Ah, the Malaise era. That bit of time when there was very few, if any, good vehicles from American manufacturers. OPEC oil embargos and stringent fuel economy and emissions regulations meant that the average American car from 1975 to 1983 or thereabouts was not particularly good when it came to speed and handling, which were not priorities anymore. Isolation? Now that they could do.
Maybe it was the fact that America had realized its collective lifestyle was full of privilege and could easily be shattered if hit in the right place. Maybe it was the new wave of social responsibility that would only increase as years went by. Or maybe it was just the tastes of the era. But, exceptions like the Vega, the Mustang II and other economy and sporty cars aside, an American car was a place to isolate yourself from anyone or anything, a cocoon to keep you safe from the horrible world and its troubles. Never mind the repercussions of Vietnam, and the fact you can only buy a couple of gallons of gas at a time. You’re safe here in your world of comfy button-backed leather seats, column shifts and plastiwood. Hairpins? A spirited drive through the canyons? Nah, that’s far too racy and besides, you could get hurt. It really is the best to keep those roads straight and that cruise control on.
For all their shortcomings however, they were really good at that: Coupe DeVilles and Continental Marks that epitomize the personal luxury car, in designer editions for those that wanted their clothing and their cars to have matching labels. You could have a car in any color that would take your fancy and if that wasn’t enough, there was no shortage of people wanting to fit waterfall grilles and huge headlights to whichever car you bought.
I’m sure a lot of us appreciate the comfort and plushness of the cars of the Malaise era. In fact, one of my favorite cars is from the Malaise era. However, if I had the chance to own one I’d have to give it a lot of thought. Would I be able to put up with all its drawbacks and limitations? It’s not like they were all completely terrible–just mostly. But what about you? If that malaise sled of your dreams shows up with a nice price tag and some flash on its opera lights, would you take the plunge? Or would you conclude that those dreams were actually nightmares?
78 Pontiac Sunbird notchback with Buick V6. Or even the Iron Duke. Lots of faux luxury touches and the version with the opera windows and vinyl top turn it into a fuel efficient “Brougham” of the “Malaise Era”. Styling is quite clean and cohesive with well integrated bumpers and no awkward angles anywhere.
78 AMC Concord, 76 Mercury Grand Monarch, Chrysler LeBaron, Fury II, AMC Ambassador, any of the Brougham affected compacts: Dart, Valiant, Nova Concours.
I always thought larger cars got to be such a ridiculous size weight and width with their inefficient interior dimensions relative to their exteriors that it was obscene. 76 Olds Toronado anyone ? 73 Monte Carlo ?
I learned to drive in the era and while my folks always had big cars till the 80s appreciated the smooth ride and the isolation but the bulk was uncalled for.
The Xs Ks and Omnirizon still fascinate me with their packaging and design efficiency. Probably why my Dad’s Olds Ciera impressed me so much: kind of Broughamy inside, fuel and space efficient, quiet, smooth ride. Made me a GM fan until…
If I could have another 79 Malibu – without the nasty gas tank problems – I’d take it. But I would want a modern car too. The Malaise era cars were not built to go the mileage new cars can. My Malibu was never mistreated but it was a rusty mess at 145k. My grandfather always had it serviced as did the folks who bought it from him.
In contrast, my Regal was running great at 150k, no rust, always started.
I could be talked into an enormous Cadillac from the 70s. Just the biggest land yacht ever…a rolling middle finger to every Prius on the road.
And unrelated, speaking of the Prius and its bretheren, those little boogers are hapless in snow. There were a couple stuck on my hill when the snow came in a few nights ago. Yikes. I have a feeling people have them and then buy SUVs too, which sort of cancels things out.
What kind of gas tank problem? I have never had any of that with mine. When it was new the sunroof leaked into the trunk until the dealer found out that some jerk at the factory had run the drain tube into the trunk instead of down the A pillar like it was supposed to be. I had carb problems the first year I had it but a local mechanic fixed some of the built in problems with that. I did break the 4 speed when it was about 10 years old, but some of that is from my early abuse I think.
