Comments: 1-15, 16-17
The universal joints on the drive-shaft needed to be replaced.
About those universal joints -- who cares?! The car was over 20 years old.
I felt like a high roller in this 2-door coupe / chick magnet.
Very comfortable and stylish.
The AMC 360 is very powerful.
Truly a quality automobile.
I had a 74 Matador, it was a living room on wheels. Ugly but roomy. I had no problems with it.
Sometimes I think the reviews for a car like this are so good because it's one of the miraculous few that survived. I remember how horrible these 70s AMCs were for my grandparents and other relatives when I was a child. You could hardly keep them running, even when they were new. By the end of the 70s you never even saw any Matadors on the road anymore. It's no coincidence that AMC disappeared soon after this. (Yes I know they were bought).
My first car was a '75 AMC Matador, the pretty tomato red one with the Starsky & Hutch wanna-be white stripe down the side. I thought I was really cool, my dad knew I was really safe. It drove like a tank, weighed the same, got the same gas mileage as a tank, but it could hold ALL of my friends. Boy do I miss that car!
Have you seen the new AOL advertising with a 75 or 76 Matador "supercharged" by AOL? Worth looking at...
My first car was a '76 AMC Matador. I bought it in 2001. Navy Blue, with a Black top. The interior was ripped out, the exterior was almost rusted away... but it's the most memorable and enjoyable care I've had to date. Until I blew the transmission racing a '02 Eclipse. (I won!) My Matador was at one time a police car. Which made it that much faster :D. If I had the chance to buy another, I would do it in a heartbeat.
My first car was also a 1974 AMC Matador Oleg Cassini and I think of it fondly. Unlike modern cars which need almost no repair, this car was a hands-on car. You really got to know it, it had character and style.
My first AMC (third car ever previous two were Chevy and Ford, respectively) that I got when I was 17. It was a beat up and poorly maintained four door that had been owned by the City of Kelso (WA). This was the car that turned me away from Chevy. It was super- reliable, nothing outside of normal wear and tear stuff ever went wrong (it needed brakes and shocks when I got it). The best part about it was the AMC 360, which always started up and ran like a sewing machine, no misses, smooth, and good power for an early '70s stock engine. It was easily a match for most of the Chevelles, Camaros, and Mustangs in town. It also easily held all of my friends, it was like a party pad on wheels! I have since had 10 or so AMC's, and I have had Fords, Chevy's and the occasional Chrysler product, and would say for sure that the AMC's were definitely NOT the least reliable of the bunch. For me the Chevs were the least reliable, the Dodges next with Ford and AMC about equal. AMC has has better parts interchangablity than Ford, so for my old car habit, it's AMC all the way. I also have to say that nothing built in the '70's comes close to the reliability of the newer Toyotas or Hondas. Heck nothing else built today comes close to Toyota or Honda in terms of reliablity, but I still like Nissan.
Of every make and model car I have seen since attaining a state of quasi-consciousness the 1974 Matador is, by far, the ugliest vehicle I have ever seen.
Pictures do not convey the horrid bestial raw brutal pure ugliness of the conveyance.
I have not seen a '74 Matador since viewing the new one for sale on the car lot. I don't think it ever sold. I believe that model that year was either sent back to the factory or hauled straight to the junk yard.
Feel free to search the Web for pics of the 1974 Matador. Some useful search terms would be "ugly" uglier" and "ugliest."
Sadly, for those who have not had the chance to see the car in person, the pics do not convey the true beastial ugliness of the car.
For some things they can be so ugly as to be considered cute... sorta' like me. But, true ugliness, abject pure ugliness transcends any possibility of being considered cute. Thus is the awfulness-to-the-eye of what may be the ugliest machine designed by man... the 1974 Matador.
I have a '75 Matador X and I love the beast. it is a giant car. lifting the hood is a feat of impressive strength, and when ever I am working under it I fear for my life because if that thing falls I am toast.
