FORGOTTEN CARS OF 1970s 

They don't make affordable cars anymore 🙄

I love them all they are better than the cars of today

EXACTLY

Yup, I'll never forget my Dad's Granada. I was about 12 and he'd tell me to drive it into town to pick up this/that at the hardware store with his credit card. Probably didn't want to drive it himself because he was three sheets to the wind and the cops knew that car......but me driving it threw them off. REALLY upscale area. Could imagine the cops saying "Who's NOT driving a Benz around here?" but when they saw those hubcaps on the Granada they thought it could have been a Mercedes. Remember those ads comparing a Granada to a Mercedes Benz? LOL

Same here, I remember all of these cars when they were brand new. Not sure how this poster thinks they are "forgotten". I used to drive my grandparents '73 Polara around town when I was 13.

Same here. I got my drivers license in 1975. And to this day 1970s cars are by far my favorite. Especially with the hideous abominations on the road today. I still have a 1972 Ford Pinto woodgrain wagon and a 1975 Ford Granada. I will never give them up. If they weren't any good, why are they still here, and still running like new, 50 years later, when a minor fender bender will total a new car? I have also owned (and loved) three air cooled VW bugs, a 1970 Dodge Challenger, 1972 Chevelle, 1974 Rally Nova, 1977 Pontiac Ventura, 1977 Corvette, and 1979 Camaro. The Dodge Magnum was a slightly restyled Chrysler Cordoba. Though I never owned one, I absolutely loved the 1977-1979 Ford Thunderbird. I totally fell in love with it the first time I saw it. Sad it only lasted 3 model years.

8:49 ''magic means of transportation'' man the stupidity the ads go to to get your money ! lol

Same here Michael.....Same here. Thanks for watching. Hope you are a subscriber.

@@ThisOldCarChannel JUST WANTED TO BRING UP THE 1972 CADILLAC ELDORADO

They did miracles with very little money.

Those things kept running too. At least 3 of my friends had them, Hornet, Gremlin and Javilin. No problems with the power-train at least.

The AMC Pacer killed that company. Big and wide with no room.

@@arty8255 and the Pacer is the one that just everyone wants now......

They did well with what little they had, but they gambled on the Pacer and that they'd be using GM's Wankel engine. Since that didn't materialize, the car flopped, and AMC simply had no money to upgrade their product lines. Along came Renault, as the French automaker wanted to re-establish itself in North America, but Renault had its own problems with labor troubles, currency devaluation, political strife, and the small car offered in America, the "Alliance", was...MEH. The Spirit, which indeed was a crossover before the concept had even been realized, and the Jeep line kept AMC going, but their passenger car business was dying. Chrysler bought AMC in '87 strictly for the Jeep line, though they did continue production of a Renault-developed mid-size car for a few years (Renault Medallion/Eagle Premier), and for about ten years following the acquisition, re-branded the AMC/Jeep dealerships that survived (some Dodge and/or Chrysler-Plymouth dealers also acquired Jeep lines) as "Eagle". After the Renault-developed cars had run their course, Mopar put out the "cab forward" LH vehicles, and soon the Eagle brand disappeared. FWIW, Plymouth followed only a few years later.

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One of the best looking cars ever made. In my opinion. That and early 70s Cougars.

@@happydays8171 Loved Cougar convertibles from late '60s, recently saw a young man driving an exceptionally clean '71 convertible. I wondered if he knew what he had. Last year before "smog" controls turned them into "dawgs" I think.

And they are the first year for BOF construction which is a huge plus for me. In the looks dept I actually prefer the 69 but the 72 is a beaut too.

@Repent to Jesus Christ! scram

Yes. Me too Ross. Man I miss those cars and those days. Thanks for watching. Make sure and subscribe.

That they were!

The Magnum was a cool ride

me too, I still have my V8 Gucci Hornet

I had a 74 matador and a 72 mercury comet with a 302 interceptor amongst many others,long list,some on this video

The Ford Maverick was virtually bullet proof. There were quite a few in the parking lot when I was in high school and they took some decent abuse. And decent on gas too.

