The Chevrolet Caprice Classic Brougham LS Sedan was stylish yet pricey.

While the Chevrolet Caprice style endured in 1988 and 1989, Chevy's full-size coupe, which had been dumped after '82 and brought back for '84, was dumped again for '88 -- this time, for good.

Although Caprice sales as a whole had remained fairly steady during that period, the coupe was garnering fewer and fewer orders, and after building only 3,110 two-doors in '87, the body style was considered obsolete.

The demise of the coupe left a sedan, offered in Caprice, Caprice Classic, Caprice Classic Brougham, and Caprice Classic Brougham LS trim levels; and a wagon, offered in a single Caprice Classic version. A base sedan now tipped the price scale at over $12,000, and a loaded Brougham LS could top $18,000, yet they were still considered reasonably priced for the size and luxury they offered.

Base engine on all sedans was again a 140-horsepower 4.3-liter V-6 with throttle-body fuel injection, while the wagon got a carbureted 140-horsepower 5.0-liter V-8 built by Oldsmobile. Optional on sedans was a 170-horsepower carbureted 5.0-liter Chevy V-8. All came only with a four-speed automatic transmission.

Little changed in the Caprice line for 1989, but as a sure sign that fuel economy was no longer a major concern, a six-cylinder engine wasn't offered in the full-size Chevy for the first time since 1976.

And in a belated concession to 1980's technology, the 5.0-liter Chevy-built V-8 that was now standard in Caprice sedans wore throttle-body fuel injection rather than a carburetor, though rated power stayed the same at 170 horsepower. A holdout in this regard was the wagon, which still carried an Olds-built 5.0-liter V-8 with a four-barrel carburetor.

Air conditioning was now standard equipment on all Caprices, as were rear shoulder belts. Despite a hefty price increase, sales didn't seem to suffer; in fact, they actually went up some, to just over 197,000.

The only Caprice wagon offered for 1989 was this Chevrolet Caprice Estate.

1988 and 1989 Chevrolet Caprice Facts

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