I would love any car that my folks owned when I was growing up – 1972 Toronado, 1977 Caprice Estate, 1979 Riviera, 1982 Country Squire…….and I would love to find a mint condition V-8 Mustang II Ghia, black with chamois package. SOLD!!!!
Don’t know if my 81 Scirocco counts…malaise era, but German
Nice! I’d happily DD this car. But more “Malaise era” then Malaise car.
My favorite car from the 70’s would have to be a 1974-1976 Caddy Coupe de Ville in either Mandarin Orange, or Persian Lime with the coordinating plaid cloth seats. Must have the white landau Cabriolet roof, opera lamps, white pin stripes, faux Caddy spoke wheel covers, and big thick whitewalls.
Of course it wouldn’t be complete without an AM/FM/8Track, 60/40 split front bench, Twilight Sentinel,and Guidematic lights.
And.. the big gigantic V8 that guzzles gas like there’s no tomorrow.
LOVE IT
I’ve owned this ’77 Pontiac Can Am since 1979, LOVE it! It’s only has 200 horse power but back in the day that was more than the Vette and it gets alot of looks where ever I drive it. I took it to the local Pontiac dealer for service back in the ’80’s they wanted to know if it was something that I made up; they had never seen one before
If that car is rust free, keep it forever. Looks like a Grand AM with a different grille.
Also keep that ’77 Chevelle, even though it is a 4 door. I had a ’73 Laguna woodgrain wagon (back in ’79) I sold it because the pinion bearing failed. Yes, it also had high mileage, but it looked great. 350 engines and TH350 transmissions from that era are still a dime a dozen. Brakes, steering and suspension were a model of simplicity, but worked fine.
While I don’t believe any of these cars will ever be true collectibles (at least not in my lifetime) many are highly sought after and going up in price. IMO, any RWD car without a computer is worth hanging onto. As these cars keep getting older, many, like my ’72 Pinto, qualify for collector car insurance, which does away with emissions testing, at least in my state. For me, there is a lot of pleasure and satisfaction in owning and driving a RWD, non computer car. To me, they are the absolute last of the desirable cars. They are from a different era, and will never be back. Keep as many of them on the road for as long as possible. Not only are they fun to drive out there with all the little guppie mobiles, but they can be worked on with common hand tools, and maybe a timing light and multimeter.
MAGNIFICENT!
I disagree with junkyard…even if it has rust, don’t you never ever sell.
I do own a Malaise era car… a 1977 Chevrolet Malibu Classic sedan. Not swift with the 145hp 305, but it goes down the road with minimal drama, and returns decent mileage (19-21mpg on the highway) With 5 of us on board and one in a bulky infant seat, there’s still plenty of room in it for a road trip.
Slowly making it better in terms of performance, build quality is still largely 1976 GM Arlington plant, so it still has plenty of panel misalignments, but I still love that big ole boat, flaws and all.
Love my Malaise-era, Deadliest Deadly Sin. … wouldn’t have it any other way.
1979 Cadillac Seville 38K miles
In my mind, the “malaise era” is mostly about American cars. I got my license in ’80, and my first couple of cars were pure American Malaise. I will never own another.
That having been said, there were foreign cars sold during the Malaise era, that I’ve either owned, or would like to. Volvo 240s, of course – I had dozens, although they got better in the post-malaise years. I’d also like to own any of a number of tiny, RWD Japanese cars from the era – after removing the smog parts!
Interesting is that around 1970 and in the years to follow the mainstream automakers here started to introduce bigger models with more powerful engines. Cars like the Fiat 130, Renault 20/30, Peugeot 604 and Ford Granada. The year 1972 was also the starting point of BMW’s M division.
Small and light cars with tiny fuel-efficient 4 cylinder engines. That’s what most folks already drove when the first oil crisis hit. If they had a car at all.
