With the Holiday shopping season upon us, as we careen from Black Friday to Cyber Monday and into the buying frenzy beyond, I figured a nice break could be in order. Let’s consider a different kind of shopping—car shopping, and see how it was a little over 31 years ago when my brother and his wife went out in search of a new compact sedan.
Of course, in those days before the consumer Internet, gathering information on the available choices was not as easy as just clicking a button. But there was an excellent resource at hand: the Consumer Guide Auto Series. Auto ’84 provided a brief snapshot of virtually every model available in the U.S., while Auto Test 1984 offered in-depth reviews on a wide variety of cars picked up directly from dealers. So for honest, real world insights, these guides were great tools, and provided key information for my brother as he went looking to buy. Read on to see the write-ups and data that shaped his shopping list and buying decision in the spring of 1984.
Just after my brother celebrated his 26th birthday in April, he and his new bride decided to get their first new car as a couple. He had recently gotten his architecture degree and was with a practice in New Orleans, while my sister-in-law was a buyer for the Maison Blanche department stores. They figured it was time for a “grown-up” car and wanted the practicality of a sedan, but nothing too big. An automatic was also a requirement, as my sister-in-law did not want the “hassle” of shifting. So they looked to trade in one of their small hatchbacks and get a new 1984 compact sedan.
My brother had a 1976 Toyota Celica GT Liftback. It was the body style of the swanky silver car pictured at the top, but finished in the oh-so-70s green metallic of the GT coupe in the bottom shot. The Celica was fun-to-drive and zippy with its 2.2 OHC I4 and 5-speed manual, even though it produced just 96 hp. Best of all, the Toyota was well made, durable and utterly reliable.
My sister-in-law had a 1979 Chevrolet Monza 2+2 Hatchback. It was painted the ubiquitous GM light blue metallic like the top car pictured, but without the cool wheels featured in the catalog shot. It had the dowdy round headlamp front end like the red car shown above, along with same the boring wheel covers. Her Monza was equipped with the 3.2 OHV V6 with automatic that was only good for 90 horsepower. So a sleepy little car, but the bigger problem was its quality. It rattled and squeaked. Trim fell off. It leaked: rain came in through the hatch, fluids dripped under hood. Worst of all, the engine was prone to stalling, especially in places like the middle of intersections. Oh, and sometimes it didn’t like to start either.
No surprise, then, that the choice on which car to trade in was a relatively easy one. Even though the Celica was older and had the stick shift my sister-in-law hated, it was by far the better car. So the Monza would go, and the next step was to pick the right new car.
Their desires for their next car varied somewhat. My sister-in-law wanted style, a good “fashionable” brand name, and a comfortable, no-hassle driving experience. My brother was looking for a car that would be responsive and fun-to-drive, with thoughtful engineering and useful features. They were hoping to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $9,000 to $9,500 (about $21,000 – $22,000 today).
Though at the time I was a senior in high school, my brother was willing to let me tag along with him to narrow down the choices and pick the best car. Both of us are car nuts, so it was a lot of fun doing the research and shopping around. The goal was to get the list down to a few finalists, and then bring my sister-in-law in to make the final pick (she viewed car shopping like getting a root canal, so she wanted her involvement to be as brief as possible).
We needed to start gathering data, and the comprehensive Consumer Guide Auto Series was the best place to begin. The well-worn Consumer Guides scanned here are the actual ones we used way back when we started the hunt, and even today they provide a good landscape of the compact car choices circa 1984.
First off, there were a few brands that just didn’t make the cut at all. Though Chrysler’s recovery was underway, my brother had no interest in taking a chance on any of their wares. My sister-in-law flat out refused to have another Chevrolet, so no Cavaliers were considered. From there, Consumer Guide Auto ’84 provided guidance to further cull the contenders. Here are some of the cars we read about, but never actually went to see at a dealer.
Even though a sedan was available in addition to the ungainly hatchback body styles, my brother still thought the Stanza was way too frumpy. The whole Nissan/Datsun changeover was strange too, and wouldn’t have met my sister-in-law’s criteria for a “cool” brand.
