20th Apr 2004, 21:23

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.

23rd Oct 2004, 21:06

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.

14th Aug 2005, 14:21

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.

19th Aug 2005, 19:32

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.

22nd Aug 2005, 01:01

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.

7th Jun 2006, 07:10

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 years ago, and many muscle and sports cars have come and gone through my garage since then --- but the Matador remains! It has 59,000 original 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 its looks original except for shaving the front bumper and tucking the rear bumper a little closer. The interior will be redone to original except for stereo upgrades. The drive train 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.

17th Aug 2006, 22:06

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!