For the most part, we identify luxury vehicles not by price, but by make and model. For example, an Oldsmobile 88, to most people, was not a luxury car. But an Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight… we can pretty much agree that the senior Olds was a luxury ride.
And speaking of the Ninety-Eight, that big Oldsmobile came in just under $15,000 in 1985, the model year we’re celebrating here. For the record, the Toyota Cressida was also priced around $15,000 to start. The Chrysler products featured on this list were priced a little lower that, but were marketed as luxury vehicles, and may well have been cross-shopped against the likes of the Ninety-Eight.
What’s worth noting is that by 1985, most of the American luxury fleet had been downsized and had switched to front-wheel drive. To many shoppers, these vehicles were compromised compared to their rear-drive, V8-powered predecessors, but you’d never know that from reading the ad copy shown below.
If you spent time with any of the cars pictured here, tell us about it. The place to leave comments is at the end of the post.
Luxury Cars of 1985
BMW 535i
Photo Feature: 1967 BMW 2000C Hardtop Coupe
Bitter SC
What Was The Cadillac Eldorado Evolution?
Cadillac Eldorado
What Was The Zimmer QuickSilver?
Cadillac Sedan deVille
Review Flashback! 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood
Chrysler New Yorker
Chrysler Town & Country
Woodie Madness! 5 Classic Car Ads Featuring Wood-Sided Rides
Lincoln Mark VII
Review Flashback! 1985 Lincoln Mark VII Turbodiesel
Mercedes-Benz 380SL
Stuttgart Madness! 10 Classic Mercedes-Benz Ads
Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight
Rolls-Royce Corniche
Favorite Car Ads: 1959 Rolls-Royce
Toyota Cressida
Volvo 740
Check out the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast
Luxury Cars of 1985 Gallery
(Click below for enlarged images)
Luxury Cars of 1985
