Tomorrow marks the 100-year anniversary of General Motors. It also marks a 6am reveal of the Chevy Volt at the RenCen (we have got to talk to the postman). Anyhow, one whole century is a whole lot of cars. Like, a whole Hell of a lot of cars. In fact, I’m starting to realize the ludicrous scope of this QOTD as I type it. With so much history (and much of it so good), even just picking my favorite decade is difficult. A few cars jump to mind. Cadillacs from the 1950s. Corvettes from the 1960s. Oh jeeze, a 1965 Pontiac GTO, right? But wait– what about a 1970 Judge? And we can’t forget the Corvair, now can we? And now my mind is filled with thoughts of the 1986 Buick GNX. Definitely the best GM car ever. Except for the new CTS-V and ZR1. And I might even like the C4 ZR1 best of all. This is a tough one. My first car was a 1985 Pontiac Parisienne Safari Sation Wagon. It was set up for towing, so instead of the standard 140 hp 305, it had a 400 from a Chevy truck with an unspecified amount of power. It also (supposedly) had truck brakes and a truck transmission. Well, the “Lieberwagon” did make it to 283k some miles before turning itself into a seven-cylinder. And before it did, I once took eleven humans and a drum set from Sonoma County to Sacramento then back. So, that’s my favorite GM car. Yours?
102 Comments on “Question of the Day: What’s Your Favorite GM Car?...”
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In terms of emotional value a ‘96 Chevy Lumina wins for me, it belonged to my late grandfather and it was definitely something he really liked and took care of; in the unique way only the retired do.
GNX was 1987. I vote for that. Or maybe 1967 L88 Vette. There were really a lot of nice GM cars. Hopefully they will stick around to make some more.
I have had many GM cars but my favorite by far was my Candy Apple Red 1971 Cadillac Sedan de Ville. It had a 472 cubic inch V8 1.6 inch whitewalls and a white leather interior. It was my first car and I drove it to high school (Class of 1997, so it was a 26 year old classic at the time) It was really attention getting, very reliable, and quick. In my opinion the 71 was the cleanest version of that generation. The later models got fussier and fussier as the seventies wore on, the bumpers on the 73’s are just awful for instance. I would love to buy another nice example for my small car collection soon.
edit: small collection of LARGE cars ;-) which features a 1979 Lincoln right now.
Growing up around cars, I had many favorites, but when I look back I’d have to say that my personal favorites were the 1984-1988 Cutlass Supremes. I remember when I was nine my family was looking for a new car and we stopped at an Olds dealer and the salesman showed us a new ‘85 that had just come off the truck. I was hooked, but we ended up with a new ‘85 Skylark (which went on to become my first car). There was just something about those Cutlasses that made people sit up and take notice. My dad did end up buying a slightly used ‘86 Supreme Brougham in 1987. I think that car single handedly earned me a few cool points at my middle school when I was dropped off in it. It was also my inspiration for buying my 1987 Supreme Brougham many years later.
Man I love Oldsmobiles!!!
Very, very tough. My dads 73 Pontiac Bonneville has a lot of fond memories for me. My mom bought a Fiat 124 sedan about the same time. The Pontiac would barely fit in out garage, my father said one day “if Fiat made a car this size, it’d have room for ten people”. That thing was a cruiser though.
C2 Corvettes, always loved that shape. C4 ZR-1 is a good choice. I had a 87 v-6 Fiero that I subsequently turbocharged, loved that car – got t-boned by a jerk drinking coffee. 70 Camaro, good looking car unfortunately became an icon of mulletville.
I am a diehard Mopar man, but the 1948 Cadillac Sedanette is my vote. Those Caddies from postwar to the mid 60s are just incredible.
This:
http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/photo/213802,9163,0,0/1953-Buick-Series-70-Skylark_Photo.aspx
Heah come ‘de Juuudge.
No question about it. One should never accelerate a Judge from rest without spinning the tires. Orange, please.
