27th Jun 2019, 16:32
Yeah, that "big 455" put out a not so big 205 hp, just two more than a 2019 Toyota Camry 4-cylinder 2.5L with half the cylinders and 1/3 the engine displacement, woohoo!
28th Jun 2019, 15:47
Exactly. Cars from this era were absolutely choked with emission equipment in an age before ECUs could more efficiently control things like the gas and air mixtures. I have a buddy who owns a 1975 Cadillac Eldorado. Like most cars of that era it has a HUGE hood covering a gigantic engine - a 500 - that barely puts out 200 horsepower. It's basically a giant, floaty, underpowered slug of a car that ekes out around 9 MPG.
28th Jun 2019, 17:28
Take a ride in a LaCrosse Premium II. Loaded to the gills. Relaxing ride. Cruise at 80 mph at low RPM with the overdrive. The 20 inch wheels and magnetic ride just requires fingertips to drive. I drove my parents early 70s new Riviera boattail. Pretty impressive too for the era.
28th Jun 2019, 17:38
Yeah, and that 2019 Camry is about as boring, bland and uninspiring as they come compared to the Buick on review, which by the way was built during the height of the smog era, when the American auto makers were at gun point with tightening emissions and CAFE standards.
The only choice they had was to rush new small cars into production, which didn't work too well, or choke the reliable V8's power in the large cars that they knew how to build.
30th Jun 2019, 00:46
Only 2 cars import wise impressed me to buy in that era. I owned a 1977 Celica GT with the beautiful 1969 Mustang Boss 302 Styling. A really pretty cat. Toyota had it right on the mark and threw away styling that was very well executed for MPG. The following years were a disgrace with a design that looked like a bean shape car. So I jumped ship later and bought a new beautiful white 1982 Datsun 280zx 2+2. Had dark glass T Tops. The accessories were ahead of their time. Both of these cars were pretty much maintenance free. There really wasn’t much to choose from from the Japanese lineup with any style. I got the last year Datsun; the Nissans didn’t look as good. I am really picky. I also noticed the cars back then had far better paint.
After 1972 it was really bleak on the domestic side. I would have been a buyer of a Trans Am mid seventies. But the bird Screaming Chicken hood looked too far over the top. I had at least a dozen new company cars and wouldn’t personally have bought a single one for personal use. Not complaining. But I would drive home and enjoy my own much better. Free gas or not!
30th Jun 2019, 20:12
I forgot to mention it was a 1977 Celica Liftback, not the trunk version. If you google it, you can see why it looked so great from the rear. Looked exactly like a Boss 302 Mustang from the rear, including the rear window slats. I left buying that brand over being so upset with the lousy design and the ugly grilles that need to go on the pickups. The 80s and 90s were lousy. After 2000 the big three came up with new designs and much more power instead of the awful power loss to address the anti pollution push on vehicles.
6th Jul 2019, 14:32
Nice opinion on the '75 Eldo. What you don't understand is that they weren't built for speed nor fuel economy.
Here is a nice fully detailed video of what these cars are all about. Evidently your buddy understands if he owns one. All power to him.
8th Jul 2019, 12:44
Slow, terrible MPG, lousy handling, and a chore to maneuver and park due to a gargantuan length of nearly 19 feet. But, a nice ride (on smooth roads) and a guarantee that you will get noticed while driving one. Sounds like the perfect car to keep in the garage and take out on weekends, and to car shows.
But, using it as a daily driver (when there are so many better alternatives for that purpose available)?
Insanity.
8th Jul 2019, 20:32
The smartest move you can do is to have a dedicated garage space for these 70s and older land barges. The elements (even car washing) traps water behind chrome trim. Intense sun fades interiors. Many lost to rust and rot. The restoration costs on luxury car trim and interiors is high, often costing more than the car is worth.
23rd Jun 2019, 20:08
These cars didn't come with gauges on the dash. In fact I don't recall them even being an option. With that said, I recommend changing out the oil pump with an aftermarket high volume pump. This was the only weak point on Buick built engines.