Well you know what, thats a nice way of staying that some people took care of them amd some didn’t. And the ones that didn’t ended up with oil burners. The ones that did had a good solid car. Nothing wrong woth the Vega. 2 million sold in first several years and you going to hear bad stories
Hahahahahaha…oh wait, you’re serious. I think we’re done here…
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They were a junky little entry level car for people who couldn’t afford something nicer.
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And another thing, lets pretend its 1971 and I am enjoying my new Vega with its comfortable seats and smart styling. I paid attention to the owners manual and followed break in procedure and changed the oil after the first 500 miles. I don’t lug my Vega because I know its an engine that likes to sing, not lope.
These are a new generation of aluminum engines that rev high, sip fuel and last long.
I monitor the fluids and wash and wax my Vega.
It is now 1985 and I have put 150k trouble free miles on my Vega, aside from the solid front disc brakes that have a tendency to warp and pulsate, its been a good car. Yes there is some rust starting, but most Beetles are rusted out by now while my Vega still holds a shine.
It is just now starting to use a little oil, about a quart every 1200 miles, but sonce u check the fluids its no problem, i know these aluminium engines are not tolerant to overheating so I keep the radiator clean and coolant serviced. The Vega continues to be a good value in 1985 proving smart money bought Vega just like Casey Kasem told us back in 71.
This is how I envisioned vega ownership. although I never got to own one.
Lets agree that GM screwed up. So it was leading/bleading edge. They never should have built a vehicle without first perfecting the process. This is one of the reasons GM is no longer #1.
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Are you on drugs? There was a LOT wrong with the Vega. You’re saying the Vega was good based on the number of vehicles sold. That’s just plain dumb. You haven’t a clue.
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Fixed that for ya.
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GM was the number one automaker in the US up until last year. Part of that reason was the previous administration because it was filled with clowns that got their position because of favors they owed big daddy.
Another big part of the problem was GM lost their economic edge in the 70s and 80s in part due to their paint plan. There is an amazing book about it, hard to believe upgrading paint processes could almost bankrupt a company but it did.
Another reason is the union busting by foreign automakers, that put the big three at a huge disadvantage when the American made foreign competition built thier cars with cheap labor.
You know what lets say the Vega was flawed. Thats ok, buying one was the right thing to do, because if you didn’t buy one you were not for the country. GM was the economic engine of the country back then and people owed it to GM to support them. For every 1 employee that worked for GM I bet there were 10 jobs it created out there. GM built this country.
And another thing, I bet you will tell me McDonald’s hamburgers are subpar. You know what I say? They are great! Even if i don’t like them they must be good because billions and billions of people can’t be wrong!
And if they are wrong I don’t want to be right.
I am high right now, high on Americana. I went thru a phase where i bought a Prius, i lost sight of things. Now im back on track and im a GM man. Because GM ain’t dead yet. Theres a reason i am now “old days rick” and thats because i couldn’t sign in on my old account. Its also because im living like its the old days amd that means if Chevy sold a Vega today and i needed a small car I’d buy it because my money supports Americana.
I am as big a fan of GM as anyone can be. But no one in their right mind buys a car because they owe it to their country. They buy a car because the car suits their wants and needs. GM got cocky in the early 70’s and forgot that we Americans had choices in how to spend our money, and often made those choices based on quality. Yeah, Grandpa’s house in the mid-70’s had a Skylark, Monza, Impala, and Camaro. Guess what? Next car he bought was a Celica.
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Were all of his GM cars really that bad?
65 Skylark–No
74 Monza–Yes
74 Impala–No
75 Camaro–Yes
If you needed a reliable economical car to drive to work and you had to chose between a Vega/Monza or a Celica, no reasonable person would choose a Monza.
If I had swallowed my pride and bought a Vega in 1971, and if by 1985 I wasn’t earning enough money to afford a nicer car, I’d have stuck my head in the oven because my life would have been a failure.
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Sometimes wealthy people drive older cars. You must have never had to walk or ride a bike to get around. Typical spoiled teenager, probably bought your first car with mommy and daddy money, some of us had to work for what we have and you appreciate any car because it beats walking.
You sound like a typical spoiled American, people literally risk life and limb to come to this Country to enjoy a tenth of what we do and your talking about ending your life because you don’t have a nice enough car. Thanks for showing your entitlement and immaturity!
This is where I’m glad I grew up hardscrabble. I appreciate things because of it.
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Rick loved his Vega and had good luck with it. I loved my 71 Nova and had good luck with it till 93. We all know people that have had good luck and bad luck with any type of car. Sure I knew Vega owners unhappy, sure there were probably many Nova owners that were unhappy, time to let it go and appreciate his side of the story.
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Sorry I mislead with my rant, that story I put was a completely hypothetical story, I never owned a Vega, I am recovering from the virus and I am not thinking clearly at the moment
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Ok Heres what we learned… Vega was the worst car ever made, GM needs to go out of business, Ford Maverick was second worse car ever made, Dog tracking Novas are good cars despite being junk, I am on drugs, Dodge made the best cars, if you buy a brand-new economy car and still have it 15 years later you should put your head in the oven, and Ford Falcons were the worst car in 1960.
Did I miss any lessons here?
I stand corrected. GM did not use Nikasil on the 2300 Vega Engine. I wonder if they did if things would have turned out differently.
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