3 Best Cars That Failed Really Badly

When a new car fails soon after its release, it's usually due to the car having serious flaws, poor reliability, ugly exterior styling, etc. Very rarely does a good car soon after its release fail, however this is a list of 3 cars that failed very badly but were great cars that deserved a much better fate than what was handed to them.

[@genemartin6962]

i worked at a Chevy dealer when the Vega was produced. We used to say that any man that owned a Vega had better own a good pair of walking shoes because he will need them.

[@cindysue5474]

But they made for good strip cars along with the monza.

[@HomeWrecknKneeKnockr]

We really appreciate your videos & style of doing things, please keep em coming..

[@ssgemeritus2115]

Apart from all it's flaws, I still think the XLR is one of the most aesthetically beautiful cars made.

[@coloffroad]

Love them. Had two regular and one V. Outstanding cars and loved the angular looks. I went from Covettes to the XLR.

[@Theywaswrong]

I thought it was a beautiful ride, even more than the corvette of its day. But overpriced and appealed to a way too small market.

[@thelastcowboy7576]

I remember when this car came out..I thought it was just a caddy badged Vette but man did I think they were cool..that 32v V8 tho... Northstar 🤤🤤

[@ssgemeritus2115]

@@thelastcowboy7576 gave new meaning to "my grandpa drives Cadillac" 😂😎

[@dale4853]

Its

[@joelewing4498]

I began my car-selling career in Dec. '75 as a 22yr old at a giant Chevy dealership in southern Arizona. I absolutely remember those Cosworth Vegas. The dealership had a few on hand that sat in that showroom forever, it seemed. Yes, it was the price that kept buyers away. That....and the miserable reputation that Vegas had in general. Up until mid 1974 I think it was, Chev used "siamesed" cylinders as they were known...meaning that the water jackets did NOT go 360 degrees around each cylinder, and owners were blowing head gaskets like crazy....especially out here in hot Arizona during the summers. GM then did away with that problematic block and came out with the "iron duke" as they called it cast-iron block, and 360 water jackets. I still remember the "big" sales meeting we salesmen had to attend, where GM had reps there with 2 actual cut-away engines....the old one and the new "Iron Duke"...showing these improvements. But Vega had already dirtied it's diapers to the public, and became the kiss of death in the public's eyes. Interestingly, my wife's employer had a fleet of Vegas that they used to drive from Tucson to Phoenix and back daily....5 days a week. The man that was in charge of maintaining them LOVED Vegas. He told me "Americans just WILL NOT follow their owner's manuals and maintain their cars according to the manufacturers recommendations." Just by keeping an eye on the coolant level and changing the Vega's oil every 3K.....that fleet of Vegas were delivering over 300,000 (yes, 300K) trouble free miles EACH before retirement. He just loved them. Lots to be said for that.

[@aarontd3538]

Up here in the northland the vegas rusted out prematurely. To this day I am not sure gm ever made a quality small car like some of the imports. Really good trucks, 3800 engine in mid size cars was durable but small cars helped kill their reputation, especially in the 70s

[@giovannidovidio5096]

Vega "Car of the Year 1971", was a beautiful subcompact car. Its main problem was the 2.3 aluminum block engine. However, its reliability had improved much by 1976 but was too late. Followed by Monza, that was probably even less reliable until GM decided to replace, for what I remember, the 2.3 with the 2.5 Pontiac Iron Duke. Also Ford, Chrysler compacts had problems. Late 70s... the begining of the end of Detroit.

[@brianbaron1]

I do not remember the Iron Duke being put in the Vega however I do remember Chevy put sleeves in the engines for the 1976 amd 1977 model years.

[@SonnyGTA]

GM actually had the audacity to say, in an ad, Cosworth Vega; one Vega for the price of two!

[@discbreakrecords3311]

I still remember an early 70's Milwaukee dealer's radio jingle, Down at Jim Wienger's early in the morning See the little Chevy Vega's all in a row 3 speeds, 4 speeds, turbo hydramatics coupes, GT's and station wagons too. The last speeding ticket I had was in 1985, running late for work in my '74 Vega, fenders just floppin' in the breeze

[@75aces97]

I'm surprised you could get a speeding ticket in a Vega. We had a Pontiac disAstre, which gets my vote for worst production car ever to roll out of Detroit. With a good start, you could outrun those things on foot.

[@cubbysrig]

The only good thing about a Vega, was that you could pick them up for cheap, back in the eighties. I bought one from a guy for $50.00 after his wife said it had to go. It had orange shag carpet, and orange paint, with yellow flames. There was a 350/350 motor/trans in the hatchback that my brother and I spent the summer putting together correctly, (the previous owner had the wrong cam, valve springs, etc) and then proceeded to go from carbs, to tunnel ram, to blower, eventually spending over 5 grand, breaking windshields during body flex, rear axles over torque issues, and god-knows-how-much on fuel and oil. It was fun, but a money-pit, with the emphasis on FUN. That lasted for three summers. Soon, college came, and we sold the car to a guy that wanted to race it, because he lost so many street races to us. He took the engine and trans out, put them in his vette, raced it and wrapped it around a tree, put them back in the Vega, painted it red, then got a lot of tickets, all before we left for college that fall. Never saw him or the Vega after that. That’s just how Vega’s are. They come on the scene rather quickly, fade away, sometimes after a good long summer, or sometimes rather abruptly. But the constant is, they’re fun, while it lasts.

[@happydays8171]

cubbysrig They just rusted so fast, my dad had to buy a new Chevy pickup every 2 years because the they rusted out here at the southern tip of Lake Michigan. When Ford announced in the mid eighties that all their steel was going to be electro-galvinized, that was a turning point to making the bodies last the 10+ years they last today.

[@danielsandez8650]

Late 70s my father owned a74. Vega. We drove from Tijuana Mexico to just north of. Sacramento had fun with it in yolo county cool car...

[@gsxerwhite]

Used to see a lot of Vegas at the track in the mid to late 80’s

[@joetanaka6446]

Nice post. Brought back my 70s 80s California Central Valley memories. And let me tell you, it was good back then,

[@poot111111]

I remember visiting the Bowling Green production plant and seeing the Corvettes and XLR's being produced.

