I’m buying this. Haters gonna hate.

"mazda616" (mazda616)
08/01/2018 at 09:50 • Filed to: Pontiac

My new toy. A 1990 Pontiac Sunbird LE coupe. 2.0 four-cylinder making a whopping 96 HP mated to a power-sapping three speed automatic. :-) Her name is “Jolene.”

It’s a survivor with 56,000 miles. Only options are the automatic, a/c, and a cassette player. New spark plugs/wires and new/reworked a/c system. An older lady owned it and passed away and it was sold at her estate sale to its current owners. The current owners are selling it because they bought it to drive as a work car for the husband and decided it’s too nice to use up like that. And, it majorly struggles on the interstate (part of the husband’s commute). Which I can see, with those 96 horses.

I’ve always wanted something old and GM again since I sold my Grand Am in 2009. This is going to be something for me to tinker with and work on and take care of. I already have a few plans for it.

If you think it’s junk, that’s fine. No need to tell me. I know what it is. And I like it anyway. P.S. The car is filthy because its owners live about a half mile down a gravel road that is in very poor condition. My 6 crept down the road to avoid the several deep puddles.

And yes, it’s getting historic motor vehicle tags. I may even detail it up and take it to a cruise-in. :-)

Funniest part of the buying experience: The lady’s 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan has no air conditioning as its entire system is kaput. So, she has been piling her three kids into the Sunbird for grocery store and school shopping trips because the Sunbird has very cold air.

DISCUSSION (24)

Urambo Tauro > mazda616
08/01/2018 at 10:01

Looks like a clean t ime capsule!

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > mazda616
08/01/2018 at 10:04

Im not hating, I like somewhat old and clean cars. I have a weird want for a 2003 era Dodge Stratus because I was born in 2003 and right around my birthday my parents bought said car. We had it until 2013, when it blew a head gasket and was rusted beyond belief (we were in Illinois). My parents admit to not taking much care of it and it still lasted 10 years.

mazda616 > Urambo Tauro
08/01/2018 at 10:04

I got in it and it truly felt like the ‘90s again. I need to get one of the cassette to auxiliary port adapters so I can retain the odd shaped factory stereo.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > mazda616
08/01/2018 at 10:07

Hey, my car is Jolene too!

Very clean. Definitely get the classic plates. It’s funny seeing them on Civics now.

jimz > mazda616
08/01/2018 at 10:11

probably the best looking amongst the J cars.

oh, and if that’s the Opel SOHC engine, I think their main weak point is the head gasket. if you need to replace it, you might want to see if someone makes a multi-layer-steel (MLS) replacement; those have pretty much ended the problem of iron block/aluminum head engines trashing gaskets.

promoted by the color red > mazda616
08/01/2018 at 10:12

I don’t think I’ve seen one this clean since the ‘90s. C ome to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen a Sunbird since then either!

Long-Voyager > jimz
08/01/2018 at 10:16

Best looking had flip-ups:

Kinja'd!!!

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > mazda616
08/01/2018 at 10:22

This is good oppo. Historic plates will be damned awesome on that car. That is an impressive survivor.

facw > mazda616
08/01/2018 at 10:25

Had a coworker who drove a blue convertible one in the summer. Probably not an objectively good car, but fun regardless.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > mazda616
08/01/2018 at 10:34

My ride to my friends wedding was in this car around 1995. It was owned by a farmers daughter who had really bad breath. I rode shotgun until we hit snow in salt lake.

I took over from there. I remember that the light stalk was broken and two dash vents were broken on a three year old car with 30,000 miles. Otherwise it was fine and got us to Wyoming safety. Oh memories!

My buddies name was Mike Hunt.

Stapleface > mazda616
08/01/2018 at 10:45

No hate here. I still think that the second gen J-bodies are good looking cars, and the best design of the entire J body history . The facelifted Pontiac even more so than the Cavalier.

Will it ever be fast or luxurious? Probably not. But they just work. If you can find a rust free one (which appears as though you did), they’re pretty much indestructible.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Long-Voyager
08/01/2018 at 10:56

I didn’t even know this one came with flip ups, I bet it’s impossible to find one but if you do you can probably get it stupid cheap

Takuro Spirit > mazda616
08/01/2018 at 11:12

RADDDDDDDWOODDDDDDD

Quadradeuce > mazda616
08/01/2018 at 11:12

I saw a minty convertible Sunbird just yesterday. My “no picture taking while driving” rule sucks whenever I see something like that. Need to get a dash cam.

I see well kept Sunbirds fairly often compared to anything else of that era, even Cavaliers. I think owners genuinely loved these things.

Mid Engine > mazda616
08/01/2018 at 11:53

My brother owned one for a long time, put over 200k miles on it and the most remarkable thing was he completely neglected it. No maintenance , no car washes, no thing, the thing just ran. He didn’t give a shit about the car, and the car just loved him. Reminds me of a very good dog.