The "What Do you drive?" thread....

[oldtvsandtoy]

Be american drive american

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by oldtvsandtoy

Be american drive american

Used to be my parents line of thinking...Until mom got a new '89 Chevy Baretta. That car was the worst lemon I've ever seen. It had problems with the steering column right off the bat, electrical issues, and it was always having engine troubles. If we ever put in anything other than AMOCO mid-grade it would need a service within a week. That thing had blown an engine gasket by the time it turned 30K! The paint was going bad not long after it left warranty. It probably spent around a quarter of the time I rode in it in the local repair shop.

Meanwhile my uncles 80's Honda civic(I think it might have had the highway gearing option that gave it 60MPG highway) was doing fine at 100K without ever having had any service NOT EVEN AN OIL CHANGE!

It was obvious to my folks at this point who their next cars should come from.

Every few months I see a Baretta on the road and wonder what sort of witchcraft keeps what few of them remain in existence on the road. Those cars were starting to become scarce before Y2K!

[WISCOJIM]

Here's my fleet recently.

I sold the '57 chevy (with 76,000 original miles) and the '75 Dart (62,000 orig.) a couple years ago. Trailers get used for radio meets, auctions, and estate sales.

I kept the '67 Coronet with only 23,000 original miles, and my Sienna van just hit 110,000 miles this week.

[AUdubon5425]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

Used to be my parents line of thinking...Until mom got a new '89 Chevy Baretta. That car was the worst lemon I've ever seen....

That car drove my Mom away from American cars too. She bought an '88 Baretta GT new. It lasted 74k miles and must have gone through four or five alternators and batteries in eight years. It also used to eat up those Eagle GT+4 tires. The last time I saw it before the motor locked up it was leaking fluids - all of them. She's owned two used Corollas since 1997 and they have both been great reliable cars.

[egrand]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

Used to be my parents line of thinking...Until mom got a new '89 Chevy Beretta. That car was the worst lemon I've ever seen. It had problems with the steering column right off the bat, electrical issues, and it was always having engine troubles. If we ever put in anything other than AMOCO mid-grade it would need a service within a week. That thing had blown an engine gasket by the time it turned 30K! The paint was going bad not long after it left warranty. It probably spent around a quarter of the time I rode in it in the local repair shop.

Meanwhile my uncles 80's Honda civic(I think it might have had the highway gearing option that gave it 60MPG highway) was doing fine at 100K without ever having had any service NOT EVEN AN OIL CHANGE!

It was obvious to my folks at this point who their next cars should come from.

Every few months I see a Baretta on the road and wonder what sort of witchcraft keeps what few of them remain in existence on the road. Those cars were starting to become scarce before Y2K!

I totally agree that 1989 was about the lowest point of GM's quality and bad engineering, and the Beretta was a good example of that. However, the other side of the coin is how many 1989 Toyota Tercels or Nissan Sentras do you still see today or that are running perfectly? My point is that the foreign makes are not immune from making lousy cars too, and I think Toyota has been guilty of it the last few years. They seem to be suffering from GM syndrome where they are the biggest now and think they can do no wrong.

Also, I agree with Username. You do often overlook faults of something you like. I guess we just hope other people do the same thing with us.

I look at things this way: if everything worked perfectly all the time, this wouldn't be a hobby.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by oldtvsandtoy

Be american drive american

When I bought my 2000 Dodge Dakota, I inquired if it was USA built. The salesperson's reply was that all the Dakotas were built in Warren, Mi.
My reply was: "I wont pay this kind of money, for a truck built with cheap labor".
I have no problem with a Canadian built product.

[oldtvsandtoy]

wow everyone else says were over paid.

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

When I bought my 2000 Dodge Dakota, I inquired if it was USA built. The salesperson's reply was that all the Dakotas were built in Warren, Mi.
My reply was: "I wont pay this kind of money, for a truck built with cheap labor".
I have no problem with a Canadian built product.

