The Sorry State of Affairs in Automobilia in the 1970s, 80s and 90s

[Max Rockatansky]

To be clear I'm not trying to compare the Chevette and Citation in terms of their physical dimensions.  I'm referring to how both cars are remembered in modern car culture.  The Chevette has an almost "it's so bad it's good"  following versus the Citation which is largely just forgotten.  The Vega/Monza kind of sort had a similar following to the Chevette but those have tracked off this past decade...or at least I don't see them in car shows anymore. 

[Rothman]

My family had a 1980 Chevette when I was growing up.  Lasted forever and we drove it across country at least once with the five of us in it.  Took multiple trips to Kentucky from New England as well.

But, the floor did eventually rust through so water did come in on rainy days.  My father was forced to get rid of it in 1991 or 1992 when it had nearly 200,000 miles.  When we got a minivan, my father would need to make a u-turn he'd grumble and say things like the Chevette could have made three u-turns in the same space.  I still don't think he's over it.

[Stephane Dumas]

Speaking of the Chevette, the Brazilian version got some bodies who wasn't available here like notchbacks 2-door coupe, a 4-door sedan and a station-wagon.  https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/the-brazilian-chevette/

[Max Rockatansky]

Speaking of subcompacts when I was in Mexico a couple weeks back I noticed a ton of Chevy Beats lurking around.  All a Beat is really is just a last generation Spark that was kind of watered down to make the entry price $8,800.  Too bad we can't have "true"  basic transportation like that state side with something like the Beat.  Granted the circumstances that allow a $8,800 dollar car like lower incomes and congested streets tend to allow for cars like the Beat to thrive in regions south of the border. 

[ErmineNotyours]

[PHLBOS]

The Chevette has an almost "it's so bad it's good"  following versus the Citation which is largely just forgotten.  The Vega/Monza kind of sort had a similar following to the Chevette but those have tracked off this past decade...or at least I don't see them in car shows anymore.

Every year at the Chevy (formerly GM) Nationals in Carlisle, PA; there are small sections on the grounds devoted to those who bring their Vegas/Monzas, Chevettes & Citations.  At times, those areas can generate more foot traffic than the other areas due to the curiosity factor & the fact that these vehicles aren't around nor as common as they once were.

[Max Rockatansky]

The Chevette has an almost "it's so bad it's good"  following versus the Citation which is largely just forgotten.  The Vega/Monza kind of sort had a similar following to the Chevette but those have tracked off this past decade...or at least I don't see them in car shows anymore.

Every year at the Chevy (formerly GM) Nationals in Carlisle, PA; there are small sections on the grounds devoted to those who bring their Vegas/Monzas, Chevettes & Citations.  At times, those areas can generate more foot traffic than the other areas due to the curiosity factor & the fact that these vehicles aren't around nor as common as they once were.

That's the thing I didn't like about car shows on this side of the country.  Aside from the weekly shows you hardly saw anything that was below a muscle car (which probably is driven by Barrett Jackson to some extent).  In Scottsdale the weekly McDonalds show at the Pavilions Shopping Center usually had a 300-600 car draw.  That show usually had a lot of diversity with older volume cars. 

[PHLBOS]

That's the thing I didn't like about car shows on this side of the country.  Aside from the weekly shows you hardly saw anything that was below a muscle car (which probably is driven by Barrett Jackson to some extent).

Are you in an area where cars/vehicles don't rust/rot as much?  Such might explain the above.

Growing up in the northeast (New England during my younger years); a vehicle's worst enemy was rust... typically brought on by salt building up on the undercarriage.  While traveling further inland; seeing older cars still in daily use was/is usually more common.  Case & point: during a visit w/a friend out in Salem, OR several years ago; I counted three different '59 Fords on the road that were not junkers or car show pieces.  I even saw some old 70s-vintage Toyota pick-up trucks still on the road while there; something I never see in southeastern PA let alone MA.

[Roadrunner75]

The Chevette has an almost "it's so bad it's good"  following versus the Citation which is largely just forgotten. 

Not for me at least - My first car was an '81 Citation (in the early 90s).  Best $400 I ever spent for the amount of fun we had with it, but it was falling to pieces.  It had a problem with the rack and pinion that cause the steering wheel to randomly lock up sometimes while turning.  Always a good time.  A couple years later in college I sensibly upgraded to a brown '79 Pinto wagon.

[Max Rockatansky]

That's the thing I didn't like about car shows on this side of the country.  Aside from the weekly shows you hardly saw anything that was below a muscle car (which probably is driven by Barrett Jackson to some extent).

Are you in an area where cars/vehicles don't rust/rot as much?  Such might explain the above.

