We will be turning this list into a series; there is definitely too many cars that had the same potential! Stay tuned for the rest of the videos of the series!
We will be turning this list into a series; there is definitely too many cars that had the same potential! Stay tuned for the rest of the videos of the series!
Right on! I grew up in the 80's and even as a kid I thought it was the biggest POS on the road. It really was and always will be an embarrassment to Cadillac. Fieros were also POS's but at least they tried to do something unique with that car.
had an '88, blew up 4 banger, installed a chevy 4.3 v6 with turbo intercooled and camaro 6 speed, man that thing ran. hit 170mph in montana (lived in CDA idaho) when federal speed limit was dropped, hit 170 mph and belly started dragging the ground, spooooky shite, wedge shape made it squat lower the faster it went. had about 470 hp at the wheels.
The Cadillac Cimmaron shouldn't be on this list because Cadillac just took off Chevy badge and put a Cadillac one on. The Cimmaron was weak, didn't have any difference with the Chevy cavalier and then on top of all this Cadillac had the audacity to charge twice of a Cavalier. Even though later generation got improvements; still the reputation got soiled. Remember you only get 1 chance for a first impression. The big 3 knew small cars were gaining ground; unfortunately they were too lazy to do something about it.
Cimmeron was WAY worst than a cavalier. All the same driveline and suspension pieces, all the overcomplication and troubles that came with early climate control systems and other items Cadillac stuffed into them, stuffed into the same compact space making them a real nightmare to work on, plus the extra weight.
My dad bought the AMC Eagle station wagon. What an excellent car! At the time I jokingly said that a car company screwed up and made a really great car for a change. Then, the series was cancelled and I was convinced that the car was too good and they had to yank it off the market. My dad had the AMC Eagle Wagon for 21 years with no issues, just doing maintenance. It didn't rust, and the drivetrain was fine at 165,000 miles.
I freaking love the AMC Eagle! I watched the other video on this channel that talked about in depth and I was hooked! I plan on finding one and restoring it when I'm financially ready!
I owned 1987 Chrysler TSI Conquest Turbo. Red, black leather interior 5 speed manual transmission. I miss that car so badly, I regret trading it away. It was so advanced with technology. It was fast and rode smoothly, hugged the curves with excellent grip. A very good looking car too, I always got compliments from people about it, beautiful curb appeal. Actually, my car looked just like the red Mitsubishi Starion, in this video.
mine was white with red interior. had the upgraded 9 in. wheels in back with 8 in. in front, ran 235/30/16 tires in front and 265/30/16 in back, pirrelli tires, cornered like it was sitting on rails.
@@peterdarr383 Actually, AMC Eagles were available with the AMC 258 I-6 or the Chevy Iron Duke (2.5L). Ford did not have a 2.5L engine during those years, they had the 2.3L SOHC. The V8 is clearly an engine swap car in any case.
I wasn't around during the time these cars were produced and on the road. But after watching this video, the Sterion was definitely my favorite! Might be because I really like Asian Import cars. Hehe
Cimeron? Seriously? Of course everybody shunned it. It WAS a rebadged Cavalier, complete with Cavalier build quality. It broke no new ground whatsoever. If you wanted a fwd GM on the list, you could've at least gone with the Buick Reatta. It actually did break new ground in luxury.
clicked for the Starion / Conquest.. still want one to this day.. i heard there was a rare few that were made with the same twin stick shifter that the 1981-1984 (mitsubishi made) plymouth champ and dodge colt had... but with a 2.6 liter 4 cylinder.. i had two of those dodge colts, even with the little, i think 1.4, liter engine only making about 70 horsepower, you could smoke the tires even in 3rd, OR use the economy gears and get like 50 miles per gallon (that's not something i read, i actually did both) would have been more impressive with a 2.6 liter, especially if it was turbo, and 5 speed (plus twin stick, for a somewhat 10 speed effect) no idea why they stopped using that twin shifter... but then it probably confused to many people. heck it's rare to find a manual transmission now, nevermind two shifters.
We actually owned a JA Starion which had a 2 litre engine it was a great little car but its biggest downfall was its clutch failures which were sorted out for the JB model.
bad thing about the 2.6, was a truck engine and had a weak bottom end when boosted. great cars though, had an '88 and when the 2.6 blew, installed a 4.3 chevy v6 with turbos and intercooled and kicked it up close to 500 hp at the wheels
Wish these videos would get their facts and AI pronunciations right. Original Seville was a top-of-the-line model, not a 'more affordable' one. It's pronounced STAR-e-on, not STARE -e-on, and the Porsche is called a nine four four or nine 44, not.a 900 44.
It's always fun to look back at cars that had so much potential but were cut short. These could have been the cars that everyone talked about for years. .
The Buick G/N. My car, i have owned 3 of these .two 85s' and an 86'. The last one i drag raced. Tricked it out too much and made it too radical for daily street driving. I wish id kept it.
had one, loved it, wish i never sold it, had the extremely rare borg warner 5 speed manual trans, 90% had autos. only downfall of these was the single speed transfer case, high range only.
Thank you for this video. I loved my Pontiac Fiero. While my opposition may have beat me in top speed, I beat many vehicles off the light - including Porsche 911. I remember the fun I used to have fishtailing down the road when leaving a car wash.
Fierro, I remember never seeing one that wasn't damaged. It became a game among everyone I knew to point out any fierro that didn't have body damage. Always figured they were made cheap and handled poorly.
Actually, they handle rather well, even by today's standards where everything feels like a go-kart. But you are spot-on with the observation of poor quality. Even back when the cars were new, you had to be careful with the interior plastics - especially if you were swapping out a radio. It was easy to snap the plastic bits, crack pieces, or totally bore out the plastic holes in the dash meant to accept metal screws. You had to be very delicate. Now that the earliest Fiero is 40 years old, the plastic components are that much more brittle. The door panels and the bumpers used a flexible plastic, and after all of these years, you can usually still bend those components without harm. The hood, roof panel, and decklid, which many mistake for fiberglass, are not flexible - they break just as easy as a fiberglass panel would. Front fenders and lower rear skirts below the belt line are yet another type of plastic - the kind that cracks nicely when hit hard. The good news is all of the panels can be repaired rather easily. I'm the second owner of a Fiero I drove when it was still very new, and I was just a young guy.
