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Posted: 7/12/2021 3:55:31 PM EDT
[#1]
Quoted: Seems to me like the 1970's The Mustang II 1973 to 1978 The low point in over 5 decades of Mustangs. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 3:57:09 PM EDT
[#2]
Mid 70's where V8's put out less than 200 HP.
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Posted: 7/12/2021 3:58:08 PM EDT
[#3]
Funny in the poll that 60s, carbs and point ign. Seem to be better than the rest
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:01:11 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: But you can actually modify that '77 with plenty of aftermarket support to make it into a serious strip or track car. And, well, you wouldn't have to deal with FWD and torque steer. There's no getting around the extra displacement the V8 has, but you're going to have to spend some money just to get the Trans Am to match the stock sedan's performance. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:01:54 PM EDT
[#5]
In my lifetime, late 70s, early 80s. No question.
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:10:19 PM EDT
[#6]
I grew up in Detroit.
My guess, 1900 to 2005-2015 My 87 GN was a stunningly reliable car, my daily driver for 11 years. My 87 Celebrity EuroSport CL, started rusting immediately.....but saved my life in a serious accident. Deming is a thing. Something Detroit has still not embraced. Yeah, individual models we all love, but over all..... |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:12:42 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I grew up in Detroit. My guess, 1900 to 2005-2015 Deming is a thing. Yeah, individual models we all love, but over all..... Well that covers about everything 
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:14:50 PM EDT
[#8]
70s+: emissions.
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:17:05 PM EDT
[#9]
The best cars seem to be from the mid 60s to early 70s especially as far as muscle cars go.
Worst era for cars in general was mid-late 70s with EPA regs, quality control, and reliability issues. Early 80s was just an extension of bad from the late 70s but then the later part of the 80s brought better cars from then on. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:20:21 PM EDT
[#10]
Am I in before someone is claiming that current cars are the worst ever because of something like CAFE standards.
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:22:09 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 74-84 would be my vote for the worst 10 year stretch. The early 70s still had good stuff, and stuff was getting better in the late 80s. Pretty much. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:25:03 PM EDT
[#12]
My immediate reaction was 70s, but then I remember this. I agree with others that you have to split pre and post oil embargo.
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:25:28 PM EDT
[#13]
I think it's probably because the people that lived it are gone - but from a historical perspective the 1940's sucked as bad as 1973-1983....
First off the cars got heavy, and power didn't keep up except in very rare cases. Then they basically stopped production from 42-46, and then it took them 2 years to really get updated cars out. Remember that the big deal was that Jaguar came out with a car that would do 120 mph. Even "big" cars like Buicks and Cadillacs had around 125-150 hp.... |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:25:32 PM EDT
[#14]
70-90 were bad. Detuned engines that made bad power numbers. We had a 1990 F250 with the 460 BB. 175 hp 205 lb tq with 10mpg. That was horrible. My 2009 Fusion with a Duratec 2.5L engine makes 175 hp and about the same in torque.
But with advancement in technology comes better stuff. More power & better economy. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:27:04 PM EDT
[#15]
Mid 70's to Late 80's sucked!!
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:29:59 PM EDT
[#16]
Mid 70s to the mid 80s.
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:30:47 PM EDT
[#17]
70s-80s sucked so bad, vaccuum hose all the things!!
Last US maker car I've had was an '82 Cutlass. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:31:23 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 74-84 would be my vote for the worst 10 year stretch. The early 70s still had good stuff, and stuff was getting better in the late 80s. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:34:01 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Mid 70s through the early 90s. This and that is being generous. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:34:24 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: CAR & Driver specs. --------------------------------------- ARFCOM GD favorite 1977 Trans Am 60 mph: 9.3 sec 100 mph: 29.3 sec 1/4 mile: 16.9 sec @ 82 mph Top speed: 110 mph Braking, 700 mph: 213 ft ------------------------------------------------ Boring family car 2017 Toyota Camry Zero to 60 mph: 6.1 sec Zero to 100 mph: 15.0 sec Standing -mile: 14.6 sec @ 98 mph Top speed (governor limited): 129 mph Braking, 70-0 mph: 189 ft https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/amv-prod-cad-assets/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/1977-Pontiac-Firebird-Trans-Am-122.jpg?resize=768:* https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/amv-prod-cad-assets/images/16q3/669461/2017-toyota-camry-xse-v-6-test-review-car-and-driver-photo-671269-s-original.jpg?fill=2:1&resize=768:* |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:38:43 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The point isn't to compare them as performance cars, or to claim the Camry is a performance car or a platform from which to build one. The point is just to illustrate that what was once a hot, exciting performance car doesn't hold a candle to the performance of a boring family car from today if we look at both of them in their own time periods. I mentioned earlier that the Trans Am would do a lot better with modern tires but it was still really a 16.9 second car back in the day. 
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:40:42 PM EDT
[#22]
I voted 70s. 90s were pretty bad too. The 80s were far from good, but at least the Fox Body was cool.
