21st Jul 2025, 18:28

These cars had a pretty nasty flaw that was baked into the engine itself- the Reynolds blocks with high silicon content, and on top of that they stuck on a iron head. You put two different metals like that together and it doesn't work as they expand at different rates. GM also had major problems with the workforce at the factory making these, with workers on the line intentionally missing nuts and bolts, putting bottles in the doors etc.

23rd Jul 2025, 05:59

Do you have a source for this information? I’d argue the Vega was actually well made.

27th Jul 2025, 23:09

I didn't post the comment, but yes it was widely known at the time that the earlier engines were oil burning kettles and blown head gaskets were common due to the radiator being way too small with no fan shroud.

3rd Aug 2025, 07:59

The universe is a big place with infinite possibilities, so I suppose it could be possible that somewhere in some dimension there might be a Chevy Vega with 220,000 miles on it. But I admit to being skeptical. If there is, it's got to be the only one and maybe took four engine replacements to get there or was rebuilt with steel cylinder liners.

These were not well built cars and much maligned, and rightly so. My dad had two of them in the early and mid '80s. They were dirt cheap and that's all he cared about at the time. The supply of used full sized station wagons from the '70s had dried up and he was looking for a cheap runabout, but these Vegas lowered the bar on the definition of cheap. The first we had was the panel wagon style with the steel inserts in the rear side windows. Cramped, underpowered, no rear seats. It smelled like cow sh** and that's about what it was, a piece of cow sh**. He sold it to someone who later reported that it broke in half on the road from the rust. He didn't say what broke exactly, but it was a catastrophic, life of car ending event.

The other one I distinctly remember was a green 2-door. The body panels were eaten out by rust halfway up the body. No power, top speed of 60 and it took a couple minutes to get there with the engine clattering and a cloud of smoke following you. All these Vegas had that in common, the ubiquitous billowing cloud of oil smoke that followed them down the road. This was a second car runabout that I drove in high school so remember the experience well. The only plus to how poorly it was built was that the time I locked the keys in the car, I was able to pry the window frame ajar enough to slip a screwdriver through the door jam to pop up the lock button. It used oil so much it was like that was its primary purpose, at least a quart a week. Cheap interior, loose window cranks, knobs falling off. The starter was intermittent and it wouldn't start if it was colder than 20 degrees. These cars were less than 10 years old when we had them. It was merely basic transportation about like a side by side ATV with a cab on it. The best thing I could say about this car is that at least it kept you warm and dry in the rain, so as a teenager it was a big step up from riding a bicycle. It had about the same acceleration, too.

This could have been a decent car but it was just made so cheaply, everything about it. All the American car makers struggled to find their way to smaller, more fuel efficient cars in the '70s after the '73 oil embargo. Ford had the Pinto, Chevy had the Vega, Dodge had some little unremembered puddle jumper too. But they just weren't good at it. Small meant cheap and flimsy. In other words, junk. I suppose even Chevy Vegas have their following today. They are probably extremely rare to find because they rusted away and were junked. The last one I remember seeing on the road was in 1989. Engulfed in a cloud of oil smoke of course.