Cheapest Cars in 1972! Right Before OPEC Tightened the Oil Supply in 1973

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This Old Car

This Old Car

Күн бұрын

By the time the 1970 model year came around, there had been a lot of changes in the U.S. car market. During the 1950s and 1960s, many small automakers and brands went out of business.
THIS IS THE STORY OF THE CHEAPEST CARS IN 1972!
One of the best decades for U.S. automakers was ME decade of the 1970s. In that ME decade of the 70's, GM, Ford, and Chrysler had a big share of the U.S. car market, while American Motors (or AMC for short) only had a small share. A very small number of import brands, mostly from Europe and Japan, also sold cars in the U.S. Most of this import share came from Volkswagen and Toyota.

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@ThisOldCarChannel
@ThisOldCarChannel Жыл бұрын
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@thegrandestcherokee7161
@thegrandestcherokee7161 Жыл бұрын
anyone that pays extra for an automatic should turn their license in
@bobcostner2238
@bobcostner2238 Жыл бұрын
Dad Bought Mom a new 1973 Vega GT for $2,300.00 dollars and in one year the body had rust holes! Dad complained to GM they would not do anything about it. Dad never bought another GM product and he owned dozens of cars after that basically a new car about every 2 years Lincolns, Ford and Chrysler products for the next 45 years....
@briantaylor6562
@briantaylor6562 Жыл бұрын
Where did you lived? I never had that problem. I live on the southeastern coast. Lots of slat air, humidity, etc. The only car I had rust issues was with a Carola.
@bobcostner2238
@bobcostner2238 Жыл бұрын
@@briantaylor6562 Detroit, winter salt is brutal on cars here. or was that is, not so much these days. Unless Biden brings that back lol. the rest of that story is, Dad also the same year bought himself a brand new Chevy PU truck, it also rusted through in a year! He traded it in on a Dodge Van in 1974... I just recently found out that My Dad was trying to talk my Mom into a Monte Carlo! She insisted on the cute little Vega as she had just gotten her license to drive at 35 years old!
@briantaylor6562
@briantaylor6562 Жыл бұрын
@@bobcostner2238 my first car was a Monte Carlo👍 My dad wrecked it. His little Ford Courier-built by Mazda, blew the engine, he borrowed my car, it never came back. He was seriously angry. Missed a full day at work, the person who caused the wreck didn't own the car, had no licenses to drive, car owner had no insurance. Yep, gave my dad a lot of distance that day. Red heads have terrible tempers.
@bobcostner2238
@bobcostner2238 Жыл бұрын
@@briantaylor6562 om Man what a bummer! My 2nd car after HS was a 1976 Monte Carlo. It was only 6yo but the previous owner beat the crap out of it, smashed in fender, door so it was only $100.00 dollars, but i cobbled together the parts needed to make it presentable, hood, fender, door skin, windshield, new dash, steering column and Cam shaft..... over the 3 years i owned it. wow were those different times, you fixed what you had, these kids today i don't think will ever know what it was like for us.
@michaelbenardo5695
@michaelbenardo5695 Жыл бұрын
That car made 57 Chrysler products seem rust-proof by comparison.
@Educatingben
@Educatingben Жыл бұрын
When my family moved to Florida from Massachusetts in 1972, my dad bought my mother a brand new Ford Pinto. When I turned 16 in 1981, my dad took me for my drivers test in my mothers Ford Pinto and after the test when I passed, he handed me the keys and told me to go to school. When I got home from school, there was a brand new car in the driveway for my mother so I knew that the Ford Pinto would be mine. It was the greatest little first car guy could have.
@woxyroxme
@woxyroxme Жыл бұрын
The duster/valiant and other A body mopar vehicles were the best available, but with the slant 6, they were bulletproof.
@bruceselenka7181
@bruceselenka7181 Жыл бұрын
I had a 1972 Gremlin, my first new car. Base price in '72 was $1995. I added the AM radio, 14" wheels, a fully synchro 3 speed, deluxe interior and a heavy duty battery. Out the door for $2372. Also, had a much maligned 1971 Pinto. Great reliable little car....it never exploded....bought it used in 1977 for $995. Probably the most fun car I've owned.
@harryballsacky
@harryballsacky Жыл бұрын
I MISS MY PINTO WAGON..I USED IT AS A WORK VEHICLE PUTTING IN POOLS..3 SPEED, CHURP THE TIRES EASILY
@mondayquarterback9174
@mondayquarterback9174 Жыл бұрын
That was my first car. Powder blue. Had it before I had my drivers license & paid 50 bucks for it off a friend.
@barrya.6212
@barrya.6212 Жыл бұрын
As young teen I drove around a bit in a '74 Gremlin as a passenger in the 80's
@giantgeoff
@giantgeoff Жыл бұрын
@@harryballsacky did you lose a gear or was it the automatic, all manual trannies in Pintos were 4 speeds that being said some little thing ticked in my brain that is telling me that the Vega base transmission was a floor shifted 3 speed but I may have to Google on that. Gremlin was almost certainly a 3 on the tree since most of it came out of the Hornet's parts bin although floor shift was probably a low cost option.
@harryballsacky
@harryballsacky Жыл бұрын
@@giantgeoff it was probably a 4 speed, been some years...i know the transmission didn't weigh much, i went thru clutches like water, and my brother was a mechanic, he would laugh at how easy it was...