Have owned:
1975 Caprice Classic
1977 Nova
1978 Nova Concours, two of them
1978 Caprice Coupe
1978 Mustang Ghia
1982 Corvette
1984 Caprice Classic
And then an Skylark and a Oldsmobile Omega j- body, forgot the years for those, Buick with a V6, Olds with the line-4….
All of those,mexcept for the Buick and Olds, I would happily own again!
What is the definition of “malaise” ? Many of these “malaise” era cars mentioned in this thread are not at all like the 74 Thunderbird with its John Waters style lipstick decor option.Some are reasonably sized and very good looking eg
Granada/Monarch
Dodge Dart Swinger
Plymouth Duster
all the original GM colonnade style cars
Mustang II fastback
Camaro/Firebird
Vega (beautiful if unreliable)
Monte Carlo (big but not a whale)
and some of the full sized cars were handsome too -the green mid 70’s Chrysler Newport featured last week proved that you didn’t have to resort to camp trim options, opera windows, fake landau irons and phoney Rolls Royce front ends to make a big car beautiful.
While the Brougham epoch and the Malaise era certainly overlapped heavily and there are many cars that are both a Malaise era car certainly does not have to be a Brougham.
Many of the examples you give are definitely Malaise but not Brougham. The Granada/Monarch and the bulk of the Colonnades are certainly both.
I would own any RWD American car as a hobby car as long as it does not have EFI or a computer. Some of my favorite cars are from the ’70s Pretty much ANY 2 door ’70s car is high on my list, and even a couple of 4 doors, like the Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch, and several RWD woodgrain station wagons. My all time favorites are the personal luxury coupes (Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Chrysler Cordoba, Buick Century and Regal, Olds Cutlass, ’73-’78 Chevelle and the BOP equivalents, Ford Thunderbird through ’79, Lincoln Mark IV and Mark V, economy cars like the Vega, Pinto, Gremlin, and Pacer, and sporty cars like the ’70-’81 Camaro/Firebird, Mustang through ’78, Corvette (specifically the ’74-’77) Dodge Charger and Challenger (through ’74) and the Charger and Magnum with the Cordoba body, Roadrunner through ’73,
I don’t see any “malaise” in any of those cars (and I’m sure I’m forgetting several) The complaints most people had with them was a lack of power and the safety bumpers. I can see how that might have seemed like a big deal back then. But if only people knew what was just around the corner. The days of wimpy little egg shaped FWD, 4 door sedans with EFI, ABS, air bags, and computer controlled everything, and swoopy cookie cutter SUVs with the same issues (mostly the car based ones) was the true beginning of “malaise” vehicles for me.
Vehicles went through many styles from the 1900s through the 1970s, but it seems we are going to be stuck with the current crop of awful vehicles forever. Just look at the difference between a ’64 car and a ’74. Huge difference. Yet my 15 year old FWD Malibu still looks “modern ” compared to cars from 10 years ago. In fact, it’s bodystyle goes back to 1997. So after 18 years, it still looks modern. It looks like this style of car, just like the horrible BMX bicycle (I had several Schwinn Sting Rays when I was a kid, but they are long gone. That style lasted just over 10 years, but the BMX crap has been around for 40 years, and shows no sign of letting up) will be here for the rest of my life. I own a ’72 Pinto, but I would trade that, and a whole lot of money, for a mid ’70s Monte Carlo or Grand Prix. I would even be proud to show off those huge bumpers in today’s age of blobmobiles. And I could easily fix the power problem now, if I wanted to.
I like the big heavy plain chrome bumpers of the malaise era. In fact, I prefer to have such a bumper. bumpers should stick out far enough to stand on them and they should be solid steel and heavy enough to use as a battering ram or a tow bar.. This is my preference.
Me too! The bumpers give the old Broughams I see parked at the curb a grizzled, don’t mess with me look. It’s positive imagery.
JD… NOTHING wrong with BMX bikes, they are just as much classic, if not cooler, than those banana seat bikes.
Plus, those BMXs make money. Bikes like the old 80’s GTs, Hutches, Skyways, CWs, Redlines, Kuwaharas, GJS, JMC, Free Agent, etc. are what the collectors are looking for.
