90s GM interiors were damned good

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa) 08/11/2016 at 09:31 • Filed to: None

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I feel like the 90s was a high point where GM really figured out how to build a car, then everything went to hell in a handbasket around 2003 and everything between ‘03 and ‘12 was pretty damn awful. I mean, compare the interior of a 2003 Seville with the interior of a 2007 STS. No contest, the STS is utter shite. Compare the interior of a 2000 LeSabre with an 07 LaCrosse. What was a very nice place to sit became an Impala with some more fake wood trim. Compare the interior of a ‘93 Chevy Lumina with a ‘07 Cobalt! The Lumina interior could take a beating, the switchgear was super nice and clunky and it had some of the most hilariously overstuffed seats ever and padded vinyl or fabric on EVERYTHING. Cobalt? Hard plastics, uncomfortable seats, rattly door cards, rubbish switchgear.

Here are some pictures.

Seville. What you can’t see is how damn soft everything feels.

STS.More hard edges, the blandest gauge cluster ever with a majority of the buttons on the dash ripped from a goddamn TrailBlazer and HOLY MOTHER OF FAKE WOOD. Also, rattles.

LeSabre.

LaCrosse. That center console is an abomination and dear god get all of that fake wood out of my face.

Chevy Lumina. One of the coolest dashboards of the 90s, and in a friggin economy car. Check out the padded cloth on the doors. Super comfy to lean your head against and watch the telephone poles go by. Also the noise the power locks make is immensely satisfying. Sounds like closing a bank vault.

Aaaand the cobalt. Plastic plastic plastic awful.

Matt Nichelson > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 09:40

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Ok, so why does the LeSabre have a red mirror with an LED signal? That just doesn’t look like it belongs.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 09:42

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S10

Colorado

I mean, I don’t really give a damn because it’s a truck and hard surfaces are an advantage, but yeah you’re right.

DrScientist > Matt Nichelson 08/11/2016 at 09:42

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that its red? or that it has the indicator lights there? also, that seems very advanced for a 90s car. or maybe i have lost track of time.

E90M3 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 09:42

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Your memory of 90s GM is different than mine. My dad had an 2002 Regal and my mom had a 2001 Silhouette and both those cars had cheap plasticly interiors. In the Regal, in typical GM fashion, the cluster lights decided that they wanted to break, not just burn out one by one, but all go out. The undoing of both cars were their transmissions, the regals was going at around 110k. Silhouette lasted a bit longer, made it to about 160k.

Edit: Before anyone says these are post 90s cars, they were designed in the 90s.

Sneaky Pete > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 09:44

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Wait...you deride the Cobalt for being full of plastic but laud the 90s GMs for being...full of plastic?

Those dashes that are an unsupported span always end up sagging, and make a ton of squeaking like a pair of plastic bottles having sex on an old rusty springed mattress.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > DrScientist 08/11/2016 at 09:45

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GM did a lot of stuff first, didn’t market it and when it didn’t pay off immediately they gave it up and let someone else take the lead.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Matt Nichelson 08/11/2016 at 09:47

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Since I’m a LeSabre nerd the LED signal and red paint tells me that’s a 2003-2005 LeSabre Celebration Edition with red metallic tricoat paint, chrome wheels, blacked out front grille, and that grey ash trim.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/11/2016 at 09:48

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Also the steering wheels. 90s gm steering wheels were comfy. That colorado wheel is very much not.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > E90M3 08/11/2016 at 09:49

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Regals were garbage. The Century and Regal are the redheaded stepchildren of the Buick line. I’ve never seen a car with an interior that self-destructs so quickly.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Sneaky Pete 08/11/2016 at 09:50

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Wha? 90s GM was full of plastic, but also had other things. Like cloth. Padded vinyl. Etc. Not just hard legos. And I’ve had a ‘90 Lumina and 2000 LeSabre with the unsupported dash and 200k+ miles on each and never had any issues with wobbly, squeaking dashes.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 09:51

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Actually it’s not bad. It’s a little fatter than the S10 I believe, and while it looks awkward when you use it you find out otherwise.

Which is surprising, considering it looks like it was plucked straight out of a Lacetti.

Matt Nichelson > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 09:52

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Wow. I honestly didn’t know the LeSabre had LED signal mirrors. I figured you would know!

Matt Nichelson > DrScientist 08/11/2016 at 09:53

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Both. I didn’t think they came in red anx had those types of signals back in the 90's. Jake cleared it up, though.

fhrblig > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 09:57

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That Seville is nice.

I’m gonna disagree with you there on the LeSabre, though. I thought that odd plasticky swath around the instruments looked terrible. It looks kinda similar to the Impala’s blah interior, except for the gauge cluster (or as GM would spell it, the ‘gage’ cluster). It did feel pretty solid, though.

Lest you forget, 90's GM created this steaming pile of an interior:

At first glance it looks ok, but if you actually come in contact with it it is one of the cheapest, nastiest interiors made. It smelled weird, everything felt super cheap, and was uncomfortable. Those seats were the worst I’ve ever sat in. As bad as it may be, the Cobalt’s interior is way better than the Cavalier’s. Also, WTF is up with that weird automatic shifter? The skinny little rod at the bottom annoys me, and they made it even worse in the late 90's Malibu:

Who in the design department said “Make the shifter more spindly! MORE! MOOOOOOOOORE!”? It makes my skin crawl.

Textured Soy Protein > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 09:58

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“90s GM interiors were damned good marginally less shitty than current GM interiors”

Except of course when they were straight garbage.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 10:00

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I recognize none of the dash buttons on the STS. Most of the TB’s buttons were on the radio or climate controls, or the stalks.

KatzManDu > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 10:12

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Interesting hypothesis.

I owned a 1995 C4 and a 2000 C5. The interior in the 1995 C4 seemed nicer in some ways than the 2000 C5; the C5 had more of the harder, shiny plastic that made portions of it look cheap. But at the same time some of the buttons and switches were upgraded. Think of the interiors as taking a 20-year arc from 1988/1989 through 2008 or so.

Compare the interior of a 1st gen Cadillac CTS with that of a 2nd gen.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Textured Soy Protein 08/11/2016 at 10:12

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We don’t talk about those.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > fhrblig 08/11/2016 at 10:14

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Don’t forget the late-90s Lumina. Fucking ruined. It was garbage. And the Regal/Century were terrible. But there was some good stuff, certainly moreso than the 03-’12 era where the singular only “good” interior I can think of was the DTS, which was still not as good as the Deville that came before it.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/11/2016 at 10:15

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I’ve used them. Did not like. The current-gen Colorado, however. That’s a fantastically done interior and seating position.

404 - User No Longer Available > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/11/2016 at 10:18

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Everyone knows the S-10 is the better one between these two. Come on, it has a tape deck.

DipodomysDeserti > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 10:27

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I feel like the 90s was a high point where GM really figured out how to build a car

I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.

Milky > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 10:29

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Something something ,rose colored glasses.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 10:35

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Agreed. The Lumina is actually solid, reliable transport—but that interior is GARBAGE. The seats don’t come up far enough at the front (opposite of the back seat in a 2000's Caravan), your legs actually feel like they’re tilted down. Even still, the steering wheel doesn’t go up far enough to avoid sawing your nuts off. All the foamy dash trim sags and get’s misaligned. Even in the publicity shots. And so on.

That said, being GM it also has some gems hidden in there. For example, the HVAC controls take up just those 3 dials in the middle (though the cheaper ones didn’t get dual mode). You will notice no additional button for the rear defrost. That’s because to turn it on, you actually push in the knob on the left hand dial. Also, a ‘95-’97 CHEVROLET with buttons on the wheel and dual mode climate control?!?!?

GM loves doing this, adding great features and then cheaping stuff out to balance the cost. The sliding rear bench in the Malibu Maxx springs immediately to mind.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 10:47

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I’m not surprised... all round the 1st-gen is kind of crap. Can be a fun piece of crap though. All in all it’s a love or hate truck and there’s a lot of give and take. Love the design and aesthetic of the new one. And all round WAY better put together. However I feel like the old one was better in several key ways (bear in mind some of these will be specific to me):

- The seats were wider and fit my fat ass better. Though they actually have the opposite problem, having almost no bolstering at all.

