Buying a car in 1986 

Back when it didn’t take a years salary to buy a decent used car

In 1986 my dad was making $15 per hour working as an electrician, was able to afford a home here in So Cal, make car payments and support my mom and 2 kids

The guy is actually a really good salesman. No pressure, not aggressive. Knows his inventory.

I remember being in a GM dealership in October 1986 when my parents were buying a car. In the showroom was a 1987 Buick Grand National, I begged them to buy it but they wanted a 4 door and bought a 1987 Buick Lesabre instead.... That 1987 Buick Grand National sat in my heart forever.... Fast forward 36 years later, that 1987 Buick Grand National was finally in my garage 😊

Back when the US was a country for the middle class.

I give mad props to the guy that made and uploaded these videos. This is the closest we will ever get to a real time machine!

Legend has it Dave is still waiting for Leo to come back.

The guy just went sales 101, greeted the guy, found a common bound , asked plenty of discovery questions to find something to suit his needs, over came objections, found a price point l, found out what he did for a living to see how much he could upgrade him… Pretty clean cut

No kids, those aren’t the down payments on the windshields😂

The customer is serious, the car salesman is serious, the customer wants a car and the salesman wants to sell them one… straight to the point and no bs.

Old man's voice over is perfect for any kind of job, business or sales.

1986 vs 2023. Look how far America has changed. Very sad how far gone society is today. Morally and financially bankrupt.

The amount of patience human’s had back in 86 is definitely noticeable

40 years later, those exact same cars probably are being sold for more than they were at that dealership in 1986.

In 86 I was 23 making $8.25/hr. in a factory in the United steel workers union. What a joke they were! My lay-off was a blessing in disguise. 86 was a great time and at the height of my life. Was married in 84 and still going strong 40 years later.

A time when things were simpler. I have owned a dealership for 4 years now, and there is a huge difference.

That camera quality is better than most security footages of these days

The older man sounded so sharp and professional. He really had class and knew the business well, in terms of car sales.

Back when America was full of American cars!! Great time!

The older I get, the more I wish I got to experience this.

That salesman is oozing with 80s no nonsense dad vibe lol

The battery being dead killed the sale no matter how smooth the salesperson was.

Ahh.. the 80s-90s.. everything was soooo much easier then.. Can't believe it's been 30 years since I was a teen in the 90s

OMG I remember those land yachts. They had the most incredible, comfortable suspensions and seats, but the amount of gas was outrageous. But those were simpler times, you could make a comfortable living working at minimum wage.

The potential customer seems lukewarm about buying any of the cars.

I miss this time period. When we still adhered to standards and common sense.

I was a car salesman who worked for a Nissan dealer in Southern California during this time, It was always embarrassing for me when one of our used cars did not start when I was helping a customer. It was always a good idea to start a lot of the cars on the lot in the morning to prevent this from happening .

The craziest thing about this to me is that without the internet, this customer is actually learning information from the salesman, and, the customer is somewhat forced to believe him.

She picks out the curtains, you pick out the cars....Classic

This car salesman was top notch. The probing questions, qualifying his needs and wants, educating the customer, the rapport building, confirming who makes the decision to buy a car in the household. Considering the technological restrictions of that era, this is what a master car salesman would like like.

Gotta love the smokers voice.😅 Miss the good Ole days.

These customers are still around. Gotta yank every word out of them like a tooth. Guy, if I don't know what you want I can't help you, I can't point you in the right direction, I can't make your life easier. Believe it or not we're not here to scam you, you came here for a product/service and I meant a living providing that product/service

I feel like for older professionals, time really stood still for about 30 years. This old salesman is practically indistinguishable from a guy doing the same thing in 1955.

This salesman would be about 90 years old or more if he’s still alive and the guy buying the car would likely be in his 70s.

This salesman sounds like a famous actor back in them days

No clue why this popped up in my recommended list but I enjoyed this. They salesman was very professional and courteous. Some of the used car lots I have been to before the salesman are total scumbags.

I've Been A Mechanic For 49 Years And Worked For New Car Dealers For 33 Years Starting In 1975. This Video Wasa Awesome Thank You !

You won't find a car salesman this good very often.