My brother and I grew up surrounded by GM cars, so it was hard not to at least consider one. But… the choices for a small sedan from The General in 1984 were not that great. The only one that we found remotely interesting was the Pontiac 2000 Sunbird. The Turbo seemed intriguing, but it was from GM, and it was a much-maligned J-car, so we doubted that the quality and reliability would be there. Also, my brother couldn’t fathom driving a car with a name as dumb as “2000 Sunbird.”
While the Rabbit GTI was already earning kudos as the king of the hot hatches, the Jetta had just gotten the sport treatment with the GLI for 1984. However, that model was available only with a manual, and was therefore crossed off the shopping list. Anyway, by 1984 the Jetta was an aged design, and the notion of German engineering superiority seemed rather far-fetched for the non-GLI versions. Plus VW’s quality reputation at that point was nothing to brag about.
Enough with the non-starters, what did we go test drive? Let’s use the Consumer Guide Auto Test 1984 as a proxy, since CG went to dealers, got cars, and put them through extended use tests. Their observations were very useful as condensed test drive overviews, and based on our experience, quite accurate.
First off, there were a few “long shots” we started with, mostly out of curiosity.
Since my brother is very design-oriented, he was interested to see Ford’s new aero styling direction, which he viewed as quite fresh looking. The buzz was also beginning to build that Ford’s quality was getting better and their products were improving. In person, however, the Tempo didn’t seem like Ford’s best effort. The interior felt claustrophobic with its high dash and thick pillars. The engine was gruff and not particularly quick. So off the list for the Ford.
Our Great Aunt Lovey, who lived in the Berkshire Mountains in Western Massachusetts, had bought a 1980 Subaru GL Sedan after a lifetime of driving Plymouths (her Volare was the culprit for ending Mopar’s reign in her driveway). While my brother and I had only seen the car in person once, we rather liked it, and Lovey raved about it. So why not have a look? Upon closer inspection, though, all the faults Consumer Guide pointed out were accurate for the car we tested. The GL did have quirky charm, but just wasn’t good enough for the top tier.
Now let’s move on to the top finalists. We drove three more cars, and felt they all deserved to make the final cut, which would involve my sister-in-law. It was decision time!
Naturally, Toyota would be high on the shopping list, given how happy my brother had been with his Celica. Plus, the 1984 Camry was an all-new FWD design. It had earned the Consumer Guide Best Buy Rating for the category. So what was there not to love? Well, uh, the styling to start. Both my brother and sister-and-law (and I) felt the car was dumpy and square. In fact, my sister-in-law said it was “like something an old college professor would drive.” Completely competent, but utterly boring, the Camry wasn’t going to cut it for these twenty-somethings.
The Mazda 626 sedan that we drove was a really, really nice car. Finished in metallic silver, it was sleek and stylish. The interior was comfortable and well trimmed. The handling was responsive. Car and Driver had named the 626 to its Ten Best list for 1984. The Mazda was very tempting, but there was one more leading contender to consider.
So it wasn’t named a Consumer Guide Best Buy. The car CG tested was a hatchback, not the sedan. so not all points listed were relevant. But there was no ignoring the many merits of the Honda Accord. The total package was harmonious and very high quality.
For their 1984 Ten Best Cars, Car and Driver hit the nail on the head: the Accord was well balanced, thoughtfully engineered and beautifully built. The whole was greater than the sum of its parts, and it made for a fantastic small family sedan. Exactly what my brother and his wife were looking for!
If only the dealer experience had been as good. All Honda products were in extremely high demand back then. Even with the additional production coming from Marysville Ohio, Accords were in short supply. So it was a seller’s market, and there was no picking a car off the lot and driving it home that day. My brother had the “privilege” of providing a 10% non-refundable deposit so that he would be “allocated” a car from a future shipment. The request was put in for an Accord sedan with automatic, in first choice Stratos Blue or second choice Greek White.
In June (keep in mind we’d been shopping in late April and early May), the dealer called to say the truck with their car had arrived. But, the only automatic sedan available to them from that shipment was an Accord LX model (for an extra $1,400) in Graphite Gray. Take it or leave it.
Well, they took it. The car was that good. Without even asking, the dealer ever-so-kindly added extra cost “paint protection” and “underbody rustproofing” (that last one being especially rich, given that in subtropical New Orleans, the only salt you’d ever see on the road is if someone accidentally dropped a to-go container of jambalaya while crossing the street). So, with the full sticker price, added “protection” costs, destination charges, tax and title, the Accord LX was theirs for just north of $11,000.
