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?
Wait a few months and buy a 1986 Grand National. They had a TON of mechanical improvements(intercooler for example) over the 1985 models and were 2 seconds faster thru the quarter mile.
Or maybe be a weirdo and get a burgandy/burgandy pillow tufted Regal Limited turbo. With wire wheel caps, whitewalls and quarter vinyl top. Yes you could order that with the Grand National engine/drivetrain.
Or Marty McFly’s Toyota pickup. Have to get me some Van Halen, ZZ Top and Huey Lewis cassettes. As for the Supra, Id wait a few months and get me a 1986 Mark III Supra Turbo. Or an MR2. Or an AE-86 Corolla hatch. God Toyota had a lot of cool stuff around that time.
I’ll live dangerously and say an Isuzu Impulse. Handling by Lotus—and I really liked the front end when they came out.
And oh that Guigiaro design! Esp if you can get those IIRC correctly checkerboard wheels within budget.
The Impulse/Piazza – what an amazing car – created to be as completely faithful to the original design as possible (in constant consultation with Guigiaro himself)
The shame was the Impulse that came after – that one was a letdown.
Could you get an Audi Quattro for $15K in ’85?
I don’t recall, as I was only 12 at the time.
Nowhere close.
The cheapest BMW 318i was just over $16K at the time.
The Ur-Quattro was over $35K
Damn. Oh well, I’ll take a Supra, then.
Speaking of which, my wife found a Supra of this vintage on locally for $4000. If I had extra money, I’d be scooping that up. The seller claims everything works. I have my doubts, but it is clean looking.
The Audi Coupe GT (same body, no turbo, and FWD) had a base price of $15,250.
Per C/D, an 85 Grand National started in the mid $13s. Looks like I could manage a few options with mine.
I hate to break it to ya – but you were not buying any new Supra for $15000 in 1985, much less one with leather seats.
They started at just under $16,000 – First there was the L(uxury) Type which offered optional leather seats and an optional digital dash, but no fender flares. Then there was the P(erformance) Type which had the larger wheels, fender flares, limited slip differential, cloth seats, analog gauges etc.
Toyota was not giving their more desirable cars like the Supra and Cressida away for MSRP or less back in the mid-80s. Like Honda, they knew what they had.
My choice?
I’d wait ’til fall and order a new 1986 VW Scirocco 16V – with the optional AC, Power windows/lock package, AM/FM radio cassette, cruise control, sunroof, rear wiper, leather seats and CA emissions – it would come in for well less than $15K MSRP
I had an ’84 Scirocco with the 8V 1.8L GTI engine. IIRC a few reviews preferred that engine as it supposedly had more low end torque than the 16V.
Mind you I never drove a 16V so I can’t speak to its torque or lack thereof.
There was a 16V Scirocco for sale a coupe of years ago close to me for I think $2500 OBO. California car, looked to be in good shape.
A friend of mine when we were attending the university bought a new Supra when this body style came out. It was very nice, being brand new and the latest thing, but it was not fast at all. Toyota was doing slow improvements at the time, not big changes from one generation to another of a particular model.
Compared to the Celica upon which Supra was based – it was really more about luxury and refinement until the 4th Gen Turbo.
The 3rd Gen truly was a boulevardier – which made the flip to the 4th Gen quite dramatic.
Is the XR4Ti technically $16k? Yes, but so is the Supra as per a contemporary road test, so it qualifies? And yes, I know the Supra is more reliable, and also has a cool oddball spoiler, but I like the XR4Ti for possibly inexplicable reasons (although some combination of my grandparents bringing a Matchbox Sierra XR4 rally car home from a UK trip, and Merkurs just being stupidly attainably cheap in the classified in the years leading up to me turning 16 have both had a lasting impact).
If the budget needs to be enforced, I can also settle for the Mustang SVO.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a43510355/1985-sports-coupes-compared/
MSRP for the XR4ti was $16,503 – but by the second year of production (1985) you could probably get a befuddled Mercury dealer in the Midwest down to $15K.
Yes – The SVO started at $14,806 – so you could probably add AC and get the dealer to discount it to $15K.
I’d go with the more powerful SVO over the XR4Ti regardless of price. Just make sure you wait and get a mid-year SVO when the power went from 175 HP to 200 HP.
K5 Blazer with the 350 and SM465 manual transmission. In black with the red interior since we’re going full 80’s style. I’ll use the couple grand left over for a nice subtle 2″ lift, some 33″ tires, and some pinstriping.
There are quite a few good choices: Si Prelude, Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, Z28/Trans Am, or or a Buick Regal T-Type or one of the other G-bodies with a V8. Pick up an RX7 if you aren’t afraid of tip seals.
If you wanted to have some fun and get some change back for your $15k, you could get and MR2 or a Fiero GT. Hell, you could nearly buy two CRX Si’s.
Brilliant on the T-bird. I’d totally forgotten about them for this question. The older I get, the more I prefer them over the later aerobird style (which I used to love in the ’90s).
Toyota Land Cruiser. The 1985 base price was about $15K. Future me would tell 1985 me to rustproof the heck out of it. It’s likely I’d still have it 40 years later.
Or, I’d buy a 1985 Cherokee for $8K and a Golf for $7K. Both had long option sheets so maybe one would be off-lease.
I actually did this (almost) – I had $12K to spend in 1986 on my first totally mine and not my dad’s car and bought a …. 1964 Corvette. I was not a fan of any new car at that time. So I guess my answer is “none of the above.”
El Camino SS
Mitz Starion ESI but can I wait until ’86 to get the widebody? Please?!?
I mean it would probably be available in late 85 as an 86 MY, I hope. Starion was also my choice, something that would have been epic new, but something I’m too scared of owning today. A Mk3 Supra? Heck yeah I’d have one these days, they’re understood and parts are fairly available. But a Starion in 2024? That scares me a LOT.
Same, and I/my family owned 3 of them back in the 80s and 90s. They were hard to keep on the road back then with full parts support so it’d be much more challenging to keep one running today, but man, when they’re running they’re the most fun you can have on 4 wheels and you’ll look great doing it!
An IROC-Z with a manual
For me of that era, M.A.S.K. was epic.
….and Van Halen I in the tape deck
MSRP for those was $17K
According to Car and Driver, the base MSRP of the IROC was $11,719
You’re right – I was looking at MSRP for a loaded IROC-Zhttps://www.msclassiccarsllc.com/vehicles/721/1985-chevrolet-camaro-iroc-z-with-11-original-miles-holy-grail#:~:text=The%20Camaro%20IROC%2DZ%20was%20produced%20from%201985%2D1990.,Ohio%20on%20April%2022%2C%201985.&text=The%20original%20MSRP%20was%20%2416%2C338.00.
I tip my hat to your choice.
It’s 1985 and I’m 16 years old with money to burn! What do I buy?
Do I get the Cadillac Cimmaron with the aero headlights and head out with my crew to the putt putt golf course sporting out shades and skinny ties?
Cadillac_Cimarron_2_-_07-01-2009-2048×1147.jpg (2048×1147) (amazingclassiccars.com)
Do I rock Dodge Charger and hunt for Siroccos?
85-dodge-shelby.jpg (820×547) (hemmings.com)
Nah, I live out my Simon and Simon dreams and get the Dodge Power Ram W250 with 360 V-8!
94777259.jpg (820×545) (hmn.com)
But with the vertical Power Wagon graphics, right?
That would have to be aftermarket as they weren’t available from the factory in 1985.
Oh the things I learn here – I had no idea, but it fits that those graphics would actually be a ’70s thing.
🙂
1985 Toyota 4runner. First year of EFI (22RE), last year of the Solid Front Axle.
84 VW Rabbit Pickup Diesel off a dealer lot.
Salute!
no love for a leftover Mk1 GTI?
They never made a Diesel GTI to my knowledge
I was visiting my cousin in Norway in 1988 and I saw a golf GTD that looked exactly like my GTI at home but diesel.
That sounds awesome!
I can find references that they made GTD’s through the MK8 era. It was another example of US Unobtanium. The MK8 version made close to 200 HP with gobs of torque.
I’d have to haggle a bit but I could buy myself a nice Renault 5 turbo. Reliability be damned.
https://medias.gt-spirit.fr/data/classes/voitures/1305069_zoom1.jpg?t=1712754112
Oh hell yeah!
That’s what I’ll be screaming right before wrapping myself around a tree!
LOL!
My father asked himself this exact question in ’85. Well he had no money, but he went to the Chevy dealer and put his paycheck down on a Monte Carlo SS. I think I would’ve taken the Iroc Z instead.
My mom had an ’84 Camaro with the 2.8 liter V6. It was probably the worst car I’ve ever driven.
B/c I’d want to live in high ’80s style in something that’s not around anymore…a Renault Fuego. Loaded, and with the factory cloth sunroof of course.
Beautiful!
Oh – the misguided version of me thought those were cool too – especially the Turbo Fuego with the Webasto canvas roof.
Toyota MR2 5spd
And you’d still have it today if you wanted. Great choice.
1985 Honda Prelude
How much was an early 60’s Jaguar XKE in 1985?
Oh…”NEW”
Eh then a base Tercel and use the balance to buy the Jag.
Also in the ’80s, a base Tercel and the ’60s/’70s muscle car of your choice. Nobody wanted any of them back then.
Or that. There were lots of underdogs to choose from.
Alfa GTV6
That would be my choice if I were a brave man. I am not.
Too expensive – they were $16,500
That was my pick if the price threshold was higher.
I’d buy a new black Saab 900 Turbo hatchback, which is exactly what I did. OK, I paid 15,300, but close enough, right?
I wasn’t as cool as you…I got the 900 S
Still got 16 valves versus eight.
This. I waited until 2000 though, since I was only 15 in ‘85. And I got an ‘86.
How did you get them down from $18,000?
Bought it through a Diplomat/International sales program while in the Air Force overseas. This particular program was somehow connected to Canadian Armed Forces (bill of sale has great big red maple leaf on it), but was open to all NATO forces. Full US spec car picked up new in Sweden. Catalytic converter was not installed as I would be driving it in Europe for a couple of years where unleaded gas was not as widely available. Price included installation of the catalytic converter at US port of entry and free shipping to US regardless of how long I kept the car in Europe. Pretty good deal.
Ahhhh – This was the way.
We had one of those shops just outside the main gates of Yokota AB ready to sell us everything from Audis to Volvos.
When Dad bought my Mom her Volvo stateside in 1983, it was “You’ll either take the colors we have available and you’ll pay MSRP – or someone else will.” So he got her beige over brown (She wanted blue – her choices were beige or yellow) DL sedan with Automatic, AC, AM/FM cassette and right-side mirror for just over $15K.
Those were the days. Used go through Yokota quite often when I was stationed in the Philippines. Didn’t buy a new car over there, but I did buy a Honda Nighthawk through the BX at Clark AB.