Back in the 80s (as this video is based), I was in the wholesale car business. I would buy mainly new car trade-ins and sell to independent used car dealers like this one. This gentleman is straight up and low pressure - although he is asking pertinent questions to help with his deal. These are exactly the type cars I would deal with. I see where people talk about how these older cars were better than modern ones and I beg to differ. First of all, GM air conditioner compressors had to be replaced near annually and GM transmissions wouldn't last 100,000 miles. Also, a car going over 125,000 miles was quite rare. Nowadays, any vehicle with moderate maintenance will go 200,000 and up. The salesman mentioned the 305 engine (GM) which, in my experience, was not a very good engine and people longed for the 350. Also, in 1986, we still had Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, Plymouths, Dodge Trucks, Isuzu, Buick and don't forget the lovely Yugos! Often one of my buddies would need a cheap car to get around in and I would easily sell them a car that would last a good while for 200 to 600 bucks! A couple more things: you could buy a good running VW bug for $200 and a very nice one for 600 or 800 bucks. During gas shortage years we bought Chrysler, Ford, and Chevy muscle cars for a song - I bought a spotless Dodge Charger (Dukes of Hazzard) with a 383 magnum in it for about 500 bucks! Big cars (we called them sleds) like Cadillac, Oldsmobiles, Chrysler Imperials, and Lincolns were remarkably cheap. Those big block engines loved the gasoline! This video brought back a lot of memories and thanks for posting!!

This is how we bought cars back then. Took our chances on a sales lot. Not a lot of brokers, not many good ones to choose from. Lower prices, yes, but The ‘malaise; era of cars. Crappy quality in general. No internet, no phone cameras. Paging thru newspaper ads and magazine ads. Word of mouth. Cars and planes were just not put together well. Yet I still miss it! Enjoyed this , cheers.

I would gladly buy ANY of the cars on that lot right now! Wow!!

Amazing how much different the attitudes were back then. They took their time, there was no rush or sense of urgency, really took their time compared to how things go nowadays.

"she picks out the curtains you pick out the cars"-------good morning 1986!!

Hell, if I could time travel, I would have bought everything on the lot 😂

Salesman was excellent. Asked all the right questions, good demeanor, etc tried to land the guy on a car but the guy didn’t know what he wanted.

Loved the vid. No script. No editing no Tik Tok bs. Just what you would find walking into any used car dealership in the 80s. Classic!

back in 2006, in my early 20's, I purchased my first 'normal' car from car a dealership in Milwaukee, Wi, Toyota Corolla 2004. Or that's what I thought. I traded in an Acura Integra with no problems but worn out discs. Little did I know, years later, that my Toyota was in a car accident, as I found broken glass under the back seat of the car, and the paint started to come off with the original paint under it. Since then there is zero trust in ANY salesman. I just do my own research before I buy anything and learn to fix it myself. And because of that, I still own and drive that Corolla up to this day.

I love how it starts out with the salesman smoking a cigarette and then just throwing it on the ground.

Your channel is a treasure. Thank you so much for uploading these. I would have been two-years-old at the time of the filming, and I find it fascinating.

I love the dark brown interior in the Impala I would buy from this Gentleman/sales man immediately

This was what car shopping was like as a kid in the 1980's. Every few years I'd tag along with my dad, and it was so much fun. My kids haven't stepped foot in a dealership. One of our cars is 19 years old, another is 14 years old, and they both run great. If one dies someday, we probably won't bother to replace it. (We work remotely.) Different times.

The easiest vehicle sale was in 1992 when I went to look at a 1988 Ford Ranger 4x4, truck was very clean, like new. The salesman told me to drive the truck home and come back the next day. He sold that truck before I left the car lot. Ive never been more impressed with any salesman. He didnt BS, we didnt haggle. I paid $5k and drove it for 10 years.

My grandpa had a popular used car dealership on Bush Blvd in Tampa in the 70's thru the 90's I remember those days so well,lol.

Love when he actually bought a car. We all knew this guy wasn't gonna buy... poker faced him till the end..

"I can getcha that TruCoat for an extra $500." - Jerry Lundegaard

The salesman actually knows what he’s talking about. No nonsense. Great video.

WOW!I remember the choice of cars I had up until the late 1990's for only a couple of grand snd decent running, then driving them until the odometer flipped and selling to someone else fir $500. These days you pay around 10k with 200k moles and have all kinds of problems with wear and tear parts. You are lucky to get 20k miles from a purchase like that today. Less if it's a Ford.

In '86 I was out looking for my first car (in Florida) This salesman reminds me of my encounters. I was looking at IROCs and Z28s my dad thought it was best for me to get an '83 Chevy Celebrity! A year later the Celebrity and its numerous issues was traded in for a VW GTI! Great video, brings back good memories 😊

It is crazy that more of these videos do not exist. This is Gold! The car prices, the classic salesmen. The variety of vehicle's. I just keep watching it looking at all the cars.

This is really cool to see. Captures the older American style of business.

I love all of your videos vampire. You really bring me back to my youth. It’s so amazing to remember how it was back then. I really enjoy !!! Thank you 🙏 keep em coming ❤

81 Chevrolet Impala with a 267 4.4 litre small block V8 had the exact same car with the same engine.. good video

I raised a family being a car salesman in the seventies and eighties.😂

This has to be one of the coolest videos you've uploaded. Such a little slice of everyday life from 35+ years ago. Love the salesman, love the prospect, love the cars on the lot. Neat picking out some of the makes and models in the background. Now I wonder if Leo bought that Impala?