The way I remember the Fiero is that sales tanked because they became nearly uninsurable. Pontiac gave it a v6 and body kit but the car had terrible handling. By the time the car finally got a great suspension and 5spd, it was already too late
The Starion was Mitsubishi's answer to the Supra and the Z cars that were dominating the market. My friend had one and that car handled SOO nicely and was FUN to drive! I really dug the looks and think it could be relevant even today!
In HS, My Girlfriend Megan who is just under 5 foot tall,, purchased a Bright Red 1989 Mitsubishi Starion GSR-VR wide-body... She drove back and fourth to school and she said every time she hit the gas hard it scared the sheet outta Her... She said once an officer stopped her for speeding but when he realized she was actually shakin up from driving it, He let her off with a warning...I had to agree the Starion was quick and it moved like Robocop was behind the wheel... 😁🤣🤣💜💜💜♥️♥️♥️
Concerning the Fiero, I think you really missed an important fact concerning 'the improved handling' in the later years which you just glossed over. GM hired Lotus Engineering (yeah - Lotus Sports Cars/F1 Racing engineering fame!) to sort out/improve/fix the handling of the Fiero in the last couple model years of its production. This car was truly poised to take on the world had a 2nd generation been authorized. GM shortsidedness strikes again.
I would loved to have owned a AMC Eagle. I also do miss my Pontiac's for me specifically My 86 Sunbird, 88 and 92 Grand AM's and 99 Grand PRIX. But the Fiero was a nice car. Another car not mentioned was the the Chevrolet Beretta.
The Cimarron was such a great car. Its Opel platform did really well in Europe and competed well there against rivals from BMW and VW. Adding a V6 seemed to give it the power Americans wanted, yet it still flopped. Same with the Catera 15 years later. Also same with the Pontiac G8. All were great sports sedans that just didn’t hit the fancies and whims of the American market I guess
The GNX was my dream car but getting one was next to impossible. Had to settle for a white 87 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe, later would get another in black. Ive also owned later a Fiero and Cavalier Z24 and Conquest tsi. If i were rich enough to have a massive car collection it wouldn't be a bunch of exotics. It would be all the 30+ cars I've owned over my life and and modify them all to my liking and purchase all the cars i wanted but have yet to get.
Owned two 1987 Chrysler conquest TSIs beautiful car,very underrated and only problem is I live in New England and didn't have a garage to keep them in during winter and didn't drive them much in the snow they were death traps😂😂😂 on winter road conditions but still had fun and yeah,they were made of fuckin God awful steel the frame and body by the time I crashed one and sold the utta they were so rotted that they couldn't pass inspection!!! I still look for them💯😁but only from FL,AZ,CA,and TX where rust is none-extremely minimal but they're definitely an awesome classic I called them the IROC and 5.0 killers because they're more than capable and I have granted the stangs and maros were most likely stock but then again my black conquest wasn't stock but my red one was,miss those cars!!😢
hahahaha. had an '88, made the mistake one witer( CDA idaho area) of not changing out from summer tires, 265/30/16 to winter tires, 225/70/16 snow tires, and put in the median a couple times that winter on interstate 90 from spokane to CDA. miss that car.
@@GMCOGRE DAMN!!yeah someone told me I should "stud" the tires on mine once and I said huhaha🤌🤣whatta fahhkin idiot as I'm calling triple A and telling insurance company "danm bucks,they just run outta nowhere!!!"got plenty for check but technically car wasn't totalled and owned 3 but #3 was spare parts car so both fenders/hood/grill/radiator and fan/by some miracle intercooler was fine!!!🤣🤣🤣paid my cousins bodyshop to paint it,had enough leftover to buy the girlfriend a vacuum cleaner!!!nah a necklace and dinner I'm not suicidal!!!🤣🤣🤣
@@GMCOGRE great friend!!!saddest part is when we lose them as we grow up!!a lotta people called me a madman w/my conquest TSI's...probably staring at my taillights and popular guys w/lotta friends looked at me differently as I smoked thier boys whose parents bought em stangs n maros but yeah had my crew,we didn't have much/got laughed at a lot but not after I humbly showed em all up!!!"Lmfao dudes n chicks literally WTF is that thing???"btw brotha...didn't keep my turbos stock!!!🤌💯🤣🤣🤣
I knew a man that worked on the Cadillac cimeron, all they quality and performance, were taken away by bean counters, he wasnt very happy about finally product, but it did pave the way for caddy front wheel drives in the 90s and on
Had a 1986 Conquest TSI Red 5-speed that car was great had offset wheels for handling drove great that was great car 1 wish never traded it in on a new car 😭
which wheels did it have? there were 2 differnt sizes dependinng on model, 7 inch front and 8 inch rear for standards, 8 inch front 9 inch rare for limiteds. mine had 8's and 9's. ran 235/30/16 front and 265/30/16 rear.
When you showed the comparison between the Cadillac cimeron and chevy cavalier, i noticed a pic of the earlier two headlight cavalier was used. a pic of the 4 headlight cavalier would have made a better example of why it was just a cavalier with leather interior. The 4 headlight cars were almost identical to the Cadillac version. But then again same can be said for a escalade and a taho or Yukon.
I still own the 1989 Conquest TSI the American name. BTW, Starion is the Japanese pronunciation of Stallion. Sad those videos are not stock models. The dash was analog and there were no LED lights. This is the 80's. I know, I have one. and original owner. She is garaged now due to parts problems the cash to fix it but I still turn over the engine every month.
I'm not a fiero guy but an MR2 guy. However, I would love to see a Fiero with GM's 3.6 V6 from the Camaro, rated at 335hp and high revs, mated to a 6spd. I think out of all of GM's modern engines, this is probably the best overall fit for the size and style of the Fiero. GM's turbo 2.0 4 cylinder would also make a good fit but the V6 sounds better and revs higher
@@GMCOGRE IF I was going to do a V8 I'd go with an LS. Weight is an issue for me. However, I don't think a V8 fits the character of the Fiero. I really believe the 335hp 3.6 V6 from the Camaro would be a better fit for the Fiero.
