1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera | Retro Review

Gorgeous sedans and GMAC Financing were an excellent formula for Oldsmobile's success through the 80's.
Show 121 | Original Airdate 04-27-1982
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[@digitalfootballer9032]

It wouldn't be a Motorweek episode without John commenting disappointingly on the lack of gauges, and the old luggage test for the trunk 😂😂😂

[@mattsmiley8156]

And how will I service the spark plugs??

[@blackice7408]

And someone in the trunk

[@bruceyung70]

Drive one and you never forget the highway's comfortable rides! So a quiet and comfortable and COZY feeling you rarely get from the modern cars!

[@Wasabi9111]

Growing up my parents had a 86. I always thought it was really quiet - especially compared to the 88 Camry we also had. Growing up in the 80s/90s, I never understood why ppl trashed American cars vs Japanese cars. I always felt the olds was a more solid, quieter, comfortable car. But it never drove quite right after it was rear ended and my parents sold it.

[@digitalfootballer9032]

​@@Wasabi9111We had an '86 Delta 88, very similar to the Cutlass Ciera. It was a nice car.

[@mattt198654321]

Amen, and while we're at it, can we bring back flat front floors? Get rid of those giant center consoles that cramp my legs

[@therealjayseh]

I never thought the day would come when I didn't like vehicles anymore lol 😂 Today's machines are just poo. Too many technological gadgets and not enough love for my @$$ !!!!

[@Snake-ms7sj]

​@@therealjaysehAgree Too much safety garbage on cars today because people can't stay off their cell phones when they drive. I miss when cars were simpler.

[@maineiacman]

The final years of the A body Century and Ciera are fantastic cars. The Oldsmobile Ciera was the best selling car Oldsmobile had its final year in 1996.

[@HAL-dm1eh]

As a Gen Xer I never thought I'd see the day I'd say an 80s fwd GM car was beautiful, but this is just that. Modernity is a good thing I guess, but I don't know that we've learned to balance that with beauty yet, because we seem starved for it. I find myself appreciating the beautiful body colored steel wheels, glass quad headlights and touches of chrome. I even appreciate the body molding. It was tastefully done.

[@digitalfootballer9032]

These vehicles are an iconic piece of our childhood. If your family didn't have one, you knew someone that did, and you probably at least rode in one more than once. My dad had a Delta 88 from this era, and my grandfather had a Delta 98, I believe these were the same body with cosmetic differences and supposedly were more upscale. I don't know though, my dad's base Delta didn't really appear to have much on my friends families Ciera. They were essentially the same car but with slightly different styling.

[@TVHouseHistorian]

Gen-X’er here 🤚. These were everywhere throughout the 1980’s. Now they’re a nostalgic piece we can look back fondly on. My grandparents bought one of these new in 1987. It drove like a dream. They loved it.

[@jimdayton8837]

@@digitalfootballer9032 There was no Delta 98, it was just called the Olds 98. And yes the Delta 88 & 98 were on two different bodies. The Delta was on the B platform and the 98 was a C body (Cadillac's were also on this platform)

[@digitalfootballer9032]

​​@@jimdayton8837My grandfather's car was an '87 98. I am pretty certain the reason he got it was because my dad had an '86 88 and he wanted to one up him 😂. Weren't they still called "Delta" at that time, and called "Olds 98" later? Or am I just remembering it incorrectly. I definitely feel like at one point they were called "Delta 98". My great grandmother had a '72 Delta 88 that we called the "land yacht" lol

[@jimdayton8837]

@@digitalfootballer9032 There was never a Delta 98, only a Delta 88. Pretty cool story though, I enjoy hearing stories about these cars when they were new.

[@02WIFE]

Mother bought a new 1983 Cutlass ciera Brougham. It had the 2.5 4 cylinder. It was a 4 door. We had it from Sept 1983 to April 1988. Brings back plenty of memories

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I've had a few A-Body cars. They were all good, reliable cars. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one

[@kimchipig]

Another satisfied customer. I daily drove one for a year in 2004 and I really liked it. Very reliable and drove very nicely. Had all of $1000 into it and sold it for $700.

[@OLDS98]

Thank you for this GM/Oldsmobile review. Thank you bringing it back. This car got better with time. This car got the 3300 V6 and the early 3800 V6 and came so well equipped especially in Brougham and International Series trim.. It was reliable and durable. The styling really got better with time too. It is interesting this car ran until the 1996 model year. That is some longevity. I often wonder if GM had did things right if this car and the brand would have lived. This car was competing against the front wheel drive Cutlass Supreme starting in 1988 until 1996. This car has a following in Mexico as the Chevrolet Cutlass as well. I recall the commercials too. "It's the car they call Cutlass Ciera". The issue Oldsmobile and GM ran into in the 1980's was too many models carrying the Cutlass name( Supreme, Ciera, Calais). Chrysler was doing the same thing with LeBaron. Thank you for sharing.

[@DD-dj4jr]

14 years and they added airbags…..not much else…..GM capital wasted on pet projects and rudderless product planning…..why companies need stronger accountability, aware leadership, and an independent Board of Directors with a backbone.

[@Lrules364]

It really wouldn't matter how well the brand did. The new Aurora ignited the brand again and it became very popular. But by 1999 a deal was struck with China and Oldsmobile became redundant for GM. So they no longer needed their only R&D division. And as a result, every vehicle since 2002 has had the same set of motors and foreign designs.

[@brentboswell1294]

It was a rolling anachorism by 1996...beam axle in the back, bench sear in the front,, rear drum brakes, 3 speed transaxle, pushrod engines...it probably got discontinued because of crash protection regulations (ABS was starting to be required, and the law about "supplemental" restraints was changed to airbags, so automatic seat belt rats and seat belts built into doors that were permanently fastened no longer met the letter of the law). GM had long discontinued the rest of the A bodies by then 😅 The FWD A bodies were a modification of the dreaded GM X-body cars. Moving enough weight to the rear of the car cured the rear brake lockup issues that the X bodies had.

[@kimchipig]

I had a 1990 Ciera International with FE3 and 3300 V-6. It was a real road warrior for the day. Excellent drive train and handling made a really nice package.

[@kimchipig]

Everybody slagged the Ciera except its customers, who loved their cars. My 1990 had a four speed.@@brentboswell1294

[@markj9544]

Loved these cars in the late 80s to 90s models as they were modernized. Had several of them.

[@teresapflaumer5717]

2:14. Ah, it's the Motorweek Players and their cool sense of humor!

[@kurdtpatton5039]

I owned a couple of these cars. So comfortable, reliable, and one of my all time favorites

[@velboone6041]

This was my 1st car in high school....Great memories

[@RetroKingOG]

And also horrible fuel economy 😂

[@BrunoMalan]

You stole It from your granny? lol Just kidding

[@hailstorm1986]

I always loved the body lines of these. Very clean design especially along the top of the roof.

[@ericharrison619]

These and it's siblings were often the cheapest and surprisingly reliable used cars in the late 90s into the early 2000s...I had quite a few and never paid over a grand for even a nice example. I honestly can say I miss those plentiful/cheap shitboxes.

[@kpk33x]

Ok, I had one of these sh-tboxes (an '84 4 cylinder) from 1991-92 as my first HS car and take issue with the review (I appreciate it I requested it before!) 1. 40 mpg for the 4? I measured 22 or so mpg at its peak. If you turned on the AC you wouldn't top 15. 2. It would fishtail on turns on DRY pavement, the back end was so light. On wet or snow? Good luck. It did give me trial by fire and I have avoided countless accidents in the years since with the catlike reflexes I developed out of necessity. 3. You tested the V6. The 4 was way underpowered, it took 20 seconds to get to 60 mph. It struggled up hills especially when AC was on. 4. Accurate test notes. It was quiet and a very smooth ride dealing with bumps. Smoother suspension when it was newer than the SUV I drive today I give it that. And I was the go to when my friends and I had to take a lot of stuff. Good point on front seat support. I am 6-3 and my thighs got tired on long drives. But a bench seat on dates not a bad thing. But...The reliability was terrible. When it was brand new we took it to the beach and the AC malfunctioned. My father had an absolute cow on the pay phone at a 7-11 calling the dealer; it had under 1000 miles on it. It spent a lot of time in the shop in addition to him doing maintenance. I changed a radiator hose on it every couple weeks when I had it, I knew which one it was by where the puddle formed underneath. It billowed smoke at the homecoming dance. It didn't like temperatures under 40 and because the hood spring was bad if you didn't let it get good and warmed up (5 minutes of revving) the damn thing would strand you down the road until a friend came by to ask "again?" as it took 2 to pop the hood then one could hold the choke open while the other pumped the gas. It completely died one morning at practice prior to my senior year. I was so happy to watch the tow truck haul it away. It only had 87k miles and had been maintained faithfully

[@LearnAboutFlow]

The video's claim of 40 mpg with the four cylinder was based on EPA ratings, not their own testing. Later the EPA ratings were found to be way overly optimistic, and were revised significantly downwards. These cars were typical Americana . . . garbage from the get-go yet amazingly popular with customers.

