I knew that Malibu sales dropped off in 1980 due to the second energy crisis and the recession that it led to; the recession caused a lot of people to postpone buying a new car, and those that did gravitated towards smaller, more fuel-efficient models. Therefore, any trip from the Olive Garden with a full stomach became a very unpleasant ride. Especially in two tone blue metallic paint. A regular coat of Turtle Wax had two benefits. During the 1970s, the only cars from the 1950s that people really collected were the 1955-57 Thunderbirds, 1955-57 Chevrolets, early Corvettes, the 1953-54 Studebaker coupes and the Edsel. Instead of a revolutionary car, it was a transitional one — a halfway point between the excessively large and ponderous sedans of the 1970s to the smaller and front-drive cars that emerged in the 1980s.
So many choices back then; the early cars even had the option of a light blue interior! Note that both cars also offered bucket seats which were preferable to the bench seats. Bucket seats, new carpet and gauges, has a l76 6. Meanwhile the G-body coupes Monte Carlo, etc. Instructions: Details: Rating: Rating 4. For these mid-size cars initially called the A-body cars, but later changed to the G-bodies , the same formula was followed as was done for their larger cousins — reduce exterior dimensions, but keep interior size close to the same. This proportion dropped dramatically starting in 1980, however, and by 1982 the coupe was dropped from the Malibu line altogether sales were likely lost to its fellow Chevy G-body coupe, the Monte Carlo.
A drive in a V6 LeMans was all it took to sell Dad on a V8. We stop watch timed his car at 16 seconds 0-60 and the Malibu was 13. Ironically, three decades later, the sedans appear to be the rarest-seen of all three body styles. We have been a lot of places and done a lot of things with it. Those Any Brand Corporation tail lights, roof line and of course the fixed rear windows kill it for me. But I loved that car. I imagine there were a lot of fights and arguments between kids and parents of these cars regarding climate control in those days.
The late 1970s and early 1980s were marked by a rapidly changing car market, brought about by economic turmoil, with wildly fluctuating oil prices and interest rates. The Granada felt a little tighter inside but that could be in part to the higher belt line. This item will fit the following years: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981. One big gamble at a time was enough. Not a bad badge of honor for a wallflower.
At the time I had an old Volvo 240. Then the coat of wax put a layer of protection on top of the paint for as long as it lasted which was never nearly as long as the wax companies promised. May require trimming to install. Always regarded it as the smaller, sleaker sister of the Caprice Classic. It was the age of compromise, where we all had to accept less than we were used to.
Though, I must admit that every anti-smog paraphernalia had been removed by the previous owner. Even though it had two fewer cylinders, the Volvo was noticeably faster off the line, and had way better top-end acceleration. The end result was a conservatively-styled but handsome sedan, wagon and coupe that wound up being the same size as a Mercedes-Benz W123 — a coincidence that was probably not unintentional. I imagine they had a pretty good discount, would have been a pretty good deal if you could handle the 3spd on the floor. Oddly, most other G-body cars had considerably longer life spans. In any event, it was probably a mixture of that, and, of course, cost savings.
It also had automatic climate control which worked perfect, twilight headlamp sentinel, power seats on both sides and literally every option they offered. The body is still in good shape and the paint looks good from about 20 feet. As we all know young families flocked to these. After two years of side-by-side sales, it was clear that the Celebrity won the battle, and the Malibu was taken out of production after 1983. It was as comfortable and smooth as a full size B body and the front seats nearly as roomy. ©Copyright Rocketfin 2010, all rights reserved.
At one point growing up there were three Malibus in the immediate vicinity of our house. However, the instrument cluster was different, no horizontal speedo, no clock and lots of idiot lights. The motors for them made a strange, whistley sound like some kind of bird was inside the door making them work. The dealer ad above reflects this phenomenon, but it was far from the only ad of its sort. It also pulled this car up to speed pretty well for the time. In 1982, a new front end was added, featuring more modern-looking quad headlights.
It had its maladies but it was an old car. I was not a fan of the cars from the 80s. This item is custom made after the order is placed, and typically ships within 2 business days. Bought brand new, we picked it from the dealer. Baby blue seemed to be to color of choice but the various tans also had a following. I remember a buddy bought one as a beater in the early 2000s, I thought it was a weird options combo until I got the Iraq story.