Being familiar with South Africa how did you leave out rabbit pickups?!? I enjoyed your video. I have a 1981 rabbit pickup with a TDI swap from 10 years ago. About as reliable as 80s can get.
WINSTON! NOT PRIORITISING YOUR CAR AFTER 3 MONTHS IS NOT SHOWING BUSINESS CAPABILITIES OF "DOING A GOOD JOB". I don't think they ever really wanted it, but for some reason didn't want to say no to you and were hoping you would get fed up and take it away but when you're at bare metal you're too far in. The fact that they have Ferraris parked there BUT NO FUNKY OLD TRANS AM OR MUSCLE CARS SHOULD SPEAK VOLUMES OF WHERE THEIR BUSINESS MODEL IS! You show a degree of naïvety we all seem to get when cars are involved, that everyone else feels about it the way we do...
That intro 80s supercut made my heartache. I saw my life flash before my eyes. The first place i’d go if I had a DMC-12 with a flux capacitor and enough plutonium. Excellent editing SZA!
Totally agree on the 80's Toyota's. Mechanically ran like a sewing machine, so quiet. AC froze you out right to the end. Problem was the body rusted badly. Otherwise still outstanding.
My parents had a 1980 Datsun 510 hatchback. I hated that thing, but it would never die. It just kept on rusting, LOL. It looked like a 5 door hatch version of the Stanza you showed autocrossing.
The Ford laser was exactly that, a Mazda 323 but slightly different styling and built in Ford factories in other countries rather than Japan for the Mazdas. We used to make Ford lasers in Australia from 1980 until about 2001. They were generally cheap low tech cars with carbies even in the 90s but they did make sporty versions like one of my favourite cars, the Ford Laser TX3 which had a Mazda BP 1.6 turbo engine and all wheel drive. I'd love to own one sometime.
Winston needs a Plymouth Satellite Sebring that he can endlessly modify. Enormous, POWERFUL (as you wanna make it) RWD, Looks amazing. Still affordable.
Everbody knows the 80s set the Japanese car market on fire, innovation, reliability and design that lasts even today. So much for European and American cars, at least you knew you were getting home that night.
American cars were always terrible. Some Western European cars were donkeys, some were the mutts nuts. Japan wasn't so different though. A few great machines, a lot of ugly boring nonsense. The 1980s was the golden age of Mercedes, the W124 was incredibly high quality and superbly built, legendary. Then you had dream machines like the 190E and 450SL. Similarly BMW had a fantastic era aka the 535 and 635 or the E30. Several very good Audis from this period, particularly the Quattro and the 90 models with the gorgeous 5 cylinder engines. If this was 1986, the choice was between say a Mercedes W124, a Honda Legend or a Chevrolet Celebrity which were all top selling mid size segment at the time this isn't even a competition. The Mercedes is light years ahead on build, style, comfort etc and still sought after to this day.
When I started studying engineering, one of the first things the professors told us was: It is easy to design the biggest, the loudest, the fastest machine. Every garage tinkerer can do that. What makes a real engineer is to design exactly what the customer needs and make it profitable." The reason why I bring that up here is that I have seen a lot of misconceptions, misunderstandings and falsehoods when it comes to the reliability of cars. People tend to not understand why certain cars are reliable and others aren't. It isn't that engineers from a certain company or a certain country are capable of designing and building sturdy and reliable cars and others aren't. To be more precise, that can play a role, but you can not look at a car, see that it is unreliable and conclude that the people designing and building it suck. What you have to consider is the target audience the car was made for. Reliable cars are built for costomers who care a lot about reliability. That means customers with a budged. Customers who need the car to run for as long as possible. High end luxury cars like a BMW 7 Series or a Mercedes S Class for example, don't need to be reliable, because the people who buy them don't care about reliability. They buy a new one every 1-2 years anyways because they want the newest technological gimmicks and they want the bragging rights. And not only that the customer doesn't care, on top of that the corporation don't want the exclusive luxury brand to be harmed by tons of old, beat up, used cars with their logo driving around. They also don't want used models to cannibalize the sales numbers for their new releases. So planned obsolescence is very useful to those luxury brands. Ideally a luxury car kind of self destructs after 2 or 3 years. And because the people buying 100 000 Dollar cars don't care about reliability and life span, the manufacturers get away with designing them to self destruct. The people buying Toyotas and Volkswagens would never accept that, so those companies and brands have to make them reliable. And the built in obsolescence isn't even really the corporations ripping off their customers. To the people who buy a luxury car to brag, it even is a added benefit when that car doesn't live long, because those cars become less cool and desirable when there are tons of old ones driving around. Status symbols need to be exclusive. If everyone can have one, they become pointless. You can see that "who's the customer?" principle at work everywhere. For example in how Porsche is a exception to the "expensive cars are unreliable" principle. Porsches are pretty reliable and run a long time. Why? Again, the customer. Porsches are bought by car and driving enthusiasts. They are driven much and they are passed on to the kids as family heirlooms. That is why Porsche wouldn't get away with their cars self destructing after a few years, like BMW, Mercedes or Audi does. Of course, in the end it doesn't matter all that much whether cars fall apart because they are shoddily built, or whether they are supposed to. I just write this to refute this common, ignorant notion that Japanese engineers know how to build a reliable car and German or British ones don't. It has nothing to do with the nationality of the brand or the engineers, it is all about who the customer is and what that customer values and what not.
My 2011 Corolla is in the shop right now with bad wheel bearings for the third time in the last year. I also got new wheel bearings I my Tacoma earlier this year. Even with the last couple failures being under warranty from the earlier replacements, this is costing me thousands of dollars. I don't go off-road and I'm not coastal or anywhere that salts the roads.
Here in Washington State, we have NO emission requirement at all. No testing, no smog stuff. You can pull it all off your car. You can do what ever you want to your car and don't need to ask anybody for permission. You can even take off all your doors and hood and drive around and not be pulled over. I have a friend who made a one of a kind car from scratch in his garage. No problem getting it licensed. Also, in 1984 Hot Rod magazine did an article featuring the Mitsubishi Dodge Turbo Colt. It was intercooled, turbo charged with two stick shifters, you went through four gears and then could move over to the other stick and have 4 more gears. You could smoke the tires in four gears. In the Hot Rod article the little colt was blowing away Hemi cudas, vettes and all the famous muscle cars of the 60s and 70s in the quarter mile drags. I owned two of them, the down side is they were one of the worst built cars I ever owned. Super flimsy and fell apart quickly. Shockingly quick, shockingly poor quality.
Fascinating video. Really enjoyed your views about the cars from the 70's and 80's. I am really looking forward to your upcoming Playboy video. The last one you did was fantastic. I just love those ads! Have a good week.
At least where I am I ca strip all that emissions cheap off and then the eighties car become pretty solid. I'm working on my 86 Mustang coupe...Notcho Libre and it's a pretty butt simple car with all that crap off.
