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A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up,
and the Vega is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it a hundred times. I feel I should put in a good word for the little car. My sister got a new Vega in early 1973 (a stripped-down one at that, about as basic as was available). I then inherited it in late '74 and drove it merrily for another full year. That little car was never ONE ounce of trouble. It cruised at 75 mph like a charm, never burped or coughed, and I actually don't know that the oil was ever changed!!!! Maybe the car was serviced when my sister had it, but I know it wasn't during the time I had it (young and car stupid I guess). When I traded it in for my dream car at the time (the dreamy '75 Toyota Celica GT), it had about 42k miles on it and still performed like a trooper. Maybe it was a rare gem off the assembly line I don't know, but I had three friends who also had Vegas and I don't remember any of them being lemons; one did have notoriously squeally brakes though IIRC. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
On Sep 30, 12:46 pm, Otis <rev_otis_mcn...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, > and the Vega > is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it a hundred > times. I feel I should > put in a good word for the little car. > > My sister got a new Vega in early 1973 (a stripped-down one at that, > about as basic > as was available). I then inherited it in late '74 and drove it > merrily for another full > year. That little car was never ONE ounce of trouble. It cruised at > 75 mph like > a charm, never burped or coughed, and I actually don't know that the > oil was > ever changed!!!! Maybe the car was serviced when my sister had it, > but I know > it wasn't during the time I had it (young and car stupid I guess). > When > I traded it in for my dream car at the time (the dreamy '75 Toyota > Celica GT), > it had about 42k miles on it and still performed like a trooper. > Maybe it > was a rare gem off the assembly line I don't know, but I had three > friends > who also had Vegas and I don't remember any of them being lemons; one > did have notoriously squeally brakes though IIRC. I never had a Vega, but I've owned several Corvair which is also on that list. I drove one everyday for 6 years until 2003 when I sold it. A very good car. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
Otis wrote:
> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, > and the Vega > is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it a hundred > times. I feel I should > put in a good word for the little car. > > My sister got a new Vega in early 1973 (a stripped-down one at that, > about as basic > as was available). I then inherited it in late '74 and drove it > merrily for another full > year. That little car was never ONE ounce of trouble. It cruised at > 75 mph like > a charm, never burped or coughed, and I actually don't know that the > oil was > ever changed!!!! Maybe the car was serviced when my sister had it, > but I know > it wasn't during the time I had it (young and car stupid I guess). > When > I traded it in for my dream car at the time (the dreamy '75 Toyota > Celica GT), > it had about 42k miles on it and still performed like a trooper. > Maybe it > was a rare gem off the assembly line I don't know, but I had three > friends > who also had Vegas and I don't remember any of them being lemons; one > did have notoriously squeally brakes though IIRC. > A bit of trivia: the Vega was based on the Fiat 124 Sports Coupe. GM bought a few examples to take apart and tried to copy it's design. I think they succeeded all too well. As far as the 124 Sports Coupe goes, I owned 3 of those and loved those things. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
"Otis" <rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:1f20ce7d-cd39-4208-920c-08032814acbb@37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com... > Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, > and the Vega > is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it a hundred > times. I feel I should > put in a good word for the little car. That is, I believe, the car with the silicon/aluminum alloy engine...That thing went out for most people very quickly. Now, believe it or not, I have seen Yugos still on the road. Even the worst automaker allows a good one to slip out occasionally. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
hls wrote:
> > "Otis" <rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote in message > news:1f20ce7d-cd39-4208-920c-08032814acbb@37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com... >> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, >> and the Vega >> is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it a hundred >> times. I feel I should >> put in a good word for the little car. > > > That is, I believe, the car with the silicon/aluminum alloy > engine...That thing > went out for most people very quickly. > > Now, believe it or not, I have seen Yugos still on the road. Even the > worst > automaker allows a good one to slip out occasionally. Yugo = Fiat 128 |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
"dsi1" <dsi1@spamnet.com> wrote in message news:jtNwm.221416$cf6.208145@newsfe16.iad... > hls wrote: >> >> "Otis" <rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote in message >> news:1f20ce7d-cd39-4208-920c-08032814acbb@37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com... >>> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, >>> and the Vega >>> is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it a hundred >>> times. I feel I should >>> put in a good word for the little car. >> >> >> That is, I believe, the car with the silicon/aluminum alloy engine...That >> thing >> went out for most people very quickly. >> >> Now, believe it or not, I have seen Yugos still on the road. Even the >> worst >> automaker allows a good one to slip out occasionally. > > Yugo = Fiat 128 Maybe the equality is not quite right, but similar. Fiat also put Russia into the car business, IIRC. We have owned three Fiats...a 131 Mirafiore, a 128, and another I cant remember. The engines were okay, but the bodies tended to rust out very badly on some of them. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
hls wrote:
