@@melloyellow6375 Terrible engines?? When were they terrible?? The Big Block V8s of the 60s and 70s are the best engines ever made. A bygone era in Factory Street Cars.
When my grandparents passed in the early 90`s, and I got their 1985 Town car that was in mint condition and it only had 25,000 miles on it. I kept it for ten years babying it because it reminded me of them. It was a sweet ride.
I miss those cushy seats! My grandmother's Cadillacs always had comfortable seats that would take a person cross country all day long in comfort. Too many of today's cars copy the Germans, with hard, slabby seats that either fit like a glove or feel like sitting on granite.
Yes Buddy I totally agree with you , todays cars and crossovers copy the Europeans and really have noo style and character . I would certainly take those cars listed above in a heartbeat today.
That was theH platform with the dependable buick 3.8 v6 that Ford copied it in 1982 and called it the Essex v6. the ford had similar head gasket failures as GM. If you want your 3.8 v6 to last GM recommended head bolt replacement @80K Ford redesigned the gasket many times, They still use that engine today it is a substantially improved and it is called thec4.2 V6 that they use in the F150.@Terry Melvin
Cushy seats are all right if you like that sort of thing, but the German approach to luxury is different in that the Germans consider taut handling and firm seats as part of the driving experience. The Germans want to make you feel like you're in tune with the road and awaken every sense in your body. Lincoln took a smart approach in offering a traditional Continental Mark VII with modern styling for the American luxury approach but also offering the Continental Mark VII LSC for those who wanted German sport-style luxury. The LSC was called the Deutsche Mark from Dearborn. :-D
UGH! Tell me about it! When I had to get rid of my 2005 Yukon I found the new ones to be HORRIBLE! I have severe back and muscle issues and I am 6'1" with a football player type build. First off, I was "pinned in" to the cabin with the door and console right up against my legs forcing them to stay in a straight forward position. I need to move my legs when I drive to avoid pain and numbness. The seat itself is short and smaller and feels, like YOU said, like you are sitting on granite or as I like to call it, a 2x4 with a piece of leather stapled to it! I then tried the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. Same thing. I finally settled on a 2014 Cadillac Escalade I found with VERY low miles. Not as comfy as my old Yukon which was like sitting in your big easy chair, but it has more room and doesn't create pain. I also have a 1994 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. Now THAT is comfy!
My grandparents used to have an Imperial when I was a little kid. I used to love that car and thought it was so luxurious and fancy lol. I guess it was considered that back in the day.
@@drewburk6309 I had an 85 Town Car Signature, gun metal blue. blue coach roof, red piping, burgundy velour interior, No matter how far you drove it never got uncomfortable
@@royschultz1377 Nice! Ultimate color combo. I prefer the velour over the leather. Especially today, nearly every car has leather. But that velour was so plush and rich.
Just posted about the 5th Avenue,last new car my father bought for my mother before he got sick,we kept that car around in pristine condition as a memory of pops,my younger brother ended up with it until he sold it,still in very,very good condition.
My grandparents, bought a new Imperial in 83'. They loved it.! So did everyone else.! I was allowed to drive it to my senior prom 85'. It was such a nice memory.!
I had an 1981 Imperial that I drove for a few years. Silver over maroon Mark Cross leather with the factory cast aluminum mags. It was a nice car. Everything worked including the original electronic fuel metering system. It had the factory moon roof too. The carpet was like a beautiful plush fake fur even in the trunk. It was pretty posh, people would always comment on it.
yep that Chrysler imperial was beautiful style car luxury ill love to own of those and it rare to find in good shape but 80s make beautiful cars 84 oldsmobile 98 in two door are beautiful car and Cadillacfleetwood
@@andydanko7074 I know right. Matter of fact there were a number of colors for the exterior and interiors. Even white leather. The only extra cost options were the Frank Sinatra edition and the moon roof. Wire wheel caps or the the mags were your choice. I believe they were built in Windsor Canada too. Cheers.
The 93-96 Fleetwood was also nice. The newer stuff dont look like Cadillac's... I think and hope they would go back to making traditional luxury cars and not try to be BMW....
@Terry Melvin The b-body cars from 91-96 were the last traditional American full size body on frame V8 sedans from GM, I have had a 91 Caprice since 2009 it is a great car. But the 94-96 that got the LT1 was even better!
