1971 AMC Gremlin from North America - Comments

The main problem has been rust (both frame and body). Door panels and under the rear bumper have especially worn.

Carburetor needed to be rebuilt.

I've had various brake problems.

The reverse gear is starting to slip.

Several front end problems persist that are hard to fix because of rare parts.

My Gremlin has been a great car that gets plenty of attention, probably due to the electric blue paint with a white stripe.

The engine is wonderful with decent fuel economy (for a '70s car) and great reliability.

The car, while definitely a keeper, is a money and time pit. Rust is by far my biggest concern and is slowly eating away the under-body. Parts are scarce and somewhat expensive, and it's hard to find a good, honest mechanic to work on such an old car.

It is hard to find an honest mechanic for any car! Parts are scarce for any car 1990 or older. This is why most older cars end up in scrap yards. Mostly because they require more maintenance than new cars. And they are also usually made of rust.

Yes they are hard to find, but they last and they're easy to work on. With the newer cars, well you have to be Bill Gates to fix them, including the new Corvette and Mustang. 250 dollars for a steeda front bumper? On my Cutlass its about 60 dollars and it's only a 95, so screw paying the high price of a newer car, give me an old car any day!

Funnyman141.

How about a new Viper hood? $19,000... But how likely will it need ever replaced however. Just an interesting comparison to your bumper comment. Dollar per Dollar you can beat a Ford Mustang for endless upgrades. My son owned 3 of them before the Viper and they were heavily modified. I actually had a new Gremlin X 304 V8 in college; it was a great indestructible car. In 1973 I recall my college having them everywhere; both size sixes as well as my lone V8,Javelins, and many 1969 AMX 390's as well as one SC360 Hornet, which I would say was the rarest. I did see a Machine once as well visiting the campus.

"24th Aug 2007, 22:50.

It is hard to find an honest mechanic for any car! Parts are scarce for any car 1990 or older. This is why most older cars end up in scrap yards. Mostly because they require more maintenance than new cars. And they are also usually made of rust."

I'm curious as to which old cars this person has owned, since my own experience contradicts everything he said. Not only have I found an honest mechanic, but parts are still easy to find for the 1985 and 1973 Dodges that I drive. Lack of available parts is not why "most older cars end up in junkyards." Nor are they "usually made of rust".