Auctions America’s October auction at Hilton Head was on October 31st. I’ll concentrate on the relatively few 1980s cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not an all no reserve auction—a brown 1980 Toyota FJ43 Land Cruiser with a gray interior was bid up to $52,500) and add some of my opinions.
1982 stainless steel DeLorean DMC-12 coupe with a gray interior—$19,000
1989 white Bentley Turbo R sedan with a red interior and over 100,000 miles—$11,000.
1986 red Porsche 930 Turbo coupe with a tan interior—$80,000
1989 white Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition coupe with a black interior and 6,800 miles—$312,500
1984 red Ferrari 512 BBi coupe with a black interior and 3,600 mile—at $327,500, the highest eighties vehicle sale of this auction. Prices for the Berlinetta Boxer have been in orbit; this is about #2 condition money according to Hagerty’s valuation tools.
1986 red Ferrari 412i coupe with a tan interior and 42,000 miles—$65,000. It seems that even some 412s are benefiting from the recent increases in Ferrari prices.
1980 blue Ford Mustang “GT Enduro” very custom coupe with 14,000 miles—$37,000
Mecum’s November auction in Anaheim included a decent amount of cars from the 1980s. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a white 1988 Porsche 911 Cabriolet with a factory slant nose, a black interior, and 48,000 miles was a no sale bid up to $110,000) and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.
Thursday:
1984 brown Chevrolet El Camino mild custom pickup truck with a brown interior—$7,250 hammer price
1986 red/tan two-tone Chevrolet Suburban SUV with a tan interior, a 454 cubic inch motor, and (oog) a salvage title—$6,750
1989 blue/white two-tone Chevrolet K5 Blazer Silverado SUV with a blue interior—$9,000
1982 brown/tan two-tone Chevrolet Suburban SUV with a tan interior, a 454 cubic inch motor, and 82,000 miles—$6,000. Who was selling all these eighties Chevy SUVs?
1984 blue Chevrolet Monte Carlo coupe with a blue interior—$5,500. It’s unusual to see a non-SS Monte Carlo at auction.
1987 white Jaguar XJ6 sedan with a tan interior and 8,000 miles—$11,000
1983 white Porsche 911SC coupe with a brown interior—$23,000
1984 brown/gold two-tone Chevrolet El Camino pickup truck with a gold interior and 90,000 miles—$5,000
1986 silver Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2 Aerocoupe with a gray interior and 18,000 miles—$14,250 is decent money for one of these NASCAR specials.
1988 gray Zimmer Golden Spirit with a gray interior—$13,000 for this Mercury Cougar-based neo-classic.
1986 silver Chevrolet Corvette very custom coupe with a gray interior, a Callaway body kit, and a 383 stroker motor—$26,000
1985 black Porsche 928S coupe with a black interior—$8,000
Friday:
1980 white Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Turbo Pace Car coupe with a white interior and 40,000 miles—$10,000
1987 black Jeep CJ-7 very custom SUV with a gray interior—$19,500
1988 black Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with a red interior and 60,000 miles—$25,000
1988 maroon Lincoln Town Car limousine with a maroon interior—$7,000
1985 black Ferrari Mondial Quattrovalvole custom coupe with a black interior and 67,000 miles—$22,000 would be #3 money if this Ferrari where stock.
1982 white Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet with a black interior—$45,000
Saturday:
1980 black Chevrolet Camaro Z28 coupe with a tan interior and 36,000 miles—$15,000 means that this was the only vehicle in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these vehicles in bold green.
1987 white Porsche 911 Turbo coupe with a black interior and 40,000 miles—at $100,000, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale of the auction, though only about #4 money according to Hagerty’s valuation tools.
Prices were generally low for most cars, though some of the nicest ones brought decent money. What do you think of this auction’s results?
Mecum’s October auction in Chicago included a decent amount of cars from the 1980s. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a white 1985 Land Rover Defender 110 SUV with a black interior was a no sale bid up to $60,000) and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.
Thursday:
1985 silver Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with a burgundy interior—$12,000 hammer price
1985 red Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a black interior—$9,000. Why did the 380SL fetch more?