I’m torn between the Buick Grand National and the GMC Syclone/Typhoon. What I like best about these cars is that the owners almost never change the outside appearance when they start working on them. That’s what made them so dangerous on the street. You think you’re going up against something that’s bone sock, next thing you know it’s blowing your doors off with it’s unholy screaming turbo.
“Go fast with class.” Words to live by.
I have a soft spot for A-cars – notably, the Pontiac 6000STE or a 1986 Buick Century T-Type.
A 1988 Pontiac Fiero would be fun to have, or a rare and wacky Euro Spec 1992-1995 Pontiac TransPort with a Quad 4 and 5speed manual. Seriously – it exists.
Buick Roadmaster station wagon
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/1950_Buick_Roadmaster_Estate_Wagon.jpg
GMC Syclone Or corvair monza
I have a soft-spot for the pre-Epsilon Saab 900/9-3, mostly because I own one and, no matter how much it pisses me off at repair time, it’s a wonderful balance of sporty, economical and practical. Open the trunk on one of these: it’s unreal how much space there is.
Second would be the Fiero. If–big if–you got one that didn’t have issues, it performed brilliantly without being as costly to buy as the MR2. In fact, because it was expected to be a flakey bastard it was always very, very cheap to buy.
I vote for the GMT 400 series trucks produced from 1988 up into the 2000 year model for certain applications before giving way to the GMT 800.
Growing up in my family, we had one of almost every incarnation of this series from hordes of pickups, a Suburban, Tahoe, and full-sized Blazer and I’ve always been partial to the trucks’ quality and comfort.
It’s between a 1960 Buick Lesabre and a 1962 Pontiac Catalina 421.
I loved the two GM cars I owned….1991 Olds 88 Royal Brougham with the ‘FE3′ suspension package & my 1991 Buick Riviera. My Dad has always been a GM man….and as long as they stay in business….always will be.
66 Olds Cutlass 442 followed by the classic looking 79 Olds Cutlass Brougham(which my grandparents still have next to their 540i), and the first-gen Aurora.
The last real Impala
Hmmm, it would have to be a close race between my T-Top Trans Am with the 5.0 litre V8 and my C5 Corvette convertible.
The Firebird could not stand up to the Vette on any day of the week, but it was my first sports(ish) car. I loved the glass T-Tops and the Alpine radio/tape deck I put in it.
The Vette was the better car, of course, and as such would get my vote as “favorite GM car.” But I do have good memories of the T/A (before all of the trouble), day trips with my girlfriend, her long blonde hair blowing in the wind…
Eventually, the top of the sail panel (where the seat belt anchored at the roof) began to rust out, and the girl left me. Hmmmm, I wonder if the two might be related….
When I was in high school, it was a 1970 Chevelle SS454 LS6 with the Muncie “Rocker Crusher” 4 speed.
Now, with two kids and a wife, it is probably the G8 for affordable entertainment and the CTS if I had more money. Lottery GM car(s)? CTS-V plus a new ZR1…
Any late sixties, early seventies, big block A body.
While I haven’t owned or regularly driven many GM models, for me personally my ‘58 Chevy Apache Fleetside truck is my favorite GM car. I grew up going on camping trips with my grandfather in the old “Buckin’ Bronco” (58 vintage truck suspension), and it has unsurpassed sentimental value. I also like the exterior design. I consider it probably the second best looking truck ever, behind the trucks that GM put out just after WWII with the vertical bar grills. I won’t even argue that my favorite is the best GM vehicle; it’s just my favorite.
2004 Buick Gran Sport Supercharged.
Or a 1999 Saturn SL1.
Try to find either one of these cars used. People never get rid of these cars for good reason.
My friend had a Pontiac Le Mans 2-door hatchback. Seven of his older brothers drove this thing before he got his hands on it. It suffered 4 accidents and required various gallons of fluids be stored by the case in the back, but I’ll be damned if it survived eight teenaged boys.
