{"id":49474,"date":"2021-08-10T17:39:16","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T21:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/motor-junkie.com\/?p=49474"},"modified":"2022-08-04T02:56:03","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T06:56:03","slug":"the-best-selling-car-from-the-year-you-graduated-high-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.motor-junkie.com\/the-best-selling-car-from-the-year-you-graduated-high-school\/49474\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best-Selling Car From The Year You Graduated High School"},"content":{"rendered":"
It’s no secret that automotive fans are a nostalgic bunch. Of course, remembering simpler times in high school and your first car are some of car fans’ most treasured memories. Do you ever wonder what car was the best-selling car was when you graduated high school? <\/span><\/p>\n Common cars that come to mind are the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, but they weren’t always at the top of the food chain. Hold on tight and take a look back at the best-selling cars from the year that you graduated high school via Car and Driver.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Oldsmobile was at one time one of the most popular automotive brands in the world, but that crown was slowly taken by Japanese brands. However, back in its prime the Cutlass was a family car and one that sold well. For a long time, the Oldsmobile Cutlass was as popular as the Toyota Camry is with consumers today.<\/span><\/p>\n The 1980 model was a mid-sized personal luxury coupe and one that sold quite well. The interesting thing about the car was the fact that it was decent on gas mileage and comfortable on the inside. With a modest 469,573 units sold, it was the best-selling car of 1980 and there were definitely consumers who enjoyed this car quite a lot.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Two years in a row the Cutlass was the best-selling car in the U.S. and with good reason, as 1981 was another checker year for the personal luxury coupe. The car had a lot of unique features to it and its V8 engine was one of the smoothest in the industry. Consumers were fairly taken aback by the styling of the Brougham model, which was one of the most luxurious cars on the road at the time.<\/span><\/p>\n V8 personal luxury coupes were definitely some of the most popular cars<\/a> for a long period of time. Almost as popular as the crossover movement is today<\/a>, but back in the booming 1980s people wanted style and to be noticed in their rides. The 1981 Cutlass continued to flourish in the personal luxury coupe market.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Things were going well for GM in the early 1980s, but Ford had a surprise hit with the 1982 Ford Escort. The compact car<\/a> just did everything right, and it offered the right features for the price. Early Escort models were fairly reliable and seemingly roomy if you got the wagon, which consumers appreciated.<\/span><\/p>\n Ford offered quite a few trim packages on the Escort and the price wouldn’t go too high. There was also a Mercury-branded version of the Escort that was known as the Lynx. For the most part, the Escort will go down as a fairly well-appointed car that offered the right blend of features<\/a> for the price.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Although the Ford Escort beat it in sales numbers the year prior, consumers were still interested in more from Oldsmobile. The release of the Cutlass Ciera bolstered the sales numbers to a record high and the car was the best-selling vehicle of 1983. The classic-style Cutlass was also still amazingly popular with consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n Personal luxury coupes were still very much in style and GM was making a killing by offering these. Across the pond at Ford the company wasn’t having the same type of luck with the Thunderbird, but when it came to the Cutlass, consumers loved it. The Cutlass Supreme isn’t a muscle car but it could hang with the best of them from this time period.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When 1984 rolled around, GM had a hit on their hands once again. This time it was the compact Chevy Cavalier. The car offered a great deal value for the price and was decent on gas. The Cavalier also had quite a few different body styles to choose from including a convertible model and a wagon.<\/span><\/p>\n Due to the versatility of the product line, the Cavalier was a hit with consumers. Ford would eventually counter with a revised version of the Escort, but the Cavalier maintained a staple of the GM portfolio for decades. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For the second year in a row, GM hit it out of the park with the Cavalier. The 1985 model year introduced some changes to the car, including the introduction of the Z24 model. The Cavalier was not your average compact car and that’s what Chevy was aiming for as Japanese competition gained traction.<\/span><\/p>\n There were a lot of great cars in 1985, but there was no doubt you’d see a lot of Cavaliers on the road. Thanks to an innovative design and a wide range of models to choose from, the Cavalier was able to maintain its dominance a second year in the row.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n To the surprise of the executives at GM, the Cavalier was outpaced in 1986 by its own stablemate, the Celebrity. The 1986 Chevy Celebrity had a few unique features to it, and the larger-than-a-compact feeling was a hit with consumers. The performance of the Celebrity wasn’t anything to sneeze at either, which is partly why the sales were so good.