GM's Forgotten J-Cars: The Dark Days of the Early 80's

Everybody knows about the Chevrolet Cavalier. Today, we'll be taking a look at GM's other compact offerings in the 1980's: The Pontiac Sunbird, Oldsmobile Firenza, Buick Skyhawk, and Cadillac Cimarron.

[@wolfshanze5980]

If you're old enough (and I am)... raise your hand for every GM product from this era that ended up with a drooping headliner falling all over your head like a blanket after some time!

[@rporestorations]

Both hands up!

[@MyerShift7]

Chrysler and Ford, too.* Volkswagen as recently as the last 10-15 years do it too

[@zythr9999]

Had a Citation, this did not happen to.

[@RobertDeMoll]

I sold these card from 1980-83. Chevy, Pontiac and Buick. Best one I ever drove as a demo was the Buick Skyhawk T-Type. Cool looking car, nice ride and had some cool features . ❤love to own one even now.

[@jas4925]

I grew up in a 84 cavalier wagon. I was 10 when my parents bought it. I was 18 when i totaled it. I hit a deer on my homecoming night. Mom commuted about 70 miles a day for work. So after 8 years of service it had 240000 miles. Crazy an american car lasted that long and still running well. It was reliable only needing a water pump starter fuel pump and it did have the gm rack and pinion sterring problem requiring one of the racks to be replaced. It never strandsed us, and my parents look at that was the best car they had.

[@MyerShift7]

Hey now, I loved my 1987 Skyhawk Custom Coupe. 4-speed stick, MANUAL steering, no a/c, no clock in upgraded audio system, no rear defrost, 13" wheels, COVERED HEADLIGHTS!!! I'd get one new today. The 2.0L TBI treated me very well.

[@adamlee3772]

GM J Car was of course Vauxhall Cavalier in UK and Opel Ascona in Europe, South Africa and a few other places. Available as a two door and four door sedan and five door hatchback, we never got a three door hatch/coupe but did have a two door convertible. The Holden Camira was the Australian GM J Car and the wagon panels were made in Australia and shipped to UK for a Cavalier and looks like you got it too for the Pontiac wagon there too. Great video, thank you.

[@crw3673]

If the bean counters really knew their customers, they would have made better cars and positioned certain cars too certain🎉 division. General Motors biggest failure was too much overlap!

[@madmike2624]

It still is, IMHO.

[@sumeragi69]

You can mention the overseas J-cars : Opel Ascona(europe)/Vauxhall Cavalier(GB)/Chevrolet Monza(Brazil), Holden Camira(Australia), Isuzu Aska(Japan), and even the Daewoo Espero (Korea) I used to see a brown Cimarron in my street during the 2000's, which is very strange in a French town. I also saw a Chevrolet Cavalier estate from the late 80's, near home, one day. And once, I saw a very rare Vauxhall Cavalier Estate. Rare because the continental Opel Ascona never existed as an estate despite the fact that the Vauxhall and the Opel were exact copies. But the English Vauxhall was available as an estate, thanks to parts sent from Australia, coming from the Holden Camira estate.

[@robl7532]

Great vid as always! Thanks for the memories and the great selections of advertisements are nice to see again.

[@rporestorations]

Thank you!

[@Wolfie66]

I had a 1982 Skyhawk. It was a great little car!

[@matthrivnak6572]

People across the street from me at theat time had an'84 cavalier, they bought new, It started rusting out a couple of years later, but ran good

[@RomanJockMCO]

The J2000/Sunbird was my favorite J-car. My friend's mom had an '85 turbo hatchback 3-speed automatic that was somewhat quick for the time. Of course when I turned 16 in 1989 this chassis was older than dirt. It felt crude by the 1990 model year and I wound up getting an Accord. Still everytime I hear "Crush on you" or "Who's Johnny" I think about that blue GT convertible I lusted after in their 1986 brochure.

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Good video, I remember these cars 😀

[@rporestorations]

Thanks!

[@trainglen22]

One of my neighbors had a Oldsmobile hatchback. I did like the look of it.

