I bought a wrecked 1986 Ciera Brougham sedan from a body shop. Black with a FANCY burgundy interior. Fixed it up , including a replacement engine, and drove the hell out of it for many years. 2.8 V6 ( with a 2 barrel carb) rated at a whopping 112 hp!! WooHoo!
It was actually a damn good car. One of the few domestics in the 80s I really liked. Chevrolet should have their mainstream models this good like the Olds Cutlass Ciera.
My buddies dad had a 2 door version of this. It had a 2.8 with a funny looking plenum. Crazy thing... I remember riding home with him in it when I was in kindergarten.... Years later he still had it when I was in highschool and my friend and I would cruise around in it.
My mom had a brand new loaded 1985 Olds Cutlass Ciera. She loved it. It was her favorite car out of a few nice cars. She always talks once a month about missing that car.
My mother had a new 1987 Olds Cutlass Ciera Brougham sedan, grey w/ a burgundy interior. Low maintenance cost, drove it for many years. edit: GM Canada was a sponsor of the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games, and had a sticker at the bottom of the back door window.
@@Zebra_3 I had a ‘87 Buick Century that I loved, and also an ‘89 that was also fantastic. I still have the ‘89, & it has 3.3 V-6. The ‘87 had the Iron Duke 4 cylinder. I now have my son’s ‘88, and have the newly rebuilt 2.5 Iron Duke waiting to go in it.
@@gregorymalchuk272 Which one, the ‘88? It needed a ring job, as the piston in one cylinder had rings that were stuck, in the compressed position. I did a complete rebuild.
My aunt bought a brand new Ciera in 1987, white with dark blue interior. From what I can remember it was loaded and had the new composite headlights. My aunt loved it so much her father ( my grandfather ) went out and bought his own brand new 1987 Ciera. His was black with the same interior color as this featured car. Though it was cloth and not leather. My grandfather didn't trust power windows and locks to be reliable so his was manual windows and locks. It had the 2.8 V6 and still had the sealed beam headlights. Eventually this car became my fathers and thus I got to drive it alot as a teen. It must have been cursed though because it got into a number of accidents in its life, 4 of which I believe happened while the car was parked. By the end of its life, the rear was crumpled a bit and bent down from behind the C-pillars back. The front was also smashed in, but she started up daily and was fairly reliable. I believe the white one my aunt bought was stolen after only owning it a few years. After which she bought a Taurus. My grandfather then bought a new oval 96 Taurus, which is something I'd like to forget 😂
Such innocent times back then-especially compared with recent times. My aunt Olivia drove an ‘85 Ciera base model with the Iron Duke. It came with blue cloth interior, manual windows, and manual door locks. I was 16 years old and liked that car. Adam, thanks for these videos. Your content brings back lots of great memories.
My ‘87 Century had the blue velour interior, and it was so nice and comfortable. I really liked the Iron Duke, and I think it was much better with the throttle body injection. I got the car for a song. An old lady from Kansas or Nebraska came to visit my neighbor, and I bought it from her. It had big dents in the hood, trunk lid, and roof. She had been in a severe thunderstorm, which turned-out to be a tornado. Due to that, it had a new windshield. I loved that car. It got good mileage, and was reliable.
I had an 83 skylark with 4spd manual, that car took me everywhere and was comfortable. But it didn't hold a candle to the 84 Pontiac 6000 I got after that, I loved that car. The dashboard always got compliments from people.
@Erin Walter I believe only the citation was a hatchback. However, they did have wagon versions of every car. Celebrity, Century, Cutlass, and 6000. Although I have never seen a 6000 wagon in real life, I did see the others. Also the manual seems relatively rare. And oddly, the manual Omega had a short shifter close to the driver, where the Skylark the shifter was forward more and had a bend to it to bring it closer to the driver. Mom had it before me so I grew up in that car too. And it was always so strange to me to get in someone else's skylark and see that 'P R N D L' on the dash, since mine didn't have it. I miss that car. Mom had the engine rebuilt, when I had it I had the clutch replaced ($300) and new brakes all around ($300) so it was good to go for a long time. WHY did I get rid of it? Because I was a dumb kid who wanted a V8 two door instead of a 4 banger 4 door. So of course the Cougar gave me nothing but trouble while the guy I sold the skylark to enjoyed it for years and years. lol. IDIOT
@@jobskinner833 The end of that car is a sad story. But while I had it I loved it. Pack it full of kids and drive around to the fast food joints all night. Good times.
I love your content, you point out you, have an affinity for 80’s GM cars-and I share the same affinity. This is another great example of your in-depth and insightful review-keep them coming.
I had my sales rep at Gustafson Motors in the Twin Cities knock a hundred bucks off of that TruCoat.....because they put it on at the factory and I didn't want oxidation. I live fairly close by the Olds dealership where that was filmed...it's now the Best Buy Headquarters...
I worked for a major car rental company at their corporate headquarters back in the early 90s...and the Cieras were a major fleet purchase for us...and I managed to rent a few using my employee discount. The cars had the 3300 V6 and were peppy. You could tell they were building the car to a price in the 90s...more spartan interior trims. When I was looking for a new car in 1996...it was getting pretty dated compared to Taurus/Sable, Accord and Camry. I could have gotten a deal on a Ciera wagon but wanted something more contemporary and got a 94 Taurus instead. A physician friend of mine bought two Cieras...an 84 and an 86 for his daughters to drive in college and I think they had decent luck with both of them.
This is certainly a stellar example of a Cutlass Ciera. We used to refer to these as cockroaches, as they seemed to be everywhere and just simply would not die. I still see one a couple of times a month out here in CA, it seems.
One guy at the apartment complex where I live has a white one; six years ago I had to get rid of the 1993 Cutlass Ciera S I had due to the brake lines and the rear axle bracket on the left side rusting out (as a result of that the car went down the road at an angle!) It wasn't because of the engine; it still ran just fine.
My Grandparents has two different versions of the Cutlass Ciera and I had the pleasure of driving both of them between Michigan and Florida multiple times. The first one they had was an early version with the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder and was surprisingly quiet. The second one had the 6 cylinder. Both were very comfortable and fully loaded. Wonderful cars to drive.
Had a 85 Cutlass Ciera 3.0. V6 181 Brougham Sedan. Redid the entire car top to bottom. Had every option. Sold it last year for 9k. Had I known, I would have sold it to you Adam!
@@realgone222 I don’t like orange as a color, though I once had a car, my second car, that was indeed orange. It was a ‘76 VW Rabbit….what a piece of crap it turned-out to be.
The receptionist at a salon I worked at in the early 1990s had a 1986 Cutlass Ciera GT Coupe. It was such a handsome car with it’s silver paint and dark red, almost eggplant colored interior with bucket seats and console mounted shifter. I thought it looked like a successor to the 1960s Starfires.
Grew up with these. Loved the styling. Heard the engines are INDESTRUCTIBLE and go on forever. Especially the 90s ones with the V6. Wish GM made cars like this again.
My dad's 1985 98 came with a Oldsmobile cassette tape to play in the car. I still have it. It has that same Olds jingle on it. I remember my dad, at times, would put all the windows down and crank that jingle when we drove up or down the street to our home. Having an Oldsmobile was a status symbol, especially a 98. I cringe at the cars I see today, often feel embarrassed for the people, things are so ghetto anymore.
Canceling the 98 for 1997 was an enormous mistake for Oldsmobile. I understand that the Aurora more or less took over, but Olds was alienating their loyal demographic by no longer offering a traditional, full size luxury sedan for their customers. It was just another nail in the coffin for the brand itself.
I particularly liked 1980-1984 Oldsmobile 98 Regency as well as Buick Electra Park Avenue. They are much better than Cadillac de Ville with its terrible engines.
Oldsmobile was the most frequently "dualed" GM franchise. Usually it was Oldsmobile-Cadillac in bigger cities, Chevrolet-Oldsmobile in smaller towns and throughout Canada. Add in non-GM dual franchises and it's probably one reason why it was first to go is that there were only a handful of Olds-only dealerships to be settled out with.
