American cars a love/hate thing.

[eddyramrod]

Did I hear someone say 1991 Chevy Lumina?

Lo and behold, I had one, in 2007-8.  It flew two MoTs in that time and was a joy to drive.  3.1 injected V6, FWD sadly but at least it had the right pedal count.  If I could have got a towbar for it I would have dropped my Volvo estate, and we all know what I think of Volvos! 

Now for a direct comparison, here's my current Sable.  3.0 V6, also injected and wrong-wheel-drive.  Doesn't it look clunky and heavy in relation to the Lumina?

For further comparison, have a 1990 Chrysler leBaron convertible.  Again 3.0 V6, injected, auto, FWD, this engine made by Mitsubishi.  I loved this, and like the other two, used it daily as much as possible.

So yeah, I've done FWD Yanks.  I can definitely say I prefer RWD.  No contest.  Also, I actually like the way the older cars (in particular) feel slightly loosely-assembled.  I remember looking under my 1980 Buick

for some reason and being totally impressed with the BFO rubber doughnuts between body and chassis.  Now THAT's how you achieve a luxury ride!

[Clanger]

This was my first car in the US (not this actual one, but one like it)

 

 

'78 Chrysler LeBaron Town and Country - and yes, I bought it on purpose.  I made a declaration in the pub before I left that I would seek out and buy a station wagon with fake wood panelling - and everyone knows you have to abide by drunken proclamations.

[Split_Pin]

For me it would be Chrysler's late 70s B body cars and the last of the line c bodies from the same time. I am perhaps just as familiar with them as British cars of the time due to my avid viewing of Dukes of Hazzard and such like. I also have the Matchbox model of a Gran Fury which was part of a plastic playtrack set.

 

I also love cars from the ultra undesirable end of the scale such as the Escort and Tempo.

[Bear]

I found pictures of my previous yank shite, from 1999/2000, so here's a set of American crap that I like. I just realise I forgot that my XJ Cherokees were also American cars, probably because they're so plentiful here.

 

 

First one, a 1979 Buick Regal Limited 3.something V6 with California Emissions. $400, my first ever eBay purchase, from Tulsa.

 

 

I was in Oklahoma for three weeks, so statistically a change of car was inevitable, $300 Cadillac Eldorado from a Chevrolet dealer. 4100HTi, possibly the worst V8 engine ever made.

 

 

It's American and the interior is cheap and crude. But it does have a V8.

 

 

And of course, the current one which lives in Portland, saves renting cars when I'm over there (plus it is insanely cool).

[Skut]

Another vote for AMC here. Preferably an early 70s Javelin as it manages to be an american kind of good looking without been cartoony or ill proportioned. Always really fancied a Crosley Hotshot as well.

 

The only thing i dislike about them is that alot of their fans in the states tend towards provincialism and flagwaving conservatism. Its putting me off Roadkill of late.

[chrisjvm]

99.9 % HATE

[Bear]

AMC are one of the greatest innovators in the American car industry, and arguably Renault saved Chrysler as much as the purchase of AMC (and therefore, Jeep) did - the R25-based LH finally nuked K-car mediocrity and gave them a competitive edge to go with the profit margins from the Jeep marque and booming SUV sales. Such a shame they were always doing it on a shoestring, but then I think shoestring is HOW you get mass market innovation (see Sinclair) - otherwise you get endless dull niche-filling (BMW) or unaffordable technowank (Audi's decent models, Bugatti etc).

The exception to that is GM. GM are great innovators, great masters of global production, yet they throw away the gold constantly and piss about making the worst imaginable crap and squandering marques. Saturn, for example, which should have underpinned a whole new era for SAAB (and benefitted from working with European firms).

