1947Desoto (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

I'm an old car fan. I really hate cars made in the last 30 years. I basically love all American cars from the 10s-50s. As for faith, it changes because my favorite car list keeps growing and by now I'd say my favorite car is a 1947 Oldsmobile, or for that matter every American make between 1940-1948 are my favorites. Like I said, I love all the cars before and after, but that is my favorite era.

iainthornton (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

I know all of that,particularly being a huge Mopar fan.the only Dodges we get here are the Avenger,Caliber,Journey and Nitro(forgive me if I forgot something).All have a reputation for being bad(all American cars do)but none a reputation for being unreliable.Same with the Jeeps,apart from the diesel Cherokee(Liberty)which isn't really Chrysler's fault I'd have thought more faith with De Soto in your name? also how many Jeeps and Dodges are the same?less than you think

1947Desoto (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

Jeeps and Dodges are basically un-identical twins. They both share similar bodies, chasis and engine. They both have equally boring interiors and have similar malfunctions. When the Nitro came out I was excited with the cool new style of big fenders and a flat hood (rather than a sloped one), but the interior was as boring as ever and consumer reports rated it one of the worst cars because of engine and transmission problems. My Dad has been buying Honda's since 1979 and I've liked them.

iainthornton (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

with quality I don't know about that....I'm in the UK and I know plenty of people with Jeeps and Chryslers and a couple with Dodges and they all say that at least they've lasted well. Admittedly some of those have European diesel engines and gearboxes but the only one I've known to go bad was a KJ Cherokee (Liberty) with a 2.8l VM diesel and a Mercedes automatic gearbox. Over here people know they're good mechanically but hate the bad interiors and American road manners

iainthornton (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

don't forget the unequal length doors. Which they should have changed when they tried to sell it in Britain!

thekidrocks72 (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

AMC cars were darned good quality back then - built to last. A couple trivia points of the Pacer... it was originally to have a rotary engine in it - but things went sour, so it got the inline sizes and the 304 V8. Also it was a very smooth riding car. Odd as many of their other cars were known for having a firm, tight ride, like the standard sedan body Matador. One thing for sure with the Pacer, you needed to order it with A/C due to all the glass!

1947Desoto (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

I didn't know they built there. It's sad how the big 3 suffered a downfall and since then they have not come all the way back up. It upsets me how between the 10's-50's an American car, cheap or expensive, meant quaility. Cadillacs, Packards, Chrylsers, and Lincolns were great, but at least Plymouths, Chevrolet's and Fords were dependable and styled well. I wouldn't trust a Chrysler now.

OnlySinner (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

AMC had better quality cars than the big three at the time. also, they were all built in Kenosha, not Detroit. Maybe they couldnt get over the gas panic in Detroit. I had a 258 in my spirit and the same steering wheel cover, too.

1979lincolncoupe (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

this video is horrible quality

1947Desoto (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

In my opinion, of the all the wacky compact cars that rolled out from Detroit in the 1970's, the Pacer was the best. It's sister the Gremlin looks very weird, but at least it wasn't as prone to explosions like the Pinto. It seems to me that AMC had more quality then Ford or Chevrolet. I read that Mavericks, Comets, Pinto's, and even Vegas rusted out very quickly, and were bare bones cars. The first time I saw a Pacer in person was at the 2007 Staten Island Car Show. It was restored and orange.