That 1984 Cutlass Ciera Brougham in black with all that super rare options would be a collector piece in any diehard Oldsmobile's garage. So rare to see the leather trim and the astroroof WITH the vinyl top. And the AD you showed at the end for the 1984 Holiday coupe was a amazing find as well. I grew up with someone at school who's mother had one of those Holiday coupes in a pale yellow. At the time, i thought it was beautiful and Oldsmobile didn't make many of those at all. Coupes were soo much more rare to find. As far as the jingle, i grew up listening to that tape. It was so catchy and i loved the lyrics to the song. Driving around in an Oldsmobile back then did give you alot of pride of ownership.
Great cars to sell new. These cars were assembled at the Doraville Ga assembly plant Nedra Atlanta. So being an Olds dealer in North Carolina we could special order a car for our customer, have it built and shipped to us for customer delivery in about a three week time period. Thanks for the look back Adam.
My grandfather passed me down a custom ordered 83 tornado. (unfortunately the 5.7 L diesel) every option possible with the red leather interior white exterior low mileage car. if you kept on top of the upkeep of the diesel it actually ran ok, and returned impressive mileage :-) A real beast in the snow.
My dad had a 1984 Ciera Holiday Coupe, burgundy. Brougham. I loved driving it in high school. Can’t believe he let me drive his new car. Lots of kudos at the local teen cruising spots.
Throughout the 80’s and 90’s my grandparents bought new Oldsmobiles every few years. My grandfather bought himself an Eighty Eight and bought my grandmother a Cutlass Cierra. His Eighty Eights were always so plush! I miss riding around with him in his Oldsmobiles.
Surprised you didn't play the "City of New Orleans" based jingle commercial. I still can hear that one playing in my head to this day. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I completely agree with you Adam on having a real passion for 80’s-era GM cars. I’ve had five from that era (‘83 Skyhawk, ‘83 Regal, ‘85 Skyhawk, ‘85 Firenza (V-6!), ‘87 Century T-Type) and would lone to start collecting.
I bought a 1985 Cutlass Ciera Brougham in the beautiful dark blue, wire wheel covers and GM’s ubiquitous velour interior powered by the excellent 3.8 V6. It was right when GMAC offered 7.7% financing - a very low rate for the era. I really liked the classic finned aluminum valve covers and matching fins across the center of the intake manifold that gave it a retro ‘60’s look. I drove it for five years and gave it to my mom to replace her ‘82 Cutlass Ciera 2.5 when I moved out of state. The trans gave her trouble about a year later, so she traded it in for an Olds Bravado AWD that gave more than 10 year’s service before she bought a late model Olds Aurora. The ‘80’s and ‘90’s were and Olds era for my family.
We went car shopping at an olds dealership and came down to 3 cars in Dec 88 a white demonstration cutlass Calais international series with quad 4, a new 89 olds Calais s quad 4 in Garnet red maroon and a 89 Cutlass Cierra 2.8 V6 in a unusual metal rose color with wire wheels and the updated rear design and glass the quad 4 had more overall power but felt like a turbo Chrysler and the Cierra had a red velour interior they were 2 k apart in price but the 88 fully loaded demo Calais international was driven by a guy that had a Rivera that the cctv heater control failed in a freezing winter storm and he found himself driving blind, he parked it and a snow plow hit and dragged it so he wanted a four door and power and with 22k miles and 11k price from 15, he bought it after a test drive. The new rear window design made a blind spot and looking at the 88 with a black roof
. The roof rack stopped the Blindspot on both cars but the dealership offered 800 in rebates on new cars and quad 4 equipped cars so along with the 88 demo we took the red 89 Calais s. Never saw another Cierra brougham in the metallic rose color again. When we drove the Calais home the next week dealership put it next to a Christmas tree on showroom floor with red bow on top. It looked sharp.
Beautiful. Thank you for this. It was my Father's Oldsmobile that triggered my interest in GM. His Ciera was also an 84, 2.5 4cylinder in a dark brown with velour. He sort of apologized for it because he knew how much I despised GM back then. But I drove it when the Subaru stranded him with some sort of fuel system failure and I was impressed with it's size, quiet, smooth ride, comfort, room and trim. Not long after I bought my own GM: an 84 Chevrolet Citation II notchback, champagne and dark brown lower body with the same brown velour upholstery as Dad's Ciera. The 2.5. Automatic. Mag wheels. It had the same attributes that the Ciera did. My head was turned driving by Century Olds in Van Nuys one day where I spotted a grey Olds on the used car lot and I traded it in [my special regret] for my own Oldsmobile: an 86 Calais two door, 2.5. Also the right size, well trimmed grey velour, roomy, quiet, full of Olds '80s styling cues. That same car is still sitting in my driveway. Purchased with 21,000 miles on it in 1994 it has 133,000 now. A couple of years ago it completed an 1800 mile round trip to Salt Lake City and we'll be doing it again this year. Dad's Ciera set the trajectory of my car buying habits for the next 30 years. I have driven GM FWD small cars since 1992 . My first new car was a 99 Cavalier. My current, an 05 ION. That "Father's Oldsmobile" ad campaign got a lot of mockery. The X Cars ran people off to buy cars from the Japanese and anyone but GM. Both those things had the opposite effect on me. Yes, they're flawed, but I accept that as part of their character. Oh yeah, did I tell you I became a fan of GM along the way??? What a great piece. I sure enjoyed this.
I delivered pizzas in a 94 ciera for about 4 years. It was so reliable. I don't remember having any problems with it. I only got rid of it when I got a newer car. It was still running and looking great!
My father in law was a parts manager for GM dealerships from the early 50's until he retired in the mid 90's. He worked for Buick-Pontiac-Cadillac dealerships from the early 70's til he retired. One perk that he had was the "demo" unit, a fresh car off the lot, drive it until it hit around 5K, the dealer would sell it and he'd get another. He must have gone through about 30 of these A Bodies in the 80's/90's, either the Century or the 6000 and half the family ended up scooping up great deals picking up the demo units. Great reliable cars that were just that, a car that did what a car is supposed to do.
As a teenager I had an 85 Ciera with the V6. Eventually the fiberglass timing gear broke -- at about 170K -- and the transmission was going out as well. And in college I got a 89 Celebrity with the 2.8 V6 as well. They were pretty good cars all things considered. Very nice riding.
Timing gear is used in the Iron Duke/Tech4. V6 uses a chain. At least when the timing gear goes on the 4, it's not an interference engine. I do worry about that with my '86 Calais. I love these '80s GM front drives. My older brother an his family finally killed Dad's '84
My first new car purchase was a 1987 Ciera sedan in teal blue. It was the 4 banger and had roll-up windows, cruise control, tilt wheel, great sounding AM/FM cassette stereo, cloth interior with the rally wheels. I really liked that car. Served me well!
I remember that cassette tape, and also the notepad and pen you got. My dad had an 87' Cutlass Ciera. It was the first "nice" car my family ever owned and I have fond memories of it, although it was slow and handled like a literal boat. Ours had the 2.8l V6, which still produced minimal power, A/C, cassette, cruise, and that was all. Manual windows and locks and 14" hubcap wheels. He drove it for 17 years and had to have put 300,000 miles or more on the original engine before he junked it.
My Dad had a 1988 Cutlass Ciera Brougham, 2.8 V6 4 door with the Fe3 sport suspension (Eagle GT-4 tires). He was known for being a slow driver, always in the right lane. This car was so smooth and quiet, he did not realize the how fast he was going - lucky no speeding tickets that we know about. After 9 years in Chicago, the rust took over. This car was replaced by 1997 VW GLS.
I had a 1983 Olds Ciera Brougham, loaded, tan with a brown vinyl top, and a 4.3 diesel engine. It was great except for merging onto an interstate; a turbo would have helped. It made 35-40 mpg. Then I had a 1984 Ciera wagon; its biggest flaw was the 2.5 4 cylinder. My last Ciera was a black Brougham with a gray interior, gauge package, every power option, 3.8 V6, opera lights, and even automatic level control. It rode wonderfully, had great power, and was quite the looker. I should have kept that one, but I moved up to the Olds Regency Broughams after that.