> > "dsi1" <dsi1@spamnet.com> wrote in message > news:jtNwm.221416$cf6.208145@newsfe16.iad... >> hls wrote: >>> >>> "Otis" <rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote in message >>> news:1f20ce7d-cd39-4208-920c-08032814acbb@37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com... >>>> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, >>>> and the Vega >>>> is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it a hundred >>>> times. I feel I should >>>> put in a good word for the little car. >>> >>> >>> That is, I believe, the car with the silicon/aluminum alloy >>> engine...That thing >>> went out for most people very quickly. >>> >>> Now, believe it or not, I have seen Yugos still on the road. Even >>> the worst >>> automaker allows a good one to slip out occasionally. >> >> Yugo = Fiat 128 > > Maybe the equality is not quite right, but similar. > Fiat also put Russia into the car business, IIRC. My guess is that they were pretty similar. I was thinking at the time that it might be possible to bolt-on a Yugo engine and maybe the entire drivetrain of a Yugo into a Fiat X1/9 although I've not heard of anybody doing this. > > We have owned three Fiats...a 131 Mirafiore, a 128, and another I cant > remember. The engines were okay, but the bodies tended to rust out > very badly on some of them. The engine on the 124 sports models were fine. It was the first belt-driven double overhead cam design engine used in a mass production car. Rust was a big problem in the states. I'm guessing that it doesn't rain or snow in Italy and Europe. :-) |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
hls wrote:
> > "Otis" <rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote in message > news:1f20ce7d-cd39-4208-920c-08032814acbb@37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com... >> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, >> and the Vega >> is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it a hundred >> times. I feel I should >> put in a good word for the little car. > > > That is, I believe, the car with the silicon/aluminum alloy > engine...That thing > went out for most people very quickly. > > Now, believe it or not, I have seen Yugos still on the road. Even the > worst > automaker allows a good one to slip out occasionally. Well, seeing as a Yugo is basically a reheated FIAT, they theoretically can be made more reliable by replacing all the broken mechanical bits with FIAT bits. Now whether they figured out rustproofing or not, I don't know - I haven't seen a Yugo in years. I don't remember seeing one old enough to have rust on it. It's a shame that FIAT didn't fine tune their cars a little better. I remember a neighbor having one as a little kid and it was a neat little car and darn near indestructable - I think he eventually passed it on to his daughter when she went to college (a few years older than I.) Owner was a car guy though, so undoubtedly salt wasn't allowed to linger on the body, explaining its unusual longevity. nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
Nate Nagel <njnagel@roosters.net> wrote:
> >Well, seeing as a Yugo is basically a reheated FIAT, they theoretically >can be made more reliable by replacing all the broken mechanical bits >with FIAT bits. Wait... wait.... say that again... you replace parts _with_ Fiat parts and it becomes more reliable. This implies that the original parts are actually _less_ reliable than Fiat parts. Is such a thing actually possible? >Now whether they figured out rustproofing or not, I don't know - I >haven't seen a Yugo in years. I don't remember seeing one old enough to >have rust on it. I see one every once in a while on Rt. 64. It's tiny and yellow, and has a huge man with a walrus moustache driving it. >It's a shame that FIAT didn't fine tune their cars a little better. I >remember a neighbor having one as a little kid and it was a neat little >car and darn near indestructable - I think he eventually passed it on to >his daughter when she went to college (a few years older than I.) Owner >was a car guy though, so undoubtedly salt wasn't allowed to linger on >the body, explaining its unusual longevity. Okay.... I have to understand this. You're saying somehow that someone has made a car which is _less reliable than a Fiat_? --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
"dsi1" <dsi1@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote in message > > The engine on the 124 sports models were fine. It was the first > belt-driven double overhead cam design engine used in a mass production > car. Rust was a big problem in the states. I'm guessing that it doesn't > rain or snow in Italy and Europe. :-) Somewhat wrong. Rust was a problem with all Fiats made in Italia. Fiat is a bit of a joke, even in Europe. I lived there for many many years. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
"hls" <hls@nospam.nix> wrote in
news:N_adnfqOvN5yAF7XnZ2dnUVZ_oqdnZ2d@giganews.com : > > "Otis" <rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote in message > news:1f20ce7d-cd39-4208-920c-08032814acbb@37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com.. > . >> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, >> and the Vega is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it >> a hundred times. I feel I should put in a good word for the little >> car. > > > That is, I believe, the car with the silicon/aluminum alloy > engine...That thing went out for most people very quickly. Anybody ever read the Wiki page on the Vega? It's a pretty good read. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Vega> Maybe I'm weird, but I always thought the Vega was a good-looking car. But then I liked the Plymouth Duster as well. > > Now, believe it or not, I have seen Yugos still on the road. Even the > worst automaker allows a good one to slip out occasionally. > The Yugo was never sold in Canada, for some odd reason. Around the same time as the Yugo was being imported to the US, we DID get all manner of other, highly-unusual, Soviet-bloc machinery. Off the top of my head: Lada 1600 (Russian Fiat 124 derivative) Lada Niva (small Russian SUV) Dacia (Romanian sedan; looks like a Renault 11, but dumpier) Skoda (Czech sedan; had rear engine and side-opening hood) ARO (Romanian 4WD; about the size of a Range Rover, but impossibly crude) We also got the Hyundai Pony, a truly, truly, awful car. The Lada 1600 actually drove pretty well. The new example I test-drove had an impressively precise shifter. The salesman kept yammering on about how the car's carburetor was "the closest thing you can get to a Weber" without actually having a Weber, as though that was the vehicle's only selling point. I never see ANY of the above anymore, EVER. And I drive a lot. -- Tegger |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