1984 black Porsche 911 Carrera coupe with a black interior and an aftermarket slant nose conversion—$24,000
1983 white Porsche 944 coupe with a black interior—$7,250
1989 white Pontiac Firebird Twentieth Anniversary Trans Am with a tan interior—$17,000
1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray interior and 58,000 miles—$18,000
1987 black K5 Blazer SUV with a gray interior—$13,000
1981 black Chevrolet Camaro Z28 coupe with a black interior—$12,000
1987 gray Chevrolet Corvette convertible with a black interior—$8,500
1985 white Litestar coupe with a tan interior and 108 miles—$24,500 for this enclosed motorcycle.
1985 cream Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz coupe with a brown interior and 15,000 miles—$11,000
1988 black Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z convertible with a gray interior—$12,000
1982 maroon Ferrari 400i coupe with a tan interior—$23,000
1984 black Pontiac Fiero very custom coupe with a 383 V8—$12,000
1984 silver Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a gray interior and 89,000 miles—an ouch! at $2,750.
1984 white Cadillac Seville sedan with a white interior—$3,250
Friday:
1984 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a red interior and 7,800 miles—$9,250
1987 gray Chevrolet Camaro coupe with the 2.8 liter V6, a gray interior, and 19,500 miles—$4,000. Perhaps the most interesting eighties car in this auction; how many base coupes are left, especially with this kind of mileage?
1980 gray Pontiac Firebird Trans Am custom coupe with a black interior—$14,000
1981 black Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a cinnabar interior—$12,500
1983 black/silver two-tone Oldsmobile Hurst Olds 15th Anniversary coupe with a maroon interior—$8,500
1989 black Cadillac Fleetwood sedan with a gray interior—$5,500
1982 beige Jeep Scrambler pickup truck with a brown interior— $25,600 means that this is the first vehicle in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these vehicles in bold green.
1989 black Bentley Turbo R with a saddle interior and 55,000 miles—$15,000
1989 maroon Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA with a tan interior, 5.7 liter engine, and 49,000 miles—$8,000
1986 red Toyota FJ-60 Land Cruiser mild custom SUV with a beige interior—$25,500
1988 cream Land Rover Defender SUV with a gray interior—$28,500
Saturday:
1987 black Buick Regal GNX coupe with a gray interior and 16 miles—at $112,500, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale of the auction and a top 10 overall result. How many ultra low mileage GNX’s are left?
1981 black and gold Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Special Edition coupe with a black interior, automatic transmission, and 572 miles—$45,000 is a lot of money for a Trans Am with (best case) 150 bhp 301 cubic inch V8.
1982 white Porsche 930 Turbo mild custom coupe with a red interior—$50,000
1981 blue Chevrolet Corvette custom coupe with a blue interior, tuned port injection engine, and 35,000 miles—$16,000
Prices were generally low for most cars, though some of the nicest ones brought good money. What do you think of this auction’s results?
This year’s Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas auction included a good number of interesting vehicles. As usual, I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars (and some trucks) that sold and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.
1989 red Jaguar XJS mild custom coupe with a tan interior—$5,000 hammer price.
1981 white Lincoln Continental Mark VI mild custom coupe with a red interior—an ouch! at $3,500.
