@@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.
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.
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 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!
@@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.
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.
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.!
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
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.
@@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!
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.
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.
@@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.
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 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.
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 😂
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.
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.
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 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'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.
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 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 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.
@@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 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 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
@@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.. 😅
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.
@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.
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!
Sharp turns In my 89 crown vic make the body want to hop over the front wheels 😂, but I will say, I threw some aluminum heads, a .505 lift cam and some more top end goodies and headers and it’s nowhere near fast, but it gets up and goes
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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!
Something about cars from the 50s-80s. You knew that car was a symbolism of being an all american car. Just the look of it. Diners and those cars. Btw proud owner of a Lincoln Mark iv
Even in the 1980s it was considered an old man's brand. It's surprising Oldsmobile lasted as long as it did. Personally I like them but it's all about sales.
>PlymouthDuster225: Olds sales dropped because their client base grew more sophisticated and the competition improved their offerings. The Aurora was a hail mary attempt to steer the brand away from the Old geezer image and a great car to boot, but the competition was fresh and innovative. This included cars such as the Mazda Millennia and 929, Chrysler 300M, Lexus ES250 and 300, Infiniti I30 etc. The Alero sold well but couldn't carry the entire brand being it's cheapest offering. There was a glut in the market of mid-priced semi luxury cars and someone had to go. Consumers wanted something fresh and new. Olds was 'old'.
@Radford Tataryn Olds got axed in 2004. GM announced their decision back in 2000.....literally at the height of the booming dotcom era. Truth is that Olds was a redundant brand; either Buick goes or Olds goes. Olds went. Pontiac though. Thats was just a weird story. Started as a companion marque; outlived Oakland and all the other companion marques; designed some of the best looking American cars from the 60s through the 80s. Then just stopped trying for its last 20 years?
@@warrenny I was furious and disappointed when GM decided to make a move on pulling the plug Oldsmobile and Pontiac right along with the other three Saab , Hummer , and Saturn now it's down to four brands .
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 .
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.
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.
They're all square, they look more like appliances than the current cars do. xD I believe you're confusing these with the 1950s and 60s cars, which were actual pieces of art. These are just three boxes slapped together.
As a long time Cadillac owner, I'm going to take issue in putting the 80-86 Seville on this list. My mother had the outgoing '79 model and I still wish I had that car. Great styling and good features all around. The '80 Seville was certainly daring in the styling department, but there was something wrong with the proportions. The Chrysler Imperial you featured had a better executed bustle back trunk in my opinion. And then the Seville was hampered with many bad engines that defined the Cadillac malaise period of that era. I don't know why you didn't call out the Olds Diesel engine as the junk it was. I'm amazed it lasted as long as it did. The V8-6-4 engine had its problems but at least the system was easily disabled at your local mechanic. The HT4100 V8 had all kinds of head gasket problems that weren't really solved for a few years. The 4.1L Buick V6 was clearly a "hedge" back then since I'll bet that Cadillac wasn't confident in either the V8-6-4 or the HT4100 during 81-82. The big Fleetwood Brougham on the other hand was a great car....I owned the Coupe De Ville version of the body style back in college...got a used '80 model with the 6.0L big block V8 in 1986. The engines to have were the 6.0L car in 1980 or the 5.7L V8 car later in the decade.
I've seen a lot of people defend the 8-6-4 system by saying you could just disable it. So why pay the extra premium for it to begin with? This was a common enough solution for second or third owners, who were able to pick them up cheap when the original owners were tired of dealing with the problems it created. Unfortunately for GM, they were tired of dealing with Cadillac by that point too.
