1980 Pontiac "Owners Guide to New Pontiac Excitement" (GM155B 2 of 3)

A look at the options and features of the new 1980 Pontiac models, including cruise control, A/C, and mechanical features such as wear indicators for tires, ball joints and disc brakes. Includes some assembly footage.

[@ponchoman49]

Cars had so much more character back then and way more color and seating choices!

[@paulparoma]

Indeed. They looked like real American cars, too. And the full-size ride was silky-smooth.

[@Andyface79]

@@paulparoma The Sunbird was not Silky Smooth.

[@paulparoma]

@@Andyface79 It was not full-size.

[@Andyface79]

@@paulparoma True but it as a terrible car. The best I guess is the Bonneville but it was still a gas guzzling tank with plastic that would fall off within 2 years and woe be anybody who got the diesel. Meanwhile Honda was on the way up to kick their ass.

[@paulparoma]

@@Andyface79 Who said the Sunbird was a good car? It was a miserable attempt by Pontiac to make a small car to rival the imports, but they had no clue. It did look nice, though. The large Bonneville was as good as the Caprice or Delta, if not better. The smaller one was a glorified LeMans. The FWD that followed was a really good car.

[@pontiacgrandprix733]

I actually purchased, a new 1979 Grand Prix, and then a new 1980 Grand Prix, after the 79 was totaled, the 79 had the 301, the 80 had the horrible 231 Buick V/6, they were pretty cars, loaded w options, I added spoke wheels and Vogue tires to both, the 80 I kept for 3 years, it was a slug, gas burner, needed a transmission at 40,000 miles, metric 200 POS, got rid of it for a new Riviera in 83, another GM POS, switched to Lincoln in 88, then onto foreign, Lexus BMW, and Mercedes, the moral to the story, GM redeemed itself, I now own a new Cadillac CT5 and I can’t tell you how much I love this car, it’s got everything in it,330 hp, rides like a dream

[@davegeorge4517]

What a hoot, gm build quality was unequal, I've been at the counter when someone who changed wheel/tire ratios by adding aftermarket parts, tolerances too week to take that...im pointing at you! Our transmission went 200000 miles

[@SchnelleKat]

"Horrible" 231 v6 & POS 200 trans LOL.... Plenty capble. many Drag guys use the 200 still. It took me 3 years to find one. You sound more like a FORD Guy than a GM person.. Smh. if you can't respect these cars then you aren't a true car guy or gearhead.

[@brettcannon74]

My first car was an 80 Bonneville brougham diesel coupe. What a beautiful machine

[@Andyface79]

Are you joking?

[@mattmalone524]

My first car was a 1974 Cougar XR7,the first year they became a mid size car. I would love another one to with my 70 Convertible and my 89 Cougar XR7.

[@brettcannon74]

​@@Andyface79why would I joke? I drove from NYC to Columbus and still had 1/4 tank left

[@milfordcivic6755]

I'd kill for a 1980 Bonneville Brougham Coupe with the 403, bucket seats, console and moonroof.

[@Christianpreaching]

I agree, but I'll take the bench seat on mine

[@reallyrandomrides1296]

Wow, these new Pontiacs are pretty high tech! I'm convinced, my next new car will be a Pontiac!

[@quad5186]

Guess you’ve already got a time machine 😂

[@liddlebopeep]

Your local Pontiac dealer is waiting....

[@Sheisthedevilyouknowwho-ft9we]

Mercury and DeSoto right down the street. Later generations (well other than a few of them) won't understand the rolling works of art American car companies built💪

[@slicksnewonenow]

I'm surprised that the car manufacturers still even bother to build most of these features into the new cars... Especially the turn signals.... Because people sure as hell don't know how to use them these days. Same goes for the headlight dimmer switch.🙄

[@pauljackson4357]

Still. Have my first car, a 1980 Turbo TA Special Edition, had the vehicle almost 41 years, never restored. These cars have style and character.

[@yamajammer76]

I think the funniest thing is it's called the "Owner's guide to new Pontiac Excitement!" and in the thumbnail we see the squarest gauges ever with tons of chrome and woodgrain. I'm so excited! lol Seriously though thanks so much for posting this! Love it!

[@michaelwilliams4410]

In the summer of 1980, my sister Paulette traded her 1973 Ford Mustang for a 1980 Pontiac Sunbird. Although I was a little upset with her for trading the Mustang, I actually fell in love with the Sunbird.

[@TVHouseHistorian]

I remember growing up, a neighbor of ours had a 1980 Grand Prix LJ with leather bucket seats. What a rare, under-appreciated, and special car that was. I don’t know any of the specs it came with, but I remember it being a very fast car with lots of suspension waggle and body roll. It even had the alloy wheels, which I thought made it look rather badass for the time. Great memories.

[@carlosg1165]

Love them Pontiac style and dashboard with full gauges

[@chuckselvage3157]

The dark haired model is gorgeous.

[@mlp8500]

Yea…Pontiac we build excitement! Glad I have mine

[@toddewire13]

Thanks man love it!

[@mitchburk5112]

I've owned dozens of cars over the last fifty years. The Pontiac Phoenix(chevy citation) I had was hands down the biggest pile of crap ever foisted on the American public. Was constantly in the shop.