On Sep 30, 8:15 pm, Tegger <inva...@invalid.inv> wrote:
> "hls" <h...@nospam.nix> wrote innews:N_adnfqOvN5yAF7XnZ2dnUVZ_oqdnZ2d@giganews.c om: > > > > > "Otis" <rev_otis_mcn...@yahoo.com> wrote in message > >news:1f20ce7d-cd39-4208-920c-08032814acbb@37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com.. > > . > >> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, > >> and the Vega is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it > >> a hundred times. I feel I should put in a good word for the little > >> car. > > > That is, I believe, the car with the silicon/aluminum alloy > > engine...That thing went out for most people very quickly. > > Anybody ever read the Wiki page on the Vega? It's a pretty good read. > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Vega> > > Maybe I'm weird, but I always thought the Vega was a good-looking car. But > then I liked the Plymouth Duster as well. My Vega was a sporty bright color, but a plain Jane set of wheels. One of my friends had a GT which was very cool; a sturdy-looking and very sporty ride. Another had one of the "Millionth Vegas." I turned a little green with envy when he got that orange babe. from http://h-body.org/library/vegabob/ve...-complete.html "In May 1973, the Millionth Vega was produced; a bright orange GT hatchback coupe, with white sport stripes, "Millionth Vega" door handle inserts, and power steering. interior featured neutral custom vinyl, including exclusive vinyl door panels, and orange accent color carpeting. "-A limited edition "Millionth Vega" option-ZM5 was offered..one per dealer." Another buddy of mine got one of the "Spirit of America" models. It was flashier than mine, but couldn't hold a candle to the GT models. This one ended up sitting in the carport of his parents' house till just recently! |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
Tegger wrote:
> "hls" <hls@nospam.nix> wrote in > news:N_adnfqOvN5yAF7XnZ2dnUVZ_oqdnZ2d@giganews.com : > >> "Otis" <rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote in message >> news:1f20ce7d-cd39-4208-920c-08032814acbb@37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com.. >> . >>> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, >>> and the Vega is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it >>> a hundred times. I feel I should put in a good word for the little >>> car. >> >> That is, I believe, the car with the silicon/aluminum alloy >> engine...That thing went out for most people very quickly. > > > > Anybody ever read the Wiki page on the Vega? It's a pretty good read. > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Vega> > > Maybe I'm weird, but I always thought the Vega was a good-looking car. But > then I liked the Plymouth Duster as well. I'm with ya there. sure wouldn't mind having either a Duster 340 or a Cosworth Vega. nothing wrong with the styling of either car. (actually, there's very little wrong with any duster, even the humble Slant Six models.) nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
hls wrote:
> > "dsi1" <dsi1@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote in message >> >> The engine on the 124 sports models were fine. It was the first >> belt-driven double overhead cam design engine used in a mass >> production car. Rust was a big problem in the states. I'm guessing >> that it doesn't rain or snow in Italy and Europe. :-) > > Somewhat wrong. Rust was a problem with all Fiats made in Italia. > > Fiat is a bit of a joke, even in Europe. I lived there for many many > years. I'm guessing it's partially because they're such a big force in Europe, the same as GM is in the states. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
Tegger wrote:
> > > Anybody ever read the Wiki page on the Vega? It's a pretty good read. > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Vega> > > Maybe I'm weird, but I always thought the Vega was a good-looking car. But > then I liked the Plymouth Duster as well. > Too bad the car had a well deserved reputation as an oil burner - and I don't mean diesel. As I recall, the valve stem seals were no good. OTOH, an all-alloy engine block is a pretty exotic feature even today and the car was bitching looking - a big departure from the cars of the day. The 1970 Camaro look-alike front end was kinda cool too. The dashboard seems to be directly lifted from a Fiat. :-) I only had 1 chance to check out a Vega and it seemed to me that the car felt like a big clunky GM product. Somehow the engineers had managed to reproduce that lousy GM, ponderous, and loosey fit feeling in small car. Oh well, it looked good anyway. :-) I like the looks of a Duster too. My boss had a Duster. It had big tires and a "340" decal on the rear flanks. I remember coming up to a stop a little fast and when I stepped on the brakes, nothing much happened. I panicked and really stepped on it and that thing went EerrRrrrrrrrrrrrccch! I stopped in time but looked like a big dufus. Those 70s car sure had crappy brakes. :-) |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
On Sep 30, 8:29 pm, dsi1 <d...@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote:
> Too bad the car had a well deserved reputation as an oil burner - and I > don't mean diesel. As I recall, the valve stem seals were no good. > > OTOH, an all-alloy engine block is a pretty exotic feature even today That car had more problems than just valve stem seals. The aftermarket "cure" for this car was to re-sleeve it. After that, the engine was actually pretty good from an economic point of view. If they had stuck with the 4 cylinder motor that had been used in the Chevy II, history would have said that the Vega would have been an excellent econo box. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
On Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:46:39 -0700 (PDT), Kruse <kruse@kansas.net>
wrote: >On Sep 30, 8:29 pm, dsi1 <d...@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote: > >> Too bad the car had a well deserved reputation as an oil burner - and I >> don't mean diesel. As I recall, the valve stem seals were no good. >> >> OTOH, an all-alloy engine block is a pretty exotic feature even today > > >That car had more problems than just valve stem seals. The aftermarket >"cure" for this car was to re-sleeve it. >After that, the engine was actually pretty good from an economic point >of view. >If they had stuck with the 4 cylinder motor that had been used in the >Chevy II, history would have said that >the Vega would have been an excellent econo box. They also had a reputation for rusting out on the way home from the dealer. Besides that, they were a typical GM car of the 1970s, which is to say not very good and really awful by today's standards. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
