Posted on 04/24/2011 3:43:16 PM PDT by Nachum
When it comes to quality, efficiency, reliability, safety and overall value, these vehicles bring up the rear.
By all accounts, Detroit's Big Three automakers have begun producing better-made, longer lasting, more efficient vehicles. It's a distinct change from the 1990s and early 2000s, when they fell behind their European and Asian counterparts in each category.
"This change is not even a gradual thing," says Christine Overstreet, an automotive consultant and director of Heels and Wheels. "It's like they've said, 'OK, we really want to step it up, we really want to compete, we're ready.' After past years of being so bad, they've really stepped up their game."
(Excerpt) Read more at autos.yahoo.com ...
True, i bought a little old used datsun truck when fuel got high in the 70’s, loved that thing. The little woman did not want to ride in it but hell you cannot have everything. She always said we are taking the dodge, she had a dart swinger.
I had a pinto as well but it held up better than my other POS.
Orgy is mostly a race baiter. Hi Orgy! Are you gonna ask Ron if he shaves his head?
My ‘82 Datsun was a work-horse for its size.
I laugh at the Pinto jokes but, admittedly, owned one when I was 19 and just started working and my then-girlfriend got her brother to sell his to me cheap. I remember being under the car and had to replace the clutch - the car was like a toy - I put the transmission housing on my chest while I looked at the clutch plate.
Yes, the good ol’ days.
All cars with Obozo bumper stickers on them.
This car looks like it’s constipated
Dad had a new red ‘66 Dodge Charger with two thermoquads. Said you could watch the spedo go to the right and watch the gas needle bury to the left at the same time. He said it was fun though.
We had a 73 pinto and it was fun. Put a few clutches in it over the years along with a couple motors. Ran real good for a four-banger.
Every Chrysler product I ever owned experienced electrical problems from headlamps opening, and closing due some short in the wiring (Imperial) to little chips in the sides of the dual point distributors blowing out, and shorting (Old Imperial), to the last Chrysler product in which the engine would just quit, and about the time I was rolling to a stop on the side of the freeway, would come back on again all on its own (Plymouth).
When the people at Chrysler told me I was nuts, that what was happening to me, and my wife was NOT happening to us, I got rid of Chrysler forever.
All cars are now worst cars on the road. I have a beautiful 11 year old car, great engine, no rust, but, it needs a new electronic part that costs too much to replace.
Planned obselescnce in the 50-70s was about structure, now it is about required electronic periphirals.
I dated a guy with one of those.
Whenever I see someone in one of those Smart Cars they usually have a smug look on their face like they are above us all because of their effort to save the planet. I do all I can to get their attention and laugh at them as I point at their car.
druel
I drove a 1974 Ford Pinto station wagon with the 2300 CC I-4 through my college years. I purchased it with 65,000 miles on it for $300. As it turns out, it was the best $300 car I ever bought.
By the time the engine finally gave up the ghost, I had just over 300,000 miles on it and the body was still in excellent shape. I changed my own oil and learned to do all my own maintenance on that car. The engine was about as basic and simple as one could get. Everything was easily reachable and swappable.
During the time I owned it I replaced the water pump twice, went through three alternators, one radiator, one power steering pump, a carbeurator, shocks, more sets of brakes than I could recount and a fuel pump. I was able to easily learn how to replace each of these parts AND set the timing for the serpentine belt (went through a couple of those too...) I also did my own tune-ups which took a whopping 20 minutes to do on that car.
Fuel economy wasn't bad on that car either, I averaged around 25mpg which for a 74 Pinto Wagon wasn't bad at all.
The engine finally gave up the ghost on a bitter cold winter day with temp's in the -20's and the wind chill sub -40 and lower. I managed to get it to start, but the oil was frozen in the oilpan. It never made it into the engine and it ended up seizing up about a mile from home. That was one cold walk back.
Say what you want about those cars, they were good basic transportation which suited me well for the time I needed it. The added bonus was being able to learn how to do my own repairs to keep the costs down, which for a college student was very important at that time!
As for the "blowing up" when they got rear-ended, that problem was limited to the Glass Hatchback versions. The metal hatchbacks and wagons didn't have that problem.
It is sad that todays 16 year olds cannot even know what once was. We had muscle cars all over the place. (That pic was just a google cap)
5 boys and 2 girls (the first girl got a ‘69 bird) Oh My!
My brother had a 71 Vega. We had to safety wire all the bolts on the engine as they had a bad habit of vibrating loose. What a piece of junk. He also had a 57 chevy with a 302, put out about 450 horses, turned low 13’s. Great for taking my girlfriend to the submarine races.
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