My Uncle had a1994 with the 2.5 L four cylinder and put over 200,000 miles on it. Starter and alternator were replaced as well as exhaust in back of Catalytic Converter. The only thing unusual is that at 117,000 the fuel pressure regulator was leaking. The fix was a $15 diaphragm ordered through Big A Auto Parts..
I had an 87 Ciera 2 dr SL with a 3.8 engine and FE 3 suspension. I ordered it with a GM optional trunk rack and 215 tires. It was a brougham version of the International series but not called that name. It had such front wheel torque steer I had to hold both hands on the wheel. Was sky blue with velour bucket seats. The instrument panel was beautiful colors with separate round speedometer and tachometer. Wish I could buy it again!
I bought a 1988 Buick Century 4 dr sedan, new. Pretty much a base model , no vinyl top. But it was a very good riding and comfortable car. It was a very good winter car as long as the snow wasn't too deep. I sometimes think back and wish I still had it.
We bought a 94 ciera with the 3.1 v6 auto and loved it! Demonstrator with 1700 miles on it when we got it,drove it everywhere.Headon collision killed it with 275,000 on the odo, the wife was hurt pretty bad but the air bags deployed and saved her life.We drove up the east coast from central Florida to Virginia Beach.
I own a 1990 Cutlass Ciera that I got 2 years ago as my graduation gift and I love it. It's very comfortable, and rides smoothly. I've had a lot of starting problems with its where it won't start sometimes which we are still working on but other then that its a great car. It had 143k miles when I first got it, now it has 146k miles. Great video
My step-mother first owned a 1984 Cutlass Cierra. It was more of a mid-trim with cloth manual adjusting front bench seat. But it did have power door locks, windows and after-market cruise control and the 2.8L V6. This became my very first car circa 1988. It was a great car.
These cars were not flashy, fast not made for the road rally, but they were simply one thing. A damn good car that was one of the best options for basic transportation with reliability and an acceptable level of comfort. I worked on a ton of these things in the 90's and early 2000's. My personal choice was the ones with the "iron duke" 151cid engine. They were bullet proof. They would often blow the factory head gasket around the 80k mile mark, but once you replaced it with a Fel-Pro head gasket and a new set of head bolts, you never had to take the head off again. I did so many that I could remove the head, clean the and check the surfaces with a straight edge, reinstall and torque the head and still had time left over before lunch time. I believe the flat rate time on the job was close to 5.0 hours. I loved seeing those things come in. I would buy one today if it was in the condition like the one in the video.
Adam thank you for this early Christmas gift! Learned to drive in summer 85 on an 85 cutlass ciera with 2.5 Iron Duke. Almost ten years later I bought the same car as a fixer upper changed a few minor parts and enjoyed many trouble free pleasant miles. Great low end torque. The 2.5 we nick named the “Diesel Duke” for its rough industrial demeanor. Solid value cars you got plenty for your money. Warm memories all around.
So cool. The first car I drove. My mom had one (single mom 2 kids). I remember her telling me to line up that chrome strip on the hood with the line on the road to stay in between the lines. 12 years old and drove it to the town grocery store. Ahhh, the 80s.
The demo tape takes me back. My mom bought a new 1980 Ford F-100 when I was in kindergarten. It was a base model, no power steering, no power brakes, 4 speed manual with no air (in Texas). But it was optioned with a state of the art Am/Fm radio with cassette tape player. And it came with a demo tape with all sorts of 60s and 70s music (including Eleanor Rigby). No catchy jingle though.
I had one when my wife and I were married, thirty four years ago. I think it was an 85, or 86. I don't remember, but it was a great car. I bought it from a neighbor, who bought it new. I had to replace the intake manifold gaskets and CV shafts on both sides. After that it was fine. It was eventually stolen from in front of my house, one night. I then bought a new Chevrolet Celebrity Wagon. That car was also very good to us. I just have very fond memories of that Oldsmobile.
Back in the early 90’s, I bought a 1986 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Brougham. Aside from all the luxury styling and gadgets, it was pretty much exactly like the Cutlass Sierra, and I can tell you very confidently that there was *indeed* “a special feel in an Oldsmobile.” What an absolutely wonderful car it was.
Cutlass Cieras were all over the place throughout the car's life. As you said, black was a very rare exterior color on them. I remember seeing lots of white, silver, and light blue cars. They looked nearly identical to the Century of the same era. A non-GM car that I could right away picture while paused at 8:25 is an 80s Chrysler Lebaron. The deep blue exterior, the vinyl roof, wired wheels, and its typical 80s exterior shape are what do it.
We had all three versions, Olds, Buick , and Chevrolet, back in the 80,’s. Kept them each for about two years and purchased new. Liked them a lot. Back then they had great mileage.
Mom bought a 1986 Celebrity new with the Iron Duke, then I used it six years later when I got my license. The ID had a distinct engine note, and speaking of engine notes, the 60° V6 had a pleasing growl especially in the Z24 Cavaliers.
I bought a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera new, champagne color.......I LOVED that car........I kept it 4-5 years, and kept it SPOTLESS.........when I traded it in, the dealership said some of their new cars don't look THAT good........Ive had a dozen cars since then but the Olds was my FAV!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These cars were the mainstay of driveways, The Ciera, the bowtie Celebrity, the Pontiac 6000, the Buick Century...all very simple, basic and AFFORDABLE cars that did exactly what was needed and asked of them. Quintessential 80s and very worthy of respect.
I used to own an 86 Cutlass Ciera SL convertible (aftermarket conversion done by Car Craft, out of Lima, OH) It was gold with a tan leather interior, console shift, and the MPFI 2.8 V6. Aside from being a very rare car, it was also a very reliable car, and never gave me any trouble while I owned it. Of all the vehicles I’ve owned, and no longer have, it’s the one I miss the most. Great video, Adam…and as a fellow fan of these unloved cars of the past, thanks for giving them some time to shine.
Our family had a 1986 Cutlass Ciera, purchased brand new, which was the car that I Learned to drive on and still think of fondly. My heart belongs to the mid to later 80's Buicks and Oldsmobiles. I remember that Oldsmobile jingle well as well as the jingle "the great American road belongs to Buick". Man, I miss those cars.
My first Ciera was an '85 Ciera Cruiser wagon, a car I really enjoyed, and it was the first of several wagons I have owned. It was well optioned and had the dependable and smooth V6. My next Ciera was a '96 4-door sedan and again, fairly well-optioned. Both cars never cost me a dime in repairs except for regular maintenance and never let me down. Both of them got good mpgs on the hiway, too. The '84 Cutlass Ciera Cruiser started my love affair with wagons though I moved on to the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable wagons, three in all. My current wagon is a very nice '07 Dodge Magnum SXT with the hi-po V6 that I've owned since 2010. This Ciera has a lot going for it, but the big let-down is the crude, underpowered 4-cylinder engine. I love to have another Ciera wagon but not with the Iron Duke.
My first car was a 1987 Olds cutlass Ciara SL 2door. Silver and grey with spoke caps and white walls. I bought the car with 25k from my grandma. Those cars were fast for the time. I miss that car. My friends loved the sofa type seating compared to their Honda’s. I’m a Honda fan but my heart loves 80’s Oldsmobile’s
In 2011-12 I got my first car which was a 1988 cutlass ciera. I bought it from my friends grandma who kept it parked at her apt, only had 33k original miles. Sadly I was t-boned and the car was completely totaled. Im on the hunt now to find one again, mine was a brown/gold color and I remembered it drove like a champ.
I was in my early 20's when this model came out. I went to the Birmingham (Alabama) Zoo one day with a girlfriend and parked right next to one another were two of these Oldsmobiles. One had badges reading "Ciera Cutlass" and the other's read "Cutlass Ciera."
