29th Apr 2001, 05:02
Hey buddy.. When I got my '79 FORD Thunder bird it had 330,000 miles on it; now it has 360k. It was able to do 160 Miles per hour. It had no rattles at ALL. It used to be a cop car, and has ALWAYS been driven hard. The engine has been rebuilt twice but it is still original. I have an '87 Mercury Cougar with 280,000 miles on it. I am rebuilding the engine for the 1st time now. It is going to have a calculated 300 Bhp. It handles like it is on rails, it is very comparable to a Corvette. The fastest I have had this was 130 Mph. I also have an '84 Topaz with 290,000 miles on it and this one is FWD! I blew away Camaro 2.8's ALL THE TIME in that thing. The fastest I ever had it was 150 Mph. The '85 EFI engine has been over-bored.04" and that is the extent of the engine and transmission work.
My big old moose of a T-bird is almost done being rebuilt.. 500Bph out of a 5.0 with no turbo, nitrous, or blower. 10psi over-boost with a well designed inductive scoop. My goal is 200Mph; my calculator says 225Mph. Lets see your Camaro do that.
10th May 2001, 11:24
These comments are not surprising. They should reveal something about the car industry though. The American car industry knows that the most important time of a car is the first year or two of ownership. Also, they know what percentage of their cars will be lemons. The bottom line is that your chances of getting a problem vehicle are more with an American car than with an import. On the other hand, you'll usually pay a lot more for that.
12th May 2001, 21:48
Man, the Camaro is a great car! You are not going to get a T-Bird at 200mph, your just dreaming! The car will fly in the air before it reaches 150mph. Your Fords are not in the same class with the Camaros. Only reason your 84' Topaz beat a 2.8L Camaro, is that your car is not stock! Come over to my place and my Camaro RS will beat all your little Fords. Your little Ford can't hang with the big Chevy, Boy!!
16th May 2001, 12:21
Hey I just bought a chevy Camaro RS 1991 with T-tops. One thing I know is if you don't take of you car it will break on you. So one of the guys on this web site who was complaining about all the things he had to replace. Well you know that's just life. Get over it.
Also you have to replace the spark plugs at least once. Well another thing, if you replace the spark plugs when the car runs like crap, well you will have to replace them again. First get the car running again, then replace the spark plugs.
If you don't take of your stuff then it will break on you. CHEVY is ALL AMERICAN, not that Ford crap!
30th Aug 2001, 22:29
Since when is non stock a bad thing? You hit a ditch and only wrecked your ground effects.. You could have been less lucky, but - ground effects are commonly expensive.. And that 160 thing is no lie. All you gotta do is tweak the suspension and add a bunch of horsepower. And I am not saying that it wasn't a bit squirly at 160, it went straight as an arrow..
You mechanic types.. you can't seem to think outside of your box, like racers.. Of course a stock '79 T-bird couldn't go 160, I doubt it could go even 120 stock.. Consult the aftermarket, you will see that these "dreams" are closer to reality than you would ever imagine.. You can make anything go fast, but only a few cars are fun.. The '79 Thunderbird is one of them.
My little Topaz is going to be a give to my brother when I put the turbo kit on, it's an 84, so is he. And of course I wouldn't put it up against your buddies blower car, that would be stupid. But it sure is quick for a Topaz. I mean.. It's a Topaz that can do 140! Tell me that ain't somthing. That car deserves respect. Unlike the Camaros that usually look a lot faster than they actually are. I know lots of guys that are Camaro fans that brag when their cars break 16 seconds on the quarter.. That's just sick.
Enter the realm of hard-core modifications, and we will see eye to eye. "if it ain't custom, then it ain't a rod"..
2nd Aug 2010, 22:53
I have a 1989 Mercury Topaz and a 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier. I also have a 1985 Buick Electra and 1999 Saturn SL, but that is not important.
Case in point here: The Cavalier is an automatic, and so is the Topaz. The Topaz transmission is shot (slips really bad in 1st gear), and the older Cavalier's, with almost double the mileage, shifts like new.
Mechanical things aside, I much prefer the Topaz to the Cavalier. It rides nicer, has a better interior, and looks somewhat nicer. If you couldn't tell from my car inventory, I prefer GM, but it depends on the car. We GM guys have to give Fords' offerings a try too before we call them junk. When shopping for a car it's not always the numbers like the horsepower or gas mileage or cubic feet of interior space.
The Toyota Corolla,in my opinion, is a great car: it's reliable, gets great mileage, handles fairly well, and has respectable pickup. Problem is, after driving many of them, I don't like them. For some reason, they just don't fit me well (no I'm not a big guy, I weigh under 150).
My point is, stop bashing each other's car companies until you have driven every car that has ever been made, because chances are, you're bound to like one from a company that you dislike.
1st Apr 2001, 21:11
I own a 1991 Camaro and LOVE IT! Sure, my window motors went out, but the car is 10 years old, and has carried me 180,000 miles. What do ya expect??? I have put $200 in my car in the past 5 years so I do believe that she has been worth her weight in gold. She still has style, and the engine, transmission and differential run the way they did the day I brought her home. I will never part with that car. Chevrolet is the only one that can provide consumers with a beautiful sportscar, at reasonable prices and OUTSTANDING quality. HA! I am still using my factory CD player! HA! HA! I'd like to see a Mustang that is 10 years old and has the mileage mine has. I'd run circles around it, and they might be able to get $500 out of it. I have just been offered $7000 for mine. I'd rather push a Chevy than drive a Ford!!! If you decide to purchase anything but a CHEVY, you'll be back. You'll see. One other?, did you buy it new? Perhaps it has just been ABUSED it's whole life!