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Sports and Sporty Cars of the '80s

130 messages,  Last post on Mar 18, 2009 at 1:22 PM

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What is this discussion about? Classic Cars, Coupe, Convertible, Truck, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 12 of 13

#111 of 130 Re: Porsche 944 (Mr_Shiftright) by hpmctorque

Aug 23, 2008 (10:23 am)

Do you fall into the camp of those who feel that while the 924 (not such a great car), 944 and 968, and the 928 were good cars, but not true Porsches, or do you agree with Porsche's decision to focus on rear engine architecture for its sports cars?
 
Porsche seems to be cash rich now, but I'm wondering whether dropping the 900- series sports cars, rather than continuing front and rear engine architectures wasn't more of a financial resources decision than a marketing one.

#112 of 130 Re: Porsche 944 (Mr_Shiftright) [hpmctorque] by MrShift@Edmunds HOST

Aug 24, 2008 (9:23 pm)

Replying to: hpmctorque (Aug 23, 2008 10:23 am)
I don't see why they can't pursue cars of many configurations, if they wish to. The only company I can think of that survived on "purists" was Morgan. Even Ferrari has tried just about one of everything except of course FWD.
 
Personally, my favorite Porsches are the 993 (last of the air cooled), the 928 GTS (awesome car, even today), and 356SC (best of the bathtubs) and the lowly 914 (great fun for cheap).
 
So that rear engine, front engine and mid-engine.

#113 of 130 Daytonas and Lasers by hpmctorque

Jan 31, 2009 (7:07 am)

Dodge Daytonas and Chrysler Lasers are all but forgotten these days, and for good reason, many would say.
 
Why am I resurrecting the memory of this badge-engineered duo? Because I met one that fell at the extreme of the bell shaped curve, and that always fascinates me. To be specific, the car behind my '88 Nissan 300 ZX on a recent visit to the state emissions test station was a '85 Dodge Daytona (naturally aspirated with 5-speed). The owner of this Daytona and I struck up a conversation while we anxiously waited to see whether our old cars would pass. He told me that his wife had been badgering him for years to trade his Daytona for something newer. He's the original owner, incidentally. Anyhow, he was about to yield to his wife's wishes a few years ago, when he proposed to her that if his car failed to pass the emission test he'd get rid of it. Confident that the old clunker would soon fail the test, she agreed to her husband's proposal. Well, you guessed the ending; the Daytona passed the smog test, and the happy owner drove away smiling. I imagine his wife was much less happy when she heard the news, especially since this was about the third test the Daytona passed since she agreed to her husband's proposal.
 
The Z also passed, and its owner depressed the clutch, slipped it into first, and drove off happily too.

#114 of 130 From today's AutoWeek... by hpmctorque

Mar 12, 2009 (7:44 pm)

" '80s dream-car bargains: The AutoWeek list:
 
1989 Corvette'84-'89 C4 Corvette
 
High: $44,000
 
Low: $2,500
 
Average: $10,018
 
Our take: Arguably the best buy on this list
 
'85-'89 Volkswagen GTI
 
High: $5,995
 
Low: $4,100
 
Average: $4,865
 
Our take: The iconic pocket rocket
 
'85-'89 Ford Mustang 5.0
 
High: $48,995
 
Low: $1,900
 
Average: $7,924
 
Our take: Pony car + V8 = tons of fun
 
'87-'89 Pontiac Firebird Formula
 
High: $22,900
 
Low: $4,000
 
Average: $10,293
 
Our take: One day, you might be able to show it at an Orphan Car Show
 
'84-'87 Buick Grand National
 
High: $31,700
 
Low: $9,000
 
Average: $17,442
 
Our take: If you can find a clean one for less than $20,000, buy it
 
'81-'82 DeLorean DMC-12
 
High: $26,900
 
Low: $15,998
 
Average: $22,572
 
Our take: Only on the market for a couple years; might always be a collectible
 
'81-'89 Lotus Esprit
 
High: $41,998
 
Low: $16,495
 
Average: $23,535
 
Our take: One of the fastest cars in its day
 
'88-'89 BMW M3
 
High: $65,000
 
Low: $14,500
 
Average: $24,417
 
Our take: A lot of thrills for the money
 
'83-'85 Ferrari 308 GTS
 
High: $44,950
 
Low: $32,900
 
Average: $37,878
 
Our take: A Ferrari for less than 40 grand? Believe it
 
'81-'89 Porsche 911 Turbo
 
High: $78,500
 
Low: $24,900
 
Average: $40,669
 
Our take: Be careful, these monsters are a handful!"

#115 of 130 Re: From today's AutoWeek... [hpmctorque] by texases

Mar 12, 2009 (8:09 pm)

Replying to: hpmctorque (Mar 12, 2009 7:44 pm)
Good list. Some of those 'high' prices are wacky - $65k for a M3? Doubt it. And why not the gen 1 GTI? That's what I'd get (if a decent one could be found).

#116 of 130 Re: From today's AutoWeek... [hpmctorque] by MrShift@Edmunds HOST

Mar 13, 2009 (8:14 am)

Replying to: hpmctorque (Mar 12, 2009 7:44 pm)
Yes excellent list; however I'd just delete the Delorean as hopeless, as well as the Lotus Esprit. I mean, at least the other cars you could USE and hope to get somewhere.
 
It's also good to consider those cars for which there is a strong aftermarket. Not all on this list qualify in that regard but most do.

#117 of 130 Re: From today's AutoWeek... [Mr_Shiftright] by lemmer

Mar 13, 2009 (10:54 am)

Replying to: MrShift@Edmunds (Mar 13, 2009 8:14 am)
No sense buying a mid '80s C4 when you can get a '90s model for a couple bills more.

#118 of 130 Re: From today's AutoWeek... [lemmer] by MrShift@Edmunds HOST

Mar 13, 2009 (11:28 am)

Replying to: lemmer (Mar 13, 2009 10:54 am)
Well C4s are REAL cheap right now....used Daewoo money.
 
But you'll have to put up with mechanical issues and parts falling off---it's part of the deal. I agree, I'd much rather have a C5, even with its big butt.

#119 of 130 Re: From today's AutoWeek... [Mr_Shiftright] by garv214

Mar 13, 2009 (4:38 pm)

Replying to: MrShift@Edmunds (Mar 13, 2009 11:28 am)
Very true. My 85 had only 19K original miles (purchased in 2004) but all of the build quality you would expect from a mid-80s GM product. Lots of bang for the buck though.

#120 of 130 Re: From today's AutoWeek... [garv214] by fintail

Mar 13, 2009 (6:58 pm)

Replying to: garv214 (Mar 13, 2009 4:38 pm)
I am pretty sure quite a few interior bits on those were lifted from the Celebrity, just as many of the C5 interior bits looked like something from a rental grade Malibu.

Messages Page 12 of 13

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