<\/span><\/p>\n Like the Cavalier, there were quite a few body types to choose from with the Celebrity. The wagon model was exceptionally well-designed, with a roomy interior and enough standard features to make it stand out. GM had a few successes with compact cars and the Celebrity is one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There were a lot of changes for the Escort when 1987 rolled around. The Mercury-badged Lynx was phased out for 1987 and replaced with the Tracer. The Escort GT was a fun sports version of the standard Escort and the Wagon was still a great seller with families. Overall, the Ford Escort was doing quite well in a crowded automotive market.<\/span><\/p>\n The Escort was also affordable, often credited as being one of the most cost-effective cars of this era. Its reliability and durability made it a great daily commuter for people who needed solid transportation without breaking the budget.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There’s no denying that Ford was on a roll with the Escort and the 1988 model year was proof of that. Not only was it the best-selling car in America once again, but it also introduced a refined interior and exterior. Mid-cycle refreshes are always important when it comes to the automotive industry and the ’88 Escort was better than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n The “pony” trim was also the cheapest car in America with a sticker price of $6632. Most used cars nowadays will set you back twice that amount, which just goes to show how far the price of cars have come. No matter what trim you got the original Escort in, the car had a unique<\/a> personality.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1989 was the final year of the third-generation Accord and it was also the best-selling. The Accord had come a long way from being a lowly economy car<\/a>. Available in three trim models, the coupe, sedan, and hatchback Accord were resonating with consumers. There were also a lot of year-end sales going on with this model, which helped sales as well.<\/span><\/p>\n Honda would continue this streakm and as the years went on, the Accord became more of a hit. The 1989 model year for the Accord will undoubtedly go down as one of the best for the brand. This was also one of the most reliable Accord models as you still see them on the roads today.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the 1990 Honda Accord rolled out, it had a full redesign for the brand. The new car was more modern and refined than ever before, and the engine was also better. With all these changes, the Accord was also propelled to being the best-selling car in America for the second year in a row.<\/span><\/p>\n With a whopping 417,179 units sold, the car was better than ever, offering a steady blend of style and performance. Honda came a long way with the 1990 Accord and it was only the tip of the iceberg for the brand. This was the start of a long successful run for the Honda Accord as a mainstream family car contender.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1991 was another checker year for Honda as the Accord was once again the best-selling passenger car in the United States<\/a>. The car did amazingly well in terms of sales volume and attracting new buyers to the brand. Honda was already a well-known entity in the automotive world<\/a> and the Accord added a number of new features to it.<\/span><\/p>\n Automatic seatbelts were standard and there was also the addition of the wagon model, which offered more interior space. Another unique feature for the Accord from this year were rounded headlights and tailights.<\/span> This generation of the Honda Accord is often credited as one of the most popular and you can still find these on the road today.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Surprisingly, Ford was back on top of things for the 1992 model year. The 1992 Taurus was a redesigned model that offered a great amount of style and substance for the price. The SHO was also gaining traction as a sport sedan<\/a> alternative that surprised consumers with excellent performance.<\/span><\/p>\n Aside from the special-edition Taurus models, there was also a wagon model that was a great seller with families. Ford did everything right with this generation of the Taurus, and it’s sad that the model lost its way in its later years. The Ford Taurus was a constant in the Ford lineup and the automotive industry for quite some time.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Things kept going great for Ford in 1993 as the Taurus maintained its dominance at the top of the market. A passenger airbag was added for 1993 which added to the already impressive list of safety features that the car came with. The audio system in the Taurus was also one of the best of any family sedan around this time.<\/span><\/p>\n Ford wanted to keep buyers comfortable and attracted to the Taurus nameplate, so its new luxury features were a nice touch. The SHO also continued to be a hot seller, offering the right blend of performance and handling for the price. This was definately a defining decade for the Taurus and the popularity of the brand.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n By 1994, success continued for the Taurus lineup but the car was quickly becoming aged. A new Honda Accord was on the market yet the Taurus still managed to maintain its spot as the top-selling passenger car. The SHO was still available and the new AX4N transaxle was standard in all models with the 3.0L.<\/span><\/p>\n Ford would continue to do subtle tweaks to this generation of the Taurus until the model was redesigned in 1996. As far as comfort and value go, this is by far one of the most popular generations of the Taurus with consumers. 1994 was another important year for the Taurus and the brand as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For 1995 the Ford Taurus was once again the best-selling passenger car in America. One reason for this sales success was the fact that 1995 was the last year of this body style. The Taurus would get a full redesign for the next year. Perhaps one of the most unique things about the 1995 Taurus was that it still offered a manual transmission<\/a> as an option.