It was over-budget, and the buying experience was subpar, but the car itself was every bit as good as its billing. It was great when new, and aged gracefully, with no mechanical issues to speak of. This ’84 Accord started the Honda buying trend in my family, and faithfully served my brother and his wife for 6 years, when it was traded in for—you guessed it—another Accord in 1990.
I drove a Stanza as a hire car when new and recently purchased one – now sold. Both times I thought it a bit charmless and not a great driver. Virtually extinct now in the UK.
A month or so ago on eBay, I was outbid on a 1984 Consumer Guide Auto Test book just like the red one used in this post…Hmm. 😉
Haha, I wasn’t the last minute bidder on that one. My copy was purchased at the K&B drugstore on the corner of St. Charles and Broadway in the spring of 1984 and has never been on the market since 🙂
K&B. Boy does that bring back memories…
I had a Subaru 4-door similar to the one in the article, though it was a 5-speed with the base engine, and no 4WD. As I recall it was a pleasant enough car and reliable, though not much on power and even with the 5-speed transmission turning on the air conditioner felt like the car was slogging through mud. With an inefficient 3-speed automatic it probably would have been intolerable. The article’s judgment about longevity is spot on. The body on that thing rusted like crazy but the drivetrain seemed near indestructible.
Minor nit, it’s mildly annoying when someone writes that the 1980s were “pre-internet days.” The internet was alive and well at that time, but there was no web and most people just didn’t know about it.
Funny you mention “pre-Internet,” as I was grappling with how to best express that. I’ve changed it to read in the “days before the consumer Internet,” which should be more accurate.
Or how about “World Wide Web?” The latter was built atop the Internet, once it was commercialized, & is what most of us interact with directly.
ARPANET was the Internet’s ancestor from the late 1960’s, connecting the DoD & universities.
There’s a pretty good timeline here for anyone interested:
http://www.livescience.com/20727-internet-history.html
I remember using dial up connections in the 80’s. Before that I traveled to the supercomputer to run our programs. The first connections to the supercomputer (actually to a intermediate computer) allowed us to send an electronic stack of computer cards (some of you might actually know what an 80 column punch card is). We started with a 300 baud rate maybe (or 1200).
I started out on the tail end of the punched-card era, using the IBM 029, & when Cal Poly upgraded from 300 to 1200 baud TTYs ca. 1980, that seemed like serious progress.
CRT terminals like these had 80 columns because of the Hollerith card, invented to solve the Census crisis brought on by late-Victorian immigration.
It’s funny this article was written today as just yesterday I was thinking about the current Toyota Camry and Ford F-150, two of the best-selling vehicles in America.
Although I hope it’s not quite as bad as your Honda experience, I wonder what people go through when buying one of these top sellers. If you’re a salesman at Ford or Toyota, what do you do when a customer asks for a discount on the best-selling vehicle in the land…?? Laugh…??
“Discount? You’ve gotta be kidding me!”
I don’t know, as I haven’t bought a brand new car in 25 years, but there are 5 Ford dealers within a 45 minute drive from my home and 4 Toyota dealers….with so many people trying to make a sale, shouldn’t it be easy to get a discount? I mean, if dealer “a” doesn’t have a “good” price, you are minutes from dealers “b”, “c”, and “d”.
Keep in mind the ’84 Accord was in scarce supply, and in this case the buyer had to place a deposit and pick from something that eventually arrived on a truck. And, the Accord had limited competition – a small car with good build quality, decent mileage, and a good reputation going back several years was a pretty scarce commodity in 1984 – after all, these were the malaise years. Add to that, in 1984 the economy was recovering fast from a recession / oil price spike that had highly impacted the auto industry. A leaner, smaller industry was suddenly faced with a lot of consumer demand. 1984 was a good year to be an automaker, and a great year to be Honda.
Expanding on what Howard said, Ford and Toyota are fully prepared to pump as many F-150s and Camrys into the market as the market is willing to buy. A big Ford dealer may have literally acres of land covered in hundreds of trucks. And, GM, Ram and Toyota offer popular and credible alternatives.
