I put 488K miles on my bare bones 2dr Corolla. It was a 78 and I bought it in 83 for my college car. It had 70K miles on it when I bought it. It got me through Grad school and my PhD and then some. It died in 02 and I replaced it with a new Camry. When my needs changed in 11 I bought a new Rav 4WD Limited with the 3.5L V6. I drove my Rav until I bought a “leftover” 24 Tacoma TRD Off Road, double cab, 6’ bed with the Premium and Technology pkgs and a TRD performance exhaust. I’ll drive my 23 TRD until I die.
I had a Datsun 1200 fast back, precursor to the B-210. I got 30 mpg while driving it at 85mph (it's top speed) while driving across the country. It cost $2000 and was worth every penny.
I had a Vega I pulled the engine at 48.000 miles it was an oil burning pig I but a 307SB chevy engine in and then it was a good car and went like hell on fire
These cars (especially the Pinto/Vega models) were made for a mechanic because if you couldn’t fix them, they stayed in the driveway. I grew up in the 70’s and my cars weren’t more expensive but much more reliable and great fun (240z and the Bug!)
@jeffking4176 Those cars were based on the German made Opel Kadett and Vauxhall Chevette. Vauxhall cars were mostly rebadged Opel. Those US Chevette's were known as Chevrolet Chevette in Brazil and as Holden Gemini in Australia.
Yeah; for me, the Datsun 510 was one of the greatest group of compact car models missing from this review! The five-ten station wagon especially was an extremely reliable and versatile model. It was favoured here in Canada by young folks who couldn't quite afford a VW van; or a van to camperize from the US 'big three'! 🚗 🚘 🚎 🚐 🚌 🚏 🚍 🚎 🚘 🚗
The median salary in the U.S.A. ranged between $9,870 in 1970 to $16,530 in 1979 and the price for automobiles reflected this. Today I earn about $65k annually and I cannot afford anything over $28k!
My mother had a Volkswagen Beetle when I was about 4 years old. She even had a Ford Pinto that was my grandfather’s car before he passed away in January 1977. My father drove a Ford Station wagon and a Ford van during the 1970’s.
Mine was a '72 Pinto Runabout, my first new car, and still my favorite. I have now bought the same "class" of car, a 2024 Nissan Versa, manual transmission. As simple as they come these day. Very happy with it also.
Everybody hates on The Vega. I had a buddy that had a cosworth Vega that he called "Captain Cosworth." I loved that damn car. I had a 71 VW bug. I bought it when I was 17 and 1987, so it had some crust on it... But I learned to work on it myself, and it was a perfect car for that because it was so perfectly simple. And you can make them fast. Trust me, we did. Gremlins and pacers were ugly as hell though. I'll give you those.
My folks bought a new 1973 Toyota Corona station wagon as soon as it was available in Canada. It was incredibly reliable and long-lasting! Truly the king of economy wagons of that era, in my experience! 🏆 🏆 🏆 👑 👸 🤴 👑 👸 🤴 👑 🏆 🏆 🏆
My first car was a brand new 1974 Honda Civic hatchback 4 speed. Honda cars were so rare back then that, if you saw another when on the road, you would honk and wave.
I remember the local Cadillac dealer offering a Civic as a premium, as in "Buy a new Cadillac and get a Honda Civic free." My sister loved her '74 Civic, but it rusted badly in the road salt used in Maine winters.
When I moved to the US in 1972, we brought a brand new Vega with A/C no P/S with bobble wrap plastic seat cover for $38K. We love this Vega so much so my uncle took it to Thailand and paid high importation taxes at 880%.
@@markpimlott2879 I think that number is after the 880% import duty, which puts initial price near $3900. I imagine a car was a very big deal in Thailand in 1972. Even today, parts of SE Asia... you gotta buy the house/property to put it in first - its like US citizens buying a 9 foot grand piano, where a double sized living room is required.
Those slant six cylinders were really durable. I abused mine in my Dodge van. It ran trouble-free for 12 years, when I sold it and purchased a 97 Jeep sport 4.0, which also seems to be a bullet-proof engine .
