General Motors surely earned its lousy reputation in the 80s and early 90s. Some might say it’s never recovered. Pushing out half-baked products — the X cars, Oldsmobile diesels, multiple Cadillac engines — and turning customers into unwitting beta testers. Clinging to the increasingly outdated “formal look,” slapping that awkward upright roofline onto cars where it made absolutely no sense — looking at you, Pontiac Grand Am. If I missed anything, and I’m sure I did, there’s always the GM Deadly Sins series.
There’s one more sin that was perhaps less of a spectacular failure, but one that still lingers today. Cheapening out on “good enough” and sending cars to rental fleets where the thinking was product excellence didn’t really matter.
And yet, in 1991, I bought a GM car that’s considered among those lackluster products of GM’s darkest days. But it was actually pretty good — in part because it was spec’d well above the rental car fleet.
After a year and a half and 45,000 miles, I was tired of the pokey, rattly ’89 Hyundai Excel. I put a For Sale sign in the window and got exactly zero inquiries.
I hadn’t given up on the Beretta. The styling still looked fresh, and the V6 now displaced 3.1 liters with a nice bump in power to 140 hp. The interior had been updated for 1991 with a new dash and an airbag, eliminating the door-mounted seat belts that I loathed on both aesthetic and functional grounds. How those stupid, ugly things could be considered a safety improvement was beyond me.
So that consideration limited my choices. No Accords, Civics, Corollas or Camrys had airbags in 1991. No Mazdas either. Ford had put an airbag in the Taurus, but as good as that car was, it wasn’t a car I wanted, nor one I could likely afford. Chrysler at least made an airbag standard across the board, but none of their rehashed K cars were appealing.
All of which brought me back to the Chevrolet dealership.
I asked the salesman to show me a Beretta GT. They had a couple on the lot. I don’t recall the color, but I do remember the window sticker: $16,000. Nope. That wasn’t happening.
I looked at a couple of base model Berettas. They all had spectacularly unattractive “styled” steel wheels. Several had the 2.2 four-cylinder. Some didn’t have a tach. I really didn’t feel like settling again.
As I was about to leave, I noticed a sapphire blue Corsica parked out front. This wasn’t a rental-spec Corsica. It had fat Goodyear Eagle performance tires wrapped around 15-inch alloy wheels. The red emblems and insert on the side moldings popped against the blue paint. Inside, the car was loaded. Power windows and locks, upgraded stereo, tilt, cruise and a full set of gauges. It was an automatic, but that was OK. I had gotten tired of shifting in Phoenix traffic. This Corsica was essentially a Beretta GT with four doors. And the window sticker was just under $14,000. That was doable.
I still had the For Sale sign in the Excel, and the dealer agreed to give me my asking price in trade. I knew I owed more on it than it was worth, and I know now that it’s not smart to roll part of an old loan into a new one — especially on a car that depreciates quickly as soon as you drive it off the lot. But drive it off the lot I did.
And wow! What a difference. Basically, the Corsica had twice the power of the Excel. It took serious discipline for me not to gun it at every green light. And when you did step on it, not only did the car move, it sounded good. The ride was firm but still comfortable, and the car rounded corners smoothly with minimal lean. In that sapphire blue — my favorite color — and those beefy wheels, I thought the car looked sharp and purposeful. The four doors didn’t bother me a bit.
I did let the power go to my head one time — and my stupidity was only saved by dumb luck and perhaps some durability testing by GM. One of my friends had a triple black 1968 Ford LTD coupe. With a 428 V8, Cragers and those hidden headlights, the car looked positively sinister. I called it the LTD from Hell.
We were side by side at a traffic light. Kidding around, I put my car in neutral and revved the engine, thinking I was some badass, even though that 428 could eat my V6 for lunch. The light turned green, and without thinking, I dropped it back into Drive, probably somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 RPM. The Corsica took off like it had been reincarnated as a Chevelle SS454. After I got over my initial shock, I looked in the rear-view mirror, fully expecting to see a trail of transmission parts. There weren’t any. The Corsica shrugged off my abuse. I never had a problem with the transmission the entire time I owned the car.
When my friends and I made another summer trip to San Diego, they were happy to take the Corsica. We certainly fit more comfortably, and after wondering if the Excel would make it over the mountain, it was so much more fun to pass car after car going uphill. And even in 110º heat, you could still hang meat in that car. For all its other failings, GM was still world-class when it came to air conditioning.
The Corsica proved to be an excellent road tripper. With my sister Susan and two preschool nieces, we took it to the Grand Canyon and Disneyland. It was with my sister driving that I really saw the need for a four-speed automatic with overdrive. She set the cruise control at 80 MPH across the Arizona desert on I-10, and with the engine spinning north of 3,000 RPM, it could only manage about 18 MPG. I will ding GM for not offering a 4-speed automatic in that car. It’s not like they didn’t have one going into other cars with the same engine at the time.
