Here’s another in the line of cars you wouldn’t give a second glance, but are becoming interesting because they’ve just about disappeared from American roads. Conceived as a response to poor sales of GM’s extra-large family cars, and heavily referencing the Lancia Beta sedan (as some will have you believe), the Chevrolet Citation debuted in 1980 to great acclaim. Motor Trend bestowed its Car of the Year award upon it, although we all know about their dubious choices. Before launching into full-scale mockery mode, though, let’s take a look at what this car really meant for GM – it was their first transverse-engined, front-wheel-drive family sedan, with a hatchback in most cases. It spawned the A-, L-, and N-body cars from GM. Sales hit nearly 1.4 million for the X-platform cars, with the majority of those going to the Citation. You can find this surviving 1981 Chevrolet Citation for sale in Salt Lake City, UT with no bids at $0 and one day left to go on the auction.
Posts Tagged ‘under $2000’
Disappearing – 1981 Chevrolet Citation
January 16, 2014Boano Beauty – 1972 Fiat 124 Coupe
January 15, 2014In case it seems like they’ve been forgotten here, little European coupes of the post-WW2 era, say the 1950s through the 1970s, are among our favorites. They can frequently be inexpensive, and if you pick the right car, can still do many of the things a modern car does, with much more style and exclusivity. The RustyButTrusty fleet underscores this point, with both an Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT and a BMW 2002tii getting regular exercise. But it sure would be great to add another car from that class, the Fiat 124, to the group. You can find this 1972 Fiat 124 coupe for sale in Laguna Hills, CA for a mere $400.
Unintended Acceleration-Proof – 1987 Audi 5000CS Quattro
January 7, 2014The C3-body Audi 100/200, debuting as the Audi 5000 in the North American market, holds a sad place in popular culture due to the I can’t tell the difference between two pedals unintended acceleration fiasco. That overshadows how revolutionary this car was when it came out – an extremely capable vehicle with a zinc-coated body and all-wheel-drive to get you through the snow and not fall apart while doing it. It also sported a futuristic design that was arguably the genus of the modern sedan, with flush headlights, flush doors/windows, and a generally wedgy shape. For its efforts, Audi earned the 1983 European Car of the Year award, and was on the 1984 and 1985 Car & Driver 10 Best list. Of course, that list also included the Renault Alliance and Pontiac 6000, so that was probably a back-handed compliment. Anyhow, you can find this 1987 Audi 5000CS Quattro for sale in Los Angeles, CA with no bids, no reserve, a starting bid of $1000, and about 2 days to go on its second listing.


