There is a rarity for sale on Facebook Marketplace. It’s a triple threat of a car that not only is cheap, but also controversial and pretty clean. The car in question: A one-owner 1983 Cadillac Cimarron with just 38,000 miles on it that’s listed for just $3,000.
If you’re a car enthusiast, you likely know the story of the Cimarron all too well. If you aren’t, here’s a brief history. By the early 1980s, Cadillac wanted a car in the lineup that was smaller than the Seville to meet the demands of a buying public that wanted compact vehicles. Rather than properly invest in a ground-up design for the brand, Cadillac went and developed its own version of GM’s J-body, which consisted of the Chevy Cavalier, Buick Skyhawk, Pontiac J2000, and Oldsmobile Firenza. That’s not exactly a lineup of cars you want to develop a small luxury sedan from, and it’s said that General Motors president Pete Estes warned Cadillac’s general manager at the time against making a J-body into a Cadillac.
Despite that, the Cimarron was born. Aside from a different grille, a few plastic panels and new tail lights, the Cimarron was identical to the other J-body cars. And it was not well received. Somehow, though, it managed to stay on sale for six years before it was axed in 1988. The Cimarron has been called one of the worst cars of all time, and it’s one of the reasons Cadillac lost market share going into the 1990s, something the brand would ultimately come to regret.
Despite that rather dark history, this Cimarron is pretty clean, and the seller says that it’s a one owner car. Whoever owned it must’ve not liked driving (or maybe not liked the car) because it’s pretty remarkable for any 40-year-old car to have just 38,000 miles on it.
The interior looks to be in pretty great condition as well – the leather(?) on the seats doesn’t even look that worn. Don’t think about getting anywhere fast, though. While the Cimarron debuted with a 1.6-liter inline-4 making all of 88 horsepower for 1982, that decklid badge on the trunk says this one is powered by a 2.0-liter engine. Despite being bigger than the previous year’s engine, its tuning meant the 2.0-liter motor lost two horses for a whopping 86 HP.
If any of this appeals to you, the Cimarron is still listed as of this writing, though it’s been updated to say that a sale is pending. Apparently someone bit.