My mother had one of these for 19 years and never changed the transmission fluid. It was still running strong when she traded it. I still see these cars (and the Buicks). Apart from GM's horrible record for reliability in the 80s and 90s these cars were very reliable.
You hit the comment about someone I knew owning one of these on the nose! My grandmother had one in that would have been an 85 or 86 based on the head lamps and tail lamps. My parents bought a 1996 model trading in the 1985 Delta 88 Royal Brougham on it... What a letdown that was. I remember that we had it for at least a year before I accidentally stumbled across the button that moved the seat back forward and backward. The rest of the seat was manual and no one had looked for any buttons, but I was a kid that liked to touch everything and accidentally found it hiding in the bottom right corner of the front of the passenger seat. Hiding in it's own plastic cubicle!
I have enjoyed your channel and been impressed by your comprehensive knowledge of what many people cavalierly write off as vehicles from the automotive “malaise era” of the 1970s & 80s. American manufacturers were clearly struggling with cafe standards, safety and ecological mandates, short sighted and confrontational union leadership, the tyranny of cost cutting accountants and a petroleum industry that was, if nothing else, an economically damaging and ultimately unreliable supplier of gasoline, which was the lifeblood of the industry and the economy in general - not to mention a stiff competition from overseas and an automotive press that was nothing short of hostile. While they may have been their own worst enemy in some respects they made a herculean effort to adapt and survive. I have concluded that many of the cars they manufactured were under-appreciated and it’s nice to see them presented in a more reasonable, even-handed and sympathetic manner.
In 1990 my mother purchased a 1983 Cutlass Ciera 4-door diesel. She HATED it. It smoked, was always breaking down, and it wasn't uncommon for people to approach us in a parking lot to ask if our car was OK (because it smoked so badly when starting up). She sold it in 1995 when she purchased a 1990 Lumina MPV.
Still driving a 85 Buick century in our salt rich winters in Canada. 2.8 v6 very smooth running engine. My friend used th call them mini boats, because of how they rode like a bigger us car. All round a good car and fixable mostly at home, which is why I still have it.
My good friend in college had the Chevy equivalent. He had a 1988 Chevy Celebrity with the 2.8 MPI V6. That V6 was very reliable and was very comfortable to drive as well.
I think the CB radio was a factory option back in the day. My friend had a two door red with a light gray half vinyl top, wire wheel covers, light gray interior, custom ordered, Holiday edition I think it was called. Think it had the 4 cyl but looked really nice and never saw another one like that. Speaking of unique 80's GM cars, one year only the Buick Riviera was available with the 3.8 V6 turbo that later went in the Grand National and Regal t-types. I think the turbo Riviera was around '82 so still the big version of them.
Adam! Nice Cutlass Ciera! Definitely an oddball with the 2.5. Just about all of them sold in my neck of the woods all had the 2.8 V6. Couldn't help but noticing the picture of the '82 or '83 Olds Omega ES 2800 sedan and the '88 Cutlass Ciera Internation Series sedans! Great memories of what was in our garage as a teen! Awesome!
HI ADAM,, THE FAMILY HAD ONE OF THESE BACK IN THE 80S IT WAS LIGHT BLUE COLOR IT WAS A GREAT CAR FOUR DOOR VERY RELAXING DRIVE I DO REMEMBER AND DRIVING , SMOOTH THE RADIO WITH CASS. IT REMINDED ME OF A BUICK NOT SURE REGAL?? I NOTICED IN THE RED CAR YOU SHOWED IT HAS A CB RADIO .. IN OUR 1978 BUICK WE HAVE A CB RADIO WHEN TRAVELING .. GREAT VIDEO!!
I have always love A-bodies. I've owned two Buick Centuries, one '92 wagon with the 3300/3spd, and my current '96 sedan with the 3100/4spd. The 4 spd definitely makes a difference, but I honestly believe that the Centurys were very reliable cars that are drastically underrated because they only ever had auto trans.
I don’t think the 3.3 was available with the 3 spd. I have a ‘92 Century, and it has the 4 spd. I also have a ‘94 3.1 wagon, and it has the 4 spd as well, which recently died. Engine still runs great, but transmission won’t shift out of first, and sounds sick.
@@patrickflohe7427 It was my understanding that the 3300 with the 4spd was a very rare thing that you had to option. I assure that I had a 3 spd, and it was a dog without the overdrive. That it unfortunately one of the reasons that car was in an accident that totalled it. It was too slow to get out of it's own way. I believe that Regular Car Reviews did a video on an '89 with the 3300 and a 3spd. They also later did a video on a '90s Lumina with the 3100 and 4spd, and made the observation that although the have basically the same power output the lumina was definitely faster.
@@joebobson6163 I didn’t say all I meant to say in my comment that you responded to….I do remember the 3 speed being available with the 2.5 4 cyl (I own one), but by ‘92 I thought the 3 speeds were all gone. -Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s just what I’ve seen & had.
I had an 84. Nice car but by the time I traded it in 4 years later it suffered from the classic "morning sickness" and the blue metalic paint was starting to flake off on the roof. Traded it in for an 89 Grand Prix.
I bought my parents' 1991 Cutlass Ciera in 1999. It had over 100,000 miles on it and was well maintained. It had it for another 4 years. It had the 3.3L V6 which gave it rapid acceleration.
My first car was a handy-down 86 Olds Cutlass Ciera. While it was better than walking I hated it with a passion. I drove it for years until I was finally able to get something else. It still haunts me.
Howcome? I remember that car, a dark red or purple 93' it was. We didn't have it very long because it was a 4 cylinder that went out on the head gasket, it sounded like a rode like a V6, but it was a 4 cylinder, and from what I know through, the optional V6 was the more reliable option
As a kid I always liked looking at the badge with the little flags on them. 😄
lol same here
Me too!
I bought a wrecked 1986 Ciera Brougham sedan from a body shop. Black with a FANCY burgundy interior. Fixed it up , including a replacement engine, and drove the hell out of it for many years. 2.8 V6 ( with a 2 barrel carb) rated at a whopping 112 hp!! WooHoo!
It was actually a damn good car. One of the few domestics in the 80s I really liked. Chevrolet should have their mainstream models this good like the Olds Cutlass Ciera.
Have never heard that jingle, and I'm grateful.
My buddies dad had a 2 door version of this. It had a 2.8 with a funny looking plenum. Crazy thing... I remember riding home with him in it when I was in kindergarten.... Years later he still had it when I was in highschool and my friend and I would cruise around in it.
My mom had a brand new loaded 1985 Olds Cutlass Ciera. She loved it. It was her favorite car out of a few nice cars. She always talks once a month about missing that car.
Was it a sedan or coupe? Colors?
My mother had a new 1987 Olds Cutlass Ciera Brougham sedan, grey w/ a burgundy interior. Low maintenance cost, drove it for many years.
edit: GM Canada was a sponsor of the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games, and had a sticker at the bottom of the back door window.
@@Zebra_3
I had a ‘87 Buick Century that I loved, and also an ‘89 that was also fantastic.
I still have the ‘89, & it has 3.3 V-6.
The ‘87 had the Iron Duke 4 cylinder.
I now have my son’s ‘88, and have the newly rebuilt 2.5 Iron Duke waiting to go in it.
@@patrickflohe7427What happened to the original Iron Duke? Was it burning oil? Did it shred the timing gear?
@@gregorymalchuk272
Which one, the ‘88?
It needed a ring job, as the piston in one cylinder had rings that were stuck, in the compressed position.
I did a complete rebuild.
My grandfather’s last car, many great memories in the front passenger seat
In the early 1980s, salespeople by the thousands drove Cutlass Cieras. When the new Ford Taurus was introduced, the Oldsmobile A-body party was over.
Love the Olds. Even the “bad” ones.
My aunt bought a brand new Ciera in 1987, white with dark blue interior. From what I can remember it was loaded and had the new composite headlights. My aunt loved it so much her father ( my grandfather ) went out and bought his own brand new 1987 Ciera. His was black with the same interior color as this featured car. Though it was cloth and not leather. My grandfather didn't trust power windows and locks to be reliable so his was manual windows and locks. It had the 2.8 V6 and still had the sealed beam headlights. Eventually this car became my fathers and thus I got to drive it alot as a teen. It must have been cursed though because it got into a number of accidents in its life, 4 of which I believe happened while the car was parked. By the end of its life, the rear was crumpled a bit and bent down from behind the C-pillars back. The front was also smashed in, but she started up daily and was fairly reliable. I believe the white one my aunt bought was stolen after only owning it a few years. After which she bought a Taurus. My grandfather then bought a new oval 96 Taurus, which is something I'd like to forget 😂
Those pill shaped Taurus cars had the ugliest exterior and dash of all time!
The 3.8 liter from Ford was extremely bad for their reputation.
Such innocent times back then-especially compared with recent times. My aunt Olivia drove an ‘85 Ciera base model with the Iron Duke. It came with blue cloth interior, manual windows, and manual door locks. I was 16 years old and liked that car.
Adam, thanks for these videos. Your content brings back lots of great memories.
My ‘87 Century had the blue velour interior, and it was so nice and comfortable.
I really liked the Iron Duke, and I think it was much better with the throttle body injection.
I got the car for a song.
An old lady from Kansas or Nebraska came to visit my neighbor, and I bought it from her.
It had big dents in the hood, trunk lid, and roof. She had been in a severe thunderstorm, which turned-out to be a tornado.
Due to that, it had a new windshield.
I loved that car. It got good mileage, and was reliable.
I had an 83 skylark with 4spd manual, that car took me everywhere and was comfortable. But it didn't hold a candle to the 84 Pontiac 6000 I got after that, I loved that car. The dashboard always got compliments from people.
Those were fantastic cars!
@Erin Walter
They never did have a hatchback version.
@Erin Walter I believe only the citation was a hatchback. However, they did have wagon versions of every car. Celebrity, Century, Cutlass, and 6000. Although I have never seen a 6000 wagon in real life, I did see the others.
Also the manual seems relatively rare. And oddly, the manual Omega had a short shifter close to the driver, where the Skylark the shifter was forward more and had a bend to it to bring it closer to the driver. Mom had it before me so I grew up in that car too. And it was always so strange to me to get in someone else's skylark and see that 'P R N D L' on the dash, since mine didn't have it.
I miss that car. Mom had the engine rebuilt, when I had it I had the clutch replaced ($300) and new brakes all around ($300) so it was good to go for a long time. WHY did I get rid of it? Because I was a dumb kid who wanted a V8 two door instead of a 4 banger 4 door. So of course the Cougar gave me nothing but trouble while the guy I sold the skylark to enjoyed it for years and years. lol. IDIOT
@@jobskinner833 The end of that car is a sad story. But while I had it I loved it. Pack it full of kids and drive around to the fast food joints all night. Good times.
I love your content, you point out you, have an affinity for 80’s GM cars-and I share the same affinity. This is another great example of your in-depth and insightful review-keep them coming.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one that shares the affinity for 80's GM!
I had my sales rep at Gustafson Motors in the Twin Cities knock a hundred bucks off of that TruCoat.....because they put it on at the factory and I didn't want oxidation.
I live fairly close by the Olds dealership where that was filmed...it's now the Best Buy Headquarters...
I worked for a major car rental company at their corporate headquarters back in the early 90s...and the Cieras were a major fleet purchase for us...and I managed to rent a few using my employee discount. The cars had the 3300 V6 and were peppy. You could tell they were building the car to a price in the 90s...more spartan interior trims. When I was looking for a new car in 1996...it was getting pretty dated compared to Taurus/Sable, Accord and Camry. I could have gotten a deal on a Ciera wagon but wanted something more contemporary and got a 94 Taurus instead. A physician friend of mine bought two Cieras...an 84 and an 86 for his daughters to drive in college and I think they had decent luck with both of them.
This is certainly a stellar example of a Cutlass Ciera. We used to refer to these as cockroaches, as they seemed to be everywhere and just simply would not die. I still see one a couple of times a month out here in CA, it seems.
They should have been taxis.
One guy at the apartment complex where I live has a white one; six years ago I had to get rid of the 1993 Cutlass Ciera S I had due to the brake lines and the rear axle bracket on the left side rusting out (as a result of that the car went down the road at an angle!) It wasn't because of the engine; it still ran just fine.
The Ciera is the Fargo movie car. It is a good car overall. The GM V6 was excellent. The dash over the glove box tends to curve upwards.
"How's that Cierra working for ya!"
Yeah but that Tru-coat, you don’t get it and you’ll get the oxidation problems.
There was more than one V-6.
@Jack Napier Burnt Umber.
I'm takin' the Ciera. Gaear Grimsrud : We split that. Carl Showalter : [pause] How the f*** do you split a f***in' car, ya dummy?
My Grandparents has two different versions of the Cutlass Ciera and I had the pleasure of driving both of them between Michigan and Florida multiple times. The first one they had was an early version with the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder and was surprisingly quiet. The second one had the 6 cylinder. Both were very comfortable and fully loaded. Wonderful cars to drive.
Had a 85 Cutlass Ciera 3.0. V6 181 Brougham Sedan. Redid the entire car top to bottom. Had every option. Sold it last year for 9k. Had I known, I would have sold it to you Adam!
My first two cars were an ‘83 and ‘86 Cutlass Ciera. Great cars. ‘86 is still the best car I’ve ever owned.
I had an 84' and it was orange, I called it the tangerine it was ugly. I never knew the actual name Olds called that paint....
@@realgone222
I don’t like orange as a color, though I once had a car, my second car, that was indeed orange.
It was a ‘76 VW Rabbit….what a piece of crap it turned-out to be.
My ‘83 was a bizarre color that I believe GM called “Light Sable”.
The receptionist at a salon I worked at in the early 1990s had a 1986 Cutlass Ciera GT Coupe. It was such a handsome car with it’s silver paint and dark red, almost eggplant colored interior with bucket seats and console mounted shifter. I thought it looked like a successor to the 1960s Starfires.
Grew up with these. Loved the styling.
Heard the engines are INDESTRUCTIBLE and go on forever. Especially the 90s ones with the V6. Wish GM made cars like this again.
Best engine was the 3.8, which was available in the ‘80s.
3.3, 3.1, and the 4 cylinder 2.5 were great too.
My dad's 1985 98 came with a Oldsmobile cassette tape to play in the car. I still have it. It has that same Olds jingle on it. I remember my dad, at times, would put all the windows down and crank that jingle when we drove up or down the street to our home. Having an Oldsmobile was a status symbol, especially a 98. I cringe at the cars I see today, often feel embarrassed for the people, things are so ghetto anymore.
Well said. It was a status symbol to have an Oldsmobile back then. And the 98 was the nicest one you could get.
Canceling the 98 for 1997 was an enormous mistake for Oldsmobile. I understand that the Aurora more or less took over, but Olds was alienating their loyal demographic by no longer offering a traditional, full size luxury sedan for their customers. It was just another nail in the coffin for the brand itself.
@@texan903 I'm a Ford and Mopar guy. But I agree, and I too miss Olds & Pontiac.
I particularly liked 1980-1984 Oldsmobile 98 Regency as well as Buick Electra Park Avenue. They are much better than Cadillac de Ville with its terrible engines.
Oldsmobile was the most frequently "dualed" GM franchise. Usually it was Oldsmobile-Cadillac in bigger cities, Chevrolet-Oldsmobile in smaller towns and throughout Canada. Add in non-GM dual franchises and it's probably one reason why it was first to go is that there were only a handful of Olds-only dealerships to be settled out with.
That 1984 Cutlass Ciera Brougham in black with all that super rare options would be a collector piece in any diehard Oldsmobile's garage. So rare to see the leather trim and the astroroof WITH the vinyl top. And the AD you showed at the end for the 1984 Holiday coupe was a amazing find as well.
