1987 Chevrolet Corsica | Retro Review

[@Motorweek]

Want to help keep our weekly Retro Reviews alive? DONATE NOW: mptevents.regfox.com/motorweek

[@jerkychew899]

The stonewashed jeans and velcro sneakers of the tester really made this review.

[@pigeonpoo1823]

It's the serial killer gloves I like

[@dorianvisser1922]

Ahhh the 80s

[@MrTaxiRob]

the glove box is big enough for ALL your Def Leppard cassettes

[@ohioalphornmusicalsawman2474]

@@MrTaxiRob Heck yeah, and my Autograph, Scorpions, and Joe Satriani. These new cars, though, were bought by Mom/Dad, who had Johnny Mathis, Elvis, and Kenny Rogers cassettes.

[@ohioalphornmusicalsawman2474]

Like tewtally awesome, Mr. Davis!! This new Chevie is eck-sell-linnttt!!!

[@6ec6YRFPTcC]

I feel like the guy with the gloves is about to murder somebody on Matlock

[@MPi-KM]

😂😄😂

[@jcreed09]

With the Roomy Trunk to stash the corpse!

[@anibalbabilonia1867]

👋😂👉❤loved the comment!

[@bcubed72]

Yeah, but he made a fatal mistake: he had a smoke on the way. They'll ID him from the cigarette butt, mark my word.

[@steveespinola7652]

LOL 😂 can see that too.

[@codyC423]

"The gauges were cramped and strangely shaped." So am I Motorweek. So am I.

[@dabnisbrickey6527]

We have to stan

[@codyC423]

@@dabnisbrickey6527 ok that helped for the cramps but what do I do about being built like a croissant

[@overworlder]

‘Small and confusing’ reporting in.

[@McRocket]

Cody Clark - best line I have read on KZbin in some time. 👏

[@Viper81766]

Me too brother :-)

[@MS3DALE]

My parents bought one brand-new in March '88, it lasted 20 years and 248,000 miles! It was a great car!

[@beerybill]

My parents bought a Corsica in 1987, one of the first. I still have it. Just turned over 100K milers. Runs and looks great.

[@MS3DALE]

@@beerybill Its got a lot of life left!

[@42luke93]

@@beerybill I find it so cool and rare that a compact sedan had the column shifter. I thought only full sized and mid sized ones had one!

[@audieconrad8995]

My wife had one with the 3.1 V6. Considering the the times GM really had a winner.

[@42luke93]

@@audieconrad8995 Wow a V6 on a compact sedan! Sounds fast, they put those in the Buick Century in the early 2000s

[@catjudo1]

Man, John Davis is so optimistic about General Motors and Chevrolet producing a good car and providing good service. I grew up in the 80's and 90's, so my thinking is something like, "That's a pretty good looking car, but I just know that GM will find a way to screw it up."

[@liddlebopeep]

In the Corsica's case, GM screwed up by keeping it on sale for a decade without a major redesign or update - save for a new dashboard in 1991.

[@jmin8400]

@@liddlebopeep GM was struggling horribly then and the updated midlife Corsica launched in September 1990, eventually became a product of neglect, after GM chose to focus 100% on creating the next Corsica (aka Malibu) starting in 1991.

[@rodmunch69]

The Corsica was a very good looking car at its release, and its coupe sibling, the Beretta was a flat out amazing looking car. Well, for 2-3 years - the car generations moved very quickly back then, and styles were changing so fast nothing stayed in fashion for long. Just look at the Taurus. For as amazing and futuristic as it looked when it launched, by 88, it was looking old. Same here. By the time you hit 1990, the Corsair was looking dated, and it wasn't helped by Chevy just putting more crown molding and ground effects on it to keep it young, instead it just looked dumb. But I always considered the Lumina the replacement for this, but I guess the Lumina would have been a bigger car - and the Lumina is another example of Chevy makiung a great looking car (the early Lumina was very stylish at launch) then just tacking crap onto it until it looked dumb.

[@nate678]

40 years later and things haven't changed for Chevy or Chrysler

[@liddlebopeep]

In Canada, this was also rebadged as the Pontiac Tempest. So much for the Corsica being unique only to Chevy.

[@nickgee7291]

I was wondering if anyone else remembered that!

[@johnnymason2460]

​@@nickgee7291I remember that. I have seen the pictures. The only reason it wasn't sold in America was Pontiac already had the Grand Am. No need to have the cars overlap.

[@ThatsTheWayItGoes]

“We found the column shifter was knocked easily into neutral when using the *cigarette* lighter.”

[@advilshenk]

Yea, i heard that lol

[@sterrshow5016]

Late 80s quality

[@directreply350]

Kids today would be like the what when using what?

[@haroldbeauchamp3770]

Not sure why this is interesting. Literally any modern vehicle made today has a smokers package available as an option.

[@ThatsTheWayItGoes]

@@haroldbeauchamp3770 Yes, as an *option.* Not standard, like it once was. Apparently my comment was interesting enough to catch your attention.

