It has taken a while, but demographers seemed to have coalesced around 1985 as the year dividing the people identified as Generation Y from those we’ve labeled Millennials.
As a benchmark year, 1985 has a lot going for it. The only movie that every single Generation X’er has seen more than once, Back to the Future, was release in ’85, and, perhaps more importantly, the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes debuted. For whatever reason, 1985 was also the year that Eddie Murphy chose to release an album, an album that, confusingly, had songs on it instead of jokes.
It was a big year for car fans, too. Most importantly to enthusiasts, Pontiac’s plastic-skinned Fiero was showing up on local byways, this after a 1984 rollout. The big news, however, was the rollout of the 1986 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable.
For the young and single, 1985 wasn’t a bad year to go car shopping. Youthful shoppers with modest budgets would have found plenty of good-looking, reasonably fun-to-drive coupes from which to choose.
Presented here are all the affordable sporty coupes found in Consumer Guide’s Auto Test ’85. If you’ve owned or spent time with one of these spirited rides, we’d love to hear about it.
Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z
Camaro base price: $8777 (including $414 destination charge)
IROC-Z base price: $12,133 (Z28 model with IROC-Z package)
Engine: 215-horsepower 5.0-liter V8
Transmission: 4-speed manual
0-60 mph: N/A
Observed fuel economy: N/A
Check out our used Camaro reviews
Dodge Daytona Turbo Z
Daytona base price: $8931 (including $426 destination charge)
Turbo Z base price: $12,046
Engine: 146-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder
Transmission: 5-speed manual
0-60 mph: 9.4 seconds
Observed fuel economy: 17.2 mpg
Check out our used Daytona review
Ford Mustang GT
Mustang base price: $7259 (including $374 destination charge)
Mustang GT base price: $10,259
Engine: 210-horsepower 5.0-liter V8
Transmission: 5-speed manual
0-60 mph: N/A
Observed fuel economy: N/A
Check out our used Mustang reviews
Honda CRX
CRX (HF) base price: $6658 (including $179 destination charge)
CRX base price: $7034
Engine: 76-horsepower 1.5-liter 4-cylinder
Transmission: 5-speed manual
0-60 mph: N/A
Observed fuel economy: 28.0 mpg
Check out our used Civic Del Sol review
Honda Prelude
Base price: $10,524 (including $179 destination charge)
Engine: 100-horsepower 1.8-liter 4-cylinder
Transmission: 5-speed manual
0-60 mph: 10.3 seconds
Observed fuel economy: 26.7 mpg
Check out our used Prelude reviews
Isuzu Impulse
Base price: $11,287 (including $239 destination charge)
Engine: 90-horsepower 1.9-liter 4-cylinder
Transmission: 5-speed manual
0-60 mph: 13.2 seconds
Observed fuel economy: 27.2 mpg
Check out our used Impulse review
Mazda RX-7 GLS-SE
RX-7 base price: $11,125 (including $180 destination charge)
GSL-SE base price: $15,825
Engine: 135-horsepower 1.3-liter 2-rotor Wankel
Transmission: 5-speed manual
0-60 mph: 9.1 seconds
Observed fuel economy: 16.1 mpg
Check out our used RX-7 reviews
Nissan 200SX Turbo
Base price: $9194 (including $195 destination charge)
Turbo base price: $12,544
Engine: 120-horsepower 1.8-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder
Transmission: 5-speed manual
0-60 mph: 9.3 seconds
Observed fuel economy: 23.1 mpg
Check out our used 200SX reviews
Pontiac Fiero SE
Base price: $8319 (including $320 destination charge)
SE base price: $9919
Engine: 92-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder
Transmission: 4-speed manual
0-60 mph: N/A
Observed fuel economy: 21.1 mpg
Check out our used Pontiac reviews
Renault Fuego
Base price: $9285 (destination charge N/A)
Engine: 110-horsepower 2.2-liter 4-cylinder
Transmission: 3-speed automatic (a $438 option)
0-60 mph: 11.8 seconds
Observed fuel economy: 21.5 mpg
Check out our used coupe reviews
Toyota Corolla GT-S
Corolla Sport base price: $8253 (including $195 destination charge)
GT-S base price: $9493
Engine: 112-horsepower 1.6-liter 4-cylinder
Transmission: 5-speed manual
0-60 mph: N/A
Observed fuel economy: 21.4 mpg
Check out our used Corolla reviews
Volkswagen Scirocco
Base price: $10,300 (including $320 destination charge)
Engine: 90-horsepower 1.8-liter 4-cylinder
Transmission: 5-speed manual
0-60 mph: N/A
Observed fuel economy: 27.1 mpg
Check out our used Volkswagen Corrado review