1989 red Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas sedan with a beige interior—$4,750
1982 orange GMC Sierra custom pickup truck with a black interior—$7,000
1987 black Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce convertible with a black interior—$6,000
1984 burgandy Chevrolet El Camino custom pickup truck with a red interior—$6,500
1985 metallic gray Chevrolet Corvette coupe with gray interior—$5,500
1980 yellow International Scout SUV with a tan interior and 50,000 miles—$10,500
1981 tan Datsun B210 SL hatchback with a tan interior, a five-speed manual transmission, and 20,000 miles—$10,700
1987 blue Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 convertible with a gray interior—$8,000
1989 blue Jaguar XJS convertible with a blue interior and 31,000 miles—$8,000
1982 blue Porsche 928 coupe with a blue interior and 37,000 miles—$14,500
1981 green Jeep Scrambler custom pickup truck with a tan interior—$16,000
1984 silver Mercedes-Benz 300D limousine with a blue interior—$11,000
1986 brown Jeep CJ-7 custom SUV with a black interior—$20,000
1984 bronze Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a brown interior and 37,000 miles—$10,000
1980 red Jeep CJ-7 Renegade SUV with a black interior—$7,500
1988 red Pontiac Firebird Formula coupe with a gray interior, the 350 cubic inch TPI engine, and 19,000 miles—$10,000
1984 red Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 coupe with a black interior—$2,750
1981 white Oldsmobile Cutlass coupe with a red interior and 3,400 miles—$7,000
1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector Edition coupe with a silver beige interior—$11,000
1981 silver Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 custom coupe with a red interior—$23,000
1985 red Ferrari 400i custom coupe with a tan interior and a Chevrolet small black—$45,000
1988 red Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a tan interior—$11,000
1981 orange Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta custom coupe with a black interior—$5,500
1987 black Dodge Shelby Charge GHLS coupe with a silver interior and 11,000 miles—$8,500
1984 white Ford Mustang 20th Anniversary convertible with a red interior—$10,000
1986 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible with a red interior and 47,000 miles—$9,000
1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray interior—$17,000
1988 silver blue Porsche 911 Carrera convertible with a silver blue interior and 79,000 miles—$35,500
1987 black Buick GNX with a black interior and 1,200 miles—at $82,000 the first eighties vehicle to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these vehicles in bold green. This was also the highest eighties car or truck sale of the auction.
1989 red Ford Econoline custom van with a red interior—$12,500
1984 tan/white two-tone Ford F-150 pickup truck with a tan interior and 34,000 miles—$5,000
1981 gold Chevrolet C-10 custom pickup truck with a tan interior—$8,000
Prices for all cars didn’t seem very strong at this auction—or for that matter at Reno Tahoe, but some eighties cars and trucks did okay. What do you think of this year’s results?
Mecum’s September auction in Dallas included a decent amount of cars from the 1980s. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a red 1985 Lamborghini Countach 5000S coupe with a black interior was a no sale bid up to $400,000) and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.
Wednesday:
1984 red Pontiac Fiero very custom coupe with a blown 454 V8—$10,000 hammer price.
1986 blue Ford Bronco II Eddie Bauer Edition SUV with a tan interior—$5,750
1981 white Pontiac Firebird Formula custom convertible with a blue interior—$8,500 for this strange-looking conversion.
1987 red GMC mild custom pickup truck with a black interior—$12,000
1989 white Cadillac Brougham sedan with a red interior—an ouch! at $5,300.
1989 black Jeep Wrangler SUV with a five-speed manual transmission and a gray interior—$5,500
Thursday:
1981 black Chevrolet Camaro Z28 mild custom coupe with a red interior—$13,000
1983 gold Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with a tan interior—$10,000
1985 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS mild custom coupe with a gray interior—$10,000
1986 white Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a burgundy interior and 45,000 miles—$16,500
1988 white Chevrolet Corvette convertible with a red interior and 20,000 miles—$13,500
1984 white Dodge Prospector pickup truck with a gray interior and 90,000 miles—$10,500
1986 black Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with a red interior and 53,000 miles—$17,000
1986 silver/black two-tone Chevrolet Corvette Malcolm Konner coupe with a gray interior, 4+3 manual transmission, and 40,000 miles—$10,000
1986 red Chevrolet K10 custom pickup truck with a black interior—$12,000
1981 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with a black interior—$18,000
1985 silver/white two-tone Toyota Land Cruiser mild custom SUV with a gray interior and 91,000 miles—$18,500
1981 white Chevrolet Camaro Z28 custom coupe with a black interior—$14,500
1989 white GMC 1500 mild custom pickup truck with a blue interior—$4,000
Friday:
1985 white Jeep CJ-7 custom SUV with a gray interior—$7,500
1982 white Porsche 911sc coupe with a tan interior and 98,000 miles—$32,000
1985 black Chevrolet C10 mild custom pickup truck with a gray interior—$21,500
1989 silver Jeep CJ-7 custom SUV with a silver interior—$21,000
1985 black Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS custom coupe with a maroon interior—$16,000
1986 black Buick Grand National custom coupe with a gray interior—$90,000
Saturday:
1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray interior—$30,000 means that this is the first vehicle in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these vehicles in bold green.
1988 yellow Ferrari Testarossa coupe with a black interior and 7,900 miles—at $144,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale of the auction.
1985 silver/black two-tone Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with a gray interior and 5,900 miles—$34,500
1981 beige Toyota BJ-43 Land Cruiser SUV with a beige interior—$34,000
Mecum’s August auction in Monterey included a good amount of cars from the 1980s. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—one of the white 1986 Ferrari Testarossa coupes used as hero cars in Miami Vice was a no sale bid up to $600,000) and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.
Thursday:
1985 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray interior—$9,000 hammer price.
1983 black Mercedes-Benz 500SL convertible with a tan interior and 78,000 miles—$18,000
1989 black Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a black interior and a six-speed manual transmission—$9,000
1985 beige with woodgrain side panels Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country convertible with a beige interior and 12,000 miles—$12,000
1984 blue Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler pickup truck with a black interior—$14,000
1988 silver Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible with a beige interior and 20,000 miles—$35,000
1988 white Jaguar XJ-SC with a blue interior—$8,000 for this strange “targa convertible.”
1984 bronze BMW M6 coupe with a brown interior and 31,000 miles—$44,000
1988 black Ferrari 328 GTS with a cream interior and 58,000 miles—$65,000
1987 red Porsche 928S4 coupe with a black interior and 60,000 miles—$15,000
1986 red Porsche 944 coupe with a black interior and 95,000 miles—$8,000
Friday:
1983 red Datsun 280ZX coupe with a gray interior, a five-speed manual transmission, and 16,000 miles—$22,500 means that this is the first vehicle in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these vehicles in bold green.
1980 white Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible with a red interior—$38,000
1982 yellow Toyota FJ-43 Land Cruiser SUV with a gray interior and 46,000 miles—$42,500
1987 white Lamborghini Jalpa P350 coupe with a white interior and 23,000 miles—$80,000 is about 25% over what Hagerty’s valuation tools sees as all the money for a 1987 Jalpa.
1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector Edition coupewith a silver beige interior and eight miles—$60,000 has to be an all-time record for a stock 1982 Corvette. I worked hard to deduct any points at all while judging the exterior of this car in 2008—back then it had six miles.
1987 white Chevrolet Corvette 35th Anniversary Edition coupewith a white interior and 163 miles—$50,000 for another car from the Ed Foss low mileage Corvette collection.
1988 dark blue Chevrolet Corvette Corvette Challenge race car (#58: Robin Dallenbach) with a black interior and 8,300 miles—$30,000
1987 red Ferrari 328 GTS targa coupe with a beige interior and 33,000 miles—$85,000
1987 black Buick GNX coupe with a gray interior and 12 miles—at $140,000
Saturday:
1984 white Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a graphite leather interior—$15,000 for the first C4 Corvette actually sold to a paying customer.
1985 red Porsche 935 Kremer K2 coupe with a tan interior and 4,200 miles—$390,000 for this factory racing special.
1989 red Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet with a black interior and 13,000 miles—$200,000
1989 red Ferrari 328 GTS targa coupe with a tan interior and 16,000 miles—$90,000
1989 red Ferrari F40 coupe with a red interior and 5,500 miles—at $1,150,000, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale of the auction.
1989 white Porsche 911 Speedster convertible with linen interior and 7,800 miles—$190,000
1989 black Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary coupe with a black interior and 2,200 miles—$270,000 is #2 money according to Hagerty’s valuation tools.
1989 red Porsche 911 Speedster convertible with a black interior and 68,000 miles—$100,000
1989 red Ferrari Testarossa with a tan interior, 16,000 miles, and a recent major service—$122,500 is actually a fairly reasonable price.
1981 red Porsche C928 custom convertible with a tan interior and 6,300 miles—$55,000 for this Carelli International-modified car.
As usual, there was obviously real money in the room at Monterey. Even more than normal, it seemed to be home to low mileage cars.
This year’s Barrett-Jackson Reno Tahoe auction included a few interesting vehicles from the eighties. As usual, I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars (and some trucks) that sold and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.
Friday:
1986 black/silver two-tone Chevrolet El Camino pickup truck with 58,000 miles—$6,200 hammer price.
1981 black Jeep CJ-7 Laredo custom SUV with a tan interior and a four-speed manual transmission—$6,500
1981 beige Chevrolet Corvette coupe with camel leather interior, a four-speed manual transmission, and 61,000 miles—$9,000 isn’t bad for a car missing one of its t-tops.
1983 magnolia Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with an autumn interior and 50,000 miles—$12,700
1981 red Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler pickup truck with a gray interior and a four-speed manual transmission—$13,500
1986 red Chevrolet Silverado mild custom pickup with a red interior—at $15,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale of the auction.
1982 blue Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 coupe with a gray interior, a four-speed manual transmission, and 47,000 miles—$10,000
1986 gold/burnt orange two-tone Chevrolet C-10 custom pickup truck with a gray interior—$8,750
1989 red Ford Mustang convertible with a white top, a red interior, the 5.0 V8, and a five-speed manual transmission—$6,2000
1984 black BMW 633 CSi coupe with a tan interior and a five-speed manual transmission—an ouch! at $8,000.
In its second year, Mecum’s three day auction in Harrisburg included a lot of cars and trucks from the 1980s—fully 9% of the lots. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a 1981 blue Porsche 930 Turbo coupe with 47,000 miles was a no sale bid up to $75,000) and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.
Thursday:
1985 black Jaguar XJ6 sedan with a tan interior and 77,000 miles—$5,000 hammer price for this handsome Series III car.
1981 white Chevrolet Camaro Z28 coupe with a blue interior and 71,000 miles—$6,500 for a somewhat beat-up example of the breed.
1984 yellow Chevrolet 1500 custom pickup truck with a tan interior, a crate engine, and air ride—$10,250
1981 champagne Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with a chocolate interior—an ouch! at $5,500; Hagerty’s valuation tools see this as below #4 money.
1982 white Cadillac Eldorado coupe with a blue interior and 70,000 miles—$4,000
1986 black Buick Regal custom coupe with a black interior and a 609 bhp turbocharged V6—$15,500
1988 white Chevrolet Corvette 35th Anniversary coupe with the Z52 “sporty” suspension, that white Cadillac leather, and 83,000 miles—$8,250
1981 beige/dark bronze two-tone Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a camel interior—$10,500 for this first year Bowling Green car.
1989 blue with woodgrain side panels Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV with 68,000 miles—$14,000
1987 white/blue two-tone Dodge Ramcharger LE SUV with a blue interior—$6,000
1985 red GMC High Sierra 1500 pickup truck with a red interior, the 4.3 liter V6, four wheel drive, and 29,000 miles—$12,500
1984 white Jaguar XJS coupe with a tan interior—$4,000 for this set of electrical problems waiting to happen.
1987 white/blue two-tone Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with a blue interior and 13,000 miles—$16,000
1983 red Porsche 911SC coupe with a black interior, five-speed manual transmission, and 79,000 miles—$29,000
1986 blue Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z coupe with a gray interior, the LB9 5.0 liter tuned port injection V8, and 7,000 miles—$13,000 for this sharp looking car.
1986 silver beige/medium brown two-tone Chevrolet Corvette coupe with a bronze interior and 3,300 miles—$12,000
1989 blue/gray two-tone Ford Mustang GT 5.0 hatchback with a gray interior, a four-speed manual transmission, and 2,600 miles—$13,500
1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with a gray interior and 95,000 miles—$18,000 for a Grand National that was actually driven. This is also the first vehicle in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these vehicles in bold green.
1987 medium gray Chevrolet Camaro coupe with a gray interior, a 5.0 liter LG4 V8 with 4-barrel carburetor, and 20,000 miles—$6,000
1983 black/tan two-tone Lincoln Mark VI Bill Blass Edition coupe with tan interior—$3,500
1983 gold Chrysler LeBaron Mark Cross Edition convertible with a brown interior and 51,000 miles—$5,000
1986 blue Jeep CJ-7 Renegade SUV with a black interior and 30,000 miles—$19,000
Friday:
1985 red Peterbilt 359 Day Cab truck with a gray interior, air suspension, and 800,000miles—$39,000
1980 red BMW 320i coupe with tan interior and a five-speed manual transmission—$11,000
1982 red Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with a tan interior and 32,000 miles—$15,000
1989 black Toyota LJ-70 Land Cruiser with a blue interior, a turbo-diesel, and a five-speed manual transmission—$9,500
1980 gold Triumph TR8 mild custom convertible with a black interior and a five-speed manual transmission—$12,500 for what was probably the most interesting eighties car at this auction.