@christopherkraft1327
@christopherkraft1327 Жыл бұрын
I drove a 77 Pinto wagon for a time in the early eighties. It was a fun little car!!! I remember all the cars on the list & back in the day they were everywhere!!! Thanks for sharing another fun video!!! 👍👍🙂
@emeyer6963
@emeyer6963 Жыл бұрын
$15-20000 cars now in good shape.Who would of ever imagined
@davidfrania8990
@davidfrania8990 Жыл бұрын
My very first car was a used 1972 Pinto hatchback that ran and ran and ran. I had more fun with that thing. It was my ticket to independence and I remember it to this day with fondness. I never really had any problems with it, just mostly regular maintenance. I think it had about 160,000 miles on it when I got rid of it for a new Mustang.
@patricksiciliani9521
@patricksiciliani9521 Жыл бұрын
I owned a pinto and enjoyed it. It was a very reliable maintenance free car into the mid eighties.
@stanleykijek6983
@stanleykijek6983 Жыл бұрын
My very first car-------Ordered a 1978 Pinto in late 1977. Took 2 months to get it. Kept it until Sept. 1984 putting on 138,000 miles on it. Main problem was very difficult to start when the outside temperature got below zero. Thank God by 1984 when I bought my next car, a Nissan Stanza, it had fuel injection and I never had starting problems again. Overall, can't complain too much as it was a very economical car. I think the bad press it got for safety issues was way overblown.
@gerry-p9x
@gerry-p9x Жыл бұрын
We rN A TOW COANY BY 1975. OWNÉS WERE. JUNKING THEM IN DROVES. EVEN. GT ONES. I WOOD TAKE PARTS OFF CARS MAKE GOOD ONE AND DRIVE IT. CHANGE A AUTO TO FOUR SPEED AND dd diff suspension. All holes were there and just po0ped plugs out
@grimreaper5521
@grimreaper5521 Жыл бұрын
Growing up in the 90's I fell in love with the amc hornet and plymouth dusters
@rongendron8705
@rongendron8705 Жыл бұрын
I was 26 in 1972 & in my opinion, the best, low cost cars of that year, were the Plymouth Duster & Valiant Scamp! They had "slant-six" engines, which routinely ran for at least 150,000 miles & some went way over 200k miles! I remember them being advertised for as little as $1,999. which was extremely cheap, even then! Great year!
@mcarlkv53
@mcarlkv53 Жыл бұрын
i hate to say it but my slant 6 74 duster and 75 slant 6 dart sport..were horrible....they blew up on me...i giess i got the wrong batch of engines...makes me mad because i grew up 2 miles from the chrysler plant in newark, delaware
@hartfordsignpost589
@hartfordsignpost589 Жыл бұрын
Yes, the slant 6 was a great engine. Both models you mentioned were great cars, better than the others in this video. I took drivers ed in a Valiant Scamp in 1976.
@patcurrie9888
@patcurrie9888 Жыл бұрын
Our 72 Gold Duster went 315,000 miles
@hartfordsignpost589
@hartfordsignpost589 Жыл бұрын
@@patcurrie9888 I bet it had the slant 6 engine. They would last forever.
@patcurrie9888
@patcurrie9888 Жыл бұрын
@@hartfordsignpost589 Yupp, sure did.
@jons.6216
@jons.6216 Жыл бұрын
Although the Dusters I still see around these days are a lot more sporty looking, my 4th/5th grade teacher had a 1974 blue on blue Duster and it looked like what a square, middle aged teacher would be driving! Haha! One of my aunts actually used to rent Pintos when she came into town for visits and the only problem she really had with them was messing up the directions to get to our house!!
@mikelane3611
@mikelane3611 Жыл бұрын
Great photos and commercials in your video. Our 72 Gremlin runs great and we get lots of smiles and thumbs up wherever we go!
@kevinhurst3709
@kevinhurst3709 Жыл бұрын
I was in high school in 1972. These cars bring back fond memories.
@LlyleHunter
@LlyleHunter Жыл бұрын
The Duster was also a direct competitor to the Chevy Nova. The price difference was something less than fifty dollars. My second car was a ‘73 Duster that I bought to drive through college but got terribly rear ended by a panel truck that smashed into me at a red light and involved two other cars after mine until the truck came to a halt. I was very happy after the accident in that the firemen told and showed me something I had already known something about but proved itself that day. It was a unit body car and the fuel tank location was above the rear axel. There was a sunken full sized spare tire neatly recessed in the floor of the trunk. It was the safe design then and remains a foundation for well designed vehicles that provide great protection in collisions and I was fortunate to be in that Duster that day rather that anything that wasn’t significantly larger and would also have to have been among the tops in safety standards as well irrespective of size category.
@dougkennedy4906
@dougkennedy4906 Жыл бұрын
I had a 71 Duster , never a issue with the engine. 318ci My Brothers 74 Nova had a bit of a problem keeping up.
@barrya.6212
@barrya.6212 Жыл бұрын
I had a bunch of the Nova's back in the 80's... couple were muscle car versions....69 SS and 74 RS
@ramblergarage
@ramblergarage Жыл бұрын
Gremlin was hardly the ugliest. Was the only subcompact American car that didn't blow up or fall apart like the pinto and Vega.
@michaelbenardo5695
@michaelbenardo5695 Жыл бұрын
The Gremlin was a cut-down Hornet, so it was more heavily built. Subcompacts were made to be as light and as cheap as possible, so durability was not in the cards.
@rongendron8705
@rongendron8705 Жыл бұрын
And with a 27 gal. gas tank, you drive over 400 miles on a tank full of gas! My Dad chose a new '76 Hornet, instead!