Discounts on F-150 and Camry are as close as your local newspaper. Finding a promo price 5 or 10% off sticker is the norm. Deals can be had on late model year leftovers.
I bought my 2012 F-150 at 24% off sticker in April of 2013. In addition to normal discounts, it had discounts for model year clearance, and my car had been a dealer manager demo car with just under 6,000 miles on the clock – but still sold, titled and warrantied as new. After shopping aggressively for about 8 weeks at several Ford dealers, I was made an offer that I couldn’t refuse.
Used F-150s are a whole different ball game. NEW, the popular four door Supercrew body is expensive even after discounts – usually north of $32,000 for an XLT, with fancier models surpassing $50k. These are luxury goods.
Dealers will advertise used two year old 20,000 mile trucks for the same price as a brand new discounted one. A lot of people just assume new is too expensive, so they think $32,000 is a great deal compared to the new sticker price – not even thinking about the easy discounts that are to be had for the asking.
Check your local paper – you might be amazed at what you see.
A good friend just got a ’16 Camry XLE for $4200 off msrp. No other add-ons, unlike the “good old days”.
My Dad had an ’84 Accord 4-dr back in the mid ’90s. What a jewel of a car it was! You could start that engine up on the coldest days and it was glass-smooth. Interior was pretty roomy, well laid out and had a neatly organized dash. Also had 3-point belts for the outboard rear seat passengers and head restraints, something few other cars had in 1984. Dad’s was dark grey with a light grey cloth interior and automatic. Sadly, the rust got it.
The Consumer Guide auto series is probably the best automotive reference guides ever made. I used to have a collection of these, but regretfully I threw them away about 10 years ago after I became convinced I’d never look at them again – I sure regret having done that now.
The combination of analysis and price/equipment lists is unmatched, and I’ve usually found Consumer Guide’s analyses to be unbiased and grounded in real-world common sense – in most cases much better than articles from car magazines.
I’ve been able to re-acquire a few years’ worth of the Auto Series, and they’re invaluable for writing articles here for CC.
Incidentally, I too used to use these Auto Series books to do research to help people buy cars back in the 1980s & 90s, so your story here brings back good memories of very similar experiences of mine.
My favourite cars here are the 1984 Subaru, and the Toyota Camry. My parents had a 1985 Camry when I was a boy.
After the Honda dealer experience, I’d have gone for the Mazda.
As for the Subaru, the segment moved on a lot between 1980 and ’84 which is why that generation was in its’ last year as a mainstream sedan and Subie’s bread-and-butter wagon (although the BRAT and hatchback would hold on a while longer.
Actually, at least in New Orleans at the time, the Mazda 626 was in very short supply too. There were no deals to be had there either. The silver sedan we drove was a dealer demonstrator, and they wanted to sell my brother that exact car, miles and all, for the car’s sticker price.
Things weren’t really any better at Toyota, as the Camry was hugely popular as well. They did have 2 on the lot that could have been delivered right away, but they were ugly 2-tone color combos, and still would have been sold at or above sticker.
Of the Japanese brands, only the Subaru, which as you note wasn’t really competitive at that point, had inventory and was willing to negotiate.
I would have stayed away from any car that still had a carb by this time. Parents bought a new ’85 Stanza 5 speed 4 door sedan. It was at 200k miles when it was sold, sister used it for a few years until she became too ill to drive anymore. I drove it many times, including a California to Washington state 1000k mile road trip. It rode smoothly, had a lot of power for the day, and got excellent fuel mileage. It was a loaded XE model, and was Japan built. It had no mechanical problems, a great car. I had an ’80 2 door Jetta automatic, (no AC) but it was 10 years old when I got it. Only had it for about a year, intended to install a 5 speed and needed conversion parts that I pulled from my ’77 Rabbit which the Jetta replaced after it had been totaled. I found a 5 speed with AC ’86 Jetta at a great price, and a co worker really wanted my older car, so sold it with the automatic still installed. The only thing I didn’t like was the 3 speed auto really wound out on the freeway and only got about 26 MPG on long trips. These 2 cars would have been a good choice in this time frame as well.
I always thought the Rabbit/Jetta I and pre 1984 Subarus competed more with the Ford Escort, Nissan Sentra, Mazda GLC/323 and Honda Civic than with the Tempo, Stanza, 626 and Accord. GM and Toyota were a bit different, with the J-bodies intentionally sized to straddle the segments and inevitably cheapened out to the “econobox” end while Toyota was aiming the then-new FWD Corolla straight at the middle of the segment between Tercel and Camry. (To a certain extent, so was Honda with the Civic sedan).
The 1984 Mazda 626 in sedan and coupe forms still looks sleek and elegant today to my eyes. This is especially so on the RoW versions with shorter bumpers and flush headlamps. I wish cars were still designed like this today – with angular, straight lines having a low hood, low belt line with a low dashboard height that provides good outward visibility.
Sounds like my search in 1986. I was looking for a new car due to the fact that my 1980 Honda Civic wiped a cam lobe on a 100,000 mile engine and I was PO’d big time. So Honda was off my list. I did my homework and settled on the 1986 Mazda 626 with 5 speed.
Then the fun began as there was still the mark up mentality in 1986 where you had the list price and then the higher dealer price even on a Mazda. So one day in San Jose a dealer wanted $13,000 for a 4 door sedan. I said a dealer in Oakland was $9400 and the salesman said if they want to prostitute themselves then fine. With that I walked out and went to the dealer in Oakland about what I wanted and he was first on my to do list of six dealers. Made a deal for a 4 door with manual for $9300 and the car was fantastic lasting till 2006 and 365,000 miles.
Loved the 626 so much a friend gave me his 91 626 Touring sedan 5 speed with 175,000 miles five years ago. Just 5 days ago I bought a 1990 626 sedan with auto at 144,000 miles and in storage for 8 years. Cost me $1200 and it is a great driving car even if an automatic. If you ever find a low mileage 86-91 626 for a decent price I would grab it. Very easy cars to work on.The two I have will last me till I stop driving someday in the future and yet they are the second and third stringers.
That Honda dealership mentality was alive and well almost ten years later. In late ’93 I was determined to get a decent deal on an Accord LX. If I recall it was late September when I started shopping and there was only ONE ’93 model left on any of the 5 lots I shopped. The ’94 was a new design and there were no deals to be had. I opted not to pay over sticker for the single ’93 within a 40 mile radius, as it was a very trendy teal green color, decked out in dealer installed pinstripes and add-ons, had a very easily-stained-looking light tan velour interior (I had 2 toddlers at the time), and was a 5 soeed, which I would have preferred except for my punishing bumper to bumper commute. The shopping continued for several weeks before the most determined salesperson I encountered called one evening with a newly traded ’90 EX fresh on the lot. I paid 10,900 for it and it was trouble free for 4 years and 150,000 miles. I remember feeling raped when I drove it off the lot, but I sure didn’t feel that way when I traded in 4 years later.
I’m glad everyone loved their Hondas. Mine basically imploded itself at 98k cared for miles. If it could leak, it did. Faded paint, too. Always started though… Until the day I traded it. Needed something and ended up on the Kia lot for sheer warranty. They gave me a grand for the acorn. When all was said and done and I was almost getting into my new Spectra, the guy sent to move my Accord from where I had deliberately parked it in the back hoping that they wouldn’t smell the fuel injector leak that developed in the week since they had given me my trade in quote couldn’t start the car ran over and said “Hey, I think you’ve got a fuel problem”. I laughed and said sorry, papers were signed, YOU have a fuel problem. I faithfully took that spectra for oil changes at the dealer 10 miles further away avoiding them for the next 3 years.
Mid-80s Accords were indeed among the best of a generally bad lot. It really took me back to be reminded of the Honda dealers’ “soak the buyer” mentality, which I remember very well. 11 grand for the Accord? Oh, well at least it was an LX. In late ’81, I paid right around 10 for a new Audi 4000 5 + 5, and they didn’t try to slather on all the bogus ‘protection’ crap, so that’s sounding more of a bargain than I thought at the time.
Yeah, the Honda dealers’ attitudes were pretty bad. However, I think the mentality was prevalent for dealers of all the makes that were well reviewed and offering better cars than the standard domestic fare.
Still, to this day, my brother remains ticked at how he was treated. He really did love the car though, and it was trouble free, so he literally never brought it back to that dealer for anything (he serviced it elsewhere). For his next Honda, he switched dealers (and the inventory situation was better), so the experience wasn’t nearly as bad.
