got a new Cavalier Type 10 in like 1982...
They should have called it the Oldsmobile Cutlass Jr. I don’t like that front end though. Good looking car overall. I think the later model Cimmaron’s had the best J car front end.
My dad had one of these. It’s been sitting, dead, in our garage since 1996.
If it's a wagon or hatchback, anywhere near Massachusetts.......let me know. Thanks.
@@67marlins hatch, but not anywhere near you. Sorry.
@chrisp679 Ah, thank you anyway amigo.
Good luck, I hope you find an appreciative buyer!
Drinking game - take a shot every time John says "oriental" in these retro reviews.
Besides repowering and refinement, the big news for the Firenza line for '83 (and the Buick Skyhawk) was the addition of a wagon model. At launch only Chevy and Pontiac had the J-car wagon.
I'm a Ford guy, but I loved the size & styling of these little J wagons.
I think the Buick had optional flip up headlights. l
John Davis is so eternally optimistic. "J-car is the most improved for 1983"
Translation: Last year was so cr*ppy, even a minor improvement is a BIG DEAL
Power seat, but crank windows??
At that time I think you could order stuff one by one so that's why it's like that.
Yup😂.
My question exactly!
You were ether very weird or unlucky... I prefer manual windows, so I'm in the weird category
@@Jason_The_StoogeIt's much easier to get it open just the right amount!
Introducing the 1983 Oldsmobile Cavabirdfirenzhawkarron! _(9/30/2023)_
In every one of these retro reviews, they talk about loading luggage. How times have changed!
I liked the first 3 generations of J car
Beautiful little car.
Can we just appreciate how good cars are now..
Nope.
My parents had a base 1983 Firenza hatchback that was painted in poop brown with a poop brown interior... They put 217,799 kms on the clock before trading it in for a 1996 Honda Accord
I think most car companies liked to call that color Gold. I know Dodge did with my 1987 Colt.
Front reminds me of the Alero
Salems... lol my uncle smokes those.
Cool 🥰
Pontiac... you owe me a reliable car that doesnt bankrupt consumers
My basketball coach had a maroon 4 door.
No power windows though......I'd look past it for that reason.
My Dad and I drove an '83 Skyhawk with this engine.....it was powerful despite the numbers.
A car that never last!
Shame they never reviewed a skyhawk
These cars were junky but eventually became reliable later in the model run. Tupperware interiors and junk brakes were the main flaws once the lack of power and steering rack failures were addressed.
First Gen J cars were sorely lacking in drivetrain refinement until the 90,s
Charger 2.2 at 0-60 in 9.6 seconds would blow this away..
I hope all the viewers who are always making fun of him when he calls a 9 second to 60 car quick will now understand whete he was coming from.
It's all good anyway though. If you accelerate too fast it makes it hard to light up your Salem!
The 82 sunbird from that year looked way better! My cousin had one new back then. It was rear wheel drive! Correction! The one my cousin had was the 1980 model.✌️
Technically, the '82 model was called the Pontiac J2000, it was rebranded back to Sunbird by 1984. Rear-drive Sunbirds were made from 1976-80.
@@nlpntyou’re right! I made a mistake! Her’s was a 1980 model👍
I own one
So, that's what 3-door Ascona could've looked like. The front clip design is good enough, the rear is OK. But the engine...bruh, European J-cars had far better choice.
The base Opel engine choices weren't that great either. X3
@@5KpGD but the Asvona was much lighter👆🏻
@@runoflife87 the net vehicle weights aren't much different either. There was a comparison of both the Opel and the Chevy back in 1981 and both had strengths and weaknesses. Neither had a refined engine to start off with.
@@5KpGD if there's "not much difference", how come the Cavalier ended up being 300 lbs heavier because of X-car brakes, CV joints and tranny?
Are You kidding me? 1981 to 1988 Cavalier had one of the worst GM engines (I4) which were nowhere close to Opel by refinement.
@@5KpGD this Oldsmobile Firenza is version of Pontiac Sunbird, Chevrolet Cavalier, Pontiac J2000, Buick Skyhawk and Cadillac Cimarron. This engine 1.8 is GM from Brazil
usually these guys are spot on, but "minimal body roll" is just not true
Voof, what a stinker 😐
Trash GM car from the early 80's. As were most of their lineup at the time. Garbage.
How dare you insult Toyota
"Just about right"... Hmmm... This MotorWeek video from the early 1980s did not age well. The forgettable GM J-cars of that era were alot closer to the "Jedsel" nickname originally bestowed on them, and incremental improvements were far from enough to change that. Even when equipped with Chevrolet's 2.8-liter 60º V6, it was never enough to rehabilitate the J-platform's failing image. Of course, it wasn't all the fault of the weak lineup of available engines and transmissions. The J-body was flimsy all around. It was a cheap car, cheaply built, and the first-generation J was never improved enough to be adequate.
The South American-sourced 1.8-liter TBI SOHC Four was inadequate, but a (small) step in the right direction. The original J-car Fours were that bad! GM really screwed up by failing to come out with Oldsmobile's impressive 150-horsepower "Quad4" 2.3-liter DOHC Four masterpiece until 1988, and it never graced a J-car. If only GM had come out with a better J-body, and given it a Quad4 instead of the 2.8 V6. Of course, even if GM had introduced the Quad4 in 1982 instead of '88, the company still did not have a modern front-wheel-drive transmission to handle the superior torque of the modern engine, so once again GM was caught with its pants down.
MotorWeek's ridiculously generous review of the '83 Firenza may have seen well-intentioned at the time, but time has been cruel to all of GM's 1980s J-cars. They just weren't built well enough, and they lacked the necessary powertrains to make them work properly and up to American expectations.
Over 14 sec to 60 mph with a 5 speed ?? Extra skinny tires ?? Way, way too much body roll. No CD player, just a radio ? All for the low price of $9,800 (1983 dollars)?? Huh, neat...so why did it bomb again ? (being sarcastic) looks like you're gonna need more than that $1.00 to make those payments. Damn..... that car could definitely use ABS. Got those radials squealing like a pig. I think John Davis dared those two guys to think of ANYTHING good to say about the car or they'd be fired on the spot !!
These were really awful cars. No wonder I started buying Toyota’s in 1987.