My Mum's boyfriend had a Toyota Celica Supra in the early 90's it was closest thing to Knight rider on the British roads, I loved it! Why don't they make a Supra Celica anymore?
@@laowhy86 I'm 40 but UK car insurance for 17-19 year old boys back in the late 90's was more than the car for anything over 1.4 litres, eventually once I could afford the insurance the rust from the salt on the roads in winter had snatched away my chance of ever owning one. They're a very rare site on UK roads now. 😓
My first car was a 1986 Plymouth Reliant, in 2014. It was alright, struggled on steep hills. My 2000 Saturn with DOHC and standard transmission was a HUGE upgrade, even if it's not in mint condition.
From personal experience some of the 80's land yacht American cars were very reliable and easy to maintain, they just were like driving a boat so not that fun, ones like Buick's, Oldsmobiles, Ford Crown Victorias and few others.
The worst part of late 70's early 80's American cars is that they were converting to metric but kept using old engine blocks with English threads. I remember replacing alternators with 2 nearly identical bolts. BUT the bolt going into the alternator bracket had a 13mm Head and the bolt a few inches away (That went into the block) had a 1/2 head. It was SO EASY to switch bolts and strip threads
I have two cars. When is a 2018 Hyundai , and the other is my 1993 Honda manual coupe (which is a 1990 to 1993 design that was developed in the late 80s). I love my 1993 Honda Accord. It's completely restored and has a few modifications. Very easy to work on and a pleasure to drive. Love every Saturday when I drive my Honda through the desert.
P.S.- the most reliable car I ever had was a 1976 Datsun B-210. It was clunky, had no sound proofing and rode harsh, but it simply would not Die. I gave it to my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time, her 74 Ford Pinto had lost 2nd gear in the auto trans and the other gears was going out (auto trans at that time was one thing I would Not buy from a junkyard, was a pretty good mechanic but transmissions were from another planet), finally gave it to my Wife's sister who drove it several more years till she wrecked it.
Really liked your list because it is honest by the cars you had dealt with, cool. I also liked the reasonings for what you found on each one. Love the channel. My brother and I are also into cars, especially earlier muscle cars. We are currently working on his 70 Mach1 to put back on the road. So good luck with the channel and look forward to more great content.
My first car was the truly odd (to some) looking Volvo P-1800. It was that off-beat (to some) styling, the British racing green color, the two-point shoulder harness/seat belt, leather seats, 4-speed transmission with overdrive, gauges for everything, and with 40DCOE carbs and an aftermarket supercharger that captured a feeling akin to love. It just wasn't like anything else on the road. Yeah, I miss it; even all these years later. I currently drive a VW GTI and while it is a bit complicted, it's both a fun and reliable car to drive. In eight years, it would qualify for historic plates.
@@TheCreedBratton they aren’t even that expensive I got an e30 from a girl who has overheated it a few times. I replaced the timing belt, water hoses , water pump , thermostat, distributor rotor & plugs. It costed me around $500 but that engine has been trouble free for about a year
Had two 80s cars, a 1980 Buick Regal which I traded in on a 1986 Buick Grand National . Both cars were fool proof although the GN turbo needed semi-regular adjustments which were quite beyond my skill set . Now I drive used GMC SUVs , again pretty much trouble free and my son's do routine maintenance on them if needed . I stay away from Foreign brands like the plague as repairs if needed are incredibly expensive especially on German brands according to friends who own them . I haven't worked on my own cars ( other than oil changes etc. ) since the 60s and at 76 years of age have no plans to start wrenching .
First two cars I owned in the early 2000s were a 1985 Holden Astra SLX Hatchback (Nissan Pulsar) and a 1990 Ford Laser KF Sedan (Mazda 323, engine had more valves). Both did well despite the harsh Australian environment. They both did break down periodically but parts were easy to find.
Best 80's cars i ever had were the old Classic Saab 900 Turbos, both 8v and 16v versions. Super reliable and built like a tank. Very simple too. Also had a 88 Renault Alpine GTA V6 Turbo as a daily driver for several years. Nothing ever went wrong with it, and just regular servicing that i could do myself. Massively under rated car.
I had an '88 Honda prelude. One of the most fun and impressive cars I ever owned. Screaming fast stock. Weird rpm pattern, which worked great with the 5spd stick. From a dead stop though kicking it in 1st, i would redline before I got across the road, had to shift fast. Also zero torque at idle. But a great car, with my butt barely a foot off the ground and the nicest most comfortable bucket seats ever!
had a 1980 renault LE car that was LE awful. it had a 3 cyl engine. it was a pain to keep running. Had a 1980 ford pinto . it was fun and actually quick . then I go a 1986 buick skylark. it was a great car, but it had the CFI fuel injection, when it worked , it was fine , but it was difficult to work on.
I love my 85 corvette, she ain’t as fast as the cars coming out now but with the clamshell hood everything is easy to get to and the fact that so many were sold it’s easy to find parts pretty cheap... great video btw
My first was a 1980 Foxbody mustang, 4 cylinder, super easy to work on. The front and rear valves melted and snapped. Got a new head for 20 dollars at the junk yard in 1995. Pressure testing was like 50 dollars. Had it going in a week. Wish I kept that car. Would have been cool to swap in a new v8 coyote. Thinking of getting a sn95 I like when they are in Cobra form. We shall see, cheers
I heard your voice and said to myself, I know this guy from some other channel... Anyhow, will keep the secret, but... You've got another subscriber. Nice to hear from you discussing another kind of topic !
I had that Exact Ford Lazer in New Zealand 1986. NZ Made. Then later I owned a Mazda Familia 1986 model. The interiors were exactly the same. Currently own a 2005 Accord Euro and a 2016 4.5 liter turbo diesel Toyota Hiace. Love the hiace. My parents always owned Toyotas. A Corolla and Corona. The 84 Corona was a rust bucket though.
The 80's-90's Nissan Hardbody Pickups (Frontier) were super-reliable and easy to work on. My dad owned 3 of them and other than totalling one off, he drove the other two into the ground.
It wasn't only in SA that Mazda and Ford had that strange partnership. In America, you could buy an early-90s Ford Probe with a body by Ford but under the hood was a Mazda MX-6 engine. Sadly, regardless of the body and badging, there just wasn't an attractive version of that car to be had. But at least the thing ran, unlike most American cars of that time and ever since. Man, I just discovered these car-restoration videos of yours and I must say I'm totally hooked. This episode in particular, with its casually-delivered micro-history/contextualization of various 80s autos, is a winner for me, as well as a little trip down memory lane, being a '75 model, myself (and Winston, the Montreal of my youth was absolutely teeming with Camaros, Trans-Ams, Firebirds, etc. that you'd kill for--as well as a lot of Corvette C3s that you wouldn't kill for, I guess). Keep up the good work, and keep them episodes coming. I love the China stuff as well, having lived there until last year, but these car videos are an unexpected and welcome addition to your other videos.