Christopher Conard please understand that I’m NOT defending the V8-6-4. The idea was a good one...25 years ahead of its time. But the other execution was horrible. I remember reading back then that the cylinder deactivation system went from design to production in 10 months which was inadequate for any kind of real world testing. As a result, the buyers realized two major flaws...the solenoids used to do the activation/deactivation worked ok until they got dirty, which kinda happens in an engine bay. As a result, the engine would get stuck in a certain mode...8, 6 or heaven forbid only 4 cylinders working. And the second problem was the computer management system. An 8 bit computer of the era was just too slow and too weak to handle the demands of a system across all user possibilities. At least if you disabled the system, you got back the 6.0L big block V8 from the 1980 model year, which was based on every Caddy V8 going back to the late 60s. The only solution for the Olds Diesel was to replace the engine with a gas one. But the V8-6-4 was one of the many engine problems during the engine malaise years which didn’t help Cadillac’s reputation. Then there was the Olds Diesel, the early HT4100 years (failing head gaskets), the 1.8L I4 engine in the Cimarron (underpowered, same engine in all the other J-cars)...you get the point. At least the Buick V6 actually worked...the “hedge” engine offered since I suspect that Cadillac knew they were gambling with both V8-6-4 and a hastened HT4100 release. But Cadillac (and GM) was desperate back then to deal with the newer CAFE standards and two oil shocks on their sales. The result ended the argument that Cadillac was the same Dewar trophy company of the previous 70 years.
@midnitesquirldog1 the Buick dealership service manager told my dad," those are either the worst car you ever had or one of the best, looks like you got a good one" lol
Excellent video. I remember every last one of those cars of the '80s and wished I had a few of them. The Imperial and the 5th Avenue. I had a 1985 Lincoln Towncar I bought used in 1996. Loved it. It had an all leather top which seemed to be rare at that time.
The interiors were plush and elegant and made to feel like you were at home. Try and find that in any of today's cars, they're so cold and sterile.
Rich Santoro so true!
But that plastic wood is pretty hideous.
At least you won’t get mangled in a 30 mph head on
@@jayartz8562 I love plastic wood. It's the next best thing after real wood.
Yes, but at least the modern cars have way more power and (most) of them don't all look the same like these cars do.
Man!! Who here thinks that cherry/wine red Fleetwood looks like an incredible work of art??
Love that car and color. Wow!!
Beautiful smooth riding car, but bad engine choices.
I do!!! I never had one of these cars but they all make me feel like I miss them so much. I don't know why, I am even not old enough.
The American cars of the 60 70 and 80s had the best colors and interior and luxury.. Terrible engines though..
@@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.
@@extremedrivr Engines in the 80s were sub standard. But 60s-early 70s were powerful!
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.
My 1980 Olds ninety Eight has pillow top velour seats that are still like new and has a rocket 350 for smooth driving with old school reliability.
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!
When on vacation we always rented the Lincoln Town Car. Great ride and enough power.
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.
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 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.
Had an 86 Dodge Diplomat with the 318. One of the most reliable cars qe have owned
@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!
Yes, reliability was reported to be poorer than in the 1st-gen Sevilles
The imperial was so beautiful.
Yea I was considering one for my first car but I’m thinkin a pony car of sorts
@@imnotverycreative9137 I'm either going to get an Imperial or a Seville for my first. I'll save up for a DeVille as my second.
I thought so also although did it come off as half-Seville, half-Mark IV.
A clean ‘85-‘89 Towncar still has the look.
I'd like a Signature in white, blue coach roof, white leather with blue piping and digital display.
@@drewburk6309 I forgot about that color combination. It was impossible to keep clean.
@@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.
@@drewburk6309 It was incredibly comfortable. Much better than the leather-interior 93 signature I replaced it with.
I just love that Imperial, especially the Frank Sinatra edition.
Me to
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.
@@lancedukel3436 silver with maroon was such a dominant color combination back then, beautiful, try to get that color combination now on anything.
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.
Of all the cars I've had , I miss The 5th ave the most . It was a great car.
Ever watch Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul?
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.
I think that would make a good daily driver today, not too big, not overly complex, but very classy.
The Fifth Avenue was my first car. They don't make them like that anymore not expensive to maintain and easy to work on.
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.!
