Ask the Car People.SM


The Best Cars From The '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s

118 messages,  Last post on Oct 02, 2011 at 9:47 PM

You are in the Classic Cars Forum.

What is this discussion about? Classic Cars

Messages Page 9 of 12

#79 of 118 Re: Riviera And Toronado [sandman_6472] by berri

Sep 29, 2011 (11:56 am)

Replying to: sandman_6472 (Sep 29, 2011 8:58 am)
Speaking of 50's big GM cars, I always thought the 55/56 Buick, Olds and Caddy were classic looking vehicles even today. With Pontiac, I lean more toward the 58 and 59. Olds pulled the 59 new look off better than Buick IMO. The 59 Caddy is a car of great debate, but that alone really makes it a milestone vehicle. Personally, there's something about it that symbolizes our growth, strength and optimism as a country back then, so I'll always be a fan.

#80 of 118 Re: Should be broken down further... [fintail] by berri

Sep 29, 2011 (12:01 pm)

Replying to: fintail (Sep 29, 2011 11:41 am)
The 70's have a lot of things going against it like rapid run up in demand, inflation and Nixonomics, the initiation of EPA and safety rules, etc. I think I best remember the decade for GM's success in starting the effective downsizing trend. People can bash GM, but cars like the 77 Impala were an outstanding engineering accomplishment and a market success story. It was a milestone car IMO.

#81 of 118 Re: Should be broken down further... [berri] by uplanderguy

Sep 29, 2011 (12:41 pm)

Replying to: berri (Sep 29, 2011 12:01 pm)
cars like the 77 Impala were an outstanding engineering accomplishment and a market success story. It was a milestone car IMO
 
I've mentioned before how we had a bright red '77 Impala coupe 305 bought new in Nov. '76. We traded in a '74 Impala Sport Coupe and I liked driving the '77 better in every possible way. I was away at college and a hometown buddy told me on the phone, "I saw your Dad driving a new Impala!". I went home for the weekend and shortly after I got home my Dad asked if I could run an errand and take the car. The '77 was in the garage, but I knew about it already!

#82 of 118 Re: Should be broken down further... [uplanderguy] by lemmer

Sep 29, 2011 (12:57 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Sep 29, 2011 12:41 pm)
My dad had a '76, I think.
 
The '77s still just seemed like typical land barges to me. By 1977, you could easily buy cars with fuel injection, 4 wheel independent suspension, decent gas mileage, etc. So, how exactly was the Impala breaking new ground?

#83 of 118 Re: Should be broken down further... [lemmer] by texases

Sep 29, 2011 (1:08 pm)

Replying to: lemmer (Sep 29, 2011 12:57 pm)
The '77 Impala may not have been a technical breakthrough in any one area, but it proved to buyers that 'downsizing' could be pretty much painless, with better cars, better handling, better mpgs, and just about the same amount of room. So by that measure they were certainly one of the best US cars of the 70s.
 
The downsized Caprices became very popular, showing up in neighborhoods formerly frequented by Buicks and Caddys.

#84 of 118 Re: Should be broken down further... [texases] by uplanderguy

Sep 29, 2011 (1:19 pm)

Replying to: texases (Sep 29, 2011 1:08 pm)
The '77 GM full-sizes were revolutionary when introduced. One of the first cars to use computers extensively in design. The big question on everybody's mind...will Americans pay as much, or more, for a smaller full-size car? They were about the same size, or slightly shorter, than the same year's 'midsize' models (Chevelle, etc.). They actually had more usable interior space and trunk room than the behemoth '76's before them, but had 600+ pounds trimmed out of them. They got much better MPG with better performance too. One drive and the cars sold themselves...they were whisper-quiet and smooth but not mushy-riding. They were engineered to not have all the boxed-in rust-prone body areas the previous cars had too.

#85 of 118 Re: Should be broken down further... [uplanderguy] by lemmer

Sep 29, 2011 (1:49 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Sep 29, 2011 1:19 pm)
I guess all that was lost upon me as a seven year old. I wanted a 911 or a Camaro at the time, as I recall.
 
I still think the '76s look cooler than the '77s.

#86 of 118 Re: Should be broken down further... [lemmer] by berri

Sep 29, 2011 (1:50 pm)

Replying to: lemmer (Sep 29, 2011 12:57 pm)
The '77s still just seemed like typical land barges to me. By 1977, you could easily buy cars with fuel injection, 4 wheel independent suspension, decent gas mileage, etc. So, how exactly was the Impala breaking new ground?
 
...but not really on a large sized car. Space utilization and efficiency were key on it. Also, a 350 actually got pretty good mileage compared to its peers for that period in time.

#87 of 118 Re: Should be broken down further... [lemmer] by berri

Sep 29, 2011 (1:51 pm)

Replying to: lemmer (Sep 29, 2011 1:49 pm)
I still think the '76s look cooler than the '77s.
 
I'd probably go with the 71 sports coupe personally.

#88 of 118 Re: Should be broken down further... [berri] by uplanderguy

Sep 29, 2011 (2:24 pm)

Replying to: berri (Sep 29, 2011 1:51 pm)
I agree with Andre that the '72 Impala had a nicer-looking grille and rear bumper-taillight combo, as well as nicer seat trim, than the '71, IMHO, but I did like the '71's wide rocker trim. The '71's looked nice even without the optional (except Custom Coupe) wheel opening moldings and body side moldings.

Messages Page 9 of 12

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement