Just as consumers are now beginning to grapple with the notion of owning an electric vehicle, car buyers once debated whether or not go with front-wheel drive. Really. Front-drive cars were still a fairly new, unfamiliar idea to the average American car shopper in 1983, though the pioneering front-drive Volkswagen Rabbit had been selling in volume on our shores since 1975.
American automakers didn’t commit seriously to front-wheel drive until the General Motors X-Cars (Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omega, and Pontiac Phoenix) arrived for 1980, and Chrysler’s K-Cars (Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant) landed in 1981.
A popular knock on front-wheel-drive cars back then was that they would be expensive to repair, because the engine and the transmission were essentially a single unit and would both need to be removed from the vehicle to perform serious repairs. This never proved to be the case, but I am pretty sure my mom still believes it.
By 1983, American customers had plenty of choices when it came to going front-drive, especially in the midsize-sedan segment. General Motors was flush with both front- and rear-drive midsize cars, at a number of price points. What’s interesting is that, despite their varying drivetrains and exterior sizes, all of GM’s midsize cars were about the same size in terms of cabin space. The rear-drive G-Body cars—new for 1982—boasted about 102 cubic feet of cabin space, while the externally smaller front-drive A-Body cars were listed at 97 cubic feet.
At Chrysler Corporation, the front-drive Chrysler E-Class and Dodge 600—both K-Car variants—were rated at 97 cubic feet of cabin volume—exactly the same as the aging rear-drive M-Body Dodge Diplomat.
Shared below are the nine most expensive non-luxury American midsize sedans of 1983. The list is comprised primarily of General Motors vehicles, though a few Chrysler products appear toward the bottom.
Take note of how close these vehicles are in price, and how carefully brand pecking order is dictated. And for the record, excluding the performance-oriented STE, the most-expensive Pontiac 6000 would be the LE ($8984), and excluding the sporty T-Type, the most-expensive Century would be the Limited ($9425).
The Most-Expensive American Midsize Sedans of 1978
Most-Expensive American Midsize Sedans of 1983
1983 Pontiac 6000 STE
Base price: $13,572
Inflation-adjusted base price: $35,900
Standard engine: 135-horsepower 2.8-liter V6
Best engine: Same
Automatic transmission: Standard
Drive wheels: Front
Air conditioning: Standard
The 5 Most-Expensive American Cars of 1972
1983 Buick Century T-Type
Base price: $10,178
Inflation-adjusted base price: $26,900
Standard engine: 110-horsepower 3.0-liter V6
Best engine: Same
Automatic transmission: Standard
Drive wheels: Front
Air conditioning: $725
5 Most-Expensive American Wagons of 1978
1983 Buick Regal Limited
Base price: $9856
Inflation-adjusted base price: $26,100
Standard engine: 110-horsepower 3.8-liter V6
Best engine: 125-horsepower 4.1-liter V6 ($150)
Automatic transmission: Standard
Drive wheels: Rear
Air conditioning: $725
The 5 Most-Expensive American Cars of 1977
1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham
Base price: $9719
Inflation-adjusted base price: $25,700
Standard engine: 110-horsepower 3.8-liter V6
Best engine: 140-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 ($225)
Automatic transmission: Standard
Drive wheels: Rear
Air conditioning: $725
The 5 Most-Expensive American Cars of 1987
1983 Pontiac Bonneville Model G Brougham
Base price: $9399
Inflation-adjusted base price: $24,900
Standard engine: 110-horsepower 3.8-liter V6
Best engine: 150-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 ($225)
Automatic transmission: Standard
Drive wheels: Rear
Air conditioning: $725
5 Most-Expensive American Sedans of 1975
1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera Brougham
Base price: $9385
Inflation-adjusted base price: $24,800
Standard engine: 82-horsepower 2.5-liter four
Best engine: 110-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 ($150)
Automatic transmission: Standard
Drive wheels: Front
Air conditioning: $725
10 Most-Expensive American Sedans of 1980
1983 Dodge 600 ES
Base price: $9372
Inflation-adjusted base price: $24,800
Standard engine: 94-horsepower 2.2-liter four
Best engine: 93-horsepower 2.6-liter four ($259)
Automatic transmission: $439 (required with 2.6-liter four)
Drive wheels: Front
Air conditioning: $732
10 Most-Expensive Wagons of 1983
1983 Dodge Diplomat Medallion
Base price: $9369
Inflation-adjusted base price: $24,800
Standard engine: 90-horsepower 3.7-liter six
Best engine: 130-horsepower 5.2-liter V8
Automatic transmission: Standard
Drive wheels: Rear
Air conditioning: $787
The 5 Most-Expensive American Cars of 1974
1983 Chrysler E-Class
Base price: $9341
Inflation-adjusted base price: $24,700
Standard engine: 94-horsepower 2.2-liter four
Best engine: 93-horsepower 2.6-liter four ($259)
Automatic transmission: Standard
Drive wheels: Front
Air conditioning: $732
Midsize Sedans of 1983 Gallery
Click below for enlarged images.
Midsize Sedans of 1983
Midsize Sedans of 1983