Growing up in the northeast (New England during my younger years); a vehicle's worst enemy was rust... typically brought on by salt building up on the undercarriage.  While traveling further inland; seeing older cars still in daily use was/is usually more common.  Case & point: during a visit w/a friend out in Salem, OR several years ago; I counted three different '59 Fords on the road that were not junkers or car show pieces.  I even saw some old 70s-vintage Toyota pick-up trucks still on the road while there; something I never see in southeastern PA let alone MA.

Yes, 13 years in Phoenix.  I'm presently on my fifth year in the Fresno Area.  I grew up mostly in the Detroit and Chicago Areas where road salt was an annual thing.  I still remember ads for underbody rust proofing lasting well into the late 1990s.  Interesting even in areas out west that have snow the typical treatment is sand over salt.  Suffice to say the dry climates and lack of road salt play a huge part why older cars are far more common than out east. 

[Max Rockatansky]

The Chevette has an almost "it's so bad it's good"  following versus the Citation which is largely just forgotten. 

Not for me at least - My first car was an '81 Citation (in the early 90s).  Best $400 I ever spent for the amount of fun we had with it, but it was falling to pieces.  It had a problem with the rack and pinion that cause the steering wheel to randomly lock up sometimes while turning.  Always a good time.  A couple years later in college I sensibly upgraded to a brown '79 Pinto wagon.

Now that I have the garage space I want to find a similar older vehicle.  I used to have a lot of fun tinkering around with 70s and 80s cars, or at least get them to a point where they would run again.  The question is though, what car to get?  I really want to get something basic that doesn't have a ton of electronics (particularly fuel management) and a manual transmission.  My niece just moved in with us and is approaching driving age, I rather teach her to drive in a car that requires some actual skill.

[DJStephens]

What about a 75-79 Nova?  They don't seem to get a lot of love, or interest, and a manual three on the tree was available on base models through the end of production in Apr '79.   

[Max Rockatansky]

What about a 75-79 Nova?  They don't seem to get a lot of love, or interest, and a manual three on the tree was available on base models through the end of production in Apr '79.

The Nova doesn't really seem to get much play like it used to in any vintage.  Personally I'd rather try to find an old Nova over a first or second generation Camaro.  I just had an encounter with a 75-79 Nova down in Jalisco, I don't recall when I last saw one in California. 

[GCrites]

I had a run in with a 1974 Chevelle Laguna S3 down in Jaliso.  Suffice to say that there is quite the decline from the 1970-1972 Chevelle SS in terms of styling:

IMG_2288 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

At least for awhile on the S3 you could still get a 454 Big Block.  The 400ci Small Block was an option but that seems to be among the most hated Chevy V8s even built.

There was a time in the '90s when drag racers and other enthusiasts sought 400 SBCs in order to get the cubes in the small block package, but the hassle and added expense didn't end up being worth it over building a 350 or 383 for most people.

[bugo]

The Chevrolet Citation X-11 has a cult following today, but the majority of X bodies are largely forgotten.

[bugo]

The Chevette has an almost "it's so bad it's good"  following versus the Citation which is largely just forgotten.  The Vega/Monza kind of sort had a similar following to the Chevette but those have tracked off this past decade...or at least I don't see them in car shows anymore.

Every year at the Chevy (formerly GM) Nationals in Carlisle, PA; there are small sections on the grounds devoted to those who bring their Vegas/Monzas, Chevettes & Citations.  At times, those areas can generate more foot traffic than the other areas due to the curiosity factor & the fact that these vehicles aren't around nor as common as they once were.

A 350 V8 was available in the California version of the Monza. Back in the 1970s,  California had stricter emissions standards and the 305 that was available in Monzas in the other 49 states couldn't pass emissions so they offered the 350 instead, which did pass emissions.

[Henry]

The Chevette has an almost “it’s so bad it’s good” following versus the Citation which is largely just forgotten.  The Vega/Monza kind of sort had a similar following to the Chevette but those have tracked off this past decade...or at least I don’t see them in car shows anymore.

Every year at the Chevy (formerly GM) Nationals in Carlisle, PA; there are small sections on the grounds devoted to those who bring their Vegas/Monzas, Chevettes & Citations.  At times, those areas can generate more foot traffic than the other areas due to the curiosity factor & the fact that these vehicles aren't around nor as common as they once were.

What about the Cavaliers? The early models (1982-87) are getting rarer by the day, and therefore would make great additions to these shows. Not to mention the great run of success that their namesake sports teams have experienced lately (with Cleveland winning the NBA championship in 2016, and UVA winning the national championship in men's basketball last year).

