My wife’s very first car was a brand new ‘71 Ford Pinto……. 2,000 cc German engine….. manufactured in Mexico…. Two door with trunk, Grabber Blue……bought it right after we were married. Drove it 12 years….112,000 miles….. it was actually excellent. Bought new for $2,500…… sold to a friend for $1,250…… half of what it was new… after 12 years!

@I_Fight_Instacart

28 күн бұрын

Ralph Nader ruined it for everybody.

These cars were introduced because Americans wanted fuel efficient cars. In the early 70s, the large V8 powered cars were just sitting on dealer lots. None of the fuel efficient imports were exciting to drive. There was a limit to 70s technologies. SO to badmouth 4 cylinder performance in the 70s is coming from someone you never experienced the era. Chevrolet had the Chevette for 12 years and built 2.8 million of them. Is that really a failure?

I owned three of the listed vehicles. Pinto, Vega and Chevette. Of the three, the Chevette was the most reliable.

@fetus2280

6 ай бұрын

Relly? We used to call them "Shove'ettes" cause thwy broke down so much you had to shove it back home. Maybe it was the Canadian version? I dunno . Cheers.

@brian70Cuda

6 ай бұрын

A buddy of mine had a Chevette, like you said, very dependable. Tha car was also miserable to ride in.

No regrets for the 70’s, the most amazing decade of all time.

Ah the memories. I had a fairmont. It was OK for a first car. A friend had a chevette. Her engine exploded at just 89 miles. A family member had a leg amputation due to a wreck in a Mustang 2

I was an owner of a 71 Pinto. Trust me, you do not want to own one of these cars. It couldn't get out of it's own way. I used to get nervous entering any interstate highway because the entrance ramps weren't long enough for me to get the speed up to a safe level.

@unitedcity_mc4421

3 ай бұрын

I really want to own one of those cars. What are you going to do about it?

I think one of the worst cars from the 70's was the Ford Maverick. Especially the one with the 200 sick cylinder. I had one with the 3 on the tree. The linkages broke, and I had to install a floor shifter. On a transmission with no synchronization. I put a floor jack under the frame to jack it up and change a flat tire. The frame was so rusted, my jack went up through it.

I didn't know anyone that was excited about the Pinto. The Gremlin had one of the best commercials. Hey lady, where's the rest of your car? The Pacer (Spaceship) with a transplanted V8 and wheelie bars was a beast. Ford redeemed itself with the Fox body 79 Mustang. My first new car.

The Pinto was actually a fairly good car, produced for 10 years and 3.3 million sold. Pretty much ALL small cars of that era had the gas tank in the same location as the Pinto. Like the Corvair, the Pinto sold well for a long time but an undeserving bad rap ended it prematurely.

My first car was a metallic green 1978 Chevy Chevette! I got it in 1985 & it literally fell apart everyday! I remember turning a sharp corner & my entire wheel popped off! It also was very gutless, didn't excellerate hardly at all but hey, it was my first car & got me back & forth from home to high school! 😂

The Mustang 2............The leisure suit of Mustangs

Although quite unique and not affordable for the average consumer, the DMC-12, (used in Back To The Future) produced by the DeLorean Motor Company was a slight improvement to the (squared front) cars of the 70s. Although it cost far more than the average car, it also was designed with a square front, which is insane that every designer in that decade felt square was stylish. I can't speak for their performance, as there were so few of them, but they are rare to see on the roadways as it is to see a Pinto or Pacer. Their one true stroke of genius, was their stainless steel body. Where their competitor's vehicles were literally falling apart from rust, they didn't rust at all, not even a little.

The Gremlin body lived on .... well sort of for a couple of years in the AMC Eagle Kammback 1981-1982. Also the Fox chassis that the Ford Fairmont was built on was used for several Ford models right up to the early 90's, in particular the "Fox body" Mustangs.

I had a cosworth vega in the 70 had a weber 2brl ,engine header, rear loviers rare option i loved it

I love the 1970's cars. They are really cool. Thank you so much for posting this great video. I love the Chevy Vega!

