Loser cars: All awesomely lame, but which is king?

[Dragfreak]

because whats not cool about these things?

[rel14]

i want to see the Pacer with a chopped top,

[Southern Fried]

I have to ponder "circumstances and situation" on this matter of a "loser".

You gotta picture "rural Alabama"...'74-'78...my party years.

'Course, in those years I drove a 350, 4 speed '56 Chevy Hardtop. '68 Chevelle SS. '76 Formula 400, and a '72 Chevelle "Heavy Chevy". Most of my Pals drove similar.

Had there been a rural, dirt road, party...and the only way I could have gotten there was a Monza (by the way, I bought a '77 "Spider body with big plans for it...Oh well...) or a Chevette...well, I would have been "hooted" , but then the party would have went on after awhile.

BUT! Had I shown up in a "Fish Bowl"...Pacer...I would have NEVER lived it down.

My vote? Pacer...hands down.

Edited November 8, 2013 by Southern Fried

[patami]

Corect me if im wrong. But wasent the chevelle same as Opel City kadett overe here in europe and chevy monza was is Opel monza.

[Tom Geiger]

I wouldn't call them loser cars, they were simply the vehicles that were available in that era. They sold in good numbers and provided transportation to all of us. I can say that I've rode in or driven all the cars that have been mentioned in this thread. Some of them were troublesome and others were good little soldiers that were almost fun to drive and did what they were supposed to do. We all have fond memories of things we did in them. Lets just say the era wasn't a total loss.

I have good memories of several of these little buggers. I have stories about my friend Mark's Vega, bro-in-law Don's Pinto wagon, helping my other bro-in-law Rich buy an early Honda Civic and my first company car (as well as my first new car) a 1978 Toyota Corolla wagon with a five speed.

Since we're talking Chevettes here, I'll tell that story. My wife's youngest sister needed to buy her first car to go to college. I was the designated car person for the family at that point, my wife coming from a long line of non-car folk. So Mary and I went out looking at cars for sale in the spring of 1980. I don't remember all the cars we evaluated, except that she liked a Buick Skyhawk hatchback we saw. I passed on it because there was just something that wasn't right with the car and the way the owners reacted. A few cars later we came across a lime green 1977 Chevette. We dealt with a father who had bought the car new for his daughter who was now going to school on the west coast and didn't need a car. It was a low mile basic car with a 4 speed. And it was lime green! The owner took a liking to young Mary buying her own car and gave her a deal on it $1200. We took it home and I taught her to drive a clutch that day. She took to it quick and liked it enough that she's bought manual cars most of her life.

The Chevette fell into the category of good little soldier. No major incidents, just routine maintenance. I became it's caretaker, as my in laws assume that I give a 100 year warranty on all the cars I helped them buy. The only time it stopped running was when the timing belt went, conveniently parked outside the house. The only major thing I did with it was fixing rust holes in the floor by riveting in some sheet metal. She kept the Chevette for a dozen years and passed it on to her brother when she had the opportunity to buy a one year old NIssan from a friend of hers in the early 1990s. She still speaks fondly of it. And that's the car I'm going to build from my Chevette kit.

[Southern Fried]

Hold on!

There's gotta' be a Pinto...somewhere in this story?

[geewhiz]

Definitely build the Chevette!!! I had an 82 Scooter 4 speed. White with a beige interior and it had optional carpet. What a great little car. Only needed oil changes and tires. One of the most reliable cars I ever owned. Can't wait to see what you do with it!!!

[ZTony8]

When GM made the H Special cars from the basic Vega platform they had to do some major bandaging in of strengthening pieces to be able to support the weight of the 231 v-6 and 305 v-8 engines.It was so extensive that the reinforcements they installed even had to have braces.If you ever get a chance,take a look at the exploded view of the engine compartment structure in the parts catalog for those cars-it's a nightmare.

The Chevette was a flimsy little car that,once they aged,liked to shed floorpans and the tops of the front shock absorber towers.

[peekay]

I really like all three and have the kits too. They may have had a certain stigma in the US for years but any of them would now be considered ultra cool at the car shows I go to over here.

[Faust]

I hear it all, I hear it all!

I'm really happy that my selection of clearly "loveable losers" has gotten so many people excited, remembering the good old days and or at least the old days, and hopefully a few might even have dusted off their own versions of these kits!