As for the looks of the car it has a bestial beauty. it is very curvy and has a perfect fastback line. with the battering ram bumpers I fear nothing else on the road and with the powerful 360, even my 230,000+ mile one, you can spin the tires and have more than enough power. I've owned two cars both AMCs and I still have both of them and neither has ever given me much trouble. those who have owned or driven an AMC know and love the make. truly wonderful cars, they just had a bad image in the media that destroyed them.
I'll never forget when I was teenager I had a hopped up 1970 Firebird and my dad brought home "an ugly beast" (1974 Matador) for me to drive in the winter months (he was concerned about my safety in snow with the Firebird) and I told him I would never drive it. After I got behind the wheel of it I couldn't believe how much I loved it!That was 20 yrs ago and many muscle and sports cars have come and gone through my garage since then---but the Matador remains!It has 59,000 orig. miles and I am starting a complete rebuild (not restoration) in a few more months only to give it back to my dad for his birthday. I am keeping it's looks orig. except for shaving the front bumper and tucking the rear bumper a little closer. The interior will be redone to orig. except for stereo upgrades. The drivetrain is being upgraded with a Mopar 5.9 (360) cu.in. fuel injected engine backed up with a late model auto tranny with overdrive.bjw.
This is in response to the guy who has memories about his relatives unreliable AMC's: I think memory regression has set in. My family has owned Rambler's and AMC's since 1962 to present and they have to be the most reliable autos out there. Easily repaired, handsome and a whole lot of fun in a 327 or a 304 or even a 232 six! My mother's 72 Matador with the 304 was the car my sister and I learned to drive on and that thing went everywhere and through everything. At 16 I drove it off road and it pushed through the trails and mud like a trooper. My 74 Javelin with a 304 wouldn't die until someone ran into it and had to be towed away. My father's 62 Custom with a 232 finally gave out after not passing the Pennsylvania's inspection requirements. The frame had rusted out from driving back and forth from New Jersey everyday. It had 260,000 miles on it and was put down in 1975. My original 64 Ambassador with the 327 won't quit! It is incredibly fast for a 42 yr. old car. Even my sister's 65 232 is like a tank. The column shift is like driving a Willy's, but that thing bangs around town with no problem and it always starts. So I think it is time for that guy to wake up from his dreamland and take an AMC for a ride!
Mi 74 matador (6 cil) is the best car I ever had!
And I have had 240 American cars in mi firm.
Anton from Belgium.
I have owned my 1963 Rambler Ambassador for the last 25 years here in South Australia. I bought it for $650 and have rebuilt it once in that time. Let me add that the reason it needed to be rebuilt was only because it began to leak everything! Oil, trans fluid, brake fluid, water and even the pinion seal gave way and was leaking diff oil! But... the car still ran like a trooper and was every bit as good as the day I got it. I am currently totally rebuilding the car to a classic look outside, but modified inside and underneath. I have no intention of changing to a Chev or Ford engine because the 327 is the most reliable engine I have come across. Starts first time, idles perfectly and accelerates like a smooth V8 should. I am just about to try and get a barn find into my garage. It's a 1974 Matador X and has been in a small shed for about 10 years. I don't know too much about the condition, but I've been told it is good. The guy is likely to give the car away just to get it of his property! Looks like I may have another Rambler. Keep on Rambling.
A.J. Australia.
We live in Australia. We are young and own a Matador X (not many here) and a Matador; they are both beasts, and we are proud of the looks and the pure grunt behind them.
For those whom say they are ugly LOL; go get your glasses, you're probably into the cars that are plain and boring, a dime a dozen, no character.
From 1974 on, the Matador Coupe was a completely different looking car. The ugliness comments fit to the 4-door only. The Matador Coupe was a beauty.
In late 76 I found a car buried under a mound of snow that I fell in love with. It was a new 1976 Matador Barcelona Brougham Coupe. 24 ounce carpet, velour seats, 360, all it needed was a disco ball! I had one warranty issue, and the dealer gave me the best service I ever have had. I have been fortunate enough to drive new Lincolns, Caddys and other premium cars over the years, but my heart always goes out to my 76 Matador. If you haven't had the chance to drive a Matador, you have no idea what you're missing. If AMC were around as a distinct entity today I'd be buying one now.