Classic 80's GM FWD Comparison and Buyer's Guide: What To Know When Buying a Classic GM FWD Car 

For those of us that grew up with these vehicles we love the nostalgia of them. After seeing so many of them used up and abused it is really nice to see a well preserved example of one decades later when pretty much all of them are all but gone now. There are those of us that absolutely love what you are doing despite what others may feel. And for the sake of it, I am not a fan of the iron duke cranking.. however.. I really do like the Omega and I have said it before here, I wouldn't hesitate to tool around town in that car and run weekend errands in it for fun. Although I couldn't drive it out on the highways as I really need something that gets up and moves without any hesitation and without burying my foot in the gas pedal.. I don't like to dog any engine like that.

Count me as someone who enjoys content on the 80s (and 90s-00s) GM FWD vehicles. These are the vehicles I fondly remember from my youth, and the platforms my father spent his entire engineering career developing and improving at GM. Every car and every component within it, no matter how seemingly mundane, has an interesting developmental story behind it. No other channel (across all media) gives this type of inside historical content any sort of exposure, keep up the great work!

You need a Celebrity Eurosport to round out the collection.

Another way to check the A/C compressor: The A/C compressor also comes on when the windshield defrost is on to help pull moisture out of the cabin. If the compressor isn't functioning properly then it will take longer to defrost/defog the windshield

You need a Pontiac 6000 STE to review. When you buy it, I want it.

There still a part of automotive history and General Motors. They deserve to be preserved.

It's great to see your cars out before winter. Loving the amount of content you've released as of late

My Dad had an '86 Park Ave. bought new. Silver, luggage rack on truck, and grey leather. Only GM car we had that never had any mechanical or electric issues.

GM needed to make lots of front drive cars as the market demanded it. Perhaps a few rear wheel drive car platforms should have remained. Imagine the Cimarron based on a stretched Camaro platform! The Caddy V8 would have fit.

These cars were very unloved for ages. Im so happy they survive. I remember and enjoyed many of these cars. They weren't terrible. In the latter 80s and into the 90s many offerings were pretty effecient as well. Cars these days are doing too much. Way too much.

The 1987 Pontiac Bonneville was a beautiful design and I loved mine so much that I subsequently bought a ‘91 and later a loaded dark red metallic ’97 SSE - one of my favorite cars that I wish I’d kept.

Adam out here holding his own mini car show! Between the cars and the jacket, you can almost picture this being a used car lot sometime in the late 80s or early 90s. Love the appreciation for these often unloved 80s machines. I think my favorite of these cars are the full size machines, particularly the later years of the Cadillacs (4.5 and 4.9) and Buicks (3800). Aside from that, I've always thought the early 80s x-body Skylark was a weird formal car with just a hint of cute.

Any J car is my choice over any X car.

Id love to see a Buick Skyhawk T-Type...Citation X-11 and Cavalier Z24/RS hatch.

I remember when the X cars were released....I believe it was in April of 79..I kept the automotive section of the Dallas Times Herald when they were released....is in a box somewhere

I really like the 86 Cimarron. They really got the styling right with this model. Only problem is, its still a Cavalier.

We had an '87 Cutlass Ciera Brougham, bought new in So. Cal in '86. The were some problems including two transmissions but we had it for 17 years and over 260,000 miles. The interior held up remarkably well and overall it was a very classy car, never had issues with any power accessories and the 3.8 engine was flawless. I think it was at least as good as anything else made at the time.

Fond nostalgia sums it up perfectly. For better or worse, these cars are part of automotive history. I wouldn’t want to daily drive any of these, but I would sure love to have them in my collection to drive occasionally and enjoy. And I second the need to add an A-body to your collection…an ‘87 or later Celebrity Eurosport V6 or 6000 STE or S/E AWD would be great if a decent one can still be found.

The 1981 through 1984 Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant were Chrysler's versions of the Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Phoenix. The Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant were also available as station wagons which weren't available with the Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Phoenix. The Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant weren't available with hatchbacks like the Chevrolet Citation and Pontiac Phoenix. I also noticed that the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant have three seatbelts in the front seat which the Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Phoenix don't have.

12:18 another thing to check the oil for is the smell of gas. It could be a sign of worn piston rings or a misfire. It’s also a good idea to loosen the oil fill cap while it’s running and see if it try’s to jump out, it’s a sign of blow by and a worm out engine.

It's very odd how a switch from one, large headlight to two smaller square lights instantly makes a car look twice as expensive and 10 times as good. Makes you wonder why they even bothered to ever use the single lights; the $3 saved could easily be added to the sticker without notice. I think this is why the Celebrity always seemed much more of a "mid priced, largish mid-sized" car, almost LeSabre in looks and status, instead of being compared to the Citation and J cars which it was much closer in size to. The Celebrity/Century/Ciera were a rare case of GM compact design done very well. The huge mystery is, since the Celebrity-class cars were SO well styled, engineered and received, why a 4th "C" car, a Cadillac Calais was never produced; it would have taken very well to the basic design, had enough size and presence to appeal to traditional buyers , without bumping into the Seville's pricier, higher tech market segment. But they did make the Cimmarron... a much bigger leap down that we all know didn't work. A "Caddy Celebrity" absolutely would have.

A simple thing that is easy to forget and can be a headache is to check and make sure that the car has the key to get the hubcaps off on those that need one. I imagine that finding one for cars this old may not be easy.

The older I get the more nostalgic I become! That’s why I enjoy watching these videos 👍🏻

We had an 81 Olds Omega Brougham 4 door. A nice car, had the extended warranty for 50k. The aluminum head wrapped just prior to 50k. It soldiered on for more years after that. Thank you, Hansel & Ortman, RIP, the world's oldest Olds dealer.

I bought a 1985 Olds 98 in 1996, and had the sagging headliner repaired by a van conversion place in town for very little money. Don't know whether they glued it back, or what, but it looked great and lasted for the three years I owned the car. I also had the hood and trunk lid repainted. At 166,000 miles when I sold it, the car still looked new. Don't know about the X and the J cars, but the C body was a fine automobile.

The fact that these survive at all is a testimony to them. These weren't good cars when new, but that makes them slightly appealing now. Still can't believe the poor paint quality on the Omega. I do marvel at how good the X-cars could have been and how little effort GM put into their engineering to pull of the launch. I would love the 98, however.

Up until 2005, I had a mint condition '86 Firenza Coupe 1.8L OHC with alloy wheels the same blue color as your Cimarron. Katrina came along and I had to leave it behind. It went entirely underwater in storm surge. I still miss that car. It was starting to gain attention on the streets in 2005. People would stare at it, they never saw one before, especially that clean. Fast forward, I still have my dads 93 Caprice. It's getting that same attention nowadays.

A 3-door Olds Firenza or Buick Skyhawk would be an awesome addition!

Adam- You must be a savant. It amazes me how you roll off facts and figures of so many makes and models, production numbers, wheelbases, etc. Truly remarkable! Keep it coming!!

For the most part, unless you are really lucky, the X-bodies pretty much always end up needing to be repainted eventually, at least the 1982 and on ones with the water-based paints. The original owner of my Citation X-11 had the paint fail, he did a backyard respray, which has also failed because backyard respray. The car will eventually get a full repaint when it doesn't cost as much as the car is worth. I usually drive it once a week. It's as much fun as you can have driving slowly. And the carbureted V-6 X-bodies seem to respond really well to driving it like you stole it. Mine always runs better and better after a day of stomping on it and holding on through the torque steer. GM really did get a LOT right with these cars.

I had a 1995 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight with the 3.8 litre V6 back in the day. It was black with red interior and rode like a dream. I really miss that car.

These cars are so much better than the crossover garbage people drive today. And so much easier, and cheaper, to maintain and repair. The only bad thing about driving cars like this is that modern vehicles are so tall, their headlights are directly in your line of sight

Gotta love than snazzy Members Only jacket Adam is sporting while discussing these 80’s cars 😅

Your concrete is like mine; the pristine yet elderly fleet leaves marks and spills behind, with their age tagged by how much fade/discoloration from scrubbing there is. Yet, it is worth the reward of historical promotion and the joy of preservation.

My 1974 Honda Civic came with 12 inch bias ply whitewalls. I soon replaced them with 13 inch wheels and tires.

I had an Olds Omega for a few years … I really liked it, dependable reliable daily driver

Some incredibly clean examples.

I would love to get my hands on a Cimmeron , always liked those

Loving the 80’s GM content. Some pretty cool cars you got there. The Buicks from this era are some of my favorites.

Herrera Buick in San Francisco on Geary and Arguello had a Buick GNX on it's showroom floor for years. Well after 1987. As a kid growing up in the city I would look at the car for hours. They other interesting cars too. I always thought that the 1989 Le Sabre T Type Coupe was a great looking car. In San Francisco we had quite a few GN's. Lots of 87 Turbo T Type Regals. Very few Buick Le Sabre Type Coupes. Bay Area had a lot of Acura Legend First Gen Coupes. I always thought the 80's Coupes were cool. You could actually see a Thunderbird SC parked next to a Legend Coupe or a Pontiac Grand Prix.

Hey Adam good stuff as usual.

This was a great comparison video, Adam. Lots of good information for potential buyers to consider.

My 1987 Z24 with 2.8 V6 and a 5-speed was such a fun car! It was my very 1st brand new car!

Awesome comparison of lengths - widths.

I had a 1987 Cavalier. Loved it.

Excellent triple review. The outline of the presentation was great.

Well done again Adam. I have reglued those headliners. It wasn’t fun but the worst of it was that the job tends not to last more than a few months. I got to learn that the foam is what breaks down, not the glue, so the headliner just starts falling down shortly again.

We had an 84 Cimarron that we loved even though had quite a few repairs including two steering racks. Still have fond memories after nearly 40 years

Nice explanation on 1980s GM cars.

I always look forward to you're videos because we have the same interest in cars. One of the best channels 👌 on RU-vid. Happy holidays Adam.

Yes I love 80’s and 90’s cars!

An AMAZING Comparison of these Different-Bodied Cars, Adam😊👏

I love how theyr'e big comfy couches on wheels. I LOVE old cars like Buick Century. Because yesterday we took 2 hour drive through Midwest backroads to get to Costco. We have 2018 Tiguan. But I was dreaming how BEAUTIFUL Midwest backroads with farms in the Summer & Spring will be, & it would just be over the top beautiful & American in an old Luxury car, wow!!! with my kids in the back, windows down, so nice.

Love this ! Drove them all when I was a teenager. The 98 was especially fun to drive. Thank you for your video's Adam! 😊😎

I remembered all of these cars very well from day one when the X cars were introduced in the Spring 1979....Hot cars with waiting lists. The GM car I liked a bought was an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Salon new during this time period . Of all the GM FWD type cars produced .. I liked the first generation of the Grand Am the best. I didn't buy one , afraid of the engine failures, but really loved the looks of it. I appreciate looking at the non fast cars of the 70's and 80's and my favorites are the GM - Olds, Buick, Pontiac cars.

Adam, the Olds 98 is gorgeous!

I own an 02 Buick LeSabre with a lot put into it. New rockers, front suspension and whole new front suspension. Wouldn't trade it for anything. The steering rack still passes inspection. Quiet, comfortable ride. Love it.

Thanks for sharing I remember all of them neat FWD cars 🚗

I liked the way GM fixed it so you could disconnect the front dog bone mount and rock the engine/transaxle assembly forward for working on the back of the engine where the distributor (if it had one) and the ignition coils were.

Congrats on your finding such rust free specimens. We had so many J,X,A &C FWDs in Western PA, and the biggest problem is rust. Check those strut & shock towers for rust. Our 81 Omega Landau rusted under the dash weakened the A pillars. 9 years only 40k miles, killed that ride. What ever you do on acquiring the tidbits of info, like why the Cimarron was a J, keep doing it.👍🏽🏁💯

Amazed by your knowledge and insight. Thank you for taking your time to produce these great videos! Would love to see a video on the evolution of Ford's Galaxie/LTD/Crown Victoria from 1973 to 2012.

Worked on most all of these cars as a GM tech when they were new.... You hit most all of the important points... Thanks for posting and Happy Motoring !

Quite informative Adam. It was interesting as well. You are correct about a lot of what you said. Thank you for sharing.

I’ve started watching a lot of your videos lately…really good stuff! Also incredibly jealous of whatever your storage situation is 😅

I lust after that 98, ...love the glass.

My 1988 olds 98 regency brougham certainly had its issues, but man was it comfortable, drove it from St. Louis to Maryland a dozen times and it sure loved the highway.

Thank you for sharing your cars

I inherited a 1986 LeSabre with the 3800 V6 engine. Bulletproof mechanicals. I had to say goodbye when a storm came through and blew a 4' diameter oak tree onto the trunk, squashing it.

This was a great comparison video, Adam. Lots of good information for potential buyers to consider. I still drive my 1990 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Brougham as a back up car when my daily driver 2014 Ford Fiesta is in the Ford dealership for repairs.

Love these cars, especially the Olds Omega…..and yes I love the iron duke also, fantastic sound

I owned a 91 Caprice, I thought it was a great value.large, comfortable, reliable, stainless steel exhaust, small v8 Changed the starter myself in the driveway, very easy

Thank you. Good advice!

That's a lot of profound information - great! But I'm not sure, if this video is encouraging people to want one of these cars. The Cadillac looks quite attractive.

There is something special about those cars ! I like them too !

I find that little Omega - your burgundy one here - charming. I can't quite explain why, but I like it.

Another AWESOME Video Adam. Thanks so much. !!! I Love these Cars. :) Also Man you live in a Beautiful Neighborhood. !!!!

Had the Cimarron been on the X body platform I think it would've been a much bigger hit. We had a Skylark when I was a kid and it felt luxurious a Cadillac would have definitely felt more upscale

Great tips. I was thinking about checking the smell of the transmission fluid on the dipstick right before you mentioned it.

Way back when I had an 81 Oldsmobile Omega Brougham, it was a good little car that was comfortable & got good mileage!!! 🤓

I had a 1985 Buick Somerset Regal very comfortable and great styling.

Great vid!!! 👍👍

These fwd GM videos are very nostalgic to me in my early adulthood. These are cars I had to buy to get to work. I agree GM was on the uphill all of the 80s. I found water pump bearing issues are the weak point in 4.1 4.9 transverse motors and the 7mm steel interior grade screws in the aluminum timing cover is a design failure and results in a major repair. If quality is a demand it’s clearly a 2.8 A body 86 up and 3.8 88-89 for me. I think the X car was the best but like a raw cake, was unfinished. The J and A with exceptions to rare high end models seemed like oatmeal to me in a Buick Olds town. The C/H were the crown of this era capped with the 91-93 Park Avenue Ultra.

10W-30 is preferred for many vehicles produced at the time.

This video is a keeper. All the advice from so many of your other videos rolled into one. However, I wouldn’t be able to test a potential buy the way you do. A lot of that is also experience. I however particularly liked the front end of the video comparing the J, X and C bodies. You don’t get comparisons especially in that detail on other channels. Also, I hope you land that Firenze.

I hate that these cars seem so old nowadays. Makes me feel old. I love a lot of brands and models and have been thinking about getting possibly a gm 3800 engined car at some point. Right now, I have some old dodges. Daytona shelby, etc, and Although I won't be getting rid of the ones I have, I have had my eyes out for some possible early 2000's to 90s gm cars. I'm just barely 40, and it just seems like these cars are a hundred years old. Man, where did time go?

I had an 86 Pontiac 6,000 SE with the 2.8, it was completely shot when I got it, but boy did that thing run. Then, I got an 87 Celebrity Euro-Rust, she was an awesome car, but it got stolen and stripped my Senior year of high school. Your channel brings back so many great memories. I love your collection of cars! The Iron Duke is very common in the marine world, and is known for being pretty much bullet proof. They are crude though! I’ve owned a few.

I had a ‘86 cavalier convertible for awhile. Inverted V6 fwd beater. It was a nice looking car.

This was another interesting video. If your collection is deep enough to host a Ford themed comparison, like Escort/Lynx to Tempo/Topaz to Taurus/Sable, that would be good. Or if you ever have some K variants to AA bodies to cloud cars, that would also be fun. Or 1 X body compared to 1 K car and to 1 Fairmont/Zephyr would also be a good one. With your collection and connections, maybe these would be possible some time.

The Cadillac 4.9 in the later front drive DeVille is an excellent and reliable engine.

I have a 1987 Olds Delta 88 Royal Brougham and it's a great cruiser! I use it as my summer toy and it's gets lots of compliments. Most people saying they either owned one or know someone who did. It's also nice to see something like these instead of the typical Camaros, Mustangs, Tri-five Chevys and Challengers/Chargers

i owned a 84 olds frienza LX....sedan....with pop-up sunroof.........had the brazilian built 1.8 OHC TBI

My mom had a 1980 Pontiac Phoenix 2-door when I was in college. I thought it was an abomination to the automotive world at the time and was glad to see it go in 1984. Now I appreciate the x-cars more than I did then. This evaluation of the GM front-drive platforms was terrific and enjoyable, as is all your content, Adam.

A milky looking residue on the bottom of the oil fill cap doesn't always mean there's an issue. If a car sits a lot, especially in humid climates, any moisture will evaporate and collect on the inside of the oil fill cap

Hey I enjoyed the Australia Chrysler by Chrysler video. Thank You

Going to be looking at a 1983 Sunbird convertible this weekend... probably going to buy it.

I don't know if it's just me, but I find the styling of the Cadillac Cimarron to be very tasteful and appealing. It's a warmed over Cavalier for sure, but a handsome one I'd happily drive!

Thumbs up just for your audible compression test ....Wahl, Wahl, Wahl ! Lol ! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving !!!!

If you are going to get an Olds Firenza, get a Cruiser wagon. Not only are they rare, but you can haul quite a bit with them. My dad had an '84 and I hate to tell you all the stuff he hauled with his over that car's life.

Own a 89-88. Bought mew. 235000 miles. Still runs well. 30 mpg at 75 mph. Great car. Of course paint fade on hood,roof and deck lid. Rear bumper fillers gone.

Love your videos. Can you make an episode on the history of galvanizing auto bodies. Cheers