1985 Chevrolet Caprice Classic 305 5.0L 4bbl. V8 from North America

Summary:

My favorite and most reliable car I've ever owned!

Faults:

-No major problems at all!

-New exhaust replaced by previous owner prior to buying.

-Driver side window keeps coming off the track.

-Bought car with the passenger side, front and rear door handles that don't work.

-Small leak in the trunk.

-Upgraded the stock tires from P205/75/R15 to P215/75/R15 (rides much better).

-Replaced shocks absorbers. 88,764 miles $141.86.

-Radio intermittently shuts off (loose connections).

-Air conditioner retrofitted and charged to R134a. 90,861miles.

General Comments:

-I love this car!

-The car feels so solid and sturdy.

-Great acceleration and power.

-The transmission on it is perfect!

-This is my third car and it is the most reliable car I've ever owned!

-This is the second Caprice I've owned. The previous one was a 1988 Caprice Classic Brougham with 310,000 miles on it! I'm not kidding.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th April, 2005

11th Nov 2008, 20:05

I'm 21 in a week, and am proudly driving a 1988 caprice 5.0L with 240,000km.

Nothing beats a solid full size chevy V8. but tell me, it is equipped with a 700R4 correct?

1985 Chevrolet Caprice Classic 350 from North America

Summary:

Well, I've had seven of them and I still can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Faults:

Normal wear and tear. With the exception of a wheel cylinder bursting 100 miles from home, the car has never had any major problems.

General Comments:

This is the 7th full size Chevy I have owned. It is a part of a dynasty that includes a 78 4dr. Impala, a 78 Impala wagon, a 79 Impala wagon, an 83 Caprice wagon, a 72 Impala 4dr hardtop, and 78 4 dr Caprice.

I bought the car from my brother for $200 6 months after he bought it for $200. The black paint was badly cracked from sitting in the scorching NJ sun and humidity. Other than that the car looked like a 210,000 mile car. Used, but not badly abused.

I chose to remove the original (and still running) 305 and 700R-4 transmission to replace them with a 350/TH350 combo.

At that time, I also installed a gauge cluster (with tachometer), dual Flowmaster exhaust and Corvette Rally wheels.

I can't leave well enough alone, so I also installed an oversize alternator (for headlight brightness), a transmission cooler, an oversize radiator a performance carb and did a few other tricks to the car that I'm not willing to share. Oh yeah, I also shaved a few pounds off the car when the emissions system was mysteriously misplaced at engine-swap time.

The old battle wagon is for sale minus its engine and transmission for the right price. If it doesn't sell, I have my eye on a rusty old 4x4 Silverado that would make an excellent mate that just happens to have the same wheelbase as the Caprice. Do you remember Stompers from your childhood?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th February, 2005

24th Feb 2005, 10:17

The last sentence of the review pretty well sums it up.

These old cars are just big toys.

6th Apr 2006, 09:34

I recently bought a 1985 caprice and I am facing the same problem the "money people"; my friends have Mercedes and Golf and BMW the newest and they're making fun of my old car, although I could have bought a new car, but I didn't because I'm 6 feet 8, and I can't fit, plus all the good things everyone said about their reliability and performance and the fact that it's very spacious. but I didn't buy it for 200$, I bought it for 1400$, and I installed a 1400$ sound system in it, with a DVD and TV and 15" woofer and an amplifier with 2 50-watts speakers in the back. now everyone is envying me for what I got. I still have some problems, the back glass leeks when it rains, and the drive side window keeps coming off the track, other than that, it's a problem of a parking spot and gas money.

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