I had a buddy at school in the 80's who drove a Duster. Not a bad car Deborah. Thanks for watching. Hope you are a subscriber.

A great motor, the NHRA ran one on a dyno and reclassified it at 306 hp for it's weight class. The Dodge Demon was the same car. In 1972, Mopar remade this engine into a low compression 360, and the fun was over.

Yep I agree

My Chrysler 300 has a Hemi! She is a freakin blast! You can have the fastest and the best Reality is in the driver ! If you know your a great driver , you can take an old Volkswagen and take down a pretty car , if you can handle it! I used to love to safely race my car I killed it every time but once I won at the lite I felt bad and let them get ahead! Omgod I miss that! Sorry TMI

We with we had cars we sold in our past. Mine was a 78 T/A. Traded it for a 78 Accord! Thanks for watching! Hope you subscribe to our channel if you haven't already!

I had a root beer Brown grand Torino with a matching vinyl top 351 Cleveland engine oh is a great car still still wish I had it

Maverick 2dr was a handsome lil coupe

I was a kid in the '70s. I distinctly recall people saying that the Maverick was a horrible car!

@@martiniangoldberg My college roommate had a 2-year-old Maverick and it never broke down in the year we lived in the dorm. He & I even took it from Greeley Colorado to Yellowstone & back and it was comfortable on that trip. The 6-cyinder had plenty of power over the mountain passes. Kind of recall that the bodies didn't last too long in midwest & northeast states where they salted roads in the winter, though.

I wish I had the Magnum with the tops Fred! Thanks for watching and the comment. We hope you are a subscriber!

@Repent to Jesus Christ! JC had a Magnum too!

My mom had a Bobcat Villager

'73 Mercury Capri was fun on the 110 Freeway ...and Angeles Crest...

@@SonnyGTA He also built my hotrod

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Only good thing about them was a shortened 9" rear end. Always gone if you find one in the wrecker

I had a Granada Ghia,not as fancy as your Versaille but still miss it.

an ex of mine had an '82 Granada...we painted it Perrywinkle, lol! it would still be running now if not totalled

My first was a 75 and then a 79. I want Leonard Nimoy to narrate my life.

First new car I ever bought was a '79 Mercury Monarch, two door. Dad had Mom buy the four door model same day. Both were total POSes. Consumer Reports had listed Monarch as a lemon, but said the '79 was slightly improved, so rated it a lime. I made the mistake of wasting money on the extended waranty, which Mercury would not honor. AC never worked, both window cranks, made of PLASTIC, quickly broke. I dearly hated that car. Transmission rod rattled loudly in both cars. The 250ci six had 87 thundering horsepower! It couldn't get out of it's own way. As soon as I owed less than resale value, I traded it in on a well-used 1975 Firebird, which I put another 200,000 miles on over eight years. I have never owned another Ford, or new car of any make.

chevy vega a hopeless flop

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I fondly remember those times too. Great comment, Chris.

You couldn't afford the Lincoln Versailles ("the Granada with a hump")? Lol

79 green Granada got me through college and beyond.

Whilst I had my 79 Grand Prix (not in the list lol) I helped my two coworkers negotiate their new vehicles. The first was a white Granada Landau, and the very much less memorable Fairmont for the second. I recall the distress my coworker experienced when her son totaled her beloved Granada.

Wow...Thanks for the info Derek! Thanks for watching and the comment. We hope you are a subscriber!

Mustang 2 was bad for that too

That was fairly unusual problem back in the 1970s; now there are cars that require disassembly of the valve covers to get at the plugs, although they last a lot longer. I remember doing the plugs at 150K on my V6 Accord and having to drop the socket extensions, section by section, using the sides of my fingers as chopsticks. It's a wonder I got the old plugs and all the socket parts out without loosing them or stripping the threads.

The Monza replaced the Vega

@@dougharris8328 What ever . The Monza was V6 or V8 , the Vega was only ever a 4 cylinder . Completely different cars .

