The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com) - View Single Post

greg · 20th January 2001, 07:31

OK. Lots of heavy discussions lately. But here's one we can have some fun with.

Rule #1 - you must have first-hand experience with the car in question.

Rule #2 - there is no rule number 2.

OK - I'll go first. (surprise....)

And the winner is: 197X Ford Pinto

Doesn't it amaze you that Ford produced these cars by the gazillions, and yet you have to look long and hard, no, you have to HUNT to find a single one left on the road? These cars were such pieces of crap that they all apparently just disintegrated into a pile of rust and rubble, sometime back in the eighties.

I have two older sisters. They each got a Ford Pinto when they turned 18. My father's company had a sweet leasing deal with Hertz, so you could have any bottom-of-the-line car you wanted, as long as it was a Ford, which of course narrowed the choice to one car. It took me a great deal of negotiating, scheming, planning and research to avoid the same fate when I turned 18 - I ended up with a Ford Fiesta S, of which I have very fond memories - but that is another story.

In any case, before these cars we shared a '63 bug which became mine after the sisters got their cars and before I got the Fiesta - but occasionally I had the misfortune to be stuck with one of the Pintos. My memories can be summed up in 4 statements:

1) The "exhaust note" sounded like the plaintive groan of a very sick cow. When you stepped on the gas, nothing happened - the groan just got louder.

2) The brakes literally shook the car to a halt (and none too quick, either.)

3) Steering felt like winding up a spring. Don't let go of the thin rimmed plastic steering wheel, or it would unwind so fast you could lose a finger. Of course, that was the INPUT. On the output side, it was (to quote Tiff N) "understeer, understeer, understeer." But in the case of the Pinto, you could induce it at 15mph.

4) The suspension could have taught the Harlem Globe Trotters a few things about dribbling.

This was clearly the low point in American automotive history - a period which brought us such stellar engineering examples as:

The Chevy Vega - 3 engines per car
The AMC Gremlin - "Where's the rest of your car, toots?"
And the PACER - aquarium on wheels.

But I never drove those, so I can't comment on them. Maybe you can?

------------------
'00 M5 http://www.bmwregistry.com/gregh/gregm5
'01 996 TT - http://996tt.com/greg
'00 A6 4.2 - doesn't deserve a web page

[This message has been edited by greg (edited 20 January 2001).]

20th January 2001, 07:31	#1 (permalink)
greg M5 Expert (>4000) Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Geyserville, CA, USA Posts: 5,251 Thanks: 1 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts	What's the worst car you ever drove? OK. Lots of heavy discussions lately. But here's one we can have some fun with. Rule #1 - you must have first-hand experience with the car in question. Rule #2 - there is no rule number 2. OK - I'll go first. (surprise....) And the winner is: 197X Ford Pinto Doesn't it amaze you that Ford produced these cars by the gazillions, and yet you have to look long and hard, no, you have to HUNT to find a single one left on the road? These cars were such pieces of crap that they all apparently just disintegrated into a pile of rust and rubble, sometime back in the eighties. I have two older sisters. They each got a Ford Pinto when they turned 18. My father's company had a sweet leasing deal with Hertz, so you could have any bottom-of-the-line car you wanted, as long as it was a Ford, which of course narrowed the choice to one car. It took me a great deal of negotiating, scheming, planning and research to avoid the same fate when I turned 18 - I ended up with a Ford Fiesta S, of which I have very fond memories - but that is another story. In any case, before these cars we shared a '63 bug which became mine after the sisters got their cars and before I got the Fiesta - but occasionally I had the misfortune to be stuck with one of the Pintos. My memories can be summed up in 4 statements: 1) The "exhaust note" sounded like the plaintive groan of a very sick cow. When you stepped on the gas, nothing happened - the groan just got louder. 2) The brakes literally shook the car to a halt (and none too quick, either.) 3) Steering felt like winding up a spring. Don't let go of the thin rimmed plastic steering wheel, or it would unwind so fast you could lose a finger. Of course, that was the INPUT. On the output side, it was (to quote Tiff N) "understeer, understeer, understeer." But in the case of the Pinto, you could induce it at 15mph. 4) The suspension could have taught the Harlem Globe Trotters a few things about dribbling. This was clearly the low point in American automotive history - a period which brought us such stellar engineering examples as: The Chevy Vega - 3 engines per car The AMC Gremlin - "Where's the rest of your car, toots?" And the PACER - aquarium on wheels. But I never drove those, so I can't comment on them. Maybe you can? ------------------ '00 M5 http://www.bmwregistry.com/gregh/gregm5 '01 996 TT - http://996tt.com/greg '00 A6 4.2 - doesn't deserve a web page [This message has been edited by greg (edited 20 January 2001).]