Cooling issues/ reliability killed the Fiero , cooling lines from front to back. The Mitsubishi was super cool, needed an Evo engine. I sure liked the last OG style 81 Trans Am turbo, white, love to do 5.3 forged turbo swap in one of those with a 5 speed manual , Eaton posi , 3.73’s. That 301 was weak and turbo tech was too. Cimeron was the lamest/ugliest Caddy ever. The Pontiac GTA was a cool ride too , black.
Ahh the Starion ESI-R, aka my ole baby, 88 Conquest TSi - I raided a parts catalog of a company never heard of - HKS ! Adjustable boost valve, mandrel-bent exhaust, PFC Fcon computer add-on (I think), and then we butchered some intercooler and finally a sorta home-made ram air-- that little thing boogied down the 1/4 mile at 13.96 at 101.94, and that was a 100 degree day at the old Englishtown Raceway of NJ. Cooler days she ran better and winter, forget about it, she couldn't lose -- Vette's, IROC's, 5.0's, whatever else was around then- destroyed 'em!
hahahaha. first person in a long time i have heard of that knows "khs". blew my 2.6 up over boosting it so installed chevy 4.3 with camaro 6 speed and just ripped everything alive with it, almost 500hp to the rear wheels.
Right now there is a buick grand national just sitting on a lot in escondido CA at a tobacco shop called "Lord puffer". Its black faded with original rims and logos. Its beer sitting in front of this tobacco place for almost 3 plus yrs rain and shine untouched. It sucks its going to waste. It still looks like a f beast.
Horsepower or the lack there of killed the fiero . They should have never put a 4 cylinder in any of those cars . They were sharp , as good looking as any car back then . I had an 88 formula. It made decent power but wouldn’t hold its own with the 5.0 mustangs . I almost believe that its demise was the corvette . Had GM put the grand national V-6 , or even the 4.3 vortex in it . That car would have been the fastest thing available. Given the formulas had the WS-1 suspension. It would have absolutely ended the corvette .
Haha, in high school when I was 16 I knew a girl that had a Cimarron and it was her dream car! 😂 She thought it was a real Cadillac and was very proud and bragged. She was cute so I went along with it to get them panties.😂😂😂 Great back seat I will admit! Good times
I owned a 1988 Mitsubishi Starion back in the day with a 4 cylinder twin turbo and that thing was serious I was betting 6 and 8 cylinders through the 1/4 it had a fast hole shoot.
Everything he says about the starion is true, however the cars in the video are all high end custom cars, none of those cars are stock like they come from the factory.
fiero wasnt front drive, was mid engine rear drive, same setup as citation but in the back, still had same front steering hubs just setup so wouldnt turn. my sister had one.
The Fiero was just a bad car, trying to ride the coattails of the Toyota MR2 (which should never have been discontinued). Then the Fords, the Merkur XR4Ti and the Scorpio, the Mustang SVO and the Taurus SHO. The Cadillac Allante was far more european in design than the Cimarron and was another car to be nixxed that should have kept going. All 80's cars. While we are at it the current V8 Dodge cars should be kept alive and continue to be developed with electric engines that compliment the V8's. There have been so many, and how about brands, was there a more inventive car company than Studebaker? It should have been saved and kept building and developing cars.
Fiero were quite embarrassing to drive because they were so darn heavy and under-powered lol. The GT models did look pretty darn cool though. Imagine pulling up to a stop light and getting your doors absolutely blown off by a POS Dodge Aries K car 4 door because they weighed several hundred pounds less and had very similar hp.
The Cavalier, the Cimarron was built on the "J-Body" platform which was GM's lame, late to the party attempt to compete with the then new FWD compact(now what we now call midsize) sedans like the Toyota Camry and the mighty Honda Accord coming out of Japan
The Mitsubishi Starion was a great car and fun to drive-unlike most Mitsubishi cars it has a more timeless look. I still wish I had one today! It was not as reliable as a Toyota.
What about their SALES would justify continuance? That's why vehicles exist. Videos saying how wonderful X vehicle was have nothing to do with why they were dropped. Most of these went to the crusher despite being cheap used because people who actually OWNED them didn't miss 'em.
some were killed off due to internal corporate rivalries, GNX and CYCLONE both out ran vettes, which is what got them killed. chevy ceo went to GM main corp and cried like little bitch.
The Eagle was really the first SUV of sorts, car / 4X4. The problem with the Eagle was the viscous clutch system, horrendous gas mileage, and the usual rust problems. And then small front wheel drive cars, just like a Communist "peoples car," sad.
How in hell did such a putrid car like the _Scumarron_ make this or ANY so-called 'badass' list? J-bodies were the embodiment of throwaway transport, regardless of what GM brand is pasted on the bodywork.
Funny how australia got the mitai sigma turbo from 1980 that was a performer in its own right with the scorpian the starion was always front wheel drive in australia
Hey the 8:43 min mark that is no Mitsubishi turbo G54B engine under the hood of that Starion but an Chevy V8 LS swapped example. I had the Starion's predecessor the 1983 Dodge Challenger aka Plymouth Sapporo aka Mitsubishi Galant Lambda in the Japanese home market. So I know what a 2.6 liter 4 cylinder G54B looks like.
The 5 cars on this list are examples of why the best cars of the 80's were produced in the 60's. I graduated high school in 1989. As a high school kid I drove a 1967 Cougar. I was blowing the doors off of Camaros and Mustangs of the time, and keeping up with Corvettes. No car on this list was anywhere near as fast as my Cougar. The AMC Eagle's "powerful" 4.2L inline 6 made 112 hp. The Grand National's "formidable" 200 hp making it the premiere muscle car of its time just proves the muscle cars of its time sucked. The 300 hp of the GNX was actually pretty respectable, however. "Compact" Cadillac? That just doesn't work. More evidence that the 80's were a bad car decade. The 2.8L V6 provided a performance boost - all the way up to 130 hp. That's not much performance. Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R with 188 hp? That's anemic by today's standards. "It wasn't just fast." Actually, it just wasn't fast - only seemed like it in 1988. The Iconic Pontiac Fiero? The Fiero was Iconic for being a crappy car. It had cool styling but was woefully underpowered and suffered from reliability issues and poor quality in materials and craftsmanship. With similar styling, the Toyota MR2 was far superior car to the Fiero, which may be why it continued into 2007 with the MR2 Spyder.
Settle down. I'm sure your 67 Cougar was hotter than a Dusenberg SSJ. The Cimmaron was a joke, nobody had good to say about it but GM. The AMC Eagle wasn't built to drag race your 67 Cougar, and AMC was hamstrung with having no cash and just trying to survive. The I-6 did a decent job and with all the smog shit removed and some hot rodding tricks it could be a OK engine. The Grand National was a fast car. Period. I rode in a brand new 87 and it would have probably taken my 73 Z/28. The track numbers on those cars don't lie. What GM did to PMD and the Fiero is a national crime. I knew of plenty of them around when they were new. I never knew anyone who had one catch on fire, or rattle apart, or certainly rust to death. Most around the Midwest just had a gazillion miles put on and they wore out the crappy Iron Dukes or 2.8. The Buick GN motor or a 3800SC is the engine that the platform really deserved, and by 88 PMD had finally gotten the suspension in Fiero they always wanted. Fiero was still a decent selling car but GM politics played a part in it's demise, from what I gathered.
@@seththomas9105 I actually liked the Monte Carlo SS (one of my favorite cars if I'm being honest). That was the chevy version of the GN. But the best cars in the 80's were all built in the 60's (and early 70's - there wasn't much good going on after 71). The Chevy 350 in your Z28 was rated at 245 hp. In 1970 the Z/28 Special Performance Package had a 350 producing 360 hp, and there was big block 396 in 1970 that made 375 hp. And those motors, including the one in your Z/28 were torque monsters compared to today's engines (and the engines in the 80s). The motor in my Cougar was rated at 250 hp, but produced 355 lbft of torque - and torque is what gets you off the line.
@@seththomas9105 GNX was also under rated for insurance purposes, most had way more power than stated. my eagle wagon had the 5 speed trans which was way better than any of the rest of the ones they put out. 258 jeep straight six you couldnt kill.
I cannot believe that the Cadillac Cimeron made the list.
I agree. Horrible cars.
We will be turning this list into a series; there is definitely too many cars that had the same potential! Stay tuned for the rest of the videos of the series!
We will be turning this list into a series; there is definitely too many cars that had the same potential! Stay tuned for the rest of the videos of the series!
Agree. Cimeron it was PS back then and still is now.
Right on! I grew up in the 80's and even as a kid I thought it was the biggest POS on the road. It really was and always will be an embarrassment to Cadillac. Fieros were also POS's but at least they tried to do something unique with that car.
That fierro had so much potential....
Yes. Perfect for a "Lamborghini" body kit.
i loved my 87 gt so much fun to drive
They had justFINALLY got it sorted out
you do know chevy SBC fits in them....riiiiight?
it was a fudgepacker car
The Cadillac Cimaron was a rebadge Chevy Cavalier. A piece of 💩
FACTS !
A total turd
exactly
My uncle owned a 1989 Chrysler conquest tsi. That's one of my favorite cars. That thing would fly and looked great
Indeed... Sharp looking car. Great idea. My neighbor had one in 1988.
Had one in 89...Man that was an amazing car! Definitely unique.
had an '88, blew up 4 banger, installed a chevy 4.3 v6 with turbo intercooled and camaro 6 speed, man that thing ran. hit 170mph in montana (lived in CDA idaho) when federal speed limit was dropped, hit 170 mph and belly started dragging the ground, spooooky shite, wedge shape made it squat lower the faster it went. had about 470 hp at the wheels.
The Cadillac Cimmaron shouldn't be on this list because Cadillac just took off Chevy badge and put a Cadillac one on. The Cimmaron was weak, didn't have any difference with the Chevy cavalier and then on top of all this Cadillac had the audacity to charge twice of a Cavalier. Even though later generation got improvements; still the reputation got soiled. Remember you only get 1 chance for a first impression. The big 3 knew small cars were gaining ground; unfortunately they were too lazy to do something about it.
Cimmeron was WAY worst than a cavalier. All the same driveline and suspension pieces, all the overcomplication and troubles that came with early climate control systems and other items Cadillac stuffed into them, stuffed into the same compact space making them a real nightmare to work on, plus the extra weight.
the Z24 was a much better car
The Grand National definitely should have not been discontinued.
AMEN, AMEN...
My dad bought the AMC Eagle station wagon. What an excellent car! At the time I jokingly said that a car company screwed up and made a really great car for a change. Then, the series was cancelled and I was convinced that the car was too good and they had to yank it off the market. My dad had the AMC Eagle Wagon for 21 years with no issues, just doing maintenance. It didn't rust, and the drivetrain was fine at 165,000 miles.
The AMC Eagle is actually our favorite from this list! Stay tuned for the rest of the videos of this series!
I freaking love the AMC Eagle! I watched the other video on this channel that talked about in depth and I was hooked! I plan on finding one and restoring it when I'm financially ready!
My Eagle Wagon was equipped with a CB radio,
had one, 258 6cyl with 5 speed borg warner trans, extremely rare as 90% had auto trans. loved it ran great, only issue was single speed transfer case
I owned 1987 Chrysler TSI Conquest Turbo. Red, black leather interior 5 speed manual transmission. I miss that car so badly, I regret trading it away. It was so advanced with technology. It was fast and rode smoothly, hugged the curves with excellent grip. A very good looking car too, I always got compliments from people about it, beautiful curb appeal. Actually, my car looked just like the red Mitsubishi Starion, in this video.
Gun metal blue, 5 speed...It was like a shot off the line! Handled amazing and a great cruiser as well.
mine was white with red interior. had the upgraded 9 in. wheels in back with 8 in. in front, ran 235/30/16 tires in front and 265/30/16 in back, pirrelli tires, cornered like it was sitting on rails.