The Chevy Corvair is my favorite, especially the late model Corsas.
is none of the above a valid vote?
The one GM vehicle I purchased and currently own. The 06 GTO!
http://www.caroftheday.org/category/gto/
If I was to go back in time, I really dug the GNX’s and Cyclones.
Jonny,
You still haven’t written up your story “Draggin’ in the Lieberwagen”. It has been so long since it was promised…so long.
This is like asking which was my favorite dentist appointment! But seriously, folks. The pickups – I’ve had 2; a 1982 and a 2004. They aren’t great, but they’re no worse than anybody else’s, and might be a bit better.
And those Cadillac V-16’s WERE cool, weren’t they!
So many to choose from: Vega, Chevette, Escalade, Kingswood, Belvedere, Citation, Cimmaron, Oldsmobile Diesels, Allante, the Screaming Chickens of the 70s, anything with a V8-6-4 engine, that plastic-nosed Grand-Am, the Fiero, Reatta, or any Hummer for that matter.
Oh… you said “favorite”… sorry, nothing from GM in that list.
–chuck
Not a car guy but they do build one of the very best trucks around..’07 GMC 2500HD LBZ Duramax/Allison
I do like the G6 coupe. Or a 67 Nova with a ZL1. And ” ROCK CRUSHER.”
Belvedere? Dodge?
The -59 Cadillac is the quintessential GM car. I’d take one anyday. The four-door flat top is especially stunning.
I saw an actual GNX in Atlantic City last weekend, it was pretty sweet in that nobody else knew it was a great car except me kinda way. Still, I’d have to go with a ‘57 Vette or ‘65 GTO.
I like the new CTS – its well executed.
The ‘69 Camaro Z/28 gets the nod for me.
As a kid (70’s/80’s), I always wanted a ‘57 Bel Air. Still wouldn’t mind having one. I doubt anyone who actually had one in the 50’s would agree, and I’m sure it drives like a boat and handles like a mattress, but what an awesome symbol of postwar technoutopian Americana and US pre-Sputnik industrial power.
Oh, and a ‘63 Sting Ray with intact split window. and a ‘57 Corvette. Only the impractical icons of mid-century power for me.
I sure would like to have my ‘65 Corvair 140 again.
My first was a white 1992 Chevy S10 Blazer, 2 door. She leaked antifreeze in the cab (sometimes puddles of it on the floorboards), made something like 15 MPG on a good day, rear tires bald as could be, and the only gauge that worked was the speedometer. I loved that thing though, so that probably wins my vote.
That or a ‘67 Stingray ‘Vette. Probably the ‘Vette.
My first car, a 1957 Buick Roadmaster. When Buicks really were masters of the road.
I recently re-read “On the Road”. The episode in which our heros take a ?’48 Cadillac through several states, doing around 100 mph, is impressive and reminds one of the time in which GM made world-besting cars. Did Cadillac ever refer to that book in advertisements, or were they just too parochial? I’d like to drive that car and see how good it really is.
Another car I’d like to check out is the Corvair — a good friend who owned two and was heartbroken by Nader’s polemics said it drove like a dream.
The GM cars that I drove were not so good. My dad had a ‘72 Opel Rekord, supposedly a fine European car, but it wheezed and vibrated and smelled funny. No traction in the winter and no stability on the autobahn, and even I when I borrowed it as a 17-year old I didn’t find it likeable. The 200/8 Benz he had after that was a world better, as were the various Peugeot 504s he owned later on — way more sophisticated. On a trip in the U.S., I bought a decrepit Chevy Nova which had a nice-sounding six and a decent-feeling suspension set-up, but things kept on falling off or breaking apart. I was young and stupid so soon later, back in Germany, I bought my own Opel Rekord, a fantastic-looking, bright red, coupeish three-door station wagon. I had both clumsy and good sex in the back of that car but the Rekord itself was an odd old car. It never felt right; everything that should have been tight was rubbery, and everything that is supposed to feel smooth was stiff. I was glad when I got rid of it. Since then, I have rented numerous Opels but have always felt disappointed (both at the rental desk as well as behind the wheel).
