last time i may not have worded my question to get the response i was looking for. Im trying to find out if Leather was available as an option or a special order item on a new 1985 Caprice Estate. how could i find this information?
Not sure where to go for this specific information, but here's what I've got... GM option codes: http://www.c2e.info/rpocodes/ Also - In addition to their used car price guides, Kelley Blue Book publishes a "New Car Price Manual". It has various editions that come out during the year showing the invoice and list prices for U.S. sold vehicles, plus option infomation (codes / prices). If this book was available in 1985, it would have the information you are looking for. You could contact Kelley Blue Book and see if they had one of these in 1985. Note: Kelley does not dispense "free" information out of their guides. I know for sure that Edmunds was also publishing this same type of guide in 1985. ................................................................ Oh - Just had another idea - in case you hadn't thought of it - Go to a 'old' Chevy dealer - one that's been around since '85 with the same ownership. They might keep that kind of information - or know where to find it.
I would say no -- take a look at this sales catalog http://oldcarmanualproject.com/brochures/Chev/1985/index.htm Cheers Dyna
I have that same brochure, and it doesnt offer leather. But i know dealerships used to special order certain options. You could buy a Ford LTD with all the Lincoln options if you wanted to. Ive seen an 89 Caprice wagon with leather, i just wonder if i could have gotten it in 85. That way my restoration will be semi correct. id love to have leather, but dont want to mess up the factory look.
If they wanted to, a dealer could get leather put into any car - there were aftermarket upholstery firms back then that sold 'kits' to the dealers. I remember noticing this trend back around 1980 or so when the first small 4-door Accords came out. All you could get at first was just a 'basic' package with cloth upholstery, but then some dealers started doing an aftermarket leather interior. It was so popular that the next year Honda started offering their own 'SE' model with factory leather.