The GM diesel experiment

I had a 1971 Gremlin in 1978 I was 20, and the head went bad on it and an old mechanic told me I could take one off a rambler which I did on a 1964. It fit of course same engine. it was a lot of fun at that age and we'd go to lake Michigan with it and stow our gear for the outing in the back.

My best friend in high school had a Pacer in the 80s. At the time, I had no idea how old the car was since it was in absolute mint condition. I miss that car.

@rightwired

Ай бұрын

Mt oldest brother's girlfriend in high school had a. I was 8, brother was 9, oldest brother is 18, she was 18. They would drive us, two hours, in July, up to Great America. I got roasted to many times in the back seat, I'm shocked she wasn't arrested for child abuse! lol

The Gremlin was probably the best of the bunch as for as reliability. I had a Maverick Grabber and a Comet GT and liked both of those. A little work on those 302's and you had a little beast. A friend of mine had a Vega with the original tires and rims with a Chevy 400 small block, it was insane. Most all the cars from '74 to '85 were mediocre at best though.

@cindysue5474

6 ай бұрын

Maverick and Comet made for some nice Pro and Super stock drag cars.

The Gremlin was cool. Also liked the other AMC cars. Owned a 1978, 1979, and 1983 Fairmont, the last two bought new. All very reliable, even during a Midwest winter. Economy was good. The 78 sedan looked rather pedestrian but the 79 coupe and the 83 Futura coupe looked pretty good. You had to be there, because most of these cars were pretty neat at the time.

Meh. You sound a wee bit clueless on the 70's bro. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

The Gremlin was a good car for the money

I guess that I'm one of the minority who thinks that the Gremlin looks pretty cool. I remember a friend that had one with the blue jeans denim upholstery for the seats. It was pretty unique.

@darkskies6564

17 күн бұрын

I had a 72 Gremlin paid $50 for it. I beat the crap out of the car and kept running and running lol!

Pacer is a upside down bathtub.. just kidding folks.

I had a Vega and a Chevette

@eddiestanley135

3 ай бұрын

I am so sorry. You are brave.

@jeffread379

5 күн бұрын

Double whammy.

i drove a chevette while in university. I had to fix it once a month. in the end, halfway trip to my university, the engine blew out. I got it to a gas station near there and never retruned for it. hahaa

Love my 1972 factory v8 GREMLIN X

your opinion. my opinion, bs.

Vega is a favorite to stuff a small block into and make a cheap neck snapper out of.

My dad had an AMC Hornet, my brother an AMC Javelin and my sister had an AMC Gremlin. They were basic but worked well for my family

All these cars went to live on the Drag strip

@cindysue5474

6 ай бұрын

The Vega and Pinto made for some cool pro and super stock race cars.

@Boblib1970

6 ай бұрын

Lol yep. Big block + tubbed out rear end and drag slicks + roll cage = 9.90s. They made up about 90% of the cars in Super Gas in the 1980s NHRA

Good show, but I think you missed the worst decade of U.S. cars by 10 years: the 1980's. I would nominate an entire car company, the Chrysler Corporation.

@I_Fight_Instacart

28 күн бұрын

Iacocca brought them back from the brink. He was the John Connor of Chrysler.

I owned one of those lovely Pintos. Baby blue and full of bondo. That beautiful hunk of machinery was so special that every time I had to get a tune up for it, the service guy rolled his eyes. That's because he would have to literally take the engine out to replace the plugs. A fine bit of engineering there. He made some good money that day!

@althunder4269

6 ай бұрын

Then you were getting ripped off. That's literally false.

What about the electric cars today? I loved those cars in those days ❤️

All cars had the tank in the back in the 70's

Cars went downhill 1973 and on.