[@donaldwilson2620]

Fun fact: A Corsica was used in the comedy "The Naked Gun" starring Leslie Nielson. The Corsica was the driver's ed car that Leslie Nielson hijacked when he was chasing the hypnotized Doctor who stole a black Ford Taurus that crashed into a fireworks store at the end of the chase. Very funny movie.😆😆😆

[@earnedmystripes2382]

extend your arm. Extend your middle finger. Very good.

[@donaldwilson2620]

@@earnedmystripes2382 Nice beaver! Thanks, I just had it stuffed.😆😆😆

[@donaldwilson2620]

It's too bad that in today's cancelled culture, a movie like that would be banned because certain things might be offensive to some. These young liberal people are just too dam sensitive.

[@johnmaki3046]

BEST use of this car!

[@Tom-cp6yj]

@@earnedmystripes2382 "normally you wouldn't be doing 65 down the wrong way of a one way street"

[@mr.perfectcell3236]

This car for me bring back memories when I was in high school. My grandparents gave me one of these in forest green, due to my grandfather being a mechanic it ran like new even though it was 2005. While it wasn't very stylish and flashy and other guys at my school did have camaros and mustangs handed down to them, the girls alway rode with me because of the extra space compared to their coupes👍😎 Also my granddad tinted the windows and put in a sound system for me the girls were loving it lol

[@Iegs]

Wow. Just wow.

[@sheneedsyrruup]

Awesome G dad

[@100percentSNAFU]

Yet another car you saw all over the road about 20-25 years ago, and has basically disappeared, just like dodge neons and Ford tempos. I'm sure they were all driven into the ground, there may be a handful left that were kept by little old ladies and hardly driven.

[@dabnisbrickey6527]

My elderly neighbor across the street had a 1994 one of these with just 3,400 miles on it. He had a 94 s10 as his regular driver. He had a stroke in 2015 and moved to an assisted living place. I'm not sure what happened to him or the car after that as his house was sold

[@tommitchell2055]

The Chrysler cloud cars are following the same path. Bad transmissions and bad rust just destroyed those cars. Also the Chevy lumina and jelly bean tauruses are all gone from the roads

[@Noah_E]

A nice looking white Topaz stopped on the other side of a gas island from me last weekend so the guy who looked close to 100 could fill a few gas cans. First one I've seen in years and by far in the best shape. I wish modern cars still had those old style bumpers where they aren't attached to the fenders or quarter panels so a bump doesn't cause at least a grand worth of damage.

[@user-tb7rn1il3q]

90 HP and a 3 speed automatic meant long stretches of WOT when traveling between DC and Morgantown

[@brynnleahnayvieghlaykynnn6175]

I saw a wrecked dodge neon recently with ugly chrome rims I was like good riddance

[@scott8919]

Notice how no matter what decade the car review is from, when they talk about GM it's always about how they're in the middle of reorganizing or being a leaner more competitive company. They've been trying for literally decades

[@vacationcrazy1]

And Motorweek has been trying to promote them for decades. It almost seems like they're paid to advertise GM sometimes.

[@TheZieglerm]

@@vacationcrazy1 I feel like they heavily praise the American ones

[@tingokuman]

They cut motorweek a check

[@Chewee394]

The big 3 US manufacturers are always restructuring and eliminating competition. It's past time to deregulate the auto industry

[@reallyrandomrides1296]

@@tingokuman I'm think AMC/Renault did too, Motorweek seemed to praise AMCs and especially Renaults back then. But, neither one is around anymore.

[@carexpertandy]

"But the Corsica doesn't yet have front seat passive restraints." Starting in 1989, they had the dangerous door mounted seat belts. It had a driver airbag starting in 1991, but a passenger airbag was never offered. I find it strange how the bigger more expensive Lumina didn't have any airbags until the 1995 redesign.

[@themaritimegirl]

The Lumina was meant to be a sort of "70s car for the 90s", which would explain the early lack of airbags (and many other feature and styling choices of the time).

[@ol_smokey9370]

Its crazy to me that cars from my child hood had at most 2 airbags but most likely 0, and now my camry has like 14 of them.