" you might see me back here tomorrow " any car salesman knows that is the death blow to a potential deal.

George Lucas goes car shopping.

In 1986 the average price for a brand-new car was $9,255, compared to $55,469 today.

What a time capsule these videos are sights sounds an entire year before I was born. I really do appreciate these videos ❤

That was a tough sell. The customer was very economical with his words. Its very hard to sell to anyone who has their guard up the whole time.

Damn I was born in 86 everything looking like pimps and police cruisers lol 😂

“It comes with a 50/50 warranty. When you drive it off the lot…if it breaks in two, you own both halves.” 🚙

I like how air conditioning is considered a special feature.

The salesman seems pretty cool and professional. 👍

Fantastic slice of history bought my first new car in Sept of 86 remember combing the lots just like this settled on a black 1987 Monte Carlo SS which I still have to this day!

"We have that priced at $3,499... the average retail on that is 51" Took me a moment to realize he meant 5,100 and not 51,000

One thing that's never changed throughout these years is there's always some airplane flying overhead in videos like these.

I was 12 years old in 86'. Was into BMX and skate boarding. Listening to Motley Crue and had a different hairbear chic about every other week 😂I loved the 80's!!

Cars then, 1/10th or less the price! What a time, to be alive. Some great yachts there in the lot.

Man this is weird watching this. I was born in 86 and I'm 36 now. The guy car shopping was probably close to my age and now is probably well into his 80s. Crazy to think about how fast time goes by.

@8:45 🤣she picks out the curtains and you pick out the cars minute later what kind of business you in -textiles 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I was a salesman in Ontario from 1982 to 1989..in a lot exactly like that.. wow what memories

What a throw back! I was in my 20s working in '86 in field service tech. Traded an '85 jeep CJ 7 and an '84 Fiero for a one year old C4 Vette coupe. Didn't know how good life was back then.. now the cars are waaay overpriced and over complicated with electronics. My first starter home outside Dallas in '84 was only $58k ... Those were the days....

Gotta love how the cars look back then.

You know he didn't go back.

I was 11 in ‘86 and I remember these cars in the dealerships. My parents were in collision and was able to resell the vehicles that were hit. It was always a deal with them which is funny because I remember all the dealers in the shop smoking in the buildings and the shop. How this brought me back to my child hood!!! 😂😂😂 thank you for the ride back to the 80s.

1986, great year. great uploads these, thanks so much... so many nice memories of those times...

Wow this was a great ride back in time!! Thanks for the trip!!

I started selling cars in 2018. It is truly incredible how it is the exact same process 37 years later now. Don't be pushy, answer the questions, be personable, make sure your used car manager (appraiser) is physically available lol. I will say not all dealers are equal. I left one because they were out to scam everyone. The one I'm at now genuinely cares about each customer, their experience, and giving them a fair deal with nothing they didn't ask for.

Gotta admit it is much easier to shop for a car/truck these days thanks to the internet. I remember those days when you just strolled by the lot looking at the price of cars on the windshield trying to avoid the pushy salesmen as much as possible. Too bad all the vehicles today are ridiculously overpriced.

I can smell guy's coffee/cigarette breath from here. LOL

The buyer looks like he just got off the boat from the old country and the salesman looks like he frequents a mafia social club

100% customer centric salesman!!! The salesperson first introduced himself and welcomed him to the dealership... Then asked him what he was looking for and his needs... He was direct, professional, knowledgeable, and allowed the customer to flow and ask questions at his pace... I like his no pressure approach. He was honest about the Impala's dead battery and the other repainted Olds 88. Dave would've DEFINITELY earned my business... You can truly appreciate a great salesperson like that! Much better than the countless fast talking salesman today, that don't care about hardly anything but chasing the dollar would've

Wow I remember those days $2,000 for a car..a nice car at that.. and the sales guy is very sharp. It's called fact-finding to determin the buyers needs

My god now this is a saleman! Didn't oversell outtalk loud talk or pressure the buyer! Very knowledgeable and you could tell he cared more about getting a fair deal done rather than collecting a check!

I love seeing George Lucas deciding which car to buy

I was 10. Being in the UK, always liked the look of American cars back then.

I bought a couple of cars in the early 80s. The first car I bought was a 1972 Buick that was 18’ long bumper to bumper. It was like a boat on wheels. A few years later I had an AMC Gremlin. I totaled that thing (on purpose) 😂😂😂

i was only 5 years old in 1986 but as a young child growing up during the 1980's I remember when all of these car were brand new and domInated the roads back then. Now in todays time it's almost rare to see a large fleet of American cars on the road

Back in 86 you could rent a 4 bedroom house for 700.00 a month.

Man, I would take anything on the lot. Especially those GM B-Body and G-Body beauties