This has great production value but its not very accurate. The Ford Pinto was hugely popular and AMC Gremlin was successful and sold better than most imports at the time since

My parents were thinking about buying a pacer in 1976, unfortunately they didn't. But also the Chrysler cordba was considered. Ultimate decision led us to a new ford conversion van in 1979. Had the same color combinations of the 1979 Ford mustang pace car. Cool choice by my Dad 🏁🏁

Funny. But worst at what? Styling? Reliability? They’re all American because this is mostly an American audience. Few of you would know the Reliant Robin, the Renault Le Car, the Lada, the Trabant, or just about any British Leyland or Fiat car.

well, for me, i have fond and great memories of the Gremlin! 😁 back in jr high (late 70s), this senior chick would skip school with me and a couple other guys, once in awhile.. and she'd buy us Wine, while of course us guys usually had a little weedle one us 🪴 and she'd take us out to the lake and we'd spend all day at the tower, swinging off the rope. this was at Lk Murray, S OK. sadly they closed the tower in the early 80s due to people getting hurt. me and buddy spent all of summer 1980 at the lake (3 months) and spent most days at the rope tower, but that's another story! but yeah, we had some good times in that old Gremlin. as i remember, it was kind of a dark red, with red interior. i'll always remember her beads n stuff handing from the mirror. so ya, you can actually have fun in a Gremlin! ☮

I LOVE the AMC Pacer!!. Such a cool car!. And, my Dad worked at Ford in Dearborn Michigan and we actually had the Mercury version of the Fairmont, the Zephyr!!, in station wagon form!. And, YES, I hated that car!!!. Burgundy red interior, and silver exterior. Booooring! Got driven to school in it for a couple years. Yuk!. Needless to say, we didnt have it for long! But i still love the Pacer's Bubble-shaped back end and rounded windows!!. Sooo cool!.

I had a ‘78 Fairmont wagon the reared was replaced 3 times the mileage was below 15 mpg. The Maverick though two doors only seemed better than pinto/ Fairmont

Most of the cars in this video were owned by someone on my block. My dad got a Vega Wagon from his dad. 2 aunts had Pacers, another had a sportabout wagon.

the Vega. steering was of set hast to do with power string. my brother Put a pacier in the demolition derby rad blue a hole the car last about 15 minutes all in fun a grit day fantastic video thank you😁😁😁👍

Always wanted a AMC Pacer wagon,had a 1972 Gremlin, reliable, 22mpg .,but poor ride and lousy in snow.

the Plymouth Valiant....

The malaise years.

I disagree about the Fairmont. I think it’s a great looking car.

@jamesdellaneve9005

16 күн бұрын

Yes. It’s like your friend with the hair lip.

Almost embarassed to say my wife had a 78 AMC Pacer wagon. It felt like riding in a fish bowl. I was not sad to see that one go when I traded it for a 79 Pontiac Grand Prix.

the chevy nova would not sell in mexico as a friend of mine who lived their told me "Chevy Nova" translated to wont go in english. I don't know if that was a true translation but I was told that was why the Nova never really sold there.

The Mustang II never claimed to be a muscle car, so comparing it to one shows lack of knowledge about them. Mustangs were not muscle cars...they were pony cars. Mustang II was quite successful and a popular car for its time, offering many style and engine choices for buyers, including good looking 2+2 hatchbacks, and the sporty Cobra II. They offered good gas mileage which had become a more important consideration in the 70's due to rising gas prices. It was the right car for the time, being practical and affordable with some style.

In the 70s, I thought the Grimlin, all AMC cars, were so ugly. I couldn't understand how people could drive them. Same goes for the cube, neon, scion.

1970s and 80s American cars are remembered for terrible quality and reliability. Also remembered as Japanese cars taking over the lead.

Worse car I ever owned was a 77 dodge Monaco. I was taking it back weekly because it wouldnt s😊tart sometimes The termostat went out in 3 months. It rusted out in less than three years and you had to carry that one part in your glove box for a spare part because they were always going out and it would only run on shell gas. The only good thing about it was the payment was only 119 a month

the most disappointing car in this list has to be the Mustang II....you go from a Shelby GT500 to this?...wow....

As a car guy, the problems were obviously technology sucked, but point blank car companies all had models that were made so cheap for them to be affordable. Case in point a Oldsmobile Cutlass well made, Oldsmobile Omega cheaply made.

No AMC Hornet? AMC made some real shit in the 70s. But I will admit, as a kid, I thought the Gremlin had a cool look to it, for whatever reason......except the avacado green or PURPLE ones.....yuck.

If these cars were to be introduce in the late 1950's and 1960's perhaps they would all have come out successfully among the public.But they came" late in the day" and by then people's mentality and lifestyles had changed a lot.😮😢

You need way more than 10 minutes! lol

American Cars died in the 1970’s. Rust and poor quality. The small cars were crappy and still got poor mileage.

I still own a pinto Station wagon. You know it's a collectible nowadays. The Vegas we used to drop small block Chevy engine in them and they were quite respectable then. Funny thing is we get 25 mi a gallon with it!!! Mustang 2 I've got one that still doesn't have a Harley in miles on it owned it for a long time. It looks more like a mustang than what they put out now. People forget those cars initially in 65 and 66 were meant to be the little ladies second car. I do agree with you on the Pacer because it was not much lighter than the bigger cars. I did not say biggest I said bigger. All that glass in back also they had problems with the rear suspension because of that weight. Refrigerator the Ford Fairmont station wagon it was good for what it was and pretty solid. The Ford 2-door box coupe as I called it with a 302 hummed all the way to Texas at 85 mph. I had a little Ford futura with the inline 6 and it got 25 miles a gallon it was sporty looking. It was the style that Ford got right as far as the Fairmont. Hitt road well. Unfortunately one day the converter caught onfire. AMC gremlin buddy of mine had that. He had six cylinder model. But there are guys who were putting eight cylinders in them. They are very odd-looking but I like them. But one problem they had was the back hatch glass simply exploding. Had to be from the heat buildup cuz that's when they would burst and that's what happened to his

@I_Fight_Instacart

28 күн бұрын

The Mustang II was Iacocca's idea, just like the original Mustang was. I don't think the coupe looks too bad. The fastback doesn't look as good.

My brother put 70k+ miles on a Chevette in two years… worked for him.

My favorite Muscle car! ©️hevelle super sport automatic 1973 🕸

LOL These cars are merely representative as it can be said that EVERY 70's car was hunk of junk

@tproudboomer5965

21 күн бұрын

Wrong

You don't know what you are talking about.

@born_again_torinos

6 ай бұрын

I noticed that too. He fell for every myth that was out there. That is what happens when you base your channel on reading things about things on the internet rather than experiencing them.

A lot of butt hurt Vega, Pinto, Gremlin, and Mustang II owners in the comment section. 🤣🤣 Hate to break it to them, but he's right.

@hi-et1oq

5 ай бұрын

I think nobody remembers those cars anymore😂😂😂😂

One or two more on the list and I'm sure I'd've seen MY nightmare, the Volkswagen Scirocco (anyone even remember them?). With the gas shortage came odd/even, $2 max. lines around the block. Time to ditch my first brand-new car, an 8 MPG, 340 Plymouth Duster that I (and even my dealer) loved. Went 4-banger for the first time and picked wrong. If the humidity got too high the cat converter decides to stop converting. The exhaust system was held up by rubber O-rings...guess what started breaking. Ditched THAT sucker after a year, went Honda and never looked back!😁

The 80s were not much better, except for the iroc z Camero and the buick grand national.

@fetus2280

6 ай бұрын

I rem those cars, we called those "I Run on Cologne" due to only Italians and middle easterners being the ones who drove them . All with their open shirts, tight pants and smelling of Aqua Velva.

@Boblib1970

6 ай бұрын

@@fetus2280 No, it was Italian Retard Out Crusing. Yes, it's politically incorrect to say in 2023. Yes, I had one. Yes, I am Italian. And yes, I think it's F'ing hysterical. For the record though, I wore Polo not Aqua Velva.

I'm happy I was just a kid in the 70s. Horrible fasions for both men and women. Disco sucked. Some cars were as big as boats.

@thebigpicture2032

6 ай бұрын

Agreed! I grew up thinking what’s wrong with these people.

@jananderson672

6 ай бұрын

I drove an LTD, former cop car in the 70's and a Gran Torino! Felt like Starsky and Hutch! They gulped gas, but loved the roominess of those vehicles Ah, the 70's!

@Snake-ms7sj

6 ай бұрын

I was a kid in the 70's as well. Ah yes. The Paisley shirts, platform shoes, corduroy pants, Leisure suits, etc.

