I think the Ford Escort deserves to be on the list. That car was ubiquitous for a long time, even if it was a bit crappy.
Where is the 6000 SUX?
Thanks to a certain peanut farmer’s legacy, you could get a K-Car in your driveway with 11.9% financing.
"You think you hate it now, wait until you drive it."
My father had a 1963 Ford Falcon that lasted until 1981, just a few months shy of my turning 16:( I did have the chance to drive it off road though.
Saw quite a few Ford Falcons in Australia recently. The name now applies to series of cars - one of which is an El Camino like vehicle.
Where’s the 1964 1/2 Mustang? A major oversight — and it made Lee Iacoca an iconic figure in the American auto industry.
1989 and 1990 Chrysler mini-van with 4-cyl turbo engine.
32 mpg, but outran the V6.
Stealth-marketed.
Only sold 500 I hear.
When I met my wife in 1958 she was driving her Dad's '56 Dodge D500 with a Red Ram hemi engine, the same model that set the 1956 speed record for production cars on the Daytona beach straight track of 130 mph + change. I was driving a '57 Chevy hardtop "convertible" with the new 283 ci V8 that also powered most of the late '50s Corvettes.
I was pretty sure that my Chevy could beat her Dodge on the drag strip, but we never found out one way or the other because she was afraid that if we made a few late night drag runs on the rural road that served as the local after midnight drag racing track her father, who actually owned the car, would find out and take away her driving privileges.
I have been more or less a car "nut" since I learned to drive the family '41 Packard 120 when I was 12, and IMHO the American cars of the mid '50s to mid '60s were the most exciting cars to drive of all time. OTOH, that may be just my memory card malfunctioning again, because most people of my age who I know think the late '60s muscle cars were the most exciting.
I guess it depends on what cars you drove when you were having the most fun, and for me that was the classic '57 Chevy with the the 283 stovebolt V8 and the Power Pack 4-barrel option. Where did all those years between then and now go, and what was I doing when they went by?
Anyone I knew that owned a 1981 Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant series car had a ton of trouble with them. When I have trouble with a brand I'll always switch to another the next time.
I don’t know that the Taurus was “under appreciated”. Didn’t it win “Car of the Year” three years in a row? I had an ‘87. It was a really well built and reliable car. If it hadn’t been totalled it would probably still be running today.
Cool article.
One thing they didn’t mention when discussing the Cherokee is that EPA regs drove the switch from station wagons to SUVs - the SUV only had to meet the lesser truck emission standards.
My true love looked exactly like this:
I used to make fun of Chrysler worshipers. I always said those types marched to a different drummer. However, I have an ‘02 Ram 1500 with 265K miles on it. Original engine.
I plan to get 400 - 500K out of it. When I was a kid, any iron that got over 100K over it was unheard of.
I’d pull the Aries/Relaint and replace it with the Dart/Valiant.
The Rabbit GTI. German engineering combined with legendary UAW craftsmanship turned a decent pocket rocket into a mechanic’s constant companion.
Too bad they didn’t build them in Germany.
cool thread marker bump
The VW Rabbit GTI!!!! I had an 84. The second of my 5 VW’s. It was a hot little car, great acceleration, tight handling, and (with the optional VW front end bra) good looking. Loved it until I had to replace the front tires from hot-rodding it. Pirelli P6 185-60R14’s weren’t cheap.
My other VW’s? 65 Beetle (long gone as is the GTI), 69 Beetle Convertible (current daily driver), 74 Super Beetle (parts car), 08 New Beetle Convertible (wife’s car).