Downvoted for computer generated voiceover
Awe do you need a tissue?
says "5-speed manual" shows automatic shifter. - Cimmarron
Said 2.5 ford - shows a 302 Boss
@@peterdarr383 Actually, AMC Eagles were available with the AMC 258 I-6 or the Chevy Iron Duke (2.5L). Ford did not have a 2.5L engine during those years, they had the 2.3L SOHC. The V8 is clearly an engine swap car in any case.
The AI mispronounced names are almost intolerable.
I noticed that as well
Porsche nine hundred and fourty four 😂
Cav-al-ier 🧐🥖🧀
The majority of YT is becoming AI junk.
The videos i make are real people talking.
the Starion absolutely takes its styling cues from the 944...
GM tested a turbo variant. It put the corvette to shame. That was one of the reasons Pontiac was restricted from continuing the brand.
gmc cyclone was the same, killed off cause it out ran the vette. also with all wheel drive cornered way better than a vette
My neighbor had a Mitsubishi Starion, that was a badass car.
We agree! Please let your neighbor know that their old car was featured on our channel! =)
I wasn't around during the time these cars were produced and on the road. But after watching this video, the Sterion was definitely my favorite! Might be because I really like Asian Import cars. Hehe
had an '88 conquest tsi, was awesome.
Cimeron? Seriously? Of course everybody shunned it. It WAS a rebadged Cavalier, complete with Cavalier build quality. It broke no new ground whatsoever. If you wanted a fwd GM on the list, you could've at least gone with the Buick Reatta. It actually did break new ground in luxury.
So…Chrysler bought AMC to then kill a successful vehicle. They said, “We’ll show the world how we can really build crappy cars!”
clicked for the Starion / Conquest.. still want one to this day.. i heard there was a rare few that were made with the same twin stick shifter that the 1981-1984 (mitsubishi made) plymouth champ and dodge colt had... but with a 2.6 liter 4 cylinder..
i had two of those dodge colts, even with the little, i think 1.4, liter engine only making about 70 horsepower, you could smoke the tires even in 3rd, OR use the economy gears and get like 50 miles per gallon (that's not something i read, i actually did both) would have been more impressive with a 2.6 liter, especially if it was turbo, and 5 speed (plus twin stick, for a somewhat 10 speed effect)
no idea why they stopped using that twin shifter... but then it probably confused to many people. heck it's rare to find a manual transmission now, nevermind two shifters.
We actually owned a JA Starion which had a 2 litre engine it was a great little car but its biggest downfall was its clutch failures which were sorted out for the JB model.
I have a 1988 red conquest tsi 5 speed, sunroof 55k original miles for sale. If you're interested. BTW 15k
@@kosmashionidis here in Australia the ones that come up are usually more than that. Would love one but I just bought a new bike.
bad thing about the 2.6, was a truck engine and had a weak bottom end when boosted. great cars though, had an '88 and when the 2.6 blew, installed a 4.3 chevy v6 with turbos and intercooled and kicked it up close to 500 hp at the wheels
Can’t believe you showcase modified cars in this. That Eagle is unrecognizable lol
The Caddy was true garbage,
Say that
Wish these videos would get their facts and AI pronunciations right. Original Seville was a top-of-the-line model, not a 'more affordable' one. It's pronounced STAR-e-on, not STARE -e-on, and the Porsche is called a nine four four or nine 44, not.a 900 44.
Ahhh..The Cadillac Cinnabon.....the v-6 version with a 5 sp scooted along fairly well
It's always fun to look back at cars that had so much potential but were cut short. These could have been the cars that everyone talked about for years. .
We completely agree! We'll be producing more videos like this so stay tuned!
I agree! I wasn't around to see these cars on the streets, but watching this video made me realize how cars today are just so lame.
Bro goes straight to "hold me beer" mode with the AMC Eagle. 😂
Station/conquest was such an amazing car. so underrated.
The Buick G/N. My car, i have owned 3 of these .two 85s' and an 86'. The last one i drag raced. Tricked it out too much and made it too radical for daily street driving. I wish id kept it.
Wow!
A friend's first car was a 4 door AMC Eagle. That thing was ahead of it's time. Great vehicle. Especially for North Dakota.
One of my friends from work had one of those 4×4 Eagle Wagons. Its too bad that they dont make them anymore.
We agree!
had one, loved it, wish i never sold it, had the extremely rare borg warner 5 speed manual trans, 90% had autos. only downfall of these was the single speed transfer case, high range only.
Thank you for this video. I loved my Pontiac Fiero. While my opposition may have beat me in top speed, I beat many vehicles off the light - including Porsche 911. I remember the fun I used to have fishtailing down the road when leaving a car wash.
Yours was clearly not fitted with an automatic transmission mated to the Iron Duke. ;-)
Fierro, I remember never seeing one that wasn't damaged. It became a game among everyone I knew to point out any fierro that didn't have body damage.
Always figured they were made cheap and handled poorly.
Actually, they handle rather well, even by today's standards where everything feels like a go-kart. But you are spot-on with the observation of poor quality. Even back when the cars were new, you had to be careful with the interior plastics - especially if you were swapping out a radio. It was easy to snap the plastic bits, crack pieces, or totally bore out the plastic holes in the dash meant to accept metal screws. You had to be very delicate. Now that the earliest Fiero is 40 years old, the plastic components are that much more brittle. The door panels and the bumpers used a flexible plastic, and after all of these years, you can usually still bend those components without harm. The hood, roof panel, and decklid, which many mistake for fiberglass, are not flexible - they break just as easy as a fiberglass panel would. Front fenders and lower rear skirts below the belt line are yet another type of plastic - the kind that cracks nicely when hit hard. The good news is all of the panels can be repaired rather easily. I'm the second owner of a Fiero I drove when it was still very new, and I was just a young guy.
The way I remember the Fiero is that sales tanked because they became nearly uninsurable. Pontiac gave it a v6 and body kit but the car had terrible handling. By the time the car finally got a great suspension and 5spd, it was already too late
I had an 87 Mitsubishi starion in gold. I loved that car. Unfortunately it got stolen and when I got it back it was pretty much stripped.
The Starion was Mitsubishi's answer to the Supra and the Z cars that were dominating the market. My friend had one and that car handled SOO nicely and was FUN to drive! I really dug the looks and think it could be relevant even today!