[@glennso47]

poot111111 I remember visiting Janesville, Wisconsin Assembly and seeing Impalas and Chevy pickups being produced in 1972. Janesville Assembly is now a vacant lot where the plant used to be.

[@roymcdougall4296]

poot111111 I am from Bowling Green, just left a comment about back in the day

[@roymcdougall4296]

Alan Whiteside I live within 3 miles of the corvette plant in bowling green Ky

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Huge Lordstown, Ohio plant where H-bodies (Vega, Astre, Monza, etc.) were made was just closed... Trump wants GM to re-open it... bring back all those American autoworkers...

[@tommurphy4307]

used to like XLRs till i saw a cts-V just smoke one in a stoplight drag. the cts didn't even break its tire loose.

[@francfurian8215]

I find your show extremely interesting, you always come come up with some really good content. Cheers👍🏻

[@GTvehicle]

When the 1988 Buick Reatta two-seater coupe was introduced in 1987 - I was Drooling over its pretty Looks - I think one of the prettiest and most tasteful examples of 1980 car styling I can think of !

[@garygroff2359]

Thank You for these amazing videos, I can't stop watching them.

[@SteveBueche1027]

In person the XLR was very impressive. Sadly the price killed it. Just because you add style doesn’t mean it’s worth $75K

[@thomas_2285]

I agree. However, just imagine what the price would be today if Cadillac released a new mid engine XLR based on the 2020 Corvette.

[@friguy4444]

Really like your narrating voice! Thanks for the great content.

[@jimh309]

Oddly enough, my mom bought new a 76 Vega GT with a 5 speed. In my memory it's one of the one's I wish I had today. It was a mini Camaro that got 35 MPG and served our family for years! The Cosworth was a dream then...

[@williamwhite9767]

The early Vegas rusted so fast you could almost hear it rust and those aluminum cylinders were a terrible idea. They burned oil like crazy. eventually Chevy put a cast iron engine in it. That must have been what your family had.

[@jimh309]

@@williamwhite9767 Cast iron sleeves in the "Dura Built" 140 cubic inch ohc. Chevy warrantied this motor for 5 years or 60,000 miles which is likely what sold my mom. The 76 also had a redesigned cooling system that was mostly at fault for it's earlier engine failures. Typical that GM tried to save a few $ and it cost them the reputation of the entire engineering design.

[@williamwhite9767]

@@jimh309 I thought they called that engine the "Iron Duke". It was a long time ago. I owned a one year old 73 GT Vega for about a year. It was burning a qt of oil every 500 miles and I repaired some rust spots on it. they guy who bought it ran it up to 70k miles and said he put a qt of oil in it every time he bought gas.

[@jimh309]

@@williamwhite9767 The Iron duke followed the Dura Built. It was a standard push rod 151 Cubic inch built by Pontiac starting in 1977. It was basically a remake of the old 4 from the early 60's that you would find in the Nova.

[@patricknesbitt4003]

@@jimh309 The base models w/o air conditioning had a radiator that was about the size of a heater core in a bigger car. That's one reason the cooling system sucked.

[@FSEVENMAN]

Dude I can believe you didn't mention one of the most important features about the Buick Reatta, It had the 1st production touch screen ever put in a car it was before flat screens so it had a touch screen CRT or cathode ray tube display.

[@EdwardCheek]

I've owned 3 Chevy Vega's and you would literally lose parts as you drove down the road. Engine oil and coolant would mix due to the aluminum block warping. Today General Motors can't seem to get out of its own way.

[@appleiphone69]

Edward Cheek they think they can sell cars to the NASCAR crowd forever. News flash NASCAR is dying because of greed and so is GM again.

[@jonyoung6405]

GM is doing fine.......in China.

[@christopherconard2831]

Two friends owned them. One joked that you could hear it rust in the rain. Steel is made of iron and other metals. Somewhere along the line I believe they decided to try Alka Seltzer. She had a unicorn level rare one. The engine never gave her any problems. The rest of the car fell apart, literally parts like a door handle just fell off. But the engine kept going.

[@stranger_danger1900]

Had a Vega years ago and it put so much oil through we would need to stop about every 30 miles to clean the plugs because it would start slowing down and finally stop running.

[@johnharris7751]

@@stranger_danger1900 I owned one briefly, fill the oil and check the gas.didnt have to worry black flies. However they look cool being designed to look like a miniature Camaro.

[@ebayerr]

So this video should've really been titled,"3 Best *GM* Cars That Failed Really Badly"

[@starxlr7863]

Yes that would have been much better put.

[@karlsmith2570]

ebayerr agreed, a couple of these cars only failed because of the sticker shock of their price tag The Elante failed because of it's poor design, which was a lesson learned by Cadillac when they'd conceived the design for The XLR, the thing that hurt The XLR And The Cosworth Vega were what was the price of these cars

[@starxlr7863]

@@karlsmith2570 No what was not mentioned in this video as to why the XLR didn't continue was also the fact of the great recession that hit the country around 2008. GM had to reconsolidate among all its brands and models. Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Hummer and Saturn were all discontinued as well as several models from the remaining 4 brands. The Allante was a good car minus what some people might say. The style has nothing to do with it as it was in fact a great styled car by Pinifarina of Turin Italy which also worked with Cadillac back in the 50's before on the Eldorado Brougham and the La Espada from 53. The Allante was a continuation of that work from the 50's and produced a great car and by far the best quality Cadillac of the 80's. Many of the Allante's engineered construction and innovations later made there way into most newer vehicles by GM and others.

[@flybyairplane3528]

StarXLR the ALIANTE, TOP WAS MANUAL , THAT IS WHAT KILLED IT ! Cheers from NJ 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@debeeriz9669]

or 3 gm cars that were overpriced

[@es7614]

Nice work, love these videos, thank you

[@vinniecorleone62]

Another excellent profile on a few great little cars, always enjoyable! You should do a video on the Capri as it has an interesting back story & I had a couple of them which I loved.

[@d.e.b.b5788]

Ah, the Capri, what the Mustang 2 should have been!

[@jacquespoirier9071]

GM is the all categories champion for taking a wonderful idea and turning it in a real junk

[@williamwhite9767]

like the Oldsmobile diesel....

[@fobbitoperator3620]

GM is the king of potential success, gone to waste.

[@stevenmaginnis1965]

Health care costs. The Germans can sell cars more easily because they don't have to bother with any of that.

