Chevrolet Citation
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 910
Likes: 4
From: Maryland
Originally Posted by db_tanker
jeez...no one here is brave enough to mention the nastiest of the nasties?
How 'bout a 'vette?
Chevette, that is.
I remember getting a lot of them in and having to put aftermarket A/C's in them....almost like the air conditioning in the super-beetles...if you were getting onto the freeway, you had to turn it off. lol
DB
How 'bout a 'vette?
Chevette, that is.
I remember getting a lot of them in and having to put aftermarket A/C's in them....almost like the air conditioning in the super-beetles...if you were getting onto the freeway, you had to turn it off. lolDB
An old girl I knew had one of those x something cars it wasn't a bad car the 2.8 knocked for 30000 before it stoped and when it stoped it just turned 200000 miles
Senior User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 108
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by CowboyBilly9Mile
I drove those cars when they were new and at the time, given the technology, they were decent running cars. As for reliability, how about the GM 350 diesels, the Fiero 4 cyl, the Caddy V4-6-8, mid 80's chevy truck with 4 spd OD tranny (guaranteed to fail, just a matter of when).
The Pacifier
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,245
Likes: 7
From: Cloverdale, BC
We had a 80 or 81 Citation. 4 door, brown 2 tone paint, automatic. I was about 5 I guess. I also remember looking at the thing in the showroom. New car smell. My dad drove us everywhere in that thing. Banff, Jasper, PG, pretty much everywhere west of the Rockies. That car got traded in for a Chev Celebrity Wagon when it wouldn't start one day around 1985.
I met that same Citation in about 95 or 96 in a parking lot. At first, when I drove by, I thought "that sure looks like the car we had." So I had to stop and get a closer look. Sure enough, there was green paint transfer still on the back from when my dad backed into a neighbour's green van. And the melted orange crayon was still melted into the rear seat. I was surprised by how well the car was taken care of.
My aunt had a Pontiac Phoenix which was bequeathed to my cousin. The first time I ever drove a car was that car, when I was 15. Anyway, my cousin got sandwiched in that car about 91? She still has residual pain from it.
I met that same Citation in about 95 or 96 in a parking lot. At first, when I drove by, I thought "that sure looks like the car we had." So I had to stop and get a closer look. Sure enough, there was green paint transfer still on the back from when my dad backed into a neighbour's green van. And the melted orange crayon was still melted into the rear seat. I was surprised by how well the car was taken care of.
My aunt had a Pontiac Phoenix which was bequeathed to my cousin. The first time I ever drove a car was that car, when I was 15. Anyway, my cousin got sandwiched in that car about 91? She still has residual pain from it.
Super Moderator
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 34,495
Likes: 2,809
Had an '81 Citation for a company car. I used to call it the CVCC. "Hey, ain't that a Honda?" No, "Cordless Vibrating Chevrolet Citation".
Drive it a few hundred miles and your hands got numb from the steering wheel vibrating in tune with that 4 cylinder.
Oil filters were nearly impossible to get to, and didn't get changed some times.
It had a bog to it.
Rear brakes like to lock up early.
Towed my m/c trailer with it out to the dez, and slept in it. "The Hotel Chevrolay"
A/c failed due to stupid hose routing which the dealer didn't fix so it failed again, p/s rack took a dump and the dealer put it back together with the wheel 90 degress off and said we had to pay for an alignment to fix that.
Other than that, it was a stinking pile.
Oh yea, I forgot about the engine ground cable damaged in assembly. Mine failed and it was so drunk out I drove home with no lights at all.....
Drive it a few hundred miles and your hands got numb from the steering wheel vibrating in tune with that 4 cylinder.
Oil filters were nearly impossible to get to, and didn't get changed some times.
It had a bog to it.
Rear brakes like to lock up early.
Towed my m/c trailer with it out to the dez, and slept in it. "The Hotel Chevrolay"
A/c failed due to stupid hose routing which the dealer didn't fix so it failed again, p/s rack took a dump and the dealer put it back together with the wheel 90 degress off and said we had to pay for an alignment to fix that.
Other than that, it was a stinking pile.
Oh yea, I forgot about the engine ground cable damaged in assembly. Mine failed and it was so drunk out I drove home with no lights at all.....
