Buy/Drive/Burn: American Wagon Life, Circa 1975

Today’s Buy/Drive/Burn setup comes to us via commenter 87 Morgan, who suggested the trio a while ago. For consideration today: Malaise Era transportation for upper middle-class families. These gigantic wagons served as family haulers before the minivan came along and ripped the sculpted carpet from under their feet.

What will it be — the Chrysler, the Mercury, or the Buick?

Read more
Piston Slap: Putting the HO in Your Colony's 5.0!

Joe writes:

Dear Sajeev,

It was a mild winter here in Minnesota, so it promises to be an early spring. And with spring comes the promise of new automotive projects. Right now we are in the pre-spring thinking and planning stages. Attached is a photo of my possible project. Some background would be helpful.

Read more
  • Pig_Iron I one of those weirdos who liked these.
  • SCE to AUX Inflation adjusted $79k today (!), so I guess $28k is a bargain....This is another retro car that was trying too hard, but it is very nice.
  • EngineerfromBaja_1990 It might provide an edge in city driving but from what I've read elsewhere the Hybrid trucks are 600 lbs to 700 lbs heavier than the gas only trucks. That translates to a curb weight of around 5000 lbs which is not uncommon for a full size truck.And a test drive suggested the Hybrid is not quicker than the gas only trucks. So it looks like the Hybrid powertrain is pretty much compensating in power for all that added weight while not providing significant fuel savings. Not what many would expect after shelling out an extra $5K - $7K for the next step up in power.
  • Buickman DOA like no other!
  • 3-On-The-Tree Yes anything offroad or high performance isn’t cheap. My oldest son would do occasional burnouts in his Mustang GT then he had to buy tires for it. Needless to say he doesn’t do burnouts anymore.