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Comments
I have no idea what the percentages of cars affected. Obviously that part/design is used in almost everything.
What surprised me is that it was a problem I experienced in '00 and '01 and it is still an issue on some current vehicles.
Like I said, it's not a problem that will leave you stranded or pose a safety issue. I just remember it being extremely annoying.
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f127d3d
1962 was the last year for them.
Those were nice cars, and that was probably about the most luxurious Caprice to ever roll off the showroom floor. I thought the squared-off Chrysler-esque C-pillar with the little landau roof was a neat touch too, kinda reminded me of the '79-81 NYer.
Chevy really started expanding the Caprice line in the later part of the '80's, no doubt to capitalize on the fact that Buick, Olds, and Pontiac had given up their full-sized RWD cars, and Chevy themselves dropped the Impala nameplate. So, suddenly, the Caprice had to fill the role of every RWD car below a Cadillac, where in the past they had four divisions and a variety of models and trim levels to do that.
And in white with tinted windows, I'm sure it was a really sharp looking car.
I think you are wrong...IIRC, the 302 the Town Car was using only had 150 hp! :P It was pretty torquey though, and Ford offered some relatively quick axle ratios, so that car might not have been as much of a slug as the hp suggests.
Whenever they finally went to the 4.6 OHC V-8, I think hp was up to 190.
As for pricing, a 1988 Town Car started at $24,373, while a Legend sedan started at $21,805, per http://autos.msn.com. Just to throw another domestic contender into the mix, the 1988 Cadillac Brougham started at $23,846.
I agree, it also had a marker light on sides of the landau roof that gave off a upscale ambiance.
Though the 305/4bbl setup didn't have a ton of power, it had a spunky pep to it followed by a hushed burble that sounded cool yet refined for the day.
Those were nice cars, and that was probably about the most luxurious Caprice to ever roll off the showroom floor.
Yeah, when my grandpa showed up at my door with it (I was a in 10th grade I think) I was impressed with it. Certainly not what I had in mind when he told me over the phone that he had bought a new Caprice.
I got a lot seat time in that car. My grandparents drove up to Indiana for my HS graduation then I drove back with them. I drove it all the way to key west as they treated me to a few weeks of traveling around Fl. In the hot Florida sun, a white car with dark tinted windows was nice. Plus it looked cool. Back then you didn't see a lot of window tinting, particularly among the retirement crowd. He never tinted his car windows again, as it hampered his vision to much at night.
I remember when my dad ordered his '92 Crown Vic which had the 190hp 4.6 v8 that year. The dual exhaust packaged added 20hp upping it to 210, but my dad ordered his when it was first available in '91 and that package wasn't available initially.
HUNDEE; the official car of the un and under employed!!!
Unfortunately, most of them have disappeared from these parts, but I think that's in part because taxi companies would buy them up and run them into the ground. And the local wanna-be thugs liked 'em, but probably didn't care for them the way your typical little old lady would.
I'm actually surprised at how many '85-90 era FWD C/H bodies I still see running around, especially considering the early ones weren't so hot with regards to reliability. And they run the gamut from lovingly-maintained, showroom-new examples on down to beaters and hoopties that are at death's door but aren't quite ready to ring the bell.
One 80's GM I wouldn't mind having is an '85-86 Pontiac Parisienne. Preferably without the skirts and vinyl roof. They look especially sharp in black, with Rally 2 wheels. I also thought the '80-84 Electra was a sharp looking car, but probably a bit more troubleprone. GM didn't get the kinks worked out of that THM200R-4 automatic for a couple years, and the computer systems and emissions controls and such were much more strangling. An '83-84 might not be too bad.
Not the type of cars I prefer, but I certainly can appreciate them. I always liked the Olds 98 Regency too. Once they went FWD, they lost some appeal IMO.
Actually, somebody in one of my Mopar clubs did just that with an early 80's Olds 98...ripped out the engine that was in it (probably a 307, but might've been the dreaded Diesel, or even that tiny 252 V-6!) and stuffed a 455 under the hood. He said it would really move out.
I also recall seeing some hotrod magazine years ago, where they were putting 500's in the downsized '77+ Cadillacs. The 500, 425, and even 368 are all the same basic block, so they'll fit. In stock form, the 500 really didn't put out much hp than the 425, but it was a LOT torquier. And having 1000 less lb to move certainly helped.
I don't think people mess with the bigger RWD B-and C-bodies, simply because they're still big cars. But I know the RWD midsized A/G bodies (Malibu, LeMans, Monte Carlo, etc) are pretty popular for resto-modding. A hot 350 is usually the most common replacement, but with some doing, they will take a big-block.
isell: we have to remain friends but disagree...that 4WS, to us, made that car turn on a dime, and with 4 wheel disc brakes, it also stopped on a dime...best car she ever owned or drove, as far as we are concerned...we felt an era of good cars ended when Honda stopped making the Prelude...imagine it now with 250 HP, and xenon headlights...sweeeeeeet!!!
