Worst Car Decade? I Vote '70s.

"Wow, Ricardo Montalban looked good back then."


I wish I could get some "fine Corinthian leather" in a car today.

 

LOL

 

The late 60s, 70s, and 80s (including 90s) was really, really bad for American cars. Europe, however, was banging out sweetness in the 60s (think 250 GTO, Jaguar Coupes, etc.), and equally sweet items in the 70s and 80s.

A lot went downhil in the 90s, then again it was great in other aspects.

Nothing I said makes any sense, so yeah. But Americna cars are ugly as ****. The last American car that I liked was a '40 something sedan.

 

Iam gonna say this current generation is crap because all the cars look the damn same today.

Its like if you buy a car from Lamborghini, Ferrari and porsche they all look the same they got this "face" on the front of the vehicle which is very annoining I guess thats a way to say this is a Ford or something. The cars today aren't built with as much passion as they where before back in the day where companys would poor their hearts and soul into building such great cars, now its like none of these car companys give a **** anymore they just bring suff out and preys to god that it sells.

Sure back in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, they had some ugly cars but atleast they took chances with such cars as the Fieros, MR-2's, K-cars and such but its like today what ever another car company is doing everybody else just seems to fallow it.

 

The late 70's early 80's American cars. The only performance options, were stickers and fake air intakes. I remember that 55mph, was often in a different color, from the other #'s on an 85mph speedometer. Horsepower #'s were never given in brochures.


At times when their was something of a performance option, such as an L82, you had to take just the automatic transmission (1980 Corvette). If you wanted a manual 4psd, you had to take the L48. I also remember that CA had it even worse. CA was stuck with the 305.


They began to turn things around, with the 1984 Corvette.

 

What kind of ford is it in the middle?

 

That car is still very advanced for today. It still puts a band spanking new Civic to shame but i wont get into that.

 

That is a Mustang II.

 

early nineties SUCKED.

(except for some cars...I LOVE THE TR)

 

The lates 60's bad for american cars? 427 corvette convertables, the 67 camaro, Boss 429 mustang are ugly? I could point out a million more flaws with your statement but that would be my opinon.

 

All those cars are ugly, IMO.

 

Thanks for the input Stevie Wonder


The 10 year span starting in 1975 is the worst from a performance and fun (no convertibles) standpoint. Got so bad that you couldn't even get a real transmission in a Corvette for a couple of years.

Only the genius of John DeLorean with the revolutionary flux capacitor was able to turn the tide.

 

I would hope so, seeing the latter has something on the order of a 1.8 L engine!

 

Yes, exceptions are everywhere
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Easily the 80s, I have 2 cars which were milestones and still create a big stir today from the 70s my 930 and 512BB, my BB gets more thumbs up and 20 minute conversations at gas stations than my 355 by far.

The 80s was an experimentation decade and had Knight Rider Trans Ams, Cadillac Allante and the 8 cylinder that cut itself down to 4 for fuel economy, cheap tin Japanese econoboxes, Ford Escort and Probe, Mazda RX7s that lasted 50k miles and all are in junk yards today, Datsun changed to Nissan and the 300ZX, Porsche with the 924 Turbo and 944, ugly cheap Lincoln Towncars, the Delorean to name a few

 

That's pretty much how I see it too.

Ford and GM hit the wall in 73. Mopar made some cool cars through 74. I guess the 79-80 Trans Am was an exception... it was a good looking car, but the quality basically sucked.

Seems the Euro cars didn't suck as bad, although they weren't especially fast by today's standards.

 

The 70's hands down for sure......with one exception.......the Trans Am.

I had 4 of them in the late 70's......

 

50s???? 50s?!?!?!????????????? The Corvette (3 different designs), Delahaye 235, Ferraris (375, 250 California, 410 Superamerica, etc, etc, etc), Porsche 356 & 550 Spyder, Jaguar XK120 & XK140, + all the Chevy, Oldsmobile, Buick Deluxes, Bel Airs, etc, Ford Thunderbird ... to name a FEW ... the 50s is one of the most beautiful decades ever! If I were still subscribed I could post about 100 pictures right now ...

I was going to say that when going down the thread but I'm not surprised I agree with you ... beautiful cars from the 70s were the Corvettes, Lambos, and Ferraris ... in the 80s it was down to just the Ferraris. But I'd agree with 1975-85 being the worst 10 years.

 

You don't like the Countach?

 

I'd say more like 75-85. Not all of the 70s was bad and it wasn't like the 80s were a lot better.

 

80's. Even Ferrari was building Mondial's.....

 

70s. Without question! If for no other reason, lackluster performance and tons of weight.

 

Id have to say the 70's and 80's where very experimental but they also where the decades that set the standards of which companys build which cars. Mechinally somecars where just awfull like the Ford Tarius while others had a big break through. Keep in mind alot of the cars for the 90's where designed the 80's.

The Vette hasn't changed much since 84 besides get fatter and faster

Id have to vote the 50's and 60's, some of those cars didn't make since what so ever and ate alot of gas which leadup to the crisis of the 70's. The 80's would have be the best years for automakers cause most of them have stuck to what they have perfected back then still today.

 

I disagee with practically everything posted above. In particular, the comment on the 50s & 60s disagrees with me. And the 70s & 80s "setting the standards". Urp. But -

Maybe we are missing something if we just try to pin the "worst decade" down to years that end in zero. 1974 to 1984 for example produced arguably some of the worst stinkers ever.

Have we forgotten such "experimentation" as these -

*GM Diesel V8s made from old gas engine blocks with inadequate filters & injection systems?
* Have you ever actually driven one of those Caddy 8-6-4 jobs?
* GM V-6 engines made at 90 degrees with odd firing orders by cutting two cylinders off a V8 block?
* The aluminum Vega motor without any hardening on its cylinder bores?
* Those air injection pumps, lean burn motors, single cat converters on "dual exhaust" corvettes, etc...yes, the vaunted 1984 new gen had single exhaust along with the "cease fire" fuel injection system.
* The bumpers? Sure made the Mercedes Benz SL's look good, huh.
* The seat belt interlock? The 85mph speedo?
* Jaguar giving up on real sportscars and building that XJS? MG & Austin Healey giving up altogether?

Stop me before I urp a little in my mouth again...

 

Without cars like the 80's vette or the countach we would probably be still stuck in the stone age sportin the fins gettin sh1tty gas mileage.

The 70's, 80's was the decades where most of todays automanufactures realized there fountations on what they should build and such.

Though it was an expermenal age, it obovius some automakers have stuck with there designs since then, again look at the vette from back then and now, nothing much has changed.