In the 1970s, the Pontiac Phoenix was a badge-engineered version of the popular Chevrolet Nova. But in the 1980s, it was a corporate cousin to the new FWD Chevy Citation. They sold well enough but were weak on craftsmanship (I traded a 1980 Sunbird for a used 1980 Citation and asked for my old car back three days later). The seller won this ’80 Phoenix at a car show, and it runs but has problems. From a side yard in Portland, Oregon, this set of cheap wheels is available here on craigslist for $500. A nod goes to Rocco B. for keeping the tips train on the tracks.
The X-bodied Phoenix was Pontiac’s first foray into front-wheel-drive. While Pontiac built 400,000 Phoenix compacts in five years (1980-84), the FWD GM X-bodies were consumer lamented, and a second generation never came to be. The 5-door hatchback, like the seller’s raffle prize, was the biggest seller. This one is powered by the base 151 cubic inch “Iron Duke” I-4, which may have been the highlight for these Malaise Era automobiles.
Cosmetically, the seller’s ’80 Phoenix should clean up with a wax job and a shampooing of the interior. No mention is made of any rust, and we don’t see any, though the once-busy car has 186,000 miles. The engine has either been rebuilt or replaced, as we’re told its mileage is somewhat less. The tires have been replaced with used ones with what we assume is decent tread.
You’re going to have to do some mechanical work to use the Pontiac as a driver. That includes fixing a power steering leak, replacing one motor mount, and installing a seller-supplied muffler. The customized license plates are interesting, with the lettering “Russet” – is that because the car resembles a baked potato? For $500, would you take a gamble on this X-body project?
Fixing it up should get you an all in price of about $1,000. Despite this being an X body, this is a fantastic deal for a starts-runs-drives car today.
My aunt had one, an ’81 that was non-metallic tan with a tan cloth interior. I think it was pretty reliable, I don’t remember her complaining about it like her fist car, a milk-chocolate brown ’76 Volkswagen Rabbit, which was pure junk. The seats in this car are unbelievably filthy, I don’t know if those stains will come out. I suppose it could be mold.
If it’s West coast Oregon and a car sits outside… mold is almost a guarantee.
Deleted by author. Maybe he couldn’t bear to part with it?
Well, it is in Portland, any number of things could be going on right now…
Zen- I’m thinking it’s just a wear pattern showing on the seats.
Yeah, the rest is so clean I’d expect the tan parts of the inserts are worn away and the underlying weave is black.
Either that, or this car was used to transport coal miners to and from work!
If they’d called my name in that raffle, once I saw the ‘prize’, I’d have said: “Redraw!”
I had a 1980 Citation with a 2.8 six. It was, for the time, pretty quick. VERY useful car, you could put the rear seat down, and had a pretty big loading area. Head gasket went. But $500 for nostalgia? If I only had the room…
My sister ordered am 80 Phoenix new. It was a 4 cyl. Great design but so unreliable it was traded for an 81 Mustang. The Pontiac periodically would not start for a few days at a time. It was returned to the dealer several times with no answers. The dealer had a row of them, all 4 cyl, with the same problem.
Bought a 2 door Phoenix new in 1982, a 2 tone dark gray and silver.
It was a great little car for the 2 years I had it. -25 in the winter in SW
Iowa, always started. The FWD would march up any hill in town.
Traded 2 years later for a rotary engine Mazda RX-7 5 speed,which I
must admit, was quite an upgrade.
My dad bought one of these 4 door hatchbacks in 1980 new. Red with red vinyl interior. No AC. It was the biggest LEMON we ever had before or since (and we had some British cars in there!). Spent much of its first year in the dealership as Pontiac and the dealer pointed fingers at each other. Eventually got it back and had it several more years. Unfortunately.
I don’t think the owner was picked as the “winner” at the car show raffle, but rather the “loser”.
Not sure about Phoenix being a nova copy, as that was the realm of the Ventura. Oldsmobile had the Apollo, and I forget what the Buick version was.
Buick’s version was the Apollo. Oldsmobile’s was the Omega.
Pontiac was called at that time the Ventura2/Phoenix, the Oldsmobile was the Omega, and the Buick was called the Apollo. The Chevy Citation took place of the Nova in 1980.
The Buick version was the Skylark. I always thought that was more handsome than the Pontiac and Olds versions, but the Pontiac wasn’t far behind. My folks bought this exact car new in 1980 and loved it so much they bought another in 1982. Both were very reliable cars and I always thought the exterior and especially the interior design of the Phoenix were pretty nice for the time period.