I grew up with someone at school who's mother had one of those Holiday coupes in a pale yellow. At the time, i thought it was beautiful and Oldsmobile didn't make many of those at all. Coupes were soo much more rare to find.
As far as the jingle, i grew up listening to that tape. It was so catchy and i loved the lyrics to the song. Driving around in an Oldsmobile back then did give you alot of pride of ownership.
I don't think these had power astro roofs this looks like it has a vista vent pop up roof
@@rafaelfiallo4123 You could be correct. It might be the Vista versus Astroroof
Great cars to sell new. These cars were assembled at the Doraville Ga assembly plant Nedra Atlanta. So being an Olds dealer in North Carolina we could special order a car for our customer, have it built and shipped to us for customer delivery in about a three week time period. Thanks for the look back Adam.
My grandfather passed me down a custom ordered 83 tornado. (unfortunately the 5.7 L diesel) every option possible with the red leather interior white exterior low mileage car. if you kept on top of the upkeep of the diesel it actually ran ok, and returned impressive mileage :-) A real beast in the snow.
Back in '85 I was 17.
Girlfriends parents owned an '85 Buick Skylark Coupe with the 2.8L V6.
Torque steer for days :)
My dad had a 1984 Ciera Holiday Coupe, burgundy. Brougham. I loved driving it in high school. Can’t believe he let me drive his new car. Lots of kudos at the local teen cruising spots.
Excellent video! I loved my 1996 Oldsmobile cutlass Ciera. Unfortunately the transmission gave out. great car. Very roomy and very comfortable.
Throughout the 80’s and 90’s my grandparents bought new Oldsmobiles every few years. My grandfather bought himself an Eighty Eight and bought my grandmother a Cutlass Cierra. His Eighty Eights were always so plush! I miss riding around with him in his Oldsmobiles.
Surprised you didn't play the "City of New Orleans" based jingle commercial. I still can hear that one playing in my head to this day. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Wow my guy I remember that Oldsmobile jingle! Thanks for sharing! 👍🏿
LOVE it. I have never seen a black one, that I can recall.
I completely agree with you Adam on having a real passion for 80’s-era GM cars. I’ve had five from that era (‘83 Skyhawk, ‘83 Regal, ‘85 Skyhawk, ‘85 Firenza (V-6!), ‘87 Century T-Type) and would lone to start collecting.
I bought a 1985 Cutlass Ciera Brougham in the beautiful dark blue, wire wheel covers and GM’s ubiquitous velour interior powered by the excellent 3.8 V6. It was right when GMAC offered 7.7% financing - a very low rate for the era. I really liked the classic finned aluminum valve covers and matching fins across the center of the intake manifold that gave it a retro ‘60’s look. I drove it for five years and gave it to my mom to replace her ‘82 Cutlass Ciera 2.5 when I moved out of state. The trans gave her trouble about a year later, so she traded it in for an Olds Bravado AWD that gave more than 10 year’s service before she bought a late model Olds Aurora. The ‘80’s and ‘90’s were and Olds era for my family.
We went car shopping at an olds dealership and came down to 3 cars in Dec 88 a white demonstration cutlass Calais international series with quad 4, a new 89 olds Calais s quad 4 in Garnet red maroon and a 89 Cutlass Cierra 2.8 V6 in a unusual metal rose color with wire wheels and the updated rear design and glass the quad 4 had more overall power but felt like a turbo Chrysler and the Cierra had a red velour interior they were 2 k apart in price but the 88 fully loaded demo Calais international was driven by a guy that had a Rivera that the cctv heater control failed in a freezing winter storm and he found himself driving blind, he parked it and a snow plow hit and dragged it so he wanted a four door and power and with 22k miles and 11k price from 15, he bought it after a test drive. The new rear window design made a blind spot and looking at the 88 with a black roof
. The roof rack stopped the Blindspot on both cars but the dealership offered 800 in rebates on new cars and quad 4 equipped cars so along with the 88 demo we took the red 89 Calais s. Never saw another Cierra brougham in the metallic rose color again. When we drove the Calais home the next week dealership put it next to a Christmas tree on showroom floor with red bow on top. It looked sharp.
Beautiful. Thank you for this.
It was my Father's Oldsmobile that triggered my interest in GM. His Ciera was also an 84, 2.5 4cylinder in a dark brown with velour. He sort of apologized for it because he knew how much I despised GM back then.
But I drove it when the Subaru stranded him with some sort of fuel system failure and I was impressed with it's size, quiet, smooth ride, comfort, room and trim.
Not long after I bought my own GM: an 84 Chevrolet Citation II notchback, champagne and dark brown lower body with the same brown velour upholstery as Dad's Ciera. The 2.5. Automatic. Mag wheels. It had the same attributes that the Ciera did.
My head was turned driving by Century Olds in Van Nuys one day where I spotted a grey Olds on the used car lot and I traded it in [my special regret] for my own Oldsmobile: an 86 Calais two door, 2.5. Also the right size, well trimmed grey velour, roomy, quiet, full of Olds '80s styling cues.
That same car is still sitting in my driveway. Purchased with 21,000 miles on it in 1994 it has 133,000 now. A couple of years ago it completed an 1800 mile round trip to Salt Lake City and we'll be doing it again this year.
Dad's Ciera set the trajectory of my car buying habits for the next 30 years. I have driven GM FWD small cars since 1992 . My first new car was a 99 Cavalier. My current, an 05 ION.
That "Father's Oldsmobile" ad campaign got a lot of mockery. The X Cars ran people off to buy cars from the Japanese and anyone but GM. Both those things had the opposite effect on me.
Yes, they're flawed, but I accept that as part of their character.
Oh yeah, did I tell you I became a fan of GM along the way???
What a great piece. I sure enjoyed this.
I delivered pizzas in a 94 ciera for about 4 years. It was so reliable. I don't remember having any problems with it. I only got rid of it when I got a newer car. It was still running and looking great!
I really liked the ones I had, too.
My father in law was a parts manager for GM dealerships from the early 50's until he retired in the mid 90's. He worked for Buick-Pontiac-Cadillac dealerships from the early 70's til he retired. One perk that he had was the "demo" unit, a fresh car off the lot, drive it until it hit around 5K, the dealer would sell it and he'd get another. He must have gone through about 30 of these A Bodies in the 80's/90's, either the Century or the 6000 and half the family ended up scooping up great deals picking up the demo units. Great reliable cars that were just that, a car that did what a car is supposed to do.
As a teenager I had an 85 Ciera with the V6. Eventually the fiberglass timing gear broke -- at about 170K -- and the transmission was going out as well. And in college I got a 89 Celebrity with the 2.8 V6 as well. They were pretty good cars all things considered. Very nice riding.
Timing gear is used in the Iron Duke/Tech4. V6 uses a chain.
At least when the timing gear goes on the 4, it's not an interference engine. I do worry about that with my '86 Calais.
I love these '80s GM front drives. My older brother an his family finally killed Dad's '84
They certainly captured an era. Reminds me of the movie Fargo.
My first new car purchase was a 1987 Ciera sedan in teal blue. It was the 4 banger and had roll-up windows, cruise control, tilt wheel, great sounding AM/FM cassette stereo, cloth interior with the rally wheels. I really liked that car. Served me well!
I remember that cassette tape, and also the notepad and pen you got. My dad had an 87' Cutlass Ciera. It was the first "nice" car my family ever owned and I have fond memories of it, although it was slow and handled like a literal boat. Ours had the 2.8l V6, which still produced minimal power, A/C, cassette, cruise, and that was all. Manual windows and locks and 14" hubcap wheels. He drove it for 17 years and had to have put 300,000 miles or more on the original engine before he junked it.