1980 blue Jeep custom SUV with a black interior—$24,000
1987 black Buick GNX coupe with a gray interior, the rare sunroof, and 48,000 miles—at $69,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale of the auction.
1987 red Chevrolet Corvette Callaway coupe with a graphite interior, the Z52 suspension, and the correct Dymag wheels—$14,000
1988 red Chevrolet Corvette Corvette Challenge race car (#36: Bill Cooper) with a black interior and 8,600 miles—$13,000. Will Corvette Challenge cars ever bring real money?
Saturday:
1987 black with woodgrain side panels Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV with a tan interior—$8,000
1983 maroon Jeep Scrambler pickup truck—$19,000
1984 silver/black two-tone Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds coupe with a red interior, those lightning rod shifters, and 688 miles—$32,000
1988 red Cadillac Eldorado Designer Edition coupe with a tan interior and 13,000 miles—$10,500. These fairly unsuccessful ninth-generation Eldorados seem to have at least some fans.
1985 gray Buick Riviera coupe with a gray interior and 5,000 miles—$15,500 is about $5,000 over what Hagerty thinks is all the money for an ’85 Riv non T-Type coupe.
1987 white Buick Regal T-Type coupe with a blue interior and 17,000 miles—$23,000 for this unassuming looking car.
1987 black Land Rover Defender custom SUV with a black interior, a turbo diesel, and a five-speed manual transmission—$33,000
1985 gold Chevrolet C10 custom pickup truck with a tan interior and a 454 cubic inch V8—$16,000
1983 red Porsche 911 convertible with a brown interior, a slant nose, a wide body, and 77,000 miles—$33,000
On a Sunday morning in July 2015, I saw a Buick Grand National actually being driven. The silhouette was distinctive, even from a quarter of a mile away. Strangely, they look tall and even a little bit fragile nowadays.
“The hottest Buick this side of a banked oval.”
1984 was the first year that Buick offered a Grand National package for the Regal. The Regal T Types had debuted in 1983, but the Grand National definitely kicked things up a notch.
The star was, of course, the engine. For 1984, Buick’s turbocharged LD5 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 gained sequential fuel injection, bumping horsepower up from 180 bhp to an even 200 bhp. Paired with a four-speed automatic transmission, 0-60 came in a little under 8 seconds. Mileage was 18 city/22 highway by the day’s standards (16/20 by 2025 measures). With an 18-gallon fuel tank, the Grand National‘s range was between 290 and 325 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.
1984 Buick Grand National advertisement
Standard mechanical equipment on the $13,400 Grand National (about $42,400 in today’s dollars) included power brakes, power steering, dual exhausts, performance rear axle, Gran Touring suspension, and P215/65R15 blackwall tires (a size still readily available) on black-accented 15-inch aluminum wheels. A Grand National‘s exterior equipment included a turbo “power bulge” on the hood, dual mirrors, dual horns, front air dam, rear decklid spoiler, and that distinctive Black paint with black accents—responsible for the “Darth Buick” nickname. Air conditioning, Lear Siegler cloth/leather seats, a tachometer, a turbo boost gauge, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel were all included inside.
Options
Optional equipment included dual remote sport mirrors ($30), electric rear defogger ($140), touch climate control air conditioning ($150), tilt steering ($110), power windows ($185), Twilight Sentinel ($57), and electronic tuning AM/FM stereo radio with cassette and graphic equalizer ($605).
The View From 2025
Buick Regal Grand Nationals have what can only be called a fanatical following. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1984 Grand National in #1/Concours condition is an impressive$45,100, with a more normal #3/Good condition car going for $17,100. Grand Nationals frequently show up for sale in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer. As I update this blog entry in April 2025, a 1986 Grand National with 1,706 miles is available on Hemmings, asking $78,500.
I don’t have to tell you what color I want mine in.