The last elegant looking Cadillac.
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.
They're "Plastillacs" now..☹☹
@@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.
The Cadillac Seville from 1980-1985 is my favorite car do to my dad having a white Seville with a navy blue soft top. It just brings back memories
IMHO, the Imperial was the finest styling of all these offerings. I thought it had "stealth fighter" cues.
My grandpa had cars like these I love them all super comfortable and smooth on the road
The ads for 80s cars were beautiful
I had a 1989 4: door town car which had one of the smoothest ride that is unmatched to this day.
I love mine!
My Aunt had an 89 TOWN CAR CARTIER.. I agree nothing was SMOOTHER than that cars engine.. Like driving a GHOST CAR!! Undescribable Quietness!!!!
My Dad drove a dark blue Seville HT4100, I thought it was a handsome car, the rear-end looked very custom. Nice proportions for a bustle-back.
Kurt Hirschfield looks like it was in a rear end collision to me.
@@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!!
Ht4100, the worst engine to be had.
..mnbvvcxxsaasdg
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 owned a 1987 Chevy Caprice and my Parents owned a Pontiac Parisienne back in the day and boy were they comfortable and spacious .
1989 Buick park ave ultra, best car I've ever owned, unbelievable smooth ride
I always wanted to drive one of those. I always preferred Buick Park Aves to Olds 98's. They had nicer interiors and dashboards.
I remember Frank Sinatra drove an Imperial in one of the "Cannonball Run" movies. I'd forgotten that he did ads for it, too. Great video!
IIRC in Cannonball II he drove a Chrysler Laser, basically a Dodge Daytona with a badge change.
@@JrGoonior Oh, ok. Thanks for the correction! 👍
@@JrGoonior Plymouth... not Chrysler.
pancudowny You’re thinking of the mid 90’s version built by Mitsubishi. Plymouth in the 80’s didn’t have a Daytona variant...
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 had the honor of working at a Chrysler dealer and on the 5th Ave. Great car!
I’d have displaced some of those picks with the Olds 98 and Buick Park Av
You Are Correct Sir.
flyonbyya ...yep...Park Ave....awesome car....
Wasn't the big Buick available with the 3.8 turbo engine for a while? That could be an interesting car.
@@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.
Big fan of big American cars I wish there were still here . Thanks guys from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺👏👏👏💚💛
Love these mini reportages. Keep em coming.
I’d replace the New Yorker with the Olds 98 Regency Brougham. Good video!
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.
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.
Thanks again for the memory, loved the fifth Avenue and my uncle Tony had a '81 caddy Fleetwood brougham model and it was a nice and big car
I owned a Fifth Avenue a few years ago, and loved it, though it needed a lot of work. Had to sell it due to that.
That Imperial would make an awesome retro rod! Hellcat motor.....
Naaaah, Cummins and a six inch lift. (I kid)
@@MrJett1971 Now it must be done!
@Michael M. Agreed. Very sharp, the only problem as Old Car Guy noted was the engine and electronics. You never see these on the road.
tecums3h i would prefer a boxer 4 turbo from the sti. Way better motor and will fit better in this chasis
@@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!
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.
Orojugen ....Headliners are easily fixed.
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 thought they also put 360s in the 5th Avenue? Guess not
@@richardbutton1179 I think the 360 was dropped after 1980 or 81
I own a 1981 Oldsmobile Delta 88 today and boy does she float like a magic carpet ride .
The Town Car and the Imperial were the best looking of them all, however.
I remember riding in the fleetwood!
that confort!
The last real Caddy.
@Nick J I don't think so as far as I remember
Love those Lincoln Town Cars I had three of them 88 89 89 rolled like no other car made smooth as could be couch on wheels
Dad had one remember badge on it saying"Ride engineered by Lincoln Mercury"
Agree. I’ve ridden in many 80’s Town Cars and the ride was like floating on a cloud
@@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.