My next door neighbor is building a 77 Granada, sweet car, Idk if it's a T type or not because I honestly haven't looked at that close and honestly I don't alot about them but it does have a factory 302 in it. He's mid 20's kid, new to "Classic cars", right before Thanksgiving he came over and while I was working on my 73 Regal and said he wanted to find one to build, I told him he wanted to buy something with either a 302, 318 or 350 because being his first engine build he wanted one of those 3 because they are all 3 stupid simple to build and work on. I'll pop over there once in a while or pop over here when he has a question and we'll chat a lil bit. He's got it running and driving and almost ready to paint, I told him he needs to take it to a Cars and Coffee with me sometime but he wants to wait until he gets it paint, he's painting it that Mint green that GM had back in the late 80's and 90's, because the interior is green and in really good shapewith Thurst torque wheels on it. It's going to be a really nice car when he's done with it.

Thanks for the info Mike! Do you have one with tops? I want one! Thanks for watching! Hope you subscribe to our channel if you haven't already!

@@ThisOldCarChannel Mine doesn’t have the t-tops but I was considering selling it. A true GT.

@@ThisOldCarChannel sadly, no. I have all hardtop. 2, 78s, 2, 79s. One of the 78s is a white 400 big block, the other a triple black with 360. The 79s include a GT in teal with teal interior and a 360, the other a triple burgundy, 318 with a sure grip rear end.

Awesome Willie! Thanks for watching. We hope you're a subscriber to our channel.

Awesome Brad! I've been looking for one but tough to come by. Thanks for watching. We hope you're a subscriber to our channel.

The old style Cordoba based Dodge Charger was also produced in low volume in the 1978 model year.

My uncle had a Magnum though it was an earlier model, I want to say it was a 75, and it had the 318, which was a really reliable engine. I thought it was pretty, though I was driving a 73 Plymouth Satellite at the time, and there is no doubt mine was but far the prettier car! 😂 Still, for a car the came out late 70's, during the oil shortages when everyone was looking for economy boxes that were pathetic too drive, the fact that Dodge had the guts to stuff a 400 big block in that pretty car is awesome. I would love to find one to be an every day runner. What a nice ride they were! Fast but still comfortable, personally I think they nailed it, this car was just right in my opinion.

@@fargomonkey5133 I begged my Dad to get one, as I turned 16 in 78. No dice. I got a 72 Satellite Sebring plus with a 318 and it became my learner car. Then in 83 I got Sebring Plus with a 400 4 barrel. Oh, yeah! Then a 72 Roadrunner 400 4v 4 speed. Oh yeah , baby!

@@ScottJohnson4449 after wiping the drool off my phone, I liked your comment despite being completely irrationally jealous. 😂 You've owned my dream cars. I love muscle cars, all muscle cars, but my favorites are Mopar muscle. The Roadrunner, Charger, Challenger, Barracuda/'Cuda, these are the greatest cars ever. I bet driving that Runner was a blast!

My 1st car wads a 78 granada . Miss it . I. Jelly 😆

I had two used Mavericks (a '75 4 door and a '77 2 door) during the '80s and '90's. Both were good cars, except for poor to mediocre MPG.

Our names are surprisingly similar, I had a 1973 Pontiac Ventura. It was a great car until my wife blew up the engine.

Glad it worked for you Bruce!

How did he blow up the engine Rucerius?

@@ThisOldCarChannel She over revved the engine after getting stuck on some ice.

UP. Thanks for watching! Hope you subscribe to our channel if you haven't already!

By the time Starsky and Hutch became popular, the Torino was out of production, so they sold special editions of the LTD II with the same paint job. That must have been quite a mixed-blessing of a car.

And the '73 from The Big Lebowski.

@@gr8fulfox488 definitely 😁

@@pcno2832 Gah! The LTDII - it had to be Ford joking when they touted it as downsized. That long-hooded land yacht appeared to me to be larger than any Torino. I understand Henry Ford II was deeply against downsizing and this was the result. But it seemed a lot of them were sold as the roads were full of those monstrosities in the late '70s.