'Rght on! The factory 340 ci V8 Dodge Dart four speed manual, with the four barrel (Holley?) carb was the fastest car that I had the pleasure to drive as a teenager during the late 60s! I had fast bikes in that era (a 750 Norton Commando, for instance), but it was a different thrill driving a car with a throaty roar across a remote nearly car and truck free northern Ontario wildland highway! 🫎 🫎 🦌 🦌 🚗 🚘 🚔 🚘 🚗 🦌 🦌 🫎 🫎
@@pathunter7003 The Gremlin's largest engine from the factory was the 304 V8. Some owners did swap in 360s or 401s, but no Gremlins left the factory so equipped. AMC shipped 21 of the 401 V8s with the 4-speed transmission to Randall AMC in Mesa. Randall technicians swapped those powertrains into new Gremlins that had left the factory with 304s and 3-speed transmissions. They also added the 401-XR decals to the sail panels.
In the 1970s, in Australia, the Valiant was known as the Wog Chariot. had the 225 ci slant six til 1970, then replaced with the hemi 215, or 245 or 265 ci six or 318 or 360 ci V8.
Ah yes. The Datsun B210… I got stuck…UNDER the dashboard…on the passenger side…with my girlfriend in the reclining seat…😛😛😛🤣 My belt hooked on something and it was damn near impossible to squirm out of it🤣 We still laugh at it 48 yrs later!
The cars of my family back then. Pinto - yup my Ma had one. VW- grandma went from a 1960 Caddilac to a '72 Bug. My uncle bought a new Valiant (Dart), bi-annually. I did body work on a B2-10! Step brother had a Maverick. High school girlfriend had a 1978 Civic
The Datsun 1200 was more fun than the B210. But we did well with both. My college car was an early Corolla. It was the same orange as shown here. When I had it's body repaired I had it painted a Porsche Anaconda metallic blue. Lol it transformed the appearance.
A neighbor bought a new Maverick back then. I got totalled by a pothole. There was a V8 option you didn't mention. A few modifications and it would twist the unibody.
The Ford Maverick was a well made, durable car. The Chevy Chevette was a rustbucket P.O.S. I had one that was only seven years old and it was pretty much roached. The shock towers on the front would break away from the wheel wells.
My pop used to have a Volkswagen beetle as his first car and he also used to have two Chrysler Australian made dodgers and my dad used to have a Datsun
Hey, you forgot about the 2 L which was an awesome engine and the predecessor of the 2.3 L in the pinto. The 2 L was the engine to build the 2.3 wasn't.
We had a 72 Pinto wagon with the 2000, & I got into the 2000 cc Capri’s. They went like hell! I remember a company call Racer Walsh that sold performance parts for the 1600, 2000,& 2300cc Engines from Ford. Fun Times!
Yep, my '72 Pinto came with the 1.6 liter, or, as I did, opt for the 2000cc. Great engine, never a second of problem with it 100% dependable in my experience.
@@tauncfester3022 Mine went over 60,000 without a single problem. That was a fair amount of miles back then when anything over 100,000 was considered exceptional.
A nice, nothing special 1974 corolla now costs about 20,000 dollars. We bought one in 1986 for $400.00. I was looking the other day for another one. Saw the prices and "nope". It was a fun little car though.
Still remember my 71 Ford Pinto hatch back the original HOT HATCH ! I. Loved tooling around in it rebuilt the 98 CI four popper with an old drunk mechanic Larry Knutson God rest his soul. She was fun psycho but a good time tried to burn me up but I was too quick.
I had a "71 Vega, put 25,000 miles on it. I loved it!!! Then I bought a Chevette NEW , later another. Both were reliable and fun. The Vega and Chevette were maybe $2000. Now a Honda is at least $25000.
Neighbor had a Datsun B210 honey bee, bought it brand new and it was a pita. The car was a Lemon! It spent more time at the dealer they they drove it. They traded it in on a Chevrolet Nova, after the transmission malfunction after 2 previous ones messed up. Myself I owned a 1980 (79 body with the round headlights) worst car I've ever had. Turned me off Nissan for life. Motor had a factory defect that self destruct at 75,000.
So rich people couldn't afford them ?
Nope!
My thoughts exactly 😂😂😂
Couldn't afford being seen in one maybe.
@@nigelwitgunn3406 🤔👍
Came here for this comment!
I had a Datsun B-210 (Bee Two Ten). Nobody ever called it a "B Two-Hundred and Ten"
Or a "three hundred and eighteen" V8
🤗👌
I have a Porsche nine hundred and ten plus one. Jealous?
I had the last 210 it was an 1982. 1983datsun became Nissan
@@danscott3880. 🤔👍
So the dealerships wouldn't accept money from rich people? It truly is a bizzaro world.
The person who puts these videos together knows NOTHING about cars.
Many younger guys can't even change a damn tire.
@@jamesknudsen1852. 👍
Or the English language, for that matter.
This is a bot video. Always the worst.
IN YOUR DREAM
The Mustang II never offered a Station Wagon, the Pinto did.
... same car ...
@@Rumms-Bumms69 Pretty much at least.
that foto at 18:26 . . . is that experimental ??
Thanks for mentioning that. I didn't remember Ford making a Mustang station wagon in the 1970s.
I'll take any of these cars anyday over today's over priced cars ✌️
I put 488K miles on my bare bones 2dr Corolla.
It was a 78 and I bought it in 83 for my college car. It had 70K miles on it when I bought it. It got me through Grad school and my PhD and then some. It died in 02 and I replaced it with a new Camry.
When my needs changed in 11 I bought a new Rav 4WD Limited with the 3.5L V6.
I drove my Rav until I bought a “leftover” 24 Tacoma TRD Off Road, double cab, 6’ bed with the Premium and Technology pkgs and a TRD performance exhaust.
I’ll drive my 23 TRD until I die.
I had a Datsun 1200 fast back, precursor to the B-210. I got 30 mpg while driving it at 85mph (it's top speed) while driving across the country. It cost $2000 and was worth every penny.
I had a 1200 also. Back when the speed limit was 55, it was fine. super light weight.
half this script is gibberish, "unfortunately it was small and affordable" - WTF dude.
It's a bot.
A flash from the past...loved it.
I want a 302 Maverick grabber
I can get you a 289 or a 302 Maverick 4 speed but it won't be a Grabber
@@mexicanspec Thanks but I have my eye on another vehicle.
My cousin had one.
The Maverick didn’t have a glove compartment to save money. You got a shelf which meant that everything slid around when you made a turn.
no mention of the Chevrolet Nova, which you saw everywhere in the 70s
Yes, they showed the Maverick, which was Fords answer to the Nova, and Dart/Valiant.
Also no mention.of any Pontiac car..
@@gorillaplays8926 they did mention the Pontiac Astre ar 20:28
@@gorillaplays8926 They cost more.
@@gorillaplays8926 at 20:22, the Pontiac Astra
If you found a Vega with a little rust on it, it was still on the assembly line
I had a Vega I pulled the engine at 48.000 miles it was an oil burning pig I but a 307SB chevy engine in and then it was a good car and went like hell on fire
Had one in the hood a friend put a 350 in. CHopped the inner wells to make it fit lol! It was too quick, but turned high 8s to mid 9s on the strip.
, 🤗👍
These cars (especially the Pinto/Vega models) were made for a mechanic because if you couldn’t fix them, they stayed in the driveway. I grew up in the 70’s and my cars weren’t more expensive but much more reliable and great fun (240z and the Bug!)
These Chevette Notch backs you show are Brasilian ones. Just for notice.
Yeah, we only got 2 and 4 door Hatchbacks, in the U.S.
[ I think they had a Notchback in Britain, but called by a different name (?).].
🚗🙂
@jeffking4176 Those cars were based on the German made Opel Kadett and Vauxhall Chevette. Vauxhall cars were mostly rebadged Opel. Those US Chevette's were known as Chevrolet Chevette in Brazil and as Holden Gemini in Australia.
The Pinto came with a 2Liter 4 as an option until 1974 when a 2.3L four showed up until they stopped building them in 1980
Don't think the Pontiac astre had a 4 door, but did have a liftback, coupe and 2 door wagon
You go to any country in Latam an chances are you'll find them still running, except for the Pinto I think.
My friend’s 73 Vega GT was rusted out by 1979.
Vegas arrived at the dealership with rust starting. The initial units got bubbles in the dip primer bath, and there was bare metal inside some panels.
My parents bought a 77 Vega. It was dead by 82. We ended up giving it away.
V8 gremlin 3spd standard was a fun car hatchback
The Gremlin was a fun car to drive
Never heard of this car before (as an european) and now I want one! Looks so freaking cool!
The Dart was also offered with a 340,383,440 and even the 440!
@@radamson1 yup and if you had a cooperative dealership you could get a hemi with your choice of transmission lol
Vegas were junk. My sister had one. It burned as much oil as it did gas
At the gas station: "Fill up the oil and check the gas please."
@@James-dt7ky 🤣
I like him showing that Vega with an LS swap like that’s the real motor.
The earlier datsun 510 was a far better car than the 210
Ya the 510 with the 1600 engine was a great car
@@frankwood-sn5pu even better with a 2litre 5spd lowered and turboed lol
Yeah; for me, the Datsun 510 was one of the greatest group of compact car models missing from this review!
The five-ten station wagon especially was an extremely reliable and versatile model. It was favoured here in Canada by young folks who couldn't quite afford a VW van; or a van to camperize from the US 'big three'!
🚗 🚘 🚎 🚐 🚌 🚏 🚍 🚎 🚘 🚗
the kid laughing when the valiant goosed it was comical.
The median salary in the U.S.A. ranged between $9,870 in 1970 to $16,530 in 1979 and the price for automobiles reflected this. Today I earn about $65k annually and I cannot afford anything over $28k!
My mother had a Volkswagen Beetle when I was about 4 years old. She even had a Ford Pinto that was my grandfather’s car before he passed away in January 1977. My father drove a Ford Station wagon and a Ford van during the 1970’s.
The same way the Omega was based on the same platform as a Nova, the Skylark used essentially a Malibu/Chevelle body.
Budget-car with V8,
I love the Gremlin!!
I owned a few of these and wish i never sold them.
Mine was a '72 Pinto Runabout, my first new car, and still my favorite. I have now bought the same "class" of car, a 2024 Nissan Versa, manual transmission. As simple as they come these day. Very happy with it also.
11:38
Fish tank on wheels
Everybody hates on The Vega. I had a buddy that had a cosworth Vega that he called "Captain Cosworth." I loved that damn car.
I had a 71 VW bug. I bought it when I was 17 and 1987, so it had some crust on it... But I learned to work on it myself, and it was a perfect car for that because it was so perfectly simple. And you can make them fast. Trust me, we did.
Gremlins and pacers were ugly as hell though. I'll give you those.
i loved my 73 pinto
Chevette was available in Australia as Gemini, as a 4 door sedan, coupe, 2 door wagon and sedan delivery
Unless it was a 340 Stinger, nobody ever called a Dart “cool”.
We had Mavrick's at Fort Dix while I was with the 759th MP (77-78). We never worried about High-Speed chases.
Parents had both a carrolla and a corona wagon early 70s great cars.
My folks bought a new 1973 Toyota Corona station wagon as soon as it was available in Canada.
It was incredibly reliable and long-lasting!
Truly the king of economy wagons of that era, in my experience!
🏆 🏆 🏆 👑 👸 🤴 👑 👸 🤴 👑 🏆 🏆 🏆
@@markpimlott2879 yup my thoughts exactly you wouldn't believe how fast I could get one from Vancouver to whistler in the early 70s .
My first car was a brand new 1974 Honda Civic hatchback 4 speed.
Honda cars were so rare back then that, if you saw another when on the road, you would honk and wave.
I remember the local Cadillac dealer offering a Civic as a premium, as in "Buy a new Cadillac and get a Honda Civic free." My sister loved her '74 Civic, but it rusted badly in the road salt used in Maine winters.
Right, it's so annoying seeing people word things this way
When I moved to the US in 1972, we brought a brand new Vega with A/C no P/S with bobble wrap plastic seat cover for $38K. We love this Vega so much so my uncle took it to Thailand and paid high importation taxes at 880%.
$38,000 ... 🤪?
@@markpimlott2879 I think that number is after the 880% import duty, which puts initial price near $3900. I imagine a car was a very big deal in Thailand in 1972. Even today, parts of SE Asia... you gotta buy the house/property to put it in first - its like US citizens buying a 9 foot grand piano, where a double sized living room is required.
@@markpimlott2879 Yeah, somebody got taken.
Those slant six cylinders were really durable. I abused mine in my Dodge van. It ran trouble-free for 12 years, when I sold it and purchased a 97 Jeep sport 4.0, which also seems to be a bullet-proof engine .