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 810
Likes: 0
From: Pocahontas, AR
We had a citation when i was about 13-14. It was dark blue. That thing was a PITA from the time we got it. Finally we traded a guy down the road for his 74 charger. Needless to say, we sold the charger a year or so after we got it to the junkyard for 80 dollars, lol.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
From: Auburn, OH
I had an 84 Citation II 2.8 auto for my first car in 96 it was dark gray and my buddy nicknamed it the dung-beetle. $400 buck and it got me to high school and work. Went off the road twice and didn't even hurt the thing except broke the exhust but I had already passed E-check so what did i care. It actually wasn't too bad of a car except that the TPS(throtle position sensor) went after about a year and I had to take the cover off the carb and stick a wrench or screw driver in it to keep the choke open when I started the thing. It had around 200k on it and the trany slipped some but not to bad. You could fit 7 people in there if you really needed too and it handled jumps pretty well. Water pump went out just befor I left for college so it sat at my parents all that year. When I came back the next summer me and some friends took it and anouther POS out in his field and had ourselves our own little demo derby. Had 4 flat tires and the alternator was only charging at 11v so we had to keep jump starting it but we ran it for a day and made mince meat out of the 626 we had.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 18,488
Likes: 22
From: The Big, Oregon
Hey, 85E150- I think there was more to that story....... It was so drunk out?
A friend of mine used to have a Citation. I remember we ran out of gas towing the boat trailer home from a camping trip, so he dumped in the 2-stroke gas from the boat. The thing didn't comnplain or smoke, so I guess it was ok.
My parents had a Cavalier, it was a decent little car, they bought it new in 84. 270,000 miles and ten years later, they sold it. The car was ok, but constantly blew struts and starters, was a rear-end magnet (got hit four times in one year, living out in the country), overheated in the summer, and had no heat in the winter.
A friend of mine used to have a Citation. I remember we ran out of gas towing the boat trailer home from a camping trip, so he dumped in the 2-stroke gas from the boat. The thing didn't comnplain or smoke, so I guess it was ok.
My parents had a Cavalier, it was a decent little car, they bought it new in 84. 270,000 miles and ten years later, they sold it. The car was ok, but constantly blew struts and starters, was a rear-end magnet (got hit four times in one year, living out in the country), overheated in the summer, and had no heat in the winter.
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Super Moderator
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 34,495
Likes: 2,809
Originally Posted by Ford_Six
Hey, 85E150- I think there was more to that story....... It was so drunk out?
A friend of mine used to have a Citation. I remember we ran out of gas towing the boat trailer home from a camping trip, so he dumped in the 2-stroke gas from the boat. The thing didn't comnplain or smoke, so I guess it was ok.
A friend of mine used to have a Citation. I remember we ran out of gas towing the boat trailer home from a camping trip, so he dumped in the 2-stroke gas from the boat. The thing didn't comnplain or smoke, so I guess it was ok.
I put some premix in mine, too. Just need a few 5000 rpm zings to make the check engine light go out.
Freshman User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
From: San Marcos,Tx.
I very vividly remember the Citation I drove to College. And lived through the brake-lock thing twice. Once in a lazy downhill road curving to the right, front end was sliding in the grassy shoulder, back end was sliding on the pavement.
Second time was coming to a slow stop at a busy intersection in a rainstorm. I had never done a 360 in a car by myself much less with 5 other college kids in it. Spun around and actually got it stopped, lucky we didnt die. Felt like a movie stunt driver.
A couple of years later, the timing jumped a tooth and it started smoking, and coughing. $250 later it was in the hands of another and I rid myself of that car. Actually it was good reliable transortation,30+mpg, and the back hatch area could be quite roomy if you know what I mean!
Second time was coming to a slow stop at a busy intersection in a rainstorm. I had never done a 360 in a car by myself much less with 5 other college kids in it. Spun around and actually got it stopped, lucky we didnt die. Felt like a movie stunt driver.
A couple of years later, the timing jumped a tooth and it started smoking, and coughing. $250 later it was in the hands of another and I rid myself of that car. Actually it was good reliable transortation,30+mpg, and the back hatch area could be quite roomy if you know what I mean!
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 313
Likes: 0
You'll love this...
3 weekends in a row, I won the spectator bracket races at New England Dragway in a beat to death Citation X/11. We used it to trailer mine and my friends Dragged out GS 750's.