As with the Excel, this Corsica was one of the good ones. Over nearly 70,000 miles, the only problem I encountered was a leaking head gasket, which I discovered was common on the 3.1 V6. I caught it before it could do real damage, and it was fixed under warranty. Other than that, just routine maintenance. Fast, comfortable, reliable, the car did its job and did it well.
The Chevy Corsica — at least my Corsica — really was better than its lackluster reputation.
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1994 Chevrolet Corsica – A Fitting Exile For Napoleon
CC Outtake: 1988 Chevrolet Corsica – Now That You Mention It…
Had a ’91 refrigerator-white Corsica with the 3.1 V-6 and the antiquated 3-speed auto. In 3 years and 100K+ miles, it was dead reliable.
Did it handle like a BMW? No.
Was it luxurious like a Mercedes? No.
Was it an appliance for a need? Yes.
It was obviously built to a price for a specific market. and frankly, it was a good car. Cruised all day at 80 mph with nice, cold A/C.
No hate from me.
I had one for a company car. It was also used by our fab shop guys to run errands. They loved the performance and called it “the Parts Camaro”.
Great read and neat seeing some early tidbits of the southeast valley. My godmother had a Corsica in Sapphire though I do not recall red trim. Maybe she had a different package.
Looks like your neat feature might be about a Honda!
His had the LT package which included the red trim, F41 suspension iirc and a few other things. The sporty model.
Sharp eye! Stay tuned for next week’s installment.
My grandma had one when I was a little boy. I liked that car. It had the 2.2 and the three speed, and it was slow according to grandma. It was mostly used on county roads and an uncrowded stretch of interstate, but I remember how it was getting on the on-ramp. It was a step down from my mom’s honda, but the back really wasn’t a bad place for a small child to be. The seats were soft and cushy, and on smooth roads during long trips it was the perfect place to take naps. I have fond memories of riding home from county fairs and long trips there. The back windows and glass were also much bigger than on newer cars, so it was comfortably warm in the winter, and the back windows could be opened enough in the summer to where it wasn’t stifling inside. It was also a little like riding in the observation car of a train in retrospect. Grandma and grandpa didn’t make me wear a booster seat, so I could sink into the soft velour stuff GM used on seats then and watch the treetops and power lines flow by. The only con to being in the back was that the seat belt buckles were real chrome, and they got hot enough to burn in the summer sun.
Out of all the cars I rode in as a child, the Corsica probably comes first. Was it cool? Kinda, it was all sharp angles when all the cars around it were blobby financial crisis era crossovers, SUVs and sedans. It was comfortable, and it was interesting being dropped off in it when all the other cars in the morning drop off line for grade school looked all the same. No other car had lap belts in the front seats, no airbags (which grandpa thought were dangerous) or a white exterior over a blue interior. Grandpa liked it less than I did. His parents bought it as their “special” car in 1990 or 91, and it was the only car they ever bought new. Considering how frugal they were, it was a very luxurious car, an LT if I remember right. They didn’t even shell out for air conditioning in their own house until the late 90’s, and in the summer it is pretty much mandatory here. They drove beaters that great grandpa fixed up around town, but they needed something reliable enough to go to see relatives with, to visit the national shrine half an hour north with, and also to go to church in. It did the job, and that was all it was used for.
When it was not used it sat in the garage, and was meticulously clean. A bit after I was born, my grandpa bought grandma a cougar. It was a lemon, and due to how frequently it broke down he would not let her leave the county with it. By that time my great grandparents had decided to upgrade to a two year old lesabre great grandpa found cheap, and grandpa bought it from them. According to him, the Corsica did not like leading a life of actual day to day use. It only had about ~25k miles on it and it was only going on 14 when he bought it, but it was full of problems, mostly related to whatever happened to GM rubber compounds in uninsulated garages over a decade and a half of long, hot summers. The original tires it still wore were full of dry rot All the waxing and buffing it had received helped, but by the time I was in kindergarten the clear coat had mostly said auf wiedersehen. Still, once all the soft rubber parts and been replaced it was a dependable car.
It took grandma to St. Charles, an hour and a half and over a hundred miles north without drama several times a year, and it made multiple treks to Arkansas without complaint. Age caught up with it though when it started being borrowed by family and wasn’t handled with kid gloves, and someone overheated it and cracked the block (because they ignored the overheat light, temp gauge, and because another rotten radiator hose burst), it got a package motor from the dealer in town and it started to show its age. After being used and abused by her, the transmission went out and that was the final straw. It was sold down the line, and her next car was a new elantra. It may have had blue LED gauges, but looking back it wasn’t nearly as cool as the Corsica. I miss that car.
Oh, there is that term “good enough” or it’s other disguise “it’s Ok”. Had a long discussion about that concerning the USS Hornet where I restored for 27 years. There are three of us who believe in the “right way, the correct way” while all others are in the “good enough” camp. I was forced off last year because of complaints that I want a section perfectly ship shape. Dealing with exterior steel and paint has a right way and an Ok way and guess which lasts the test of time. Time measured in months vs years. The second fellow quit after my episode not wanting any part of good enough. Since he is a big old car fan we see each other every week at local get togethers. Some fail to realize that doing it the right way makes the world go around. You want that engine on your 747 to be done the right way, even if you are a good enough guy. You want your doctor to do it the right way. t’s my genetic nature you could say.
I had one as a rental back in the day and I wholeheartedly agree it did its job with purpose and panache. I just couldn’t get over the generic ‘any car from an insurance commercial’ look of these and the Berettas. A little more style without crossing in the Pontiac cladding kingdom would have been nice.
Interesting factoid regarding GM and rental cars: The Corsica was initially ONLY sold to rental fleets, before they started selling it to retail customers. I learned that first hand when my boss came out from NY to see me in San Jose in 1987. I was sitting in my office with a big window facing the parking lot when I saw a car I did not immediately recognize pull in. I quickly went out to greet him and check out his…Corsica, a car I had read was coming out but was not yet available. How very odd, to sell it to rental fleets first. I guess GM knew the Corsica’s ultimate destiny upfront!
Yes, the 3.1 combined with GM’s exaggerated accelerator tip-in made it feel quite quick off the line. Punchy. Sort of the exact opposite of a Honda four at the time.
They sold them to the fleets first to shake down any quality issues, if I recall from back then reading Automotive News weekly.
Yes, I know that’s the reason. It was just very unusual as well as somewhat ironic, given how many of these and other GM FWD sedans ended up as rental fodder. Getting a head start!
I’ve always like the Corsica’s. Did they have their faults? Sure as did any car. I know there’s a lot of Honda fans on this site, but I sold Honda’s for 12 1/2 years in total and believe me when I say all cars have their issues, strengths and weaknesses. Including Honda. Anyhow, what I really liked about the Corsica was great outward visibility like most cars of that era. Built quality was not perfect, but it was good. And they lasted. In the nicer trims, they handled well and would hold their own.
Too bad GM doesn’t make a modern day version of this.
That is the spitting image of my brother’s Corsica, albeit in far better condition. In fact, perhaps my brother’s was the Portrait of Dorian Gray of yours. His had the 2.8, however. It was surprisingly quick, and it remains one of the few cars to survive his ownership. My dad called it the “Corpsicle” due to how ugly it was and how slow he perceived it to be. It was durable enough, however. My brother managed to take it from New Mexico to Wisconsin one time, and it made it back.
As for rolling loans into each other, that’s a dangerous thing that many people are doing now. One of my most memorable divorce cases had to do with a couple who had rolled a loan on a Kia into a loan on a new Bronco. The payment was catastrophically large, and the car was about $30,000 upside down in a year due, as the pandemic pricing finally gave way to depreciation. The controversy in that case was not who got to keep what; it was who had to keep the car.
This is one of a whole bunch of GM cars from that era that have risen a lot in my estimation over the years. When they were new they did not stack up very well against a lot of the competition. But as they aged, the basic components often held up quite well. There were a lot of these in my area, which had been in a big multi-county triangle of GM plants (Indianapolis metal stamping, Anderson Guide Lamp and Kokomo Delco-Remy) and a lot of these were bought by employees. I still occasionally see these on the road (as opposed to the Ford Tempo or the K cars, which have disappeared).
You are right, the right color/wheels/trim level did a lot for one of these.
After an “89 Excel”, about anything could have been impressive.
Supposedly spec’d out by National. Worst National rental I ever got.
I agree about the Corsica. In 1994, I rented one for several weeks (my car was in an accident, the body shop bungled the repair and had to re-do it, and they gave me a Corsica rental while my car was inoperable). I expected to hate it, but it was actually pretty nice. Good power, comfortable, handled decently. I’d have considered buying one if I had been in the market for a new car in the 1990s. It certainly wasn’t as refined as the class leaders like Accords, etc., but given the Corsica’s price, it was a good deal.
In the late 1990s, a friend of mine had an ’88 Corsica that he bought from a relative. It was a high-mileage, well-used car, but it served him very well.