[@kpk33x]

@@LearnAboutFlow I do remember that mpg got revised downward (they tested on a steady speed 55 mph, etc.). But a lot of the times when they tested in the early/mid 80s they got results consistent with the EPA. I remember being with my parents when they bought the Ciera, I was 9 and was very interested in the purchase because they told me it would likely be my first car. They were fooled because it "looked stylish" and "GM tradition" and it was roomy inside compared to the VW Beetle and the Datsun 210 we had and a comfortable ride. I told them a friend of mine's parents got an '84 Corolla about the same time and they said Japanese cars were cheap junk but that Corolla outlasted the Ciera plus 2 more American cars my parents had...it had almost 300K miles on it before they sold it.

[@VectraQS]

My dad had a 1988 Cutlass Ciera growing up; I can still hear the Iron Duke roaring up the driveway. I still see these around -- actually saw one last week.

[@drift3rkid66]

You must live in the sun belt?!

[@drift3rkid66]

You must live in the sun belt?!

[@WildBill236]

Own a mint condition 1995 Cutlass Ciera SL V6 with 47K, drive it summer only, awesome car, good power, very decent mileage, extermely reliable, and nice options. GM refined these so well, and then they were axed. I refuse to sell this car, because nothing will ever compare nor age this well.

[@rodmunch69]

A 1995 Cutlass! Wow, that has to be worth 300, maybe 400 dollars!

[@digitalfootballer9032]

Seriously don't ever get rid of it. People just don't keep vehicles like that in good condition and from a nostalgia point of view it is pretty cool to have. My friend inherited his grandmother's '64 Olds F85 with ridiculously low mileage (6K) and in great condition. It's just a plain Jane sedan with 2-speed automatic and limited features, but it does have a V8. He brings it to car shows and it gets as many looks as some of the sports cars because so many people of that generation remember riding around in the family sedan like that one when they were kids. There are very few like it around.

[@pmafterdark]

Two 82' reviews in a row. I'm lovin it!

[@kevinmcmahon7182]

Had a 1990 it was so comfortable

[@markh.1487]

A platform that served GM very well. We had the Buick version, good car.

[@lirr408]

I love these cars. I have had one from almost all 4 makes. I never had a Pontiac 6000. My last one was a 1996 Olds Ciera wagon. The lines rusted out so I traded for a 2011 Impala from Enterprise Car sales which has been an excellent car.

[@8corymix8]

My dad had an 86 6000 LE. Awesome car, very cool dash. The one to have, although very rare, would be an 80s 6000 STE. Absolutely awesome cars. Top of the heap

[@lirr408]

@@8corymix8 yes, those were beautiful.

[@raging_carnut]

These cars were solid reliable in Venezuela. Squared body this one and the rounded one from the 90's I always loved their rear tail lights

[@snakehandler87]

....the good days.... Long long gone 😭

[@dave_riots]

Cars need to make a comeback.

[@johnnymason2460]

I agree 1000%. Cars are more efficient than SUVs and crossovers on average

[@digitalfootballer9032]

My wife has an SUV for hauling the kids and I always had a pickup truck and a car, and the car always in a manual transmission. Came on some hard times some years back and had to sell the car. I had to do what I had to do, but part of me still regrets it, I should have sold the truck and not the car but the truck was newer. It would be easy to replace the truck now, but finding a sport sedan with a manual transmission today is about impossible.

[@danr1920]

Do you own one?

[@march24-lp4pv]

Toyota is carrying most of the load.

[@dave_riots]

@@danr1920 Yes, I own a sedan.