Hey Charles! We took a trip in a 76 Ford Granada from Texas to California. ALL SIX OF US! I remember I had to stick my leg out of the back window because it was cramping. HAHA! Thanks for watching. Make sure and subscribe.

My first car was a 1976 Ford Granada 2dr back in 1987 and I had a 1981 Ford Fairmont wagon, the Fairmont I drive it 5 years.

My first car was a red 2 door '76 Granada. Loved that car! Wish I still had it!

I'm looking for the t-top version! Tough to find. Thanks for watching. We hope you're a subscriber to our channel.

@@ThisOldCarChannel I have only seen 1 since then. (90's) I find/buy/sell rare vehicles. I have also been looking for 1. Either one, to throw a 340 6Pak in it.

That they were Rudy. Thanks for watching and the comment. We hope you're a subscriber!

Had a Grenada 77 gold color. Fairmont looked not much different.

I also like the Typ 4 . It has the unibody instead of the frame body like the VW Typ 3 or Typ 1.

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lol....You are correct Bob. I wouldn't mind having a Magnum with tops! There is a Gran Torino for sale here in San Antonio. They want 10k. Thanks for watching. We hope you're a subscriber to our channel.

Thanks for watching Bob! Good information about the Fairmonts in Mexico. We did not know this. We hope you're a subscriber.

I saw a Mercury Monarch in a scrap yard that had a 351 4 barrel and a 4 speed standard. Came that way from the factory. That must have been a fun car. I think it was a 1980 model.

The Ford Fairmont was sort of like the same version a a Dodge Dart for the same years

Funny Kevin. lol......Yeah...the horn was on the signal lever. I forgot about that. I was also on the 82 Mustang that I had. Thanks for watching. We hope you're a subscriber to our channel.

The pinging was probably the timing off just a little and some times a higher octane gas fix that problem as well. Old school mechanics used to set the timing back like that to get better gas mileage. Most of the time you only heard that when you started off after stopping.

@@chessflower2092 Yes, that is the way it went, pinging/knocking during acceleration. The mechanic said he could adjust it to not ping but that would result in less power. So there was a trade off. I kept the pinging.

The fish bowl is what they call it Carol. HAHA! Thanks for watching! Hope you subscribe to our channel if you haven't already!

It was good enough for John Denver and "god" (George Burns)…he even made it rain inside of it, in the 1977 movie, "Oh God".

Horrendous cars replaced by equally horrendous cars...all of them were a gift to the Japanese.

@@SpockvsMcCoy I agree the Cavalier wasn't any better than the Monza. Can you believe the Cavalier lasted until 2005. I still can't. 😵‍💫

@@honestone490 The Cavalier and the other J-body cars were more likely to end up in rental car fleets.

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You are correct KD 68. They are more than luxury cars these days! Thanks for watching.

Yeah, most truck owners these days are afraid to use their trucks as trucks. Don't wanna get dirt in the bed, or scratch the pearlescent paint! 🙄

My brother and I were saying the same thing. lol.....Thanks for watching and the comment! We hope you subscribe to our channel if you haven't already. Boca Brother #2

In 1977 I purchased a 19 73 gremlin and I loved it.. good gas mileage and that straight 6 had a lot of power.. mine was yellow with black racing stripes 😜

@@user-ml6hf6fp5f Those "ignorant" Americans are a superpower, which you enlightened people are not.

Don’t forget the Pacer and Matador.

To be fair, as a machine, the Pacer was an excellent vehicle...as long as nobody recognized you driving it.

@@MrFlintlock7 🤣👍

Thanks Michael

Glad it worked out for you Thomas! Always good to hear. Thanks for watching. We hope you're a subscriber to our channel.

Glad to hear you enjoy classic cars! Thanks for watching. We hope you're a subscriber to our channel.