We had the same thing in Australia in the 1980s with the Ford Laser being the same car as the Mazda 323 and the Ford Telstar being the same car as the Mazda 626. It made parts really cheap even though they were imported cars because there were so many of them.
This may not work in California but if your catalytic converters are hollowed hollowed out or performing poorly if you have oxygen sensors behind them you can take two spark plug antifoulers drill one out stack them together and thread the rear O2 sensor back in and it will make the check engine light go off
Hey just seeing the update on the trans am. Do not get a repop fender. Got a rust free fender from a parts car, that will save you a bunch of $$ and you will have better gap fitment.
I’m sorry that was a typo. I meant “ get” a used fender. They are relatively easy to find since they made so many of these cars and I believe the 70 to 81 fenders are all the same. Wouldn’t doubt it if Facebook messenger or craiglist near you has a few on them right now. Sorry for the confusion.
If you ever have to change the fuel pump on a 3rd gen Camaro or Trans Am you will lower that to 1/10. Have to drop the exhaust and most of the rear suspension to get the tank out.
ford vehicles like the ford fusion take heavily from the Mazda parts bin the ford probe was basically a Mazda took little bit from ford as well with the Mazda b series trucks which where just rangers with Mazda badges in states
In Flemish or Dutch that would be "pas gekocht en zat (or zot) gereden". Seems like Afrikaans discarded its strong verbs, because "kopen" and "rijden" both are.
@@ewoudalliet1734 ja Afrikaans verbs are all made regular now. We only have old Dutch forms in fixed expressions like welgedaan or old place names like Mooigelegen
@@jancovanderwesthuizen8070 Interessant, because you do join words together that would be separate in Dutch. Welgedaan does exist (at least in the Flemish dialect, both as verb and adjective, but with different meanings), but mooigelegen would always be written as "mooi gelegen", but maybe that's just because it's a place name. Verb conjugations in Afrikaans have always seemed a bit weird to me. To us, Afrikaans sounds like a simplified and funny (which probably is reciprocal) and somewhat code-like, yet understandable language. Especially as a Fleming. Like some people in the Netherlands would say "vuurhoutje" much like in Afrikaans, but most of them and none of us ever would. Yet we can perfectly derive the meaning as we know both words that make up that word, but we simply use different words (lucifer, allumette (from French), stekske, zwavelstok, sulfer etc.). But to us Flemings, Dutch people sound funny too.
At one time I had a 1987 Pontiac Fiero W/a 2.8 liter V6 and Auto trans (I wanted a manual trans but this one was affordable and looked pretty good). I never had much money so I was always buying Hoop-dies and having to fix them up. Of all cars I've owned through my life this was the only that I could not keep running correctly (other than those that was just too destroyed), it would run good for a while but was constantly going down with something different almost every time, I always had a puckered *utt hole every time I took it out. I started caring a whole box of various parts with me and a large tool box.
California has always had tougher regulations, than other states. I owned a 1992 and 1993 Ford Probe GT, and moved to California. Rumor at the time among mechanics or car enthusiasts was that those cars, when they came off the assembly line didn't meet the emissions requirements for California, and as a result there weren't too many on dealer lots in California. Don't know if that is true. I was living on the east coast, and had just bought the 1993 a few months before I moved. When I registered the 93 in California, I had to sign a paper saying that I didn't buy the car out of state to avoid paying sales tax. I couldn't believe CA state would think I'd go to the east coast to buy a car to avoid sales tax.
Power to weight ratio. The 80's Era Rabbit / Golf GTI wins with GREAT suspension and running gear, and (with a Bentley Manual), ease of repair and maintenance. Parts are cheap and plentiful worldwide.
I bought a four-wheel drive F-150 extended cab Ford truck for $100 and it's a 1996 or '98 it's got rust holes I got lead and large brass soldering irons and I'm going to start patching holes with the two out of state license plates that came with now I'm going to find a nice classy spot on the side of the truck with no rust holes and I'm going to let a beech nut lid right there on the driver should be all 100% painless body repair there will be no paint left on the area of the which I work on
Bolt-on's are very popular here; that is true. To a small degree, that is OK. Meaning one or two bolt-on's can work. Much more than that and a re-design is needed.
We had the Nissan Stanza in the 80s. Decent car. All of the Datsun and early Nissan's were quite good. Ford and Mazda have had a long relationship. The Ford Escape SUV was a Mazda actually.
I remember when my dad sold our 1979 Ford escort then came home with a 6 month old Ford Orian Ghia Injection in just ten years the technology was night like night and day in just 10 years. Our old escort was a typical 70s design old fashioned from the 60s drum brakes all round, no power steering only seatbelts in the front, PVC faux leather interior, then came this new 80s Ford. Disc brakes, electric windows and mirrors, power steering, metallic paint, alloy wheels, role back sunroof, valour interior that was nice to sit in and comfortable. technology never moved so fast than it did in the 1980s. Now car tech doesn’t seem to move that fast. You get a car from 2011 to a new car of 2021 and the technology hasn’t seemed to have moved that much at all. Yes the 80s was the Birth of the drivers car. Just look the Mercedes 550S probably the best over engineered car in he world, when Mercedes built proper luxury cars not the cheap mass produced crap they build today that rely on that badge and technology from the past to sell the crappy cars they sell today… Mercedes are not the company or cars they built 30/40 years ago…
I had an 89 dodge spirit.. (first car I bought myself at 16). definitely learn to repair cars when owning one of those. xD the best I had was my 1990 k1500 (still 80s since it had the old fuel pump style). that 4.3L was great. easy to repair, cheap, reliable. except for one thing.. you'll become a master at changing fuel pumps. I kept a spare in the truck and two more in the tool box.
Ah, he owned an 70s/80s Alfa, this explains how he came to know how to work on cars! As an owner of many Lancias I understand completely and salute a fellow masochist! (But my god they're so much fun when they're working!). And yes, I'm the one that's going to call you out for 3:55, that's a pair of DCOE Webber carbs, not SUs!
Last Alfasud models were sold as Nissan cherry in parts of Europe and japan during the failed Alfa-Nissan alliance of the 80s-90. Ford Laser was 323 in the Mazda line up Ford Mondeo of the 1990s shares components with the 626 facelift Stanza was known as Violet in the Europe, similar to bluebird with smaller inline 4 engine, slightly cheaper finish. That 200sx seen on the video has to Be Us/commonwealth ad because that car is Silvia in japan and EU.
We also had the Nissan/Datsun stanza in Australia, yes it had both names as Datsun was more recognisable but the company had changed their name to Nissan. My dad bought one brand new in 1979 and it was our sole family car until about 1999 until it basically rusted away. It was very reliable but had 2 engines over its life and wasn't as advanced mechanically as the previous Datsun 1600 as it was built in Australia and had to have Australian parts so the independent rear suspension of the older 1600 was replaced by a solid rear axel similar to what Holden had a the time. This is when there were steep tariffs so most cars were domestically made but not as good quality or technology as Japanese or European cars at the time.
Winston is probably the only dude on the west coast that successfuly passed smog in an 1980s muscle car without breaking the bank. I would love to see the statistics of how many people attempted this and failed.
I have nothing badcto say about vw. Since 85 to 90 I owned 3. Jetta, passat and fox were all easy straight forward. The only reason I got rid of them was due to massive damage ( my own fault) smaller faster cars don't do well against trees and rolling off an embankment. Good times.
Great video. It will be nice to see the body shop finally finish your car Winston. I have long wanted a US muscle car but to be honest in the uk countryside I live in it would not be practical. Great video as always .
@3:01 I second this man wisdom, neither French cars, those two know how to "design" the exterior of a great car, and the "interior", but not the engine.
I got an 84 chevette or an 85 three-speed automatic two-door I would sure love to know how I could get the 90-horsepower that was advertised out of that 1.6 l overhead cam engine
I wonder if the patch work nature of environmental controls instead of redesign was because the timeline of regulatory compliance was too short. Congress says do this arbitrary standard that the foreign cars already meet and do it day after tomorrow.
I'm sure by now you're through the hardest, and biggest cash layout, on your Trans Am that it's too late for this time, but should you ever decide to do this again with a Trans Am, you should consider a shop like Trans Am Worldwide out of Tallahassee Florida for your restoration. If your t stops still aren't right, consider reaching out to them, as I'm 100% certain that they can fix them to where they would be better than new in this case. I have seen their work, and they are perfectionists who have a true passion for the 2nd gen Trans Ams. They could actually install the Hurst T-Tops, which were the absolute best of them all!
Sorry to say Winston but from experience your car is whats called a downtime car, when they're quiet they'll work on it, otherwise its insurance or modern re sprays. It would've been better to take it to a resto shop as they have book in jobs and not daily changes to work.
Even if the you put better catalytic converters on there and a newer injection system to where it would pass smog with better numbers I don't even know what numbers are required
They were called the Mazda 323 and Datsun 620 pickup in the UK. Anything Leyland was shit, but the Triumph Acclaim was a Honda Accord with a Triumph badge. The ford Escort and Sierra should really be on this list. Both were also sold in the US just didn't sell that we'll so very rare but they're very easy to work on. You should import a Ford Sierra V8 from your homeland or the faster Sierra Cosworth from the UK, both reliable the latter easy to work on but is now mega bucks.
Spot on. Couldn't agree anymore. Fyi, I truly disliked owning and working on 80's American cars. So many tools I had to buy that I never used again...lol.
I’ve got a couple 80’s trucks. A 81 Chevy 1/2 ton 2 wd. A 81 Ford F-250 4x4 and a 83 Ford F-150 4x4. The 81 Chevy is by far the worst to work on, vacuum hose city. And the ignition system and carburetor is more complicated and hard to get to than necessary, the design engineers were NOT MECHANICALLY INCLINED. The 81 Ford has less emissions stuff than the 83. Like almost none on the 81. The 83 you can see had the air injection system, a computer module controlling the carb and it had a catalytic converter on the exhaust and lots of silly vacuum switches and brittle colored vacuum hoses and ran like shit. Since I live in a state that doesn’t require any emissions testing, I took off all the crap on the 83 and set it up exactly like the 81. They both have the same engine. And guess what, now the 83 runs great 😊
Very true, my 83 runs better, more efficient and probably would show less harmful air pollution on a test. I used to live in California, so I know all about the CARB nazis and smog BS. Great channel BTW.
Sad to say that I agree with you on American cars. Since the early 1970s, they have gone down hill, and really never recovered. Even today, I would avoid them.
Good luck finding parts for 80s Japanese cars in Europe :)) Had an 86 Nissan Laurel and it was just not fun sourcing parts for it. Japanese cars just didn't sold in high numbers over here.
Those 80's Volvos were not easy or cheap to work on, but pretty reliable so it balanced out. Pretty much had to be either a stick or a turbo, otherwise they were terribly slow.
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Being familiar with South Africa how did you leave out rabbit pickups?!?
I enjoyed your video.
I have a 1981 rabbit pickup with a TDI swap from 10 years ago.
About as reliable as 80s can get.
WINSTON! NOT PRIORITISING YOUR CAR AFTER 3 MONTHS IS NOT SHOWING BUSINESS CAPABILITIES OF "DOING A GOOD JOB".
I don't think they ever really wanted it, but for some reason didn't want to say no to you and were hoping you would get fed up and take it away but when you're at bare metal you're too far in.
The fact that they have Ferraris parked there BUT NO FUNKY OLD TRANS AM OR MUSCLE CARS SHOULD SPEAK VOLUMES OF WHERE THEIR BUSINESS MODEL IS!
You show a degree of naïvety we all seem to get when cars are involved, that everyone else feels about it the way we do...
a tip: watch movies on flixzone. Been using them for watching all kinds of movies these days.
@James Dustin Yup, been using flixzone} for months myself =)
@James Dustin Yup, have been watching on flixzone} for months myself :D
Toyota Celica GT-4 1990 ST 185 wide body in black, stock, she just turned 30 years old 🥰🥰 10 years she’s been all mine
'Malaise period' went roughly from 1971-1984. Where quality control across all American vehicles was noticeably substandard across the board.
Peak malaise was 75-78, horrendous ugly cars.
The malaise era started in 1971? I thought it only started in 1973 due to the oil crisis. American cars in 1971 and 1972 were still considered good.
VW GTI, Mazda RX7, Nissan Z, BMW 3’s , Porsche 911 turbo widow maker. All ‘80s icons.
I had an 85 RX7...awesome little ride
I support this message.
Dont forget T2 VW Polo Golf sciroccos
That intro 80s supercut made my heartache. I saw my life flash before my eyes. The first place i’d go if I had a DMC-12 with a flux capacitor and enough plutonium. Excellent editing SZA!
Totally agree on the 80's Toyota's. Mechanically ran like a sewing machine, so quiet. AC froze you out right to the end. Problem was the body rusted badly. Otherwise still outstanding.
Mercedes W126 V8 from '86 had Bosch KE Jet (mech with electronic adjustment) as opposed to K Jet (mech)
My parents had a 1980 Datsun 510 hatchback. I hated that thing, but it would never die. It just kept on rusting, LOL. It looked like a 5 door hatch version of the Stanza you showed autocrossing.
Your Ford Laser was a Mercury Tracer here in North America.
That Ford Laser looks very much like the Mercury Tracer we got here. Essentially a Mazda 323 underneath, and was very reliable.
The Ford laser was exactly that, a Mazda 323 but slightly different styling and built in Ford factories in other countries rather than Japan for the Mazdas. We used to make Ford lasers in Australia from 1980 until about 2001. They were generally cheap low tech cars with carbies even in the 90s but they did make sporty versions like one of my favourite cars, the Ford Laser TX3 which had a Mazda BP 1.6 turbo engine and all wheel drive. I'd love to own one sometime.
