If you were in the 80s or so, these are the cars you most often roll around in your neighbor's driveway or on the street.

When we think of the most popular car, it is usually the fastest or coolest car in the world, such as Lamborghini and Corvette, but it's easy to forget that car enthusiasts are not the only ones buying cars. Ordinary car buyers do not put speed in the first place; what people care about is the balance between practicality and cost as well as speed.

The following are the most popular American cars of the 1980s, calculated by sales. This means that if you were around the 80s, these are the cars you used to roll most often in your neighbor's driveway or on the street.

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The scimitar is named after the most common sword in the era of high seas naval discovery. This appropriate name may become one of Oldsmobile's most popular cars ever, as it crosses the road with a knightly attitude. By 1980, Cutlass had been the best-selling car in the United States for three consecutive years.

Compared with older models, most of Cutlass' success is due to a smaller body and huge weight reduction, coupled with rear-wheel drive and V6 or V8 engines, making it one of the most sporty cars on the market. Due to poor sales, 4-door sedans and diesel cars were discontinued in the 1980 model year, but sedans and station wagons, especially the top model Supreme and smaller Ciera models, continue to be industry leaders.

As expected, Cutlass continued to dominate the market in 1981. Engine selection and power ratings have not changed, but there have been subtle changes in style, including a more aerodynamic appearance, new headlights and a new grille. Most Cutlass models are sold as Cutlass Supreme because this was the most popular model at the time.

Despite the high sales volume, Cutlass' sales crown showed some cracks. More models are discontinued, including options for a four-barrel carburetor, a four-speed manual transmission, and dual exhaust devices.

The decline in Cutlass sales put the new Ford Escort temporarily on the throne of sales champion in the United States. The Ford Escort was introduced in 1980 as Ford's first front-wheel drive car, replacing Pinto. Pinto is known for its poor quality and safety. Ford hopes to solve this problem through Escort, and finally achieved great success. In just two years, it became the highest-selling car in the United States, even though it only offered 1.6-liter I4 and produced only 70 horsepower.

Smaller engines are more efficient and fuel efficiency is greatly improved, which is very attractive to many buyers, who were still scarred by the US oil crisis throughout the 1970s, which led to gas stations and routes around entire city blocks The price is unbelievably high. Escort has a variety of body types to suit everyone, including five-door hatchbacks, station wagons and SS/GT models.

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Cutlass will once again win the U.S. sales champion, beating Ford's upstart. From 1982, Oldsmobile took advantage of the popularity of Cutlass and spun it out as a sub-brand. The marketing department vigorously promoted the popularity of Cutlass to a climax, not only as a car, but also as a brand. The top Supreme continues to use the rear-wheel drive G-body platform, laying the foundation for subsequent performance models.

Due to the long-lasting quality of American main horses, Cutlass Supremes in excellent condition can still obtain competitive prices in today's second-hand market. Unfortunately, the superb nameplate will eventually share the Chevrolet Malibu platform, and sales will decline until the inevitably discontinued production in 1999.

The recently released Chevrolet Cavaliers were launched in 1981 and replaced the aging Monza. Cavalier is Chevrolet's response to small imported cars, such as the then brand-new Toyota Camry. The first generation of knights has a small and efficient 2.0-liter I4, and provides manual and automatic transmissions.

But what really makes Cavalier the best-selling car in the United States is that they have released a more powerful V6 version, and recently implemented throttle body fuel injection, which has greatly improved performance compared with carburetor competitors. Due to its smaller frame and significant weight reduction, even non-V6 engine models feel more flexible. Body styles such as hatchbacks and station wagons still make Cavalier practical enough as a family car.

In the case of Ford Escort breaking the norm, the trend of small cars continued, and Cavalier won the US sales champion. There is almost no difference between the Cavalier models of 1984 and 1985, but a slightly updated style with the introduction of four headlights.

Cavalier proved that the trend of small cars is not unique to the United States. Before the Pontiac brand was introduced to Mexico, the Mexican Knights were identical to the Pontiac Sunbird. The Mexican version of Cavalier’s Sunbird body panels were not available on the US version until many years later.

In the complete market turmoil, Chevrolet Celebrity became the highest-selling car in the United States in 1986. Celebrity is an interesting story because it was a single-generation model sold between 1982 and 1990, making it a relatively short-lived car. Celebrity was originally designed for Oldsmobile for 88, replacing the aging Malibu.

Celebrity is popular with many car buyers because of its spacious interior, generous standard features, and powerful fuel-injected V6 and fuel-diesel engines. Most celebrities are shared with the more advanced Buick Century, which will only increase its credibility.

Related: These are the 10 worst cars of the 80s you can own

Ford Escort returned triumphantly and returned to the top sales position. The huge sales volume may be due to the significant update of Escort. The styling was changed to include less chrome plating and new headlights/tail lights. With the replacement of the 1.6-liter I4 by a higher-displacement 1.9-liter engine, and the introduction of the turbocharged I4, the performance has been greatly improved, with an increase of nearly 40 horsepower over the previous engine.

Power is not the only change in the engine. The newer 1.9-liter engine has improved intake manifolds, cylinder heads and headers to provide greater power and responsive driving. The most popular version is still the practical hatchback and station wagon body style, indicating that the family uses a lot, and the extra power is just the cherry on the top.

For the 1988 model, Escort carried out a gentle style update, flattened the body line, and created a more fashionable silhouette that is more in line with the design language of the 1990s. The new plastic bumpers replace metal bumpers in terms of cost and weight, and use larger windows to gain greater visibility.

In general, the 1998 Escort benefited from some minor upgrades and brought a more refined experience. Unfortunately, this year will be the last year for Escort to win the US sales championship. Although not the most popular, Escort will continue to be a popular choice until 2003.

It is only a matter of time before the Honda Accord appears on this list. The 1989 Accord was a completely redesigned car with a CB chassis. The overall size is much larger than the previous model, but it increases passenger comfort. Honda ensures that the engineering technology is sufficient to surpass all competitors. All Accords in North America are equipped with a 2.2-liter aluminum 16-valve electronic fuel injection engine, which provides more power than other cars in the same class. The automatic transmission has also been upgraded to reduce the noise and vibration of the entire car.

In addition, Accord has more standard features than its competitors. A manual gearbox with hydraulic clutch is standard, depending on the air conditioning, power windows/lock/rearview mirror, high-power four-speaker system, sunroof and alloy wheels that the buyer will get. Some models can even order ABS, which was extremely rare at the time.

The emergence of the Honda Accord is a prelude to the dominance of the American auto market by Japanese imports. Ford Taurus will be the best-selling car in the United States for five consecutive years, but beyond that, Honda Accord and Toyota Camry will dominate the U.S. market for decades.

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Alexander was a former writer and later became a content writer and editor. He has written everything from political columns to restaurant and technical reviews, but has always been passionate about the automotive industry. With special knack for consumer advice, he delves into the specific details, sometimes even literally, of any car on the road, from supercars to valuable mass-market everyday drivers.