[@Stressless2023]

4:34 it stalled out 😂

[@sasz2107]

You laugh - but you're forgetting that this is a carbureted car. When you slam the brakes on, the fuel inside the carburetor sloshes around so one side of the fuel bowl is empty and the engine is temporarily starved for fuel. So it isn't surprising it would stall out. Fuel injected cars don't have the fuel pumped to the top center of the engine like this so that won't happen. I wonder if you even understand what I'm talking about.

[@Stressless2023]

@@sasz2107 I wonder if you even understand that it STILL stalled out 😂 Go cry and argue with your momma.

[@trevagraham1605]

My brother in law had a new 87 2 door Ciera with the 2.5 in it. He gave it to my little brother in 1995 and he drove it for 5 years. It was a good car. Slow, but good.

[@donaldwilson2620]

I actually love the FWD A Body GM cars. They weren't exactly beautiful, but it was roomy, comfortable, and was pretty reliable for an American car back then. It definitely got the job done, and that's why it was in production until 1996.

[@markw208]

I was a Ford guy (mostly), but I think GM did a commendable job with these cars and the full size models. I wonder what the results would have been if they simply addressed and fixed all of the problems, rather than do the American car manufacturer thing and start over every few years. New generation, new problems. Repeat every few years

[@rodmunch69]

Ford? LOL! What are you, a Mexican?

[@DrCharlesMontague]

My grandparents had an early 80s Ciera diesel they bought new, and it did fine for many years until the fuel tank became a mess of algae. The Oldsmobile dealer sold them an expensive new injection pump trying to remedy the running problems, but ultimately it was a family member who discovered the mess in the fuel tank, cleaned the crap out of it, then it ran fine and was sold since the grandparents had moved on to a new car. Aside from that quirk, I remember these as tough and reasonable cars that served a wide range of people very well in the 80s and 90s.

[@nothanks1627]

My mom bought one of these new back in '82. Next was an '85 Riviera. Remember driving both, thanks for the memories

[@rodmunch69]

So you were a rich kid. Good for you.

[@TVHouseHistorian]

These were a revolution for GM. The smaller, boxy, front wheel drive platform proved hugely popular, and was a welcome contrast to the big barges that preceded it. Our grandparents bought one of these new in 1987, and it ended up being the perfect car for them. I remember it was so nice to drive (that is, until grampa fell asleep at the wheel and totaled it). I still see a lot of these cars on the road today.

[@scharfvehiclemedia]

One of the most iconic looking cars of its class from the era. Saw one at a car show recently and I voted it best in show! Great nostalgia

[@fhowland]

First car I ever drove was my dads 1989 Olds Cutlass Cruiser wagon! That 3.3 V6 had serious balls!

[@NatPeterson.89_]

love these older videos

[@AllyMcLesbian]

This car lived for 14 years! Its twin Buick Century was also a great car.

[@danr1920]

Way too long. Wasn't really all that good to begin with. That motor cycle company from Japan would soon making better cars than GM. The refined smallish Accord. Their engines were decades ahead of GM.

[@retrocompaq5212]

@@danr1920 most accord had outdated single cam engines until 2000ish

[@SinkingStarship]

I had a 96 Civic as my first car almost twenty years ago. It was okay. I recently got a low mileage 96 Ciera wagon, and enjoy pretty much everything about it more. Much quieter, smoother, comfier, more pleasant driving experience. The Civic was probably better made, and the Olds has a few cheap feeling plastic parts, but I like everything about my “outdated” Olds wagon better.

[@jtckentucky3481]

He’s fleeing the interview, he’s fleeing the interview!!

[@kpk33x]

Thanks for the Fargo reference! When I saw the movie in the theater and they had the first scene with the car I blurted out "that f--king Ciera will never start in Minnesota!"

[@LakeHowellDigitalVideo]

That looks epic! I'm making a beeline to my local Oldsmobile dealer to buy a new Cutlass Ciera tomorrow. 😎

[@lukerinderknecht2982]

With the market these days, you'd be lucky to find any in stock.

[@march24-lp4pv]

Bidin would find a way to ruin that somehow.

[@Fleetwoodjohn]

Classic 80’s sedans 😎

[@jlcii]

I generally don't care for sedans, but this one actually was pretty handsome, and growing up around people that owned one, it was a very reliable car.

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

Good car, as far as 80s American cars go.

