Looking back: 1982 Pontiac 6000; the captivating, exhilarating sedan for the 80s

[91 s-10baja]

Originally called the A6000 to line up with the T1000 and J2000 and the yet to come P3000 (Fiero),the Pontiac 6000 was one of four ‘A’ bodied GM intermediate sized sedans to get the practical front-wheel-drive treatment that became the favored tech in the early 80s.......

......The look was clean, simple, pure, and quite a striking automobile. And according to the presenter, because it was a Pontiac, it is impressive, captivating and of course exhilarating, and ready to take their place in Pontiacs outstanding lineup of family cars in the 80s.

Video: 1982 Pontiac 6000 Promo

[johnstarnes]

I liked the model that came out a bit later I think that had a light bar up front....STE?

[Member17739]

I had an 89 6000 AWD. It was a nice car back then.

[1958carnut]

I actually liked these back then. Thought they were pretty nice cars.

[mudpuddle]

I had a 1987 6000SE, 2.8 v-6, 4 sp auto, which got 32 mpg on the highway. Kept it for 15 years with minimal repairs. Very easy to work on. The alloy wheels were a pain to clean though.

[ByTheLake]

When the Pontiac 6000 was launched, people were restoring cars from the 50s. Do you think anybody is busy restoring a Pontiac 6000 today? (Probably applies to most cars of this era, though)

I do miss Pontiac, but not the 6000 (or 1000, 2000, etc).

[LE2_Citation]

I had an 89 6000 AWD. It was a nice car back then.

Kicking myself for selling my 6000 AWD two years ago..

[TechnoAura]

I liked the model that came out a bit later I think that had a light bar up front....STE?

Correct. The "Special Touring Edition." The STE was one of my favorite "everyday" cars as a child growing up in the 1980s. I was excited when my uncle purchased a brand new 1986 STE and I was the first passenger. My uncle has always been a GM fan and chose the STE over a new BMW 3-series. What was he thinking!?

[F14CRAZY]

Funny how the 6000 was "captivating, exhilarating..." while the Celebrity sharing the same body, was described with "you can never be too conservative"

[fullsizefan]

I had an '86 STE when I graduated from college. It was an awesome car at the time.... digital dash, steering wheel radio controls, auto-leveling rear suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, multi port fuel injection..... I kept it until '95, and it had a 140K on it. By then, the A/C, stereo, cruise, power locks and air suspension had quit working. Car had serious body cancer, and the crappy 2.8L V6 wouldn't hold oil pressure! Not GMs best effort, for sure.

It is easy to laugh at the the 6000 today, but back then... when it was new.... it was a pretty cool ride.

[vcs2600]

I liked the model that came out a bit later I think that had a light bar up front....STE?

Did the 6000s really have a lightbar? Some models had a 6 headlight look with integrated fog-lamps. I thought this was really sporty looking at the time:





Some later Grand Prixs had a lightbar:

[TechnoAura]

vcs2600,

My mistake, as well. You are absolutely correct. The STE models had the six headlight look. The later 6000 STE models had the flush halogen headlights with the integrated fog lamps.

I agree that the addition of the integrated fog lamps gave the STE a sporty appearance. I was also a big fan of the digital dash and the (over) abundance of buttons on the steering wheel.

[ksr]

Correct. The "Special Touring Edition." The STE was one of my favorite "everyday" cars as a child growing up in the 1980s. I was excited when my uncle purchased a brand new 1986 STE and I was the first passenger. My uncle has always been a GM fan and chose the STE over a new BMW 3-series. What was he thinking!?

It wasn't a bad choice at all over a 3 Series. The STE was a C&D "10 Best" member and was a really good car.

What a shame that GM didn't continue down this path. The 6000 was a credible sports seden with AWD. They were ahead of the game.

[carart]

I wanted one of these: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37573576@N06/4837004857/

[bmwboy2007]

What was the competition to this car?.. The Ford Fairmont?