[Username1]

Dieseljeep; sorry I had to go back and figure out what you were talking about. Well the blue car was a $500. ebay job on Long Island. We must have picked all the wrong roads to get there because the trip took all day, the car needed an axle, and brakes, radio fix, and she was fine for a kid out of HS. We figured she could use a good first car to get a job, save some cash and pick her next car herself. But her and her circle of friends were kinda layabouts, they burned holes in that perfect interior, walked all over the car, kicked the interior broke stuff. On top of that we paid insurance, $70/week gas and she didn't find a job for months. So we said "in 3 weeks insurance payment is due, you have it or you park it" The wife said there is no way she's gunna give up the car..... I said I bet yes....

[zeno]

Old school designs only, RWD, USA, frame, V8, 5-6 pass. & 2+ tons.

2003 Merc Grand Marquis
2004 Crown Vic Sport
Everyone thinks milage is bad but. The CV gets 28 on hwy at 75-85
with the windows opened. I bet if I took off the useless converers
& closed the windows it would go well over 30mpg. The Merc
not so good probably the single exhaust.

On wish list there are a few exceptions to the rules.
Another 1972 Olds Toronado, awesome FWD smoke shows.
Another 1993 Buick Roadmaster LT-1 "shock & awe". Would
have got another but GM abandoned me.

For pissah rides
1963 Studebaker Avanti
1963 Studebaker GT Hawk
Either must have factory Paxton blower.
You young whipper snappers will have to look these up.

73 Zeno

[mstaton]

Nice cars! Love the Coronet! Awesome car! They sure drive nice.

[Username1]

I like that Dart, 74 or 75 my dad had a 74 318 and it had a neat gas saving feature I read about for the 75 model. If you put your foot in the gas too hard, the blinker bulb out on the fender facing the driver would light up. A little then more as you gave it more and more gas over what it thought it should get to accelerate the car. It was tied to a vacuum gauge somehow.... Well his was a 74 and PS magazine had this thing as a new feature for 75 Dodge cars, like the Dart.

That Coronet is cool too. We had a 70 440 but it had a 225/6 Mom said she almost ordered it in Plum Crazy, but we had Brown. Then me and brother read this article in something like Carcraft For $38. more we coulda got a 440! Pretty funny, as kids we were say'n Dad! you coulda got a V8! But then it also didn't have tinted windows, A/C, air bags, power brakes, and a buncha other stuff. But those 4 wheel drum brakes could put ya through the window and still not lock up and skid.... It was a very good station wagon... Now I see from the morning news a few days ago CBS I think, they are collectors items now..

[Sandy G]

Yeah, I can't even remember the last time I saw a Coronet...They used to be fairly common, but now they're all gone.. Of course, the fact that they're gettin' close to the 50-year old mark, MIGHT have sumpin to do w/it...

[truetone36]

'59 Rambler station wagon
'61 International C-100 pick-up
'04 Chevy Venture van (daily driver)

[bgadow]

I've sometimes daydreamed of using a Rambler wagon for a daily driver, instead of a small pickup w/ cap.

Really an eclectic collection we have on VK!

dieseljeep, username1-that 87 did have a Holley 2 bbl. Had it rebuilt and it ran a lot better but I was forever messing with the choke. About time I had it set the way I wanted it, the weather would change. The 96 has Holley fuel injection and has been very reliable. I've needed a few O2 sensors along the way. The last one I only replaced because it completely rusted out and made the exhaust noisy. Today I had to go to Baltimore about a job prospect, over 4 hours on the road, 18 y.o. truck with 251k going 70mph down the beltway and the check engine light is off...I'm happy!

[Sandy G]

When I got my 1969 Lincoln sedan in 1982, it sorta became my "Go-To" car, because my 1982 Chevy Suburban K2500 6.2 Diesel turned out to be such an unremitting POS, & spent so much time in the shop..The Lincoln was utterly reliable, ALWAYS "Went", & was an EXTREMELY comfortable ride while doing it... It had power galore, having a 460, even though the 460 had a LOT of weight to haul around..It STILL could give a very good accounting of itself against the dreadful weak-kneed JUNK of the early Eighties... That & the fact I had it painted, & it was SO pretty, & had such clean lines...Well, it WASN'T a hardship to use it..Biggest problems were the A/C didn't work, & a couple of the power windows didn't, either..Ford used a nylon gear in the power windows, & after 15-20 years, they kinda crumbled...