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As you may know the Chevette was designed by Opel.
As you may know the Chevette was designed by Opel.
I think brakes might have been a weak spot in the Chevette, but I'm not positive. Most of the other issues I've heard of were relatively minor...squeaks, rattles, oil leaks, etc. Things that might be annoying, but wouldn't cripple the car (unless you let the oil run dry). And, things that could be attributable to most cars of that period, anyway.
I bought her a new '90 Corsica 5-speed and the night we picked it up, I hadn't seen her happier...come to think of it, not sure when I next saw her so happy! She drove it three years or so, then I got it while she got a new Caprice Classic. I drove it 'til fall of '96 when it had 108k miles and I 'treated' myself to a new 4-door 5-speed Cavalier. The Corsica never spent a single night in a garage. It was a good car.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
But I did see something odd tonight - a Lancia Scorpion - in the rain! Probably not a good idea.
Speaking of older Fords I see the early 90s Thunderbirds too from time to time. For somer reasons their owners think these are collector cars although I think styling has held up well over the years.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Those T-Birds attract an older sedate driver, probably many well cared for, just watch out for the 3.8. I remember at the end of the 90s, classified ads for those would tout their supposed collectibility.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Interesting about the Corsica. Was it a I-4 or V6? How did the Cavalier compare to the Corsica, durability wise?
Yes, the FWD products had more issues, but honestly I think just because there were many more sold (Taurus, Sable, Continental, Windstar) than the RWD models. Ask any Ford mechanic they will tell you the RWD cars (Tbird, Cougar) fail as well.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
My mother had the 3.8 in her 96 Thunderbird and she had that car for 10 years, but only put 45K on it. No head-gasket problems but I think the low mileage helped and by 96 Ford changed something to help the HG problem. That car did like to leak anti-freeze and puked up an entire A/C system.
I still remember when my Stepdad got that car for her. We were at the dealer and they had two 96 leftovers in January 97. One was a gorgeous dark blue 4.6, and a Pacific Green 3.8. There wasn't much price difference between the two and he told the dealer he would be back. In the car on the way home I told him to get the 4.6. When he went back he got her the 3.8 thinking she didn't need the extra power.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
I had a '91 Escort GT, until it was totalled in 1998.
The power train was solid, ran for 107k miles on the original clutch despite some, uh, enthusiastic driving. :shades:
The motorized mice belts drove me crazy and some interior trim starting falling off, and the door cards were beginning to come unglued.
That was when Ford and Mazda were related, so it actually had the 1.8l engine from the Protoge and Miata.
Fun little car, but interior quality wasn't that good.
I also remember when the transmission in my uncle's 3.0 died - suddenly, only reverse worked. A few days earlier, it was shifting oddly - would stay in gear far too long, kind of like what you describe. Heads up for next time, I guess. He got it fixed, but a few years later it caught fire (!) and was a total loss. He fixed the LeSabre after its intake issues and kept the car, as he likes the engine otherwise.
LOL, I can relate. My grandpa was nice enough to give me his '75 Buick Regal when I got my license in '87. It taught me many of the things you mentioned above. It taught me to never leave the house in the winter without a heavy coat, hat, gloves, and always have a good pair of walking shoes no matter what the weather was;)
OTOH, I get get 6+ teenage girls in it, so it wasn't all bad;)
Mine was a total nightmare. It was a loaded to gills LX silver/grey leather. Off the top of my head, it had the HG failure, tie rods two/three times, idled at 3K intermittently, leaked everything, blew air only through defrost, and the WOT tranny problem. This was all between about 65K and 100K.
I'm sure I missed a few things, but I can tell you my previous 89 Grand Marquis was much more reliable.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
You could get an oil filter relocation kit for the Miata but I never found one for the Escort.
Similarly, my '81 Monte Carlo, when cold, would barely stop in reverse--even as a new car. You'd have to stand on the pedal to get it to stop. I never took it in for that, but a couple years later I met a guy at work who had a Cutlass Supreme and he complained about that, saying he'd better not hit a kid because of that and if he did GM would be sorry.
I never heard any media attention to either of those issues.
Oh yeah, I swear it had an 85mph speedo too - in 1993!
Really has moved me away from ever wanting a carb car. The 9mpg combined with insane cold-bloodedness, and what seemed like constant adjustments.
They might actually get up higher, but I've never had the opportunity. Either a red light, stop sign, sharp turn, or hill would present itself before I got going too far.
Even once the fast idle has kicked down, my '67 Catalina and '76 LeMans still feel like they pull harder than they should. But, I'm afraid to mess with them too much, because then some other issue will most likely crop up!
It did. I remember because I had it pinned when I got snagged by the cops for well over the limit! :surprise:
Andre,
My one and only carbed car (79 Continental) idled really fast before it warmed up as well. 30 MPH without touching the pedal was certainly possible.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
Actually for the day, that 3.8 seemed like a decent enough performer, or maybe just felt that way after driving the fintail.
The 3.8 had a decent amount of torque so it was quick out of the gate, however, it ran out of steam quickly. I just looked it up and for a 92 LX (which must be 3.8) a time of 9.2 0-60 and 16.8 quarter. The 93 GL shows 11 and 17.8. IIRC the HP difference betweent the 3.0 and 3.8 wasn't much so that is a surprising difference.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
Going back a bit further, it seemed like the older 120 hp Ford 3.8 had decent power, compared to other engines of the time. Before the Taurus, they had an '85 LTD with that engine. When I had my learner's permit, I logged a lot of driving time in it. It was definitely quicker than my '80 Malibu, which had a Chevy 3.8 (229) and 115 hp. And was quicker than the '82 Cutlass Supreme I had, which had a Buick 3.8 (231) and 110 hp.
I think the Buick engine had 190 ft-lb of torque, while the Chevy was really low, like 175 ft-lb or so?
Now, once Buick started fuel injecting their 231, its power really improved. But even then, my Consumer Guide from 1985 tested a Century with the 125 hp 231, and an LTD with the 120 hp 232, and got 0-60 in 11.5 seconds for the Buick, 11.9 for the Ford, so not a huge difference. They also tested a Celebrity with the 112 hp 2.8 (173) and I think got 0-60 in 11.2.
That stuff does stink!
The odd thing was the base engine was 1.9l, while the LTS got a more modern DOHC 1.8l.
I really only looked at the DOHC 1.8l models.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1976-Chevy-Vega-GT-Wagon-/160968666258?pt=US_Cars- _Trucks&hash=item257a7aec92
Worthless in that condition? Maybe $250 for bits and pieces.
1800 of those hits are from Edmunds forums users and lurkers, the other 15 from people who might be interested in it :P
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
And speaking of Vega wagons, about 10 years ago, I spotted this "Nomad" waiting to be discovered and saved: