GM J-cars, Ford Escorts, K-cars…hell, even the AMC/Renault Medallion. All cars from the early 1980s that have a reputation for being cracker boxes, none of which really have a following past the diehard loyalists who had one growing up that was so much better that the thousands of clones that the factories pumped out that have rusted, rotted, and have been returned to the earth or are now basically Campbell’s soup cans. I grew up seeing these cars everywhere as a kid, and suffered the indignity of having to ride around in a Cavalier wagon that my dad absolutely abhorred when I was in grade school, but nowadays seeing an example tooling around on the road is kind of a surprise. “Oh, look, honey! There’s another automotive cockroach that hasn’t been squashed! Let it be…it survived this long.”
It’s one thing to keep the running, driving examples around and well-maintained. But the question I pose to you is this: will cars like the Omni, EXP and Citation wind up enjoying a “classic” status? For a long time, the Volkswagen Beetle was simply an economical vehicle with a following. Nowadays, it’s a classic, just like the Corvair, the Dart and the Maverick. I shudder to think that some day, a Cavalier Type 10 convertible like the one pictured will sit on the lawn at Pebble Beach, but am I just being harsh?
Craigslist Link: 1983 Chevrolet Cavalier Type 10 Convertible
No matter how boring a car was to begin with, it can become more interesting by surviving a couple decades beyond the time it should have been scrapped. But I doubt they’re going to command the sort of prices you’d get for something more popular to begin with.
Last time I went to the car museum at Balboa Park (San Diego), there was a mint stock ’72 (or so) Pinto in there…and people were interested in it.
They will not be collectable. “Items of interest” is the best way to put it.
You can’t polish a turd.
Keep one of each in each car companies museum to remind the companies what to never do again and turn the rest of them into coke cans.
Head over to Hemmings. They have stories on crap cars like this all the time. I remember when these where new and they were crap then, I am sure taking the same car and adding 30 years does not make it better. The guys over at Hemmings would disagree with me, but not these cars. They lack character and are just to generic
I have had 80’s & 90’s imports, they suck. Even had a 85 AE-86 Corolla GTS Notch-back 4-AG, 5 speed, factory limited slip unit in the rear end. Even with a Toyota Guru owning it before me and doing everything short of a unproven header, a turbo conversion or N2O the car was making all the power they can Naturally Aspired. The head was shaved down to the limit, the cam timing advanced to the point of peak power, had hot cams from Japan in it. A 5.0 fox automatic was an easy kill in the quarter, but a 5 speed with a good driver would beat it.
I had a few cavaliers. My $550 1987 Z24 Notchback 2.8 V6/5 speed was a much more comfortable car then the Corolla GTS. I could have done work to it to make it faster, yet it did good enough. I got between 22 to 25 MPG even when driving it hard I got 22 mpg. Ohio Rust and a wiring issue killed it. Yet I would like to own anther one. Same notch back style, same bight blue same 5 speed. I would rather drive one of those then be forced to drive a new import.
Ill bnet ya’ll just swoon riding in a new Prius or Kia, or Honda.