Kruse wrote:
> On Sep 30, 8:29 pm, dsi1 <d...@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote: > >> Too bad the car had a well deserved reputation as an oil burner - and I >> don't mean diesel. As I recall, the valve stem seals were no good. >> >> OTOH, an all-alloy engine block is a pretty exotic feature even today > > > That car had more problems than just valve stem seals. The aftermarket > "cure" for this car was to re-sleeve it. > After that, the engine was actually pretty good from an economic point > of view. > If they had stuck with the 4 cylinder motor that had been used in the > Chevy II, history would have said that > the Vega would have been an excellent econo box. I assume that you'd need special cutters to rebore the cylinder walls and perhaps a lot of shops didn't understand the wall finishing process. Oh well, my guess is that the time for sleeveless alloy blocks in cars has come and gone. It's likely that soon we won't be using pistons and cylinders. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
On Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:46:20 -0700, Otis wrote:
> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, and > the Vega > is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it a hundred times. > I feel I should > put in a good word for the little car. > > My sister got a new Vega in early 1973 (a stripped-down one at that, > about as basic > as was available). I then inherited it in late '74 and drove it merrily > for another full > year. That little car was never ONE ounce of trouble. It cruised at > 75 mph like > a charm, never burped or coughed, and I actually don't know that the oil > was > ever changed!!!! Maybe the car was serviced when my sister had it, but > I know > it wasn't during the time I had it (young and car stupid I guess). When > I traded it in for my dream car at the time (the dreamy '75 Toyota > Celica GT), > it had about 42k miles on it and still performed like a trooper. Maybe > it > was a rare gem off the assembly line I don't know, but I had three > friends > who also had Vegas and I don't remember any of them being lemons; one > did have notoriously squeally brakes though IIRC. I still have mine ('71 Kammback), although it's been waiting for over ten years for it's engine transplant. Great looking car. Good basic design. Pile-o-crap execution. If anyone asks you the difference between "inexpensive" and "cheap", just park a VW Bug next to a Vega and give them a quick tour of the essential differences. For that matter, if anyone asks you why GM went down the tubes, just park a Vega next to something just off the assembly line and start pointing out the essential similarities... -- www.wescottdesign.com |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
dsi1 <dsi1@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote in
news:RmUwm.224081$cf6.195365@newsfe16.iad: > Kruse wrote: >> On Sep 30, 8:29 pm, dsi1 <d...@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote: >> >>> Too bad the car had a well deserved reputation as an oil burner - and I >>> don't mean diesel. As I recall, the valve stem seals were no good. >>> >>> OTOH, an all-alloy engine block is a pretty exotic feature even today >> >> >> That car had more problems than just valve stem seals. The aftermarket >> "cure" for this car was to re-sleeve it. >> After that, the engine was actually pretty good from an economic point >> of view. >> If they had stuck with the 4 cylinder motor that had been used in the >> Chevy II, history would have said that >> the Vega would have been an excellent econo box. > > I assume that you'd need special cutters to rebore the cylinder walls > and perhaps a lot of shops didn't understand the wall finishing process. > > Oh well, my guess is that the time for sleeveless alloy blocks in cars > has come and gone. It's likely that soon we won't be using pistons and > cylinders. > on HONDA matters...; I used to own a 90 Prelude SI (not the 2.0SI)that had the all-aluminum engine with the silicon/aluminum bore.It was a great car until two hailstorms ruined it.Traded it in for a 94 Integra GS-R.(which got stolen,stripped,and torched in 2007...) I believe that many Hondas have gone over 200K miles without needing their cylinder walls rebored. Until electrics get their range and recharge time issues solved,internal combustion motors will be the major motivator for autos. (unless Obama gets his wishes for energy prices...) -- Jim Yanik jyanik at localnet ..com |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
Otis wrote:
> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, > and the Vega > is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it a hundred > times. I feel I should > put in a good word for the little car. I remember my step-father deciding to get a Vega over a VW Beetle. I think it was in 1972. The Vega lasted two years before it was rusted beyond repair. I remember reading a joke somewhere that said that it was actually constructed out of compressed rust. At least during the two years it lasted there was no engine trouble. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
"Otis" <rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:1f20ce7d-cd39-4208-920c-08032814acbb@37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com... > Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, > and the Vega > is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it a hundred > times. I feel I should > put in a good word for the little car. > > My sister got a new Vega in early 1973 (a stripped-down one at that, > about as basic > as was available). I then inherited it in late '74 and drove it > merrily for another full > year. That little car was never ONE ounce of trouble. It cruised > at > 75 mph like > a charm, never burped or coughed, and I actually don't know that the > oil was > ever changed!!!! Maybe the car was serviced when my sister had it, > but I know > it wasn't during the time I had it (young and car stupid I guess). > When > I traded it in for my dream car at the time (the dreamy '75 Toyota > Celica GT), > it had about 42k miles on it and still performed like a trooper. > Maybe it > was a rare gem off the assembly line I don't know, but I had three > friends > who also had Vegas and I don't remember any of them being lemons; > one > did have notoriously squeally brakes though IIRC. I've had good luck with 60's Ramblers. '63 Classic, and a '66....great cars, and the front seat folded down to the rear seat......perfect. My brother now has 5 of them, all on good running condition... '60 Classic (flat head 6), '65 Marlin, '67 Ambassador Convertible (with an AMC 327), '65 Classic Wagon....hmm, I can't recall the last one at this senior moment. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