We should have a 70's/80's loser build-off!!

Now, just to be clear, I call them losers because compared to the more powerful and stylish cars that preceeded them, they're quite a comedown. That having been said, they all do have their place in history, and I'm sure for every horror story there are great rememberances of these things too!

I am overwhelmed at all the response. I'm ecstatic that there are people around who can have fun with this topic, and car models in general. That's what it's all about!

On that note; as of 5:06pm on Nov 8, 2013, Monza and Chevette are tied. It's a brutal race, as brutal as any race between these two cars could be! I'm sure we're almost in second gear... anytime now...

Keep on piling on the votes and the memories. The winningest loser of them all will be built next!

Oh, if I HAD a Pinto, it would be in there, don't worry!

As for the Gremlin... that will have to be in another race, I guess. We can always do this again...

[Maindrian Pace]

This one would have a slight traction problem.

-MJS

[berr13]

If you're looking for a ringer for your next vote, how about a Ford EXP? They're just downright gruesome.

[Jordan 191]

I want to vote for the Chevette built w/ the fender flares!

[crazyjim]

SOme tough decisions to make, Adam. I have a Pacer X kit coming from IPMS for a review.

[MsDano85gt]

I say chevette although I like em all too! build hot rod magazines "Bad seed" a chevette with a 500 cubic inch caddy v8 stuffed inside!!

wickedly radical!!

[om617]

Corect me if im wrong. But wasent the chevelle same as Opel City kadett overe here in europe and chevy monza was is Opel monza.

I think you are correct about the Chevette,but the Monza is an completely diffrent car from the european Monza.

[Modelmartin]

i want to see the Pacer with a chopped top,

I did one. I turned it into a pro/mod and Jimmy Flintstone produces copies of them.

here is one on Ebay now.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pacer-ProMod-NHRA-Drag-Resin-Body-Kit-1-25-Flintstone-/221009870592?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item337536ff00

[patami]

I think you are correct about the Chevette,but the Monza is an completely diffrent car from the european Monza.

Ok i see thanks for the info man

[Erik Smith]

If you're looking for a ringer for your next vote, how about a Ford EXP? They're just downright gruesome.

Check out Adam's website - he has a couple (1/32 and 1/24) EXPs built.

[Customman]

It depends in what manner you consider a Chevette a loser. I'm pretty sure the Chevette holds the sales record in General Motors for the most units ever sold of a single car. I sold a ton of them new and used. Oh and as for the Monza it was no slouch either, it was pretty popular car. In a Chevy store you sell a lot of either of them especially in the spring of the year around graduation time.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Customman

[Skydime]

I think you are correct about the Chevette,but the Monza is an completely diffrent car from the european Monza.

In searches, I have also found that there was a much cooler "world version" of the Chevette as well. it was more like a sedan or coupe of sorts. Reminds me a bit of a Skyline 2000. (How's that for an unexpected comparision?)

[om617]

In searches, I have also found that there was a much cooler "world version" of the Chevette as well. it was more like a sedan or coupe of sorts. Reminds me a bit of a Skyline 2000. (How's that for an unexpected comparision?)

Hm,could it be this one? Often used in rally and motorsport.

[KingSix]

Hey now, I had an Omni, it was the Shelby GLHS, but it started life as an Omni.. that car would humiliate 5.0's and Camaro's all day long. plus if I wasn't thrashing it, it got really good mileage ;-)

[Eshaver]

Back in de 70's , ya couldn't get me to touch any of those cars . Look, I was drivin a 70 Econoline E-300, all van , all da time . Sure, I'd show up at 4 AM to get muh 10 gallon allotment during the Arab Oil Embargo. I came prepared, one Qt thermos with Dunkin Do Nut coffee and a full pack of Marlboro cigarettes and a Washington Post ................ Then a Houston Chronicle .......

[Tom Geiger]

The Chevette was GMs original world car, manufactured and sold all over the world. Based in the Isuzu Impulse (the one that Testors had a 1/24 kit of), it was sold as an Opel in Germany, Imported back to the USA as the Opel Cadett by Isuzu, and among others as the Vauxhall Chevette in England. The Chevette name has been since used by GM in South America.

And while we're on it, a later version of the Isuzu Impulse was the Geo Storm in the US. Another much loved, tough little bugger!