Those were the bikes, when I was younger. BMX bikes like Webco, D&G and National Pro are worth $2500-5000 or so.
Actually I liked the first ones. I raced real MX as a teenager (and got hurt several times) many years later, I got my youngest daughter into BMX, as something we could do together. She raced, I wrenched and bought things. It was fun for quite some time, but she finally grew out of her tomboy phase.
But I mean, It’s been 40 years. We seem to be stuck in a time loop somehow. The first bean mobile, the Ford Taurus, came out 30 years ago, and car makers have been refining them ever since, trying their best to make all cars look alike and have FWD and 4 doors, while piling on more and more computer crap. We are so dug in here it may be impossible to get out. Imagine your great great grandchildren driving cars that look just like they do today, but loaded down with tons more computer crap.
Rather than buying another $10,000 transportation car, it makes me want to take my old Fairlane, put a new engine in it, install a new A/C system, and replace a few other minor parts, and use it for transportation, all over town and all over the country.
Yes, starting with a 1976 Porsche Turbo. No malaise there.
Yes. I own a 1976 International Harvester Scout II, which has the added Malaise-y distinction of being produced by a company that died during that period. It’s big, loud, unsafe, and gets lousy gas mileage. But the roof comes off, it goes anywhere, and it always makes me smile.
Yes, I have owned a couple of malaise-era cars. Two Renault 5, a ’78 and an ’82. I’ve had two Citroen GS both of them ’75. I also count 3 of the 4 Peugeot 505 in that era- an ’82 sedan, and ’82 and ’84 wagons.
But I’m sure you meany American Iron.
Here’s a family shot of the 1978 line of Chrysler LeBaron’s. (from http://www.vintageadbrowser.com). I like the coupe the most.
Used to own:
1974 Chevy 4 door hardtop (white vinyl top over metallic blue.) I remember having clients with me when a rub strip fell off the passenger side.
1981 Fairmont all-white 4 door with 200 six.
I owned 2 Fords from the malaise era,a 79 Cortina 1.6 GL and a Granada 2.8 GL.They were both very good cars.
A car I’d forgotten about was the 81 Imperial,a CCer has one with working injection.
The 1974 Pontiac Trans Am Super Duty… the car that bucked the trend, of NO power during the Malaise Era. The last of an extinct breed… 🙁
1974 Trans Am Super Duty 455
I had a 78 Caprice and a 76 Camaro. My folks had two 78 Cutlasses, a 79 Zephyr, a 79 Regal, an 83 Le Sabre and an 83 Bonneville. All were decent and reliable cars.
As a hobby/weekend cruiser car, absolutely. I love all the baroque-y kitch on big barges from the Brougham Epoch.
In a “if I won the lottery senario” this is at least what I’d get-
’70s-A triple red, a triple black and/or a Bill Blass white and blue Lincoln Mk V. Also a Lincoln Town Car from the same later 70s era with the parthenon grille and the oval opera windows. A white or black ’72 Eldorado drop top. A ’74 Fleetwood Talisman.
’80s-A burgundy Fleetwood Brougham with velour interior and gold package, preferably one with the 8-6-4 engine or one of the ones after the 4100. A Lincoln Mk VI sedan, triple red or black. An Eldorado Biarritz in black or red, preferably an early model.
Almost too late to post this, but a fun look
http://smog-era.com/
1.4 door sedans
2.4 door trucks
3.4 door SUVs
4.mini-vans that became maxi vans
5.ABS
6.EFI
7.airbags
8.ethanol laced fuel
9.hybrids
10.total lack of style.all vehicles of a certain category now look alike.
