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Classic Cars 50 Worst Cars of All Time
298 messages, Last post on May 11, 2009 at 1:53 PM
You are in the Classic Cars Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Nov 13, 2008 9:12 am) Now the '61 Amphicar? One of the worse? Nah...
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Replying to: steve_ (Nov 13, 2008 7:49 pm) Model Ts are very cool, but it takes some practice to learn to drive one---they are pretty weird. I always wanted to build a Model T Speedster. You can modernize them with electric starter, weather equipment and I think even a water pump (it didn't have one). |
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is that for what a cheap reputation it got, there was a dress-up trim package for it that would actually put many modern subcompacts to shame! Now, considering that most modern subcompacts are just acres of hard, gray or putty plastic with fabrics that are about the texture of patio furniture from Walmart, that's really not hard to do. I've seen a few Chevettes at classic car shows (shudder the thought) that have been nicely preserved. The dress-up package gave it some fairly decent cloth seats, carpeting in the hatch area and lower door panels, and vinyl trim on the upper doors, rather than hard plastic. And it was available in a few different colors, like red, blue, etc. Now, would it be durable for the long term, compared to today's cars? Probably not, because hard plastic will wear better, and the fabrics they use for seats are probably treated, and simply more durable. But, when taken care of, it presents itself better IMO. Plus there are just other details, such as how exposed metal, when painted and shiny, looks nicer than hard plastic, even if it's more dangerous. And all that chrome-dipped plastic looks nice...until it starts to peel off! And colors like gray and putty just tend to make a cheap interior look cheaper, whereas the right shade of blue, red, etc can hid the fact that it's cheap. Now, that being said, if forced to choose, I'd still take any modern subcompact over a Chevette! And probably most of the competition from its era! But still, seeing that package with the dressed up interior did give me a newfound respect for the
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Replying to: andre1969 (Nov 14, 2008 5:00 am)
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Replying to: lemmer (Nov 14, 2008 6:55 am)  
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Replying to: texases (Nov 14, 2008 6:57 am) |
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Replying to: andre1969 (Nov 14, 2008 5:00 am) 
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Replying to: andre1969 (Nov 14, 2008 5:00 am) On that note, I can't recall the last time I saw an early Tempo or Celebrity etc. |
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Replying to: texases (Nov 14, 2008 6:57 am) |
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I had a 1974 Honda Civic at college, while my friend had a 76 Chevette. Both were new cars, presents from benevolent parents (who in my case were short-stopping the purchase of a previously owned and repeatedly wrecked Spitfire). His car seemed bigger than mine...so we'd take his car more often... but the Civic was a much more refined product. We all called the Chevette (since it was red) the Russian Industrial Product, or the RIP (or the R-I-P). It wouldn't move away from the curb on an uphill grade with 4 people in it (automatic); we had to get out and move it to level ground. It roared, it shook, but it was cockroach-tough. It would run, no matter what we broke or tore. and Mario was trying to kill it out of hate.. None of us knew exactly what to think of the Civic. Most people didn't even know Honda made cars in those days. It was seen as something of a joke, in those years. A girl friend's brother smilingly told me that my Civic's tires were exactly the same size as those on a forklift where he was working that summer. He had a Chevelle. It would be several years before Hondas were viewed with any respect. Size, not quality was the issue. American cars were junk, and Japanese cars were better- That seemed to be common knowledge. However, it branded you as wierd to own a Japanese car - sort of like announcing at Christmas dinner that you're a vegetarian. People tolerate you and recognize that you have (in your own mind) good reasons for what you've done, but you're clearly not a normal guy and you shouldn't be dating my sister, Bud. Still, the Civic was reliable, comparatively quiet, and -other than being more humbling to own than a Chevette, it was great. It used no gas at all, even during the horror-days of $1.00 a gallon gas. I drove it as fast as it would go, but usually alone since friends used to American mammoths found it too small for comfort. (Certainly my driving skills and speed were not a factor  ). Looking up at Semi tires was. But, back to the Chevette. We all felt that the Chevette was a disgrace to Chevy. Recall that it was during our high school years that the greats of the Muscle Car Era were on the scene. The Road Runners, the Chevelles, the Camaros, the Cuda's. When one saw a Chevette painted in the same red as a 69 Camaro, it made the strongest of American men want to cry. 
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Classic Cars 50 Worst Cars of All Time
