1977 Chrysler Valiant Regal review from Australia and New Zealand
"Not much Valiant for a Regal gas-guzzler"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Too numerous to list.
Interior panels not fitted properly.
Electrical problems.
Mechanical problems.
General comments?
This was my Dad's first yank-tank when we emigrated to New Zealand from Holland. Of course it was an Australian-build, but it was still a huge car compared to Dad's little Opel Rekord in Holland.
Every three days or so Dad would be tinkering with it, because something wasn't quite right with the car. The build quality was awful and the after-care service was poor.
The car had no seatbelts. Two bench-seats, so lots of sliding fun for us kids. And Dad got his very first speeding ticket on the open road doing roughly 160km/h in a 100km/h restriction whilst traveling from Auckland to Wellington.
Shortly after, Dad traded the Chrysler in for a Holden Torana Plus4 with an Opel engine, ironically the same powerplant as his old car in Holland.
The reason was that as new immigrants, every penny counted toward the mortgage of a new house, and owning a 4.0L gas guzzler like the Chrysler didn't help.
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| 1976 - Valiant VK Regal Hemi 245 ci 4.0 Lt Robust, but elegant luxury tank |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1977 |
| Year of manufacture | 1977 |
| First year of ownership | 1977 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 1978 |
| Engine and transmission | 4.0L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 1 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 1 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 4000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Chrysler Opel Rekord |
| Date of Entry | 7th August, 2008 |