When Ford downsized the Continental/Towncar after 79 they wanted to keep that Lincoln ride in the newer
and did so very well.
@@socalltd I wholeheartedly agree with your statement, 100%. My '85 has that "pillow on a cloud" ride those big ones were known for.
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 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.
What's the purpose of posting your title here?
@@giggiddy I know, right?
It’s not a “Brome”... It’s a “Bro-Ham”....
No. Its Broam. There's only one syllable.
broh-uh m....accent 1st syllable. (source: dictionary.com)
😂 all the bro-hams from the hood loved these second hand monsters in the 90’s
Brougham, like Gotham city..;-)
@@BT_aka_PET_ROOSTER sup brohammie😛
As a child, the moment I first laid eyes on the Cadillac Seville with the distinctive trunk, I fell in love.
yeah i remember when those 79 models came out too and then Lincoln copied that style with the Versaille
Splendid social distancing cars. Way ahead of time.
Pure luxury cars
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 😂
The Chrysler interiors were breathtaking, and I will never forget the dieseling of the GM cars of that era.
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.
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.
I had an '85 Brougham. The 4.1L was pretty tough. I ran it hard at 70-75 mph. It held up well.
The Fifth Avenue's seats were freaking amazing. So plush and comfortable. I had the pleasure to drive all of these cruisers.
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!
@retroguy94 yeah those are running on collectable car tier zone. $20k+ when you find one
We had a 86 5th Avenue great car my dad got new in 86 gave us years of great service
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'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've would've included the Mark VII on the list as well.
@@donaldwilson2620 I agree. I was going to mentioned that one, too. I think they both belong on here. I guess they didn't make his top 5.
Wow. Great edition of a great car. Best of the bustlebacks in my opinion.
This is a an opinion slightly factual slightly not undocumentary CZcams video
I love my 1981 Imperial.
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
Great job. I look forward to the next video.
My favorite one is the Fifth Avenue
You forgot the 80 to 83 Cordoba,
And Mirada- Magnum!
Yeah the 80-83 Córdoba was almost as beautiful as the Imperial, such beautiful cars!
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
Great body style of the 81-83 Imperial
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.
You forgot the Bonneville
@@markueberschaar6855 The Bonneville was a yawn. The Olds and Buick counterparts smothered it. I think people just looked to Pontiac for sportier autos.
thanks I own a 1984
Fifth Avenue, inherited from my late grand father
Alain Bourassa it still runs? I rarely see any in Southern California
@@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 !
authority5150 Doubt it would be “street legal”.
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.
The fifth Avenue was one of my favorite cars just pure luxury
the 81 Imperial is awesome
Keep the 1980's Alive and Kicking!
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
Lol
Really
Lincoln Town Car was my all time favorite. A good friend of mine had one and I loved riding in it. It was so smooth and quiet on the road!
The worst thing the US auto industry did was switch to front wheel drive!
Stephen Velden why? Front wheel drive is better in snow
Agree!
@@ephraimfink9010 but way worse on ice which you're more likely to encounter on the road
@@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.. 😅
I don’t think so Frond Field drive is always better.
Looking back, these were great looking cars..!
I was too young at the time to appreciate...
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!!.
I've read that the most reliable of the three Cadillac disastrous engines was the V-8-6-4 if the cumbersome engine management software was disabled.
@@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.
@@drewburk6309 Also forgot to mention, the last true big block V-8 engine Cadillac manufactured, was the 425 cid. Had one in my 78 Eldorado.
Awesome cars!
man, i LOVED both the Imperial & the 5th Avenue
A GM guy here. Loved those Sevilles but I also loved those Chrysler Imperials. An amazing looking car.
Chrysler Imperial was the best!!!
@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.
So nostalgic and reminiscent of my childhood - thank you for this!!!
Those 1981 Imperials were very handsome cars.
Thanks for this video!! I put it on Loop and Slept like a Baby for 5 hours!! Great Nap :)
I'd like to have the 1980 Cadillac Deville/Fleetwood 4 door sedan with the cast iron 368ci V8 engine.
I had a lovely 79 D'Elegance with the 7.0L (425)
@@briankeller3249 D'Elegance. Back when they gave cars sexy names. Now they are a letter and a number or two. So sterile
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!
I've seen a Frank Sinatra edition Imperial in my local area in real nice condition...
I think the 1980 to 1983 Lincoln Continental Mark VI should have made this list. Gorgeous cars.
All these cars handled like water beds. Had huge under powered engines that guzzle gas. This is how Europeans and Japanese took over.
Sharp turns In my 89 crown vic make the body want to hop over the front wheels 😂, but I will say, I threw some aluminum heads, a .505 lift cam and some more top end goodies and headers and it’s nowhere near fast, but it gets up and goes
I owned a 1985 Seville elegante for many years, sable black with silver ..
an eye catcher u can imagine here in Germany.. 🇺🇸
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.
I have a 1994 Fleetwood bro ham , has Lt 1 5.7 v-8 runs and drives good..All the youngsters want to buy it ..
*its, not it's 😊
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!
Drove 81 imperial for 7 years,great car 318 was underpowered.
steve Janet Everything was underpowered in the ‘80’s.
Swap in a 360 4bbl in that Imperial !
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
The classic old school american tanks, the V8 Rear Wheel Drive monsters, sadly they are a dying breed now.
aaaaand body on frame!
@Terry Melvin SUV killed full size sedans since 1996
@@me.with.my.self. SUV killed the stations wagons as well
Terry Melvin they like their wagons and sedans in europe still.
@Terry Melvin The most popular euro full-size sedans; A8, 7 series and S class all offer RWD with V8 and V12 engines
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.
I never understood that cut off trunk on the Seville. Never ‘got it’. 👎
I owned an Eldorado for this exact reason.
People laughed at it when it came out.
It's supposed to look like the large chest on the back of a carriage from back in the hose and buggy days.
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.
@@robertmitchell2142 Wow. Great cars. Which of the Lincoln Continentals was your favorite? Were you happy with the 300d?
Beautiful cars. Those interiors will never come back. I prefer Chrysler and Lincoln over Cadillac. Nice selection. Thanks.
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!
81 was the first year for that Imperial. That's the one I had.
Something about cars from the 50s-80s. You knew that car was a symbolism of being an all american car. Just the look of it. Diners and those cars. Btw proud owner of a Lincoln Mark iv
My parents had a 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass. Always wondered why GM quit building Oldsmobiles
Even in the 1980s it was considered an old man's brand. It's surprising Oldsmobile lasted as long as it did. Personally I like them but it's all about sales.
80s cutlass 442 , Hurst olds were some of the nicest looking cars for that decade... lil underpowered but beautiful packages...
>PlymouthDuster225: Olds sales dropped because their client base grew more sophisticated and the competition improved their offerings. The Aurora was a hail mary attempt to steer the brand away from the Old geezer image and a great car to boot, but the competition was fresh and innovative. This included cars such as the Mazda Millennia and 929, Chrysler 300M, Lexus ES250 and 300, Infiniti I30 etc. The Alero sold well but couldn't carry the entire brand being it's cheapest offering.
There was a glut in the market of mid-priced semi luxury cars and someone had to go. Consumers wanted something fresh and new. Olds was 'old'.
@Radford Tataryn Olds got axed in 2004. GM announced their decision back in 2000.....literally at the height of the booming dotcom era. Truth is that Olds was a redundant brand; either Buick goes or Olds goes. Olds went.
Pontiac though. Thats was just a weird story. Started as a companion marque; outlived Oakland and all the other companion marques; designed some of the best looking American cars from the 60s through the 80s. Then just stopped trying for its last 20 years?
@@warrenny I was furious and disappointed when GM decided to make a move on pulling the plug Oldsmobile and Pontiac right along with the other three Saab , Hummer , and Saturn now it's down to four brands .