The same Gran Torino made an appearance in The Fast and The Furious movie franchise. I'm sure it was Fast 4.

Starsky and Hutch.

@@jamesmichalek5406 Yeah those where first allright, but I never really grew up with them.

Purchased a new, light yellow 77' Ford Granada in Charlotte, N.C. Gas guzzler but boxy and safe.

I had a 75 Monarch with the 250 Six, and what really held back the performance was the log-type intake. The air has to make three 90 degree turns to get into the large chamber, low compression cylinder. There is now an aluminum head available, with larger valves, better ports, and a tighter (smaller) combustion chamber. They even have the bosses for fuel injectors on the intake runners. Many aftermarket intakes are available, 2bbl, 4bbl, FI, even some for side draft carbs. Match the right camshaft, add a header, and these little engines come alive. If I'm not mistaken, the pistons from some Fusions have the same bore, and will fit the 250. They are flat top, not dished, and will raise the compression even more, especially if you zero deck the block. Throw in a modern 5 or 6 speed manual, and you've got a little sleeper. "Oh, it's only the straight 6 that came in it." 😉

I loved the 71 Gonzo. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe.

Were you a mechanic?

Zepher was a good ride.

Probably someone is drinking beer out of it. Or maybe rims on car's.

Others do not John. We remember them also. Thanks for watching! Hope you subscribe to our channel if you haven't already!

I had a 1969 beige with a tan vinyl roof Dodge Dart Custom 2 door hardtop with a small V8 engine (I think it was a 273 cubic inch). I like it very much and it performed great. I drove it until the valves begin to burn. I sold it to a neighbor and within a week he got drunk and totaled it. What a shame!

I agree Mark! Merry Christmas and thanks for watching. Make sure and subscribe!

Don’t forget the Ford Torino Elite. I had a 1974 model. It was my first car that I paid $200 for back in the mid-80s. I basically got the car for free as the $200 was to reimburse the owner for the new tires.

awesome! Thanks all!

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I am a subscriber

I had a 72 VW orange. It matched the color of my Chinese maples in the fall, this was in 2002. That was probably the reason mine didn’t have covers on it , the straw was revealed and yes I saw the cigarette land in the seat when I tossed it. We had bought this vw for our daughters 1st car but it wasn’t what she wanted so I shifted my way into glorious bliss driving it. What a thrill. She did 80 on the freeway like everyone was standing still Yeh-no I would not have wanted this when my kids were babes but I was 50 and killen it. I’m sorry your experience’s were in your line of work. That took all the fun!

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My aunt had the baby blue Maverick. Thanks R Rad! Thanks for watching and the comment. We hope you are a subscriber.

My dream car - 1970 Plymouth Fury I w/lights & sirens (so I could pull my friends over when I was in high school).

That is one of my brothers favorites Jay. Thanks for watching. I hope you're a subscriber!

Had one in the late 80's. First V-8 powered car. The ONE I will miss forever!

I had a 1976 Laguna S 3 . A heavy car and put snow tires on it . It went through snow really well. I still miss that car.

Wow! Not bad. Thanks for watching. We hope you're a subscriber to our channel.

I am sure your ET times are 1/8 and not 1/4.

I had a blue 74 Maverick. It was a 2 door. I always thought it was a cool car even though it wasn't a Mustang.

In 75 I bought a new Toyota Corolla. One of my coworkers bought a Maverick. Our business was at the bottom of a deep parking lot. He noticed that the Toyota had no problem with the driveway with the stop at the top, but the Maverick had problems with it (start and stop on a fairly steep grade). I let him try my Toyota and he was impressed with the power difference, plus he had to pay $1000 more, and I had to pay full sticker with no discount (gas prices). We went inside and found a car book to compare horsepower, my 1600cc 4 cylinder (about 97 cubic inch)vs his 200 cubic inch 6 cylinder . Turns out there was only around 10 horsepower difference. We both left that job soon after so I don't know anymore about the ford, but I kept the Toyota for at least 10 years

My Aunt had a green 72 Monte Carlo. It was a nice ride. Thanks for watching Mark. We hope you're a subscriber to our channel.

lol. Thanks for watching and the comment. We hope you're a subscriber!