[@fernandorocha-dx1wv]

@@kamrankhan-lj1ng Beautiful the Olds Cutlass Ciera, 85 - 88 and wagon is my favorites

[@michaelsimko7694]

The Cutlass Ciera was a very popular car. I saw them all over the place during most of its production. The last few years of the car's production were when I was no longer seeing as many.

[@zzoinks]

Wow Oldsmobile was the 2nd biggest GM division back then.

[@kz1000ps]

Crazy how in 20 years they went from second biggest to 6 feet under.

[@rodmunch69]

@@kz1000ps and less than 10-years after that, GM went bankrupt. Amazing what bad management does when mixed with having to deal with the criminal unions.

[@davidaubin3902]

2:25 Max Balotin in the Cutlass Ciera’s trunk! LOL

[@landyachtfan79]

I have always called the Ciera, along with its Buick Century, Chevrolet Celebrity, & Pontiac 6000 stablemates, GM's "Redemption Cars" as I feel that when they were first introduced in January of 1982, they fixed everything that was wrong with the X-cars which had been introduced in April of 1979. No, they were NOT perfect cars, but in terms of build quality & durability, they were orders of magnitude better than the X-cars.

[@pattschetter]

Interesting to see a review from the early era of these cars. That Buick LK9 3.0 V6 was (to put it charitably) not the greatest engine; but in 1982 it was brand-new and there was no way of knowing it'd be as troublesome as it was in my parents' '83 Century T-Type (first engine rebuild at 80k miles, was already ready for another rebuild 50k miles later.) If the senior brands had been less prideful and accepted the Chevy 2.8L in that era, our Century might've been my car I drove through high school instead of just surviving long enough to be what I took my teen-driver driving tests in.

[@doctorzaius4084]

I dunno that the Chevy V6 was much better in these years, always heard a lot of horror stories about those as well. The later versions of both engines with fuel injection were massive improvements!!

[@connor_flanigan]

our family had 3 GM V8s from the late 70s to the early 90s - all three had to be rebuilt/replaced well before 100K

[@Tennesseestorm76]

Proven design that lasted until 1996! I think people would still buy them today if they still made 'em! I still see them on the road today, as well as pre-1997 Buick Centurys. I used to own a '83 Cutlass Ciera LS sedan with the 3.0L. I traded a '83 Olds Ninety-Eight for it in 1993 when I had just started driving. lol.

[@march24-lp4pv]

Your precious government would never allow it.

[@mollari2261]

How GM lasted until 2008 before needing a bailout escapes me.

[@BigWheel.]

They sold millions of these, that's how.

[@usa1mac]

Did you watch the video? It was very positive on the car.

[@user-hv8vu8dg9x]

Solid rear axle is unacceptable in a front wheel drive vehicle. Look, it’s just a straight steel bar!

[@philsmgb4393]

At that time, most people still believed that Japanese cars were junk and the "Buy American" marketing trickery worked.

[@jasjinderdhesi3221]

Vans and Trucks

[@thebestisyettocome4114]

Great memories. Seen August 2023.

[@DNR5586]

In 1985 we had these beautiful blonde twins show up at our church, the Dad drove one of these cars, in blue just like the one tested. Still remember the tag number HGX 130.

[@kennethbrogdon5701]

I’ve owned a myriad of A body GMs and currently have a 93 Century and a 90 Curlass Ciera. These cars weren’t the prettiest cars on the road, nor the sportiest, but they were great, reliable transportation for the masses.

[@wranglercody8422]

These things were everywhere. They made em almost unchanged till 96’. Still see a few around my small town.

[@digitalfootballer9032]

The A bodies are still everywhere around where I live, which is amazing considering I am in the heart of the rust belt. In fact my friend's dad just picked up an old Buick Century a few years ago to drive as his winter beater, and it's actually not bad, especially for a beater car. In their prime these cars were reliable and I always thought quite stylish.

[@BertoD103]

My mom took me home from the hospital in a 1989 Pontiac 6000 wagon in this color. Thanks for the memories.

[@gasolinefumes]

My grandparents bought a 1986 new. I remember riding in it when it was new. We listened to the music cassette that came with it. It outlived my grandfather and I think my grandmother drove it until about 2000 or so.