[Madman Of The People]

AMC are one of the greatest innovators in the American car industry, and arguably Renault saved Chrysler as much as the purchase of AMC (and therefore, Jeep) did - the R25-based LH finally nuked K-car mediocrity and gave them a competitive edge to go with the profit margins from the Jeep marque and booming SUV sales

 

 

The man responsible for much of this innovation was Francois Castaing, a Renault veteran sent to take charge of engineering at AMC.  When Chrysler bought AMC, Castaing stayed on and was instrumental in reorganising Chrysler's engineering processes.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Castaing

[Bear]

Yep, though he predates some of their other diversions like rotary-power in the Pacer and the AMC Eagle (though the XJ made the Eagle really quite irrelevant). The XJ Cherokee is one of my favourite cars of all time for the overall conception and production reality of it - but mostly makes me wonder how different Renault's fortunes (and cars) would have been had AMC-Renault remained in for the long haul. I doubt we'd have had such dreck as the Laguna.

[Junkman]

The AMC - Renault connection lasted longer than most people think it did.

It started on 21 November 1961 with an agreement to build the AMC Rambler from CKD kits in Renault's Belgian factory in Haren. These Ramblers were available through the Renault dealer network in Algeria, Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. All three generation Ramblers were built in Haren until ca. 1970, the last 4 odd years from kits that were still on hand.

 

Kaiser Jeeps had been built from CKD kits at Steyr Puch in Austria since 1961 (including the big new Wagoneers). After the AMC takeover of Jeep in 1970, Austrian built Jeeps were also marketed through the Renault dealer network in at least the same countries as above, and Germany. Several imported AMC models were added to the line up, including Hornets, Gremlins, Pacers and the 4WD Eagles and Spirits (the latter were eventually also built in Austria from CKD kits).

The Javelin and the short-lived AMX were built from CKD kits by Karmann in Germany, and also sold by Renault dealers from ca. 1970 until ca. the mid Seventies.

 

In 1980 the AMC - Renault collaboration morphed into a partnership, with Renault starting to inject money into AMC, resulting in a controlling interest by Renault in 1983. The same year, AMC ceased all 2WD car production, focusing on 4WD vehicles only.

This partnership lasted until 1987 (with Renault starting to control production in 1986), when DaimlerChrysler bought AMC including Jeep.

[cms206]

Back in October 2013 I was working as a shunter for a bus and coach dealer. The old man loved American cars and even now at the age of 93 he still has a Corvette. It was rather reasonable but the ride and visibility were woeful.

 

Thats besides the point.

 

Two Cadillac Eldorados appeared on an artic one day, a '70 with straight through exhausts, 8.2-litres of engine and front wheel drive, and a '76 with much of the same, but with less straight through exhausts and more emissions strangulation.

 

I loved the '70 to the point I was offered it on 3% finance. I declined. I fucking HATED the '76. Never driven such a hopeless pile of crud. How could they fuck it up - looks, driving experience, everything - in just six years?

 

'70...

 

'76...

[Bear]

Oh, so close!

AMC-Renault's partnership ended when Renault were about to make a full merger with AMC, and Jeep/AM General made that 'difficult' as a foreign state-owned company couldn't own a US military contractor. Political stuff, assassinations sort of helped avoid that issue anyway. When Chrysler bought AMC they were wrapped up into Jeep-Eagle, but they built the M-body Chrysler (damn well, as it happens!) at Kenosha so did technically return to making 2WD cars in their plants - if not under their marque.

But they ran like that from 1987 to 1997, then DCX was formed. Chrysler, though, that marque was saved by the AMC legacy of the Eagle Premier (a 2WD car, but not an AMC brand) and so forth which put R21/25 bits under the LH.

LX was, apparently, going to be RWD even before DCX was formed, but the Mercedes IP in it suggests they had a nice quick route!

[Bear]

Oh, a '75 Eldorado was top of my list when shopping this year. Are they really that awful?

[cms206]

Oh, a '75 Eldorado was top of my list when shopping this year. Are they really that awful?

May just have been that '76 but the '70 was just so much less bad. There was some feel in the '70, but I couldn't find a single redeeming feature in the '76.

[cms206]

Were it my money buying myself an American car, it'd have to be...

[Bear]

May just have been that '76 but the '70 was just so much less bad. There was some feel in the '70, but I couldn't find a single redeeming feature in the '76.

Lack of a roof? I can't remember for sure, but I thought 2nd-Gen was the convertible generation, as 3rd Gen (E-body, not Eldorado per se) lost it again until '84 and they look gopping.