[@jmin8400]

There's a deeper history you aren't aware of. First off, don't take model years too literally. They are so all over the place compared to real dates, it gets confusing. GM had installed a driver's airbag in September 1990 on '91 Corsicas, but at the time, were already planning an updated, "softer" Lumina. The original Lumina was originally launched around March 1989, beginning production in January 1989. Development of the next Lumina also began immediately in 1989. GM intended for it to be redesigned by November 1992, as a 1993 model. That target was terribly unrealistic, but they thought they could achieve it updating the same platform. The design GM stylists developed in 1990 for that 1993 MY change, ended up as none other than the 1995 MY Lumina, which resulted from being delayed 18 months to early 1994 launch. Per GM engineering notes in 1990, the 1993 Lumina, was supposed to be the first Chevrolet equipped complete with dual airbags as standard equipment, by end of 1992. GM also began developing the "next" Corsica on 1991 ('97 Malibu), after the major redo for 1991MY. Planners decided to save any more changes for the next Corsica for 1997. In 1989-90, GM never had anticipated delaying the redesigned Lumina to 1995 Model Year, which happened as they were hemorrhaging money in the early 1990s. The '95 Lumina already had dual airbags when it finally arrived in the Spring of 1994, but by circumstance, the 1993 Camaro, first built in Nov 1992, ultimately beat the Lumina as the first Chevrolet to have dual airbags in January 1993. First GM overall was in 1991, with the SSEi Bonneville. After that, Cadillac & Camaro* in 1992 and other brands in 1993. GM was last to the party among the big 3 in this area, as they suffered the most in the 70s, with the airbag experiment and few fatalities. Ford was first in 1985, then Buick in 1987, and then Chrysler Co. across the board in 1988. A lot of GMs didn't have airbags at all until the mid-90s, whereas all Ford cars had them by 1993 and Chrysler in 1992.

[@jmin8400]

@@themaritimegirl The Lumina was designed by GM from 1983 to 1985 and then released in March 1989 as a 1990 model. It definitely was dated in feel. In late 1988 right before release, GM management were already planning to fix the dated styling for the 1991 models AND develop a "new" generation Lumina for 1993. They opted not to install an airbag on the Lumina back then, when the planned '93 model would debut the passenger airbag for the Chevrolet brand. Thanks to a mess of proportions, '93 Lumina fell behind over 1 year and GM rushed it in early 1994 as a 1995 model. GM pretty much had forgotten about the first Lumina after 1990 and were wholly focused on developing the second generation model from about 1990 to 1993.

[@christopheryanoski6899]

@@jmin8400 wasn't the 1st gen Lumina supposed to be released in 1984-85 ??

[@landyachtfan79]

Fun Fact: The Beretta & Corsica were belated replacements for the Citation.

[@cwgaskill8111]

My mom had a red 4-door Citation from the mid-80's. Tan vinyl interior. It was a generic car if I ever saw one.

[@AdamG1983]

The Citation was a hot mess

[@bikingD]

Found it to be more of a replacement for the Celebrity.

[@dumpnchase]

Beretta was a good looking car.

[@landyachtfan79]

It sure was!!!!!!!!!

[@leonkennedy1352]

we owned a 1988 corsica in white v4 with a top speed of 80mph. it lasted us a good 20 years and we never delt hardly with the transmission that much because it performed well. my mother (RIP 1947-2016) loved that car so much she nicknamed it her cadillac (cadi)😢😭i miss my mother and our cadi so much. whenever i go out or travel on bus or train, i look outside and i imagine my mother driving her cadi in spirit along side me.

[@floycewhite6991]

I reached 85 going down I-15 toward San Bernardino.

[@mattm7252]

Edit: While it was the only version in the US, here in Canada the sedan was also sold as the Pontiac Tempest as well. My grandfather had one.

[@monkeywkeys3916]

Canada

[@mwilliamshs]

"While the only ones in the US" What does that mean? The rest of the sentence, "here in Canada the sedan was also sold as the Pontiac Tempest" makes sense.

[@mattm7252]

@@mwilliamshs ah I should have proofread that comment hahah. "While it was the only version in the US" is what it should have said. And as well, we got both up here.

[@monkeywkeys3916]

@@mattm7252 Bro man we all get it, it happens. It's just that when you're talking about something as iconic as a Chevrolet Corsica it helps to be a little more cognizant in a public comment arena. And Now to know there was a Pontiac version strictly for Canucks??? Yeah that boils my britches.

[@howardkerr8174]

@@monkeywkeys3916 Yeah, weird, isn't it? Canada is a smaller car market but they got models of cars that were never sold in the U.S. like the Ford Motor Company built METEOR(sp?) brand. Look them up on Google Images.

[@mattg8369]

I'm sorry, but I'll go to my grave defending that the Corica is a handsome car.

[@maclac48]

Wow these bring back so many memories. Where is time going, someone please tell me? Seems like yesterday these were on the road.

[@42luke93]

3:28 That’s why I would buy that car. So cool that back then you can get a compact sedan with that gear shifter. Probably gives more room than any other new compact car today.

[@yuriypodgorniak2728]

The 2.8 V6 was an excellent engine very durable very reliable I used to drive z24 cavalier 😎

[@markkunkel7401]

I bought a brand new z24 in 87 and had it for 25 years and finally sold to friends I’m kicking myself now for that. I miss it I was on its third motor tho

[@fernandorocha8459]

Chey Corsica is great, nice and durable car

[@joshthemediocre7824]

I thought the Corsica was a way better car than it was supposed to be, but according to MW it's the best car to ever exist, i can't believe the amount of love John gave this one.