"dsi1" <dsi1@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote in message >> Fiat is a bit of a joke, even in Europe. I lived there for many many >> years. > > I'm guessing it's partially because they're such a big force in Europe, > the same as GM is in the states. You would be very wrong... In Europe, many people buy for quality, or at least perceived quality. Fiat and Lancia suck in this perception outside of Italia. People outside Italy buy Fiat largely on price. The quality has improved, but years of rustbucket shitteaux Fiats still leave a lot of buyers cold. Many Europeans will not buy a British version of a car (such as GM or Ford), preferring the German versions. The British have bragged about quality for years, but sucked. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
"dsi1" <dsi1@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote in message > > I assume that you'd need special cutters to rebore the cylinder walls > and perhaps a lot of shops didn't understand the wall finishing process. > > Oh well, my guess is that the time for sleeveless alloy blocks in cars > has come and gone. It's likely that soon we won't be using pistons and > cylinders. You are right... Only the Sunnen hone treatment could hope to return one of those shitty engine cylinders to hopefully useable conditions. They burnished the aluminum away from the granules of silicon (simply put) in the original process. Sleeving may have worked.. I dont know. These were truly putzes of an engine. Mercedes Benz currently uses aluminum alloys that are somewhat similar. These blocks can only be machined in a few places in the USA (and the only one I know of is on the West Coast). Last count, it cost $3500 to machine and refinish a Mercedes block of this type. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
hls wrote:
> > "dsi1" <dsi1@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote in message >> >> I assume that you'd need special cutters to rebore the cylinder walls >> and perhaps a lot of shops didn't understand the wall finishing process. >> >> Oh well, my guess is that the time for sleeveless alloy blocks in cars >> has come and gone. It's likely that soon we won't be using pistons and >> cylinders. > > You are right... Only the Sunnen hone treatment could hope to return > one of those shitty engine cylinders to hopefully useable conditions. They > burnished the aluminum away from the granules of silicon (simply put) > in the original process. Sleeving may have worked.. I dont know. > > These were truly putzes of an engine. > > Mercedes Benz currently uses aluminum alloys that are somewhat similar. > > These blocks can only be machined in a few places in the USA (and the > only one I know of is on the West Coast). Last count, it cost $3500 to > machine and refinish a Mercedes block of this type. > Yes, but Mercedes and BMW engines are far less likely to need such service... nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
"Nate Nagel" <njnagel@roosters.net> wrote in message news:ha3d9n21u9q@news7.newsguy.com... > > Yes, but Mercedes and BMW engines are far less likely to need such > service... > > nate > 1000% right. We had one about a year or so ago. But it is unusual for one of them to fail in this way. I thought all the Vega alloy engines failed, but as I posted early, even the worst manufacturer in the world will occasionally let a good one slip through. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
hls wrote:
> > "dsi1" <dsi1@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote in message >>> Fiat is a bit of a joke, even in Europe. I lived there for many many >>> years. >> >> I'm guessing it's partially because they're such a big force in >> Europe, the same as GM is in the states. > > You would be very wrong... In Europe, many people buy for quality, or at > least perceived quality. Fiat and Lancia suck in this perception > outside of Italia. People outside Italy buy Fiat largely on price. I'm not sure why you would say I was wrong. I made no comment about the quality of Fiat cars nor did I say anything about what Europeans are looking for when they buy a car. Obviously, most people would rather have a Mercedes or a Lexus but the reality is that most people settle for a Chevy over here and a Fiat(or VW) in Europe. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
dsi1 wrote:
> hls wrote: >> >> "dsi1" <dsi1@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote in message >>>> Fiat is a bit of a joke, even in Europe. I lived there for many >>>> many years. >>> >>> I'm guessing it's partially because they're such a big force in >>> Europe, the same as GM is in the states. >> >> You would be very wrong... In Europe, many people buy for quality, or >> at least perceived quality. Fiat and Lancia suck in this perception >> outside of Italia. People outside Italy buy Fiat largely on price. > > I'm not sure why you would say I was wrong. I made no comment about the > quality of Fiat cars nor did I say anything about what Europeans are > looking for when they buy a car. > > Obviously, most people would rather have a Mercedes or a Lexus but the > reality is that most people settle for a Chevy over here and a Fiat(or > VW) in Europe. IME VW is a LARGE cut above Chevy... at least the A4 GTI I had felt like a little luxury car inside, and I had no real problems with it save for the #@$%@#$ window issues. My mom now loves it too :/ (gotta figure out how to get her to buy a new car so I can have it back...) nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
Nate Nagel wrote:
> dsi1 wrote: >> hls wrote: >>> >>> "dsi1" <dsi1@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote in message >>>>> Fiat is a bit of a joke, even in Europe. I lived there for many >>>>> many years. >>>> >>>> I'm guessing it's partially because they're such a big force in >>>> Europe, the same as GM is in the states. >>> >>> You would be very wrong... In Europe, many people buy for quality, or >>> at least perceived quality. Fiat and Lancia suck in this perception >>> outside of Italia. People outside Italy buy Fiat largely on price. >> >> I'm not sure why you would say I was wrong. I made no comment about >> the quality of Fiat cars nor did I say anything about what Europeans >> are looking for when they buy a car. >> >> Obviously, most people would rather have a Mercedes or a Lexus but the >> reality is that most people settle for a Chevy over here and a Fiat(or >> VW) in Europe. > > IME VW is a LARGE cut above Chevy... at least the A4 GTI I had felt > like a little luxury car inside, and I had no real problems with it save > for the #@$%@#$ window issues. My mom now loves it too :/ (gotta > figure out how to get her to buy a new car so I can have it back...) > > nate > I loved the VWs I've had. They did have some problems with the valve stem seals and the fuse boxes on the early FWD cars. Killer rust problems. As it goes, any car has it's weak points, well, Chevys and VWs and Fiats, anyway. :-) |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
Otis (rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com) writes:
> On Sep 30, 8:15=A0pm, Tegger <inva...@invalid.inv> wrote: >> "hls" <h...@nospam.nix> wrote innews:N_adnfqOvN5yAF7XnZ2dnUVZ_oqdnZ2d@gig= > anews.com: >> >> >> >> > "Otis" <rev_otis_mcn...@yahoo.com> wrote in message >> >news:1f20ce7d-cd39-4208-920c-08032814acbb@37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com.. >> > . >> >> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, >> >> and the Vega is always at or near the top of the list. =A0I've seen it >> >> a hundred times. =A0 I feel I should put in a good word for the little >> >> car. >> >> > That is, I believe, the car with the silicon/aluminum alloy >> > engine...That thing went out for most people very quickly. >> >> Anybody ever read the Wiki page on the Vega? It's a pretty good read. >> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Vega> >> >> Maybe I'm weird, but I always thought the Vega was a good-looking car. Bu= > t >> then I liked the Plymouth Duster as well. > > My Vega was a sporty bright color, but a plain Jane set of wheels. > One of my friends had a GT which was very cool; a sturdy-looking > and very sporty ride. Another had one of the "Millionth Vegas." > > I turned a little green with envy when he got that orange babe. > > from http://h-body.org/library/vegabob/ve...-complete.html > > "In May 1973, the Millionth Vega was produced; a bright orange GT > hatchback coupe, with white sport stripes, "Millionth Vega" door > handle > inserts, and power steering. interior featured neutral custom vinyl, > including exclusive vinyl door panels, and orange accent color > carpeting. > > "-A limited edition "Millionth Vega" option-ZM5 was offered..one per > dealer." > > Another buddy of mine got one of the "Spirit of America" models. > It was flashier than mine, but couldn't hold a candle to the GT > models. > This one ended up sitting in the carport of his parents' house till > just > recently! > > > > Was it true that those 'Special' Vegas came from the factory with a free case of 24 cans of oil in the trunk, and a special engraved chrome plated magnetic oil can/spout opener stuck to the firewall under the hood? |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
Tegger (invalid@invalid.inv) writes:
> "hls" <hls@nospam.nix> wrote in > news:N_adnfqOvN5yAF7XnZ2dnUVZ_oqdnZ2d@giganews.com : > >> >> "Otis" <rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote in message >> news:1f20ce7d-cd39-4208-920c-08032814acbb@37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com.. >> . >>> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, >>> and the Vega is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it >>> a hundred times. I feel I should put in a good word for the little >>> car. >> >> >> That is, I believe, the car with the silicon/aluminum alloy >> engine...That thing went out for most people very quickly. > > > > Anybody ever read the Wiki page on the Vega? It's a pretty good read. > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Vega> > > Maybe I'm weird, but I always thought the Vega was a good-looking car. But > then I liked the Plymouth Duster as well. > Even some dogs can extrude turds that have style. > >> >> Now, believe it or not, I have seen Yugos still on the road. Even the >> worst automaker allows a good one to slip out occasionally. >> > > > The Yugo was never sold in Canada, for some odd reason. Around the same > time as the Yugo was being imported to the US, we DID get all manner of > other, highly-unusual, Soviet-bloc machinery. > > Off the top of my head: > Lada 1600 (Russian Fiat 124 derivative) > Lada Niva (small Russian SUV) > Dacia (Romanian sedan; looks like a Renault 11, but dumpier) > Skoda (Czech sedan; had rear engine and side-opening hood) > ARO (Romanian 4WD; about the size of a Range Rover, but impossibly crude) > > We also got the Hyundai Pony, a truly, truly, awful car. > > The Lada 1600 actually drove pretty well. The new example I test-drove had > an impressively precise shifter. The salesman kept yammering on about how > the car's carburetor was "the closest thing you can get to a Weber" without > actually having a Weber, as though that was the vehicle's only selling > point. > > I never see ANY of the above anymore, EVER. And I drive a lot. > The KGB quietly bought them all up (running or not) after the Berlin Wall fell. They wanted their "special electronic equipment" back. > > -- > Tegger > |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
hls wrote:
> > "Nate Nagel" <njnagel@roosters.net> wrote in message > news:ha3d9n21u9q@news7.newsguy.com... > >> >> Yes, but Mercedes and BMW engines are far less likely to need such >> service... >> >> nate >> > 1000% right. We had one about a year or so ago. But it is unusual for > one of them to fail in this way. I thought all the Vega alloy engines > failed, > but as I posted early, even the worst manufacturer in the world will > occasionally let a good one slip through. My neighbor who had extensive experience with Vegas stated that the average life of an engine (from new) was about 75K. Sleeving at that point would make it good for another 200K if the rest of the car held up and did not rust away... JT |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
On Oct 2, 12:03 am, Grumpy AuContraire <Grumpy...@GrumpyvilleNOT.com>