My first car ever…..67 Chevy II 327 4 speed.
Only through God’s grace am I still alive to talk about it.
I took my first cross country trip to my Uncles ranch in Montana from Ontario with 2 buddies at 18 years old. It was in my 1965 Chevy Impala SS Convertible. Still everytime I see one of those for sale I try to figure out how to convince the wife that a second mortgage would be a good investment.
I still think they look like they are moving even when sitting still.
Had a 78 Chevrolet Caprice Station Wagon nearly identical to the car pictured. The family loved it. Wanted an 84 Buick Riviera but couldn’t swing it financially, so next was an excellent 84 Buick LeSabre Limited Coupe. Liked it so much I hung onto it longer than usual. The next GM, a dustbuster minivan, was a rolling horror story. Always wanted to finish up with a Caddy but now viewed GM ownership as sadomasochism without the bonus orgasm. Went Japanese and never looked back.
For me its the 1949 Cadillac Coupe, then the 65 Pontiac Tempest, then the Grand National, and well a corvair with the back seat removed and a small block chevy in its place.
63 Split Window.
This truly is an impossible question for a die-hard like me… hell it’s impossible for most manufacturers, just moreso for GM.
My first car was a ‘72 Monte Carlo with a mild 350/350 combo. It was a POS but I loved it, and I plan to restore/modify a better one one of these days. So I’d have to say that’s my first choice. The styling even today is just stunning–like a Chevelle if it was designed by Italians.
Also high on my list are 94-96 Caprice Wagons and 9C1 Police Caprices, as well as the 94-96 Impala SS.
‘96 LT4 Corvette, ‘66 L76 Nova, ‘67 Chevelle SS, ‘66 Olds 4-4-2 W-30, ‘64 GTO 389 Tri-Power, and ‘64 El Camino all rate high on my list too though. And a Corvair Monza Spyder… and a ‘69 427 Corvette… See? Impossible to answer. Love ‘em all.
Boat Tail Buick Riviera. Stupid, sexy and… slow.
From personal driving experience, the 1978 Olds Delta-88 diesel is my favorite GM vehicle, and no I am not kidding!
The best part is pulling into the gas station and the guy from the booth runs out shouting “That’s the diesel pump sir!” and I reply, “It’s okay, my car runs GREAT on this stuff!”
GM made many stunning vehicles that I wouldn’t mind having in my garage, mostly from the late 50’s to mid-60’s: any finned Cadillac, certain Buicks, Corvette (1958 please), 1960-66 fullsize Pontiacs, 1966-67 Olds Toronado.
I had a babysitter in 1989 (I was 8 at the time)that had a 1985 Pontiac Parisienne Safari Sation Wagon with that huge engine and tow package (and I think a rear facing third seat). It was an ugly green, but it was a huge car, and I remember she said it ran very well. She decided to get rid of it around 1990 because the car was stolen numerous times, and damaged by the theives. Also, she was worried it would become unreliable soon, since it had alot of miles on it.
She traded it in on a much smaller, brand new Dodge K-Car station wagon. What a POS that was, it was always at the dealer with problems. I don’t recal the big Pontiac ever having any problems.
Corvair. Second generation one in Monza trim with the optional four carb engine.
For me it has to be a Tri-Five Chevy. My first car at age 16 was a ten year old ‘56 Bel Air 2 door post with the small block and 3 on the tree with o/d. No ps or pb. I still get emotional when I see a nice one. I admire the purity of the 55s, don’t much care for the 57s, and would love to find a nice ‘56 Bel Air Sport Sedan, root beer and cream, with all the goodies.