1983 Chevrolet Citation X-11 | Retro Review 

I love the line, “just a hint of lockup and axle swing.”

I think Rodney Dangerfield’s joke applies here “ my car is always on a lift. It’s got more miles vertically than horizontally! You- know “😅

These older episodes were filmed at the very end of Interstate 70 in Baltimore, which is now a Park & Ride. I grew up right behind there.

I can’t believe it threw a belt on a press test

The X-Car really wasn't bad once GM fixed its major design flaws. But they never seemed to figure out that you don't get a second chance to make a good first impression.

I like how we can see a lot of 60s and 70s cars driving in the background

My father had the Pontiac version of this. Now he always babied his cars.( I can still remember him saying don't slam the door every time I got out) Anyway one Christmas he got me a control line plane. He had the first go to show me how to do it. He didn't even make a full circle when wham!!, no more plane and a big dent in the B piller. He gathered up the pieces and not a word was spoken on the way home. RIP old timer and thanks for the memories. G.H

I can already see rust and corrosion forming in the opening shot of that duded-up Citation

Can you imagine a time when an air pump pulley falls off and a car review treats it like a minor thing.

It threw a belt. But Hey! You can get to the oil filter... GM quality of the 80s. Top notch!

I was lucky enough to own a 1985 X-11. I absolutely loved that car. It was quite fast for the days back then and handled amazingly. Unfortunately I got T-boned. They fixed it but it was never right again so I traded it in. But it was an amazing car for it's time. Bright red...damn it was a sexy car for its day!

I had a V6 81 Citation as a 1st car. The premature brake lockup was a “fun” introduction to driving as a 16 year old.

Just a hint of rear wheel lock up lmao

@ 3:45 "As are the checkpoints for all the bodily fluids" 😂

The best yr for the X11 was 1985. It finally got horizontal hvac and radio controls, and the X11 got a 2.8 MFI V6.

My mom had an 83 X11 , and that hint of lockup of the left rear tire was enough to have you facing oncoming traffic on rainy or snowy surfaces if you weren't careful .

With opinion pieces like this, it’s amazing to me that Motor Week was ever taken seriously

Of course by this time General Motors had managed to squander a lot of goodwill. And, 1983 was the first year for the Toyota Camry.

I remember these all being broken down and headed to the junkyards back in the late 80’s. Then completely gone and forgotten by the 90’s

Would never see ease of maintenance highlights in a modern car video.

I had a 1984 Pontiac Phoenix with the 2.8L engine and I rebuilt it with an X-11 camshaft.

my dad had one back then and I remember him being so disappointed in this car because it only got to 80,000 miles and the engine went. He bought it in 83 and he junked it in 1990.

You can tell this was before GM figured out how to put an inertia lock on the passenger seat back for coupes. The passenger front seat back almost hits the dash on the panic stop.😂

I had an X-11 back in the day. Not a GM fan, but this was a solid offering back then. Dependable, sporty (for the time), very good ride quality and roomy. The only thing I did not like was the vertically placed stereo...almost impossible to upgrade.

Got a great deal on one a Boston area dealer had on the lot for a year because it didn’t have air conditioning. Enjoyed it while we had it. It was fun compared to the other X bodies so common at the time. Didn’t have it long though, it was the only car ever stolen from us.

My aunt owned a Citation it rotted out in 5 years. Hood front fenders rear quarters and frame. Well unibody.

I won a new fire engine RED X-11 in a citywide lotto back in 1981. I loved that car! For its time it was really a small rocket and the handling with the Goodyear Eagles was fantastic. Mine had the 3 speed automatic transmission and boy did it go when the transmission would kick down from 3rd to second gear. I really miss it😢.

It’s 2023, and for some reason, that car design still looks cool

Always liked the look. Hard to believe what was acceptable back then.

My family had one. It lived 5 years before going up in flames. But before it burned, it had the entire steering system replaced at 6 months old, the transmission was replaced twice, the engine was replaced and the radiator sprung a million tiny holes.