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:41:21 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Just goes to show the difference time can make, from a EPA castrated carbureted pig, to a modern car with EFI and all the technological goodies. I still like the old pigs though, just toss in a modern drivetrain. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: CAR & Driver specs. --------------------------------------- ARFCOM GD favorite 1977 Trans Am 60 mph: 9.3 sec 100 mph: 29.3 sec 1/4 mile: 16.9 sec @ 82 mph Top speed: 110 mph Braking, 700 mph: 213 ft ------------------------------------------------ Boring family car 2017 Toyota Camry Zero to 60 mph: 6.1 sec Zero to 100 mph: 15.0 sec Standing -mile: 14.6 sec @ 98 mph Top speed (governor limited): 129 mph Braking, 70-0 mph: 189 ft https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/amv-prod-cad-assets/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/1977-Pontiac-Firebird-Trans-Am-122.jpg?resize=768:* https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/amv-prod-cad-assets/images/16q3/669461/2017-toyota-camry-xse-v-6-test-review-car-and-driver-photo-671269-s-original.jpg?fill=2:1&resize=768:* Don't forget about insurance companies running the show. Big bumpers and detuned engines to ruin the fun. Same thing happens today. A virus breaks out and thousands of companies are ruined for the bottom line of an insurance company. History repeats itself. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:43:04 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Eighties cars were pretty terrible. Anyone remember the Chrysler K Cars? The Cadillac Cimmaron?  |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:43:51 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Can't we all just agree it was the government that ruined a decade + of cars? |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:43:58 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Can't we all just agree it was the government that ruined a decade + of cars? Oh they certainly did. But that still doesn’t absolve the big 3 of failing to compete. Why buy a new Caddy when the W124 was on the market? Why buy an Escort over a Corolla? |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:47:49 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: And those were the cars that saved Chrysler! |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:47:58 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 74-84 would be my vote for the worst 10 year stretch. The early 70s still had good stuff, and stuff was getting better in the late 80s. what he said |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:49:03 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: There were a lot of good cars in 1970. Too many to vote 70s. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:49:35 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Hmmm... early 1970's cars were still pretty kick ass Maybe I should have made the poll 1965-1975, 1975-1985, 1985-1995.... 1970 Z28 C&D specs Zero to 60 mph: 5.8 sec Zero to 100 mph: 14.2 sec Standing ¼-mile: 14.2 sec @ 100.3 mph Top speed (observed): 118 mph Braking, 80-0 mph: 228 ft https://www.hotrod.com/uploads/sites/21/2019/11/003-polly-1970-chevrolet-camaro-z28-front-three-quarter-driving.jpg I used to know a guy from Boston who had a "split bumpah camara" |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:49:46 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Going with the 80's. I sold people new Ford Tempos and Chevy Celebrities... You should be ashamed, very ashamed. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:55:24 PM EDT
[#32]
To put everything in perspective, in 1985 during the tail end of the cold war, someone thought it was a good idea to market the fucking YUGO in the US............ Imagine how bad the competition was to even consider doing that in that time period........
Whats worse is..... PEOPLE BOUGHT THEM! The Yugo was marketed in the United States from 1985 to 1992 by Malcolm Bricklin, with a total of 141,651 sold peaking at 48,812 in 1987 and falling to 1,412 in 1992. 141,651 russian built FIATs!!!! WTF? |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:56:46 PM EDT
[#33]
Easily the '70s. The '80s weren't a whole lot better, but by the late '80s things were going in a very good direction.
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Posted: 7/12/2021 4:59:59 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Hmmm... early 1970's cars were still pretty kick ass Maybe I should have made the poll 1965-1975, 1975-1985, 1985-1995.... 1970 Z28 C&D specs Zero to 60 mph: 5.8 sec Zero to 100 mph: 14.2 sec Standing ¼-mile: 14.2 sec @ 100.3 mph Top speed (observed): 118 mph Braking, 80-0 mph: 228 ft https://www.hotrod.com/uploads/sites/21/2019/11/003-polly-1970-chevrolet-camaro-z28-front-three-quarter-driving.jpg If you did the poll that way, then the obvious answer is "1975-1985." And it isn't even close. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:04:56 PM EDT
[#35]
1973-1992. The start of the bad: Mandated catalytic converters and ever increasing emissions restrictions. A car with a carburetor in 1989 had more emissions hoses than Darth Vader's suit.
The turning point in the 1990's was GM taking chances that the power figures on the new LT1 engine would avoid new government regulation, something that paid off big time for performance car enthusiasts and even more so when the LS1 was released after a billion dollars in research and development. Other car companies saw the big dog doing it and followed suit, and finally horsepower wasn't a dirty word anymore. GM is still living off the descendants of this engine design. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:05:26 PM EDT
[#36]
The decline for cars started in 1974..
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:11:06 PM EDT
[#37]
74/75 is when they went to shit trying to meet emission and 5mph bumper standards. I don't really know when they started getting better, my 93 Ford Ranger was pretty decent.
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:12:04 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 74-84 would be my vote for the worst 10 year stretch. The early 70s still had good stuff, and stuff was getting better in the late 80s. This. Early 70s still had good stuff. Late 80s was the beginning of the turn around. Performance was making a return. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:14:10 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: CAR & Driver specs. --------------------------------------- ARFCOM GD favorite 1977 Trans Am 60 mph: 9.3 sec 100 mph: 29.3 sec 1/4 mile: 16.9 sec @ 82 mph Top speed: 110 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 213 ft ------------------------------------------------ Boring family car 2017 Toyota Camry Zero to 60 mph: 6.1 sec Zero to 100 mph: 15.0 sec Standing ¼-mile: 14.6 sec @ 98 mph Top speed (governor limited): 129 mph Braking, 70-0 mph: 189 ft https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/amv-prod-cad-assets/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/1977-Pontiac-Firebird-Trans-Am-122.jpg?resize=768:* https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/amv-prod-cad-assets/images/16q3/669461/2017-toyota-camry-xse-v-6-test-review-car-and-driver-photo-671269-s-original.jpg?fill=2:1&resize=768:* So much truth to this... Take it a step further and look at the new 2022 Toyata HYBRID minivan...which is slower than the last years version by quite a bit. https://www.caranddriver.com/toyota/sienna Unlike previous versions of Toyota's family van, the 2022 Sienna is offered exclusively as a hybrid. The powertrain consists of a 2.5-liter gasoline-powered four-cylinder engine and a pair of electric motors that combine to make 243 horsepower. All-wheel drive is available and adds a third electric motor in back that drives the rear wheels. The Sienna's main rival—the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid—is offered solely with front-wheel drive, but its V-6 engine and electric motors make 260 horsepower. Our all-wheel drive Sienna Platinum failed to excite us during acceleration testing, requiring 7.7 seconds to reach 60 mph and completing the quarter-mile in 15.8 seconds at only 88 mph; these results are similar to what the Pacifica Hybrid managed, but are far slower than non-hybrid examples of the Pacifica we've tested as well as the Honda Odyssey. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a34487335/2021-toyota-sienna-by-the-numbers/ Soccer mom Karen's hybrid minivan would smoke that 77 Trans Am. 60 mph: 7.7 sec 100 mph: 21.0 sec Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 8.7 sec Top gear, 30–50 mph: 4.4 sec Top gear, 50–70 mph: 5.6 sec 1/4 mile: 15.8 sec @ 88 mph Top speed (governor limited, mfr's claim): 116 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 188 ft Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.79 g |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:14:21 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The decline for cars started in 1974.. Engine-wise, sure. Looks wise? Last good'ish year was 1971. A lot after that was gross as fuck, save for the Corvette. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:21:34 PM EDT
[#41]
Quoted: Seems to me like the 1970's “Wished a Ford and a Chevy would still last ten years like they should!” The Hag 1970’s |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:26:47 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: CAR & Driver specs. --------------------------------------- ARFCOM GD favorite 1977 Trans Am 60 mph: 9.3 sec 100 mph: 29.3 sec 1/4 mile: 16.9 sec @ 82 mph Top speed: 110 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 213 ft ------------------------------------------------ Boring family car 2017 Toyota Camry Zero to 60 mph: 6.1 sec Zero to 100 mph: 15.0 sec Standing ¼-mile: 14.6 sec @ 98 mph Top speed (governor limited): 129 mph Braking, 70-0 mph: 189 ft And yet... the 77 Trans Am is STILL hands-down, no-questions-asked more desirable than the Camry. Huh. It's almost like 1/4 mile times are NOT the sole determinant of how "good" a car is. Weird. That said, today's engine tech is LEAPS and BOUNDS better today than in the 74-84 period. Vacuum controlled carbs and emissions systems of that era were absolutely nightmarish. It's not even a contest.  |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:28:01 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 75-81 The EPA is to blame 100% Add in the bonus of the NHTSA and here we have even a cheap car is expensive This. Maybe also a union workforce that was high part of the time. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:29:01 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 74-84 would be my vote for the worst 10 year stretch. The early 70s still had good stuff, and stuff was getting better in the late 80s. This |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:29:52 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: 74-84 would be my vote for the worst 10 year stretch. The early 70s still had good stuff, and stuff was getting better in the late 80s. Yup, I'd go with this. EPA, airplane gears, shitty apathetic union assembly lines and the Japs hadn't gotten serious about schooling us yet. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:30:31 PM EDT
[#46]
Poll fail. All of the 70s were not bad. 70-73 chargers, Camaro, and mustangs are sweet. The entire American motor industry failed in 1974. So my answer would be 1974-1984 if you want ten years. Now I know all the firebird and trans am fan boys will be in to talk up their Smokey and the bandit specials and those big block 6.6s were dogs with only 200 laughable horseys
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:32:05 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I agree with the 75-85 “decade” The cars were awful. Epicly awful |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:34:49 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: There's no getting around the extra displacement the V8 has, but you're going to have to spend some money just to get the Trans Am to match the stock sedan's performance. Not really, it was easy to make 70s cars run like 60s cars and they had better ignitions. Deck head to raise compression, ditch air pump and ex manifolds for headers, ditch cast intake with EGR for alum intake and holley carb, bigger cam and valve springs while the heads are off. |
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:35:22 PM EDT
[#49]
89s k cars
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Posted: 7/12/2021 5:37:04 PM EDT
[#50]
Mid 80s to the late 90s.
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