Analog Dashes Are Boring: 1986 Chrysler LeBaron GTS vs 1989 Pontiac Grand Prix

Good morning! Today’s cars were chosen for one reason only: their dashboards. Both are the “fancy” versions of their respective lines, and back in the late ’80s, that meant you got a digital dash. Which is the better car in which to watch those bar graphs? We’ll find out.

Yesterday, We looked at a couple of beat-up little commuter cars, and it’s really no surprise that the less-damaged one won, even though it was more expensive. That Civic would be the right choice if not for the rear-ending, but that’s a hard hit. Chances are it doesn’t track straight anymore.

And the Festiva looks like it could be fun anyway. I’ve always liked tiny lightweight cars like that; they’re never going to be fast, but they don’t need to be. In fact, you probably don’t want them to be, as wispy as they are. When your car is built like a cookie tin, it’s best to keep the speeds sane.

Now then: Even if you were somehow unfamiliar with today’s cars, you’d know immediately what era they were from. I don’t think you can actually get more ’80s than these two. Turbocharged engine? Yep, we’ve got one. Monochromatic wheels? Those too. Cassette decks with a thousand tiny buttons? Check and check. Digital dashboards? You bet. And one of them was a prize in a soft drink giveaway, which I think makes us winners at ’80s car bingo. Let’s check them out.

1986 Chrysler LeBaron GTS Premium – $2,500

Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.2-liter overhead cam inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD

Location: Minneapolis, MN

Odometer reading: 97,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

One of the complaints leveled at the Chrysler K-based cars back in the 1980s is that they all looked the same. The difference between a Chrysler and a Plymouth and a Dodge was often just some trim and badges. And they all had the same formal upright rear window design, because Lee Iacocca wanted it that way. It wasn’t until 1985 that Chrysler’s designers were allowed to mess with the formula and release this variant: the Chrysler LeBaron GTS and Dodge Lancer. These were five-door hatchbacks, meant to be a little fancier and sportier than your average Aries or Caravelle.

This is the Premium model of the GTS, with all the bells and whistles that entails. This one has cloth seats instead of leather, and they look to be in pretty good shape. Yes, it could use a good shampooing. Yes, that’s the rearview mirror sitting in the passenger’s seat, but that just needs to be glued back on; it happens to a lot of cars. No, I don’t know what’s in the plastic bag. Jeez, you ask a lot of questions.

You could get the GTS with or without a turbo; this one has it. You could also get it with either a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic; this one is unfortunately an automatic. It runs and drives just fine, according to the seller, who recently pulled it out of storage where it sat for ten years. There seem to be a lot of long-slumbering ’80s cars coming out of the woodwork recently; I suppose Radwood has something to do with that. The question is, why were they put in storage to begin with?

It’s in reasonably good shape, but I think the seller is talking it up a bit in the ad. The paint is shiny, but I do see some rust along the rockers. There’s a scuff in the corner of the bumper, exposing the yellow plastic underneath. And obviously the struts holding up the hatch are shot; hence the broomstick.

1989 Pontiac Grand Prix SE – $1,500

Engine/drivetrain: 3.1-liter overhead valve V6, four-speed automatic, FWD

Location: Madison, IN

Odometer reading: 67,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

Younger readers might not remember the “Pepsi Challenge,” or the “cola wars” that followed. Coca-Cola claimed to be “The Real Thing,” but then changed their formula in 1985 to be more like Pepsi. It backfired; New Coke was a flop, and Coke ended up walking back the decision. Pepsi, meanwhile, tried to convince us that they were the “Choice Of A New Generation,” with elaborate commercials featuring various pop stars. Both brands had sweepstakes and giveaways all the time, with fabulous prizes. In 1989, Pepsi gave away five hundred brand-new Pontiac Grand Prix coupes in a sweepstakes – and this is one of those cars.

Apart from the stripes and graphics, and the fact that it only cost a can of soda, the Pepsi Special Edition is a standard-issue Grand Prix SE, which is not a bad thing. GM’s W-body coupes were pretty nice cars for their day. It’s powered by the ubiquitous 3.1 liter V6 and an overdrive automatic. This one runs and drives well, and it should, with only 67,000 miles on the odometer.

That odometer is, of course, digital, but Pontiac’s approach to digital gauges didn’t extend to the tachometer or accessory gauges; those are still dials. Pontiac experimented with a heads-up display around this time, but I think that was only available in the Bonneville, not the Grand Prix. It seems to run well, but the seller’s claim that “everything works as it should” is a bit overshadowed by the check-engine light being on. It’s probably minor, but it’s not nothing.

I get the feeling that this car has such low miles because the original owner – the contest winner – probably thought it was a future collectible. And maybe it is, to the right person. But sadly, it’s still a late-80s GM car, painted white, which means it’s losing paint at an alarming rate, and having it repainted would mean losing those “original” Pepsi decals. What a dilemma.

Both of the sellers of these cars claim they are something special, and they both are a bit rare these days. But that has more to do with three and a half intervening decades than any sort of inherent specialness. As they stand, they’re both functional used cars, for cheap prices, and that is enough. No need to try to talk them up more than that, so I won’t. Which one grabs you?

(Image credits: Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace sellers)