I took driver's Ed in high school in one of these...man, good times!

Quirky. The Japanese compacts forced US manufacturers into venturing in compact designs that was quirky. Good old late 70's early 80's. :)

I see an X-11, and I always smile.

Nothing says reliability like throwing a belt on the test drive.

If the Citation came out in the age of internet it will not stand a chance due to it’s countless problems. GM gets points for good styling for its time The scarf lol

I loved my 81 Citation. Plenty of room for me and my girl in back with the seats down. Homemada homemada

I drove one for a couple of years in the nineties. Bought it cheap had no serious issues either. Sold it to a kid long ago.

"...halts were confidence building.." while the thing is skidding crazily sideways, nearly taking out the poor bundled-up lady with her measuring wheel.

Love these videos Never forget my 1977 Chevy Chevette

My dad made the mistake of buying a dark blue Citation hatchback coupe with the Iron Duke way back in 1980. Had issues with the premature locking brakes the first year of ownership. And it was the second time he made the error of buying a "Motortrend Car of the Year" with the previous mistake a Gold Plymouth Volare sedan with the 318 back in 76. That's why its never a good idea to buy a new car in the first model design year (except if it is a Honda or Toyota). Best experiences with reliable cars was a 77 VW Rabbit (from which he traded his 76 Volare to) and a 1982 Mazda GLC (from which he traded the Citation a couple years later). Still dont know how you would deal with replacing that vertical radio setup on the early X Cars. What was GM thinking?

My parents had a '81 Olds Omega Brougham they purchased in 1987. I was only 11, but remember the car well. I remember the bottom of the doors were rusted on the backside, the previous owner had covered it in silicone and painted over it... it was a southern car too. I remember the transmission went out before it hit 75k miles and the carburetor had constant issues. It had the 2.8L V6.

Where’s the Cavalier Z24? I want a Cavalier Z24 retro review hehe

Gene Margolis Chevy here in Michigan had a Turbo Charged Special Order one back in the day that was a BEAST!

Thank you for posting another GM review.

Whats wong with YT, thymbs up for the vid aren't registering. :/

How about a Pontiac 6000 STE road test?

At least the 80s had good music.

"Look how effortlessly the X11 takes a high speed manuver, little twitch and lots of confidence"

Good god i remember these junk boxes and so happy we moved on from those dark days of automobile design.

"Turn the wheels into the direction of the skid!!" said my Driver's Ed instructors!😎

I owned a 1980 model bought in 1984, owned it for 5 years and never had any problems.

I drove a Citation in 1985, for a courier service. The brakes had a propensity to lock up...a death trap.

When I was a young man, I wanted a Citation X11.

The Achilles Heel of this car was that dreadful 2.8 liter V6. I had one for 7 years and the valve covers never stopped leaking oil. And then there was the blown head gasket and leaking timing chain/water pump cover on the replacement engine which drained all the coolant. Several friends had the same fate. I never bought another GM car again.

I loved this little car,, back in the day I remember wanting ☝🏿 one!! Even tho I am not a Chevy guy, I would own one of these today!!❤️

Wow, yeah, I didn't even notice that rear end lock up.

This thing ran much better than the first version Chevrolet Citations but still had too many things going wrong with it,I believe still came with some suspension bolts loose. The 135 horsepower rating was probably much understated as compared to how cars are rated today.

Great video!

Looking back at the Citation, Gm has definitely come a long way and it's no wonder the imported competition caught up.

That was both entertaining & comical at the same time. 😅

Ahh man that was my 1st car, I loved it man. Also my 1at accident, ahh man my insurance went through the roof lol. Fitting a big engine sideways in a compact car. That little car had some power man. Good memories lol

My Cousin and I were HOOKED on this show from day 1!!! We would be on the phone with each other as we watched it and go back and forth on the featured vehicle 😎🤣

So a brand new one they had prepped to go to the automotive press and the pulley fell off... And Motor Week is still like "build quality is way up!" lol We take for granted how good cars are today. Dealers having to fix brand new cars from the factory was definitely a GM thing back in the 80`s.