@blakedannion9232
@blakedannion9232 Жыл бұрын
My dad got the gremlin with a v8 and it lasted for 450k miles until my sister wrecked it.
@michaelcoffey7362
@michaelcoffey7362 Жыл бұрын
Cool, my family had a medium green chevy vega hatch back, auto transmission, black vynal seats, aftermarket ac, good memories 🥰
@geraldscott4302
@geraldscott4302 Жыл бұрын
My dad bought a new 1972 Pinto Squire (woodgrain vinyl) wagon back in the day. I started driving it in 1975, when I got my license. My dad unfortunately passed away only a couple years later. I still have that Pinto, and it still runs and drives fine. I've had a lot of other cars, but I'm holding on to that Pinto. It's been through some parts, but the interior is still good (had the driver's seat reupholstered) and the body is rock solid. Still has the original paint with some patina, but I did have the badly deteriorated woodgrain vinyl replaced. Sadly I don't have the original window sticker, but I do have a copy of the original title and loan paperwork. I believe it has every option except the automatic. It's a 2.0L/4 speed. I am 64, and still drive it on a regular basis. I have already made a deal to leave it to a classic car collector. It's 51 years old, and I hope it's still around at 100 years old.
@ThisOldCarChannel
@ThisOldCarChannel Жыл бұрын
Wow! That is so awesome!!
@spankynater4242
@spankynater4242 Жыл бұрын
Fantastic that you still have the pinto. So many people and comments say “I wish I still had that car“, and you actually still do.
@paulne1514
@paulne1514 Жыл бұрын
I thought the 2 liter was only in 1973. I believe I still have 5 brand new air filters for it. I used to buy oil filters in bulk also. ($1.50/Fram) but back then all fords took the same filter.
@geraldscott4302
@geraldscott4302 Жыл бұрын
@@paulne1514 The 2.0L SOHC was available 1971-1974. It's an amazingly simple, durable, and reliable engine. In '72 it still used points ignition, which I have never had any problems with.
@Boosted0ne
@Boosted0ne Жыл бұрын
My Dad had a Pinto, Vega and 2 Gremlins. Gremlin had Levi interior it was very cool. I remember being about 5 years old out on a drive and the Vega overheated and we needed to pull over. My Dad was always working on that Vega. I owned 2 Pintos and I liked them.
@29madmangaud29
@29madmangaud29 Жыл бұрын
Yeah, I remember my Uncle Tom bought a brand new Dodge or Plymouth Demon, or Duster for my Auntie, right before he died of cancer. He wanted her to have something new that wasn't gonna give her any problems. The traded in her '62, or '63 Chevy Nova....
@markw208
@markw208 Жыл бұрын
I would have suggested including the Chevy Nova. The Vega held such promise but was a genuine disaster. The head warped very easily. The Pinto was an odd design but was very popular and seemed to last quite a while. The Maverick/Comet sold very well and as Ford improved it and offered the LDO, Stallion and GT configurations were actually pretty nice. For a few years Chevy sold a lot of Novas. You would see many basic Novas with a 6, automatic & air. Cheap but capable and durable. The SS’s could be very fast. Plymouth struck gold with the Duster and Dodge Demon. 318 or 340 and still a very affordable street racer. The homely Hornet and Gremlin were probably better and better built but just didn’t have the cool factor, with the exception of the X and Levi’s versions. I had a girlfriend with a fairly new Gremlin and I was surprised at how solid and quiet it was. The gauges and dashboard were well lighted with a slight blue color.
@KDoyle4
@KDoyle4 Жыл бұрын
A Nova with an automatic transmission would have been almost $3000.
@kznte
@kznte Жыл бұрын
I once had a 1975 Gremlin X with a 258 engine and 3 speed on the floor :) I loved all the funny stares I got with it :) A tank of premium 93 gas lasted me 2 weeks and at 25 mpg on the highway helped a lot too :) I'd give anything to have another Gremlin :) The Chevy Vega with the aluminum engine was a huge joke :) 50K miles and the engine was shot among other things :) And Pinto's little KABOOM!!! problem didn't help any either :)
@ericschneider8524
@ericschneider8524 Жыл бұрын
That 258 straight 6 cylinder was the best Jeep CJ motor that AMC ever built. The V8 had too much power for trail riding.
@THEScottCampbell
@THEScottCampbell Жыл бұрын
That straight six was bulletproof and had massive torque.
@TheCOZ
@TheCOZ Жыл бұрын
I still like the styling of the Vega. If they made a modern version, with reliability of course, I'd buy it.
@michaelbenardo5695
@michaelbenardo5695 Жыл бұрын
They were also rust buckets, unless you got optional undercoating.
@OutnBacker
@OutnBacker Жыл бұрын
@@michaelbenardo5695 I grew up in the Seattle area, saw plenty of Vegas. No rust. It depends on what part of the country you drive in. The fresh water rain in the PNW keeps cars from rusting by constantly washing off the minerals and grime that get s stuck in the inner fender panels. In most other parts of the country where winter ice is around for a long time, they used lots of salt, and it stayed inside those catch spaces. The Vega died because it fell apart. Too bad. Very nice looking car. Restored ones are real head turners.
@29madmangaud29
@29madmangaud29 Жыл бұрын
That Vega, the '71/'72and even '73 so cool looking! I loved that car, my oldest sister, and her husband were going to give it to me, before my 16th B/D but it wasn't running. Yeap, the VEGA problems. I turned it down, thanking them but I passed on it!