Winston needs a Plymouth Satellite Sebring that he can endlessly modify. Enormous, POWERFUL (as you wanna make it) RWD, Looks amazing. Still affordable.
Everbody knows the 80s set the Japanese car market on fire, innovation, reliability and design that lasts even today. So much for European and American cars, at least you knew you were getting home that night.
American cars were always terrible. Some Western European cars were donkeys, some were the mutts nuts. Japan wasn't so different though. A few great machines, a lot of ugly boring nonsense. The 1980s was the golden age of Mercedes, the W124 was incredibly high quality and superbly built, legendary. Then you had dream machines like the 190E and 450SL. Similarly BMW had a fantastic era aka the 535 and 635 or the E30. Several very good Audis from this period, particularly the Quattro and the 90 models with the gorgeous 5 cylinder engines. If this was 1986, the choice was between say a Mercedes W124, a Honda Legend or a Chevrolet Celebrity which were all top selling mid size segment at the time this isn't even a competition. The Mercedes is light years ahead on build, style, comfort etc and still sought after to this day.
When I started studying engineering, one of the first things the professors told us was: It is easy to design the biggest, the loudest, the fastest machine. Every garage tinkerer can do that. What makes a real engineer is to design exactly what the customer needs and make it profitable."
The reason why I bring that up here is that I have seen a lot of misconceptions, misunderstandings and falsehoods when it comes to the reliability of cars.
People tend to not understand why certain cars are reliable and others aren't.
It isn't that engineers from a certain company or a certain country are capable of designing and building sturdy and reliable cars and others aren't.
To be more precise, that can play a role, but you can not look at a car, see that it is unreliable and conclude that the people designing and building it suck.
What you have to consider is the target audience the car was made for.
Reliable cars are built for costomers who care a lot about reliability.
That means customers with a budged. Customers who need the car to run for as long as possible.
High end luxury cars like a BMW 7 Series or a Mercedes S Class for example, don't need to be reliable, because the people who buy them don't care about reliability.
They buy a new one every 1-2 years anyways because they want the newest technological gimmicks and they want the bragging rights.
And not only that the customer doesn't care, on top of that the corporation don't want the exclusive luxury brand to be harmed by tons of old, beat up, used cars with their logo driving around.
They also don't want used models to cannibalize the sales numbers for their new releases.
So planned obsolescence is very useful to those luxury brands. Ideally a luxury car kind of self destructs after 2 or 3 years.
And because the people buying 100 000 Dollar cars don't care about reliability and life span, the manufacturers get away with designing them to self destruct.
The people buying Toyotas and Volkswagens would never accept that, so those companies and brands have to make them reliable.
And the built in obsolescence isn't even really the corporations ripping off their customers. To the people who buy a luxury car to brag, it even is a added benefit when that car doesn't live long, because those cars become less cool and desirable when there are tons of old ones driving around. Status symbols need to be exclusive. If everyone can have one, they become pointless.
You can see that "who's the customer?" principle at work everywhere.
For example in how Porsche is a exception to the "expensive cars are unreliable" principle. Porsches are pretty reliable and run a long time.
Why?
Again, the customer.
Porsches are bought by car and driving enthusiasts. They are driven much and they are passed on to the kids as family heirlooms. That is why Porsche wouldn't get away with their cars self destructing after a few years, like BMW, Mercedes or Audi does.
Of course, in the end it doesn't matter all that much whether cars fall apart because they are shoddily built, or whether they are supposed to.
I just write this to refute this common, ignorant notion that Japanese engineers know how to build a reliable car and German or British ones don't.
It has nothing to do with the nationality of the brand or the engineers, it is all about who the customer is and what that customer values and what not.
This is such a great video title and a damn valid question. I haven’t watched the video yet but can’t wait to see how you sum this up. Kudos to you
Rabbits / Golfs. Super fun to work on. Fun to drive.
My 2011 Corolla is in the shop right now with bad wheel bearings for the third time in the last year. I also got new wheel bearings I my Tacoma earlier this year. Even with the last couple failures being under warranty from the earlier replacements, this is costing me thousands of dollars. I don't go off-road and I'm not coastal or anywhere that salts the roads.
Here in Washington State, we have NO emission requirement at all. No testing, no smog stuff. You can pull it all off your car. You can do what ever you want to your car and don't need to ask anybody for permission. You can even take off all your doors and hood and drive around and not be pulled over. I have a friend who made a one of a kind car from scratch in his garage. No problem getting it licensed.
Also, in 1984 Hot Rod magazine did an article featuring the Mitsubishi Dodge Turbo Colt. It was intercooled, turbo charged with two stick shifters, you went through four gears and then could move over to the other stick and have 4 more gears. You could smoke the tires in four gears. In the Hot Rod article the little colt was blowing away Hemi cudas, vettes and all the famous muscle cars of the 60s and 70s in the quarter mile drags. I owned two of them, the down side is they were one of the worst built cars I ever owned. Super flimsy and fell apart quickly. Shockingly quick, shockingly poor quality.
Fascinating video. Really enjoyed your views about the cars from the 70's and 80's. I am really looking forward to your upcoming Playboy video. The last one you did was fantastic. I just love those ads! Have a good week.
1988 Toyota Celica All-trac Turbo here. Just thinking about my baby gets me going. I love my car. 3rd Gen 3S-GTE 12lbs boost 50 shot nitrous.
At least where I am I ca strip all that emissions cheap off and then the eighties car become pretty solid. I'm working on my 86 Mustang coupe...Notcho Libre and it's a pretty butt simple car with all that crap off.
Oh my God, your emissions will surely kill us all. HOW DARE YOU?!
My Mum's boyfriend had a Toyota Celica Supra in the early 90's it was closest thing to Knight rider on the British roads, I loved it!
Why don't they make a Supra Celica anymore?
It's my 2nd fave car I've ever owned.
@@laowhy86 I'm 40 but UK car insurance for 17-19 year old boys back in the late 90's was more than the car for anything over 1.4 litres, eventually once I could afford the insurance the rust from the salt on the roads in winter had snatched away my chance of ever owning one. They're a very rare site on UK roads now.
😓
My first car was a 1986 Plymouth Reliant, in 2014. It was alright, struggled on steep hills. My 2000 Saturn with DOHC and standard transmission was a HUGE upgrade, even if it's not in mint condition.
From personal experience some of the 80's land yacht American cars were very reliable and easy to maintain, they just were like driving a boat so not that fun, ones like Buick's, Oldsmobiles, Ford Crown Victorias and few others.
