The Best-Selling Car in America the Year You Graduated High School

It’s amazingly what bad taste the US consumer has had in cars over the years.

Forgot how dominant Old’s was in the 70s and 89s.

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/g24403577/best-selling-car-annually/

81 olds cutlass. I owned one one too. Loved it.

Present!

My first car in 1974 was a 1972 Olds Cutlass Supreme with a Rocket 350 engine and vinyl top, was living large for an 18 year old.

The 1977 models became the number one selling car in the United States. (In 1976, the previous generation full-size Chevrolet was the third best-seller). More than 660,000 full-size Chevrolets were produced for the 1977 model year, with the most popular model being the four-door Caprice Classic sedan (212,840 produced). By 1978 more than 1 million downsized Chevrolets had been produced. Auto publications agreed with the public reception, with Motor Trend awarding the 1977 Chevrolet Caprice Car of the Year.

1977 Caprice Classic sedan

Crazy that the Camry has ran the last 20 years. You’d think you’d notice a bunch on the road, I see them but not like you’d think number one.

Ford Taurus for me.

Same.

1982: Ford Escort.

I had a 1982 Chevrolet Silverado step side, blue in color. Man, I loved that pickup.

X2

Pontiac Silver Streak 8!

Chrysler New Yorker
1971: Chrysler New Yorker
Chrysler introduced ventless front-door windows and a hardtop roof to this the model of the four-door sedan, the New Yorker. It proved popular and in 1971 went on to sell more than a million units—the last car to sell that many in a single year.

Geez, y’all are old. Most of y’all graduated when I was born.

02 Camry, for me.

1973



Chevrolet Monte Carlo
what a great time to be alive and young

Another 1984, Cavalier
I ended up owning one in 1990, till I totaled it on a deer.

Those tires and wheels give it a mean looking stance.

Any of these have Corinthian Leather?

As I was having my POS Pontiac company car towed (1981 or about there), I rode with the tow truck driver. I asked him what particular car he towed the most. He said “Chebby Cabalier, Man”.

Mom had a 67 Olds 442. We all loved it. In 1970, upon graduation from college, I bought a 1970 Olds 442 (it ate water pumps, but it was fast). Bought my last American car in 1977. It was an Olds Cutlass Supreme. In 1978 or 79 I rode in a Toyota Celica, and soon after that I was a Toyota fan.

In the 80’s I had GM company cars - Pontiacs and Buicks. They were junk.

My olds had a 260 v8. Most gutless engine ever made.

Probably the reason Toyota and other Japanese makes started to become popular. Many American made cars were just unreliable back then. Why the hell pumps gave out like they did I'll never know, but I replaced my share of them.

And belts!

Did Olds have a 260 V8? I remember my Dad had a Ford Fairlane with a 260 in the late 60’s. My 77 Olds had a 350 that ran pretty good. When the wife and I upgraded, we gave the 77 Olds to the oldest daughter. I took it to a muffler shop and had it dualled out with glasspacks. The wife yelled at me for making the car loud, but when she realized that the daughter could neither come nor go without us knowing it, she realized why I did it. But, she wasn’t the bad girl. It was the younger one. Ooooooh Lord she was trouble.

We need another thread about our favorite cars.

Early 80s. Same block as a 307, 330, and 350 olds.

OLDS Cutlass

1970
1976

I am Mr. Bridger's vintage, so the 1971 Chrysler New Yorker.

1988 - Has to be either Honda Accord, Ford Mustang GT, Toyota Celtica GT, Nissan 300 ZX or Chevy Cavalier I would guess...

Mine was the Accord. Nobody had one though, We all had old Jeeps or square body Chevys.

Damn you guys are young! I have no idea what the best selling car was in 1065 but probably a Chevrolet Impala or Ford Galaxie. And Olds did have a 260, I bought a Cutlass Supreme for my wife and I got rid of it because it couldn’t get out of its on way.

1065? I’ll go with the horse.

Olds had a 260 for sure and Chevy a 267 V8 around the same time. Both were embarrassingly low powered, especially with a 3-speed auto and 2.76:1 gears they usually had.

Hey dip stick, did you even read the OP's subject/topic line Obviously not Butt Head

Okay that Sexy Beast the Ford Pinto was the best selling ride in 1974.

The Ford Pinto is the best-selling American model in 1974 with a very impressive 360,688

My wife had a brown one that she called the “Pinto Bean.”

That list didn't go back far enough to get to my graduation date. My best friend had a Pinto, I had a Chevy Vega and both of them were POS's.

This right here.

I had to find this article, https://www.newsweek.com/photos-most-popular-cars-last-50-years-1594133 to go back to 1973, it was the Monte Carlo.

Too bad the data didn’t go back to 1965, when I graduated from high school. I’ll guess and say it was the Chevy Impala. They looked real good that year, and if you had one (which I did not), it was sure to be full of pretty girls. I observed that, with frustration, on more than one occasion. And if your Impala was a Super Sport, you were held in awe.

GM, in my opinion, went face down in the dirt in 1978 and has never recovered.

Looks like the Ford F series tops them all.

my first was 77 Olds Cutlass Supreme 350. Chrome American Racer wheels with Dunlap 60s GT's white lettering. Forge the name of that blue color. Oh man, the backseat goodtimes...
upgraded 8 track to cassette, blew through pioneers and Jensen with earlier booster pretty regularly

I’m a 1960 model. Long time ago. We all wanted a 57 Chevy. 2 door. Stick shift. Of course, nobody had one.

Same here.