I’ve always wondered about GM’s naming convention, especially in regard to the GMC Sierra and Olds Ciera. They sound similar but have different histories and meanings. This 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera S Coupe can be found here on Facebook Marketplace in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and they’re asking $4,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Lothar… of the Hill People for the tip!
As always, there are 393,927 different answers on the internet about the name Ciera. Some sources say it’s a French name related to women, which would make sense with Oldsmobile’s other French names, like Calais. Other sources say it’s either Irish or Spanish and is related to Ciara in Irish, or the Spanish name for a mountain range, Sierra. GMC’s use of the Sierra name began in 1970 and is supposedly related to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which makes sense. What do you think is the meaning of Ciera? Or is it like modern vehicle names, just made up by marketing departments? And that doesn’t even get into when Olds dropped the Cutlass and just called them the Oldsmobile Ciera.
Whatever the name means, this is one nice-looking car. I do see a few dings here and there, but the seller says this car has never been driven in the winter (!), and it’s a one-owner car. That’s fantastic. It isn’t a low-mileage garage queen with 101,454 miles, but it looks rock solid in the photos. We don’t get to see inside the trunk or underneath, and, sigh, there are no engine photos. A quick clean and detail would have made a world of difference in the presentation of this car.
I’m surprised not to see power windows here; it looks like there is a power antenna, and this was the era when a lot of vehicles started having those features we take for granted today. The interior looks almost like new, and for a car with a hair over 100,000 miles, that’s a good sign in my world. The back seat looks great. Pages 6, 7, and 8 of this 1986 Oldsmobile brochure show the Cutlass Ciera.
Here’s where the engine is hiding, and just one quick pop of that hood (is that a dent from the inside?) would have shown us the engine. It should be a Pontiac-sourced 2.5-liter Iron Duke OHV inline-four with 92 horsepower and 134 lb-ft of torque when new. Power is sent through a THM-125 three-speed automatic to the front wheels, and they say it runs excellently and has a new muffler, tune-up, transmission fluid and filter, and more. Have any of you owned a Cutlass Ciera, or a Ciera, or a Sierra, or been to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, or been to France, Ireland, or Spain, or…
I always thought the Cutlass Ciera 2 door was a handsome design. This one is more of a base model, especially if it has the Iron Duke in it, and manual windows, and plain wheel covers, but still a nice car. And it certainly has stood the test of time very well. Scotty you made me think about that whole Sierra, Ciera thing. I’ve been around GMC Sierra trucks, and these Cutlass Cieras too, and never even gave it a thought. It’s a nice find, and I enjoyed your write up too, as always, thanks Scotty.
Nice lines on this coupe. Iron Duke never a favorite of mine, slow as molasses. Apparently a decent reputation as a pretty tough and reliable mill however.
I like that Silverado in the background. I have a 98 sierra. Good truck.