[@joskjj3625]

Surprisingly I still see a lot of these old Corsica’s on the road

[@dave_riots]

Where?

[@joskjj3625]

@@dave_riots in my neighborhood Don’t know about yours

[@Poopsticle_256]

Really? I rarely ever see them

[@tingokuman]

They were probably bought and driven by elderly people for the life of the car.

[@Chewee394]

Many of them at the junkyard have 300,000 to 400,000 miles on them. They ran like tanks

[@krayzeeasskris]

I always wanted a Beretta Z26, but the closest I ever got was a road trip in a red Corsica. During that trip the driver/owner, a little old white haired lady, passed a ten car caravan like they were standing still. It was pretty awesome and justified my desire for that Z26.

[@NFSMAN50]

I used to see these in the 90s and early 2000s. A common sight in the 80s,90s and early to mid 2000s, but rare to find now!

[@zythr9999]

Hardly any if any in salt states, which could be said for other cars of the time period as well.

[@FuckSlowShit]

Obama took most of the old cars out in 2008

[@tingokuman]

The good old days back when 10.6sec 0-60 was pretty good. 😂

[@mhoraites1055]

They definitely are turbo happy now a days.

[@JimboRustles]

From a V6 no less

[@wafflesnfalafel1]

My grandfather had a grey one of those for years. He originally purchased a Toyota Corolla and just hated it, so it traded it in after 6 months on the Corsica. Man it was a clunky car but he loved it. It was the last car he ever drove

[@storey13]

I had a 91 Corsica. It was pretty reliable and fun to drive.

[@coltonphillips1]

It’s so crazy I still see these running.

[@42luke93]

It’s rare but I think I’ve seen them more than crysler minivans of the year this video was made..

[@MrJimbo666]

My aunt uaed to have a '91 Tempest with the 3.1 V6! She drove it until she gave it back to the dealer at 315 000km! It was a great car.

[@robertpettigrew9042]

My first car was a 92 Tempest. 4 cylinder unfortunately!

[@dannylay7965]

My dad wanted the 4 cylinder because it was half the price of the 3.1 v6. They were sold out of 4 bangers when he went to buy it so he paid $16k for the v6 model in 1994. The engine was actually made wrong and had the engine replaced under warranty soon after purchasing it. This car seemed to have fell apart within 10 years. It developed a overheating problem around 2003 that no mechanic could figure out.

[@BraveBlueSnowTundra94GP]

My cousin recently a bought a 1991 in great shape for it's age, I'm hoping to find one someday, it's been one of my dream cars forever.

[@davidaubin3902]

3:18 John: SOME OF THE READOUTS LOOKED CRAMPED, AND ARE STRANGELY SHAPED! LOL

[@RedLP5000S]

I really liked my Corsica. It was a later model with much improved interior.

[@AdamG1983]

My friend in HS had a '90 Corsica with the V6. That thing hauled

[@kupidzheart]

yes.....yes it did

[@toyoscio]

@RickReviews Rust claimed many

[@toyoscio]

Auto?

[@JacobPaul-ix7oc]

I had a friend who owned a white one with the 3.1 V6 and it was surprisingly quick for the time. Or at least I thought so since I drove an anemic 1988 Pontiac Grand Am coupe with a 4-Tech (not Quad 4). The Delco radios back then sounded good, though, and people often asked me if I had "put a system" in it.

[@jackjohnson7396]

Our employer had a few as fleet cars. They were beaten on, kept running until about 150 grand. 🚗

[@markk3652]

We bought a white 92 Corsica, which we found out later had been an Alamo rental car when new. All in all, it was a solidly built decent car. The only problems that we had were a drivers door power window motor went bad, which was replaced under warranty. An o2 sensor went bad, 25 dollar fix. And the washer fluid reservoir that was mounted inside the front fender behind the front bumper, would routinely freeze up due to no proximity to underhood engine heat in the midwest winters. Ours had the 3.1 v6, same engine as the Lumina sedan we traded in to get the Corsica. We reluctantly traded the Corsica in on a brand new minivan in the late nineties due to needing the extra room and versatility the van had over the car. It was one of the most trouble free gm products I ever had.

[@carluvr9567]

My dad bought a brand new ‘88 Corsica LT w/the 2.8 V6with all the bells and whistles when I was 17. It was great car…..fast, good looking, and always reliable through 120k of him owning it. Only problem was the paint that eventually began to chip off the roof. His had all the improvements mentioned in the video. Better radio design, seats that rocked and reclined, center console automatic shifter and former LT suspension.

[@billgateskilledmyuncle23]

Bring back that drawer style glove compartment. That looked like a good idea!

[@johnjones393]

GM sold a boat load of these (and the Beretta), yet it has been years since I've seen one actually driving around.

[@howardkerr8174]

I actually saw a Beretta just yesterday (July 22, 2021). It was white and I think it was a GT model. It passed me going the opposite direction on a central Florida highway.