What were they chasing you for?

Part 2 coming soon Dick. Thanks for watching. We hope you're a subscriber to our channel.

Yes, the dreaded 1974 seat belt interlock law that was later repealed...front seat lap belts had to be fastened in order for the vehicle to start. Fastening the belts and then tucking them underneath the seat back did not bypass the system. Also, smog controls on 1974 models hurt both fuel economy and performance.

Not really. While 1974 was the only year that a V8 wasn’t available in a Mustang, Pontiac was still selling SD455 Trans Ams and Formulas, Chevy still was offering a 454 in the Corvette, and I believe you could still order a Stage 1 Buick. Chrysler was still offering 440s in passenger cars and AMC still was offering 401s. Ford still was putting 460s in passenger cars as well. Even though horsepower numbers were down, these big engines still made plenty of torque. I think the worst cars came several years later when everyone downsized their cars then downsized the engines that lacked the torque to pull around the somewhat smaller but still heavy cars being produced.

@@mikee2923 The collectability era for vintage cars generally ends in either 1972, or in a few cases 1973. Most collectors don't like big safety bumpers, seat belt interlock, and heavily smogged cars. Horsepower and performance went downhill in 1973/1974.

@@SpockvsMcCoy In most cases you are correct. However a check on market prices of an SD455 T/A or Formula Firebird show they are close to commanding 6 figures for the 73 & 74 model years. The market for all 1970’s Pontiac Trans Ams is very lucrative at this point in time if equipped with the Pontiac 400 or 455. I understand the early Malaise era cars lack the appeal of the earlier muscle car era models and feel it is appropriate. But with the price of even garden variety muscle cars exceeding what most middle class car enthusiasts can afford, I’ve never understood why the early malaise era cars never gained popularity. When you think about it, they share the same drivetrain as the muscle cars only in a detuned form. As they are now considered classic or antique cars in most cases emissions laws don’t apply to them anymore. With the world of affordable aftermarket high performance parts available for them, they can be built to perform as well as a muscle car does. Also they are usually more comfortable, better equipped and in most cases will handle and stop better than most muscle cars did. With more aftermarket support this could broaden the collector car hobby as it would make the buy in price significantly lower and would slowly increase their worth. There are probably more fans of these cars out there than most people would think or believe.

Same here Sonny. Cool looking front end. Thanks for watching. We hope you subscribed.

@@ThisOldCarChannel I did! There is a video of my MAGNUM on my channel.

Hope your Hornet was good to you Corvet. Thanks for watching. We hope you're a subscriber!

My first car was a used 1979 Ford LTD Landau Coupe....but I prefer the pre-downsized big cars from FoMoCo. My best friend in junior high school showed me his parent's impressive gold 1972 Mercury Marquis Brougham.

"Fish mouth" lol...Never heard that before Michael. Makes sense though. lol..... Thanks for watching and we hope you are a subscriber!

@@SpockvsMcCoy yeah I had that 77 Ltd Landau with all the options and the 460 it was nice. 72 mercury was one of the most beautiful cars of the 70s.

@@michaelwhite2823 Was the 1977 LTD Landau a coupe or sedan? Which model years were your grandparents' Marquis and Versailles?

@@SpockvsMcCoy A sedan. Baby blue with a dark blue vinyl top and color keyed luxury wheel covers. Lol My grandparents didn't know about power trunk. I read about the power lock groupk at 13 and told them look in the glove box if you gave power locks you gave power trunk.

I think Mercury's are still made.?

@@chessflower2092 No, they were discontinued January 4, 2011.

Grabbers were awesome John. Thanks for watching!

@@tramr3203 You're correct there too. They were using cheaper, thinner steels (sheet metal,) & a cheap rubberized undercoating that soon dried out, cracked, & fell off. Zeibarting was a must if you lived in "rust belt" area.