The Datsun Stanza footage was actually Winston driving! Awesome!
my dad had a similar Volkswagen to yours also in south africa
The worst part of late 70's early 80's American cars is that they were converting to metric but kept using old engine blocks with English threads. I remember replacing alternators with 2 nearly identical bolts. BUT the bolt going into the alternator bracket had a 13mm Head and the bolt a few inches away (That went into the block) had a 1/2 head. It was SO EASY to switch bolts and strip threads
I have two cars. When is a 2018 Hyundai , and the other is my 1993 Honda manual coupe (which is a 1990 to 1993 design that was developed in the late 80s). I love my 1993 Honda Accord. It's completely restored and has a few modifications. Very easy to work on and a pleasure to drive. Love every Saturday when I drive my Honda through the desert.
This is literally the best video you and C-Milk have ever done, on any of your channels.
Appreciate it
P.S.- the most reliable car I ever had was a 1976 Datsun B-210. It was clunky, had no sound proofing and rode harsh, but it simply would not Die. I gave it to my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time, her 74 Ford Pinto had lost 2nd gear in the auto trans and the other gears was going out (auto trans at that time was one thing I would Not buy from a junkyard, was a pretty good mechanic but transmissions were from another planet), finally gave it to my Wife's sister who drove it several more years till she wrecked it.
Really liked your list because it is honest by the cars you had dealt with, cool. I also liked the reasonings for what you found on each one. Love the channel. My brother and I are also into cars, especially earlier muscle cars. We are currently working on his 70 Mach1 to put back on the road. So good luck with the channel and look forward to more great content.
Love the 70 Mach1!
I feel like you could have fixed up the TransAm by now considering how much time and nerves you have been investing in keeping those guys on track
My first car was the truly odd (to some) looking Volvo P-1800. It was that off-beat (to some) styling, the British racing green color, the two-point shoulder harness/seat belt, leather seats, 4-speed transmission with overdrive, gauges for everything, and with 40DCOE carbs and an aftermarket supercharger that captured a feeling akin to love. It just wasn't like anything else on the road. Yeah, I miss it; even all these years later. I currently drive a VW GTI and while it is a bit complicted, it's both a fun and reliable car to drive. In eight years, it would qualify for historic plates.
This car will take longer than the development time for Cyberpunk 2077.
y'all need to get an e30 on the show, those are my fav from the 80's
Mine too, until you have to buy parts
That thing will make you cry lol
@@TheCreedBratton they aren’t even that expensive I got an e30 from a girl who has overheated it a few times. I replaced the timing belt, water hoses , water pump , thermostat, distributor rotor & plugs. It costed me around $500 but that engine has been trouble free for about a year
@@kamikazee3071 it depends on which engine you have
@@TheCreedBratton I've had one since 85 I never have to buy parts for it.
Had two 80s cars, a 1980 Buick Regal which I traded in on a 1986 Buick Grand National . Both cars were fool proof although the GN turbo needed semi-regular adjustments which were quite beyond my skill set . Now I drive used GMC SUVs , again pretty much trouble free and my son's do routine maintenance on them if needed . I stay away from Foreign brands like the plague as repairs if needed are incredibly expensive especially on German brands according to friends who own them . I haven't worked on my own cars ( other than oil changes etc. ) since the 60s and at 76 years of age have no plans to start wrenching .
First two cars I owned in the early 2000s were a 1985 Holden Astra SLX Hatchback (Nissan Pulsar) and a 1990 Ford Laser KF Sedan (Mazda 323, engine had more valves). Both did well despite the harsh Australian environment. They both did break down periodically but parts were easy to find.
Best 80's cars i ever had were the old Classic Saab 900 Turbos, both 8v and 16v versions. Super reliable and built like a tank. Very simple too. Also had a 88 Renault Alpine GTA V6 Turbo as a daily driver for several years. Nothing ever went wrong with it, and just regular servicing that i could do myself. Massively under rated car.
0:41 John Candy I believe was Canadian.
Canada is part of North America.
@@laowhy86 sorry, thought he said American.
@@ted8437 He did lol, I am just making excuses
Canada and America are so closely related were like cousins that might also be siblings...
@@laowhy86 and 51st state.
In the US, we call that 80's Mercedes, the Saddam car. lol (Or at least I call it that). Vehicle of dictators in Middle East.
LOL, that's just you who calls it that.
@Ete Petete Actually Hitler himself had the VW Bug made for the masses and himself.
@Ete Petete That's kinda the synopsis of what I wanted to say. lol
Thank You For The Great Video.
Winston.
Channel gets better and better
I had an '88 Honda prelude. One of the most fun and impressive cars I ever owned. Screaming fast stock. Weird rpm pattern, which worked great with the 5spd stick. From a dead stop though kicking it in 1st, i would redline before I got across the road, had to shift fast. Also zero torque at idle. But a great car, with my butt barely a foot off the ground and the nicest most comfortable bucket seats ever!
I had a 91 prelude and I know what you're talking about
had a 1980 renault LE car that was LE awful. it had a 3 cyl engine. it was a pain to keep running. Had a 1980 ford pinto . it was fun and actually quick . then I go a 1986 buick skylark. it was a great car, but it had the CFI fuel injection, when it worked , it was fine , but it was difficult to work on.
I love that a z31 and women were a major part of this intro. :)
I love my 85 corvette, she ain’t as fast as the cars coming out now but with the clamshell hood everything is easy to get to and the fact that so many were sold it’s easy to find parts pretty cheap... great video btw
Hey, you forgot the Yugo! ;-)
poor yugo
My first was a 1980 Foxbody mustang, 4 cylinder, super easy to work on. The front and rear valves melted and snapped. Got a new head for 20 dollars at the junk yard in 1995. Pressure testing was like 50 dollars. Had it going in a week. Wish I kept that car. Would have been cool to swap in a new v8 coyote. Thinking of getting a sn95 I like when they are in Cobra form. We shall see, cheers
I heard your voice and said to myself, I know this guy from some other channel... Anyhow, will keep the secret, but... You've got another subscriber. Nice to hear from you discussing another kind of topic !
I had that Exact Ford Lazer in New Zealand 1986. NZ Made. Then later I owned a Mazda Familia 1986 model. The interiors were exactly the same. Currently own a 2005 Accord Euro and a 2016 4.5 liter turbo diesel Toyota Hiace. Love the hiace.
My parents always owned Toyotas. A Corolla and Corona. The 84 Corona was a rust bucket though.
The 80's-90's Nissan Hardbody Pickups (Frontier) were super-reliable and easy to work on. My dad owned 3 of them and other than totalling one off, he drove the other two into the ground.
It wasn't only in SA that Mazda and Ford had that strange partnership. In America, you could buy an early-90s Ford Probe with a body by Ford but under the hood was a Mazda MX-6 engine. Sadly, regardless of the body and badging, there just wasn't an attractive version of that car to be had. But at least the thing ran, unlike most American cars of that time and ever since.