@michaelbenardo5695
@michaelbenardo5695 Жыл бұрын
You were smart. If you really want a Vega, have the engine rebuilt with sleeves - GM tried using an aluminum block with no sleeves, just a coating. It didn't work.
@treesnmoguls
@treesnmoguls Жыл бұрын
I owned a 76 Pinto for about 4 years, then sold it to a neighbor. The only problem with it was premature rust. When the car was about a year old, I needed to wire brush and prime the insides of the doors because they began rusting. Otherwise, it was extremely reliable and easy to work on.
@ThisOldCarChannel
@ThisOldCarChannel Жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing the story.
@markaustin4370
@markaustin4370 Жыл бұрын
Had a Vega... What a disaster In the shop once a month Got rid of it at only 9,000 miles and traded for a Mustang which went 90,000 miles with no major repairs
@nucleargrizzly1776
@nucleargrizzly1776 Жыл бұрын
This seems like a list of cars my friends and I would do V8 swaps in when I was a kid.
@alexhodson2874
@alexhodson2874 Жыл бұрын
People used to put 302 Mustang engines in ford mavericks
@BearBudgetgarage
@BearBudgetgarage Жыл бұрын
I would daily drive a slant 6 Duster or Valiant if I could find one not overpriced. I used to get em for $250 bucks
@williamfairchild8119
@williamfairchild8119 Жыл бұрын
Very nice comments on these cars which were mostly very good reliable cars. All except the vega which was was the worst one to have by far. Owners got very good service from these cars .
@term25600
@term25600 Жыл бұрын
One of my favorite cars was my 1973 hatchback Vega. Unfortunately it’s engine blew up after r about 39,000 Miles, but I lived driving it
@The_R-n-I_Guy
@The_R-n-I_Guy Жыл бұрын
I would rather drive any of these cars than the crossover garbage people drive today. I would rather have a rusted, broken down car from the 60's to 80's than a new car. New cars are horrible
@supersportoness
@supersportoness Жыл бұрын
I agree 100% with you, I drive an old car right now, and I'm 65 years old, my car is 39 years old
@lancecooper4646
@lancecooper4646 Жыл бұрын
Mid to late 90's Toyota 👍
@supersportoness
@supersportoness Жыл бұрын
84 volvo turbo wagon the 245
@tombryant1104
@tombryant1104 Жыл бұрын
The 434K mi Prirus a friend had still ran good.
@tombryant1104
@tombryant1104 Жыл бұрын
@@supersportoness Free country drive what you want, my dailies are 16, 25 & 27 years old with three toys that add to 159 years old(sounds impressive eh? All six are V8). Oldies are fun but I don't want to drive them every day.
@jamesmooney8933
@jamesmooney8933 Жыл бұрын
My first car was a '71 Super Beetle. My monthly payment was $72./mo. for 3 years.
@robertaxelrad464
@robertaxelrad464 Жыл бұрын
I had a 1971 Plymouth Duster with the 225 Slant 6 engine. It was a wonderful car and I loved it.
@troynov1965
@troynov1965 Жыл бұрын
I owned most all of these cars used at one time but for the Hornet. Worse car of the lot is that Vega the motors were JUNK! I got many trouble free miles out of the Gremlin and Pinto. My girlfriend had a Maverick , it looed like hell but was really reliable too except for that stupid log intake ( straight 6) that would cause it to vapor lock in real warm weather. The slant 6 in the Dar/Dusters and Valiants was about a unkillable engine they were real popular on the used car market back then. Many a teenagers first car including me. My favorite vehicle from this era though was my 73 Datsun 4 speed PU ,that little truck was tough as nails, easy to work on and got really good MPG. It could haul some heavy loads too. The brakes were pretty sketchy though like most front drum cars were back then.
@mrdanforth3744
@mrdanforth3744 Жыл бұрын
If I was in the market for a new car in 1972 and could only afford to buy and run an economy car, and it had to last me 10 years of every day driving, the choice would have to be the Duster with slant six or the Gremlin or, if I could afford a few extra bucks, the Hornet. I know everyone likes to turn up their nose at these cars but given what was available at the time they were the best.
@ludovicoc7046
@ludovicoc7046 Жыл бұрын
UGH! Gremlin was one of the coolest cars of the '70's! Ugliest = Datsun B-210.
@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman
@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman Жыл бұрын
Had a yellow with black stripes '73 Gremlin 4.1 252 6 cylinder in high school 1982 & it did burnouts & donuts for days in the school parking lot, it was a great little car for many years! Also had a '73 Vega GT with a swapped 350 4bbl 4sp & it was a handful! Good times back then ✌💖☮
@michaelbenardo5695
@michaelbenardo5695 Жыл бұрын
I didn't like the Vega, but one with a V8 swap would have been an exception!
@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman
@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman Жыл бұрын
@@michaelbenardo5695 You bet your ass it was...😁
@rickloera9468
@rickloera9468 Жыл бұрын
I've owned two 1972 Pintos. They were great little cars to drive. To this day Pinto is one my favorite cars that I've ever had.
@vickiross1025
@vickiross1025 Жыл бұрын
I loved our Plymouth Valiant. I'd love to have it back.
@clarktrent8952
@clarktrent8952 Жыл бұрын
Dad had the infamous 1971 Pinto, with explodable gas tank! It had the awful stripee base interior with all-vinyl high-back buckets and a four-speed manual. It creaked and squeeked. In Winter (and most of the year,) at freeway speed--due to cheap faulty door/window seals, at above 40--plus mph, it screamed an intolerable loud shreik through all closed windows, and door seals. The heater was slow to warmup, so you froze for the first 20 miles of any drive. The weak window defroster only made the windows fog-up and ice over forever and a day! This was the abominable nightmare I learned to drive in. slow acceleration (80 hp?) was its least sin and degradation. The only, only redeeming thing about that hellmobile was that it had a 4-speed manual, allowing me to learn to drive a stick. NOW: fast-forward to a decade later I drove the last production yr model: the 1980 Pinto WAGON. Ford fixed almost all problems associated with the old original models. This beauty had medium-red metallic paint that didn't shed. It had *great heat* AND A/C. It had a smooth-shifting automatic trans. Even the interior was nice, for a little car: a mixed red-/white/black woven upholstery, asnd mid-rise buckets with headrests. Gosh, the doggone thing had a very decent am/fm stereo radio and spkrs. I bought the car from a Ford executive who put on low miles, kept it clean and ready, PLUS as a bonus: he had the factory assemly line swap-oout the front grill and also rear trim, with the Mercury Bobcat's fancier looks. I should've never sold it to buy a poorly-made 1983 Mustang, but *that* is another story!
@yvescote9893
@yvescote9893 Жыл бұрын
The pinto was cheaper than the gremlin. I learn new everyday.
@michaelbenardo5695
@michaelbenardo5695 Жыл бұрын
But the Gremlin had a 6. The Pinto was only a sewing-machine 4.
@vassa1972
@vassa1972 Жыл бұрын
Two thumbs up for sure, I only use the bus or a ride share program called darts here in Hamilton Ontario Canada because I'm a stroke and cardiac arrest and colon cancer survivor and use a electrical wheelchair when I'm outside ( which is my car lol)
@michaelbenardo5695
@michaelbenardo5695 Жыл бұрын
You should use real taxis instead of ride-share. Taxi drivers are trained professionals. Ride-share is just some guy.
@canadiancorporal3501
@canadiancorporal3501 Жыл бұрын
We had a gremlin growing up
@robertvance1873
@robertvance1873 Жыл бұрын
The Pinto was a good little Car and it was ford's fault for not replacing the cheap part to make them safe everyone I know Who owned one drove them for years and never really had any problems with them.
@fredsimmons6188
@fredsimmons6188 Жыл бұрын
I owned two Pinto wagons. A 73 and a 75. I got a wild hair and dropped a 289 V-8 out of a 67 Fairlane with a blown transmission into the 75 . I used the transmission, rear end, and suspension parts from a wrecked Mustang ll. I put it together in a horse barn in 1990. It was a great little stump jumper. It was a fun car.
@michaelbenardo5695
@michaelbenardo5695 Жыл бұрын
It was probably thrilling to be able to easily out-run other 70s cars, all after 71 were choked-down in the name of smog control.
@robgribbroek4623
@robgribbroek4623 Жыл бұрын
I had a 72 Maverick, it was a 4 door with a 308 engine. I bought it for $250 in 1977. It had rust all over and you could not keep the belts tight in the engine. In 1979 I drove over a pothole and the front bumper fell off. I don't have a lot of fond memories of the car but the 70's were great!!
@thebestisyettocome4114
@thebestisyettocome4114 8 күн бұрын
1970 Plymouth Duster. Slant six engine. Automatic with A:M radio. My first car.
@mountainapple5638
@mountainapple5638 Жыл бұрын
Got my first Vega GT hatchback a 1974 back in 1978 for a just $100… it ran great no smoke from engine, got great gas mileage and next to nothing to insure. I pulled the original aluminum block and had it machined for steel sleeve liners then machined and balanced using all IECO Performance parts…Side draft webers, cam, ignition, header, and upgraded turbo exhaust system. I had the car until 1986 or 1987…someone made me a cash offer I couldn’t refuse, sold it for $2800! Pretty good return on investment!!! Car also had fender flares, front, spoiler, custom hood, and a whaletail spoiler. I know I lot of folks hated or cared less for Vegas. I loved these little sleeper hot rods, i they could be bought for very little money, the most I paid for a Vega was $150, took the hot rod parts off, returned it to stock and sold it for $350. I owned five Vegas in total and would love to own another one.
@ralfbond258
@ralfbond258 Жыл бұрын
AMC Javelin Hornet Matador and Ambassador were my fave amc models in that order of 1972!!😊
@The_R-n-I_Guy
@The_R-n-I_Guy Жыл бұрын
I wouldn't want the automatic transmission or AM radio. I like the stripped down base models with the biggest engine option
@elwyrick
@elwyrick Жыл бұрын
Enjoy this. When talking about foreign competition, Don't forget the 1972 Toyota Carina. I had a '73 Carina I got 40 miles to the gallon. When we had odd even gas days and no sales on Sunday, my friends swapped their American cars for mine for their trips.
@toddbob55
@toddbob55 Жыл бұрын
1971 -1972 Maverick Grabber and Comet GT was the best looking of all these cars.
@lincmerc1581
@lincmerc1581 Жыл бұрын
My friend had a red '71 Comet GT. I had a '68 Chevelle with 327 Powerglide transmission. Fun times! Great first cars.
@edr.3229
@edr.3229 Жыл бұрын
The Pinto, hit the rear bumper and go BOOOOM!!! LOL!!!😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂👍👍👍
@ralphaelalfaro6023
@ralphaelalfaro6023 Жыл бұрын
I started HS in 72. There was this old retired couple that used to collect pop bottles during our lunch breaks. By my senior yr they bought a brand new blue Duster. I found one(73) in an ally in 05 (yr my ex filed for divorce, after I was laid up in bed for 7mos) and bought it and still have it. It needs resto but divorce kicked me down. I'm recovering now though. It's all primered but was silver with 1/2 vinyl top, black interior but bench seat in front. 318 engine with a/t. Car ran strong till trani went out. Praying to restore soon. Wish me luck, thanks.