You have to take into account how much people earned back then compared to now.
Valiant 2dr 340 spd great sleepers
'Rght on! The factory 340 ci V8 Dodge Dart four speed manual, with the four barrel (Holley?) carb was the fastest car that I had the pleasure to drive as a teenager during the late 60s!
I had fast bikes in that era (a 750 Norton Commando, for instance), but it was a different thrill driving a car with a throaty roar across a remote nearly car and truck free northern Ontario wildland highway!
🫎 🫎 🦌 🦌 🚗 🚘 🚔 🚘 🚗 🦌 🦌 🫎 🫎
If you knew how you could get a 390 4spd in a gremlin .
AMC even produced a muscle car variant of the Gremlin known as the AMX! ('As I recall! 'Kinda 🤪 crazy!
🚔 🚗 🚘 🚓 🚕 🚗 🚘 🚔
@@markpimlott2879 the AMX was a model of the Hornet, it had a 360. It was a ‘73 or ‘74 I think
Randall AMC in Mesa, Arizona offered the Gremlin 401-XR with the AMC 401 V8 and a 4-speed. Only 21 were made so it's quite a collector's item.
@@Rick-S-6063 largest engine I had heard of in a Gremlin was a 360
@@pathunter7003 The Gremlin's largest engine from the factory was the 304 V8. Some owners did swap in 360s or 401s, but no Gremlins left the factory so equipped.
AMC shipped 21 of the 401 V8s with the 4-speed transmission to Randall AMC in Mesa. Randall technicians swapped those powertrains into new Gremlins that had left the factory with 304s and 3-speed transmissions. They also added the 401-XR decals to the sail panels.
15:02 That's no US built Chevette
1:12 Mom's date had had the red and white wonder shown
In the 1970s, in Australia, the Valiant was known as the Wog Chariot. had the 225 ci slant six til 1970, then replaced with the hemi 215, or 245 or 265 ci six or 318 or 360 ci V8.
No four door Astres or Vegas.
Yeah onlly a three door wagon no four doors
@@DougSnyder-l5s Exactly
in the '70's we bought used '60's cars, like a 1969 Firebird, or a 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T. 1968 Dodge Dart GTS,
I had a 1973 Duster with a slant 6. Burgundy wirth black vunyl interior
Ford Maverick was a good car.
Ah yes. The Datsun B210…
I got stuck…UNDER the dashboard…on the passenger side…with my girlfriend in the reclining seat…😛😛😛🤣
My belt hooked on something and it was damn near impossible to squirm out of it🤣
We still laugh at it 48 yrs later!
Your B210, was Australia's 120Y
Your choice of pictures and videos leaves a lot to be desired.
Chevette....try to change the brakes once....you'll want to never see one ever again!
It also had a diesel option.
I bought a 1972 Datsun 510 in 1971, it was $2300.00 Canadian dollars, a better drive then the Corolla.
The cars of my family back then. Pinto - yup my Ma had one. VW- grandma went from a 1960 Caddilac to a '72 Bug. My uncle bought a new Valiant (Dart), bi-annually. I did body work on a B2-10! Step brother had a Maverick. High school girlfriend had a 1978 Civic
The big dealer money maker on selling these cars was the add on of Rustproofing.
Buick had an alloy engine long before the vega
Vega never came with alloy wheels
Buick 215 aluminum V8, later given to Britain's Rover where it did well.
The Buick Skylark should have never been mentioned with these bombs. Speaking of which, the Pinto came standard with the "bomb" package.
The Datsun 1200 was more fun than the B210. But we did well with both. My college car was an early Corolla. It was the same orange as shown here. When I had it's body repaired I had it painted a Porsche Anaconda metallic blue. Lol it transformed the appearance.
i owned a few Datsun 510 1970-73 great car
Pontiac Sunbird was essentially the same as a Monza, but looked better.
Datsun B-210 = 120-Y in Oz.
The Pinto was also available with a V6 sourced from Ford of Germany.
A neighbor bought a new Maverick back then. I got totalled by a pothole. There was a V8 option you didn't mention. A few modifications and it would twist the unibody.
The Ford Maverick was a well made, durable car. The Chevy Chevette was a rustbucket P.O.S. I had one that was only seven years old and it was pretty much roached. The shock towers on the front would break away from the wheel wells.
