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I wouldn't turn down a Toro if someone gave it to me. I'm not going to buy one. Heck, look at my sig line. I now have a one-of-920 1988 Firenza wagon. Wrong wheel drive, half the required number of cylinders, but it was free. It's also one of probably fewer than 50 made with the 2.0 OHC and five speed. Given historical survival rates, this may be the only 1988 left with a five speed. Naturally, it's chock full of one-year-only parts, like the headlights, grill, front facia, etc.
My grandparents had an ‘86 Firenza wagon, in a light metallic sand/gold with tan cloth interior and that fake wood grain vinyl down the sides. Wire wheel covers. Console shifted auto with bucket seats. Was a neat little car. They bought it so it’d be easier for my Grandpa to load the wheelchair my Grandma needed more and more towards the end of her life. They bought it at Peck Oldsmobile in New Brunswick NJ where I mom worked at the time (so pretty much got it at dealer cost). I have an affectation for certain 1980s malaise era cars for some strange reason (probably because I saw so many of them pass through the showroom of that dealership, but if I started searching for a Firenza wagon like my Grandparents had, pretty sure my wife would kill me.
Looks like a clean Toro. I'm pretty sure ASC did that sunroof. I had a black '73 Ramcharger once with one. It is a one handle operated fold back type. I started working in automotive prototype in the late 80s for a guy that worked at ASC for years. He saw my sunroof and said he remembered my top sitting on the floor at ASC as the sunroof was being installed. They are rare. That truck rusted so badly it was not drivable decades ago but I still have the 360.
Originally Posted by joe_padavano
Wrong wheel drive, half the required number of cylinders, but it was free. It's also one of probably fewer than 50 made with the 2.0 OHC and five speed. Given historical survival rates, this may be the only 1988 left with a five speed..
LOL. I'll bet your right. No one kept them and no one cares to this day. I have six rare who cares cars.
I've always found it fascinating to scroll through the back of Setting the Pace to look at the production figures. Many are in the teens or lower! The I series Calais four doors with the HO quad four and five speed are super rare. Several cars in the late 80s early 90s had super low production figures. There were 458 RB '91 "88" coupes built. There were some garden variety Calais 4 doors with 5 speeds and others of which only a hand full were produced.
I ran across a '90 CS I series in a salvage yard once with a HO quad four and five speed. I had never seen even one W body with a stick, ever, anywhere. I looked up the VIN and found out they made about 900 of them:
I had a black 1990 ‘88 FE3 coupe (just like the one depicted below), bought in 2002 and drove the snot out of for almost 4 years. Bought for its resemblance to my old Lesabre T-type. That 88 was a great car, and I only sold it after the then 16 year old ABS system required very expensive repairs (one still fairly expensive solution being to convert it to standard brakes). Actually I gave it to a local kid who worked as a mechanic who did fix it and drive it for a few more years. The 90 coupes were prettymuch identical to the 91s, but slightly more common.
One issue when driving such such a rare car - I got rear ended in 2004 or so and there was some coupe-specific body part I can’t recall exactly that was very hard to find 13 years after the last rare-at-the-time coupes were built
Last edited by aliensatemybuick; Sep 22, 2019 at 10:53 AM.
I know where there's an 88. The owner would probably trade for the Jetstar I.
Ive only recently considered the sale of the Jetstar to thin the herd after buying back a pristine example of my first new car (Lesabre T-Type). Which is probably only slightly less stupid than trading it for a Firenza like the one my grandparents had.
Ive only recently considered the sale of the Jetstar to thin the herd after buying back a pristine example of my first new car (Lesabre T-Type). Which is probably only slightly less stupid than trading it for a Firenza like the one my grandparents had.
I'm sure trading it for a Firenza (especially this one) would rise to heretofore untold levels of stupidity.
I ran across a '90 CS I series in a salvage yard once with a HO quad four and five speed. I had never seen even one W body with a stick, ever, anywhere.
This Firenza really needs a Q4 and five speed. Even 150 HP would be better than 96. Turns out that the J-body engine cradle is apparently very similar to the one under the N-body. Thank god I no longer have the 90 Q4 lying around, or I'd be temped to do that swap.
I have seen W-body Cutlii withe the DOHC 3.4 and a five speed.