[Junkman]

Having owned both, a 1970 and a 1976 Eldorado, I can confirm that the '70 was the best American car I've ever driven, truly excellent in design, engineering and execution.

It's wonderfully 'because we can' and cost probably more to develop than the Moon Programme. In stark contrast, the '76 was so woefully shite, that it baffles all descriptions.

Given the choice between the two again, I would thus always opt for the '76, of course.

[Lukas]

What car is that, Junkman?

 

[Junkman]

1957 Imperial with dual headlight option, wheelcovers from a different car and non stock side trim.

[Lukas]

Thanks a lot!

 

I found this picture per incident and thought it´s a very beautiful car! 

 

That´s a used car dealer you can trust... 

[lesapandre]

I'd like to recommend the GMC Suburban - great carry-all vehicles that can be had in 2x2 and 4x4 guise and with a range of engines. The 90's ones don't rust much either.

[lesapandre]

I'd like to recommend the GMC Suburban - great carry-all vehicles that can be had in 2x2 and 4x4 guise and with a range of engines. The 90's ones don't rust much either.

[Christine]

For years ,I used to go to this really shite farm.. rusty barbed wire , baler twine holding things together ,old pallets , junk every where..and as you went in there's 2 small Atcost buildings.

  Doors always shut , probably full of shit ...

 One day i drive in and the second door is open a bit .., so i turn my head to see what in there , and i clock a mk2 Austin 1300    . I musta had 5 of those years ago ,so have a soft spot for them .. Anyway i do my job , then say to the lad  "OOoooh ! Theres a 1300 in that shed.. who would have thought that was in there? Can i  have a look ?"  

"Yeah, its the farmers  "

So i go in ,  and the fukka is a minter !! 29 k but covered in dust ! And i want it ..... Badly !

" Do you wanna see in the other barn ? He's got a Dodge too ....I look after it " 

"Mmm ,yes"   i say

So boy shouts to the old farmer

" Can i show him the Dodge ? " 

   " Yeah.."

Farmer comes over , 

"So what Dodge have you got ?" i say  

(Now up to then i only know of 1950's Dodge Coronet  100ft long ,Huge Fins and chrome , that a mate had .)

" A Coronet ?"

"Oh i dunno , i bought years ago in SA on holiday ..and had it shipped over ,and its been in there ever since ..I just liked the shape of it .Never have driven it ..."

 

Soooo...

 

Christmas cracker padlock is opened , door slid back ... and Fookin hell... is that sweet !!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

1300 must have been a very late mk2 

 

 

[Urko]

I am late to this thread, but proud (haha) owner of 2 AMCs and a 56 Chevy. All of which were bought new* and factory RHD here in dear old blighty.

One top tip for avoiding scene tax is rhd, as I've actually had "proper" yank owners sneer at my impure versions.

My 68 AMC Rebel convertible gets used when it's sunny (including in Winter) - I went to the shops in it last week, and emerged from the butchers just in time to see a gimmer in a 60 reg Focus reverse straight into my front wing (fender) bless him. It is probably my most reliable car and will likely only start going wrong when I eventually spend some time and money on it.

I would quite like a station wagon - I found one (rhd AMC Rebel) a while back, but couldn't twist the geezer's arm to sell it - he let me strip a load of bits off it.

 

*not by me of course

[eddyramrod]

That Dodge has my name stamped all the way through it like a stick of rock!  What a beauty!

[Cleon-Fonte]

Here's my American chod of choice, the 1991-onwards Chevy Caprice. I just love that the Americans' idea of a Cavalier-style car was the size of a North Sea ferry and came exclusively with a range of large V8s. Its sheer ordinariness gives it character.

 

 

 

 

 

[Christine]

Eddy ... its South African so the steering wheel  is on the correct side !!

 

[Uncle Jimmy]

Dodge wayfarer isn't it? Or business man's coupe.

[eddyramrod]

Eddy ... its South African so the steering wheel  is on the correct wrong side !!

 

Copy of mayfield show 2010 033.jpg

I could learn to live with that.

[solid61]

I know it's the American equivalent of the ford Capri but surely no one can dislike this,66 was a great year for American cars