Um carro chamado "Pinto" aqui no Brasil, iria dar muito problema! 😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😅😂

The 70s were terrible as far as fashion. But I remember the ugly square cars that would start breaking down before your last payment was made. The majority of cars in the 70s were absolute junk. I still remember the picture of the girls on fire jumping out of their Pinto that the gas tank exploded on them. Absolutely horrible disregard for safety. We used to call the AMC Pacer, the Glass Coffin. The Fairmont was everywhere and was the quintessential poster child model for 70s vehicles.

@althunder4269

6 ай бұрын

Girls on fire jumping out of a Pinto? Odd. I can't find that picture anywhere. Oh, because it never happened.

@user-fv5ms4sz8e

6 ай бұрын

It was a news segment where the car was being exposed for its exploding gas/fuel tank. The manufacturer knew a rear end impact would make them explode, but felt it was cheaper to pay settlements, than to have a recall and make them safe.

I had a 1978 Plymouth Volare, straight six. AM Radio, Digital Clock. Leaked oil in 4 places, It had a broken left headlight socket - when I braked hard, the head light out literally pop out, making it look like it was winking! lol

Pacer was epic fail, designed with a Wankel engine in mind built by Germany, But the engine was late, then had no power when it was finished and couldn't be used. But they already put the factory production in place so they shoehorned a v-6 in it and you had to drill holes in the floor to change the back spark plugs...

@bobcarlino7280

6 ай бұрын

The Pacer was never available with a V-6 from the AMC factory...I suspect you meant to say an Inline-6 (or perhaps you were referring to the V-8 that was available in the car's later years).

@althunder4269

6 ай бұрын

complete BS.

@MountainrunnerTn

5 ай бұрын

No wankel in the pacer.

@deplorablecovfefe9489

5 ай бұрын

yea, I don't know what engines they shoehorned in...but I DO know it didn't have the german built, volkswagon type wankle engine they built the car for in the first place. And the first years it was out, You DID have to drill holes or pull the whole engine to access the rear plugs...lol

The early 70's was still really the leftover 60's. When Disco kicked in, fashion certainly became more important. Everyone wanted to look good at the "DISCO"! THE "HIPPIE LOOK" WAS OVER. Every generation can look back at the previous one and make fun of it. All the "little" cars that came out were pretty ugly. The ones from overseas were no better ! We were stuck with new gas regulations and style went right down the drain. The AMC Pacer looked like a terrarium on wheels.

@skibee50

6 ай бұрын

LoL

Pacer i believe is the worst looking car of all time Usa.

The 7 worst cars of the 70s, and all of them American…😂

@zackdemundo

6 ай бұрын

Because this is an American audience.

@jameschen2168

6 ай бұрын

@@zackdemundoI‘m not sure what you mean. All audience on KZread is American? …. Or do you mean that this channel is only directed at Americans?

@PfalzD3

6 ай бұрын

Now now, Let us not forget the: Leyland P76,Triumpf Tr7,Renault LeCar, FSOPolonez ,Morris Marina, Triumph Stag, Reliant Robin, Trabant...... It's not just American cars that were bad in the 70's.

@thebigpicture2032

6 ай бұрын

@@PfalzD3 most cars were bad in the 70’s, there were many worse than this list.

@PfalzD3

6 ай бұрын

I know. I just had to point out that all the crap cars were not all American.@@thebigpicture2032

I loved the AMC PACER. Fun car and fantastic visibility in all directions but hot as hell inside on sunny summer days. The glass didn't hold back any heat and the ACs - if they had them - couldn't keep up. Those issues could probably be overcome today.

None of those issues happened with vegas

In 1971, I thought the Vega was a great looking little car and it handled effortlessly. My father - a mechanic - warned me about aluminum block engines. He steered me to buy a Challenger instead - which I did. When I took my cross country road trip a year later, I saw more broken down Chevy Vegas along the roadsides than any other car.

*The 70s were terrible as far as fashion. But I remember the ugly square cars that would start breaking down before your last payment was made. The majority of cars in the 70s were absolute junk. I still remember the picture of the girls on fire jumping out of their Pinto that the gas tank exploded on them. Absolutely horrible disregard for safety. We used to call the AMC Pacer, the Glass Coffin. The Fairmont was everywhere and was the quintessential poster child model for 70s vehicles*