@cefrancek9810
@cefrancek9810 Жыл бұрын
My first new car was a 1972 Plymouth Duster with a 3 on the floor , the color was red with a white back end. The sticker price was under $2000.00.
@ThisOldCarChannel
@ThisOldCarChannel Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
@neoconshooter
@neoconshooter Жыл бұрын
over the years 1972-1986, I owned three Pintos, an All-glass hatchback and two wagons. All in all, they were the nicest cars I owned at each of their respective times!
@geraldf.1222
@geraldf.1222 Жыл бұрын
🎉I bought a red, 1973 Vega GT with a blown engine, put a Chevy 283 V-8 in it. Exactly DOUBLE the displacement...
@brianmolstad1255
@brianmolstad1255 Жыл бұрын
I did buy a 1972 Pinto station wagon. Very useful with lots of carrying space. No real problems for the three years we had it. Sold it with 80,000 trouble free miles. BIG BIG problem was wind whistling around the doors at speeds >60. It just SCREAMED. >100 db. I always used ear plugs when I went on the highway.
@luisdelossantos5338
@luisdelossantos5338 Жыл бұрын
I rode in both the two door and 4 door Mavericks. My grandpa owned a white four door and one of my uncles drove a blue two door. I guess they were reliable since I don't recall either of them working much on their cars. This was back in the early 80's in Texas.
@truckinfool3550
@truckinfool3550 Жыл бұрын
My first car, in 1984, was a red ‘72 Plymouth Satellite Sebring Plus, very similar to the one at 1:18. Mine had a black vinyl roof.
@billj8527
@billj8527 Жыл бұрын
How much rust? I had a 72 Satellite Custom that looked horrible by 79...rust spots galore.
@THROTTLEPOWER
@THROTTLEPOWER Жыл бұрын
Great vid!!!! 👍👍
@victorclare9376
@victorclare9376 Жыл бұрын
I OWN A 1973 AMC GREMLIN WITH THE LEVIS INTERIOR. LOVE THAT CAR. SOLD IT IN 1986 WITH 220,000 MILES. THE OWNLY PROBLEM I HAD WITH THE GREMLIN WAS THE DOOR HIGE BROKE. THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH GREMLINS
@sheilastone-jf7vg
@sheilastone-jf7vg Жыл бұрын
I own two gremlins use them for pizza cars in Dekalb Illinois. Both ran for years. I gave one to my sister and I sold another one too my brother’s friend for a dollar like I say they were great cars.
@daveblevins3322
@daveblevins3322 Жыл бұрын
I had a brother who owned a Vega wagon, and besides the engine being junk, it was a pretty clean car. So the ol 4 banger got replaced of course.
@justintyme7213
@justintyme7213 Жыл бұрын
That’s Robert DeNiro getting out of the AMC Ambassador in the first clip.
@mbd501
@mbd501 8 ай бұрын
Good catch.
@MarkGelderland
@MarkGelderland Жыл бұрын
I owned a Pinto Runabout with the all glass tailgate, brown metallic with sportsdash; loved it.
@fingerpickingood1900
@fingerpickingood1900 Жыл бұрын
I bought a Vega kammback in 75. Loved it. Never had on problem with it for 60,000 miles. Then a flood came along and took it away.
@Ch-ui6mw
@Ch-ui6mw 11 ай бұрын
I bought a new '72 Vega GT Wagon. Loved that car, although the first engine wore out in 8,000 miles. Dealer replaced it under warranty, and that one lasted about 6,000 miles. Another warranty replacement, which made it another 6,000 miles. I made a deal with the dealer (actually, the dealers' idea)to put a 283 V8, Nova 4 speed and rearend, and THEN I had a REALLY nice car. Dealer billed the swap out as "warranty work". Never had a rust issue with it!
@davidallen5776
@davidallen5776 Жыл бұрын
I still gravitated toward the land yachts no matter how crazy people thought I was! I felt much safer in one for one thing!
@TheSpritz0
@TheSpritz0 Жыл бұрын
I gave your first “thumbs up”!!
@ThisOldCarChannel
@ThisOldCarChannel Жыл бұрын
Yay! Thank you!
@richcriscione1333
@richcriscione1333 Жыл бұрын
I had the pinto and I loved it wish I had it back.
@kc4cvh
@kc4cvh Жыл бұрын
Most likely the Opel Kadett was the best buy in a 1972 economy car. Not American, but it was available through your Buick-Opel dealers and the Opel GT was certainly interesting.
@timmitzlaff8960
@timmitzlaff8960 Жыл бұрын
Yes I owned a Pinto. A 1972 Pinto Squire wood grained sticker wagon. It made me late for work more than any other car I ever owned. One morning (in 1979) it wouldn’t start. When it finally turned over I was so livid that I held the pedal to the metal and yelled, blow you mother blow! I purposely held the cold blooded pony to the floor trying to end my misery. It wouldn’t blow but that day after work I went down to a Toyota used car lot and purchased the only full size V8 powered car on the lot. A 1976 Plymouth Fury. It gave me zero trouble for the 3 years I owned it.
