What was the 1980s’ worst year for cars?

Article content There’s little argument that the early 1980s represent the nadir of the automotive industry. This is especially true for Detroit’s Big Three, as American brands found themselves scrambling to deal with an energy crisis (and the demand for non-existent fuel-efficient vehicles), struggling to keep any semblance of performance in their showrooms (as engines were downsized and choked by pollution equipment), and deploying new technologies they barely understood and couldn’t really build. All of this took placed while fighting off the unforeseen rise of Japanese options that had surpassed domestic models’ quality and design.

Unfortunately for the open-minded buyer willing to look outside of their own backyard, however, these same ‘80s imports had the rust resistance of a tin can in a brine bucket, making it difficult to take advantage of reliable drivetrains and well-assembled interiors that dropped through the frame after three years of road salt exposure. Given how poorly things were going across almost the entire board, it’s a little more difficult to pinpoint which specific year from that period plunged enthusiasts and everyday drivers alike into the deepest pit of despair. At a time when most models had difficulty breaking 120 km/h (preferring instead to break on the way home from the dealership), allocating your new car dollars came with a sense of ennui seldom matched in the annals of transportation history.

That said, there are three strong cand.