[@jeffarmusik9115]

Always been a huge fan of the J Body. My parents had an 85 Cavalier Wagon and a 95 coupe My brother had an 87 Z24 My sister had an 87 Cavalier Sedan and 2000 Z24 I had and 87 Sedan, 87 Z24 and a 94 Z24. Hoping to find another z24!

[@rporestorations]

Same here!

[@jaybleu6169]

I drove J bodies for ages. The first car I bought in high school was a used 1982 J2000. Then a new Cavalier, then a Z24... 1992, I think. I've had much technically better cars since then, but I still think the styling of those J bodies was top notch, and they were pretty darn reliable. That Cavalier slid on black ice a few times in both Germany and the US (maybe should have bought better tires, in retrospect) with no damage to the people inside, nor the car despite hitting a wall multiple times in one spin. It met its end when some guy swung out in front of me on a back road at night. I was doing 65 and thought I was done, but after impact, we came to a stop with no injury at all. So yeah... Cheap, pretty, and more than one person in my family probably owes their lives to the engineering in those cars.

[@EdwardHart]

I had 2 1986 Cavalier hatchback Z24 cars, one was a 4 speed manual, and the other was a 3 speed auto, the auto was faster. I do miss that car!

[@warrengee-f9l]

I loved my 87 Olds Firenza GT hatchback 2.8W with a 5 speed muncie

[@burtbacarach5034]

Wife and I bought our first new car in 1989,a silver Sunbird coupe with a 5 speed.Great little car,36 mpg and would hit 100 mph with no problem.We had almost no problems with that car,traded it in 1992 on an S15,which was also a great ride.We bought a "factory executive" Sunbird sedan in early 1994-car was loaded iwth every option you could put on a sedan.3.1 auto,it had no trouble smoking the tires,and still got 25+mpg.Great little inexpensive cars,that GM ruined when they went to the Cavalier/Cobalt/Sunfire versions.

[@allenkranawetter9482]

I've also had on a 1989 Buick Skyhawk with a roadhawk package 3.8 v6

[@robillingworth8503]

I remember my next door neighbors had a brand new Chevy Chevette. When her 6'5" 250lb(good build) husband simply leaned against it, the fender crumpled (I saw it happen)!

[@VectraQS]

Bought a 1983 Sunbird convertible last week, 1 of 626. If anybody has any idea where I could get the belt moldings/window seals, or of someone who can custom make some... I'd be much obliged.

[@rp9674]

I came frighteningly close to buying a new Sunbird

[@glennvernes8305]

GM didn't use cheap plastic to save weight, they used it to save money.

[@rickymack2611]

I had a Skyhawk and a Cavalier

[@madmike2624]

I owned a Buick Skyhawk, what a pile of crap!! Motor issues were constant, cheap everything!!!

[@joellamoureux7914]

My 87 Skyhawk was pretty good. It had the 2.0 or was it 1.8 sohc aluminum Brazilian engine. The only problem I had was a sticky rack and pinion which was more to fix than I paid for it. I bet if it was a gt with those killer hidden lights and turbo I'd not have let it be kept by the towing Co keep it when I got my dui! 5:48

[@madmike2624]

@@joellamoureux7914 In those days, it was a tote the note pile...young and dumb many years ago.

[@pgilb70]

The Holden Camira in Oz...mostly junky but later ones were better.

[@Shawnee.Hills.Small.Engine]

The 1.8L engine was manufactured in Brazil. A rather weak little motor with lots of problems.

[@allenkranawetter9482]

I used to own a 1989 Pontiac sunbird SC convertible.. fun car mechanically a piece of junk

[@toddberner9198]

When you look at these units, their demise was economy requorements, and the people want for economy, forced them to throw these together, hence poor fit and finish, and also some mechanical disappointment.

[@Santor-]

Talking like some sort of authority on quality and engineering flaws. Did you gather a large sample of vehicles for testing? Study statistics and numbers and can confirm any of this? Or just pulling it out of the rear?

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

Not great cars. But good cars. I'd drive one today. Better than a garbage CROSSOVER

[@unitedcity_mc4421]

You got that right.