Grand National is a sorely missed car
In HS, My Girlfriend Megan who is just under 5 foot tall,, purchased a Bright Red 1989 Mitsubishi Starion GSR-VR wide-body... She drove back and fourth to school and she said every time she hit the gas hard it scared the sheet outta Her... She said once an officer stopped her for speeding but when he realized she was actually shakin up from driving it, He let her off with a warning...I had to agree the Starion was quick and it moved like Robocop was behind the wheel... 😁🤣🤣💜💜💜♥️♥️♥️
I love the people on here commenting that the Cimmeron was a rebadged Cavalier. As if they're the first one to notice that.
Concerning the Fiero, I think you really missed an important fact concerning 'the improved handling' in the later years which you just glossed over. GM hired Lotus Engineering (yeah - Lotus Sports Cars/F1 Racing engineering fame!) to sort out/improve/fix the handling of the Fiero in the last couple model years of its production. This car was truly poised to take on the world had a 2nd generation been authorized. GM shortsidedness strikes again.
yup, thats when gm bought lotus, made the first gen corvette zr1 that had the lotus v8.
I loved the Starion/Conquest twins.
I had the 88 Fiero GT with t-tops, and that car was not only a looker, but it was fast
I would loved to have owned a AMC Eagle. I also do miss my Pontiac's for me specifically My 86 Sunbird, 88 and 92 Grand AM's and 99 Grand PRIX. But the Fiero was a nice car.
Another car not mentioned was the the Chevrolet Beretta.
Whoever owned a Pontiac Fiero had one or more engines replaced.
The Cimarron was such a great car. Its Opel platform did really well in Europe and competed well there against rivals from BMW and VW. Adding a V6 seemed to give it the power Americans wanted, yet it still flopped. Same with the Catera 15 years later. Also same with the Pontiac G8. All were great sports sedans that just didn’t hit the fancies and whims of the American market I guess
G8/GTO was dropped cause it outran the vette, and was an aus import built by holden in aus.
Man, that Starion was a real nice car. Call me crazy, but if they made that car today, I think people would buy it...
the Cimarron was a POS Cavalier
But.... it had leather seats!
I loved my Eagle wagon. I was planning to buy a 1985 Starion, but I took a test drive, and it broke down, I got an RX7 instead, and kept it 25 years.
Conquest is the best looking and best performance on this list.....
The GNX was my dream car but getting one was next to impossible. Had to settle for a white 87 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe, later would get another in black. Ive also owned later a Fiero and Cavalier Z24 and Conquest tsi. If i were rich enough to have a massive car collection it wouldn't be a bunch of exotics. It would be all the 30+ cars I've owned over my life and and modify them all to my liking and purchase all the cars i wanted but have yet to get.
You included the Cimeron, a Ford Fairmont with hemorrhoids, and not the Eagle Talon TSi??? That car was a blast to drive!
I had an 89 Starion Turbo. Probably my most favorite car.
I remember test driving that Mitsubishi. It talked to you and told you everything that was wrong with it.
Owned two 1987 Chrysler conquest TSIs beautiful car,very underrated and only problem is I live in New England and didn't have a garage to keep them in during winter and didn't drive them much in the snow they were death traps😂😂😂 on winter road conditions but still had fun and yeah,they were made of fuckin God awful steel the frame and body by the time I crashed one and sold the utta they were so rotted that they couldn't pass inspection!!!
I still look for them💯😁but only from FL,AZ,CA,and TX where rust is none-extremely minimal but they're definitely an awesome classic I called them the IROC and 5.0 killers because they're more than capable and I have granted the stangs and maros were most likely stock but then again my black conquest wasn't stock but my red one was,miss those cars!!😢
hahahaha. had an '88, made the mistake one witer( CDA idaho area) of not changing out from summer tires, 265/30/16 to winter tires, 225/70/16 snow tires, and put in the median a couple times that winter on interstate 90 from spokane to CDA. miss that car.
@@GMCOGRE DAMN!!yeah someone told me I should "stud" the tires on mine once and I said huhaha🤌🤣whatta fahhkin idiot as I'm calling triple A and telling insurance company "danm bucks,they just run outta nowhere!!!"got plenty for check but technically car wasn't totalled and owned 3 but #3 was spare parts car so both fenders/hood/grill/radiator and fan/by some miracle intercooler was fine!!!🤣🤣🤣paid my cousins bodyshop to paint it,had enough leftover to buy the girlfriend a vacuum cleaner!!!nah a necklace and dinner I'm not suicidal!!!🤣🤣🤣
@@GMCOGRE originally said owned 2 but really had 3 but she was a parts/roller ya know, nice talkin to ya fella,take care and God bless 💯🇺🇸
@@uttasyda9746 i got lucky, fresh soft snow 2 1/2 ft deep stopped it with out any damage, just had to get a friend to pull me out
@@GMCOGRE great friend!!!saddest part is when we lose them as we grow up!!a lotta people called me a madman w/my conquest TSI's...probably staring at my taillights and popular guys w/lotta friends looked at me differently as I smoked thier boys whose parents bought em stangs n maros but yeah had my crew,we didn't have much/got laughed at a lot but not after I humbly showed em all up!!!"Lmfao dudes n chicks literally WTF is that thing???"btw brotha...didn't keep my turbos stock!!!🤌💯🤣🤣🤣
the Seville description ... "more affordable " ... it was the MOST expesnsive car in the Cadillac line up when introduced
The Eagle 4.2 engine was powerful?😂😂😂😂
4.2 is getting fancy, was same as jeep 258. had one, with 5 speed trans also, very rare.
I knew a man that worked on the Cadillac cimeron, all they quality and performance, were taken away by bean counters, he wasnt very happy about finally product, but it did pave the way for caddy front wheel drives in the 90s and on
the AMC Eagle was a vacuum leak nightmare. Built like a tank, but DEQ emmisions on a smoky engine = unreliable. They left many drivers stranded.
had one, never had an issue with it, ever.
