1985 Chevrolet Celebrity from North America - Comments

Windshield washer pump is out.

Passenger door does not open from inside.

I was looking for a car for my step-son when I found this car. I searched many car lots and when I saw this car I couldn't believe how good of shape it was in for being a 21 year old car. I only gave $1500 cash for it and it passed inspection without needing any repairs. The guy at the car lot said it is hard to get anyone to buy cars this old regardless of what shape they are in because of their age. After looking at this car and test driving it, I left and looked at many other cars. I eventually went back and bought this car due to it being the best value for the small amount of money I had to spend. The car drives out good and has a surprising amount of power. The inspector told me he had not seen many cars this old that were this clean. I decided to let my step-son drive my car (2001 Hyundai Elantra) and I will drive the Chevy. Parents make many sacrifices for their kids, but I honestly don't mind driving this car as long as it remains reliable.

GESH! You must be like some of my relatives that live in an expensive city or something?= = for a 21 year-old Celebrity to cost $1500?? Man, that is awful!

Here in rural Indiana, if you look around you can get a car like that really cheap. (about $150) My last purchase is a 1997 Chevy cavieler that runs fine (just needed a tune-up and a bent rim replaced) for $250. I have driven that car for over 2 years now- no other expenses or problems.

My other car is an 1990 Olds 98 that I purchased for $90 off of an owner that was tired of it. 5years and 110,000 miles later= it still runs like a top and have spent only brakes, tires, top and bottom radiator hoses, ect... These cars are safe, presentable, no rust, dents, ect...

With the money I saved not buying new cars or over-priced old cars, I have paid off my house and am saving for retirement. Most people are nuts to spend as much as they do for their cars. Sure they are expensive to operate, but if you just are carefull, patient, and don't be a slave to trends- you can drive a nice car very, very, very cheaply.

I agree, it seems like most people have very little common sense anymore as far as money goes. They are more concerned with their image than anything= = = crazy!

Absolutely agree with the person from March 19th. He should subscribe to my newsletter. I can relate the same stories of $125 and $150 cars that ran and ran, if you knew how to fix the occasional thing. Same result: I paid off my house in 7 years with the money I didn't spend on car payments. You did the right thing buying the old Celebrity, although $1,500 was too much unless this is the lowest mileage, most immaculate '85 Celebrity ever. At any rate, they are decent cars, and it should last you a long time if you take care of it!

This is Mr. March 19th= = what is your news letter? I would probably join...

I was just making a joke from an old Simpson's episode. But seriously, after years of being assaulted with advertising and confronted by people trying to talk me into the need for a "new, reliable" car, I started keeping track of all my costs on a spreadsheet. I posted my maintenance cost graphs of various cars on my web space, and there is absolutely no question that you are better off driving an old car and fixing what goes wrong compared to making a car payment. It's not even close. One of the guys at work, who used to give me a hard time about driving an "old, beat up car" now uses my graphs to teach his financial class at his church, and has to field arguments from people who have been convinced that you need to buy a new car in order to get reliability and avoid being "nickel and dimed to death." That was the phrase that motivated me. I call it "The myth of being nickel-and-dimed to death."

While your argument is valid and I have heard it before, there are other factors to take into consideration.

The most obvious is finding a used car that is known to be reliable. Scan this site, especially for late model American cars, and you will find owners that have had to shell out insane amounts of money given their car's low mileage and "newness".

The other factor is technology. The Celebrity did not have airbags, much less six or eight of them as is becoming standard, a safety cell, antilock brakes (well, not most models) and so on.

That said, buying a new and sophisticated car these days is somewhat of a fool's game unless you trade it in before the warranty runs out.

Best thing is to REALISTICALLY determine how long you are going to keep the car and then make a decision based on that.

I have known too many friends that wouldn't dream of leasing or buying used, yet they buy new, drive low miles and end up trading their car in in three years at a huge loss.

If you TRULY intend on keeping your car for four years or longer (essentially after a typical car loan runs out) then buying slightly used (assuming you want a newer car) is the best bet.

Again, it all comes down to priorities.

I am Mr 19th again. Man you and I are a couple of twins in our thinking! I even am made to feel like a freak or unpatriotic at work= because I REFUSE TO BE ANOTHER COG IN THE SILLY "NEW-CAR" MACHINERY.

Good to see another human uses his head to "Think" out of the box. My hat is off to you sir... (Grin) John.

Another factor that is a personal pet peeve of mine (and one reason new cars aren't that appealing) is what cars are morphing into.

I used to defend BMWs to the death, and considered them to be the best in the world. Yet the recent models are less than desirable. Yeah, they drive great, but where is the passion? I drove a new 325i and it felt like we were pulling a trailer the car was so heavy. Not for me.

We have owned a Chevy Celebrity for 21 years now. When it was new in 1985 there were a few call backs. Over the years we have tried a few different repair shops and invested probably too much in repair costs. All I can say is it has been reliable enough to drive when it needed repairs. I really don't like the new cars with all the extra electronics and even the unpredictable air bags, but I guess we have to face the inevitable for our safety. A new car costs too much, but it sure is nice when it can last this long without changing ownership!