Larry B. Macy, Ph.D. wrote:
>Sorry Buster, ya'all seem ta be in the minority here. Most of us that owned
>Vega's had a good experience. well, except you ;-)
>
But I am also probably in the minority of owners here who bought the
Vega Notchback new in 1971 (it was either the Vega or a Pinto!!!).
Those who tout them probably have benefited from Darwin's theory of the
survival of the fittest. How bad was mine? Well, a few nights after we
bought it, I had a flat. When I took out the spare tire, IT was also
flat, and had obviously been on the road a few miles. Rather than fix
it, they thrown it in the trunk. Well, it could not be fixed, because
it had a split rim! But that was only the beginning of the never-ending
problems with no help from either the company or the dealer.
Of course I am in good company in my view of the Vega. I doubt that
there was any stronger critic than Delorean, the guy who was charged by
GM with the tasks of building, marketing, and selling them. What did he
have to say:
--"a poor design engineered by the central corporate engineers, then
foisted on to a disgruntled Chevrolet Division"
--""a relatively large, noisy, top-heavy combination of aluminum and
iron, which cost far too much to build [and] looked like it had been
taken off a 1920 farm tractor"
--"Chevy engineers were ashamed of the engine."
--On its first time on the Chevy test track, "After eight miles, the
front of the Vega broke off. The front end of the car separated from
the rest of the vehicle....It must have set a record for the
shortest time taken for a new car to fall apart."
--an early recall of 132,000 cars to correct a carburetor fire
hazard (somehow we never notified!!!)
--Aluminum cylinder blocks were subject to distortion due to
overheating, cylinders were prone to premature wear causing high oil
consumption, and the lightweight block caused noise and vibration.
--A quick-rusting body!!!
What lavishly laudatory praises could add to Delorean's?
Buster Evans
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