1975 AMC Hornet 4 door sedan base model 258 straight six
Summary:
Awesome car that runs like a mini-tank
Faults:
Uh. I bought it in about March of 2015 from a seller who sold cars out of his small barn like cement floor "showroom" in Rochester, MN, then drove it back to Omaha, NE. I'm only the third owner. The first was an elderly woman who didn't even have a license and the second only bought it for Mopar shows. Well, I knew something wasn't right when I'd gone through 40 gallons of gas during the 5.5 hour trip home. The car did vibrate rather heavily, so I figured that was part of the issue, even though it ran really well.
The first thing I did was take it to a shop where I found out the choke was stuck half way open (carburetor issue). Advanced Auto Parts had one in their system. Since then, belts, hoses, a transmission mount, the brakes about 6 times. Once the front brakes just fell out while driving... back brakes worked beautifully... seals, including valve cover and transmission. The car had been recalled back in the day for a power steering failure possibility, due to two parts being too closely installed, causing the power steering gearbox to overheat. Well, no recall repair done back in the day... as I had it towed to a mechanic and paid to fix it. In 4 years I've put about $12,000 into it and the MPG is now where it should be... around 15 (not the 9 it was getting when I bought it).
Oh, and turn signals (including clicker and springs), headlights/brake lights... and even radio (when the tuning clutch broke and I didn't want to listen to conservative talk crap, LOL you know, AM only). I was lucky enough to find a never installed exact model (old stock) on e-bay and a shop willing to install it. Oh, and the mechanic said the tires were old enough to buy beer, LOL, so those were done... and again since then (routine maintenance).
General Comments:
Love the car, Despite all the repairs it has NEVER not done what I've told it to... except for the one tow job because of the original recall issue. Even after I bought it and it needed, unbeknownst to me, $12,000 in engine work, it still made the 5.5 hour trip home like nothing. Drives beautifully... like a tank. It refuses to call it quits. I suspect that's because of the legendary AMC straight six. Love that engine... one of the best ever built.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th March, 2019
13th Mar 2019, 19:45
How could you have spent $12K just on the repairs described? That should have been enough to mechanically rebuild a simple car like this, from front to rear... twice. Fortunately, appears you bought this car to drive, not resell for a profit...