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Junkyard Gem: 1980 Pontiac Phoenix LJ Hatchback

The car-building world was rushing headlong into front-wheel-drive by the late 1970s, eager to reap the weight-saving and space-enhancing benefits of front-drive designs. General Motors designed an innovative FWD platform to replace the embarrassingly outdated Chevrolet Nova and its siblings, and that ended up being the Chevrolet Citation. The other US-market GM car divisions (except Cadillac) got a piece of the X-Body action, and the Pontiac version was called the Phoenix. Here's one of those first-year Phoenixes, not doing a very good job of rising from its snow-covered ashes in a Colorado self-service yard. Pontiac had used the Phoenix name on a luxed-up iteration of Pontiac's version of the Chevy Nova during the 1977-1979 model years, and so it made sense to apply that name to the Pontiac-ized Citation. Phoenix production continued through the 1984 model year (the Citation managed to hang on through 1985). Just to confuse everyone, the Nova name was revived in 1985, on a NUMMI-built Toyota Corolla. The LJ trim level was the nicest one for the 1980 Phoenix, and it included lots of trim upgrades and convenience features. However, even Phoenix LJ buyers had to pay extra for a three-speed automatic transmission instead of the base four-on-the-floor manual ($337, or about $1,291 in 2022 dollars). If you wanted air conditioning, that was another $564 and you had to get the $164 power steering and the $76 power brakes with it (total cost in 2022 dollars: $3,080). Affordable cars weren't so affordable back then, not once you started adding basic options. Both generations of the Phoenix had grilles influenced by those of the Pontiacs of earlier years. The base engine was the chugging 2.5-liter Iron Duke four-cylinder, but a 2.8-liter V6 was optional. This car has the V6, rated at 115 horsepower rather than the Duke's miserable 90 horses. The price tag: 225 bucks, or 862 inflation-adjusted 2022 bucks. The Phoenix was available just as a two-door coupe and five-door hatchback. The MSRP on this car would have started at $6,127, or around $23,469 now. That would have been a pretty good deal even after paying for the options, with the Phoenix's excellent mix of good interior space and solid fuel economy… but the Citation and its kin (the Oldsmobile Omega and Buick Skylark as well as the Phoenix) suffered from seemingly endless, highly publicized recalls and quality problems.

Best and Worst GM Cars

Oh yes, because we just love receiving angry letters from devoted Pontiac Grand Am enthusiasts, we have decided to go there. Based on a heated group Slack conversation, the topic came up about the best and worst GM cars. First of all time, and then those currently on sale, and then just mostly a rambling discussion of Oldsmobiles our parents and grandparents owned (or engineered). Eventually, three of us made the video above. Like it? Maybe we can make more. Many awesome GM cars are definitely going unmentioned here, so please let us know your bests and worsts in the comments below. Mostly, it's important to note that this post largely exists as a vehicle for delivering the above video that dives far deeper into GM's greatest hits and biggest flops, specifically those from the 1980s and 1990s. What you'll find below is a collection of our editors identifying a best current and best-of-all-time choice, plus a worst current and worst-of-all-time choice. Comprehensive it is not, but again, comments. -Senior Editor James Riswick Best Current GM Vehicle Chevrolet Corvette We were flying by the seats of our pants a bit in this first outing and my notes were similarly extemporaneous. When it came time to tie it all together on camera, I failed spectacularly. Thank the maker for text, because this gives me the opportunity to perhaps slightly better explain my convoluted reasoning. I chose the C8 Corvette because it's simply overwhelmingly good, and it's merely the baseline from which this generation of Corvette will be expanded.  While the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing (more on that in a minute) is an amazing snapshot of GM's current performance standing and its little sibling so enraptured me that I went out and bought one, their existence is fleeting. Corvette will live on; forced-induction Cadillac sport sedans, not so much. So while all three are amazing machines when viewed in a vacuum, the Corvette stands above them as both a reflection of GM's current performance credentials and a signpost of what is to come. So, given the choice between the C8 and the 5V-Blackwing right now, I'd choose the C8. In 10 years, when the Blackwing is no longer in production and Corvette is in its 9th generation? Well, that might be a different story. Now, just pretend I said something even remotely that coherent when we get to the part of the video where I try to make an argument for the 5-V Blackwing as best GM car I've ever driven. Or just laugh at me while I ramble incoherently.

Win a sports car 2022 | The best giveaways this week

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability is subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze. The feeling of getting a new car is wonderful. Winning that new car, or even better, your dream car, feels even better, or so we would imagine. And Omaze is here with a chance to experience that feeling. You’re probably asking yourself, what does it take to win? First of all, according to Omaze, "no donation or payment is necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes." $10 will get you 100 entries in this sweepstakes, while $50 will get you 1,000 entries and $100 will get you 2,000 entries. The best part? Each paid entry raises money for a worthy cause. See more about these causes at Omaze. Here are our favorite vehicle giveaways weÂ’ve found online this week. 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition - Enter at Omaze Regardless of what you think about Ford using the name Mustang for an electric crossover, one thing is for certain, the Mustang Mach-E GT is an impressive piece of machinery. Here are some numbers for you: 480 horsepower, 634 lb-ft of torque, 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and 260 miles of range. Price? Well, thatÂ’s really up to you, because if you enter to win this Mach-E GT. it can be as low as $0. Here are the specs of the Mach-E in question, according to Omaze: Maximum Seating: 5 Engine: fully electric motors Drivetrain: eAWD Exterior Color: Rapid Red Metallic   Interior Color: Black Maximum Horsepower: 480 hp  Maximum Torque: 634 lb-ft Acceleration: 0-60 in 3.5 seconds Range: 235 miles Approximate Retail Value: $75,500 Cash Alt: $56,625 Special Features: GT Performance Edition; panoramic fixed-glass roof; Ford Co-Pilot360™ Active 2.0 and 360-degree camera; Brembo brakes; RTR Design Package including 20” RTR Aero 5 wheels, Nitto NT555 G2 tires and RTR Speed Block graphics Win a Restored 1969 Pontiac GTO - Enter at Omaze Joel Stocksdale, News Editor: There are an awful lot of ways to build a restomod. And a lot of those ways can be boring or tasteless. This one is neither. This is a seriously classy Pontiac GTO. Under the hood is a 461 cu. in. V8 from Butler Performance that's based on an actual Pontiac V8, not just another Chevy engine. The whole thing is subtle with a low-key metallic green and clean gray wheels. There isn't any overly flashy chrome or decals.