[@brucehoch9262]

I still am driving my white 1993 3.1 V6 Corsica auto trans with 265,000 miles in Sep 2022. Replaced almost everything on it....lol But runs like a new car. Next year 30 years old!

[@ronsmith4325]

Interesting to see the column mount shifter ... I can't say I remember seeing any of these without a console shifter back in the day, must have been a first year thing.

[@42luke93]

I remember seeing the Naked Gun and enjoyed that column shifter action! Haven’t seen the newer airbag corsicas with that shifter so maybe you are right. Too bad AutoBlog doesn’t go back to the 80’s. They list all options cars had from 2000’s+

[@lyman135]

They've always got someone with "thug gloves" ramming the gearshift around and slamming the seats forward and back. Never trust a car review from a guy wearing Velcro shoes.

[@markusantonio4866]

The driver on the Dodge Spirit R/T was ramming hard on the shifter.

[@KenanTurkiye]

Man I love these retro reviews, thank you MotorWeek.

[@Kingsoupturbo]

I drove a 2.2 5-speed car for a while, we called it the "Of-Coursica" it was perfectly acceptable for transportation.

[@adamtrombino106]

I remember these well. The early 1s with the std suspension/brake package were terrible. These cars would eat up a set of disc pads in 14k with n/p. Later cars switched to the HD brakes as std ( and a better rear drum set up, though the same 7.9 inch size) and they lasted much longer. The 2.0 and later 2.2 4cyl mated with 3 auto were the most reliable. The 2.8 and later 3.1 were not bad engines, but the electronics were terrible. All in all, a nice sized bread and butter family car, that were so much better than ANY X based GM.

[@tommitchell2055]

I never knew these had 13 inch wheels, I thought they would be at least 14

[@blackbirdwisconsin]

Only the 87 and 88 Corsica had 13". 89 and on went to 14"

[@chrispycritters123]

Love how Mario Andretti dumped his luggage in the trunk before doing that 0-60 run 😂

[@johnwalsh7256]

I had a white 94, bought new, a qualified disaster, the single worst car I ever had, and I had a Chrysler Cordoba, lol. Everything failed in this car, 3 oil 🛢leaks, transmission failure at 66k, dashboard cracked in less than a year and the list goes on. I traded it in for a 2004 Hyundai Accent, a big step up, lol

[@angusandleigh]

...so they didn't learn...I had an '87 in 1996...worst car I ever owned...it always felt better then say a Taurus...but never felt like a car that I would brag about...or really go out of my way to even mention that I even owned one...had a 2.8L V6 and it developed the eventual 2.8L head gasket leak...drove it as it was, keeping a few 4L jugs of pre-mix in the trunk lol...one jug one way to and from work (30min of driving)...then I had got a great deal on a 1990 Suzuki Sidekick...and it is back in my hands (it was kept within the family) after all these years running like a top...

[@dannylay7965]

My dad wanted the 4 cylinder because it was half the price of the 3.1 v6. They were sold out of 4 bangers when he went to buy it so he paid $16k for the v6 model in 1994. The engine was actually made wrong and had the engine replaced under warranty soon after purchasing it. This car seemed to have fell apart within 10 years. It developed a overheating problem around 2003 that no mechanic could figure out. AC and heat both went out. I always remember the car being at the shop.

[@McRocket]

Wow...this REALLY brings back memories. I used to have a car EXACTLY like this one. Well, it had two doors - not four. And it was black. And it had a 5.7 liter engine. And it had only two seats. And it was four wheel drive. And it was a pickup truck. But it WAS a Chevy. Ohhh...memories....

[@sebastianmuglia7451]

🤣

[@donaldhollums3278]

I had a 1989 Chevrolet Beretta I purchased new at a Chevrolet dealership I worked at back then. That car had the 2.8 V-6 and the 5-speed manual. For John Davis to say that filter and plug changes are a snap is a terrible understatement, unless he was only referring to the front three spark plugs. I changed the spark plugs on that car; I can confidently say I don't think Davis ever did.

[@Viper81766]

The rear plugs are difficult .

[@Commentleaver-c6x]

I doubt he ever changed a spark plug in his life..

[@ilopancharov]

That tray on the dashboard was good to breakdown your weed 👌 and rolling papers haha

[@kirbyswarp]

Pot heads really are a different breed. Not in a good way

[@bradnimbus4836]

@@kirbyswarp Sounds like you need to chill out for a minute and smoke weed for an hour

[@petervitti9]

I drove a 1988 blue corsica and it was a good car. No real problems. I always reminded me of our 1968 4 door impala. Pleasant to drive and own.

[@lotronreed5439]

My mother had 91 with the 3.1 liter. After 300,000 miles no leaks or compression lost what so ever. It took a bad car accident in 04 to take that car out.

[@carexpertandy]

91 was the first year it had a driver airbag. Did it deploy?