11.on board tracking systems that allow your no style car to be tracked anywhere in the world
12.Interactive computer and phone systems which have caused an alarming increase of DUI (and it’s legal)
I agree with all that except for #1, #5, and #6, all of which my beloved ’96 Crown Vic possess. ABS saved my ass in a ’95 Grand Marquis I once owned when the steering column coupling under the dash fell apart at 35mph…
I have disconnected both the ABS and airbags in my Malibu. I do wear a seat belt in that car, but no way am I going to have a bomb go off right in my face. The ABS went because I found it worthless on dirt and icy roads. I almost witnessed a fatal collision between a minivan and an 18 wheeler that happened several cars ahead of me, at a stop light, on icy roads up in the mountains, during daylight hours. The light turned green, and the truck, which was a ways ahead of me, took off. A guy in a minivan tried to pull up to the red light in front of him and stop, but on the slippery surface, his brakes didn’t work. He slammed into the front corner of the truck, his wife in the front seat (on the right side of the van, which took most of the impact) and 2 kids in the back seat were all killed. I got out and walked up to take a look, as did several others including the truck driver but there was nothing we could do. The cops and EMTs showed up real quick. They airlifted the driver out and he survived, the others died at the scene. Had the driver realized his brakes would not work, he had time to steer the van off the road and into a field. There might have been some injuries, but not likely any deaths, since there would have been no impact.
Would I drive a Malaise car?
I have two of them. One is a ’77 Thunderbird that’s been in my family since new. The other is a ’78 Continental we affectionately call the Green Sofa.
What’s interesting is that there is actually a huge difference in how they handle! The Thunderbird, weighing 700 pounds less and being a foot and a half shorter than the Continental, feels downright lithe when cornering compared to the Conti. But, that 400 with a 2-barrel just has no oomph compared to that 460 with the 2.75 traction lock axle. The Bird’s great at half-throttle, but when those massive secondaries open on the 4-barrel 460, that giant Continental feels like it’s flying!
Mind, of course, they both feel like slugs compared to modern cars. But, they’re both delightful to drive.
Love that Continental! Both the 2- and 4-doors of that generation are favorites, and yours looks stunning! What color is that specifically? (Other than simply “green”…)
The color is Crystal Jade Metallic, color code 7Y. Has the emerald green velour interior.
Given the comments about carbs and smog-controls: is an EFI-conversion (carb out-EFI in, like Edelbrock’s EFI-systems) popular or is it a small niche-market due to “non-originality” and/or the costs ?
So far I haven’t seen one yet under any hood.
Sadly it is being done. Many vintage muscle car owners, and truck owners of all years, are going with the LS1 for more power. It has many different ECUs available, depending on what you are putting it in. Obviously (I hope) nobody is going to put a cat con on a vintage vehicle. It can be used in almost any engine that a small block Chevy will fit in. GM is building a crate engine called the E-Rod that will go into any vehicle that came with or was converted to a small block Chevy. I hate EFI and computers with a passion, so I would never do something like that. I buy old vehicles to avoid computers and electronics. I even converted on newer (1993) from a wimpy 2.8L EFI V6 to a fire breathing 400+ hp carbureted V8.
I can see people looking for a transportation device liking EFI (till something goes wrong with it) but I can’t see any true car enthusiast (other than a poser) wanting anything to do with it. EFI was not developed for the car owner/enthusiast, it was developed for the EPA, the number one enemy of car people everywhere.
My 3.6 liter V6 is rated at 321 horsepower. The performance of my car in the quarter mile is (standing start) 14.5 seconds and 95 MPH. A mid 60 GTO with 389 cubic inch V8 is about 14.5 seconds and about 100 MPH. My fuel consumption is about half that of the GTO.
Poser, really? Whatever dude. FWIW there’s a lot of 60s iron I’d love to own but unfortunately the “true enthusiasts” have inflated the entry cost of my top pics to $50,000+ I’m sure all of them are rebuilding their carbs every day like Two Lane Blacktop too. Meanwhile I’m relegated to piddling around with my EFI car I put together and tuned myself with a laptop. Yeah real poser here…
And I’m not sure the EPA had anything to do with this, the proto EFI:
http://www.allpar.com/cars/desoto/electrojector.html
I define a “poser” as someone who wants to look like something they are not. By installing a computer in a car that did not originally come with one, you are building a “fake” Do not blame true enthusiasts (like me) for the crazy prices on desirable cars. These are not enthusiasts at all, I doubt very many of them have ever even had a wrench in their hand. They are “speculators” who buy vintage classic cars as an investment, hoping to make money on them. They do not care anything about cars, only $$$ This is a sub species all to well known in the classic car scene. I would love to see the bottom fall out of this market, as there are a lot of cars out there I also want but can’t afford. However, if I were to somehow be lucky enough to attain one, I would keep it totally stock. Whether they have much monetary value or not, they have collector value, and to cut one up is a loss to every genuine car enthusiast on earth.
