The Year Is: 1997

The year is 1997. It's the end of winter and with that, the end of snow. Since your current vehicle seems to only do well there and no where else...

...You decide an American, sporty two door car would be a great way to get around until the snow flies again. The only questions is, which one?

Left over 1996 Dodge Stealth

1997 Buick Riviera

1997 Buick Skylark Gran Sport

1997 Cadillac Eldorado ESC

1997 Chevrolet Camaro 30th Anniversary Edition

1997 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24

1997 Chevrolet Corvette

1997 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Z34

1997 Chrysler Sebring Coupe/Convertible

1997 Dodge Avenger

1997 Dodge Neon ACR

1997 Dodge Viper

1997 Ford Mustang

1997 Ford Probe

1997 Ford Thunderbird

1997 Lincoln Mark VIII

1997 Mercury Cougar XR7

1997 Oldsmobile Achieva SC

1997 Plymouth Neon ACR

1997 Plymouth Prowler

1997 Pontiac Firehawk

1997 Pontiac Grand Am GT

1997 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Supercharged

1997 Pontiac Sunfire GT

I don't want a Firehawk! I want a base model!

All right! All right! Here's a 3800 powered one for you then.

Sheesh...

Hate to say this, but the answer for me is obvious. You guys know of my affinity for smaller roadsterish vehicles. I think a Viper would be a bit much, and I like the prowler so....yeah...the Prowler.

Just wish that they had built it with a manual. Second choice would be a Mustang in the Cobra level o trim, third choice....would be the Viper, fourth choice would be the Firebird....

Okay, now I want to know the context where that quote came from!

This is an easy one for me, there is no contest.

Firehawk.

Not just any Firehawk either, but an LT4 Firehawk.

Extremely rare and collectible right out of the box, and commanding quite the premium today.

No question, the Riv (has to be supercharged though). Those things were marvelous cruisers. They rode like a Buick, and I mean that in a most positive sense.

Interesting...1997 was the year I left grad school for the corporate life. Had my '87 Mustang GT and my '88 Bronco II. Moved from Michigan to Colorado. 26 years old and 60 pounds lighter... I did end up buying a 2dr sports coupe a year later.

In 1997 I was seriously drooling over the brand new '97 Pontiac Grand Prix's... I wanted a GTP Sedan in white with the white rims. On the other hand, my dream car that year was a brand new '97 Pontiac Trans Am Raim Air (W6S) Coupe

This is a funny thread, I could almost tell you how everyone here was gonna vote.

I mean, Camino ain't gonna pick the Probe now, is he?

I would probably go with the Riv

What strikes me the most about this list is how many more 2drs there were available 15 years ago, and how many were in the now-defunct 'personal luxury' genre. The Eldo and Riv were particularly good looking cars, IMO.

What strikes me the most about this list is how many more 2drs there were available 15 years ago, and how many were in the now-defunct 'personal luxury' genre. The Eldo and Riv were particularly good looking cars, IMO.

Yeah... right now, domestic two doors are something like Challenger, Camaro, Mustang, Corvette, Viper, and that's about it.

Probably why I am looking at imported two doors.

Riv was a fantastic looking car, I miss having a real Riviera in the Buick lineup.

I like that red Pontiac with the yellow decals.

I like that red Pontiac with the yellow decals.

This is a funny thread, I could almost tell you how everyone here was gonna vote.

I mean, Camino ain't gonna pick the Probe now, is he?

No, no he isn't.

No SC2?

Is this a "which one would you like to have", or a "which one would you spend your hard earned money on" question?

I second the Saturn SC2. If this was open to imports, I would've voted for a Prelude.

Eldorado ETC black on black with gold package.

I'd have to go with the '97 Z24. I had recieved that car as a graduation present from my (bless her soul) grandmother. It was an excellent little runner that I took immaculate care of while putting >60k miles on it in the three years that I owned it. I traded it in on a 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT that has less than 4k on it now, it's in storage and will be for some time since I needed to upsize due to wife and baby.