Who doesn’t love free stuff?
When you can’t sell technology, performance, or luxury, it’s time for the value play. And in 1979, Oldsmobile’s Starfire was becoming pretty crusty—and a little hard to sell. One of General Motors’ four “H-Body” subcompact cars, the Starfire differed little from the Chevrolet Monza, Buick Skyhawk, and Pontiac Sunbird with which it shared its basic architecture. The quartet of subcompacts were introduced for the 1976, but had roots that went as far back as the 1970 Chevrolet Vega.
1979 Oldsmobile Starfire
Ford Mustang
And all four H-Body cars were starting to look their age by 1979, especially since the Pinto-based Ford Mustang II had given way to a shockingly modern-looking new Mustang for 1979.
The ad seen here boasts of a number of key features which might pique the interest of sporty-car intenders, and since they’re all included at no price, some shoppers likely saw the value.
Aging Product
Truth is, though, the Starfire, and all the H-Body cars, were nothing special to drive, and pretty cramped, too. Note that the available 5.0-liter V8 and 4-speed manual transmission were something of a draw, but the best that the extra-cost engine could muster was 130 horsepower—just 15 horses more than the available 3.8-liter V6.
Sales
Only about 20,000 Starfires were sold for 1979, and just 8200 for 1980.
J-Cars
Oldsmobile didn’t offer a subcompact car for 1981, but roared back into the segment in 1982 with the all-new, and thoroughly modern, Firenza, one of GM’s new “J-Cars.”
Olds pushed 32,000 Firenzas though dealership doors in 1981, and it did so without covering the car with multicolored body stripes. Also seen below, an ad for the similar Pontiac Sunbird, featuring a very similar value pitch.
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1979 Oldsmobile Starfire Pictures
Click below for enlarged images