Basically, I'd just stomp the gas at the light, and not let it off the floor until I went through the traps. All of my passes were between 22.5 & 22.7 seconds (I know, neck snapping exceleration). You should have seen the looks on the faces of the, "I've spent $10k in my pony car, only to be beaten my that thing?" crowd. I was eventually beaten by a Buick Grand National that made an under 11 second pass, exactly on his dial in.
3 weekends in a row, I won the spectator bracket races at New England Dragway in a beat to death Citation X/11. We used it to trailer mine and my friends Dragged out GS 750's.
Basically, I'd just stomp the gas at the light, and not let it off the floor until I went through the traps. All of my passes were between 22.5 & 22.7 seconds (I know, neck snapping exceleration). You should have seen the looks on the faces of the, "I've spent $10k in my pony car, only to be beaten my that thing?" crowd. I was eventually beaten by a Buick Grand National that made an under 11 second pass, exactly on his dial in.
Super Moderator
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 34,495
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What was it running on 3 cylinders? That should have been a 16 or 17 second car new I think....
Think of the Beach Boy's tune and change the "Good Vibrations" to "Chevrolet Citations" and other profane and demented lyrics, and you can envision what I was thinking driving mine across West Texas....
Think of the Beach Boy's tune and change the "Good Vibrations" to "Chevrolet Citations" and other profane and demented lyrics, and you can envision what I was thinking driving mine across West Texas....
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 262
Likes: 0
From: Northern Virginia
I had an 82 for a while
white 4 dr.What a steaming pile.V-6,traded it in for a Dodge Raider(Montero).Wife(ex) trashed the Raider,shoulda kept the Citation.
Speaking of Automotive Atrocities,a friend of mine wrote a book called Automotive Atrocities(shameless plug..and I'm new to this forum...hmmm might be a spammer)anyway the book is pretty funny.The author is Eric Peters dont know where it is available..prolly amazon.No ,I'm not a spammer .I'm the new owner of a 1965 f250 camper special on Sunday and I need to get a few posts in so I can post some pics of my new baby when I roll her off of the roll back Sunday.By the way there is soooo much good tech info on this sight I cant believe it.
Joe
Speaking of Automotive Atrocities,a friend of mine wrote a book called Automotive Atrocities(shameless plug..and I'm new to this forum...hmmm might be a spammer)anyway the book is pretty funny.The author is Eric Peters dont know where it is available..prolly amazon.No ,I'm not a spammer .I'm the new owner of a 1965 f250 camper special on Sunday and I need to get a few posts in so I can post some pics of my new baby when I roll her off of the roll back Sunday.By the way there is soooo much good tech info on this sight I cant believe it.
Joe
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 13,873
Likes: 3
From: Atlanta GA
I worked at a Chevrolet dealer and made the mistake of buying a brand new 1981 Camaro, it was a V-6 piece of junk and returned to GM. So then I compounded my mistake by buying a 1980 Citation X-11, yellow with the black stripes, V-6, std. I was young and stupid and figured something that was sold as a sports car might actually perform like one. Besides breaking parts here and there, I went through brakes like nothing. Then the Fed. recall came out for the brakes basically giving you brakes for life because of the defective design.
Besides that, with the A/C, changing the rear plugs stunk, the unibody flexed so much at anything over 65 mph and the brakes were so bad that driving it at highway speeds was a challenge if you ever had to stop fast.
I had more fun driving a Renault LeCar (used trade-in I kind of liked that I drove home alot). It was more reliable, was fun winding it up, and got way better gas mileage. It also handled better.
It is pretty sad when someone at a Chevy dealer that works in sales, service, and parts, drives a Renault because he likes it better then the Chevy he bought.
Besides that, with the A/C, changing the rear plugs stunk, the unibody flexed so much at anything over 65 mph and the brakes were so bad that driving it at highway speeds was a challenge if you ever had to stop fast.
I had more fun driving a Renault LeCar (used trade-in I kind of liked that I drove home alot). It was more reliable, was fun winding it up, and got way better gas mileage. It also handled better.
It is pretty sad when someone at a Chevy dealer that works in sales, service, and parts, drives a Renault because he likes it better then the Chevy he bought.