[@rickvelocity5578]

That's true. They were in a big hurry to introduce their new products to the consumer & let them do the longevity testing to their products. Like the V-8 gasoline converted Diesel, didn't work & the consumer was left with any & all repairs!.

[@garyjones7044]

@@stevenmaginnis1965 the Germans can sell cars because they have snob appeal and people are stupid!

[@Un4Given71]

@@stevenmaginnis1965, germans doesn't need health care?

[@stevenmaginnis1965]

@@Un4Given71: VW, Daimler, and Opel don't have to provide health insurance to their employees like GM because the government takes care of that.

[@jetsons101]

A surprising pleasure to watch..... Thanks for posting.....

[@knighttuttrup]

Really enjoy these, thanks.

[@SteveBueche1027]

The XLR in person was gorgeous. But yeah, the price was too extreme.

[@alm4132]

Price is why I didn't buy one.... but a beautiful car!!

[@michaelmckinnon1591]

Luxury cars are going to be expensive

[@SteverRob]

As a guitarist, I can't get that intro out of my head. Just gets better every time I hear it.

[@fobbitoperator3620]

Yeah pretty rad, man!

[@ultimatem9178]

I does sound really good!

[@twothreefour234]

Your right. Kinda modern rockabilly

[@kennybranshaw7526]

I thought it was just me, axe man!

[@curbmassa]

Pretty easy to play- Bmin Bb C F F# Bmin

[@robertstv8045]

Very, very well done and informative video. Thank you

[@barryervin8536]

I worked as a technician (actually we were called mechanics back then, which seemed to pay better) at a Chevy dealership from 1971-77. So I saw plenty of Vegas, and even owned 2 of them because I could get used ones dirt cheap and keep them running. We didn't sell a lot of Cosworths but I worked on a few. I was surprised to find that the performance improvement over a good running stock Vega GT was barely noticeable, considering all the expensive high-tech stuff on the Cosworth. The 1600 RPM idle was amusing though.

[@GloriasHubby]

Good to see the Cosworth getting some proper attention. That engine was a dream and ran quite well once you got rid of the fuel injection and put 4 Weber Carbs on her.

[@DA90027]

The 3800 engine in the Buick was one of the best engines gm made

[@jonasgrumby1093]

And when GM gets all the bugs worked out over all the years They discontinued it.....

[@DA90027]

@@jonasgrumby1093 I have it in my 85 Cutlass Ciera conv reliable peppy and gets good mileage.

[@rayfarr7336]

You cant be serious if you got 90000 miles before the head gasket let go it was a mericle

[@DA90027]

@@rayfarr7336 what are you smoking had over 150k before I rebuilt it had no issues. Just because YOU had a prob doesn't mean they are all bad.

[@DA90027]

@Oggy My 85 Cutlass Ciera conv is 35 years old has plenty of power of course only an idiot would hot rod a classic. Ask Kevin Hart how that turned out. I've never had any of the issues described above.

[@drbenmccullough2608]

It's a shame what the ceo's did to gm

[@MarvelousSeven]

Or the UAW

[@rickloera9468]

The old CEOS had oil for blood. They were car guys. That's why cars were so much better back then. Now it's some person that doesn't know the difference between a hardtop and a sedan and could careless about cars. It's all about the bottom dollar and profits. Sad but true. I think most businesses that happens over time. Look at KFC. When the Colonel was in charge, the chicken was top notch. Now its cafeteria food. This repeats itself throughout most industries. Very sad. I was watching a you tube video about a 1964 Cadillac Coupe Deville. This car was a true work of art. The quality and precision that went into that car was phenomenal. Today's cars, though better than what they were twenty years ago lack the quality and beauty. From about 1968 and below. For me, there is no new car that gets me to want to go down to a car dealership and buy. Pretty sad, and that's from someone who drives a car that would make most people want to trade their car in asap. A Prius.

[@glennso47]

Dr Ben mccullough Especially Ms Barra

[@glennso47]

Rick Loera Bean Counters

[@seththomas9105]

ROGER SMITH. Nuff ced"

[@that70sschwinn]

I saw a red Reatta in a parking lot in 2010, it definitely caught my eye as I had never seen one before and made a point of looking for the name badge on the car. It was pretty stylish, sleek and in great condition, I never saw another one since... 😕

[@branon6565]

My Uncle said his Vega was the only car he's ever owned that he could actually hear it rust every time it rained...

[@billolsen4360]

I got a 65 Impala in 1974 where you could see the gas gauge go down if you stomped on the accelerator, lol.

[@KoshN]

@@billolsen4360 Our '65 Ford LTD with 352 four barrel was like that. Great car, nice ride, plenty of power. 😁

[@billolsen4360]

@@KoshN The '65 LTD was a good looker too!

[@KoshN]

@@billolsen4360 Yes it was. Ours was a blue-green metallic. It got head-on, totalled in 1977 by a college kid coming downhill in a 1974 Chevy Caprice who was looking through a 3" x 5" card shaped hole in the ice on his windshield. 🙄 Immaculate, beautiful car totaled by a 🤬🤬🤬 idiot.

[@billolsen4360]

@@KoshN He didn't learn too much at that college, did he?

[@showmemoblues]

I was cruising this weekend and was following a XLR and I remembered it was a Corvette at heart...a very high priced one..it was red, sharp in mint condition and the top was down having fun on some hilly curvy roads in the country....

[@thedevilsadvocate5210]

The allante was a nice caddy as well

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Expensive weaker less dependable engine than the Chevy engine...

[@peteandrepete528]

Even Yenko loved the Vegas .In 72 they did. Other model years for Vega I'm not sure.Called it a stinger like they did with the 66 Yenko Corvair Stinger. I owned a regular Vega .It was a 73 .That was at around 17 yo . A time where if it could go ahead , backwards , could stop , play tunes and fill the car with ladies . Life was great lol. I still miss it and the 79 - 80 Monza I owned after that. They would have an LS in them if I still had them .Great vid man.

[@robervin4384]

ahhhhhh.......GM; everyone in a suit deserves at least $350k & a mansion. Poor schmuck on the floor should just be "lucky to have a job"! So let's parts bin absolute shot & if goes bust we blame it on the workers. I grew up in Flint, I can't stand Michael Moore, but his 'Roger & Me' documentary is spot on

[@seththomas9105]

Trust me its more than the U.S. auto industry. That is the modern U.S. business school model.

[@robervin4384]

@Jody Owen I take your point & mostly agree. Well put & appreciated. I can't abide labor always being the scapegoat however & I would counter not all unions represent losers.....skilled trades chief among them. That said, I do find that government employees or low-skilled entry services (as examples) requiring representation silly. Many journeypersons I work with carry/maintain numerous trade certs mandated, hold degrees (overwhelmingly undergrad) & more often than not buttress those labeled management; but I digress. Thanks for keeping me in ✔ & take care

[@robervin4384]

@Jody Owen thanks. Pop always told me "earn a degree" (note not "get a degree"), learn a trade or join the service......did all three. Also, Moms family north 'rust belt' folk but mostly educators / admin. Contraiwise, Pops side south bible belt but engineers / tradespersons. So, a perfect dychotemy myself has grown to be methinks. Flavor it with some Catholic & Southern Baptist + being well travelled......wallah, a pragmatist who enjoys debate, learning & knows when to hold the tongue in effort not to insert foot. Angst & vitriol tempered with blind ideology will be the death of us. Thanks again & our best to you and yours sincerely. We all in it to win it 👍

[@michaelatoz580]

I saw the fall of the auto industry in Flint first hand. One of my first job out of high school in the late 80's was in a machine shop as a laborer and driver. I delivered many of part to Cadillac Tool and Die in Flint and to the Grand Blanc stamping plant. Lots of good paying jobs are gone and so is Flint. The Grand Blanc plant had a die grave yard out back of every die they used since the plant opened in the late 50's that was a site to see....

[@louf7178]

I have to agree that was the big problem. Plus, no one understands the "building for the masses" at a reasonable cost, but they want everything - its just not a reality unless you get cheap labor; then it's not assembled at home, therefore they're a sellout and traitor -- no winning for them at all. I've stuck with my '05 GP, and it actually very impressive when honestly evaluated. They had to up the engine efficiency, and everything else was in turmoil at this point. Now, people want 100% reliability over 200,000 miles without any attention. Is that feasible? Did Honda do it? Is it so complex now that, just dump it all and go electric? GM had significant research in the fuel cell - nothing productive evolved from it. The Impala looks great, but mild - too unflattering for today's hyper advertising - they may even be dropping it. They need to make the right sense.

[@JDsHouseofHobbies]

I remember the Cosworth Vega being a car I wanted as a kid.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

My dad wasn't an American car fan but mention a cosworth vega made him turn his ear

[@JeeGee114]

Cool kid!

[@wendyvelasquez4550]

Marinus Antonius what do u man

[@bunkie2100]

The print ad read “One vega for the price of two!”

[@jeffpitzer8521]

I had a 76 cosworth Vega witn the 5 speed. Its revved high.. 7500 red line. The fuel injection system was not great.. if you put a hutton intake with dual sidedraft webbers in it it supposedly would come alive..never had that setup. You could buy " track cams" through GM parts.The borg warner 5speed was troublesome and would jump out of gear under hard acceleration. The handling of the cosworth was great.. approaching trans am territory. But the '74 -'77 crash bumpers were ungodly heavy. It was a very comfortable car. Except for AC not being available. If i had the time i think a Vega with an aluminum LS and a tremec would be a super fast sleeper. Lighten up the bumpers and swap a stronger rear end. In a different time with some different equipment this car could have been more popular that the Iroc Z

[@kramnull8962]

And a parachute...

[@anthonynelson9136]

6500 redline

[@BuzzLOLOL]

My '77 Astre has aluminum bumpers... Iron Duke engine...

[@kentlewis6604]

In 1979, I bought a 1976 Cosworth Vega for $2,000, which had 18k miles on it . A bargain. WiRth custom Reed cams, it screened to 8I rpms and around 200hp. But it was a chore to drive around town as the enginecwouldnt start pulling till it hit about 4I rpms, then it would fly to redline extremely fast. With the lightweight wheels and sport suspension, it was like driving a go-kart around turns. The body rust issue was terrible.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

If only Chevrolet used the Cosworth engineering for all their Vega models, not just a couple of years. Given the improvement in performance and relative reliability compared to the standard Vega, I think they should've.

[@frankw3217]

They still rusted out.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I'm sure they did. But then I would think most cars rusted out eventually.

[@frankw3217]

@@jasoncarpp7742 no, not really. I own a 1977 Chevy El Camino SS, original owner. I owned a 1973 Vega Hatch back. It rusted bad. I repaired all the rusy, new fenders, resheet metal about hood area were air vents are, everything. After 6 months or so it started rusting again in different places. All the Vega' s did this. If it did not rust I was going drop in it a 350 engine with 350 turbo hydromatic transmission.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

That's crazy, how cars were built during that decade.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

I had to laugh around 1:25. That beautiful engine and look forward to the gm upper rad hose and traditional crappy old tower hose clamp. The buck stopped there 🤣🤣

[@W1se0ldg33zer]

2003-2004 Mercury Marauder. Excellent big highway prowler - all blacked out. About 10k sold.

[@louf7178]

That name came at a very inappropriate time. I couldn't believe they went ahead with it.

[@gregsilveira6808]

@@louf7178Mercury had used the Marauder nameplate off and on since 1963.

[@BanCorporateOwnedHouses]

@@louf7178 Never in my life have I ever heard any controversy over the name lol.

[@speakfreeley4473]

That 1971 Vega shot is the only time you'll see one in mint condition.

[@91dodgespiritrt]

FALSE "FAKE NEWS" COMMENT ALERT

[@sirloin4372]

Thanks for giving the xlr some love. I remember when that car came out I was in my early 20’s and I worked at kohl’s making $9 an hour. I wanted one so bad.... I currently own a 2005 Cadillac STS4, 2005 Cadillac deville limited and a 69 sedan deville!

[@joeturnip4216]

I bought a new 1974 Vega. Within 9 months the upholstery and carpet fell apart, the plastic dash cracked in multiple places, the engine cylinder walls failed and the manufacture sandbagged me on the warranty. I'd say that qualifies as a failure.

[@Oregon696969]

All three were grossly overpriced considering the overall poor GM quality.

[@WinterInTheForest]

Buick 3800 series was one of the best engines ever built.

[@Clarkecars]

@@WinterInTheForest Yes, the Buick 3800 was a truly reliable engine, but GM's other lines had too many issues and by then had ruined their credibility. General Motors unfornately destroyed the US auto market. I spent over 30 years in the industry from 1978 to 2010.

[@muskokamike127]

@@Clarkecars yeah, the bean counters took over just like at Ford. They got rid of "car guys" and brought in marketing dweebs.

[@wydopnthrtl]

@@muskokamike127 This is true! I was in Ford in the 90s and saw it 1st hand.

[@jeffpitzer8521]

I have a magazine ad from GM for the Cosworth Vega starting off "It's like buying one Vega for the price of two!" ....I'm thinking "let's just get that issue off the table right up front"... lol

[@frankw3217]

The Vega was originally designed for a Chevy 350 engine bit with Japanese imports coming into the USA they switched it to a 4 cylinder engine. They were companies that made kits to convert the Vega for a 4 cylinder vehicle to 8 cylinder vehicle. A few even made kits to fit in a small V-6.

[@dougabbott8261]

Doug Thorley V 8 Vega kit purchased through Popular Hot Rodding magazine is what I used.

[@samiam9059]

Great videos.... Was able to drive a vega in high school and was fun. My aunt won two on the price is right and a station wagon

[@stepheneckart2202]

I test drove a Vega in 1970. After driving less than one mile, I returned it to the dealership in Richmond, Indiana because it drove and rode like a logwagon. I went straight to the AMC dealer at the east end of Richmond on Highway 40 and bought a Candy Apple Green Gremlin. and loved it!!!!

[@barbmelle3136]

From Leo: Vega, Cosworth or otherwise, had the same trouble, in most of the country they rusted out way before the payment book got thin and the used a LOT of oil at pretty low mileage. Pretty bad to make payments on a car that smokes like a freight train and the fenders flap in the wind like an old crow. Been there, done that.

[@johntiggleman4686]

I had a 74 Vega...was a pretty good car for me. But the paint on the roof was thin from the factory..had the dealer send it out to get redone. Had it for just over a year...never had trouble with it...but selling it after a year might have been a smart move.

[@aa64912]

There never was a 4 door Vega. Even the station wagon only came as a two door. They were nice looking cars but simply mechanically junk

[@happydays8171]

Walter Johnson The engineers were told how to make the car instead of vice versa, so the first Vega proto-type made it half way around GM's test track before breaking in two. My sister had a Monza, I really enjoyed driving that car.

[@aa64912]

Happy Days the monza was sporty looking and was indeed fun to drive.

[@happydays8171]

Walter Johnson Somebody hit her in it, she only had it a year. I believe it had a V-8, real snappy to drive. With that rear brake handle by your right hand, in the snow, I had a blast spinning that thing around in a parking lot one day. She never let me drive it again.

[@weelgunny]

With a hatchback, a 4 door wouldn't look right. I don't think thier ever was a 4 dr hatchback from any make. Except for a Malibu Max.

[@fk4515]

@@weelgunny VW Rabbit Chevy Chevette, Chevy Citation and Pontiac Phoenix, Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon, Renault LeCar, Renault Encore, Ford Escort/ Mercury Lynx Numerous Saabs all 4 door hatchbacks and probably a few I'm missing , oh wait Ford Fiesta, Ford Festiva, Ford Focus, Chevy Sprint/Chevy Nova (the one based on the Toyota Corolla),Toyota Corolla, GEO Metro, Merkur Scorpio Honda Civic,Honda Accord Crosstour, Toyota Venza.

[@frequentflyer56]

Though I didn't have a Cosworth, I did own several Vega's and loved each of them. I also had a Pacer and that little guy as well. Thanks for this video and the memories

[@blanchae]

The Vega was a surprisingly good handling car, GM should of put a V6 in it. They did in the stationwagon version but they called it a Monza wagon which wasn't a Monza but a Vega.

[@bloqk16]

@blanchae . . . I had a '74 GT model and agree, it handled great!

[@donbishow5497]

I own Reatta's 2 hard tops and one convertible. I love the clean lines of the car. I put a supercharged 3800 in one if them, 1/4 mile time was 15.2, thats 2 seconds of stock times.

[@charleshall1862]

The Cosworth was and is my bowtie dream car. Had they lasted a couple more years, I would have owned one instead of my first Z28.

[@amirdariel1303]

I dont mean to be offtopic but does anyone know a trick to get back into an instagram account? I was stupid lost my account password. I appreciate any help you can give me!

[@jacobcody3796]

@Amir Dariel Instablaster ;)

[@amirdariel1303]

@Jacob Cody I really appreciate your reply. I found the site thru google and I'm trying it out now. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will reply here later with my results.

[@amirdariel1303]

@Jacob Cody it worked and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy! Thank you so much you saved my account :D

[@jacobcody3796]

@Amir Dariel glad I could help :)

[@Drchainsaw77]

Had the Reatta been made rear-drive with a clutch, even with the 165hp 3.8, I'd be looking for one right *now.*

[@jamesodell9382]

Helped to build several V8 Vega's in the late '70's, shortened 10 and 12 bolt rear-ends and all. However for my personal '72 Vega I was bound and determined to build a four-banger worth its salt. Took three motors blowing up though wound up with an Iron Duke block, oversized valves in a ported and tuned head, and of course nothing legal for intake or exhaust. She turned out pretty well on the dyno and performed okay with the four-speed; could chirp 3 of four gears! Kind of wish I still had that car other than the fact it was hard to stay ahead of the rust.

[@pcno2832]

From what I've read, GM had 10,000 engines made for the Cosworth Vega and ended up scrapping 6,500 of them at $10,000 a piece. If they had cut the price $1000, they probably would have sold them all and lost a lot less money on the project. Even if they cut it $2000, the buzz generated by customers fighting over them would have been free advertising. Most of the Vega's rust problems had been solved by 1975 (they actually found a way to paint the whole thing!!), and the Cosworths were said to be the best-built Vegas, so it's sad that they wasted this opportunity. They even had Vega bodies leftover from the 1977 model year, which were sold with Monza Town Coup faces as the "Monza S". With the debut of the torque-arm rear suspension that laid the foundations for the 1982 Camaro, the Cosworth was too important a piece of GM history to have been labeled a failure.

