Produced between the 1982 and 1988 model years, the Cadillac Cimarron was offered as the luxury automaker’s entry-level vehicle, and is often considered an egregious example of badge engineering, sharing quite a few similarities with several other J-platform-based vehicles, including the Chevy Cavalier, Pontiac J2000, Oldsmobile Firenze, and Buick Skyhawk, among others. Despite its less-than-stellar reputation, uncovering a clean, low-mileage example is always interesting. Now, that’s exactly what we get with the following Cimarron from the 1987 model year, currently listed for sale in a new online auction.
Finished in yellow Chamois paint with a Saddle leather interior, this 1987 Cadillac Cimarron looks like to be in pretty good condition, which is somewhat surprising given the age. Nevertheless, with 15,000 miles on the odometer, this thing shows few imperfections. Although the listing states that there is a paint scratch on the trunk lid and the power antenna is stuck in the “up” position, we would certainly expect worse from the nearly 40-year-old J-body.
The exterior shows off a set of optional 14-inch aluminum wheels, as well as a set of fog lights up front. There’s also body-color mirror caps and door handles, plus tasteful orange and black pin striping.
Moving inside, we see a two-spoke, leather-wrapped steering wheel and rounded gauges, the latter of which include an 85-mph speedometer, 7,000-rpm tachometer, fuel gauge, and coolant gauge, plus oil pressure and voltage. A cassette stereo with an equalizer sits in the dash.
Under the hood, this Cimarron is powered by the naturally aspirated 2.8L V6 LB6 gasoline engine, rated from the factory at 129 horsepower. There’s also touring suspension, power steering, power brakes, and a three-speed automatic transaxle.
The original window sticker indicates a total price of $16,911.
Now, this 1987 Cadillac Cimarron is up for grabs at Bring A Trailer, listed at no reserve. The sale includes the original manuals and a clean CarFax report. The auction will end on Tuesday, August 20th. As of this writing (8/14/2024), the current highest bid of five placed thus far is set at $2,456.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more Cadillac Cimarron news, Cadillac news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
Ahh yes. The Cimarron by Cadillac. One of GMs biggest regrets that nearly nuked Cadillac and to this day still feels the fallout from. It took the Escalade to start turning things around for Cadillac (and hopefully the Celestiq and Optiq will further mend the wounds) but the damage done by the Cimarron was so severe that Cadillac product director John Howell kept a picture of a Cimarron on his wall, captioned “Lest we forget”. I don’t think there has been a car so damaging to a brand like the infamous Cimarron. It was nearly as destructive as the Ford Pinto was for Ford. And that car actually killed people.
You’re hysterical. Celestiq is Cimarron 2.0, as far as a flop, and no one wants the rest of the EVs.
Agree about EVs, but at least the Celestiq isn’t a carbon copy of a much lower-end vehicle, like the Chevy Trax. The Cimmaron was a total embarrassment. Literally a barely glorified and differentiated Chevy Cavalier.
Celestiq is a halo car. It is not meant to sell in high volume nor is it meant to dethrone Rolls or Bentley. Its a car intended to elevate Cadillacs image and bring more people to the brand who will buy Lyriqs, Escalades, Vistiqs, and Optiqs.
Nobody expected cars like the Kia K900 (an ultra luxury Kia sedan) to sell in high numbers. It was meant to elevate Kias image so that more people would buy Tellurides, Sportages, Sorentos, and Optimas after showing the world that its not just a brand that makes cheapy econo boxes and they are capable of making more high end models. The Hyundai Genesis did the same for Hyundai and led to the model name being spun off as a luxury brand of its own. Cadillac, needs a halo car more than Kia since the Cimarron wrecked their image.
Absolutely right, Zingo.
As I understand it, GM gave into pressure from the dealers for a small car and hastily created the Cimarron to appease them. Trying to pass off a Cavalier as a Cadillac and pretend it was an answer to the BMW 3-Series was a colossal blunder and Cadillac has never recovered. It wasn’t just the Cimarron though. The also rushed-to-market HT4100 and the overly downsized Deville and Fleetwood, launched in ‘85, and diminutive Eldorado, and Seville that came to market in ‘86 all played a part. Cimarron was the beginning though and for some reason GM has never been able to get their act together again and turn Cadillac around. They’ve spent 40 years claiming to be trying but they never succeed.
In my opinion, the current plan to turn around Cadillac with EVs is also destined to fail. It’s like nobody at GM understands what Cadillac used to be about.
Owners were too embarrassed to be seen driving it. Ah, yes, Malaise Era. Seems like today’s market environment has many similarities.
The automotive equivalent of your Junior high school class picture wearing a leisure suit and braces.
“tasteful orange and black pin striping” – words that have never been uttered before
I’ve always liked the styles of the 1978 well into the 90’s GM products. They looked sharp and cutting edge for the times. I loved the downsizing models, and they had perfect style for the times. Totally disagree with any comments about Cadillac models being inferior, they were top class.
A solid, reliable, fuel efficient, luxury car for a great price on Bring-a-Trailer. If you don’t mind the sales-flop history and the fashion faux-paus, then this would make a great vehicle for someone on a tight budget. The new owner will likely laugh all the way to the bank! I could see a senior picking this up and being very happy.
None of those words are the least bit true.
None.
What a dud! I was looking to buy one once. I ‘m glad the dealer was lowballing my on my trade-in. Needless to say, I didn’t buy.
Celestiq makes the Cimarron look good!
My son saw an uncamouflaged Celestiq on the road near Milford and said it’s even uglier in real life!
Uh-oh, Caddy-oh!
One of the Cadillacs that helped to destroy Cadillac reputation back in the 80’s. This along with the Cadillac Allante that was built in Italy. Cadillac scaled down all their cars in the 80’s and they looked like Chevy and Oldsmobile, but were Cadillac priced. In 1987 I went to buy a Cadillac , but it was $10,000 more than a Chevrolet Caprice Classic Brougham! The Caprice was an amazing car with all the options and an 8 cylinder engine that never squealed like today’s engines. I have never been impressed again with a Cadillac since they downsized Fleetwoods, Eldorado, Seville. I know many do not want to hear from an old timer who remembers when GM was the leader in the industry and gave it all away with one bad CEO after another. Today’s Ceo just wants to push EV’s that only a small portion of buyers want. Good luck with that!
The enormous downsizing in the 80s was due to the fact that GM thought there was another gas crunch coming. It never did, or at least not to the degree that people wanted tiny Cadillacs.
The N body Cutlass Calais and Buick Somerset were supposed to replace the RWD G bodies, but the G bodies kept selling and lasted until ’88.
All in GM always has a spin for bad decisions they made which had nothing to do with gas crisis. They started building ugly Cadillacs and never regained the market because of their own arrogance. I worked for GM over 40 years and they always to this day do what they want and then spin it like they meant well. Today they are shoving EV’s down the dealers throats and they don’t want them. You clearly were around when they jumped off the cliff of no return. You may have even worked for GM at the time? Me I was just the factory worker who they told to check your mind at the door and let us Bankrupt a company that in the late 70’s was the biggest in the world!
Nobody wants the mile long floaty handling road yatchs from your youth. Tastes have improved. Get over it.
The absolute pinnacle of GM apathy and hubris along with amazing disrespect for their customers. The only place these crap-wagons sold was in exclusive Cadillac showrooms. If you also had a Cavalier in the showroom the identical body, dash, engine/transmission, underpinnings would be impossible t ignore. The loaded (V6, CL trim, etc.) Cavalier sedan was in the 12k range, paying 4k more was just absurd. An early 90s Caddy showroom was a sad place to be indeed.
Not helping was GM must have had a czar forcing much too conservative suspension and steering geometries. The downsized Eldorado chassis for the Cimarron might have worked out. J-body wasn’t good enough. Cadillac probably should have demanded the 60 degree V6s be theirs exclusively and promptly pushed up to 3.9. It’s hard thinking to back then to believe the Cavalier deserved more than an L4. GM wasted a lot of effort guessing the market in those earlier years of mpg regulation.
Terry,
I’ve often wondered what the guys working on the line must’ve thought when the new massively downsized FWD cars begin rolling down the line in some of those 80’s factories. I can’t imagine how it would’ve been to build those last beautiful ‘85 Rivieras, Eldorados, Tornado’s, and Sevilles and then see the tiny replacements rolling down the line. Sales tanked by 60 percent from ‘85 to ‘86 after the big E/K body cars were replaced by smaller versions with cheaper interiors and no road presence at all. If I were working the line, I think I would’ve instantly known my job was in jeopardy.
For the record, I do know the scenario described above didn’t actually happen as the last big E/K cars built were manufactured in Linden, New Jersey and the new ones were built in the then brand-new Hamtramck plant. Still, there was a huge difference and to imagine seeing that change as an assembly guy would’ve been shocking. I have to think the guy’s building the cars could see the problem at first glance even if GM management was too arrogant to grasp it.
Rocket,
You seem to know a bit about the fall of General Motors. Yes some of the last beautiful Cadillac’s were built in Linden New Jersey. A Plant GM closed after 75 years in existence. Hamtramck survived and is now Factory Zero, but again building EV’s and the jury is still out whether consumers want them. Back in the 80’s everyone in the bargaining units knew GM was building ugly cars with horrible quality, but just like today GM never listens to the workers! Thanks for the insight Rocket!