wrote: > hls wrote: > > > "Nate Nagel" <njna...@roosters.net> wrote in message > >news:ha3d9n21u9q@news7.newsguy.com... > > >> Yes, but Mercedes and BMW engines are far less likely to need such > >> service... > > >> nate > > > 1000% right. We had one about a year or so ago. But it is unusual for > > one of them to fail in this way. I thought all the Vega alloy engines > > failed, > > but as I posted early, even the worst manufacturer in the world will > > occasionally let a good one slip through. > > My neighbor who had extensive experience with Vegas stated that the > average life of an engine (from new) was about 75K. Sleeving at that > point would make it good for another 200K if the rest of the car held up > and did not rust away... Never saw any sign of rust on mine, but I did live in GA. Average engine life about 75k? What was the average life of most engines of the era? I can remember cars back then with 50k that looked like they were about ready for the junk pile. A lot of it has to do with the owners. I smile when I remember back in 1990 when I bought a new Mazda. I overheard a dimwitted neighbor tell another neighbor that Mazdas were junk and broke down all the time. I still have the car and it still runs as well as my '09 Honda, no shimmy either. Also, IIRC the Vega I had was only about $2K, maybe a little more. That's less than $10K in 2008 dollars. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
On Fri, 2 Oct 2009 04:59:17 -0700 (PDT), Otis
<rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote: >On Oct 2, 12:03 am, Grumpy AuContraire <Grumpy...@GrumpyvilleNOT.com> >wrote: >> hls wrote: >> >> > "Nate Nagel" <njna...@roosters.net> wrote in message >> >news:ha3d9n21u9q@news7.newsguy.com... >> >> >> Yes, but Mercedes and BMW engines are far less likely to need such >> >> service... >> >> >> nate >> >> > 1000% right. We had one about a year or so ago. But it is unusual for >> > one of them to fail in this way. I thought all the Vega alloy engines >> > failed, >> > but as I posted early, even the worst manufacturer in the world will >> > occasionally let a good one slip through. >> >> My neighbor who had extensive experience with Vegas stated that the >> average life of an engine (from new) was about 75K. Sleeving at that >> point would make it good for another 200K if the rest of the car held up >> and did not rust away... > >Never saw any sign of rust on mine, but I did live in GA. Average >engine >life about 75k? What was the average life of most engines of the >era? I can >remember cars back then with 50k that looked like they were about >ready >for the junk pile. A lot of it has to do with the owners. I smile >when I remember >back in 1990 when I bought a new Mazda. I overheard a dimwitted >neighbor >tell another neighbor that Mazdas were junk and broke down all the >time. >I still have the car and it still runs as well as my '09 Honda, no >shimmy >either. > >Also, IIRC the Vega I had was only about $2K, maybe a little more. >That's less than $10K in 2008 dollars. I can vividly remember breaking the 100 K mile barrier as being the reason to celebrate. Having said that I also remember my 61 - 225 push button automatic Valiant having 235 K on the clock. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
Otis wrote:
> On Oct 2, 12:03 am, Grumpy AuContraire <Grumpy...@GrumpyvilleNOT.com> > wrote: > >>hls wrote: >> >> >>>"Nate Nagel" <njna...@roosters.net> wrote in message >>>news:ha3d9n21u9q@news7.newsguy.com... >> >>>>Yes, but Mercedes and BMW engines are far less likely to need such >>>>service... >> >>>>nate >> >>>1000% right. We had one about a year or so ago. But it is unusual for >>>one of them to fail in this way. I thought all the Vega alloy engines >>>failed, >>>but as I posted early, even the worst manufacturer in the world will >>>occasionally let a good one slip through. >> >>My neighbor who had extensive experience with Vegas stated that the >>average life of an engine (from new) was about 75K. Sleeving at that >>point would make it good for another 200K if the rest of the car held up >>and did not rust away... > > > Never saw any sign of rust on mine, but I did live in GA. Average > engine > life about 75k? What was the average life of most engines of the > era? Any car that was reasonably maintained could expect an engine to last at least to 125K. I can > remember cars back then with 50k that looked like they were about > ready > for the junk pile. A lot of it has to do with the owners. Again, it's the issue of maintenance. I smile > when I remember > back in 1990 when I bought a new Mazda. I overheard a dimwitted > neighbor > tell another neighbor that Mazdas were junk and broke down all the > time. > I still have the car and it still runs as well as my '09 Honda, no > shimmy > either. All of my Hondas have more than 100K but they are old. I refuse to own any car that has a computer and the dreaded "check engine" light. > Also, IIRC the Vega I had was only about $2K, maybe a little more. > That's less than $10K in 2008 dollars. And for that you can buy a new Kia or Hyundai with 100K/ten year warranties. JT |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
Clete wrote:
> On Fri, 2 Oct 2009 04:59:17 -0700 (PDT), Otis > <rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote: > > >>On Oct 2, 12:03 am, Grumpy AuContraire <Grumpy...@GrumpyvilleNOT.com> >>wrote: >> >>>hls wrote: >>> >>> >>>>"Nate Nagel" <njna...@roosters.net> wrote in message >>>>news:ha3d9n21u9q@news7.newsguy.com... >>> >>>>>Yes, but Mercedes and BMW engines are far less likely to need such >>>>>service... >>> >>>>>nate >>> >>>>1000% right. We had one about a year or so ago. But it is unusual for >>>>one of them to fail in this way. I thought all the Vega alloy engines >>>>failed, >>>>but as I posted early, even the worst manufacturer in the world will >>>>occasionally let a good one slip through. >>> >>>My neighbor who had extensive experience with Vegas stated that the >>>average life of an engine (from new) was about 75K. Sleeving at that >>>point would make it good for another 200K if the rest of the car held up >>>and did not rust away... >> >>Never saw any sign of rust on mine, but I did live in GA. Average >>engine >>life about 75k? What was the average life of most engines of the >>era? I can >>remember cars back then with 50k that looked like they were about >>ready >>for the junk pile. A lot of it has to do with the owners. I smile >>when I remember >>back in 1990 when I bought a new Mazda. I overheard a dimwitted >>neighbor >>tell another neighbor that Mazdas were junk and broke down all the >>time. >>I still have the car and it still runs as well as my '09 Honda, no >>shimmy >>either. >> >>Also, IIRC the Vega I had was only about $2K, maybe a little more. >>That's less than $10K in 2008 dollars. > > > > I can vividly remember breaking the 100 K mile barrier as being the > reason to celebrate. Having said that I also remember my 61 - 225 push > button automatic Valiant having 235 K on the clock. Yes, almost any well maintained vehicle of the era could exceed 200K. My old Studebaker T-Cab which I sold a couple of years ago was pushing 300K in actual miles and yes, the engine was beginning to show signs of being "tired." JT |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