Cadillac brougham 1987 was a great car. Not much power to climb the steepest grades at highway speeds, but more than made up for driver's comfortable ride, fuel economy, 20 miles per gallon highway, dependability and best style of it's time.
@@garyolivier792 Yeah I'm with you. Nobody makes great cars anymore, more money for more junk that breaks down then you start over with another new car to take your money over and over again.
@@Slideyslide guess you've never seen a car that was rear ended. It doesn't look like this !! This was a very cool design back in the day, and sold very well. I know. I was there. And I'm going to beat you to the response you'll give me....OK BOOMER!!! Lol!!
We owned a 1980 Chevy Caprice. That was the closest to luxury you could get. It was a very comfortable riding car and had plenty of power. It was rear wheel drive, not front wheel drive. We also owned several K cars. I liked the throttle body carburetor better than the regular carburetor. Then fuel injection took over.
I was a mechanic in the 1980's and have been since. The Seville was a reliability NIGHTMARE, whereas the Town Car was actually reliable (other than the A/C) - The Chrysler/Dodge full size models were actually not as unreliable as you might guess.
@Donald Trump is a Ghetto trick - it's not the engine I was referring to, it's electrical problems, A/C problems, just way too many problems, compared to say the Chrysler Imperial or the Town car, that were quite reliable overall.
@Donald Trump is a Ghetto trick Actually, the '82 sky blue Imperial that is the thumbnail for this video is the real head-turner - what a gorgeous classy car! (and I don't even like Chrysler vehicles!)
@Donald Trump is a Ghetto trick Try repairing one and you will have a bias against them as well - just take a look at how much critical stuff is buried between the engine and the firewall, one of the dumbest designs for serviceability I have ever seen in 40 years as a mechanic! - I have worked on Lambos and Ferraris that were less frustrating!
Ya the Chrysler Imperial had really nice proportions and crisp angles and that front end was distinctive but not over the top. I remember seeing these around Long Beach and the owners were mostly enlightened professional guys. I was a college student working at Ralph’s so I found it interesting. The Fleetwood Brougham was also a pretty clean design for what it was.
I KNEW THE 5TH AVENUE WOULD BE ON THIS LIST! My Mother had this vehicle when we lived in Nebraska from 96-98. I was impressed with how it handled the weather there. Headliner was trash though.
@@MikeBrown-ii3pt I don't think it was ever available with the turbo 3.8, at least not the intercooled version that went in the Grand National. There was the Park Avenue Ultra, which used a supercharged version of the 3.8's successor, the 3800. My father had a couple of those - fun cars for the time and for being big luxury cars.
The 1980 to 1984 Electra Park Avenues were fantastic cars. Every bit as luxurious as their Cadillac counterparts and far better performing and more dependable.
@@Conconboss That would be very interesting. It would lower the curb weight, possibly some handling friendly front to rear balance. How about a Cummings turbo diesel I6? That Sti boxer would sound nice too!
When I was a kid in the 1980s and early 90s, I would be seeing Town Cars, Sevilles, and Fleetwoods all over the place. The Fleetwood Brougham had much more upscale, expensive, and traditional luxury car styling and features than the Town Car. The Seville was such a beautiful, elegant, eye-catching car. The Fifth Avenue was a beautiful, attractive car that had a touch of a muscular look. A Fifth Avenue and its Dodge and Plymouth cousins would make an excellent sleeper, and the 318 would be a perfect engine to tune. Other 1980s American luxury cars I'm a fan of include the 1979-1985 Eldorado, 1980-1985 Buick Lesabre, 1980-1985 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale, and the 1979-1982 Chrysler Cordoba, which I find has a smoother exterior design than the Imperial.
I remember as a teenager falling in love with the Cadillac Seville. I wish I was old enough to buy a car like that for my dad. He was too humble to purchase a car like that. The company he consulted with as an engineer gave him a 1979 Rolls Royce as a gift which he never touched as those things were money pits. Eventually, in 1997, the family pitched in and surprised him with a 7 series BMW. But his true love was to own that Cadillac Seville from yesteryear and of course he loved his trusty daily driver, the 1977 Ford LTD 4 Door V8. Ravi Peiris M.D.
