It’s the summer of 1985, and you have a cool $15,000 burning a hole in your pocket. You’ve just been blown away by the band Queen’s performance at Live Aid, sitting there on your couch drinking a wine cooler as the whole concert event plays out on your 17-inch Sony Trinitron TV. Sure, the Led Zepplin set kind of sucked with Jimmy all strung out on something, but in general the whole show has been so good that you’re considering giving your own money to the cause.
Why not? You’re rich. You were smart enough to buy stock in a company owned by two California guys who built a computer in their garage, and now they’ve launched this new product with a cigarette box on a string attached to it called a “mouse.”
With a big commercial push after the Superbowl, it’s been a big success and now you’re able to share in some that go-go eighties goodness.
As much as you want to help Bob Geldof’s cause, you decide that you’re going to do the right thing and buy a brand new car to replace your dying hand-me-down green slant six Dodge Dart from Grandma instead. What will you get?
I was not old enough in 1985 to live out this hypothetical situation, but if I were my choice would be pretty easy. You see, I’d want something to be as reliable as that horrible Dodge Dart, and considering that I’ve had essentially three cars in the last thirty years and put about 18,000 miles on them every 12 months it’s got to a rock-solid machine. After suffering through owning a Dart I’d want something sporty and capable to make up for those lost years, but the thing would still have to be practical.
What malaise-era machine could check the boxes on such an expansive wish list? That’s easy: a 1985 Toyota Supra “sport” model with a five-speed.
I’d want this purplish-grey leather interior, though obviously with a row-your-own gearbox between the seats with the blood pressure gauge-style lumbar pump-ups:
I loved the looks of this thing, and the fact that Dan Gurney said such glowing things about it (well, was paid to) convinced me that this was The Car to have. Notice that Dan was too cool to jump:
In some ways it’s probably good I wasn’t in this situation back then, since I’d still be driving that same damn Supra to this day with like 670,000 miles on the clock.
How about you? So many good choices out there from hot hatches to sport coupes and even fun sedans. Put on your Members Only jacket, roll up the sleeves, grab that $15,000 in cash, and head out the door. What dealership’s lot are you going to drive into, and with what rad car will you drive out?
OG Honda Prelude all day long
Choice #1 Dodge Shelby Charger (Turbo)
This car just kicked some serious ass. Most people just laughed it off, but it was a FWD turbo when not many OEMs were working with turbocharging. It would quietly murder, like a cat on the hunt, GM F-body cars and even Corvettes on the straight and twisty tracks. It managed to give the Mustang and even European cars like the 944 a run for their money. At a roughly $10K buy-in, you could get a two-fer and drive out with a nicely-optioned Dodge Aries for your daily beater with the remaining $5K or spend a bit more and get the V8 Diplomat instead.
Choice #2 Mustang GT
I’m a Mopar guy and always had been, but the FOX Body Mustang was the shit back then. Rich kids had their dads buy the IROC Z Camaros and GTA Trans Ams, which were cool, but a 5-speed 5.0 Mustang. It was also the year before the redesign, but the fear of the fuel injected 5.0 that would dominate for nearly a decade. It’s roughly $12K price would leave plenty of room for $3K in mods.
I would love to have bought a Buick Grand National, but unfortunately, those started at $18,000 in ’85. However, I could get a Buick Regal T-Type starting at $13,054. This guy had one that originally sold just under our limit, at $14,374. I might have just enopugh cash to get the power windows, too.
Citroen CX 25 GTI Turbo
The VW Corrado hands down!
That came out in 88. The Scirocco was still in production in 85.
Doh! Palm to face! “!985” I was thinking the 80s in general!
Thinking back to the cars I liked in the ’80’s, I would choose a Pontiac 6000 STE. Probably a forgotten car now, but back then it was built to compete with BMW and Audi. It was a Car & Driver 10-best in 1985. I always liked the styling of GM cars in the ’80’s, it was the quality & reliability that was the issue.
With what I know today, I would probably choose a loaded Toyota Cressida. Yes, I am boring.
I’ll dislike, but respect your boring choices 😉
Honda Prelude! Or CRX
Also want an AMC Eagle SX/4
I bought a Fat Mac in 1985, which along with the printer set me back a little over $4,000. And that was with my wife’s college bookstore discount.
could probably get an Audi 4000s Quattro for around $15,000…
I think the Coupe Quattro even listed around $15K
I had this exact situation in 1985.
Bought a 71 Corolla coupe for 1K.
Banked the other $14K.
Beat it to death until the front end was no good due to extreme rust.
I would have held out until the end of the year an gotten a 626 GT.
I was only a kid during this time, but I was enamored with the Monte Carlo SS. Id take one in white, red stripes, and t-tops
I did this. I bought my first brand new car in August of 1985. Purchased a VW Scirocco. Now, had I known the 16V was coming out right around the corner I would have waited. But, I did love that car and still regret selling it. I had it for 10 years.
It would be one of two cars for me. Either my 1985 Celica GT brand new with it’s awesome cool red interior or a Civic Si hatchback. Probably would go for the Civic since I know what it’s like to own a Celica.
Yes, I was alive in 1985 — not quite old enough to drive, but old enough to know that I loved Japanese hatchbacks with manual transmissions.
Me, with my knowledge now is getting that Supra. Me, then, probably gets a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am.
It’s funny how the cars I hated back then, for all the wrong reasons, are now the cars I love.