A car so beautiful and classy the Gipsy Kings even wrote a song about it. 

The song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQzLiY7H3qE

And in case ^that^ link is banned in your country (it is here  )...

Link 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WkQOLBHg3o

They took a Plymouth Valiant, engineered all the cost and reliability out of it (save for the slant-6 engine and Torqueflite automatic transmission) and dumped it on the market, only to have it die within four years.

As much as you glamourize these cars, they are absolutely terrible. Slow, ill-handling, and not that great.


However, I am partial to the:


Buick Skyhawk



Ford LTD

Honestly, a Camry is like a W212 by comparison. This is one of the worst cars of all time.

Quote from: sportyaccordy on June 17, 2010, 07:00:25 PM
Honestly, a Camry Kia Rio is like a W212 by comparison.

Quote from: 2o6 on June 17, 2010, 05:47:09 PM
As much as you glamourize these cars, they are absolutely terrible. Slow, ill-handling, and not that great.

There's nothing wrong with such a car being slow and ill-handling- it's a cruiser, not a sports sedan.

Second, I love the design on 1970s and 1980s American cars. This baby is beautiful!!! 


This car can't be that bad either. I'm sure the engine suffered from emission controls, but if I were to own such a car speed and performance wouldn't be my top priority.

Quote from: 3.0L V6 on June 17, 2010, 05:46:05 PM
They took a Plymouth Valiant, engineered all the cost and reliability out of it (save for the slant-6 engine and Torqueflite automatic transmission) and dumped it on the market, only to have it die within four years.

Doesn't change the fact that it's lovely-looking!   

Quote from: cawimmer430 on June 18, 2010, 03:29:14 AM
There's nothing wrong with such a car being slow and ill-handling- it's a cruiser, not a sports sedan.

Second, I love the design on 1970s and 1980s American cars. This baby is beautiful!!! 


This car can't be that bad either. I'm sure the engine suffered from emission controls, but if I were to own such a car speed and performance wouldn't be my top priority.

It has terrible ride + build quality too. There are literally no redeeming qualities about these cars, and if you ever get to ride in/drive one, I will bet money you will come away at best disappointed, and at worst thoroughly nauseated. Yes, it's THAT bad lol.

Quote from: sportyaccordy on June 18, 2010, 05:35:09 AM
It has terrible ride + build quality too. There are literally no redeeming qualities about these cars, and if you ever get to ride in/drive one, I will bet money you will come away at best disappointed, and at worst thoroughly nauseated. Yes, it's THAT bad lol.

Anyone here have experiences with these Plymouth Volare's?

They look really good IMO. They can't be that bad either, can they?

Quote from: cawimmer430 on June 18, 2010, 07:50:04 AM
Anyone here have experiences with these Plymouth Volare's?

They look really good IMO. They can't be that bad either, can they?

YES THEY CAN.

Cars like the Plymouth Volare are the reason America loves us some Camry's. Think about it.

Quote from: Vinsanity on June 18, 2010, 11:08:07 AM
Cars like the Plymouth Volare are the reason America loves us some Camry's. Think about it.

I can't believe this. The Volare was THAT BAD? 

Quote from: cawimmer430 on June 18, 2010, 11:29:12 AM
I can't believe this. The Volare was THAT BAD? 

If you think the Camry is bad, then yes. Same story with almost any Detroit car from the late 70's.

Quote from: cawimmer430 on June 18, 2010, 11:29:12 AM
I can't believe this. The Volare was THAT BAD? 

Cars like these are the reason why Toyota and Honda have so much presence and respect here.

The Big 3 used to shit these cars out in mass quantities with little or no regard for build quality or performance.

The fine craftsmanship and attention to detail of the 50's gave way to mass production with really bad QC. If you want to know how NOT to manufacture something, look no further than 1970's Detroit.

Seriously Wims, this car is literally why Americans love Camrys... let that sink in

Quote from: cawimmer430 on June 18, 2010, 03:29:14 AM
There's nothing wrong with such a car being slow and ill-handling- it's a cruiser, not a sports sedan.

The two reasons America loves Toyotas: they share the attitude you've just stated, and because when they bought the 70s and 80s domestic cars that offered a similar experience, they broke down.

I had one like this, a '65. It was a good little car- very reliable. Nice power with the little V8. The quality did go down a bit in the late '70's. America loves Toyotas? Not so much any more.


Here's a 70's Mopar that has some following, a Duster 340:

Mopar had notable mid-size and large sedans of the era, but I think Wimms is missing things by a year or two - by the late '70s (as in the pictured Volare, nothing was worth a hoot). One of my favs, the perennial police crusier of the era - 1978 Plymouth Fury:

Quote from: 2o6 on June 17, 2010, 05:47:09 PM
As much as you glamourize these cars, they are absolutely terrible. Slow, ill-handling, and not that great.


However, I am partial to the:


Buick Skyhawk



Ford LTD

Both the Volare and the Skyhawk were pieces of crap.  Great examples of why Detroit went down the toilet.

Quote from: dazzleman on June 18, 2010, 05:46:29 PM
Both the Volare and the Skyhawk were pieces of crap.  Great examples of why Detroit went down the toilet.

The Skyhawk is a pretty car, IMO.

Obviously, this car won't be of the highest quality, but it sure looks great if you ask me. Many American cars from the '70s and '80s look great to me (I grew up with them in Hollywood movies). 


Apparently the Plymouth Volare was sold in Switzerland!

I found this German language brochure of it online! 

Link: http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/mopar/77vol/77vol.html

Quote from: GoCougs on June 18, 2010, 05:15:44 PM
Mopar had notable mid-size and large sedans of the era, but I think Wimms is missing things by a year or two - by the late '70s (as in the pictured Volare, nothing was worth a hoot). One of my favs, the perennial police crusier of the era - 1978 Plymouth Fury:

This car was so common in almost every A-Team episode! Not only the cops seemed to love it but also the Military Police! 

Quote from: cawimmer430 on June 18, 2010, 03:29:14 AM
Second, I love the design on 1970s and 1980s American cars. This baby is beautiful!!!  

Ugh. Absolute low-point of American design language, IMO. No imagination. No originality. What a depressing follow-up to all the promise of the 50s and 60s.

Quote from: Tave on June 19, 2010, 11:23:38 AM
Ugh. Absolute low-point of American design language, IMO. No imagination. No originality. What a depressing follow-up to all the promise of the 50s and 60s.

The US cars from the 50s and 60s are hot to, but my favorite design era is from the 70s and 80s. 

I mean look at this! 

Yeah, it's a waste of perfectly good metal.


Seriously man, cars went from looking like this:







To looking like this:

^That Ford Thunderbird from the '70s is smoking hot! The '50s version is an icon, no doubt, but the '70s version is sexy to!^


How can you claim the '70s had American car design going down the toilet? Look at these beauties! 






And the 1970s Lincoln Continental Mark IV was really hot. One of my favorites! 




Love the '74 Dodge Monaco!

Wim are you being serious? Those cars are ugly as shit. You know what... maybe they look different to you... when I see them I'm instantly reminded of the era of sub-mediocrity that defined American cars from the late 70s up to... the mid 90s?

Quote from: sportyaccordy on June 19, 2010, 12:05:33 PM
Wim are you being serious? Those cars are ugly as shit. You know what... maybe they look different to you... when I see them I'm instantly reminded of the era of sub-mediocrity that defined American cars from the late 70s up to... the mid 90s?

I guess it's the way so many car folks salivate over Euro-market subcompact hatchbacks: if you've never lived with one, you just don't appreciate that for all its apparent appeal it's just a piece of shit.

I admit I have an inexplicable soft spot for the 1980's box-style Caprice. Not so surprisingly, a large portion of survivors have ended up in South Central L.A., but surprisingly, many of them are in great condition.