- I find the steering wheel on the new truck doesn’t come up as far as the old one, and in my preferred seating position I can’t see the guages as well as I should.

- I think the guages are too small.

- I think the steering wheel is too small. Actually this could be the root of the last 2 points. Nice and chubby though.

- It’s a little harder to see out of (but that’s old news. everything’s harder to see out of, and the person who crashes in the new Colorado will at least survive)

- Too big and doesn’t come with a V8 :)

Points I did like:

- Handles well.

- Feels quite solid.

...wow that’s a short list.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > 404 - User No Longer Available 08/11/2016 at 10:50

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No V8 tho

In seriousness though, I cannot offer anything for or against the S10 other than that I test-drove an ‘84. Have you driven both? I’m not trying to shoot you down, I’m asking an honest question.

I know what interior I’d rather have, and it’s in the S10 (but with the gauges from the Colorado). I know what drivetrain, frame and exterior I’d rather have and it’s on the Colorado.

fhrblig > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 10:56

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I rented a late-90's Lumina once that clearly had transmission problems. It was abominable.

Urambo Tauro > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 11:07

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For the most part, I’m immediately accepting towards any interior simply because I care much more about the rest of the car. Plastic and fake wood don’t bother me so much unless something breaks or makes noise. I like easy-to-clean surfaces. It’s when something is objectively bad, that creates a strong source of frustration for me.

I hate poor layout, like a cupholder that interferes with the shifter. Or my Mustang’s parking brake, which is on the passenger side of the center console, causing me to pull kind of at an angle unless I lean over as I pull the lever.

And radios... I dislike radios that do not conform to the DIN format, and GM has been particularly bad about this. I want head units to be more easily customizable. (Although I’ll admit, with AUX jacks and USB ports becoming more common, I have much less of a need to remove the stock unit.)

But sometimes there is an aesthetic that catches my eye. I really do like that early ’90s Lumina dash, and the mid-’90s LeSabre “shelf” dash.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > fhrblig 08/11/2016 at 11:09

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I hate the late 90s Lumina with a burning passion. They ruined everything about the car. It was bigger, heavier, uglier, shitty interior, same drivetrain in a heavier car, worse handling, those bastards would eat transmissions for breakfast and had more electrical issues than a 70s jaguar.

loki03xlh > 404 - User No Longer Available 08/11/2016 at 11:09

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I want a new Colorado, but my S-10 won't die.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/11/2016 at 11:11

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Sliding rear bench? What? That sounds awesome.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Milky 08/11/2016 at 11:12

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Shush. I’m cherrypicking here. Though there were bad 90s gm interiors there were also good ones, and in fact some VERY good ones. Also I still have a LeSabre and ‘97 Riviera. Interiors still solid other than a dicky door due to crash damage in the Riviera.

Monkey B > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 11:17

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all those pictures made my monitor squeak and rattle.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 11:22

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Yup.

Milky > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 11:36

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In all honesty, that Lumina interior is pretty damn cool.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Milky 08/11/2016 at 11:58

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It’s got to be one of the comfiest economy cars in history, as well. Pity you can’t find one that hasn’t been through 12+ owners and has been wrecked four or five times.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Monkey B 08/11/2016 at 11:59

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You’ve never been in a Seville or LeSabre have you

Monkey B > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 12:19

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I do interior repairs (started in the 90's) I’ve been in most cars. No domestic car from that era gets a pass in the quality, fit and finish department. I do much less work these days, manufacturing quality has killed my income...08 really shook things up. I made a mountain of money on GM products due to premature wear.

mazda616 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 12:20

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My wife had a 2006 Malibu and I had a 1999 Grand Am, and even in 2007, the Grand Am’s interior felt better, was better built, and held up better.

I hoon, therefore I am > Milky 08/11/2016 at 18:02

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Drive a ‘96 Roadmaster Wagon, can confirm awful interior.

imjustsomeucsdkid > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 08/11/2016 at 18:18

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Am I alone in thinking that all those interiors look like shit (and incredibly cheap)? Compare the STS interior to something like a GS or 5 series, one looks quality and the other one doesn’t. That Le Sabre door panel looks horrible.