Had a 1986 Conquest TSI Red 5-speed that car was great had offset wheels for handling drove great that was great car 1 wish never traded it in on a new car 😭
which wheels did it have? there were 2 differnt sizes dependinng on model, 7 inch front and 8 inch rear for standards, 8 inch front 9 inch rare for limiteds. mine had 8's and 9's. ran 235/30/16 front and 265/30/16 rear.
The Fiero was Pontiac's attempt at a Ferrari. Even the name sounded similar.
My buddy had a conquest back in 90s with 2 nitrous bottles in passenger side floor
and, the 1984 Fiero definitely gets its styling cues from the X 1/9...
Stylish is not an adjective I’d use to describe the Eagle. Fuglu, however, does.
Wish Mitsubishi would reintroduce the conquest
When you showed the comparison between the Cadillac cimeron and chevy cavalier, i noticed a pic of the earlier two headlight cavalier was used. a pic of the 4 headlight cavalier would have made a better example of why it was just a cavalier with leather interior. The 4 headlight cars were almost identical to the Cadillac version. But then again same can be said for a escalade and a taho or Yukon.
the cimmaron was pure trash
my buddy had a starion . So beautiful
I still own the 1989 Conquest TSI the American name. BTW, Starion is the Japanese pronunciation of Stallion.
Sad those videos are not stock models. The dash was analog and there were no LED lights. This is the 80's. I know, I have one. and original owner. She is garaged now due to parts problems the cash to fix it but I still turn over the engine every month.
when mine blew the 2.6, dropped in a 4.3 chevy turbocharged with 6 speed camaro trans, ran like a bat out of hell.
No one was fooled by a rebadged Cavalier
You lost me on the Cadillac Cavalier. Wtf were you thinking?
The LS3 images while talking about the Starion was funny. They were good looking, but the G54 2.6 was garbage.
I'm not a fiero guy but an MR2 guy. However, I would love to see a Fiero with GM's 3.6 V6 from the Camaro, rated at 335hp and high revs, mated to a 6spd. I think out of all of GM's modern engines, this is probably the best overall fit for the size and style of the Fiero. GM's turbo 2.0 4 cylinder would also make a good fit but the V6 sounds better and revs higher
better yet, chevy SBC fits in the back real easy.
@@GMCOGRE IF I was going to do a V8 I'd go with an LS. Weight is an issue for me. However, I don't think a V8 fits the character of the Fiero. I really believe the 335hp 3.6 V6 from the Camaro would be a better fit for the Fiero.
Cooling issues/ reliability killed the Fiero , cooling lines from front to back. The Mitsubishi was super cool, needed an Evo engine. I sure liked the last OG style 81 Trans Am turbo, white, love to do 5.3 forged turbo swap in one of those with a 5 speed manual , Eaton posi , 3.73’s. That 301 was weak and turbo tech was too. Cimeron was the lamest/ugliest Caddy ever. The Pontiac GTA was a cool ride too , black.
this is a joke, right?
Supra anyone? Yes they went on for a bit , but the style changed to the round dude
Hatch backs used to have room in them
Ahh the Starion ESI-R, aka my ole baby, 88 Conquest TSi - I raided a parts catalog of a company never heard of - HKS ! Adjustable boost valve, mandrel-bent exhaust, PFC Fcon computer add-on (I think), and then we butchered some intercooler and finally a sorta home-made ram air-- that little thing boogied down the 1/4 mile at 13.96 at 101.94, and that was a 100 degree day at the old Englishtown Raceway of NJ. Cooler days she ran better and winter, forget about it, she couldn't lose -- Vette's, IROC's, 5.0's, whatever else was around then- destroyed 'em!
hahahaha. first person in a long time i have heard of that knows "khs". blew my 2.6 up over boosting it so installed chevy 4.3 with camaro 6 speed and just ripped everything alive with it, almost 500hp to the rear wheels.
Right now there is a buick grand national just sitting on a lot in escondido CA at a tobacco shop called "Lord puffer". Its black faded with original rims and logos. Its beer sitting in front of this tobacco place for almost 3 plus yrs rain and shine untouched. It sucks its going to waste. It still looks like a f beast.
probably over priced also.
I could have sworn that my friend way back when had a Mitsubishi Conquest, not the Starion.
conquest was chrysler version, had a couple. starion was mitsu version. still, same car.
Horsepower or the lack there of killed the fiero .
They should have never put a 4 cylinder in any of those cars .
They were sharp , as good looking as any car back then . I had an 88 formula. It made decent power but wouldn’t hold its own with the 5.0 mustangs .
I almost believe that its demise was the corvette .
Had GM put the grand national V-6 , or even the 4.3 vortex in it .
That car would have been the fastest thing available.
Given the formulas had the WS-1 suspension. It would have absolutely ended the corvette .
AI narration is brutal!! Porsche nine hundred forty four? Thanks for watching please?
Haha, in high school when I was 16 I knew a girl that had a Cimarron and it was her dream car! 😂 She thought it was a real Cadillac and was very proud and bragged. She was cute so I went along with it to get them panties.😂😂😂 Great back seat I will admit! Good times
I owned a 1988 Mitsubishi Starion back in the day with a 4 cylinder twin turbo and that thing was serious I was betting 6 and 8 cylinders through the 1/4 it had a fast hole shoot.
twin turbo? wasnt stock i guess. had a couple. which engine was in it,stock 2.6 couldnt handle that kind of boost.
Everything he says about the starion is true, however the cars in the video are all high end custom cars, none of those cars are stock like they come from the factory.
EXTREME CAMBER ALERT ⚠ ⚠
That Fiero has a Reagan/Bush ‘84 bumper sticker heh.
I had an eagle wagon,awesome car,4x4,4 speed manual, and that killer in line 6,great gas mileage also,I blew the rear out,my fault, damn
mine had 5 speed manual, very rare, was great car, wish i never sold it. only downfall was single speed transfer case.
The Conquest too !
The Cimarron was a joke, the Fiero had potential, front wheel drive limited it. The Starion/Conquest was a good car.
fiero wasnt front drive, was mid engine rear drive, same setup as citation but in the back, still had same front steering hubs just setup so wouldnt turn. my sister had one.
I owned a AMC Eagle.. that car was a shitbox. i hated that car and sold it only 4 months of owning it. Car was a money pit.