[@Z06Doug]

PC No, I think you are pretty close to the Cosworth engine count, but they didn't scrap all of them. If I remember, they saved about 2000 engines for resale. I own 3 Cos Vega's and about 3 more engines. Chevy wanted to compete with the car in the under 125 cu in ? class for the advertising to boost car sales. Funny, I never heard of any famous races. GM contracted Cosworth to engineer the destroked little engine and in race trim made a solid 240 hp and had the aluminum block failure at above 260hp. # 1 problem, Chevy could not have a lightweight 4 cyl Vega faster than the heavy smogged Corvette. # 2, EPA testing had burned exhaust valves, even tuned at about 150 HP for engine durability runs, so they kept taking power out and delayed production almost 2 years. It was about the first production car with a computer, electronic fuel injection, factory stainless big tube header, 4 valve per cyl, double overhead cam, etc. No, not the first car to have said features, just too early to work very good in the 1970's. i enjoy the V8 Vega and the Cos, but sadly GM dropped the ball and didn't even care.The 140 (2300) Vega run OK, but the tiny radiator, worthless match of alum pistons and alum block din't work. Instead of adding 4 steel sleeves to fix the problem, GM would not accept the fancy allow block was the problem and simply added another idiot light to check engine coolant! Too late! Texas cars, I have not seen the Vega rust any more than the rest, but if you live on the coast, they all still rust.

[@jimmycline4778]

The XLR Cadillac still looks great today just like the C5 corvette! The best looking Cadillac performance car ever!

[@d.e.b.b5788]

The problem was the engine. They should have used the Corvette engine, and it would have been a great car. That Northstar engine from those early years is known to have problems, so it's a loser even in the used car market. I kept my 928 instead.

[@WTMNNJR]

@@d.e.b.b5788 no they should let have. Using the north star was the right choice. GM is the king of rebadging so having a Cadillac engine in a Cadillac was the right thing to do.

[@Enigma8750]

Very well crafted and informative video.

[@somyajitnath6303]

I've loved the looks of the XLR from the first time I saw it in a 2005 Top Gear magazine

[@jeffreynolds3848]

Kevin, great vid and subject material as always!

[@TheHelado36]

Reatta were beautiful !

[@RichieRouge206]

The Reatta has a look of the Volvo 480! Gotta love pop-up headlights

[@SGTJDerek]

I loved the Vega. Wish I could get my hands on one along with the Hornet based AMX.

[@joehomoky2393]

What wasn’t mentioned about the cosworth Vega was the aluminum block being prone to melting😱

[@pepper13111]

Aluminum is great if cylinders are lined ( sleeves)

[@d.e.b.b5788]

@@pepper13111 The 928 block used the same material, and didn't have any of GM's problems. You just have to let the engineers do their job, and they can build a great aluminum block engine. Lots of 928's out there with 200k plus miles on them, without any of the poor Vega's problems.

[@davidstoyanoff]

I remember looking for a car in 1975. Saw a lot of ads in the newspaper saying "1972 Vega, new engine."

[@dongeorge4037]

Yeah, had one. Engine went out -- made of aluminium w/silicon -- stupid idea that didn't work. Finally, after swapping out 2 times for used engines, a rebulder said "I can fix that" and he did. He put in steel sleeves and the engine finally didn't keep wearing out. That was the car that made me NEVER buy a GM car again.

[@williamwhite9767]

GM offfered new engine blocks for the Vegas for $200 as part of a special warranty program.

[@56redjets]

Drove a used Vega to college. Never broke down, just had to carry extra oil. Also had a 75 Cosworth. Slow and unexciting. If I remember correctly it was the first GM car with 4 valves per cylinder, five speed manual, dual overhead cams, fuel injection and factory headers. Pretty as far as Vega's go. Long gone now, it was the first car in my collector car habit.

[@codyluka8355]

Drove a 1974 Mercury Bobcat Villager wagon. Lots of woodgrain...inside and out. Powered by a 105 hp 2.3L and a 4 speed stick. Probably the most comfortable bucket seats ever made. As much as I wanted a Camaro while at collage, I always had gas in my tank. Thank God I was never rear ended. Memories.

[@uski59]

Awesome selection

[@rtwice93555]

The Northstar engine might have been part of the Caddy's failure. Though I know little about the supercharged version, it's naturally asperatd version was less than reliable. Cadillac shoehorned this behemoth engine into several front wheel drive models which was a nightmare for most mechanics. The Northstar was prone to oil pan gasket leaks that required engine removal to reseal. The starter motor was "conveniently" mounted under the intake manifold; a terrible design for a number of reasons. Cadillac has a history of weird engine developments that make mechanics shake in their boots. Who can forget dealing with Digital Fuel Injected 4100s? Cylinder shedding seemed like a good idea until something went wrong; even God had no idea how to diagnose it.

[@LaSouthernGemini]

I don't know about the latter comment but I totally agree with the former. The Northstar in itself had many pluses but turning it sideways and forcing the adaption of the remaining drivetrain meant repair costs were higher than 'normal'.

[@JohnDoe-to2kv]

From my recollection the ‘Northstat’ wasn’t a behemoth , the quad cam heads made it large on top, not much heavier. This engine had great potential and was used successful in World prototype racing. My understanding of the engines problems had to do with casting quality. If the General Mayhem would’ve put a bit mor into it , in my opinion, it would’ve made a much better engine for the Corvette too.. Even Ford went Quad cam for the Mustang

[@msbae]

You couldn't give me a Vega. The XLR also lacked sufficient interior space for someone of my height and build when I tried one out at a car show. The Reatta though, was a true tragedy. That car should have been a success.

[@matadorman78]

So I going out here, what is your height and girth?

[@820hurleyj]

Totally agree, except about the Reatta being a convertible. I much preffered the hardtop. Unfortunately, I was married with children back then and couldn't afford any of them. But I seriously drooled over the Reatta.

[@waltschannel7465]

Totally agree with your assessment! There are others if course, like the Pontiac Fiero, and that other Pontiac 2 seater in the late 2000s that the Saturn Sky was copied from.

[@codyluka8355]

Pontiac Solstice. Absolutely cool car. Cousin has a 2007 GXP. Great little sports coupes.

[@NorthernChev]

GM has a LONG history of screwing themselves in sales by overpricing their special models. The recent Chevrolet SS, the newer Pontiac GTO, the Cosworth Vega, the SSR... and so on, and so on, and... and despite what the press releases are saying GM wants to price the new, upcoming mid-engined Corvette at (60,000), dealers won’t let a single one of those go for a dime less than $80,000.

[@happydays8171]

NorthernChev I agree, it's amazing they've stayed in business as long as they have. I think the announcement that they are in the process of moving their manufacturing base to China is the last nail in the coffin for the former giant. Nobody would buy a Ferrari that wasn't made in Italy (especially China), who would buy a Chevy that wasn't made in the USA?

[@davidszakacs6888]

Hah! So right. I worked at the Lordstown plant where the Vega was built. GM management was terrible.

[@sansfreedom1629]

I agree with you, but the SS was never meant to sell. It was needed for a deal GM was making involving the opening of a new plant I think.

[@sansfreedom1629]

And can't you have them order you a new one from the factory? Just spec out a base model?

[@jamesgeese]

Go to a top corvette dealer, they dont have to mark them up you can get one no mark up fyi

[@GaryCSchade]

Grossly Overpriced. Grossly Underpowered. Typical case thats still true to this day of American auto manufacturers still telling Americans what to buy instead of listening to us tell them what we want and what we can afford. The grossly underpowered 'mopar-maserati' looked and shared too much with the K-car.

[@KTJohnsonkidThunder]

I've seen the Reattas on the road from time to time. I would love to own one. Either that or the Allante. Oddly enough, I think the Reatta shares the EXACT same platform as the 1987-1992 Olds Toronado/Olds Troféo.

[@jeffmayo1026]

XLR..what a beauty ! One of my customers has one. I.luv it.

[@ianobrien3248]

That XLR got released right when everyone started losing their jobs and money in the recession, no wonder a sporty luxo-coupe didn't fare well when the Madoff's took all the money.

[@LaSouthernGemini]

And did you notice who drove them? People in their late 50's and up. I suppose the baby boomers who had the money when others lost their jobs. I associated the XLR with AARP back then.

[@daflotsam]

Always loved the XLR. One of the best looking Vehicles in this century.

[@smithwilliamn7090]

Vega was a rust bucket with iron/aluminium mis-match engine. Ran poorly in cold weather. I remember going to look for a car with my grandfather. First stop was a junk yard littered with Vegas and AMC Pacers. Good indication what not to buy.

[@stwhite5135]

Thank you again. I didn't appreciate these cars when new. All real beauties now.

[@markpalio4411]

My Neighbor(Across the Street) has an Original 76 White with Red Int. Cosworth Vega with 3500 mi. And My Dads 88 Reatta Coupe Is in My Driveway.

[@deliveryguyrx]

A white Cosworth Vega,really?You may be confusing it with the Spirit of America version,produced for the bicentennial (1976).

[@markpalio4411]

@@deliveryguyrx Sorry-No Confusion! Just Saw The Car Yesterday-As I've Seen It Since 1983 In My Neighbors Garage. Owner Of Car Is Son Of One Of The Cyl Head Designers For GM.

[@joelewing4498]

@@markpalio4411 Mark, then that white Cosworth would have definitely been a special "factory ordered" vehicle that high-ranking GM execs could order with special paint from the factory. I guarantee you that all Cosworth Vegas were Black with gold trim. If your neighbor's white one was delivered like that from the factory, then it is really something quite unique and probably worth much more than the Black Cosworths.

[@dianasmith4282]

I had a 76 cosworth it was firstborn red with red interior i have seen a white cosworth dark blue and black my car was 2875. All cosworth Vegas had number on dash and engine builders name singed under hood

[@markpalio4411]

@@dianasmith4282 I Will Ask My Neighbor What # His Is. Probably Still Has Eng Builder Sig Also As The Air In The Tires Is The Same Since He Bought It.

[@weirdshibainu]

Despite the high cost, the XLRs interior looked cheap.

[@aarongranda7825]

Your show has seen me through many lonely nights.

[@roymcdougall4296]

I have a good friend that had a vega that he inserted a 350 engine, 10 inch rear tires, 411 rear end and let me tell you it would pack the front tires and wouldn't nothing around here beat it for a long time. Back in the 70s in Bowling Green, KY we used to run the by-pass on Friday and Saturday night checking out all the hot rods. All I had which it wasn't bad but it was to be stock, it was a stock 70 Chevelle with a stock 396 375 horse engine and it would get on down the road pretty quick

[@LanceisLawson]

Oh come on the Vega was the only car that ever started rusting out while still on the dealer lot. It deserved to go the way of the Pinto, and it did.

[@jmad627]

The Bic lighter of cars.

[@nelsong4719]

jmad627 no that is more suitable to the Pinto which exploded when rear ended.

[@nelsong4719]

Mason George just read up on it. You're referring to one incident where the Pinto exploded and killed 4 teenagers and Ford got away with paying the victiims' family only 7500 bucks each. Do your research before cherry picking Ignoramus.

[@jameslonergan5840]

Also with the 2002 Ford Thunderbird, I think base price was the sales issue with the Base price and Dealers marking up the price caused poor sales.

[@snek9353]

Yeah, many dealers put a $10K markup on those suckers. But really that was Ford's fault as they limited production.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

'02 TBird also too heavy for a 2 seater car... 3900 lbs...

[@dtshifter]

I never had a Vega but when I was a kid, I remember seeing at least one Vega station wagon in our neighborhood that was customized like a van with funky side rear windows like were all the rage in customized vans of the late 70's. It had styled wheels and a pretty wild paint job.

[@jamesoakley9055]

My sister and her husband had an early Vega. The differential got chewed up near a small town in Colorado because a needed cotter pin had not been installed during manufacturing. It took ten days to find the parts. Even the factory didn't have them. Pitiful!

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I remember the Buick Reatta. I found it more attractive than the Riviera of the same vintage. I also preferred it over the Cadillac Allante. At the time, I was hoping it would've replaced the ageing Riviera. Why it didn't is beyond me.

[@MaliciousSRT]

Buick could be a cool brand with nicely scultped modern versions of the riviera and reatta, along with a grand national and GNX top end model. Instead they make toyota camry and avalon copies that nobody wants

[@jasoncarpp7742]

@@MaliciousSRT I agree. I remember the Grand National and GNX. I was less than pleased when it was discontinued when it was, in favour of the more modern, yet less attractive, front-wheel drive Buick Regal.