John Collins .......That was probably Burt Reynolds personal 81 Imperial limo that was in the movie....Burt also had that limo in his 1985 movie "Stick".....Burt had very good taste in his cars.
I agree. I always loved the 98, especially after 1985 when they restyled them, made the front wheel drive, and the 3.8 liter v-6 had a lot of power and very fuel efficient.
I drove many towncars and other high end cars of that era for a living, late 1980's to late 1990's. The 1989 Chrysler New Yorker 'Mark Cross Limited Edition' was my all time favorite and I bought a fully restored one for myself. Had style, comfort, luxury yet wasn't too big to have great handling. If you never drove one, you missed an experience. The Pontiac Parisienne for instance was nice, but it drove like a boat by comparison.
@@authority5150 I agree with you. I have a 1985 & the ride is so smooth, I can drive over rough train tracks & hear the "thump-thump" sound made by the tires, but feel nothing. I've ridden in Rolls-Royce cars that weren't any better than my Lincoln.
9:35 I like how the brochure for the Cadillac 1980 says, “With advanced aerodynamic design, fine-tuned in a wind tunnel.” Then below that you get a picture of a barn door 😂
Thank you for this video! I love American luxury cars of the 80s! They were just the right size, very elegantly styled, with just the right amount of chrome, and of course those digital dashboard displays! The Imperial was my favorite! I also really liked the 82-83 Lincoln Continental and the 80-83 Lincoln Mark VI. You didn’t mention those two in this video, but they were really nice cars too, especially the Mark VI! My mom had an 81 Signature Series Mark VI, which is the car I learned how to drive with. When I turned 18 I bought my first 81 Imperial and ended buying another 81 Imperial later in life. I love those cars!
I remember driving in some of these cars as a kid the Cadillac Fleetwood and Chrysler Imperial. They were the most quiet and comfortable cars you could ride in compared to today's lack of luxury and style.
I own an '88 Fifth Avenue and it's my daily driver. I absolutely love it. They dont get nearly the love they deserve. Buying this car is the thing that made me want to learn about cars, and I figured buying an older car would be good for me to start learning. When it finally dies, I wanna get myself a panther body.
My father had a friend who had one of those and he LOVED it too! The only reason he got rid of it was the gas mileage when gas prices soared around 2007. I've had a couple panther bodies. A 1986, 1988 and 1996 Lincoln Town Car. They are pretty awesome! But if you want something even better, get yourself a 1994 to 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. I have one. They are AEWSOME. Biggest regular production car in the 1990's. And they get AWESOME gas mileage, about 27 on the highway. It has the Chevy 350 engine (the same one used in the Corvette) with an Opti Spark distributor. Its SO comfy and roomy inside and it floats down the highway!
I bought an 81 garage kept Imperial from an old guy in Phoenix with 32000 miles on it for my wife who also owns a 69 dart 340 4sp car her dad bought brand new. I took out the Imperials fuel injected 140 hp 318 and replaced it with a built carbureted 360, and put in a sure grip with 3.90 gears. The car still has the factory ac and all the other power options it came with and it does real nice burnouts.
I remember the 1980s. I was too young to drive at the time. But I remember many of the cars in this video, some of which I wish were still being produced.
I bought my red 1987 Chrysler Fifth Avenue in January of that year... and I STILL drive it today! Although it is falling apart now, I still love this car and its classic design, and I love that V8 sound whenever I start it. Every once in a while, people will admire it; and I can tell you, that my car sticks out like a big red thumb in any parking lot to this day... jajaja
I would take the Imperial hands down. My parents had an 89 Town car. They drove it until it was literally falling apart. Had close to 200k miles when they traded it in on a Yaris
I'm surprised the 1982-87 Lincoln Continental didn't make the list. My dad had a Valentino edition and it was an incredible car with a ton of features. The electronics were even pretty advanced for it's day.
I started in the car business in 1980 and sold Chrysler-Plymouth. The New Yorker 5th Ave was a good seller but the K-Car saved the day. Great list and remember all the models you reviewed. Thanks for another great video.
Was always a Lincoln Town car advocate. While it's exterior was very conservative in it's look, it really shined when you got inside. This was a car for long cruises. I'd own one today if I had a place to park it out of the weather.