The Dart and the Valiant were basically the same thing
My pop used to have a Volkswagen beetle as his first car and he also used to have two Chrysler Australian made dodgers and my dad used to have a Datsun
Hey, you forgot about the 2 L which was an awesome engine and the predecessor of the 2.3 L in the pinto. The 2 L was the engine to build the 2.3 wasn't.
We had a 72 Pinto wagon with the 2000, & I got into the 2000 cc Capri’s. They went like hell! I remember a company call Racer Walsh that sold performance parts for the 1600, 2000,& 2300cc Engines from Ford. Fun Times!
Yep, my '72 Pinto came with the 1.6 liter, or, as I did, opt for the 2000cc. Great engine, never a second of problem with it 100% dependable in my experience.
The 2L engine was used in the Aussie Cortina
...well except that Cologne made engine was pretty crappy for top end lubrication. So yeah they were OK.
@@tauncfester3022 Mine went over 60,000 without a single problem. That was a fair amount of miles back then when anything over 100,000 was considered exceptional.
A nice, nothing special 1974 corolla now costs about 20,000 dollars. We bought one in 1986 for $400.00. I was looking the other day for another one. Saw the prices and "nope". It was a fun little car though.
Still remember my 71 Ford Pinto hatch back the original HOT HATCH !
I.
Loved tooling around in it rebuilt the 98 CI four popper with an old drunk mechanic
Larry Knutson God rest his soul.
She was fun psycho but a good time tried to burn me up but I was too quick.
Granadas and Volares during the second half of the Seventies were pretty budget friendly as well!
My first and only new car was a 1979 Mercury Monarch - same as a Granada. A total POS. It turned me off Fords for decades.
these are the cars dad bought for us for our 1st car new or few yrs old I wanted a VW sirocco
None of the American cars made it to Australia
Pacer was perhaps the ugliest car ever known
Countless articles and YT videos give that distinction to the Pontiac Aztec.
@@AcmeRacing 2nd gen ugliest yup,but the pacer was is uglier,at least the Aztec tried to be useful .
Hardly. Anything by Lexus is truly buttugly. Front end lookd like a Cylon Raider from Battlestar Galactica.
Some Vega engines used to come with powerful Cosworth engines. Much more power than the original small V8.
2litre 110 horsepower. 0 to 60 pretty fast.
Plymouth Valliant good car just ask Dennis Weaver !
B210s rusted so fast on a cool clear night you could hear them disintegrate
I had a "71 Vega, put 25,000 miles on it. I loved it!!! Then I bought a Chevette NEW , later another. Both were reliable and fun. The Vega and Chevette were maybe $2000. Now a Honda is at least $25000.
Nobody in the history of the auto industry has ever called a Chevette fun.
7:05 like Adolph heetler said he wants a average car for average german family
Is it a Vailant... a Dart? I can't tell those Chrysler products apart.
I didn't see the Opal kadett
The only car worse than the Vega.
Corolla made it to Australia, but only with the 1.2 litre slant 4
No they came out in Australia with 3 K and 4 K engines two different sizes of motor
@@johnkelly8525 4K was a replacement for the 3K in the early '80's
Those KE20 Corollas were a fun car in Oz
Datsun B210 = Datsun 120Y in Australia.
never never made mustang II wagon!!!!!!!
12:04 a v8 in this cart board box😳
So vega competed successfully beetle?😂😂
Obviously a genz bashing us boomers
Pacer reminds me of the car in Wayne's World.
It is.
Still have the civic in Australia
Duster, Plymouth Duster ? In Europe we have the romanian (!) Dacia Duster based om Renault parts, engines etc.
Vega = rustbucket
The engine died before the rust got it.
Cool classic rides ❤Thanks for sharing ❤
Neighbor had a Datsun B210 honey bee, bought it brand new and it was a pita. The car was a Lemon! It spent more time at the dealer they they drove it. They traded it in on a Chevrolet Nova, after the transmission malfunction after 2 previous ones messed up. Myself I owned a 1980 (79 body with the round headlights) worst car I've ever had. Turned me off Nissan for life. Motor had a factory defect that self destruct at 75,000.
Did you ever hear of a song titled Powder Blue Chevette?
I heard a drag queen sing that song once.
Put in a V8 IN Vegas, then it was a great car.
11:48 mike brewer