Nice alternative to the imports at the time as a personal car slotted above Pontiac. I think at the time the Maxima was the most compelling product of the 4 cars listed.

 

It must be a Cutlass or no sale!!

 

That was a cool car.

 

Owned one. Really liked it for it's timeframe. Only the FWD part sucked.
Went on to own many many 3.8 gm's, and eventually got into the blown version which was great (still except the FWD part).

 

I had a 1988 Ciera International Series coupe (renamed from the GT), I think there may have been some refinement to the FE3 suspension, I didn't find it harsh at all. There may have also been some powertrain enhancements as well, I could easily do 0-60 around 8.5-8sec.

It was a really great car, and somewhat rare/hard to find these days (probably close to a Unicorn). Apparently for 1988 there were on 4,564 of the International Series made, both sedans and coupes.

 

Thanks for sharing the Car and Driver article EJD1984! The scanned PDF is excellent quality.

In 2023 dollars, the Cutlass Ciera GT that C&D tested comes to about $44,500, or about the same price as a current Cadillac CT5 Sport with no options.

 

Oooh Doggy, I always had a place in my heart for these.

 

Wow. Actually quick for the time. I forgot the venerable Buick pre-series I 3800/3.8 got installed in select A bodies. In 1986, I will take an equally as fast Olds 442 with a 5.0 or a Monte SS or a sweet GP 2+2. For some reason the GP offered 165HP 5.0 and not a slightly ‘hotter’ option like the Olds or Chevy with more horsepower. Never understood that. The 2+2 would be my top choice for GM two door cars.

 

Kind of a sleeper for the time. I had some fun (and surprised) more than a few cars.

Nostalgia aside - To me this is a reminder that there seems to no longer be mid/large roomy sporty coupes anymore. It's just "SUVs All the Time!".

 

My choice would be the understated Buick Regal T-Type. No contest with any of the other cars mentioned.