Always an informative, entertaining video!
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 .
They were just under nineteen thousand in 1981.
Nice cars but far from hand made and far from 30k.
21K for the Mark Ross edition
@@MR-xm4ib all Imperials with leather were Mark Cross, no cost option was velour.
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.
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.
1983 last year;)
ahhhh the era before cars looked like appliances.
They're all square, they look more like appliances than the current cars do. xD
I believe you're confusing these with the 1950s and 60s cars, which were actual pieces of art. These are just three boxes slapped together.
As a long time Cadillac owner, I'm going to take issue in putting the 80-86 Seville on this list. My mother had the outgoing '79 model and I still wish I had that car. Great styling and good features all around. The '80 Seville was certainly daring in the styling department, but there was something wrong with the proportions. The Chrysler Imperial you featured had a better executed bustle back trunk in my opinion. And then the Seville was hampered with many bad engines that defined the Cadillac malaise period of that era. I don't know why you didn't call out the Olds Diesel engine as the junk it was. I'm amazed it lasted as long as it did. The V8-6-4 engine had its problems but at least the system was easily disabled at your local mechanic. The HT4100 V8 had all kinds of head gasket problems that weren't really solved for a few years. The 4.1L Buick V6 was clearly a "hedge" back then since I'll bet that Cadillac wasn't confident in either the V8-6-4 or the HT4100 during 81-82.
The big Fleetwood Brougham on the other hand was a great car....I owned the Coupe De Ville version of the body style back in college...got a used '80 model with the 6.0L big block V8 in 1986. The engines to have were the 6.0L car in 1980 or the 5.7L V8 car later in the decade.
I've seen a lot of people defend the 8-6-4 system by saying you could just disable it. So why pay the extra premium for it to begin with?
This was a common enough solution for second or third owners, who were able to pick them up cheap when the original owners were tired of dealing with the problems it created. Unfortunately for GM, they were tired of dealing with Cadillac by that point too.
Christopher Conard please understand that I’m NOT defending the V8-6-4. The idea was a good one...25 years ahead of its time. But the other execution was horrible. I remember reading back then that the cylinder deactivation system went from design to production in 10 months which was inadequate for any kind of real world testing. As a result, the buyers realized two major flaws...the solenoids used to do the activation/deactivation worked ok until they got dirty, which kinda happens in an engine bay. As a result, the engine would get stuck in a certain mode...8, 6 or heaven forbid only 4 cylinders working. And the second problem was the computer management system. An 8 bit computer of the era was just too slow and too weak to handle the demands of a system across all user possibilities.
At least if you disabled the system, you got back the 6.0L big block V8 from the 1980 model year, which was based on every Caddy V8 going back to the late 60s. The only solution for the Olds Diesel was to replace the engine with a gas one.
But the V8-6-4 was one of the many engine problems during the engine malaise years which didn’t help Cadillac’s reputation. Then there was the Olds Diesel, the early HT4100 years (failing head gaskets), the 1.8L I4 engine in the Cimarron (underpowered, same engine in all the other J-cars)...you get the point.
At least the Buick V6 actually worked...the “hedge” engine offered since I suspect that Cadillac knew they were gambling with both V8-6-4 and a hastened HT4100 release. But Cadillac (and GM) was desperate back then to deal with the newer CAFE standards and two oil shocks on their sales. The result ended the argument that Cadillac was the same Dewar trophy company of the previous 70 years.
@midnitesquirldog1 by 82 it was a decent engine, mom drove her 81 Riviera diesel for 20 years
@midnitesquirldog1 the Buick dealership service manager told my dad," those are either the worst car you ever had or one of the best, looks like you got a good one" lol
Excellent video. I remember every last one of those cars of the '80s and wished I had a few of them. The Imperial and the 5th Avenue. I had a 1985 Lincoln Towncar I bought used in 1996. Loved it. It had an all leather top which seemed to be rare at that time.