[@thevacdude]

Grandparents had a Citation, their neighbors had the Phoenix, both junk.

[@richardsfault1]

My 1981 Escort says "Hold my beer!"

[@slicksnewonenow]

@Mitch Burk Hey... Those Chevy Chevettes were about a boat anchor, too... Oh... Don't forget the putrid Dodge Omni... Come to think of it, most sh*t built after 1979 was pretty much sh*t. It only got worse after about '86. I guess that there were a few American vehicles through the Eighties and Nineties that weren't too bad, but all of them really suffered from those asshats in The Swamp "mandating" this or that... Which makes all the sense in the world, considering that once THEY got us all dumb enough to buy vehicles that didn't "pollute", THEY'D turn around and dump ten times as much toxic crap into the atmosphere than before... Remember "Pollution Credits"? I love the vehicles from the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s... And if I ever build another one, I'm gonna say "screw originality", and it's gonna get a healthy Small Block and a built TH350 put in it... Cheap and plentiful stuff this time!😁 Cheers

[@blue4uable]

Pontiac you sure made some of the most beautiful automobiles I wish Pontiac would come back.

[@jamesrussell6123]

Me and you both

[@SgtSnazzerino]

4:18 ah yes, the ball cooler

[@Sheisthedevilyouknowwho-ft9we]

Oh damn 😂 are you referring to that little vent lower down by the steering column. ? I totally forgot about those. We had a bunch of '70s Pontiacs

[@gli7utubeo]

7:15 The warranty was for 12,000 miles or a year, whichever came first.

[@GP1138]

2:27 - when the drugs kick in

[@slicksnewonenow]

"VALIUM, IT DOES A BODY GOOD!"

[@1972mercurycougar]

'80 Sunbird was cool! Firebird too!!

[@josevidal6458]

Bonneville....very beautiful car.

[@95blahblahhaha]

Ahh back when "insert your opinion here" in the good ol days.... 😂😂

[@dave1956]

Not too many of these out there anymore. ThankGod.

[@ct1762]

2:20 love how the steering wheel looks like a thick diaper g string

[@paulsheehan8185]

Too bad Pontiac didn't have a Rockford Edition Firebird Espirit. (Rockford Files car).

[@markdrake2715]

I had an 81 Chevy Malibu. Had to drop a crate 350 in it first thing. Stifled to about 110 hp...

[@rogercamp6071]

Dimmer switch was hardly new for 1980,I owned a '78 Cutlass with that feature unless Pontiac was late to the game

[@jamesrogers2999]

I had an 80 diesel Bonneville

[@SpockvsMcCoy]

The 1980 Bonneville Brougham Coupe had a cool design...but hardly popular at that time.

[@ramoncarter6585]

I love these old cars they bring back such great memories they looked like well built cars though might had some were lemons 🍋 glad came here see such classical old school cars.

[@nlpnt]

The turn signal/dimmer switch wasn't as much a convenience for the new car buyer, as a benefit years down the road when you didn't have to deal with an extra hole in the floor holding an electrical switch that got bathed in salty slush both splashed from below and dripped down from your boots.

[@slicksnewonenow]

The dimmer switches weren't in holes that went through the floor... They were mounted to the floor inside the car. I sure do miss those floor mounted dimmers AND the floor mounted radio seek button... Really convenient and not as breakable as the ones Integrated into the turn signal stalk... Although there were better ones and lousier ones of those, too. Some were really robust, some were awful flimsy.

[@joserafaelgrangefuenmayor7744]

Me gustan los carros

[@MBSLC]

Had a 1979 Grand Prix with the 301 V8. Most riding lawnmowers were quicker.

[@landyachtfan79]

0:26..............I WANT THAT BONNEVILLE!!!!!!!

[@my1vice]

That two tone GP with t-tops is beautiful. I miss stylish cars.

[@steinravnik8692]

Seems odd that the Pontiac Phoenix had the cruise on the shifter.

[@gomezesmorticia]

Change the oil once a year?

[@jamesstout3430]

Me Luvs!

[@Douglas-up2vh]

That 1980 Firebird was sexy

[@slicksnewonenow]

Have you ever seen a '70?

[@milfordcivic6755]

The marketing dept really overused the MPG wording

[@aaronerskine3401]

there was a certain smell to these cars that doesn't exist anymore -- only someone who rode in one when they were fairly new could understand --

[@larry8253]

@2:30 Did they really say "Lame change feature"? Lol 😜

[@slicksnewonenow]

LANE CHANGE feature

[@larry8253]

@@slicksnewonenow I know, I was trying to be funny. Fail I guess lol. ;-)

[@nlpnt]

That red Phoenix 5 door at 0:44 would look 100% better and 5 years more modern with styled steelies and blackwalls instead of the whitewalls and fake wires.

[@juansaladzar]

That woman had nice heels & nails. I wish women dressed like this in real life brah 😐

[@Sheisthedevilyouknowwho-ft9we]

No s**t. 😂 I graduated in the 90s. The ones still available at 28 or so (she's still single. ?! Heres my chance) ended up getting caught with high school kids. I want to go back to the late 70s /early 80s to find a wife

[@nicholasrice6933]

From cool to boring.