If you're even Desiring one you better start looking now the prices are shooting up I've seen some with low miles priced at $25 to $35,000 of course you can find One's price lower just not probably cream puffs
I enjoyed this video. Thank you. I would have said GM's C Body( 1980-1984) as one unit( Olds, Buick and Cadillac) instead of just Fleetwood. You know they updated the Fleetwood in 1993 and it ran until 1996.
@@markueberschaar6855 The Bonneville was a yawn. The Olds and Buick counterparts smothered it. I think people just looked to Pontiac for sportier autos.
I was fortunate enough to experience riding in the back seat of my uncle’s Lincoln Town car! It was a brand new car at the time and the interior was gorgeous reddish colored leather with plush seats and ride. I loved the square blocky ergonomics for the driver and how it illuminated at night like Christmas tree! Many many years later..the same car was eventually sold but if I could of gone back in time, no questions that I would of bought it! Thank god for good ole memories of the 80’s car!
Man you have a very soothing voice😄 Thanks for the amazing video, really enjoyed it. I wonder if you could make the video about 90s American luxury cars, that’d be great.
@@authority5150 it stills start and move it need a new suspensions, tires and brakes it and a fuel leak need to be fixed before it is road legal again , you rarely see them in So Cal imagine in rusty Quebec province !
I had a 1990 Buick Park Ave Ultra, for a while. i loved that car, it was so comfortable, and had just about every option available. It even had a corded 'mobile' phone, with it's own stand mounted on the floor, and it's own antenna on the rear window. The thing that made friends' jaws drop though, were the power-adjustable head rests. The car was a tank in the snow as well. The best $800 I've spent on a vehicle!
They were all great looking cars and rode smoother than a boat. You can't beat the feel of driving one of these big American luxury cars with the bigger engines.
My Grandpa drove that maroon Fleetwood Brougham. As a kid in the 80s it looked huge but now I see it was HUGE. I should have grabbed it when he passed away.
1983 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz was going to be my 1st luxury car bought, but that the 4.1 V8 was a terrible motor I never never did. I still love the look of those and all the 80s caddys
Really the 82 83 Imperials were downright gorgeous. It's such a shame there isn't more of them around. I know a guy near me hoarding 2 of them that are non runners, and he wants a fortune for them!
Nice cars in their day, have seen some Cadillac's with the Oldsmobile V-8 (a 307 cid I beleve) and they were in the Fleetwood, and De Ville models. The 4100HT engines were junk I think. Aluminum blocks with cast iron heads. Had lots of oil, and coolant leaking problems. I miss the old 472 cid, and the 500 cid engines, they were bullet proof!! Owned 2 Cadillac's with thoes engines. Never had a problem with them, very reliable!!.
@@drewburk6309 Hi Drew, yes Cadillac made the 368 cid V 4 6 8. It was reliable, when the solonoids that controlled the valves were deactivated. Seen only one if thoes engines in a Cadillac Eldorado. So I can't argue with that. Have a good day.
I had an 83 Buick Electra. I miss that boat, it was so comfortable. So easy to drive. It was like cruising around in my living room, but with a more comfortable couch.
Looking at the '70s Seville you pictured, I saw it's outline was quite similar to the 4-dr. Olds Cutlass my parents bought new in the autumn/winter of 1980. Ironic, yes? It should be noted part of GM's reason for making the Seville FWD was not only to improve cabin space, or achieve CAFE mandates... it was to diverse the expense of the "new" FWD w/longitudinal mount engine platform, also found under it's Eldorado & Buick Rivera contemporaries. Biggest problem with the Imperial's fuel injection: the mass airflow sensor, integrated into the air-cleaner housing's snorkle, differed from both the Bosch and GM methods of operation by employing a sonic method of measuring incoming air drawn by the engine. On the same note, I found it ironic that although it was Chrysler's top luxury model, the Fifth Avenue never came offered with fuel injection... even during it's final production years of 1987-1989, though Dodge's V-6 & V-8 powered trucks & vans did during those years. I guess with plans of introducing the FWD LH-platform cars in the early-90s, Lee Iacocca couldn't justify the engineering cost of adapting it to the M-body platform. Now, as for the Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham: It's weak points were the the 6.0L V-8 was based on the dated architecture used to create Cadillac's legendary 8.2L V-8, making it a large, heavy engine that was grossly under-powered for it's weight while working with the emissions reduction methods of the time, required to make it EPA compliant. And it's ambitious 4.1L V-8--the first of the new "high-tech" series introduced--were prone to develop coolant leaks and electrolytic erosion problems in the coolant passages if both the engine block AND heads weren't properly grounded due to metallurgic & thermal expansion difference between it's combination of a weight-saving aluminum engine block w/cast-iron sleeves and iron cylinder heads... the latter of which were used to improve fuel efficiency, due to iron's low heat absorption rate compared to aluminum. Note: during the final years of the "boxy" Fleetwood Brougham, it would recieve Oldmobile's 5.0L V-8 in '89, with it finally "succumbing" to being built with Cheverlet's 5.7L V-8 for the 1990-m/y before going through a thorough body redesign for the 1991-1996 model-years, as did the rest of GM's remaining full-size RWD models.
