What Car would you purchase in the 1970's ...

[jambo101]

Most of us back in the oil crises just kept driving our Chevy,Ford and Chrysler V8's as the crises wasnt about gas prices it was about gas availability,the whole thing only lasted a month then we were life as usual 50 cent a gallon gas.I remember buying an AMC-AMX with a 390ci http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclec...-amx-1968c.jpg

[nemelek]

A Toyata Hilux Pickup Truck. I have always owned a truck.

[Altitude]

VW Beetle

[gid]

Originally Posted by TheSilkySmooth

... If there was a gas crisis and you had to get an economy car?

I will put in 1 vote on a Ford Fiesta

good choice . If I remember right some of them had V.W. engine . We had a '90 FESTIVA with 3 speed auto and a '93 with a 5 speed manual . These were actually a MAZDA 121 ( 1.3 ltr. engine ) produced in MEXICO . Great little cars , the 1.3 ltr. can take serious punsihment . Seen it in person , felt pity for that '88 FESTIVA , still managed to make it to 150,000 + miles , amazing . to the 1.3 .

[SilverBack]

'73-'74 BMW 2002


And maybe also one of these : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w4ir8mcM-8

[tuckevalastin]

There are some people here who would have gone bankrupt during the fuel crisis with their picks

[gid]

due to '79 > '80 winter had to get a loan to pay the oil bill , took quite a while to pay it off . Drove an automatic DODGE Dart with slant 6 at that time . Did quite well in the snow for a rear wheel drive . Fun car to drive . Wasn't very good about maintaining a car or practiced good driving habits in those days . Life is a learning process .

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by gid

due to '79 > '80 winter had to get a loan to pay the oil bill , took quite a while to pay it off . Drove an automatic DODGE Dart with slant 6 at that time . Did quite well in the snow for a rear wheel drive . Fun car to drive . Wasn't very good about maintaining a car or practiced good driving habits in those days . Life is a learning process .

Had a friend with a Swinger that had a Slant Six. One day he was clocked by the State Police doing 109 miles an hour. Got pulled over and asked, "Hey bud, where's the fire?".

The car had this "puke green" paintjob that looked like a cross between a lemon and a lime. Almost florescent green.

Loved the starters on those things... made a distinctive stuttering squealing noise that you don't hear too often today.

Gene

[detroiter]

I'd buy a Mazda Rx3 with the rotary engine. A gas guzzling fun machine. I'd romp the gas and redline it every chance I got just to make all the gas misers angry, muahahahaha!!

[Phaeton]

My first vehicle was a 1978 chevy stepside pickup with a shortbed.
It had a 383 stroker motor with a posi rearend. My parents hated it.
I wish I still had that truck it was the most dangerous thing I've ever owned lol.

[pinoypizzaboy]

70's era mitsubishi lancer with a toyota engine lol

[GeneW]

1975 Chevy Nova. Straight six, THD 350. You could get decent mileage and the car was almost bulletproof. Properly tuned they ran great. Remove some of the Emissions Control crapola and they ran even better - yeah it was illegal, so were other things.

I owned one in the 1980s and early 1990s. With a working catalytic perverter. Wish that I still had it for Megasquirt purposes.

Been great with that straight six, a THD 200R4 and some other goodies.

Gene

[kargoboy]

Originally Posted by GeneW

1975 Chevy Nova. Straight six, THD 350. You could get decent mileage and the car was almost bulletproof. Properly tuned they ran great. Remove some of the Emissions Control crapola and they ran even better - yeah it was illegal, so were other things.

I owned one in the 1980s and early 1990s. With a working catalytic perverter. Wish that I still had it for Megasquirt purposes.

Been great with that straight six, a THD 200R4 and some other goodies.

Gene

One of the first cars I owned was a '74 Nova with the straight six. Emissions-era
slow, but you could not kill that engine. It would have survived a nuclear blast.

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by kargoboy

One of the first cars I owned was a '74 Nova with the straight six. Emissions-era
slow, but you could not kill that engine. It would have survived a nuclear blast.

I only ever saw one Chevy straight six die - piston through the side of the block. The dumbass would not routinely change the oil and let it slide for a year. "bang!".

I heard all sorts of stories about that motor being used in trucks, trucks to haul lumber especially. You are correct that they were very rugged motors. The loggers out in the woods used to put tons of logs on their stake beds and go up and down mountains around here without any complaint from the motor.

I hated the 1974 series - for a time they were equipped with a "safety" interlock that prevented the engine from starting unless you put on a seat belt. Practically everyone I heard from about that interlock claimed that they would re-wire it to disable it. GM did not put such an interlock on the 1975 models. My 75 Nova had a bitch buzzer, just like my 2008 Yaris.

The 74s were also detuned and monkeyed with to the point that you could not get them to do much of anything. They drank fuel too. Fortunately emissions checks were still not required in PA so most of us ripped out the carbs when they became gummy, knocked out the titanium "caps" on the carb and reset everything to 60s standards - ear tuning.

Gene

[Benggolf2]

My first car was a Vauxhall Viva 2000 GT in Verdoro Green (special color).


http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au...ifications.htm

[GeneW]

I owned a 73 Chevy Nova which was a "twin" of the Pontiac Ventura shown in this chase scene. I doubt it was a stock model, doesn't sound like one anyhow. Mine did not have dual exhausts and other goodies.;

The driver in the front car is a Professional stunt driver, "Bo" something or other.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vACWV5sRcY

Gene

[nsmitchell]

I must say my Ford Fiesta was pretty darn cool. 4 speed manual and would spin the tires in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear!

[gid]

we had a '79 or '80 (?) diesel V.W. Rabbit 4 door hatch with 4 speed manual for short period . Couldn't stand the overwhelming smell of diesel fuel and how it crawled up steep hills . People would get quite peeved then too . Got a few of these as they passed .