Man, I just discovered these car-restoration videos of yours and I must say I'm totally hooked. This episode in particular, with its casually-delivered micro-history/contextualization of various 80s autos, is a winner for me, as well as a little trip down memory lane, being a '75 model, myself (and Winston, the Montreal of my youth was absolutely teeming with Camaros, Trans-Ams, Firebirds, etc. that you'd kill for--as well as a lot of Corvette C3s that you wouldn't kill for, I guess). Keep up the good work, and keep them episodes coming. I love the China stuff as well, having lived there until last year, but these car videos are an unexpected and welcome addition to your other videos.
We had the same thing in Australia in the 1980s with the Ford Laser being the same car as the Mazda 323 and the Ford Telstar being the same car as the Mazda 626. It made parts really cheap even though they were imported cars because there were so many of them.
I've had a pair of those Lasers and both of them have had a radiator problem and a failed ignition each.
Other than that they have been fine.
This may not work in California but if your catalytic converters are hollowed hollowed out or performing poorly if you have oxygen sensors behind them you can take two spark plug antifoulers drill one out stack them together and thread the rear O2 sensor back in and it will make the check engine light go off
Hey just seeing the update on the trans am. Do not get a repop fender. Got a rust free fender from a parts car, that will save you a bunch of $$ and you will have better gap fitment.
You have a fender? How do I get hold of you?
I’m sorry that was a typo. I meant “ get” a used fender. They are relatively easy to find since they made so many of these cars and I believe the 70 to 81 fenders are all the same. Wouldn’t doubt it if Facebook messenger or craiglist near you has a few on them right now. Sorry for the confusion.
If you ever have to change the fuel pump on a 3rd gen Camaro or Trans Am you will lower that to 1/10. Have to drop the exhaust and most of the rear suspension to get the tank out.
Or just cut that awful hole
Ford used to own a big chunk of Mazda; they had a lot of crossover products / platforms here in North America too
and they were all junk..
I had a 1996 mazda 626. oil sensor on the bottom of the oil pan.. 🤦🏻
ford vehicles like the ford fusion take heavily from the Mazda parts bin the ford probe was basically a Mazda took little bit from ford as well with the Mazda b series trucks which where just rangers with Mazda badges in states
daang winstons afrikaans sounds really good!! Pas gekoop en sat gery :D
Haha, I had to learn Afrikaans in school
In Flemish or Dutch that would be "pas gekocht en zat (or zot) gereden". Seems like Afrikaans discarded its strong verbs, because "kopen" and "rijden" both are.
@@ewoudalliet1734 ja Afrikaans verbs are all made regular now. We only have old Dutch forms in fixed expressions like welgedaan or old place names like Mooigelegen
@@jancovanderwesthuizen8070 Interessant, because you do join words together that would be separate in Dutch. Welgedaan does exist (at least in the Flemish dialect, both as verb and adjective, but with different meanings), but mooigelegen would always be written as "mooi gelegen", but maybe that's just because it's a place name.
Verb conjugations in Afrikaans have always seemed a bit weird to me. To us, Afrikaans sounds like a simplified and funny (which probably is reciprocal) and somewhat code-like, yet understandable language. Especially as a Fleming. Like some people in the Netherlands would say "vuurhoutje" much like in Afrikaans, but most of them and none of us ever would. Yet we can perfectly derive the meaning as we know both words that make up that word, but we simply use different words (lucifer, allumette (from French), stekske, zwavelstok, sulfer etc.).
But to us Flemings, Dutch people sound funny too.
At one time I had a 1987 Pontiac Fiero W/a 2.8 liter V6 and Auto trans (I wanted a manual trans but this one was affordable and looked pretty good). I never had much money so I was always buying Hoop-dies and having to fix them up. Of all cars I've owned through my life this was the only that I could not keep running correctly (other than those that was just too destroyed), it would run good for a while but was constantly going down with something different almost every time, I always had a puckered *utt hole every time I took it out. I started caring a whole box of various parts with me and a large tool box.
California has always had tougher regulations, than other states. I owned a 1992 and 1993 Ford Probe GT, and moved to California. Rumor at the time among mechanics or car enthusiasts was that those cars, when they came off the assembly line didn't meet the emissions requirements for California, and as a result there weren't too many on dealer lots in California. Don't know if that is true. I was living on the east coast, and had just bought the 1993 a few months before I moved. When I registered the 93 in California, I had to sign a paper saying that I didn't buy the car out of state to avoid paying sales tax. I couldn't believe CA state would think I'd go to the east coast to buy a car to avoid sales tax.
The South African Ford Laser was the Mercury Tracer or Mazda 323 in the US.
Power to weight ratio. The 80's Era Rabbit / Golf GTI wins with GREAT suspension and running gear, and (with a Bentley Manual), ease of repair and maintenance. Parts are cheap and plentiful worldwide.
As usual great video. However, John Candy was Canadian
In my opinion the brands with the best build quality were Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Saab, Audi, Honda and Subaru
I bought a four-wheel drive F-150 extended cab Ford truck for $100 and it's a 1996 or '98 it's got rust holes I got lead and large brass soldering irons and I'm going to start patching holes with the two out of state license plates that came with now I'm going to find a nice classy spot on the side of the truck with no rust holes and I'm going to let a beech nut lid right there on the driver should be all 100% painless body repair there will be no paint left on the area of the which I work on
Bolt-on's are very popular here; that is true. To a small degree, that is OK. Meaning one or two bolt-on's can work. Much more than that and a re-design is needed.
We had the Nissan Stanza in the 80s. Decent car. All of the Datsun and early Nissan's were quite good. Ford and Mazda have had a long relationship. The Ford Escape SUV was a Mazda actually.
I remember when my dad sold our 1979 Ford escort then came home with a 6 month old Ford Orian Ghia Injection in just ten years the technology was night like night and day in just 10 years. Our old escort was a typical 70s design old fashioned from the 60s drum brakes all round, no power steering only seatbelts in the front, PVC faux leather interior, then came this new 80s Ford. Disc brakes, electric windows and mirrors, power steering, metallic paint, alloy wheels, role back sunroof, valour interior that was nice to sit in and comfortable. technology never moved so fast than it did in the 1980s. Now car tech doesn’t seem to move that fast. You get a car from 2011 to a new car of 2021 and the technology hasn’t seemed to have moved that much at all. Yes the 80s was the Birth of the drivers car. Just look the Mercedes 550S probably the best over engineered car in he world, when Mercedes built proper luxury cars not the cheap mass produced crap they build today that rely on that badge and technology from the past to sell the crappy cars they sell today… Mercedes are not the company or cars they built 30/40 years ago…
I had an 89 dodge spirit.. (first car I bought myself at 16). definitely learn to repair cars when owning one of those. xD
the best I had was my 1990 k1500 (still 80s since it had the old fuel pump style). that 4.3L was great. easy to repair, cheap, reliable. except for one thing.. you'll become a master at changing fuel pumps. I kept a spare in the truck and two more in the tool box.
Ah, he owned an 70s/80s Alfa, this explains how he came to know how to work on cars!
As an owner of many Lancias I understand completely and salute a fellow masochist!
(But my god they're so much fun when they're working!).
And yes, I'm the one that's going to call you out for 3:55, that's a pair of DCOE Webber carbs, not SUs!
Yup. I had a pair of Weber DCOE's that replaced the SU's on my '67 P-1800.
Here in Souf Efrica we kept the 80s and 70s cars going with wire and a pliers. Todays cars you need a degree to keep the cars going.
damn. we had that Nissan Champ thingy back here in Mauritius, can't believe they are still being made.
Man I LOVE the BMW M3 Evo. So classy! So powerful! All three produce great cars.
Last Alfasud models were sold as Nissan cherry in parts of Europe and japan during the failed Alfa-Nissan alliance of the 80s-90.
Ford Laser was 323 in the Mazda line up
Ford Mondeo of the 1990s shares components with the 626 facelift
Stanza was known as Violet in the Europe, similar to bluebird with smaller inline 4 engine, slightly cheaper finish.
That 200sx seen on the video has to Be Us/commonwealth ad because that car is Silvia in japan and EU.
Nissan stanza was sold in the United States. Don't know if it was the same car.
We also had the Nissan/Datsun stanza in Australia, yes it had both names as Datsun was more recognisable but the company had changed their name to Nissan. My dad bought one brand new in 1979 and it was our sole family car until about 1999 until it basically rusted away. It was very reliable but had 2 engines over its life and wasn't as advanced mechanically as the previous Datsun 1600 as it was built in Australia and had to have Australian parts so the independent rear suspension of the older 1600 was replaced by a solid rear axel similar to what Holden had a the time. This is when there were steep tariffs so most cars were domestically made but not as good quality or technology as Japanese or European cars at the time.
The Nissan Champ is not being made in SA anymore, it was replaced by the NP200
Winston is probably the only dude on the west coast that successfuly passed smog in an 1980s muscle car without breaking the bank. I would love to see the statistics of how many people attempted this and failed.
I have nothing badcto say about vw. Since 85 to 90 I owned 3. Jetta, passat and fox were all easy straight forward. The only reason I got rid of them was due to massive damage ( my own fault) smaller faster cars don't do well against trees and rolling off an embankment. Good times.
John Candy was Canadian!!
But I wonder if he did it deliberately.
Great video. It will be nice to see the body shop finally finish your car Winston. I have long wanted a US muscle car but to be honest in the uk countryside I live in it would not be practical. Great video as always .
I enjoy this channel so much.
@3:01 I second this man wisdom, neither French cars, those two know how to "design" the exterior of a great car, and the "interior", but not the engine.
chevy chevettes were common to last 400k plus miles. my girlfriend back in the 80s had one that lasted over 500k miles.
I got an 84 chevette or an 85 three-speed automatic two-door I would sure love to know how I could get the 90-horsepower that was advertised out of that 1.6 l overhead cam engine
I enjoy your videos!
I wonder if the patch work nature of environmental controls instead of redesign was because the timeline of regulatory compliance was too short. Congress says do this arbitrary standard that the foreign cars already meet and do it day after tomorrow.
I'm sure by now you're through the hardest, and biggest cash layout, on your Trans Am that it's too late for this time, but should you ever decide to do this again with a Trans Am, you should consider a shop like Trans Am Worldwide out of Tallahassee Florida for your restoration. If your t stops still aren't right, consider reaching out to them, as I'm 100% certain that they can fix them to where they would be better than new in this case. I have seen their work, and they are perfectionists who have a true passion for the 2nd gen Trans Ams. They could actually install the Hurst T-Tops, which were the absolute best of them all!
Sorry to say Winston but from experience your car is whats called a downtime car, when they're quiet they'll work on it, otherwise its insurance or modern re sprays. It would've been better to take it to a resto shop as they have book in jobs and not daily changes to work.
Yeah I know, it sucks
Even if the you put better catalytic converters on there and a newer injection system to where it would pass smog with better numbers I don't even know what numbers are required
They were called the Mazda 323 and Datsun 620 pickup in the UK.
Anything Leyland was shit, but the Triumph Acclaim was a Honda Accord with a Triumph badge.
The ford Escort and Sierra should really be on this list. Both were also sold in the US just didn't sell that we'll so very rare but they're very easy to work on.
You should import a Ford Sierra V8 from your homeland or the faster Sierra Cosworth from the UK, both reliable the latter easy to work on but is now mega bucks.
Spot on. Couldn't agree anymore. Fyi, I truly disliked owning and working on 80's American cars. So many tools I had to buy that I never used again...lol.
I’ve got a couple 80’s trucks. A 81 Chevy 1/2 ton 2 wd. A 81 Ford F-250 4x4 and a 83 Ford F-150 4x4. The 81 Chevy is by far the worst to work on, vacuum hose city. And the ignition system and carburetor is more complicated and hard to get to than necessary, the design engineers were NOT MECHANICALLY INCLINED. The 81 Ford has less emissions stuff than the 83. Like almost none on the 81. The 83 you can see had the air injection system, a computer module controlling the carb and it had a catalytic converter on the exhaust and lots of silly vacuum switches and brittle colored vacuum hoses and ran like shit. Since I live in a state that doesn’t require any emissions testing, I took off all the crap on the 83 and set it up exactly like the 81. They both have the same engine. And guess what, now the 83 runs great 😊
Lucky you! I wish I could bin all this emissions crap and upgrade the engine a bit, it would actually be better for the environment if I did
Very true, my 83 runs better, more efficient and probably would show less harmful air pollution on a test. I used to live in California, so I know all about the CARB nazis and smog BS. Great channel BTW.
Glad to see your baby finally get some attention. I'm sure it will be worth the wait.
12:05 "crappy little V8" shows 6.6 liter . Winston ,when did you get used to American measure system?
Sad to say that I agree with you on American cars. Since the early 1970s, they have gone down hill, and really never recovered. Even today, I would avoid them.
Good luck finding parts for 80s Japanese cars in Europe :)) Had an 86 Nissan Laurel and it was just not fun sourcing parts for it. Japanese cars just didn't sold in high numbers over here.
The Nissan Laurel didn't sell well but if you had a Bluebird or Micra there's still quite a few even on the road in the UK anyway.
That's true. Not to mention that the Bluebird was actually made in the UK, in Sunderland I believe. That was truly a nice reliable car.
Nissan Stanza was in the US it had 8 spark plugs and was between the Sentra and Maxima
Had a 86 300zx T was great
Didn't the Swedes had something called the Volvo?
Saab?
Those 80's Volvos were not easy or cheap to work on, but pretty reliable so it balanced out. Pretty much had to be either a stick or a turbo, otherwise they were terribly slow.
Hey Winston, could you review an VW Phaeton and give us your opinion on its maintenance, reliability and driving experience?