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NutmegCT

NutmegCT

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Motor Trend's "Car of the Year", the Chevrolet Vega, quickly went downhill from there - but not back up.


Probably the first modern car to fall apart *before* it left the plant.

Tom M.
(one time proud owner of a 1971 Ford Pinto 1600. Air conditioner fell out of the dash when I hit a bump - but it was still blowing cool air!)
 
My best friend - a loyal Chevy guy since his 1947 Chevy in high school - had one of these. Four of us went to NYC one night. It banged and crashed over every bump. Two years later, it rusted out and he junked it in disgust. His last Chevy. Vega - the car that redefined depreciation. The Pinto, Maverick and that littlest Chevy (senior moment -forgot name, but I rented one at Dulles Airport and the window crank came off in my hand) were also POS. To the American manufacturers, small=cheap.
 
I think they set new records for rusting out here in the northeast, even beating my Fiats. Remember when guys were buying the Vega GT and putting them in warehouses with the plastic seat covers still on thinking they were going to be collectors' items some day. They may still be there along with 30th anniversary Corvettes and 76 Eldorados. And why is there a Morris Minor at 1:17?
 
Ah yes, the advanced "six step rust proofing". But they forgot all the air pockets in the body as it was dipped and lifted back up.

GM had a staff of "touch up artists", who were assigned to paint over the rust spots that appeared *before the car left the factory*.

oy
 
While in the Marines at Camp LeJune, N.C. outside Jacksonville, N.C. I was working at a gas station and a brand new Vega came in with a flat. Seems someone at the factory left a screwdriver in the right rear tire. Later a Pinto came in with a glove bix door problem, just needed latch repositioned. Later found that the small problems were from upset factories workers working thriugh contract negotiations.
 
LarryK said:
While in the Marines at Camp LeJune, N.C. outside Jacksonville, N.C. I was working at a gas station and a brand new Vega came in with a flat. Seems someone at the factory left a screwdriver in the right rear tire. Later a Pinto came in with a glove bix door problem, just needed latch repositioned. Later found that the small problems were from upset factories workers working thriugh contract negotiations.
Click to expand...

Lots of stories like this from every car manufacturer. My favorite is hanging a coke bottle from a string inside a cavity before welding it up so it bangs every time the car goes around a corner.
 
HealeyRick said:
Lots of stories like this from every car manufacturer. My favorite is hanging a coke bottle from a string inside a cavity before welding it up so it bangs every time the car goes around a corner.
Click to expand...

A high school chum got himself a new Ford Econoline van in about 1970, had a "clunk" on braking and acceleration. Numerous dealer visits and finally they opened up the panels to find a Strohs bottle dangling from a wire inside. Until that time I'd thought those events were just stories.

In the mid and late '70's I worked at a dealership, new Alfa Romeos would come off the truck and need to be put through a prep routine, usually to include opening the trunk to find all the "missing" parts the factory just tossed in there because they were either too lazy or too rushed to complete the assembly.
 
My dad bought a Lancia Appia couple and we practically had to rebuild the interior.
Great little car till he blew the little V4 engine - two main bearings.
 
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