1980s American Cars, Guns, Gadgets and Consumer Goods [Atmosphere, look, minutiae]

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Icelander

2) {Jeep Grand Cherokee} Debuts in 1993, unless Wikipedia is wrong.

The Jeep Grand Wagoneer was apparently the gold standard of the SUV market in the 80s.

You're correct. Jeep Cherokees were around, but I incorrectly thought "Grand" was just the marketing name for their luxury trim line, instead of it being a different vehicle. At the time, "Wagoneer" did indeed fill that slot.

to make the Range Rover a 'cooler' car for young men.

I was thinking largely in terms of price and import / rarity status symbol value.

Pickup trucks can also be cool for young men, like that Toyota SR5 that was Marty McFly's dream car, especially in rural areas.

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

think Walker and Beam are a bit down-market

Depends on the exact variety, doesn't it? JW Blue is far too expensive to be downmarket, even if it's terrible.

Originally Posted by sjard

Yes, {Crown Royal} were quite popular for their dice bags even in the early 80s.

I'm still using mine from that period. Never tasted Crown Royal, but the bag -- now there was a valuable product. These days, you can order them online, minus the liquor, and with custom embroidery.