Because in spite of being bogged down by the horrible 70's-era US smog equipment, and in spite of the fact that EVERYTHING on them rattles and squeaks...examples in very good shape can be bought relatively cheaply, parts are widely available, and they still "look damn good doing it", as any old Corvette does. :)

But I agree, they are embarrassingly underpowered for a Corvette.

Mike

brain dump,

I didn't buy them to drive. I got them for free, because the timing belts broke and the owners were told that the head would have to come off. The 1.9 liter Ford did not have an interferance fit which means the valves don't hit the pistons. It took Honda along time to figure that one out. I'll give Ford credit for that, but the rest of the car was a piece of ****. I don't deal with them anymore, because it is hard to sell a used American car when you can go to the dealer with no money down and pay $198.00/ month for a new car with a warrantee. Now on the other hand if you want a used Volvo, Mercedes, or BMW, you have to compete with other buyers, because there is no alternative. In my opinion American cars are mediocre cars made for mediocre people. Try getting parts for a 10 year old American car. Sure you can get pistons and bearings, but ask for a door handle or a trim item. Sorry, that item is obsolete. I can order just about any part for a european car and have it in a few days. Why do you think that is? It is because european products are designed for service and not obsolesence. Go to a parts store and ask for a v-belt for your car. You will find that there is a proprietory code that must be broken to find the right belt. The GM # 15438LGW23 has to be translated to a Gates # which the store does not carry. You are told to bring in the old belt to match up. The problem is the old belt is in shreds. In Europe you ask for a 10mm x 1050mm belt. The parts store could care less what it fits: they have it or they don't have it. We need to get on the metric system. The U.S. Burma, and some small island are the only ones left on the arcane system of feet and inches. I predict that when the Europian Union gets it together, they are going to kick our butts.

Peter

Hehe :)

One morning my mom complained, that we should get a new car since all the neighbors got new ones over the years.

I looked at our fleet at that time: VW Passat with 200 tkm, VW Golf GTI with 280 tkm, Citroen 2CV with 200 tkm, Volvo 244 with 230 tkm and the fintail on cinder blocks and said:

Look mom, nobody has more cars than we do!

Well, she wasn't impressed :)

Kind regards
Eberhard

Thats what they used to say about Opel here in Germany (btw a GM brand)

"Build by idiots for idiots"

Your point about the metric system is a good one. But the american car industry uses the metric system since the late 80ties.

Kind regards
Eberhard

I that the U.S. should use to the metric system Lb.s fett and inches is stupid even the founders of it don't use it anymore.

Eberhard,
Maybe Mom would be more impressed if you fixed up the Fintail! I'd rather have a nice one of those than a new car.

Happy Motoring, Mark

Chevy Corsica rental car :(

Hello Mark,

fixing the fintail? I'm working on it

http://www.ikonengold.de/eberhard/flosseinhalle.jpg

Kind regards
Eberhard

Is that a 200D? My '60 220S has rust, bad chrome and peelng paint but it's still so nice to drive. At least you have a roof over your Fintail.

Happy Motoring, Mark

P.S. I have a friend that collects vintage Opels. He has five '58 - '61 Olympia/Rekords and a 1958 Kapitan!

3. Land Rover Disco I in 1996. How could anything with a 4.0L V-8 make so little power and use so much gas and handle so bad on the road? Unless I had to go serious off-roading EVERY day, I could never own one.

The original Discoveries couldn't be a Range Rover (handling, ride, etc) due to price, so all they could be was what Land Rover knew how to do well, and that was a nice looking grocery-getter with extreme off-road capabilities.

Yes, they chug gas (and super premium, too!) If you had a Discovery, the thing would grow on you like a wart. Yes, they're slow, cumbersome, and truck-like, but they are solid, have unique styling, and are versatile. I have a Range Rover, and you just feel unstopppable in the thing. It's also pretty reliable.

The most disappointing car I've ever owned was a W210 E320! That thing felt like a wooden sled on the road...wandered aimlessly, jiggled and bounced around....it was very disappointing for my first MB. Got rid of it after only a few months. True, I'd driven worse cars but expected more from MB, hence the disappointment. :(

A little while later I saw a wonderful-looking car in the dealer's lot, a strange green beast with wide front fender flares.....the best car I've ever driven. :D

Best car -- 85 Omni
Worst car -- 84 Horizon

Go figure!:confused:

The two worst cars I have ever owned....
91 Eagle Premere
84 BMW 733i
JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! JUNK!

Money Pits From Hell!!! If I still had them, I would take pleasure in laying a brick on the gas pedal and letting them fly off a steep cliff!! :D :D :eek:

As for the Merc's..... I have loved them all! :)
Adam

2003 M5. It's slow. Then again it was after I drove a 2004 E55 so :D

Yes they are!... built on the same line. The only difference is the grille and nameplate they put on. Kind of like the Caravan/Voyager, Aries/Reliant, Taurus/Sable, Topaz/Tempo.

The notable differences between the Omni and Horizon is that the Omni was bought with no options (nothing to break down and fix!) and was my personal car meticulously cared for from day one. The Horizon was fully loaded and bought for my sister. Even though I mostly took care of it, it seemed to develop a lot more problems. That's why I'm a huge proponent of keeping things simple.

BTW, a surprising contender for good cars is my girlfriend's 98 Escort ZX2. At 112,000 miles, it hasn't needed any repairs besides brakes and muffler. The car still drives like new.