A large part of what attracts me to certain cars (besides style) is their total lack of computers, electronics, and emissions crap. They are simple basic cars. Some of the ones I want have a lot of power, some don’t.
I can’t afford the cars I really want, because of the absurd prices, but I refused to give up and live with computer cars. I found a couple of fairly inexpensive old cars (carbs, points, no emissions, no electronics, one still gas a DC generator) fixed them up mechanically, and drive them on a daily basis. I have had no problems with them. Once fixed up, they have been nearly trouble free.
I even went so far as to take a ’93 Chevy S10 pickup I bought new (it had computerized TBI, and emissions galore, and a 2.8 V6. After driving it for several years stock, I decided it needed a makeover. I ripped out the engine, transmission, rear axle, and ALL the computer parts. Along with the help of the guys at a local speed shop, I built a 383 small block with a ton of aftermarket parts, including a streetable cam, and a four barrel carb, headers and a real dual exhaust. Bolted up a rebuilt TREMEC manual transmission, installed a custom built posi rear axle, and of course a zillion other mods way to long to list here. I took an early ’90s malaise vehicle, and made a real street ripper out of it. 11.7 @120mph on 100 octane unleaded non ethanol. Yes there are much faster cars out there, but this one has not had a single breakdown in 3 1/2 years. And the most important part is it is done with no electronic technology at all. And it’s built out of just a plain old pickup you can buy anywhere for $2K-$3K. All the parts are new (including the carb) nothing vintage on it. If you have a solid body/frame, Summit Racing and Jegs has all you need to turn it into an old school hot rod.
I define cars in two catagories. Purely mechanical non electronic with no emissions on them (to me the real thing) and computer cars. I see computer cars as unfit for anything but basic transportation. Buy them, use them up, recycle them. Pretty much all real car enthusiasts have access to real vintage cars (or can convert a more recent one if it has RWD)
I am a fan of the Youtube series Roadkill, but it just made me sick when Freiburger and Finnegan not only installed an old school Chrysler 426 Hemi in a ’55 Chevy, but then put EFI on it (and tried to disguise it) It should have had a vintage Chevy big block in it, maybe with a Weiand 6-71 blower and dual Holley quads topped off with a vintage Hilborn style scoop. It actually showed them tuning it with a computer, rather than turning screws, replacing jets, and checking float levels.
Oh, and as far as fuel injection that actually came on vintage cars, I am not familiar with the Chrysler system, but I have worked on the GM Rochester version that came on early ’60s Corvettes. It was overly complex and expensive, but it was not there because of the EPA. The EPA did not even exist at that time (Nixon created it) it was designed for performance, and to invoke a performance image. It was not computer controlled, there were no computers back then. It was even designed to use leaded gas. “Turbo” also used to mean performance, now it is used to squeeze a little more power out of an EFI engine, usually with VVT as well, to squeeze a little more mpg out by making the engine smaller.
True performance engines (using computers) are restricted to only a very few American cars. The Camaro, Challenger, Mustang, Corvette, and now the new Hellcat Charger. Because of these few cars, and the need for manufacturers to meet across the board mpg and emissions requirements, that restricts the rest of that manufacturers cars to low performance FWD slugs. I can see a 700 hp Challenger being fun to drive, but I can guarantee a 400 hp 1970 Challenger is a whole lot MORE fun to drive
Back in the ’70s, insurance rates killed muscle cars. Today it looks like there are plenty of people out there that can afford the insurance on anything they want.