[@mj1234321]

I got to tour the GM plant in Linden NJ when it was building Corsicas and Berettas. Neat thing to see, but just like the Ford plant down the road in Edison, it is now ancient history. I think they built some stores and warehouses on the site after razing the plant.

[@BReal-10EC]

Remember. This replaced the Citation. This was 1000x a better car.

[@2011joser]

That’s a pretty low bar though.

[@johnmaki3046]

AIN'T SAYIN' MUCH....

[@toyoscio]

@@johnmaki3046 Why?

[@nlpnt]

@@2011joser That being said, by 1984-5 the Citation was finally the car it should've been in 1979.

[@joetrapp9187]

Notice how, for decades, there's continuously been an "old" and "new" GM.

[@CptPicard1701-D]

When I was born, this is the car my parents used to bring me home. My mom had the car for awhile - I remember it well!

[@chada75]

Helped our an old friend in 2009 with his racing mower. His buddy owned a stock ride height mower that his son drove. The mower was sky blue, The family wore sky blue shirts, the open trailer was sky blue, and the tow car was a sky blue corsica.

[@m00nkinftw]

The column gear shift getting in the way of the cigarette lighter is one of the most 80's car things I've ever heard

[@HoosierDaddy_]

Get my driving gloves... Today we're taking the Corsica!

[@Dagreatdudeman]

I've never seen someone praise an L-body.

[@relaxitsme_alex9104]

I've never heard someone say "its stylish".

[@klasseact6663]

Once the check clears...

[@MS3DALE]

I will, my parents had 2, an '88 Corsica w/ 2.8 V6 that lasted 20 years and 248,000 miles....and a '96 Beretta w/ 3.1 V6 that lasted 14 years and 170,000 miles, they were both great cars!

[@LrulestheworldM8]

Then you obviously have never been around very long. People love these cars. And for good reason. They put a new chevy malibu to shame.

[@klasseact6663]

@@LrulestheworldM8 I'm 51 AND from Detroit AND from a UAW family. Explain to us how it puts a newer car to shame...please!

[@britishsecretagent0078]

Chevy in the 80s are not fondly remembered for their stellar automobiles

[@MandusahRamirez]

A Lady That Works At Bank Of America in My Town has had Her 89 Corsica XT Since 88 and is still Driving it everyday! It’s still Garage Kept. She’s added Malibu SS Wheels and Aftermarket Head & Taillights too. It actually looks really attractive

[@jasonz7788]

Thank you motor week. And John Davis.

[@JamesMKE]

my step dad rocked a 92 Corsica from like 2007-2015 as a work car as a welder. It was dirty af and beat down by the end of its life but that little car was a tank engine and transmission were solid. the car eventually rotted out too much and had electrical problems with wire harness arcing and such (rust belt of SE wisconsin).

[@CoasterTurbo]

The 2.8 V6 was smooth, quiet, comfortable for long ride, even smoother than my 3800 series II

[@RoadCone411]

During my first corporate job in the 90s, I used to have to travel frequently. For some reason, our in-house travel agency had it in their notes that I didn't want to rent a Corsica. No idea why, I never said that, but I wasn't complaining. So I got my fair share of rental Grand Ams, Topazes, Breezes, Malibus, Acheivas and Cavaliers over the years...but no Corsicas.

[@Relampago93]

Everything from GM had a 2.8 in it. Chevy, Olds, Buick, Pontiac, GMC. Multiple models within each brand also had it. Even trucks had a 2.8. Amazing they got by with it.

[@mbox314]

So it seems that since the 1980's GM has big plans to turn itself around and finally start making decent reliable cars.

[@ksoamx]

Yep! Right after the Corsica was: "OK OK don't worry, we totally got it this time: The Lumina!!" I haven't been able to take GM seriously ever since they triumphantly declared victory over the Camry with...the 1997 Malibu.

[@Bartonovich52]

@ Adam Smith And…. You see a lot more 1997 Malibus around than 1997 Camrys. Combined with the Grand Ams and the Aleros it’s an absolute wash. And remember.. those Camrys were bought by teachers and accountants and lovingly maintained before they rusted to nothing on salt covered roads. While those Malibus were bought by hairdressers and waitresses and plant workers… or flogged wholesale to rental car fleets… parked outside, barely maintained, and then found their way to teenagers and welfare recipients and keep going even though they are a mere $400 repair bill from being pushed over a cliff and set on fire.

[@mbox314]

@@Bartonovich52 my last car was a 05 lacrosse that I owned from 122k to 225k miles and it had the following issues: -Bad catalytic converters -Bad pressure sensor in transmission -throttle body computer issue -Ignition lock recall (the one that killed at least 30 people) -Headlamp relay failed at night causing me to drive home with my highbeams on -Every wheel speed sensor failed -Every wheel bearing failed before 200k -Heatercore leaked -Door handle broke off -Transmission grenades at 170k and left me stranded 300 miles from home -plastic coolant elbow near water pump failed and left me stranded Now I have a 2000 avalon that I acquired at 190k and am still driving with 268k, in that time the following things have happend: -Door handle broke off -Alternator failed That's it! My family has alternated between the big three and other brands (we never once considered by any European POS) and the big three always made consistantly worse cars that broke down more often and had more issues.

[@connorPiper0]

@@Bartonovich52 Here in California those XV20 Camrys are everywhere, like it would be hard to not find one in any parking lot.

[@CrazyWeeMonkey]

@@Bartonovich52 Late 90s Camrys are so common here on the west coast that they're effectively the standard "cheap car". They run and run and run and run and run, and then they run some more. Literally some of the most reliable cars ever made. I have not seen a late 90s Malibu any time recently either.

[@JohnnyTyrone77]

The Beretta 2.8 V6 was a great vehicle!

[@stevenray787]

I too, had one of these crapomobiles. Interior basically melted in the Sun after 2 years, paint faded after one year rear struts were sacked out after 20,000 MI but somehow, I managed to put 80,000 miles before the rear head gasket completely blew up and fried the engine.

[@Chris-v4z]

I was a Juvenile Probation Officer in Louisiana and we had 2 of these as company cars, same blue. They were newer models w the new dash. They were always in the shop with something wrong with them.

[@antwonlewang1390]

Wow 😮 that’s almost unbelievable that Chevy had a platform that wasn’t shared with other Gm products besides the corvette

[@krushzone]

The Corsica L-body platform was shared with the Pontiac Grand Am, Oldsmobile Achieva, and Buick Skylark. The Corsica platform was never shared with the Corvette.

[@antwonlewang1390]

@@krushzone trying to be smart for your own good 😂😂😂 you didn’t listen at all to the review nor did you read my comment correctly because I never said corvettes and Corsica’s shared a platform 😂😂 … have great day krushzone👍🏽

[@judethaddaeus9742]

@R Robert The Corsica/Beretta were the same size, same wheelbase, same weight, and cost within 10% of the N-body Buick Skylark. The L-bodies just had different body panels over the exact same hard points as the N-body. It was exactly the same platform in the exact same segment. Just a different name.

[@TimBitten]

That thing was an indestructible TANK. I did everything a young, stupid driver could possibly do to kill that car, and *still* sold it running at 225,000 miles.

[@johnathanstevens8436]

This was a great family sedan at the time, I also remember thinking the Beretta was very sporty .. seems like the paint on the Beretta didn't hold up in most of the ones I've seen lately

[@ronhoover5516]

This begs the question: How many have you seen lately? It's been 10+ years since I saw one on the road. I'd be curious.

[@johnathanstevens8436]

@@ronhoover5516 Not very many actually .. sort of strange .. Every once in a great while I may see a Lumina

[@cwgaskill8111]

My grandmother had one of these new in 88' or 89'. On a trip out into the rural part of the state, people keep flashing the high beams on us, think she hard her's on but it was just the new headlights were so bright and clear. That car was such a big departure from the typical crap coming out of the Big 3 back then.

[@eldo59]

I believe this is one of the longest unchanged exterior car designs made. '88-'96.

[@krystalayame3870]

Those are excellent years, and I wasn't even alive yet

[@Commentleaver-c6x]

The 73-87 Chevy/Gmc trucks were basically the same aside from minor changes to the hood and grills/headlights..14 years

[@wbwayne8887]

I remember thinking the Beretta/Corsica was finally the vehicle to beat the imports. 🤦‍♂️

[@austinfrazier7325]

MW did too. Shows how little they know about cars. Don’t trust their reviews.

[@JacobPaul-ix7oc]

And then there was the joke of a car called the new Malibu with the tagline "The car you KNEW America could make!" in the commercials.

[@wbwayne8887]

@JacobPaul-ix7oc Exactly and all the JD Power awards that soon followed. 😂

[@y2jmp2007]

my first car was a 1988 Gold Corsica, bought it for 750.00 fixed the heater core drove it for about a year and sold it for about 1000.00 and then ended up getting a Subaru XT..... but the Corsica was a decent car that never let me down for having over 120,000 miles in 1996

[@Chewee394]

Best daily driver I ever owned! All the ones at the junkyard had roughly 300,000 to 400,000 miles on them.

[@Viper81766]

Me too friend . Had mine for 18 years and 210,000 miles .

[@singlesideman]

When is the last time you saw one of these? Everywhere, then nowhere...

[@zythr9999]

Sadly rust got to many

[@singlesideman]

@@zythr9999 I'll take your word for it.

[@zythr9999]

@@singlesideman Thank you

[@mackryan7122]

My mom had an 88 she bought used when I was a kid. She drives like a mom so it lasted a decent while. I remember the V6 having decent power and being able to actually smoke the skinny little tires 🤣🤣🤣

[@jasontylersloan8196]

Chevrolet was ahead of the game back then because all the car companies are doing the continuous dashboard air vent now

[@timhanna4700]

Rock hard 13 inch tires. Oh the 80’s. I had something that was “rock” hard quite frequently too. 🤣🤣

[@timhanna4700]

@@dr.jiIIaIicecooper2587 left that to Mr Holmes. 🤣🤣

[@pmafterdark]

Leave your kidney stones outta this.