"Clete" <lecllaij@halifax.ca> wrote in message news:aerbc59h9m208thu8048qmu2d5abnofogc@4ax.com... > On Fri, 2 Oct 2009 04:59:17 -0700 (PDT), Otis > <rev_otis_mcnatt@yahoo.com> wrote: > >>On Oct 2, 12:03 am, Grumpy AuContraire >><Grumpy...@GrumpyvilleNOT.com> >>wrote: >>> hls wrote: >>> >>> > "Nate Nagel" <njna...@roosters.net> wrote in message >>> >news:ha3d9n21u9q@news7.newsguy.com... >>> >>> >> Yes, but Mercedes and BMW engines are far less likely to need >>> >> such >>> >> service... >>> >>> >> nate >>> >>> > 1000% right. We had one about a year or so ago. But it is >>> > unusual for >>> > one of them to fail in this way. I thought all the Vega alloy >>> > engines >>> > failed, >>> > but as I posted early, even the worst manufacturer in the world >>> > will >>> > occasionally let a good one slip through. >>> >>> My neighbor who had extensive experience with Vegas stated that >>> the >>> average life of an engine (from new) was about 75K. Sleeving at >>> that >>> point would make it good for another 200K if the rest of the car >>> held up >>> and did not rust away... >> >>Never saw any sign of rust on mine, but I did live in GA. Average >>engine >>life about 75k? What was the average life of most engines of the >>era? I can >>remember cars back then with 50k that looked like they were about >>ready >>for the junk pile. A lot of it has to do with the owners. I smile >>when I remember >>back in 1990 when I bought a new Mazda. I overheard a dimwitted >>neighbor >>tell another neighbor that Mazdas were junk and broke down all the >>time. >>I still have the car and it still runs as well as my '09 Honda, no >>shimmy >>either. >> >>Also, IIRC the Vega I had was only about $2K, maybe a little more. >>That's less than $10K in 2008 dollars. > > > I can vividly remember breaking the 100 K mile barrier as being the > reason to celebrate. Having said that I also remember my 61 - 225 > push > button automatic Valiant having 235 K on the clock. Had one of those Valiants....got pretty rusted after a lot of years in NJ winters with road salts. The body didn't even feel like it was attached to the frame, and the gas gauge was making a hard right hand turn....if you smelled gas, you had some. Didn't think much about it then (young and dumb), but now it's pretty seems quite scary. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
On Sep 30, 11:46 am, Otis <rev_otis_mcn...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Over the years, the inevitable subject of worst cars ever comes up, > and the Vega > is always at or near the top of the list. I've seen it a hundred > times. I feel I should > put in a good word for the little car. A friend of mine had a Vega back in the day, and considering that he drove the living dog crap out of the thing, I think it held up ok. I mean he tortured that car, and drove it like it was a four banger race car. He tortured everything he drove. His gas pedal had two positions. Idle, and full throttle. :/ I never had one, but I did have a 77 Chevette back in the 80's. I never had any real trouble with it. It was eventually totaled when a 16 year old clown decided to smack my drivers side with his parents Impala. We were out in the country on a dirt road, and he was playing Dukes of Hazzard. He came flying around a corner nearly sideways and I left the road trying to avoid him, but he still smacked me right in my drivers door. Pushed the door into the left side of the dash. I had three people in the car and no one was hurt. I was wearing a belt, and besides having glass in my hair, no damage. But the car was toast. :( I also rented new Chevettes back in the day from time to time. I liked them cuz they sipped gas compared to most of the stuff out there. I probably got 35 mpg on the road which was not too bad. But on long trips it could get to you because there was very little room to move your legs around. But the hatchback was handy. Back then I always had killer stereos in cars, and I had home speaker systems laying in the back. It was fairly kick ass. |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
"Stewart" <stewartgg@american.org> wrote in message news:ha18gn$dfn$1@news.eternal-september.org... > I've had good luck with 60's Ramblers. '63 Classic, and a '66....great > cars, and the front seat folded down to the rear > seat......perfect................... Bwaaaahaha. Memories. I had a '59 Rumbler, stick 6 ("the only foreign car made in America"). Having done the "nasty" in the front seat of a Hillman Minx, which requires great agility, effort and concentration, that instant bedroom feature was a spectacular upgrade. It was also extremely reliable. The thing would start before you could let go of the key. Also had a '60 American rag top. Very cute, but a real pile of crap, mechanically. Go figure. Regarding Vegas, I once had a girlfriend who drove one with that gawdawful lime green paint. Had to let her go.......................... ;-{ |
Re: A little spare time to think. Remembering my Chevy Vega..
"uncle K" <nospam@all.com> wrote in message news:I_-dnWdNf7KVE1rXnZ2dnUVZ_oednZ2d@earthlink.com... > > "Stewart" <stewartgg@american.org> wrote in message > news:ha18gn$dfn$1@news.eternal-september.org... > >> I've had good luck with 60's Ramblers. '63 Classic, and a >> '66....great cars, and the front seat folded down to the rear >> seat......perfect................... > > Bwaaaahaha. Memories. I had a '59 Rumbler, stick 6 ("the only > foreign car made in America"). Having done the "nasty" in the front > seat of a Hillman Minx, which requires great agility, effort and > concentration, that instant bedroom feature was a spectacular > upgrade. It was also extremely reliable. The thing would start > before you could let go of the key. Also had a '60 American rag > top. Very cute, but a real pile of crap, mechanically. Go figure. Anyone that has ever gotten twisted up in the steering column up front has always appreciated the good sense Ramble had with the fold down seat design. If they had sold more of them, we might have had another generation of "baby boomers"... > > Regarding Vegas, I once had a girlfriend who drove one with that > gawdawful lime green paint. Had to let her > go.......................... > > ;-{ > |
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