Yep..I agree. Sorry 'bout that. Not that I want one today, but I really did have fun in days of old...when huge engines combined with lousy handling roamed the streets.

I think that the Aztec is waaaay better looking than the OP's old car. But that's just me.

piscator, the only cure for your fondness of that car would be to own one again.
You should get a smoking good deal as there will be zero others looking for one.

The biggest thing would be finding what as nice as it was when new.

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug.

Get your eye bleach ready...




























I warned you...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1551650715.jpg

My 1st car was a 1965 LeMans, so always had a soft spot for Pontiacs, but by 1980 they were ruined. And fugly.

Unclebilly, that's funny!

Your friend’s 'LE' was a comfortable sedan featuring the squishy ride and vague power steering; common for the time. The STE was another thing entirely -- an honest to God American road car!

The STE was a head to head competitor to Audi, Saab, and BMW. My Dad had an early Audi 5000 quattro. My uncle drove a Volvo. I sold Saab turbos and Alphas. And I traded the STE for a BMW 535I.

I loved all of those cars. None of them was clearly superior and each had a rather unique personality. The Volvos were stolid. The Saabs quirky. BMWs precise. Alphas, nimble. The STE, the best 'all-rounder.'

The STE’s greatest attribute is that it did everything a sports sedan needed to do (really well) without standing out in any particular way. It was not a car that amazed you on the first ride, it was a car you loved more and more, as you racked up more and more miles.

One of the STE’s finest qualities was probably a ‘double edged sword’ that also hurt it’s sales. It was NOT European. At that time, auto enthusiasts hungered for continental flavors. The STE didn’t offer that. It was clearly a sports sedan designed for American roads.

This is what made the STE superior to it’s European brethren. Although others might say it’s what made the STE ‘boring.’ Enthusiasts praise a car that excels on twisty roads; often forgetting the highway they drove on to get there. Highway comfort may not be a ‘performance attribute’ but it’s not unimportant either.

Given the variety of road conditions encountered in America -- every car is a compromise. I might ‘like’ an attribute of one car over another; but I try to evaluate cars based on what they were designed to do. In it’s day, the STE was the superior ‘compromise’ for American roads.

My BMWs were more precise on Vermont mountain roads, but not by much! And when it snowed, my Pontiac could run over those cars. My dad’s 5000 quattro was equally able in the snow or off-road, but it was larger, underpowered and more ‘boaty’ than the Pontiac.

For me, the Pontiac’s automatic transmission was the toughest compromise. It was the first car I owned that had one. Given the STE’s design mission, the AT made sense. Even for me it made sense, since my job had me driving 50,000 miles a year on urban, suburban, highway, and rural roads. Still, I would have preferred a manual gearbox.

So you ‘pays your money and you takes your choice!’

Maybe the Pontiac 6000STE wasn’t the best car ever, but in the context of it’s time it certainly was unique. The STE, like it’s competitors, had a specific personality that you either liked, or didn’t. Cars had definable characters that often related to their origin. You’d never confuse a BMW and a Citroen. I don’t know much about modern autos, but I’m not sure that’s so true today.

Thanks for letting me reminisce!

Robert

Mom had an 86 6000SE and I loved driving that car. Comfy, nice exhaust note, good handling and that Pontiac excitement exhaust sound. My friends dad had the STE, but mom wasn't going to spend an extra $9k over the SE.

Actually, I kinda liked the trans-am sports wagon concept...

A lot of wagons made sense from a weight distribution and COG standpoint. That and they could haul siht.

I do have a nostalgia for this car, but I also think it was quite an achievement for Pontiac, in those years. I've been trying to find one for ages, but they only made 2,000 of the AWD special edition car that I owned. It had the 3.1 liter V6, sunroof/moonroof (which was unusual then) and the best seats I've ever had (and that includes my Recaros).

Ugly, to each his own. Within the context of the 'box on box' styling that was popular in the 1980's the Pontiac STE was just as handsome or more handsome than my BMW 535 or my uncle's Volvo.

My care was identical to the one below.

I will find one and have fun with it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Robert

Not sure what wrong with the picture upload. I'll try again,

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1551663427.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1551663427.jpg

That is the new Lambo SUV no?

I might have missed the AWD aspect. That's a game changer in many ways depending on the drive mechanism. I'd drive one, if presented, after reading this thread. I mean what can this thing cost today, 700 bucks?

I have a fantasy of making a hot rod of some sorts based on a wrecked Subaru WRX. It would take the form of an Atom Aerial or something on that order. I wonder if I found one of these Pontiac things if I couldn't get it free for hauling off? On further thought (and OT for this thread) I see that there are a dozen AWD light SUV's out there that could be cannibalized for a project like this.

I'll say this, I can't think of a better hooning vehicle than a gutted hot rod AWD!

According to Wikipedia (not always correct) awd wasn’t an option until 88 and became standard in 89.

Unclebilly, that's true. I don't even remember if mine was an '88 or '89, but it was sweet. I think '89 or '90 was the last year for the STE.

I should check the car magazine archives for pictures of the special edition I owned. None of the photos I've seen on the net resemble it. My car had a dark grey leather interior with suede leather seating inserts in a complimentary color. There was none of that cheesy fabric anywhere. It was a handsome..

Zeke, that's what I'm talking about!!! If I could find one it would make a great AWD hotrod -- I've got an extra Porsche motor in the garage. Or how 'bout a Subi engine!

Robert