And, I agree. The 4WS Preludes were unique and cool. They just didn't sell.
That market slowly died. A lot of people hated the looks of the 92-96's and I have to agree. The 97-2001's never sold well and sales declined with every passing year. When you think of it, that entire market segment pretty much dried up.
Another girl I knew in high school would often drive her mother's 92 Si 4WS to school, it was a very high tech car back then.
Back then, I'd have bought a two-door Caprice as I was a bachelor. I believe '87 was the last year of a two-door Caprice.
How did you like that V6? I remember they advertised it as having the power of a V8.
What dark days those were for Cadillac! The diesels, the illfated 4-6-8's in 1981 and worst of all, the piece of junk HT 4100's that came out in 1982.
Cadillac lost a lot of very loyal customers during those miserable years.
Yeah, I think by 1971, that transmission became almost non-existent. IIRC, that year, it was phased out of the redesigned big cars. Prior to that, it was a mainstay in full-sized Chevy 6-cyl and the 283, 327, and 307 engines...perhaps some of 350's as well? For '70, for some odd reason, Pontiac saw fit to offer a 350 in the Catalina with the Powerglide. In '69, the Catalina's base engine was a 400, and the only auto was the THM400.
According to Wikipedia, the Powerglide persisted through 1973, and that year was only offered on the Vega and Nova. It was a good transmission, and the HD version is popular among drag racers, but on the smaller, weaker engines, it held them back compared to Ford's automatic (C4?) or the Chrysler Torqueflite.
That V-6 in Lemko's Caprice actually wasn't too bad. It was a 4.3/262 CID Chevy unit that debuted in 1985 with TBI and 130 hp. I think it boosted to 140 hp for 1986. Big improvement over the 3.8/229 V-6 it replaced.
The V-6 that Cadillac used was a Buick 4.1 CID unit that had a 4bbl carburetor, and 125 hp. The Buick V-6 really wasn't that reliable in those days, unless you got the turbo which had a stronger block and better-flowing oil passages, but then the turbo gave you a whole new batch of problems. Well, boring the 3.8 to make a 4.1 made it even worse.
One dirty little secret though, is that while both the Caddy 249 V-8 and Buick 252 V-6 had 125 hp, the Buick had more torque! 205 ft-lb versus 195 for the Caddy. Dunno if that was enough to make a difference, though. And I wonder which engine was lighter. On one hand, the Caddy engine was aluminum, but on the other, the Buick V-6 was one of the lightest engines around for its size.
I have a 1985 Consumer Guide that tested a Brougham with the 249 V-8. By that time it was upped to 135 hp. With the 4-speed automatic and a 3.42:1 axle, which is screaming in a car like this, they managed 0-60 in something like 14.8 seconds. And fuel economy was hideous, because the engine had to work it's little [non-permissible content removed] off to move that car.
When the 307 Olds engine went in for 1986, fuel economy actually improved, because they put a 2.73:1 axle in. They might have still used a quicker axle in a trailering package though. I wouldn't mind finding one of those broughams with the Chevy 350, but I think they're pretty rare on the older, angular style. I believe it was only part of a coach builder's package in 1989-90, although more widely available in 1991-92
The 4.3 should have produced more than enough torque to comfortably move a Caprice, it was 3/4 of a 350. Though it certainly lost some smoothness compared to a 5.0/5.7, having 2 cylinders lopped off.
Was there a recall? No.
Regards,
OW
For now, here's how Motor Trend puts the numbers: Hope that Regal guy get's to pass that Sonata Turbo when he pulls over to wipe the tears from the Buick guys eyes!
Power
Buick Regal GS — 255 horsepower, 295 pound-feet of torque (est)
Hyundai Sonata 2.0T — 274 horsepower, 269 pound-feet of torque
Transmission
Buick Regal GS — 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic optional
Hyundai Sonata 2.0T — 6-speed automatic
Weight
Buick Regal GS — 3710 pounds (est)
Hyundai Sonata 2.0T — 3442 pounds
Base price
Buick Regal GS — $35,000 (est)
Hyundai Sonata 2.0T — $24,865 :shades:
Regards,
OW
I recall a few. Didn't Honda recall some transmissions back in the early 2000's.
I believe VW recalled some DSG transmissions last year and GM recalled some Allison transmissions IIRC over a park paw issue.
Like most recalls, they usually are for safety. Reliability/durability issues seem be be covered by TSB and you hope you're still in warranty when you have the problem.
Game, point and match Buick!
Nah, the Regal's top speed is 157, ungoverned. Once the Hundee's turbo launches the head, MR Underpaid will need the Kleenex......Oh yeah, he underpaid. He can't afford Kleenex, he needs the generic brand.
Is it really 35k ? Surely not..
GM 276,000
It happens. I never said Hyundai was perfect....just a better choice for some vehicles at the moment. GM has some good products as well.
See? I can be non-abrasive to GM...besides, I really do not have to try to bash GM...you know...
Just don't take it personally... unless you are part of the team, of course.
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW