- Oldsmobile Monte Carlo
Just as gas prices started heading down, Chevrolet stuffed an Oldsmobile diesel into the Monte Carlo for the 1982 model year. This was the same unit that debuted in the 1979 model-year GM cars—the 5.7-liter LF9 V8 engine with 120 hp on tap. The LF7 4.3-liter V8 diesel was on the menu as well, producing 90 hp. 1984 would be the last year of the diesels for the Monte Carlo, with their share of the Monte Carlo sales dipping into mere hundreds of units. We can just picture one of these at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale sale in the year 2050, as the last remaining 1984 Monte Carlo diesel is started on the auction block to applause from the crowd.
2. Peugeot 604
Styled by Pininfarina, the Peugeot 604 was the marque’s counterpoint to Citroën’s futuristic CX sedan, and in terms of design and philosophy the two couldn’t be more different. The U.S. version, however, was primarily known for two things: first, for having positively gigantic DOT rubber bumpers (great for sitting on), and second, for making good use of the somewhat-maligned PRV V6 engine. The three dozen prospective stateside buyers also received the option of a turbocharged diesel version, in the form of the 2,304cc Indenor inline-four badged as the 604 GTD.
3. Volkswagen Dasher
The first-generation Volkswagen Passat was sold as the Dasher in the U.S. Neither the gasoline nor the diesel model was particularly dashing but rather soberly designed in that familiar German way. The good news was that the 1.5-liter inline-four appeared on the market in 1979, so at least it wasn’t terribly late to the party. The bad news was that it produced all of 47 hp. That meant a 0-to-60-mph jog of just under 20 seconds. This fact failed to dent Dasher sales, which remained steady during this period.
4. Chevrolet Caprice
It wasn’t just Oldsmobile and Cadillac that got diesel engines in the early 1980s (just as the business case for them was evaporating). GM spread the diesel love around, with woody-sided Chevrolet Caprice Classic wagon receiving the massive 5,737 cc diesel V8 engine for 1980 through 1985. Early units churned out 120 hp, while later versions produced all of 105 hp. Needless to say, this was not an energy-efficient engine by any stretch. Sales by the end of the production run had tapered off for the diesel model, as gas was back in vogue.
5.Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Brougham
The Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Brougham, or “Bro” for short, was one of the first cars to receive the storied Olds diesel. Contrary to gearhead urban legend, the engine was not adapted from a gasoline version even if there are similarities in their construction and specs. Fraught with issues, the 4.3-liter LF7 V8 had trouble with water contamination because not enough thought was given to the fuel delivery system. The engines could also barely cope with the higher pressures inherent in diesel combustion. Head gasket failures at relatively low mileage intervals were common, but the only replacement parts were more of the same thing, so repairs only bought owners some time until a repeat of the same problems.
credits to : https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/classic-cars/g36106078/diesel-cars-time-forgot/