@danr1920
@danr1920 Жыл бұрын
I had a '76 Pontiac Astre, a Chevy Vega clone. It was the car form ****. Terrible reliability and workmanship. The classic Vega issues had been solved by then, just lots go random failures about one a month. Never bought a GM since. The Plymouth Duster was money well spent.
@michaelbenardo5695
@michaelbenardo5695 Жыл бұрын
The Astre was supposed to be a much better car that the Vega it sprang from. It had an engine based on the old Chevy II 4 cylinder, which was a great, if not rocket fast, engine. You must have got a lemon.
@danr1920
@danr1920 Жыл бұрын
@@michaelbenardo5695 The 77 got the "iron duke", this still had the Vega engine. It never had serious issues for me. The carb was junk because of the EPA. Same interior, very very few differences with the Vega, no improvements. or more standard equipment.
@AdamWaffen
@AdamWaffen Жыл бұрын
This was the last year of the automobile. After 1972, they were all appliances. This is why there is a reproduction market for pre 72 Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds and Challengers. Nothing after 1972 can ever be called a “classic”- they’re more like “curiosities.”
@michaelbenardo5695
@michaelbenardo5695 Жыл бұрын
Cars made before 1972 had quite a bit more power than the 73 and later cars. The 72s were a draw - some seemed about as fast as the 71s, but others were considerably down on power by comparison. The 73s were worse, the 74s worse still.
@FloatsOne
@FloatsOne 11 ай бұрын
In 1972 I was16 years old and lived in Miami, Florida, I got my first job at K-Mart mixing paint at the paint department, I work part time 36 hours a week for $1.65 an hour that summer and I was able to save $400 and my Dad gave me another $100 so I could put $500 down on the car I wanted a 1972 VW Beatle, Texas yellow with black interior, Base price of the Beatle was $1,999 plus $495 for A/C, $80 for AM radio and $50 for under coating came to $2,624 plus 4% tax $104.96, I took it home for $2,728.96 with $500 down and $61.91 a month
@The_R-n-I_Guy
@The_R-n-I_Guy Жыл бұрын
A person like me with my low income could buy a new car then. And there were a lot of choices. But the way prices are today. I couldn't afford the cheapest new car on the market. Not that I would buy a new car. Modern vehicles are trash. There hasn't been a car worth buying since the 80's
@tombryant1104
@tombryant1104 Жыл бұрын
Trash if you consider most modern cars will run only 250K without major problems(I've seen a Prius with 434K & Kia with 386K). Back in day the cars were dead at 125K mi, that is if the rust didn't kill em first.
@michaelbenardo5695
@michaelbenardo5695 Жыл бұрын
@@tombryant1104 BUT, when today's cars DO fail, it often costs thousands to have them fixed, as it is probably a computer problem, which means you can't fix it in your driveway. You have to have it towed to a shop. The old cars were owner-fixable, and if you changed the oil and filter every 2,000 miles, not every 20,000 miles, and checked the oil level every time you got gas, not when the oil light came on, they would last. But you did have to order undercoating, or, like you said, they would rust away.
@sharyljacobs9582
@sharyljacobs9582 Жыл бұрын
My first car was a ‘71 Vega. Took over my brother’s payments so he could buy a Corvette. Thought all vehicles broke down all the time 😂. Remember reading in Weekly Reader Vega was first computer designed vehicle. Was it? Towards the end of its short life I had to open the hood & start it with the solenoid using a screwdriver. Ended up my brothers and husband turned it into a dragster. But I still love my Chevy’s.
@Seavoyager45
@Seavoyager45 Жыл бұрын
I had a 1972 Toyota Corolla 2 door coupe 4 speed manual. It was no head turner but was fun to drive!
@toddbob55
@toddbob55 Жыл бұрын
Pinto was actually a good car and the 4 cylinder was a very good engine ...... That same exact engine would make it's way into the Ford Rangers all the way up to 2001 some known to get 300,000 miles
@chereecargill355
@chereecargill355 Жыл бұрын
My dad bought me a used 72 Gremlin to drive to college. I loved that little car even though it was a POS. I put 97,000 miles on it before it was finally hauled off to the junk yard.
@henryhawthorn8849
@henryhawthorn8849 Жыл бұрын
My first car was a 1973 Chevy Vega station wagon in orange with white vinyl interior, and automatic transmission. I bought it used in 1975 for $1500. It was pretty but a piece of crap. The main problem with that car was the aluminum engine, which mixed the radiator water with the engine oil - I had it for maybe year, I forget the details, but I remember that I couldn’t sell that junk. It had ho be towed to the junkyard. Later on in 1977 I bought a used 1975 AMC Gremlin in silver with black interior. If you can believe it, it was even worse than the Chevy Vega. It had a lot of electrical problems- it was rightly named “Gremlin “ because it was full of gremlins. Just two months after I bought the Gremlin, I was driving to work on the 610 Loop in Houston, when suddenly the car went dead, and I couldn’t restart the car. Once I abandoned the car on the middle of the freeway, I had to run in order to dodge incoming 60 mile an hour traffic. As soon as I managed to get out of the freeway the car got demolished by a pickup truck - it almost killed me. Good riddance of junk cars from the 1970s!
@philipancell516
@philipancell516 Жыл бұрын
I had a 72 Vega wagon for a shop car and I loved it ❤ it took abuse well LOL. Ran like a top!!!
@Motormike2025
@Motormike2025 Жыл бұрын
Great video. Yes I'm 58 . And I've owned just about every one of these cars . Never bought one new. But I've bought them for myself. And I had a carlot .. in 1986 . To 1994 . In Wisconsin. USA. I'm pretty sure I've owned every one of them though. Can't be positive though. Great video again. Thanks for sharing . And I've had a lot of other old automobiles.. a lot .