My Dad had a 1988 Cutlass Ciera Brougham, 2.8 V6 4 door with the Fe3 sport suspension (Eagle GT-4 tires). He was known for being a slow driver, always in the right lane. This car was so smooth and quiet, he did not realize the how fast he was going - lucky no speeding tickets that we know about. After 9 years in Chicago, the rust took over. This car was replaced by 1997 VW GLS.
i had an 87 cutlass cierra GT!! back in high school when i graduated '95, man i loved that car!
I had a 1983 Olds Ciera Brougham, loaded, tan with a brown vinyl top, and a 4.3 diesel engine. It was great except for merging onto an interstate; a turbo would have helped. It made 35-40 mpg. Then I had a 1984 Ciera wagon; its biggest flaw was the 2.5 4 cylinder. My last Ciera was a black Brougham with a gray interior, gauge package, every power option, 3.8 V6, opera lights, and even automatic level control. It rode wonderfully, had great power, and was quite the looker. I should have kept that one, but I moved up to the Olds Regency Broughams after that.
My Uncle had a1994 with the 2.5 L four cylinder and put over 200,000 miles on it. Starter and alternator were replaced as well as exhaust in back of Catalytic Converter. The only thing unusual is that at 117,000 the fuel pressure regulator was leaking. The fix was a $15 diaphragm ordered through Big A Auto Parts..
I had an 87 Ciera 2 dr SL with a 3.8 engine and FE 3 suspension. I ordered it with a GM optional trunk rack and 215 tires. It was a brougham version of the International series but not called that name. It had such front wheel torque steer I had to hold both hands on the wheel. Was sky blue with velour bucket seats. The instrument panel was beautiful colors with separate round speedometer and tachometer. Wish I could buy it again!
I bought a 1988 Buick Century 4 dr sedan, new. Pretty much a base model , no vinyl top. But it was a very good riding and comfortable car. It was a very good winter car as long as the snow wasn't too deep. I sometimes think back and wish I still had it.
We bought a 94 ciera with the 3.1 v6 auto and loved it! Demonstrator with 1700 miles on it when we got it,drove it everywhere.Headon collision killed it with 275,000 on the odo, the wife was hurt pretty bad but the air bags deployed and saved her life.We drove up the east coast from central Florida to Virginia Beach.
I own a 1990 Cutlass Ciera that I got 2 years ago as my graduation gift and I love it. It's very comfortable, and rides smoothly. I've had a lot of starting problems with its where it won't start sometimes which we are still working on but other then that its a great car. It had 143k miles when I first got it, now it has 146k miles. Great video
My step-mother first owned a 1984 Cutlass Cierra. It was more of a mid-trim with cloth manual adjusting front bench seat. But it did have power door locks, windows and after-market cruise control and the 2.8L V6. This became my very first car circa 1988. It was a great car.
These cars were not flashy, fast not made for the road rally, but they were simply one thing. A damn good car that was one of the best options for basic transportation with reliability and an acceptable level of comfort. I worked on a ton of these things in the 90's and early 2000's. My personal choice was the ones with the "iron duke" 151cid engine. They were bullet proof. They would often blow the factory head gasket around the 80k mile mark, but once you replaced it with a Fel-Pro head gasket and a new set of head bolts, you never had to take the head off again. I did so many that I could remove the head, clean the and check the surfaces with a straight edge, reinstall and torque the head and still had time left over before lunch time. I believe the flat rate time on the job was close to 5.0 hours. I loved seeing those things come in. I would buy one today if it was in the condition like the one in the video.
Adam makes even malaise era cars, 1975-1992 cool. Thank you.
Adam thank you for this early Christmas gift!
Learned to drive in summer 85 on an 85 cutlass ciera with 2.5 Iron Duke. Almost ten years later I bought the same car as a fixer upper changed a few minor parts and enjoyed many trouble free pleasant miles. Great low end torque. The 2.5 we nick named the “Diesel Duke” for its rough industrial demeanor. Solid value cars you got plenty for your money. Warm memories all around.
I loved that Iron Duke!
So cool. The first car I drove. My mom had one (single mom 2 kids). I remember her telling me to line up that chrome strip on the hood with the line on the road to stay in between the lines. 12 years old and drove it to the town grocery store. Ahhh, the 80s.
The demo tape takes me back. My mom bought a new 1980 Ford F-100 when I was in kindergarten. It was a base model, no power steering, no power brakes, 4 speed manual with no air (in Texas). But it was optioned with a state of the art Am/Fm radio with cassette tape player. And it came with a demo tape with all sorts of 60s and 70s music (including Eleanor Rigby). No catchy jingle though.
I had one when my wife and I were married, thirty four years ago. I think it was an 85, or 86. I don't remember, but it was a great car. I bought it from a neighbor, who bought it new. I had to replace the intake manifold gaskets and CV shafts on both sides. After that it was fine. It was eventually stolen from in front of my house, one night. I then bought a new Chevrolet Celebrity Wagon. That car was also very good to us. I just have very fond memories of that Oldsmobile.
My friends mom had a cutlas very similar to this one. It has the carbureted 2.8. He referred to it as the gutless ciera.
I remember the "gutless" too funny 🤣
Used to see these everywhere back then , not so much now.
Back in the early 90’s, I bought a 1986 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Brougham. Aside from all the luxury styling and gadgets, it was pretty much exactly like the Cutlass Sierra, and I can tell you very confidently that there was *indeed* “a special feel in an Oldsmobile.” What an absolutely wonderful car it was.
Well, the 98 was a larger car….it wasn’t the same as the Cierra, but similar.
Cutlass Cieras were all over the place throughout the car's life. As you said, black was a very rare exterior color on them. I remember seeing lots of white, silver, and light blue cars. They looked nearly identical to the Century of the same era.
A non-GM car that I could right away picture while paused at 8:25 is an 80s Chrysler Lebaron. The deep blue exterior, the vinyl roof, wired wheels, and its typical 80s exterior shape are what do it.
We had all three versions, Olds, Buick , and Chevrolet, back in the 80,’s. Kept them each for about two years and purchased new. Liked them a lot. Back then they had great mileage.
Mom bought a 1986 Celebrity new with the Iron Duke, then I used it six years later when I got my license. The ID had a distinct engine note, and speaking of engine notes, the 60° V6 had a pleasing growl especially in the Z24 Cavaliers.
great video! I have very fond memories of this car. My dad owned a 1983 Ciera. I learned how to drive with it. ❤
I bought a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera new, champagne color.......I LOVED that car........I kept it 4-5 years, and kept it SPOTLESS.........when I traded it in, the dealership said some of their new cars don't look THAT good........Ive had a dozen cars since then but the Olds was my FAV!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These cars were the mainstay of driveways, The Ciera, the bowtie Celebrity, the Pontiac 6000, the Buick Century...all very simple, basic and AFFORDABLE cars that did exactly what was needed and asked of them. Quintessential 80s and very worthy of respect.
I used to own an 86 Cutlass Ciera SL convertible (aftermarket conversion done by Car Craft, out of Lima, OH) It was gold with a tan leather interior, console shift, and the MPFI 2.8 V6. Aside from being a very rare car, it was also a very reliable car, and never gave me any trouble while I owned it. Of all the vehicles I’ve owned, and no longer have, it’s the one I miss the most.
Great video, Adam…and as a fellow fan of these unloved cars of the past, thanks for giving them some time to shine.
I always liked these A-special cars, and they also made nice wagons.
I love these cars The A bodies are so great. My first car was a 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera Brougham with the 2.5L I'm currently restoring it.
My uncle had the Buick version of these, a Century I believe. Really nice car.....for what was available at the time.
Thanks Adam! 😊
Our family had a 1986 Cutlass Ciera, purchased brand new, which was the car that I Learned to drive on and still think of fondly. My heart belongs to the mid to later 80's Buicks and Oldsmobiles. I remember that Oldsmobile jingle well as well as the jingle "the great American road belongs to Buick". Man, I miss those cars.