[Max Rockatansky]

The Chevette has an almost "it's so bad it's good"  following versus the Citation which is largely just forgotten.  The Vega/Monza kind of sort had a similar following to the Chevette but those have tracked off this past decade...or at least I don't see them in car shows anymore.

Every year at the Chevy (formerly GM) Nationals in Carlisle, PA; there are small sections on the grounds devoted to those who bring their Vegas/Monzas, Chevettes & Citations.  At times, those areas can generate more foot traffic than the other areas due to the curiosity factor & the fact that these vehicles aren't around nor as common as they once were.

What about the Cavaliers? The early models (1982-87) are getting rarer by the day, and therefore would make great additions to these shows. Not to mention the great run of success that their namesake sports teams have experienced lately (with Cleveland winning the NBA championship in 2016, and UVA winning the national championship in men's basketball last year).

I should tell my cousins in Cleveland to get one...   I had a second generation J-Car in form of a Sun Bird as my first car.  My brother had a first generation Cavalier Z24.  I seem to recall even the people who had those cars back then absolutely hated them, or at least my brother did.  I thought my Sun Bird was pretty solid but I had one with an LH0 3.1L V6.  I was definitely pulling enough power back in high school to have among the quicker cars among the people I knew.  I ended up giving it to my Dad and taking his Silverado a year later because he wanted fuel economy, I wanted a V8. 

[J N Winkler]

I really want to get something basic that doesn't have a ton of electronics (particularly fuel management) and a manual transmission.  My niece just moved in with us and is approaching driving age, I rather teach her to drive in a car that requires some actual skill.

Having had a late-1970's car with carburetor as my first vehicle, I've decided any car with a carburetor is a hard No for me.  I want it to start first time without fuss and without needing to do weird stuff with the accelerator pedal.

For your niece, I'd recommend a Saturn S-Series.  They are dirt cheap in California, do not require smog tests after 25 years, are easy to find with manual transmission, handle well with a high fun-to-drive factor compared to other small cars of the same vintage (especially when equipped with the DOHC engine--the SOHC is intended more for grocery-getting), and not only are easy to fix but are also good for teaching a teenager shadetree mechanic skills.

[bugo]

I had a 1998 Cavalier 2 door. Tough little bastard. I put it through hell and back and it kept going. A pothole on a county road in Posey Hollow, AR damaged the transmission and that's what did the car in. It wasn't fancy or fast or particularly sporty, but it was a great car.

[bugo]

I had a 1998 Cavalier 2 door. Tough little bastard. I put it through hell and back and it kept going. A pothole on a county road in Posey Hollow, AR damaged the transmission and that's what did the car in. It wasn't fancy or fast or particularly sporty, but it was a great car.

I really want to get something basic that doesn't have a ton of electronics (particularly fuel management) and a manual transmission.  My niece just moved in with us and is approaching driving age, I rather teach her to drive in a car that requires some actual skill.

Having had a late-1970's car with carburetor as my first vehicle, I've decided any car with a carburetor is a hard No for me.  I want it to start first time without fuss and without needing to do weird stuff with the accelerator pedal.

A good carburetor from the pre-electronic era is a whole different animal from the computerized carburetors from the 1970s. I've had several cars with carburetors and when they are tuned properly, they run as well as fuel injected cars do.

[DJStephens]

The first "computerized" carb was in the California 1980 models, 1981 in the rest of the country.  CCC or Computer Command System.  It had a feedback solenoid in the top plate.  So yes in California there was a "computerized" carb in fall 1979.     

[J N Winkler]

A good carburetor from the pre-electronic era is a whole different animal from the computerized carburetors from the 1970s. I've had several cars with carburetors and when they are tuned properly, they run as well as fuel injected cars do.

Yes, I have heard that, but never personally observed it as a driver (the oldest car I've driven was a 1978 model).  And, frankly, I'm happy to leave tune-ups by the wayside.

My personal gold standard is sequential multipoint electronic fuel injection with closed-loop feedback control.  I have had an engine so equipped flood when cranked on only one occasion, and that was because the battery was so weak the engine failed to fire before the PCM went into "not starting, fuel up, up, up" mode.  Electronic ignition is basically maintenance-free, spark plugs are nearly so, fuel injectors last basically forever, and even the fuel filter has become a lifetime part.

[Max Rockatansky]

[Tonytone]

One thing I would like to know. How did those who were driving in the 70's & 80's able to drive these older model heavy steel cars in snow & rain?

I understand it takes skill to drive in it. But even today with all the new features of skid control & etc, It can still fail. I couldn't imagine what a heavy ass 1960 chevy would do in 5 inches of snow.


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