Nostalgia 🕰 The quintessential Car of [year]

[Maister]

I was watching an old episode of The Streets of San Francisco and was struck immediately by how immediately apparent it was that the show had been created in the 1970s. I posed the question to Mrs. Maister, "can you give me three concrete reasons why it's obvious this was filmed in the mid 1970s?'. The first one she reeled off was 'look at the cars'. On screen was a 1972 Ford Galaxie 500. Talk about a quintessential gas guzzling 1970s land yacht! This car would only be possible before the Arab Oil Embargo.

I nominate this car as the quintessential car of 1972

Let's hear your nominations and supporting arguments for various years' quintessential cars.

 

[mendelman]

This VW Cabrio screams mid-1980s to me, specifically, 1987.

Prominent in the teen movie Can't Buy Me Love.

 

[SlaveToTheGrind]

Regarding the quintessential car of the decade, the 1980s has to be the Ford Escort or Chevy Cavalier.

 

[Maister]

Regarding the quintessential car of the decade, the 1980s has to be the Ford Escort or Chevy Cavalier.

This. I would say the Quintessential Car for 1986 is indeed the Ford Escort.

 

[mendelman]

The quintessential cheap used car of 1996 (at least in Michigan) was the 1989 Pontiac Grand Am.

 

[Maister]

And we musn't forget the Quintessential Car Humans Like You and I Can't Afford from 2007 - the Chevrolet Corvette

 

[DVD]

For 1992 I give you the Mustang 5.0 convertible. You're singing the song now aren't you?

 

[michaelskis]

Welcome to 1985 K-Car

 

[Bubba]

This VW Cabrio screams mid-1980s to me, specifically, 1987.

Prominent in the teen movie Can't Buy Me Love.

View attachment 66640

^^^ For high school girls.

^^^ For high school boys in 1987.

 

[The Terminator]

^^ Here is 2001's contender

^ And here is 1963's