My first Ciera was an '85 Ciera Cruiser wagon, a car I really enjoyed, and it was the first of several wagons I have owned. It was well optioned and had the dependable and smooth V6. My next Ciera was a '96 4-door sedan and again, fairly well-optioned. Both cars never cost me a dime in repairs except for regular maintenance and never let me down. Both of them got good mpgs on the hiway, too. The '84 Cutlass Ciera Cruiser started my love affair with wagons though I moved on to the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable wagons, three in all. My current wagon is a very nice '07 Dodge Magnum SXT with the hi-po V6 that I've owned since 2010.
This Ciera has a lot going for it, but the big let-down is the crude, underpowered 4-cylinder engine. I love to have another Ciera wagon but not with the Iron Duke.
My first car was a 1987 Olds cutlass Ciara SL 2door. Silver and grey with spoke caps and white walls. I bought the car with 25k from my grandma. Those cars were fast for the time. I miss that car. My friends loved the sofa type seating compared to their Honda’s. I’m a Honda fan but my heart loves 80’s Oldsmobile’s
In 2011-12 I got my first car which was a 1988 cutlass ciera. I bought it from my friends grandma who kept it parked at her apt, only had 33k original miles. Sadly I was t-boned and the car was completely totaled. Im on the hunt now to find one again, mine was a brown/gold color and I remembered it drove like a champ.
Always admired the ride in those too.
I was in my early 20's when this model came out. I went to the Birmingham (Alabama) Zoo one day with a girlfriend and parked right next to one another were two of these Oldsmobiles. One had badges reading "Ciera Cutlass" and the other's read "Cutlass Ciera."
I hear that Jerry Lundegaard can get you a heck of a deal on one of these. You may have to do him a pretty big favor tho.
My mother had one of these for 19 years and never changed the transmission fluid. It was still running strong when she traded it. I still see these cars (and the Buicks). Apart from GM's horrible record for reliability in the 80s and 90s these cars were very reliable.
You hit the comment about someone I knew owning one of these on the nose! My grandmother had one in that would have been an 85 or 86 based on the head lamps and tail lamps. My parents bought a 1996 model trading in the 1985 Delta 88 Royal Brougham on it... What a letdown that was. I remember that we had it for at least a year before I accidentally stumbled across the button that moved the seat back forward and backward. The rest of the seat was manual and no one had looked for any buttons, but I was a kid that liked to touch everything and accidentally found it hiding in the bottom right corner of the front of the passenger seat. Hiding in it's own plastic cubicle!
Adam, The red interior is certainly nice.
I like the A platform cars in general, despite the mockery there are soo many differences and variants. Great cars!
I have enjoyed your channel and been impressed by your comprehensive knowledge of what many people cavalierly write off as vehicles from the automotive “malaise era” of the 1970s & 80s. American manufacturers were clearly struggling with cafe standards, safety and ecological mandates, short sighted and confrontational union leadership, the tyranny of cost cutting accountants and a petroleum industry that was, if nothing else, an economically damaging and ultimately unreliable supplier of gasoline, which was the lifeblood of the industry and the economy in general - not to mention a stiff competition from overseas and an automotive press that was nothing short of hostile. While they may have been their own worst enemy in some respects they made a herculean effort to adapt and survive. I have concluded that many of the cars they manufactured were under-appreciated and it’s nice to see them presented in a more reasonable, even-handed and sympathetic manner.
They have their high points and low points. They’re not all bad like some say.
In 1990 my mother purchased a 1983 Cutlass Ciera 4-door diesel. She HATED it. It smoked, was always breaking down, and it wasn't uncommon for people to approach us in a parking lot to ask if our car was OK (because it smoked so badly when starting up). She sold it in 1995 when she purchased a 1990 Lumina MPV.
Valve stem seals
I have a 1996 and it looks identical to the 89 restyle. It's such a solid car and the 3.1 has been rock solid for me.
Still driving a 85 Buick century in our salt rich winters in Canada. 2.8 v6 very smooth running engine. My friend used th call them mini boats, because of how they rode like a bigger us car. All round a good car and fixable mostly at home, which is why I still have it.
Wow that interior! I wasn't expecting that.
My good friend in college had the Chevy equivalent. He had a 1988 Chevy Celebrity with the 2.8 MPI V6. That V6 was very reliable and was very comfortable to drive as well.
I think the CB radio was a factory option back in the day. My friend had a two door red with a light gray half vinyl top, wire wheel covers, light gray interior, custom ordered, Holiday edition I think it was called. Think it had the 4 cyl but looked really nice and never saw another one like that.
Speaking of unique 80's GM cars, one year only the Buick Riviera was available with the 3.8 V6 turbo that later went in the Grand National and Regal t-types. I think the turbo Riviera was around '82 so still the big version of them.
My wife was in the 1994 factory brochure. She had fun doing that ad.
Adam! Nice Cutlass Ciera! Definitely an oddball with the 2.5. Just about all of them sold in my neck of the woods all had the 2.8 V6. Couldn't help but noticing the picture of the '82 or '83 Olds Omega ES 2800 sedan and the '88 Cutlass Ciera Internation Series sedans! Great memories of what was in our garage as a teen! Awesome!
I still want one of these!!
HI ADAM,, THE FAMILY HAD ONE OF THESE BACK IN THE 80S IT WAS LIGHT BLUE COLOR IT WAS A GREAT CAR FOUR DOOR VERY RELAXING DRIVE I DO REMEMBER AND DRIVING , SMOOTH THE RADIO WITH CASS. IT REMINDED ME OF A BUICK NOT SURE REGAL?? I NOTICED IN THE RED CAR YOU SHOWED IT HAS A CB RADIO .. IN OUR 1978 BUICK WE HAVE A CB RADIO WHEN TRAVELING .. GREAT VIDEO!!
Even for the 80's that's a helluva long jingle piece of music conducted. Thanks for sharing the Ciera. Memories indeed
I have always love A-bodies. I've owned two Buick Centuries, one '92 wagon with the 3300/3spd, and my current '96 sedan with the 3100/4spd.
The 4 spd definitely makes a difference, but I honestly believe that the Centurys were very reliable cars that are drastically underrated because they only ever had auto trans.
I don’t think the 3.3 was available with the 3 spd.
I have a ‘92 Century, and it has the 4 spd.
I also have a ‘94 3.1 wagon, and it has the 4 spd as well, which recently died.
Engine still runs great, but transmission won’t shift out of first, and sounds sick.
@@patrickflohe7427 It was my understanding that the 3300 with the 4spd was a very rare thing that you had to option.
I assure that I had a 3 spd, and it was a dog without the overdrive. That it unfortunately one of the reasons that car was in an accident that totalled it. It was too slow to get out of it's own way.
I believe that Regular Car Reviews did a video on an '89 with the 3300 and a 3spd. They also later did a video on a '90s Lumina with the 3100 and 4spd, and made the observation that although the have basically the same power output the lumina was definitely faster.
@@joebobson6163
I didn’t say all I meant to say in my comment that you responded to….I do remember the 3 speed being available with the 2.5 4 cyl (I own one), but by ‘92 I thought the 3 speeds were all gone.
-Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s just what I’ve seen & had.
I had an 84. Nice car but by the time I traded it in 4 years later it suffered from the classic "morning sickness" and the blue metalic paint was starting to flake off on the roof. Traded it in for an 89 Grand Prix.
I bought my parents' 1991 Cutlass Ciera in 1999. It had over 100,000 miles on it and was well maintained. It had it for another 4 years. It had the 3.3L V6 which gave it rapid acceleration.
Love the channel! Can't wait to visit SCS for Christmas. Hope we get some snow 🤞Coming home from NC. Love y'all. Lookin' forward to havin' a pop 😉
Really enjoy these trips down the 80's memory lane.
My first car was a handy-down 86 Olds Cutlass Ciera. While it was better than walking I hated it with a passion. I drove it for years until I was finally able to get something else. It still haunts me.
Howcome? I remember that car, a dark red or purple 93' it was. We didn't have it very long because it was a 4 cylinder that went out on the head gasket, it sounded like a rode like a V6, but it was a 4 cylinder, and from what I know through, the optional V6 was the more reliable option