Topic: Retro Review - 1983 Caprice Classic

[BWII]

It's a Bubba car! 
And damn is it slow! 13.9 0-60...average for a large family sedan.  Needs an LS swap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmXtwzFUjnU&list=TLPQMDkxMjIwMjFtmX_PbEahhw&index=4
And he says it's not a wallow-y old whale...oh how times have changed. Looks like it's riding on a waterbed to me.


My dad had one similar - or two...and also Pontiac IIRC.  FIL too.  The Everyman's Car.

[TheHire]

The go-to choice of serial killers and kidnappers everywhere...

[BWII]

Hey, big trunk and like I said...every dad had one.  Who'd ever suspect you driving one? 

[TheHire]

Hey, big trunk and like I said...every dad had one.  Who'd ever suspect you driving one? 

I feel like now that they're basically extinct, every single one looks "suspicious".

Unless of course it's Bubba or Firm behind the wheel... then it's just plain obvious they're up to no good 

[bridgecity]

Parents had an '86 two door for many years when I was a kid.  I remember Dad changing out the tranny on the gravel driveway on the acreage.  Did that twice.  That and the starter, I think he replaced that 4-5 times.  He passed it on to another family member at around 300k and it went on past 400k.  The 305 was original. 

I used that car for my driver's license test.  Starter stuck on it that day, but I knew the routine.  Grabbed the broom stick out of the trunk, gave the starter a couple good thumps from above, and away she went.  Instructor was impressed

[Fobroader]

The two door looks very good...

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[BWII]

I used that car for my driver's license test.  Starter stuck on it that day, but I knew the routine.  Grabbed the broom stick out of the trunk, gave the starter a couple good thumps from above, and away she went.  Instructor was impressed

And today they'd fail you for driving an unsafe car.    

[Great_Big_Abyss]

My grandmother used to have one of these.  She was the stereotypical little old grandma wearing a knit cap, peering out over the wheel from the seat of her massive land barge. 

The back seat of these things were basically just a giant couch.

[ktm525]

Fabulous car. Looks like by 84 they dropped the 350 gas option. The 350 along with the trailer package (stiffer roll bars and 4:10 gears vastly increased performance. Some better breathing heads, edelbrock carb and some true dual exhaust brought the performance up nicely.

[tortoise]

My dad had the 8-Passenger wagon model, nust have been an '83 or '04.  I thought it had the 350, but it might have just been the 305.   

We drove it across the country when we moved from Alberta to Ottawa in the early 80's.   My parents put all the gear in the middle and my sister and I sat in the back jump seats.   Not sure why he got rid of it.

[sailor723]

My dad bought one of these every 2-3 years in the wagon version from the late 70's to the late 80's

[ktm525]

When this model debuted in 77 it was a serious downsizing from the 76. This was a compact full size.

[PJungnitsch]

In the country extended cab pickups took over from these pretty quick.

Pretty similar design underneath though

[Firm]

Love these, at first glance it's a box, but the more you look at it you realize it's quite deliberately styled. Very good looking car, especially in the right color/trim. As KTM noted, with the SBC under the hood (305 or 350) it's real easy to wake them up a bit without compromising drivability. They can take a heck of a beating too, I still see a few a year doing daily duty in Toronto, those lucky enough to live underground and emerge only for grocery and church runs.

Super popular in movies too, but my favorite is the chase scene with one of these towards the end of 3000 Miles to Graceland, great movie and a really good scene.

[blur911]

Super popular in movies too, but my favorite is the chase scene with one of these towards the end of 3000 Miles to Graceland, great movie and a really good scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOK9QW21VPo&ab_channel=VaRacesChaseDatabase

Don't forget this one from To LIve and Die in LA

[tpl]

I rented one of those in 1977 to drive Mtl to TO and back.   I really liked it. I guess it would've had a 305 or something  It was huge , to my eye, but a lot smaller than its immediate predecessor.

[BWII]

The two door looks very good...

And they even came with a NASCAR inspired (no doubt) racy back window!


 

[blur911]

The two door looks very good...

And they even came with a NASCAR inspired (no doubt) racy back window!


 

My uncle had one, I'd occasionally drive him to medical appointments in it when I was a teen.   I remember the heater blower seemed to never really work right and we froze at times.