In some ways, my 1990s rental experience reminds me of when we rented a Malibu last year for a few days. I wasn’t expecting to like it, but I did. I would actually consider buying a used Malibu (since we may be in the market for a used car soon), if only it didn’t have a turbocharged engine.
By the time the Corsica came out, GM had figured out the FWD thing pretty figured out. Same for the 60′ V-6, although GM did have some head gasket issues with these cars. The later 3.4 engine was a real head gasket eater.
I had a Corsica rental and it was a nice car. Nothing too flashy, but it had more than adequate power. The lack of overdrive gear was a bit of a problem, but I tend to keep my speed at the speed limit. These cars were never designed to go 80 MPH. GM cars were always happiest at 65-70 MPH
While I have nothing but hatred for these cockroaches, I will agree GM had the best A/C. The system in my ’96 Saturn SL2 could make you wish you had a down jacket on in the middle summer, and in 10 years of ownership, never had to even recharge it once.
I had one as a rental for a couple of weeks when I was detailed to San Diego in 1995-ish. It was burgundy and it had the V6; I dont know if it was the 2.8 or 3.1 at that point but it was, or it least felt like a quick, fun to drive little car. I always liked the looks of the Beretta and if they were RWD cars, I would have absolutely considered buying one. I knew of several that went past 200K miles so they must have been pretty decent cars. Cant remember the last time I saw one on the road though.
Come to think of it, I saw a Corsica on the highway earlier this year. First one I’ve seen in ages:
I loved reading an unapologetic and positive review of your Corsica ownership experience – especially (and as you had pointed out) given that it had been built during some dark days for GM. And I’m with you on the base model “styled steel wheels” of the Beretta.
Frankly, these were good looking cars – much more attractive than the other GM rides based upon the same platform. That said – the problem we had was the incredibly cheap materials used to make them. Engine – the big 4 was fine, but the interior, paint, plastics, were junk. Disposable. A cheap, good looking car.
I had a 93 for the summer of 2003. Last year of the rock solid 3.1 MPFI, before going to the 3100 with the intake gasket problem. I had heard multiple accounts of these engines going 300k easy, and all of my own have been similar. I would get 27 mpg highway, but running no more than 70 mph. And these engines always had an amazing exhaust note.
They definitely could have put the 440T4 in the early V6 models, since they put the 4T60E in the later ones.
In the mid 90s a buddy had a 88 or 89 with the 2.8. Only real issue was a coolant temp sensor. He drove it like he stole it, so naturally the brakes were down to the bone when I replaced them for him. On a trip to Canada he kept up with the other buddy in a 3800 Bonneville, but it was wound out pretty good. I was in the Corsica, back seat as usual. I put spark plugs in it once too. Unlike my A bodies, I had to disconnect the dogbone and pull the engine forward, but no big deal. I replaced the TCC solenoid in mine. Super easy.
My aunt had a brand new 89 Beretta GT with the 2.8 and 5 speed. It had the charcoal steel wheels and I thought they looked good. I rode with my uncle into town, and once we got out of sight of the house, he stopped on the lightly used paved road and laid me back in the seat.
I always thought these cars looked good. I remember reading something saying at the time, the front fenders were at their limits for forming sheetmetal. As with all things GM at the time, they had a defined shape and clean lines. I preferred the ones up to 93 I believe, before they went to cheap stickers instead of emblems. But I preferred the taillight ribs of the later ones. I spent some time on a Corsica forum 20+ years ago, and 91 was said to be a transition year with the best combination of all the features.
That was when I was reminded of the Pontiac Tempest, as multiple members had one. Previously I had seen them in 1989 when I went to Niagara Falls at age 13, but I saw so many interesting Canadian variants.
Between borrowing the buddy’s Corsica, and the one I had, people told me multiple times that I looked good in a Corsica. Nobody has ever said that about any other car I’ve driven.
The one I had, I ended up giving to my ex wife in the divorce settlement in exchange for keeping my camper. As her Celebrity had lost its rear axle mount, so she desperately needed a car. She trashed it and cooked the transmission over the next 3 years. So I bought it back for scrap price, cleaned it up with purple power, put in a transmission, and sold it to someone else and made a little money. Also was allowed to take what I wanted off the Celebrity, which I swapped onto mine in 2003 and am still driving it every day.
There’s a a still-running Corsica in my town that I see occasionally. The exhaust is pretty loud (in a non-sporty way) but it doesn’t smoke. I’m pretty sure it’s not an LT.
My maternal grandparents had an 1987 model – I’m guessing it was initally a fleet model. Compared to the cars of the rest of the family, when they first got it as I was a little kid it actually screamed modern.
It had a floor parking brake and a column automatic shift – I cannot recall that combination in any other vehicle.