The Fiero was just a bad car, trying to ride the coattails of the Toyota MR2 (which should never have been discontinued). Then the Fords, the Merkur XR4Ti and the Scorpio, the Mustang SVO and the Taurus SHO. The Cadillac Allante was far more european in design than the Cimarron and was another car to be nixxed that should have kept going. All 80's cars.
While we are at it the current V8 Dodge cars should be kept alive and continue to be developed with electric engines that compliment the V8's. There have been so many, and how about brands, was there a more inventive car company than Studebaker? It should have been saved and kept building and developing cars.
I bought a Fiero in 1984. Still have it. Looks like it just rolled off the production line. No problems.
Sounds like a case of sour grapes.
Fiero were quite embarrassing to drive because they were so darn heavy and under-powered lol. The GT models did look pretty darn cool though. Imagine pulling up to a stop light and getting your doors absolutely blown off by a POS Dodge Aries K car 4 door because they weighed several hundred pounds less and had very similar hp.
Where's the Ford Probe!!!!!!!!!
The Cavalier, the Cimarron was built on the "J-Body" platform which was GM's lame, late to the party attempt to compete with the then new FWD compact(now what we now call midsize) sedans like the Toyota Camry and the mighty Honda Accord coming out of Japan
The Mitsubishi Starion was a great car and fun to drive-unlike most Mitsubishi cars it has a more timeless look. I still wish I had one today! It was not as reliable as a Toyota.
had only 2 weak points, 2.6 truck engine, and 5th gear would rip the splines off in the trans.
What about their SALES would justify continuance? That's why vehicles exist. Videos saying how wonderful X vehicle was have nothing to do with why they were dropped. Most of these went to the crusher despite being cheap used because people who actually OWNED them didn't miss 'em.
some were killed off due to internal corporate rivalries, GNX and CYCLONE both out ran vettes, which is what got them killed. chevy ceo went to GM main corp and cried like little bitch.
8:43 That LS engine tho.
Conquest TSI the best at the time
The Eagle was really the first SUV of sorts, car / 4X4. The problem with the Eagle was the viscous clutch system, horrendous gas mileage, and the usual rust problems. And then small front wheel drive cars, just like a Communist "peoples car," sad.
mine had a "real" clutch and 5 speed trans.
How in hell did such a putrid car like the _Scumarron_ make this or ANY so-called 'badass' list? J-bodies were the embodiment of throwaway transport, regardless of what GM brand is pasted on the bodywork.
Great video
History tempo background sound. Images
Please Eclipse video
Fiero should have got the Quad four.
or 4.3 or even 3.8.
Funny how australia got the mitai sigma turbo from 1980 that was a performer in its own right with the scorpian the starion was always front wheel drive in australia
Hey the 8:43 min mark that is no Mitsubishi turbo G54B engine under the hood of that Starion but an Chevy V8 LS swapped example. I had the Starion's predecessor the 1983 Dodge Challenger aka Plymouth Sapporo aka Mitsubishi Galant Lambda in the Japanese home market. So I know what a 2.6 liter 4 cylinder G54B looks like.
The 5 cars on this list are examples of why the best cars of the 80's were produced in the 60's. I graduated high school in 1989. As a high school kid I drove a 1967 Cougar. I was blowing the doors off of Camaros and Mustangs of the time, and keeping up with Corvettes. No car on this list was anywhere near as fast as my Cougar.
The AMC Eagle's "powerful" 4.2L inline 6 made 112 hp.
The Grand National's "formidable" 200 hp making it the premiere muscle car of its time just proves the muscle cars of its time sucked. The 300 hp of the GNX was actually pretty respectable, however.
"Compact" Cadillac? That just doesn't work. More evidence that the 80's were a bad car decade. The 2.8L V6 provided a performance boost - all the way up to 130 hp. That's not much performance.
Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R with 188 hp? That's anemic by today's standards. "It wasn't just fast." Actually, it just wasn't fast - only seemed like it in 1988.
The Iconic Pontiac Fiero? The Fiero was Iconic for being a crappy car. It had cool styling but was woefully underpowered and suffered from reliability issues and poor quality in materials and craftsmanship. With similar styling, the Toyota MR2 was far superior car to the Fiero, which may be why it continued into 2007 with the MR2 Spyder.
Settle down. I'm sure your 67 Cougar was hotter than a Dusenberg SSJ. The Cimmaron was a joke, nobody had good to say about it but GM.
The AMC Eagle wasn't built to drag race your 67 Cougar, and AMC was hamstrung with having no cash and just trying to survive. The I-6 did a decent job and with all the smog shit removed and some hot rodding tricks it could be a OK engine.
The Grand National was a fast car. Period. I rode in a brand new 87 and it would have probably taken my 73 Z/28. The track numbers on those cars don't lie.
What GM did to PMD and the Fiero is a national crime. I knew of plenty of them around when they were new. I never knew anyone who had one catch on fire, or rattle apart, or certainly rust to death. Most around the Midwest just had a gazillion miles put on and they wore out the crappy Iron Dukes or 2.8.
The Buick GN motor or a 3800SC is the engine that the platform really deserved, and by 88 PMD had finally gotten the suspension in Fiero they always wanted. Fiero was still a decent selling car but GM politics played a part in it's demise, from what I gathered.
@@seththomas9105 I actually liked the Monte Carlo SS (one of my favorite cars if I'm being honest). That was the chevy version of the GN.
But the best cars in the 80's were all built in the 60's (and early 70's - there wasn't much good going on after 71). The Chevy 350 in your Z28 was rated at 245 hp. In 1970 the Z/28 Special Performance Package had a 350 producing 360 hp, and there was big block 396 in 1970 that made 375 hp. And those motors, including the one in your Z/28 were torque monsters compared to today's engines (and the engines in the 80s). The motor in my Cougar was rated at 250 hp, but produced 355 lbft of torque - and torque is what gets you off the line.
@@seththomas9105 GNX was also under rated for insurance purposes, most had way more power than stated. my eagle wagon had the 5 speed trans which was way better than any of the rest of the ones they put out. 258 jeep straight six you couldnt kill.
@@GMCOGRE Agree 100%.
6:30 Manual transmission?