The Chrysler LeBaron convertible was a mid-year introduction, becoming available in the spring of 1982. It was the first factory convertible from an American manufacturer available for sale in the United States since the 1976 Cadillac Eldorado.
All LeBarons were all-new for 1982. Based on the more plebeian Dodge Aries/Plymouth Reliant front-wheel-drive K cars that had been on sale for a year, the LeBaron (sometimes described as the Super-K) was a move at least slightly upmarket. Most exterior body panels were the same as the K. Notable styling differences were a waterfall-style grill (somewhat resembling that of the previous year’s rear-wheel-drive LeBaron), quad headlamps, relocation of the parking lamps and turn signals to the front bumper, and a full-width tail-lamp housing.
Chrysler used almost all of the standard K pieces inside the LeBaron. Recessed door handles and rocker type door locks were among the few changes, along with a different style of armrest and door pull. There was less vinyl trim, and the carpeting and other fabrics were of somewhat higher quality. A significant difference was the attention paid to noise, vibration, and harshness: between soundproofing, better parts, and suspension tuning, the LeBaron was upgraded from the base K in 26 separate ways.
Cars & Concepts in Brighton, Michigan heavily modified two-door LeBaron coupes on their way to becoming convertibles—the process included 32 steps. They installed a boxed-in backbone along the center of the car and welded a three-piece windshield header to the A-pillars. Next, Cars & Concepts installed new door glass and added door wedges. Finally, they added a new fiberglass panel to hold the rather small rear seats and mounted the convertible motor on the floor pan behind the rear bulkhead.
The convertible top itself had a plastic rear window and broad rear quarter panels; Car and Driver wrote that this created “a sort of Conestoga-wagon effect.” A button on the console actuated the top, and a padded top boot snapped into place when the top was lowered.
The base engine was a K 2.2 liter/135 ci inline four with a two-barrel Holley carburetor, producing 84 bhp. A two-barrel carburetted Mitsubishi G54B 2.6-liter/156 ci inline four with 92 bhp and 20 additional ft-lbs of torque was available for an added $171. Chrysler paired both engines with the TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission. Mileage with the base engine was 25 city/36 highway by the day’s standards. The optional engine was rated at 23 city/31 highway and brought the 0-60 time down from about 17 (aargh!) seconds to about 15 seconds.
1982 Chrysler LeBaron convertible advertisement
The LeBaron convertible’s base price was $11,698 (about $40,100 in today’s dollars and about 44% more than the 1982 LeBaron coupe). Standard exterior and mechanical equipment included dual outside mirrors (borrowed from the Dodge Omni 024), power brakes, power rack-and-pinion steering, and P185/70R14 whitewall tires (a size still readily available, though finding whitewalls might be tricky) on 14-inch wheels. Inside, vinyl front bucket seats with a folding center armrest, a digital clock, and an AM radio were included. 76% of convertible drivers moved up to Medallion trim, which boosted the price to $13,998 (about $48,000 in 2025 dollars) and added halogen headlamps, better gauges, and snazzier wheel covers.
Packages, Options, & Production Numbers
The Mark Cross package cost an additional $861, moved the sticker to a non-trivial $14,859 (about $50,900 in today’s dollars), and added the 2.6-liter engine, air conditioning, power windows, power door locks, and attractive Mark Cross leather/vinyl seats. Other options included cornering lamps ($57), cast aluminum wheels ($344), automatic speed control ($155), and an AM/FM stereo radio with electronic tuning and cassette player ($455).
First-year sales of LeBaron convertible were a respectable 12,825, especially given the shortened year and the relatively high price. In a piece of general eighties trivia, the first commercial cell phone call in history was made from a LeBaron convertible in October 1983.
The View From 2025
These convertibles started Chrysler’s long traditionof making convertibles that might occasionally be sporty but were not sports cars—a market niche they exited in 2014 with the demise of the Chrysler 200 convertible. I still like what Chrysler was trying to do, and I appreciate how these cars look, at least with the top down.
These cars are being collected and shown—I see them often at AACA judging meets. You see them for sale in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer: as I update this blog entry in October 2025, there’s a PearlWhite 1982 LeBaron with 68,000 miles for sale on Hemmings, asking $6,900.
Make mine Mahogany Metallic, please, with the Mark Cross package.