Don’t know if I’ve ever seen one of these, if I did I must’ve mistaken it for a Chevette

I used to have one it had 2.8L four speed manual transmission it was great dependable car flawless

I had the redwood metallic '82 X-11. It was peppy and handled great taking corners exceptionally well. Dry, clean corners were fun.

My sister had a 1980 Chevy citation not the X11 just the standard citation with 2.5 L 4 banger. It was OK car but I was always working on it for her.😂

Love these oldies. 😄

At GM, the deadline became more important than the product. GM obviously could have engineered a better car, but they didn't want to. They wanted to get the car to market as quick as possible to beat the competition, but the GM management didn't realize that the competition was built with higher quality. Must have been incredibly frustrating to be a good engineer at GM.

had one..loved it.

Honestly, the GM X-cars will always be one of those car lines that REALLY frustrates me. They had all of the ingredients to be the best cars ever built, & that is exactly what they could & should have been. Ultimately, I feel that the X-cars' undoing was not really the cars THEMSELVES, but the company who built them, late-'70's/early '80's GM. As was the case with Ford & Chrysler, they became too focused on beating the European & Japanese competition at their own game & not focused ENOUGH on providing the American car-buying public with viable alternatives to the imports. As a result, quality & reliability were allowed to fall by the wayside.

When are you doing another Motorweek Marathon? I love those.

I’m ready for the 80’s.

"The airpump pulley wobbled off it's mount" . 😂

This was the true beginning of the end for GM “quality.”

The simple design with thin-pillar glasshousre has aged well.

First car was a 81 manual citation. Red with black interior, front bench and no AC. Had to replace the clutch and when I sold it needed a front axle boot replaced and reseated as I tore it when hitting a curb or pot hole or something (like I said was my first car)

Those were nice looking cars with the "Sideways Radio" before they Rotted Out

This was my second car I bought in 1988. Kept it for 2 years.

After i watch these GM videos, it amazes me they didn't go bankrupt sooner..

The first Chevy of the 80's The first Chevy of its kind. This could be the car you had in mind.

Boy we’ve come a loooong way since then in automotive reliability!😂

My favourite line, "Bodily fluids." X11 ambulance perhaps?

My friend in high school had one. I had a 68 Impala 327 went low 14s but still I about shit when he floored it to beat a yellow light lol. It tucked the ass and pulled well. I was surprised and remember it many years later.

My 81 X-11 rocked

Had a 87 celebrity v6. Mpi was pretty peppy.

5:52 Notice Craig calls the 327 Chevy II "King of the Economy Supercars" - "Super Car" was actually the original name coined to describe the '65 GTO and it's imitators.

The X cars weren't perfect but a small step in the right direction,a perfect starting point ❤😂😮

Motor Week reviews before they sold out to the car companies. I miss them.

I owned a 1981 X11 for 4 years. Traded it for a 85 Mustang GT. The X11 was a decent car.

This was my first car in 1994. This exact vehicle 83 burgandy.

Still better than the G1 Cavaliers of the time!

The sound effects from the wheels screeching just makes me laugh. Not to mention the scarf that guy is wearing.

You can just tell that John wants to say, "Eff it, this car sucks rocks!"

My family went to look at a 4 Dr Citation in 1980. We bought a '79 Malibu 2 Dr which became my high school car. Wow, really dodged one there!!!

I have never driven a Citation but my sister owned one that I rode in. I did own a J2000 and have driven a few GM FWD cars of the late 60s through the mid 80s. Yes, they handled reasonably well, but steering feel was almost nonexistent. So not sure how good or bad it's mentioned competition was, but my 80 Ford Fiesta was much more fun to drive.

@ 3:45 "As are the checkpoints for all the bodily fluids" . Would never see ease of maintenance highlights in a modern car video..

Always remember the commercials in 1979- "The First Chevy of the 80s..."

I'm digging the blue Maxima wagon.

The checkpoint for all the other bodily fluids. 🤣🤣🤣