Once I fixed everything I had known I had to fix when I first test drove this car, I have had absolutely no problems. When I bought it for $600, I knew I'd need to do some work to make this car a daily driver. That included rear end seal, fuel lines, four tires, rear shocks, brakes, and front end. The bulk of $700 spent on repairs went into the front end. Not a bad deal for $1300!
GM makes cars that are pleasure to take on a highway. Once you get up to speed, relax and enjoy the smooth ride.
It's not too bad in a city either. True, the car is big, heavy, and bulky, but it steers very easily and you get a feeling that you still can relax while driving. (When I drive my Lincoln Mark VIII, I always a little rigid)
One more point about handling. It seems that nose lives a life of its own. It will go up and down as you step on the gas or brake, however it does not feel like shocks are bad. Anyway, many 70's cars do that.
Gas millage is awful. Just about 10 miles a gallon city, a bit more highway.
Nice seats - very comfortable for back and legs (Again, it's hard to drive my Mark for more than an hour without getting cramps in right leg)
Starts easy even when cold. Pump gas three times and crank it for about 5-7 seconds - it'll start even after siting for a week in cold weather (It's been 0-20F for the last couple of weeks). Only once chock plate got stuck. It happened after I left the car for about 2 hours - go figure. Anyway, I sprayed WD-40 and it never happened again.
Performance... 301 does not pull it. It'll beat almost any 4 cylinder of the line and burn tires, but there is not much passing power when you hit a highway. It feels slower than it is because the car is so smooth.
I hold my left hand on top of the steering wheel and drive with one hand, it's hard too see speedo for my left hand gets in the way. It's only my driving habit, but GM could place speedo better.
Trunk is very roomy.
I like the way it looks, slanted nose is a nice touch.
Your bad fuel economy and sluggish performance are probably carb-related.
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