[@timhanna4700]

@@pmafterdark I ain’t that old. 🤣🤣🤣

[@BH-zd2px]

Me, too, dude. 24/7

[@Bartonovich52]

Crack cocaine was a terrible thing.

[@billahern9168]

We made the plastic fuel tanks in Bristol,Pa. (Solvay Automotive) 15.5 gallon capacity. Amazing tanks that could take a forty mile hit without leaking. We also did the Indy 500 Beretta pace car in 1990.

[@OLDS98]

Thank you for sharing this video. GM was going through a lot of change during that time.

[@inuyasha2092]

I honestly miss my Corsica. It was a wonderful highway cruiser and reliable. Only reason I got rid of it was because my family needed to move far and the Corsica sadly had to go. I'd love to pick one up again or a Beretta.

[@stevehinkley1530]

First time I’ve ever seen a dad wearing mom jeans. Plus you know the test driver couldn’t believe he actually had to wear a helmet while driving this.

[@Commentleaver-c6x]

It was the only time a protective helmet was ever worn inside a Corsica.

[@TROOPERfarcry]

I had an 89' Corsica, and when you go to change the oil, you have to jack the front end up and turn the wheel all the way to the... left, I think... and then reach in at a super awkward angle to get to the oil-filter. Also, in moderate braking -- and especially _HARD_ braking -- the rear axle didn't weigh nearly enough, so the rear wheels would skip. There just wasn't enough weight back there, and with the car tipping forward, it became even lighter. Also, the drum-brakes in the back were a minor pain to replace because they were drums instead of discs ... but that might've just been my low-level skill as opposed to anything particularly complex. I don't remember what make and model, but I was complaining about the accessibility of my Corsica's oil-filter, and this told me that to access the battery of this car, the driver's side wheel had to be removed, and then there'd be a little door/hatch where the battery is located. I kind of wish I'd seen it just to know if the car could at least be jump-started without taking a wheel off.

[@shawnbauman5463]

If any of these still exist, none of them have their fuel doors.

[@darnellrobeson4761]

I think this was the first modern aerodynamic Chevy. This was a few years after the Thunderbird and Tempo so GM had time to study lol. it's crazy because I still see these riding around every now and then minus the clear coat LOL

[@judethaddaeus9742]

It came a year after the Taurus, too.

[@windwalker121]

Holy crap look at that body roll!

[@Commentleaver-c6x]

It’s a good thing absolutely nobody ever drove cars in real life the way they did on their test track.

[@PSTXFL]

They ended up being rental car darlings. I liked the Beretta.

[@Itheman123456789]

Remembered being 3 in the backseat of my mom's 89 when it started shaking violently. I did kept telling her something was wrong.

[@mwilliamshs]

Did kept?

[@7Steelers7]

I owned an 87 with the V6. It was a decent car. Those skinny 13 inches tires were good in the snow. I regret trading it in for a Buick 3 years later.

[@bw8632]

That black plastic vent cover, across the dash, would break if you even looked mean at it. lol. If you made it a few years without breaking it, you never had passengers. I replaced my vent cover 3 times. Someone’s knee would slightly bump it and I’d have an eyesore of a broken vent cover. I loved my 89 Corsica. I will say that it had the worst brakes of any car I’ve had. I had the base model. Car had terrible wind noise. I later drove a Corsica LT and it was quiet compared to mine. I loved the sound of that 2.8 engine. GM V6’s had a very distinct sound then. In the end, mine was stolen 2 separate times in 2002. 1st time it was found down the street out of gas. 2nd was the last. Never found it. Had roughly 144k on it. It still looked great.

[@gordonmills2748]

I've driven many, many loaners and rental cars over the past few decades. Nothing has been even remotely as disappointing as the Chevy Corsica.

[@andraeneal9134]

My first car was a gold 88 chev corsica 2.8 v6, it was a good car till the motor blew on the way home from work, but I made it home safely !

[@MTLbigJ]

I enjoy watching these retro motor weeks more than I like watching new car reviews, back when you needed more than a big screen and apple air play to sell cars...

[@andrewfusco7824]

Used to seeing these rusted out in a KMart parking lot quite frequently until about 2006 or so.

[@mattdavis9601]

It's quite a race to see which will give up the ghost first; the last of the Corsicas or the last of the Kmarts.

[@Chewee394]

It's a shame we never got to see the v8 beretta reach production

[@march4735]

20+ years ago, when the final Corsicas (and Tempests!) we’re taking their last breath, all I can remember is that EVERY SINGLE ONE seemed to be missing its gas cap ._.