@OLDS98
@OLDS98 Жыл бұрын
Thank you for the list. I recall all those cars. That window design on the AMC Gremlin ended up Mercury Cougar in the 1980's. I recall the Chevrolet Vega because my Aunt had one. We were in an accident in it. It flipped several times. It was green just like the one in the video. She had a Chevrolet Nova after that. It is interesting people bought so many of those cars back in the day.
@michaelbenardo5695
@michaelbenardo5695 Жыл бұрын
They thought the Vega would have been a great little car, with it's Camaro-like grille. Many swore off Chevys after that.
@trainglen22
@trainglen22 Жыл бұрын
$2500 for a decent car. That Valiant Duster is a good deal. My dad had an AMC Hornet but wished he would have gone to the local Plymouth dealership.
@bobs1755
@bobs1755 Жыл бұрын
The Pinto was $2161 in 1972. The cheapest car in 2023 is the Versa at $16,925. Using published inflation numbers, that Pinto would cost $15,683 today. This is a comment more about how much our money has devalued in 50 years than it is about the “value” of these cars.
@danabro6311
@danabro6311 Жыл бұрын
I had a used lime green 71 Pinto coupe. Liked it a lot.
@bagley11
@bagley11 Жыл бұрын
Bought a brand new 1980 Pinto. Yes, drove it for years and loved it. Cried when I traded it in.
@danielspano3406
@danielspano3406 Жыл бұрын
I had a 71 pinto with a soft top in HS, paid $225 for it. never had a problem with it until I crashed it. Then I found a 75 pinto wagon( red) paid $500 for it. It had aftermarket A/c and I drove it for 5 years. My cousin called it chariot of fire. Lol
@williambone7724
@williambone7724 Жыл бұрын
AMC Hornet hatchback: If it's good enough for James Bond, it should be good enough for you.
@Non-Artificial-Intelligence
@Non-Artificial-Intelligence Жыл бұрын
I had a 1970 Ford Maverick. It had the plaid interior and a 3-speed manual transmission controlled by a 3-on-the-tree column sifter!
@ThisOldCarChannel
@ThisOldCarChannel Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
@marceversley
@marceversley Жыл бұрын
I used to own a 1971 pinto I used to drag race with it I was able to get it down to 16.89 it made three runs before the transmission failed it blew second gear I went through two transmissions and three rear ends but it was a lot of fun
@RedfishInc
@RedfishInc Жыл бұрын
These were hardly the cheapest cars available in America at the time. The video mentions VW and Toyota briefly, there were many cars from Europe and Japan that were much cheaper than the, "American" , cars. Manufacturers like Datsun, Mazda, Fiat and Opel to name a few had their loss leader models that could be had with a 4 speed standard and AM radio for well under 2000. My dad bought a 74 fiat 128 2 door sedan for 1800. He also bought a 75 datsun pickup truck for 1895 i believe. At the time a pack of cigarettes was 35 cents and a loaf of bread was about 19 cents , a six pack of beer cost about a buck and a case was about 3 bucks. The house we lived in cost $22,500. That same house sells for about 400k today.
@broughtonparkade5381
@broughtonparkade5381 Жыл бұрын
4:46- I had the Vega Kammback Wagon. I put in a Malibu 350 with 292 heads anc cam from a Camaro, a turbo 350 trans, and a Monza Gt kit with Nova springs to support it all. My car was The Shit.
@FosterCovers
@FosterCovers Жыл бұрын
I purchased a rotted '72 Pinto For $45 in 1984 l drove it 2 years ...sold it for $100 , buddy drove it 1 yr. Then it was the tank carring car at the local junkyard until 2004.
@hartfordsignpost589
@hartfordsignpost589 Жыл бұрын
The cost of owning a car in the 70s was insignificant. Buying new was cheap and buying used was almost nothing. My first car was a 1968 Olds Delmont 88 I got for $100.00. I put 4 new retread tires on it and I was cruising. I did own one car from this video which was the Ford Maverick. Basic car that ran fine and cost me $200.00 in 1978. Oh, and I bought a Vega in 1989 in Maine for $50.00. Not a spot of rust but had the junk engine so I sold it to a guy who put a V8 in it. Those were better days in the USA.
@dougb3699
@dougb3699 Жыл бұрын
My first car was a 1968 Plymouth Valiant
@floydthompson8668
@floydthompson8668 Жыл бұрын
This video could be called LATE 70s EARLY 80s HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FIRST CARS.
@AnniePA1960
@AnniePA1960 Жыл бұрын
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@vassa1972
@vassa1972 Жыл бұрын
Wow I was born on July 15 '72 very cool
@dancarlton7973
@dancarlton7973 Жыл бұрын
I used to have a coworker who drove an AMC Pacer and it ran well.
@jameslandolt5835
@jameslandolt5835 Жыл бұрын
71 Maverick including auto transmission, am radio, trim package and upgraded to 200 6IL engine (which I think the Falcon had and was supposed to be one of the most reliable engines of all time - so Ford kept it for the Maverick). Out the door price was $2500 (no air conditioning or upgraded interior). Had it for 12 years and gave it to my uncle as my wife wanted a car with A/C. I had no problems with it and only 2 complaints - it tended to rust in the trunk area (as did many cars of the time) and the backseat had very little room. I wish it would have come with a hatchback model - but they never did that as far as I know.
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