But you’re on a computer right now, watching youtube videos on a computer lol
Fuel injection wasn’t invented by the EPA is my point, nor are there any laws that directly required a switch to fuel injection. The fact of the matter is automakers stuck to carbs because they were cheap and the handful of Fuel injected cars in the carburetor era were prohibitively expensive, but they existed regardless, why? Because there’s inherent benefits to fuel injection that carbs just don’t have. Precise fuel control at all throttle and load transitions, no cylinder wall washout, reliability(EFI), and allows for better intake manifolds(long runners with much better powerbands). Carbs have trouble keeping fuel suspended in those types of intakes. In fact the primary reasoning behind the olde tyme no replacement for displacement mantra is because that is ESSENTIAL for carburator engines to have a broad torque/power curve, much more so than the engineering in any given engine. VVT of course is a further extension of that benefit. But either way, the former and fuel injection in general date back well before Nixon because automakers and race teams back then indeed wanted to make a better more powerful, more efficient engine. It was inevitable it would all become economically viable and that day came in the 80s when compromised Rube Goldbergian computer controlled carburetors became as(or more) expensive to produce as it would to do port EFI.
I’ve worked on and tuned both Carburetors and Fuel injected cars, to me both have their charms. If we lived in Mad Max society where an EMP wiped out every transistor on the planet, sure I’d pick carbs and points for my V8 Interceptor without question, until then though, yeah I kind of like fuel injection more. I respect your stance on the subject but to call people who build their own cars names because they didn’t build it to your standard(doing the inverse of what you did to the S10) is pretty ignorant. You just can’t seem to appreciate the fact that there are legit enthusiasts who don’t want a rat fink hot rod and appreciate the technology. Hell I don’t like Hybrid/electric cars but even I can appreciate anyone enthusiastic about them if it’s for the right reasons
+1 XR7Matt
I am very happy with my direct injected 3.6 V6
From the beginning in 1976. I have owned a ’73 Pinto “2 door”, 2.0L OHC 4 speed no hatchback, a ’70 Challenger 318/automatic on the column, a ’73 Chevelle Laguna woodgrain wagon, 350/350, a ’77 Pontiac Ventura 305/automatic, a ’79 Carmaro Z28 350/350, an ’87 Pontiac Fiero 2.5/5 speed (my first brand new car) a 1977 Corvette 350/350, a 1993 Chevy S10 2.8V^/5 speed, which I also bought new (it has now been converted into a 383 c.i. powered hot rod/drag racer, not a single piece of electronics or emissions controls left) ’67 VW street bug/custom/lowered, ’69 pretty stock bug, a few mods, ’72 all out drag race bug, mostly Gene Berg engine, ’72 Pinto wagon 2.0L/5 speed, ’01 Chevy Malibu, bought with 98,000 on it ( I consider it my one and only “malaise” car, driving it will put you to sleep, so will just looking at it) ’88 Suzuki Samurai, which I finally blew the engine in at close to 200,000, and traded for my last acquisition, the ’64 Fairlane 4 door 265/auto.
Extra malaise for me please! My 78 Squire and yes it’s a Brougham.
There were 2 maliase factors I havent seen focused on here.
1.The styling became stale in Malaise cars, No yearly updates or identyfying features.
2. the makers often were lazy in badge engineered model differentation; resulting in darts/valients…novas/apallos looklikes etc mustang capri , cavalier cimarron, the granada,monarch, etc… Id Love to have a Mark V diamond Jubilee Model blue …or Mark IV 1975 Aqua blue.
The 77 Devilles yes, but also those gaudy Pontiac Gran Prix until 77 …garish reds. Whites.lj sj…and buick regals were nice too.
Much like the music of these years, that I will always Love. They bring me back to Disco fever. The 77 Blue Espirit Firebird skybird … um …the 79 ElDorado…Biarritz . …The Riviera Conv 1983 … The Mark 6 no one wanted…
The Mirada. 82 Cordoba, Imperial as a cheap used car. … The Thunderbirds of course. But alo the Fairmount. A easy to handle city car I prefered in college over valares or novas. even x cars i suppose.
