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Actually the worse thig you can drive is a older less environemntal friendly vehcikle if that is your reason. Its not hard to find the studies showing why.Its not anyhting to do with the elctrial stuff either many of whcih actaully help in milaeage amd power taken to drive mecahanically stuff.Car safety and their effect on the environmant has impoved. Clunkers are really bad polluters has study after study have shown.
My 61 Catalina got over 22 mpg on road trips, and yes i did keep it tuned up. also ran 14.00 in the 1/4. 389 2bbl. Why did I quit driving it 2 years ago after 18 years? Someone offered me alot of money for it. As for the new computer controled idiot engines, they are no better than old tuned engines and there still is zero excuse for the transmission to be computer controled at all!!!!
another fun car would be a late second gen camaro with a crate motor swap
http://www.todaysauto.net/musclecars/bay-1979-z28/bay-1979-z28%20(3).JPG (broken link)
another fun car would be a late second gen camaro with a crate motor swap
If you would do the camaro, step up in class and drive the Firebirds! Put a 350 thru 455 in it, enjoy the decent mpg and have even more fun that the camaro, plus have a far better looking car!
If you would do the camaro, step up in class and drive the Firebirds! Put a 350 thru 455 in it, enjoy the decent mpg and have even more fun that the camaro, plus have a far better looking car!
While I will agree the late 70's Firebirds looked better than the Camaros, not all years did. Gas mileage wise I don't see how a Pontiac would get much better than a Chevy. Heck my dad's friend owned a '77 T/A with the 400 and claimed it drank fuel like a pig.
It seems some of the responses here have gotten a bit off topic in terms of staying away from the more sophisticated technical cars, so I'm going to go off a limb here....
Now here's something that would bust even a Pontiacs balls any day of the week, still pull down good mpgs and a/c blowing to boot plus a comfortable ride...
And if you wanted to be a little more low-key, this was the other option....
The best car ever made is still plenty available without all that computer stuff and a dashboard that is talking to you all the time:
The fabulous Mercedes W126 - simply the best car ever made. You can buy a well functioning example for $3500 or a museum piece (like I have) for under $15,000. And, good news, everything can be fixed on it (you replace the brushes in the alternator for $20 instead of the alternator for $300) and parts can be sourced everywhere in the world.
Last edited by Wilson513; 06-18-2012 at 10:03 AM..
While I will agree the late 70's Firebirds looked better than the Camaros, not all years did. Gas mileage wise I don't see how a Pontiac would get much better than a Chevy. Heck my dad's friend owned a '77 T/A with the 400 and claimed it drank fuel like a pig.
It seems some of the responses here have gotten a bit off topic in terms of staying away from the more sophisticated technical cars, so I'm going to go off a limb here....
Now here's something that would bust even a Pontiacs balls any day of the week, still pull down good mpgs and a/c blowing to boot plus a comfortable ride...
And if you wanted to be a little more low-key, this was the other option....
Even Pontiac admitted it busted their balls so bad, they did the unthinkable...."Let's borrow off Buick for a bit and make this...."
I can't believe it's not a Pontiac....
Pontiac had no choice by that time tho. They were not Pontiac anymore since the gm board decided to end engine production in the late 70's. Your Dad's buddies 400 had less then 7.5 to 1 compression, it needed a blower, turbo or older heads to bump up compression! None of the no compression late 70's cars got good mpg! As for the mpg statement, every Pontiac Firebird I've ever owned that was stock got better mpg than any of the camaro's that were stock I've had. 15 different Firebirds, over a dozen Tempest/Custom S/LeMans, and 9 Camaros, 5 chevelles/malibus, I think I can make that statement with enough comparision experience.
To give the guys credit at Buick as under achievers in popularity, over achievers in performance is only the beginning. I've had several Buicks too, 67 GS, 70 GSX, (should have kept it but hated the ugly yellow and it was either sell it or paint it a decent color I could stand) and a 70 GSS, along with a 73 455 powered Butterscotch/ dk brown leather interior/ half white vinyl top Century,(1 of 75 455 cars), another aweful yellow 73 350 powered Regal that I worked on until it ran 12.86 at 111mph in the 1/4. It was a love /hate car. I loved building the engine and shocking people it was just a 350 Buick, hated the color, but didn't change it.
A buddy of mine has an 80 301 turbo T/A and we have been playing with it. It is now a solid 24-25 mpg car that will run low 10.40's. The issues with the factory turbo is it is the same as the undersixzed even for the 3.8 v6 of 78 vintage. We put on a cut down torker II intake, (and yes it took some work to make it match the 301 heads- alot more than is visable on the outside!!!!) added a 50mm turbo, and it runs better now than ever. Still running the stock cam! But I feel it is as best it will be with the stock style heads and cam. Any turbo'ed vintage car is in my opinion a winner for daily driving!
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