[@digitalfootballer9032]

Ah yes, the old demo cassette. My dad had an '89 Taurus that came with one of those. Side A was instructions on how to use the stereo features, side B was some contemporary music including Neil Diamond's "Coming to America".

[@manofthehour6856]

WOW, great to see one when they were first introduced. I remember my parents car shopping that November, and the choice was this or a Cutlass Supreme. I wanted this as it was the latest, with good looking chiseled angle looks that I prefer. Dad chose the Cutlass Supreme because the Ciera (or at least the one demonstrated) could only seat five, while the Supreme "six" (comfort was a different matter, and I doubt we ever put more than four people in it.) This may be the point where the General was really starting to lose its grasp on the market when the Taurus came around. Instead of looking smart like this example, GM started to Brougham / Victorian Bordello it up with the wire wheels, vinyl roofs (or worse, faux convertible tops), velour seats, etc. while Ford went the European clean look that made it passe, alas. I remember both the Ciera and Taurus were a couple of company cars my Uncle used, he loaned out the Taurus to me once, and I just loved the subtle ergonomic designs that did not have the traditional GM switchgear, gages (or lackthereof), etc. That was in the late 1980s, and the lack of development on the Ciera to keep it attractively priced attracted more of the fixed-income senior crowd and rental car companies who kept it in production until, can you believe 1995?!!!! But in '82, I wonder if the Ciera would have been a better choice, partly because John Davis' comment about decent fit and finish. The Cutlass Supreme was built in Canada, which I assumed was Oshawa, Ontario, but no, the Ste Therese, Quebec factory. Then it all came together when I learned how that Quebec plant was the worst of all GM factorries, The Supreme had nice handling and ride, the engineering seemed fine, but the build quality was absolutely abyssmal. It had to be repainted by the dealership under warranty only a couple months of ownership, a rattling hubcap that makes me wonder if the football player Brian Bosworth tale of working at a GM plant and hiding bolts in crevices to annoy customers and undermine confidence in the company was at work. The door that began to sag and had to be lifted to close. I liked the car, but I see why that factory was shuttered.

[@owlnswan4016]

I wonder if GM had any idea how popular these cars (all the A bodies included) would be when first coming on the market...

[@ericbritton9346]

I would like to have on in a 2 door convertible in white. Kinda rare to find since Olds didn't make many of them in the 80's. And I also like this front-end in the 82 model and the flush front-end in the last 96 model.

[@pjcornell9691]

My Dad bought a brand new 1984 6000 STE Pontiac. $15,000 was a lot of money 40 years ago. Too bad GM abandoned Oldsmobile and Pontiac....

[@GeeEm1313]

Those were underrated cars.

[@houseofno]

I wouldn't say GM abandoned the brands. Oldsmobile tried to be too many things at once instead of sticking with what worked for them in the past. Pontiac was part of the government's conditions of the loan requiring GM to shed four of its then eight brands down to four. Pontiac had made the same mistakes Oldsmobile did by diluting its brand. GM was required to shed half its brands so off went Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, and Hummer. Oldsmobile had already closed its door in 2004, about six years before GM gave up those four brands.

[@digitalfootballer9032]

I don't know why, but I don't recall seeing many Pontiac 6000's around back in the day. Their sister models from Chevy, Olds, and Buick were all a dime a dozen, and in fact I still see quite a few of the Oldsmobiles still kicking about. I only knew one person that had a 6000, and it was a nice car. One of my friends had a 1988 Olds Ciera in high school and we used to cruise a lot in that. My dad had an '86 Delta 88 that was pretty similar to the Ciera. I think it was supposed to be more upscale but seemed like basically the same car with a few cosmetic differences.

[@tenfourproductionsllc]

GM learned it's lessons from the X body cars and hit it out of the park with this line.

[@Doobie1975]

Been wanting to see this video for quite sometime now!

[@paulsheehan5010]

Ciera, was the pride and joy of the GM Plant in Framingham, (Boston Suburb).

[@arn7992]

Can't help but think of the movie Fargo when I see this. "Tan Ciera!"

[@scdevon]

"If you don't buy the under cOOOOating, you're just gonna get corOOOOsion, so you might as well just get the undercOOOOating"........

[@OldFordTaurus]

How they kept this in production until 1996 is literally insane. No wonder Oldsmobile failed.

[@retrocompaq5212]

cheap, reliable and very comfy, olds failed because of 21th century trends, form over function

[@johndrake2729]

I used to drive its cousin, a 2.8 Celebrity. First car, too. But either a two door Eurosport or a two door Ciera with a center console would have been just as dope.

[@TheAstrueblue]

I had a white '96 Ciera SL sedan, it was a very good first car and it was roomy

[@jeepthing98]

A good looking car for 1982. The year I was born, too :)

[@directreply350]

Imagine no paint drips being noteworthy 😂

[@rodmunch69]

Painting was still done by humans at this point - no paint drips only became a non-issue once all those humans were fired and replaced by robots.

[@andymaurice7693]

Top car in rental companies back in the 80s.. Nice car..Sure built much tougher than todays crap cars...

[@PhillyDee215]

Changing that battery is a pain😅

[@SolamenteVees]

The official car of Fargo.

[@landyachtfan79]

TAN CIERA!!!!! TAN CIERA!!!!!!!!

[@KenanTurkiye]

There's something special about cars of '82, just the right amount of chrome and plastic, old and new. This Ciera does need some chrome hubcaps or shiny fine machined alloy wheels to suit.

[@tedschmitt178]

And John Davis is STILL on Motorweek here 42 years later.

[@jas4925]

The GM A body was very good for the time platform . It severed millions of people well.

[@stevec5465]

Severed. 😂. It seemed like a solid car when I had mine.

[@AGwolf2097]

rescued an 89 century from the junkyard I worked at 7 or 8 years ago... it had the 3.3 in it with the 3-speed; it did a great job of getting out of its own way, and once I renewed the suspension and sorted out basic old-car-maintenance items, it turned into one of my favorite cars. I don't think much was updated between 82 and 89 on the platform (mine was the mid-generation refresh with the newer body lines but the older interior and tech, and thankfully no door-mounted seat belts), so I think this platform served GM very well... it handled great, I always knew what to expect from it in any situation, it was super comfortable, great visibility, and probably decent on gas if I had ever gotten around to fixing the torque converter lockup solenoid lol clipped a parked car late one night, it was toast. I'd love to get my hands on another sometime in good shape, it really was a great car. ...and that trunk is absolutely no joke.

[@thewiseguy3529]

Probably the only car that rides as smooth today would be a Maybach or a Bentley or a Rolls Royce

[@milfordcivic6755]

There were a bazillon of these on the road back in the day.

[@parkeryocum6830]

Both my parents had this car. They had them before they even met each other. My mother had one of these in white and she had it in Phoenix and she called it the”supreme ruler of the low desert highway“

[@punemax]

I can smell the cigarretes

[@Lightblue2222]

Lol. Loved the dude in the trunk

[@keithwhite3159]

Motorweek is great because nobody else made videos of car reviews back then. Nowhere else can you find early 80s videos of the cars people actually drove. I don't know if it's the standards of the day, but they tend to be very flattering to some very mediocre cars back then.

[@sclawman]

Cone test is always the most relevant for the everyday driver.

[@markhagerman1837]

“No paint drips.” LMAO. Gotta love GM in the 80s.

[@johneldorado]

My grandma had one, they really did ride like a Cadillac. Very smooth and comfortable. Terrible handling though. Still an overall great car for that era, problem is this car's platform went way too long to where makes like Honda and Toyota were way out ahead of them.

[@RaymondHaley-bi8lx]

1982-93 cutlass Cierra were among the best in class along with some years Buick century, wonder why didn't these guys test the 4.3 V6 diesel, motor trend did.

[@rodmunch69]

Probably because no one with an IQ over 45 actually bought the diesel. GM just gave Motor Trend a unit to test, and they tested it.

[@davidnorth9390]

I hope somebody remembered to let that guy out of the trunk sometime before 1983...

[@RageousMode]

1:19 Paint drips?! I know manufacturing tech has come a long way since the 80s but I can't believe vehicles would be released for sale from factory with that kind of (lack of) quality. 2:28 Look how wide the hood opens, almost 90 degrees! Thing of beauty for mechanics.

[@namemcnamerton4249]

Our 2017 gm 1500 is already losing paint, broke the transmission and lost the air conditioner. This is basically a Toyota compared to modern cars.

[@dohc1067]

One of my neighbors had one, and the seats were quite comfortable. Perhaps some of GMs better cars. I saw these for years. I had a Chevrolet Corsica with a similar V6, and yes, it required some patience to service the back side sparkplugs because of the hoses.

[@Butchcub75]

love my 1986 Buick Century TType. 3.8L V6 MPFI but still rides nice and drives well

[@jeffreysmith6963]

Had the station wagon version. Nice ride.

[@stephenwinter8892]

Greetings from southern Ontario Canada my dad always drove GM but his favorite was the Beretta with the flush door handles

[@digitalfootballer9032]

Just across the Niagara River from you in NY. You guys also got the Pontiac version of the Corsica/Beretta up there with the Tempest that wasn't offered in the states. I used to see a lot of them with Ontario plates cruising around down here.

[@WildBill236]

@@digitalfootballer9032 I summer drive my mint white 95 ciera V6 with 47k, in between the Niagara river on Grand Island.

[@digitalfootballer9032]

​@@WildBill236Grand Island, no kidding? I live in the Southtowns but I get up that way every now and then. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for your white Olds cruising around 👀

[@nb7466]

My buddy had 3 of them and they were 20 years old. It must have been crazy going from a 70s Cutlass to that

[@HAL-dm1eh]

Not as crazy as my mom's friend who went from that to a Chevette that hauled 4 of us to school.

[@digitalfootballer9032]

I'm not even exaggerating, my friend had a Chevette and we packed 6 of us in it, and I lived atop a pretty steep hill and two of us had to jump out and walk to my house to shed weight so the car could make it up the hill 😂

[@nb7466]

​@@HAL-dm1ehmy mom's friend used to put in the backseat of a Ford escort xr2 I think it was called. The 2 door frogg eyed thing.

[@HAL-dm1eh]

@@digitalfootballer9032 THIS. Yes there was a hill we had to climb on the way and it would slow down, go into passing gear, and then start slowing down in that. Had it been longer we might not have me it up the hill at all.

[@HAL-dm1eh]

@@nb7466 I remember those. Neat little cars when they came out.

[@nickcaruth8939]

hope they didn't forget about the guy in the trunk...

[@jkeelsnc]

This is what the citation should have been. Also, considering that these a bodies were an improved , warmed over citation.

[@jamesmoran8294]

The guy in the trunk got me

[@petervitti9]

I remember when the 1982 ciera was introduced, gm screw up its pricing and I could get a modestly optioned full sized 1982 Delta88 4 door that was actually cheaper by $300. 😅

[@andregonsalvez9244]

I always liked these A bodies GM cars , they looked like a smaller version of the G and B bodies from GM RWD cars .

[@braddietzmusic2429]

I wish ALL Motorweek vehicles would have a bit of analysis about the accessibility of various commonly-accessed and commonly-serviced engine components: spark plugs, battery, etc… as this particular episode mentions… and every vehicle should be graded on this maintenance accessibility basis. A touch of Consumer Reports clinical assessment, if you will.

[@rodmunch69]

Well build a time machine, then go back and let them know.

[@managepay]

Basic car for everyone. Still looks good

[@fp5495]

That design was manufactured until 1996. I think it looked its best in the mid-to-late 80s. Then it got weird looking in 1990.

[@christopheryanoski6899]

The redesigned rear quarters and glass came in 1989 for the Ciera sedan and both coupe and sedan models of the Century and the 6000....the Ciera coupe got the new style rear glass in 1986. Personally it took a long time to warm up to the curved rear glass on the A body cars as a whole. I still kinda cringe when I see the coupes. It just don't work too well on those but the sedan isnt bad. I still prefer the vertical rear glass.

[@patrickallen2377]

My parents had one of these when I was a kid. I vividly remember it eating head gaskets, leaving my mom and me stranded twice in the 4 years my parents owned it. And, for some reason, they bought another American car afterwards.

[@rodmunch69]

Didn't happen.

[@arcticfox6808]

Battery and spark plugs near impossible to change. That's GM for ya.

[@scdevon]

That was the least of your worries with GM cars back then. It's amazing how many people in the comments weren't even born in 1982 saying how "cool" they were. I was working at a GM dealer back then (not Olds), but they were pure junk.

[@dragonbutt]

1:39 the suspension sag is unreal

[@nickwilczynski3684]

Going WILD with that dusty black penny loafer at 2:06!!