<\/span><\/p>\n Aside from that, the 1995 model year remained largely unchanged but the SHO model was prominently featured as Tim Allen’s ride in the Disney movie “The Santa Clause.” Just goes to show that even a Hollywood man can appreciate the stellar SHO model. This would be the final year of the popular SHO until it was released in the next generation of Taurus cars.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In what was perhaps one of the most radical redesigns in history, the 1996 Ford Taurus made a big splash. The oval styling was universally panned by critics in the automotive press, but consumers seemed to take to the new Taurus well. As with most of the new cars that came out in 1996 automakers were continuing to move away from the boxy designs of the 1980s.<\/span><\/p>\n The 1996 Taurus model was available in a wagon and a sedan, and the wagon was vastly improved over the previous model. Sadly, the manual transmission was gone and the Taurus wouldn’t get another manual option in the future. Few car releases have been as critically panned and documented as the 1996 Ford Taurus was.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 1997 Toyota Camry was more comfortable than ever, offering a newly designed exterior and plenty of options. Gone was the 2-door from the lineup, which would eventually become the Camry Solara. The wagon model was also gone and the Camry was firmly planted as America’s top new choice for a family sedan.<\/span><\/p>\n From a design standpoint, the reliability of this generation of the Camry cannot be denied. The car did far better than you’d expect considering the stiff competition that was available this year. The 1997 Camry was also one of the most reliable models on the road as you still see them today.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When 1998 rolled around, the Toyota Camry was largely unchanged, but it offered a decent amount of value for the price. There were still two transmission options available and the spacious interior was a hit with consumers. Few cars have been able to rival the success of this Camry generation and there is good reason for that.<\/span><\/p>\n If you were lucky enough to get the LE, then you had an abundance of luxury options to choose from. Leather seating, wood trim, and even a sedate exterior made this generation of the Camry one of the most popular family sedans of all time.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Toyota Camry retained its crown as the top-selling passenger car for 1999. The 3.0L V6 was still the most highly sought-after engine in the lineup, although the four-cylinder offered a reasonable amount of power and reliability for the price. 1999 brought a lot of new changes in paint color and trim choices, but the car was largely unchanged from the previous edition.<\/span><\/p>\n Toyota would inject new advertising campaigns into the brand and try to pivot consumer interest toward the value-oriented models. Whichever model you went for, the Camry was among the best deals in the passenger car market. A big change for this year was the arrival of the Solara convertible model.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For the year 2000, the Toyota Camry was once again the best-selling passenger car in the country. Toyota did an exterior refresh on the car that included new headlights and taillights as well as a more rounded front fascia. From a performance standpoint, the Camry wasn’t going to win any races but the sturdy build quality was an important aspect.<\/span><\/p>\n Toyota has done a great job of not making the redesigns of the Camry too radical, and the 2000 model is an example of that. The new exterior design of the car<\/a> looked a lot better and still kept to the traditional styling that has made the Camry such a popular choice over the past few years.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Honda Accord had spent quite a few years as the runner-up to the Camry, but in 2001 the tides had turned. 2001 was a great year for Honda and there were a lot of memorable models including the Integra Type R. The 2001 Honda Accord was a comfortable and modern family car that offered all of the safety and security that you’d expect out of Honda.<\/span><\/p>\n30. 1980: Oldsmobile Cutlass – 469,573 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
29. 1981: Oldsmobile Cutlass – 454,188 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
28. 1982: Ford Escort – 337,667 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
27. 1983: Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme – 331,179 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
26. 1984: Chevrolet Cavalier – 383,752 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
25. 1985: Chevrolet Cavalier – 422,927 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
24. 1986: Chevrolet Celebrity – 408,946 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
23. 1987: Ford Escort – 392,360 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
22. 1988: Ford Escort – 381,330 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
21. 1989: Honda Accord – 362,707 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
20. 1990: Honda Accord – 417,179 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
19. 1991: Honda Accord – 399,297 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
18. 1992: Ford Taurus – 409,751 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
17. 1993: Ford Taurus – 360,448 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
16. 1994: Ford Taurus – 397,037 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
15. 1995: Ford Taurus – 366,266 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
14. 1996: Ford Taurus – 401,049 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
13. 1997: Toyota Camry – 397,156 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
12. 1998: Toyota Camry – 429,575 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
11. 1999: Toyota Camry – 448,162 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n
10. 2000: Toyota Camry – 422,961 units sol<\/span>d<\/span><\/h2>\n
9. 2001: Honda Accord – 414,718 units sold<\/span><\/h2>\n