Considering how mediocre the quality of most American cars were in the late 70’s, the improving quality of the American cars of the 80’s really didn’t start happening until mid-decade. If I was a consumer purchasing a car at the time I surely would have considered a Japanese brand – Honda first, Mazda/Toyota tied for second. There is no question the reliability of the Japanese brands were far ahead of the American brands in the 80’s. Your “bang for your buck” was far better with the Japanese and the dealers knew it – hence the sticker price and add-ons etc. etc. etc. They had a product that warranted the premium price.
Super fun read, both the old CG reviews and your comments on what went through your minds during the selection process. Really transports the reader back into the time period well, and it sounds like your brother and his wife represented what was probably a pretty common and crucial demographic back then – young ’20s professionals looking for their first “grown up” car in the mid-1980s economic boom. Their decision on the Accord and subsequent Honda loyalty also fits with a common societal trend starting around that time.
I really think the 1980-1990 time period was that point of critical mass when a lot of baby boomers were growing up, getting stable jobs, and buying their first “real” cars – and the mediocre quality of the American Big 3 at the time gave the Japanese makes the perfect opportunity to penetrate the market and grab TONS of life-long customers, People in their ’20s were sick of their used Granadas, Aspens, and Monzas leaking, rattling, stalling, and being generally worthless after 5 years.
Whereas the prior generation bought endless strings of full-size Fords and Chevys, this was the beginning of the era where people (who are now in their 50s and 60s) started buying endless strings of Accords and Camrys. One of my uncles, about age 60, has owned nothing but Accords since the late-80s, while my dad has driven only Camrys for two decades (mostly used, one new). They both talk endless sh*t about the American Big 3 whenever the conversation of cars comes up, not recognizing the improvements that have been made. Accord Uncle worked at a Dodge dealer in college and loves to tell stories about how brand new cars would stall on test drives, etc, etc. He just assumes it’s the same deal now because he’s had no reason to venture outside a Honda dealer since 1985.
I do wonder what the next “era” will be though. While they were trendy and fresh in the ’80s, Accords and Camrys are quickly becoming “dad/grandpa” cars among Millennials in the same way that Caprices and LTDs were becoming “dad/grandpa” cars among baby boomers in the 1980s. The concept of repeat buyers and blind brand loyalty seems to be disintegrating among people in their 20s/30s now that the gap between the domestics and imports has narrowed so much, and there is so much more information available online.
The next “era” is no car. The trendy/cool thing among millennials is not to have a car at all, and use uber/Zipcar/whathaveyou when they need a vehicle. If you must have a car, it damn well better be a Prius for maximum cred. Secondary choices include other small, efficient cars like Fit, Versa Note, or Fiesta (for those who can stand being seen in an American car). These people are the target audience for driverless cars as a form of commoditized transportation–you never need to own one, fuel one, maintain one, or think more about it than summoning one with your mobile device and sending it away when you’re done with it.
There are still plenty of kids who are interested in cars, so the industry isn’t dead, but they’re even more of a minority now than they were 10 years prior. Yesterday’s “tuners” who would have been wrenching on sport compacts and attaching inappropriate mufflers to Civics are now putting their creative energy into beards, tattoos, and on the more dedicated/hands-on end, into things like the Maker movement.
Maybe I’m painting with too broad a brush (there are one heck of a lot of hipsters in RVA) but that’s kind of what I see.
We had an ’84 Accord in the family for quite a few years, though it was bought well used (we got it in ’98 with something like 160K miles on it). Greek white LX with blue cloth, sounds like the car your brother tried to order. And it was really a good little car. Fun to drive, well packaged, roomy for the exterior dimensions. High-quality materials, too. It felt like a very credible sedan, just in a smaller size. The A/C was no great shakes (it barely worked, actually) but that may have been a problem with that particular car’s system rather than a failing in general. Dad drove that Accord for 3 years, until in 2001 it needed more work than they cared to put into it to pass the annual emissions inspection, so it was sold on (presumably to one of the many surrounding counties that didn’t do emissions testing). May have lived a long life after that as, other than the emissions issue, it ran great and had almost no rust. A very nice car, especially for the $1800 we paid for it!