Firstly there were many decent to good cars from the big 3 during the 1975-1983 years. If anything I find the 1971-74 models worse in many ways and also the 1980-82 years where finding a vehicle that made anywhere near 200 horse was quite the task. The early 70’s cars like the Vega and Pinto along with terrible emission controls made those years really bad for many.
If anything by 1975 on up vehicles started to run much better and power was making a slow comeback until the next oil crises which put a damper of about 5 years on that. Also saying that handling took a back seat to boulevard rides is also a gross exaggeration. Having driven many many 60’s cars over the years I would say that most any mid to late 70’s predecessor was a quantum leap forward in ride, handling, braking and steering compared to it’s 60’s for-bearer. Two perfect examples would be a 1968 Chevy Nova 307 automatic vs a 1978 Nova 305 automatic and a 1970 Valiant versus a 1979 Volare’ both with 225 Slant sizes. The 78 Nova was a much better car in every conceivable way to the 68 especially in the handling, steering and braking department. The 305 felt nearly as peppy as the 307 but got better MPG. The 79 Volare’ also rode and handled and steered far better than the limp 70 car and it’s interior was much better built and more comfortable.
I have owned so many cars from this time era and except for a couple of Fords and Chryslers and the odd 200 metric transmission GM they were perfectly fine for the most part.
Most any 1977 on up GM B or C body car with a 350 engine tied to a 350 transmission is a bullet proof combo. Ditto a V8 equipped G-body from 1978-1988 that doesn’t have a 200 metric transmission. Any Cadillac up to 1981 is a solid choice. Even the odd Panther or Imperial or M-body is a solid choice if you can get past some of there issues such as the fuel injection on the 1981-83 Imperial.
I’ve asked myself this question since this article was emailed to me. For me, it’d depend on several factors. It’d depend on the condition of the car, it’d depend on how well it was maintained by its past owner(s). It’d also depend on how well stocked its parts were, that way I could take the car in for service when needed. It’d also depend on how well equipped the car is, and how complete it is. I’d also be concerned with how much it cost to buy.
Like many have noted I would like a car from my childhood, in my case my folks had a 1975 Coupe De Ville. Brown metallic with brown leather interior. Felt so “rich” riding in that car (even though were were clearly middle class). Great car until my mom totalled it by crashing into a parked semi trailer, crushed the front end of the caddy but as the hood was so long she and her passenger friend only had minor injuries. I still dream about that car!
I started driving in 1988, and had many 1977-1983 American cars unril maybe 1998.
A 1982 Mustang GL with 200 six. Dog slow. California emissions as well.
1977 Monte Carlo. 350 2bbl. Not a bad car, but my head hit the roof if I had poofy hair that day. Which I often did in 1991.
1983 Chevette. 1.6L auto. Could get outrunned by a snail on quaaludes. (sp?)
1983 Escort. 1.6L stick. Made me wish for the power of the Chevette. Really awful widely-spaced gears.
1983 Cavalier. 2.0L stick. Actually had some zip, this one. But heavy manual steering and floppy body at only 50,000 miles.
1978 Zephyr. 200 six. The only thing good about this one was it had limo tint so no one could see me inside it.
1984 Malibu wagon. Rear windows didn’t open. Still can’t believe they made them that way. Reliable and long-lasting and slow as s**t.
1981 Delta 88. 301V8. Brown and more brown. Sounded good when the 4bbl opened up, but then you noticed you weren’t going very fast. At all.
1984 Regal. 231V6.Dark gray and sliver. Very nice looking car, but couldn’t even get to 100mph with the anemic motor.
I think that’s about it. So to answer the question, hell no I don’t wanna go back to those cars. Maybe the Monte because they are kind of cool in a way. And I have a balding spot on my head where the poofiness used to be so I may fit comfortably in one now.
I will make an exception for the Bandit Trans Am, however. I just need to get a cowboy hat.