Back in those days my parents drove RWD mid and full-sized cars from Chrysler and GM . My first car was a 1987 Chevy Caprice Classic , I bought in 1991 .
@@ephraimfink9010that’s true, but Americans just never made them fun.. I’ve had 3 Hondas in my life that I use in the snow.. Americans knew how to make a RWD car, and everyone else knew how to do everything else.. 😅
In 1988, my dad had a 1987 Town car and his brother-in-law (my uncle) had a 88 Fleetwood. The Caddy 8-6-4 worked great and got about 28 highway which was great for a 5000 lb. behemoth. It pissed my dad off because his Towner got less than 20. They each had back a seat area you could have a card game in, seats like a lazy boy recliner, ran quiet as a church mouse and great stereos for the day. My dad and uncle were in competition with each other since puberty. That’s true Bensonhurst, Brooklyn for ya. I loved cruising 86th street in a “Daddilac”. until 1989 when I got a 86’ Buick Regal turbocharged V6 Grand National, now that was a car! God I miss the 80’s
@Jayson Argonaut Not really. Outwardly they shared only doors and the front fenders. Not even the same roof! If they weren't so rare you could line them up and compare how different they really were...inside and out.
The Imperial was an amazing car. I believe it mostly handmade. The problem was the sticker price was over 30 K in 1981. Which today would be equivalent to almost 80 K .
We are ourselves were considering a Seville back then before the humpbacked Seville and decided to wait till the next year, the humpbacked landed and didn't go for it. We got a 1976 Mercedes 300d instead and picked up in Germany. Before that, we had 3 different Lincoln Continentals between 1969 and 1975. suicide door 69 and 2 others before we got the Mercedes. Today I own a 2013 Honda Fit with 108k miles on her in 7 years.
I like the Chrystler Imperial, very nice, especially 2 door personal luxury cars that you no longer see any more. Everything today is sports car design, which I hate so much. There was a 2 door version of the Town Car as the last year was in 1981 as I hope to find one. I got brochures of the 1982 Lincoln Town Car, Mark 6 and Continental.
Call me crazy...but I really miss seeing big luxury cars on the road! My dad had a Mercury Grand Marquis and my uncle had a Cadillac Fleetwood...! I was a kid in the 80s and remember feeling so comfortable in the back and safe of any of these cars! Just seeing these cars reminds me of my childhood. The 80s was a decade that literally had it all...big luxury cars, good music, good movies and really good tv shows!
By the late 80's, the Fleetwood name was dropped and it was just called the Brougham. My uncle had a early 80's Seville diesel that was a lemon. He ultimately had the engine replaced with a gasoline 350.
you're right, I had no experience working on that engine 30 plus years ago, in a car or a truck. There's a reason that engine had a short production run, a shorter street life and wouldn't survive if a turbo was mounted. What could go wrong with a gas block converted to diesel with new heads and intake of typical 1980 GM quality. That engine was great if you had a gravel driveway, it kept the dust down. For Chris L - That means it leaked fluids like a sieve.
I had a 79 Eldorado diesel, triple white. Gorgeous. I looked so glamorous, sitting at the side of the road waiting for the two truck. Worst car ever. Bulletproof Lincoln Continentals after that. Never had a problem.
David Hall I had a ‘79 Eldorado with the fuel injected 350 cubic inch gasoline V8 (Oldsmobile sourced and same engine as the ‘76 - ‘79 Seville). That car was bulletproof. You should’ve gotten the gasoline engine.