[@sounddoctorin]

I put a 350 in a '72 vega and got 27mpg.... ie. they were not trying...

[@alexbenjaminlubbers]

@Edward Gross That says something, when an Aussie compliments us "yanks".

[@sounddoctorin]

@Edward Gross with proper gearing and fuel systems there's no reason a small block v8 can't get near the same mpg's... and the stress on the motor is so much less churning along at 1500 rpm at 55mph roughly in mine. Add 50% to maintenance of timing chain at least... and with heat so low valves/rings should go 300,000 miles... cam maybe too and bearings certainly if maintained properly. Vega motors would often have troubles well under 100k. But even a decent 4 cyl. in that day wouldn't do over 150k w/out problems save some japanese motors. But if we build a v8 to those specs then you go better part of a million miles.

[@sounddoctorin]

@Edward Gross I actually had same holly 600 cfm on my '71 nova that i had on vega. 307 v8 with 2.56 rear end and turbo 350 tranny. Quick starts 0-60 in 1st gear, 100 in 2nd and it wanted to float at 115+ so never had it much over 120. But it only did about 20.x mpg tops. vega had 1.91 gear w/ .7 overdrive on 2.73 monza rear end for 27mpg w/same carb. Had 289 in my first car that his slick spot/wrecked. '67 cougar

[@maconp1119]

I only could afford a 305 for mine. It was cheap and I was broke.

[@louf7178]

Interesting. Gearing?

[@johnmancuso3857]

Awa the Vega, worked at GM dealer when those things were new. They would rust out sitting on the lot. Remember one that the customer said it had an oil leak. Found a big hole on side of block where the rod went through, still ran. I could go on and on, great times in the 70s.

[@g.stephens263]

The GM 3800 II was bullet proof! I owned two Regals, one without and one with a supercharger. I drove both of them for over 200,000 miles and they ran like a sewing machine.

[@RJ-vb7gh]

The Vega dissolved in the rain and for the most part their standard aluminum engines crapped out at 60,000 miles and costing more than a Trans Am.... made this a loser from the get go. The Reatta was a small front wheel car with an absurd price tag. I had a friend who bought a close out special cheap when GM dropped the line, it was a surprisingly good car except for the dash board display which cost a fortune to replace. As to the Caddy, it was in fact overpriced and the Northstar engine was blowing head gaskets all over the place at that time.... Expensive and unreliable, who could want anything more. Worse yet, all of these cars had strong competition at the time.... better cars at a more reasonable price. Cars don't exist in a vacuum. As collector cars these are great, but as daily drivers those of us who were there at the time pretty much knew they were DOA from the start.

[@chaosdemonwolf1]

And that my friend is why I've always been a Ford/Mopar driver

[@starxlr7863]

The Cadillac's were the best of the bunch in this video. Northstar engines only have a problem when not properly maintained. As far as the other competition, they all had their share of problems and issues. The fact was that they already dominated the market many years prior to GM stepping in. Also note the great recession of 2008 that hurt everybody at the same time. GM ended 3 brands all together and reconsolidated the remaining 4 and ending several models. These were not good years for anyone.

[@RJ-vb7gh]

Oddly, some of the automatics lasted over 100K, but every stick shift I saw kicked at between 60 and 65K. You must live in a dry climate. Here in the North East all of the Vega's pretty much rusted away in 5 to 7 years.

[@19580822]

I had a '74 Vega....not a Cosworth....burned a quart of oil every 100 miles and had rusting lower body panels. Otherwise it was a great car!

[@bloqk16]

@old veteran . . . I had a '74 GT model, it handled great. Its rust spot was on the hatchback area in-between the hinges. Mine burned a quart of oil every 200 miles. My brother, an GM automotive mechanic back then, did a trick to minimize the spark plug fouling: He advanced the engine timing and put in the hottest heat range spark plugs to be had. But, it resulted with me having to use premium gasoline.

[@shakey2634]

The real reason the Cosworth Vega failed is two fold. It was a Vega and had a British engine. Both prone to reliability issues. Don’t know how you can call it a sports car ahead of it’s time when it was outperformed by cheaper competition. I’ll grant you it was a unique “out of the box” experiment, but nothing more than that.

[@BLUEBARRY55]

I put an LT-1 in a Vega! That was a great car! Kudos for mentioning this overlooked masterpiece.

[@DonESmith-lc1vf]

I bet it would pass everything on the road, AND maybe a few gas stations!!

[@BuzzLOLOL]

@hawkturkey - By '75, GM had it all ready to drop V6's and V8's in... even moved the heater/AC hoses toward outside... V8 crossmember underneath...

[@Spritsailor]

Those Vega's rusted so bad that no one wanted one. They could literally rust in two years.

[@flybyairplane3528]

Russell Sova my first car in USA, was a very early TOYOTA COROLLA 2 dr 4 on the floor manual choke, It was great,if it lasted , but in 2& 1/2 years it RUSTED AWAY INCLUDING ITS FRIGGING ROOF , first & last JAPANESE CAR, , those days that old steel, was from our old battleships, cut up in south Kearney NJ FOR JAPAN, CHEERS FROM NJ. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@melloyellow6375]

@@flybyairplane3528 what yr was that because I've never seen Toyota with rust problems.. I've seen them from the late 70s 80s and never seen one rusted out..

[@flybyairplane3528]

Mello yellow 1962 cheers

[@ftnppg1272]

I know a guy that bought a new XLR for 100k and drove it for 2 years and 35k miles. He way struggling to sell it (right before warranty expired) privately for 30k dollars until it mysteriously got stolen and crashed.... It broke down constantly even though he babied it, except for the highway miles. Most depreciation I have ever seen to a car that didnt get wrecked, blow an engine or trans, and didnt get flooded.

[@2bitrasputin793]

I saw an XLR this summer at Pentwater Yacht club, and now it looks like an exotic. It might be a real deal right now.

[@johnmancuso3857]

I work at the Chevrolet dealership when the Cosworth Vega came out. These cars were rocket ships! Different mentality back in those days. Big v8s and bigger cars was the rage but we missed looking into the future.