Pinto's that got 34 mpg highway in 1975

[GasSavers_ALS]

[Hateful]

Those were tough little cars. One of my friends had a 75 pinto in the late 70's.I wasn't crazy about going over 100mph in it,as we frequently did. I preferred by 71 Cougar for that sort of thing.
I'm not sure it ever got 34mpg. I think car companies had more flexibility to make claims than now.On the other hand, in more sensible hands ( not teenagers) and less traffic to deal with then,it's possible.

[dieselbenz]

Would you drive one?
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feat.../09/dowie.html
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feat...9/compress.mov
And this is also the old EPA test so reality is more like 28 or 29 highway. Big deal.

Originally Posted by Hateful

Those were tough little cars.

Death trap.

[Hateful]

Sure I would; once the recall repair steel plate blocking the gas tank was installed.I'm not so sure anything colliding with one these days would do as much damage. There were actual steel bumpers back then. Being hit by a larger vehicle is always a danger; SUV's can be crushed by 18 wheelers or dump trucks.If you want a danger proof car,just take the wheels off.

[dieselbenz]

Most old cars with "steel bumpers" are death traps in comparison to a modern plastic bumpered small car.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qBDyeWofcLY

The Pinto was worse than most.

[theholycow]

Agreed. It took some time for me to come around, but I can't argue with hard science and hard data. Cars that absorb front/rear collisions and cars that don't crush in side collisions protect the occupants better.

Too bad all this safety weighs so much. My 1980 Buick LeSabre, which is more than twice as long as my 2008 VW Rabbit, has a curb weight of 3500 pounds, compared to the Rabbit's 3000 pounds.

Think about that: You can park two '08 Rabbits in the same space as one '80 LeSabre and they don't even have to touch bumpers, but the big car only weighs 17% more.

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Agreed. It took some time for me to come around, but I can't argue with hard science and hard data. Cars that absorb front/rear collisions and cars that don't crush in side collisions protect the occupants better.

Too bad all this safety weighs so much. My 1980 Buick LeSabre, which is more than twice as long as my 2008 VW Rabbit, has a curb weight of 3500 pounds, compared to the Rabbit's 3000 pounds.

Think about that: You can park two '08 Rabbits in the same space as one '80 LeSabre and they don't even have to touch bumpers, but the big car only weighs 17% more.

in a crash id still want to be in the 1980's boat.

all they did nowadays is increase the mass density of the cars, they weigh about the same but in a smaller package

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by theclencher

VW: 165.8" long, 2975 lbs.
Buick: 218.1" long, 3710 lbs. (?)

You're not using that crazy breeder math are ya? I want some of what you're on

http://www.vw.com/rabbit/completespecs/en/us/#/show_all says that the VW is 101.5 inches, and I'd say that's about right. The tiny little hatchback is definitely not 165 inches (that's nearly fourteen feet!). Where did you get 165.8" for a Rabbit?

The 1980 LeSabre's manual says that my coupe's curb weight is 3503 pounds and length is 217.6". It also says the sedan weighs 3487, and the wagon weighs 4034. The Electra coupe weighs 3585, and the Electra sedan weighs 3609, but oddly the Electra wagon's weight is exactly the same as the LeSabre wagon.

Anyway, maybe we should share whatever either one of us is on, so we can better enjoy our experience.

[rvanengen]

http://www.vw.com/rabbit/completespecs/en/us/#/show_all

(snip)
Dimensions
Wheelbase 101.5 in (2,578 mm)
Length 165.8 in (4,210 mm)

[VetteOwner]

my 1980 chevette on average id say 30-35, ive gotten 40 before tho.

steel body and bumpered car that handles suprisingly well, traction is great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2NV1DfIme4