When I first told my parents I wanted a classic car they were very against my decision saying it would be expensive to maintain, always be broken down, and be a complete death trap. I bought one anyway and it’s only a complete deathtrap, ha look at me now dad.
In the winter of 2017 I brought home my 1966 Pontiac Catalina that I purchased for $4,000 and have since have had 13 months and 6,000 miles to evaluate it.
(Full Disclosure : I own the 1966 Pontiac Catalina in this review but will remain 100% truthful in my opinions both good and Bad)
For those unfamiliar the Pontiac Catalina it was essentially a slightly upscale version of the Chevy impala with a higher performance engine and more luxurious interior. It came in a coupe convertible
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wagon and sedan version. I bought the sedan as it cost less than any other model but still came with the big engine. The 4 door sedan weighs a not so spry 3700lbs and comes with the punchy Pontiac 389 cubic inch V8 engine under the hood paired with a 3 speed hydramatic automatic transmission. It's a big vehicle both in length and width with striking 60s styling that would turn heads whenever I was behind the wheel. Driving Experience : Driving the Catalina it transports you back in time, it fires up with a loud roar of the V8 and thats it theres no screens or anything else unnecessary.
The steering wheel is big and easy to turn making driving the large car more like captaining a ship. Everything about the car is big even the gas and brake pedals are bigger that your foot. Stepping on the gas nothing happens for a few seconds then once the transmission kicks down the car surges forward. The brakes require tremendous force to slow the car down from its charge. Everything is less precise than the cars of today but this makes for a more driving experience as there has to be purpose behind every …show more content…
action. Performance : The catalina not only sounds fast, through typical american roads the straight line speed is still impressive 52 years later especially with how slow the average car in 2018 is. Acceleration : Despite its age 360hp is still quite a bit and with a 0-60 of 5.5 seconds the Catalina is able to compete and win in highway pulls against many of today's cars though not as fast as modern muscle cars due to a lack of traction at its thin rear tires. Handling : Handling is terrible plain and simple, 1960s full size suspension just isn't great for anything but comfort. Taking turns fast is like driving a boat with tremendous body role that feels great over bumps thought it doesn't inspire confidence in the croners Driver Engagement : This is where the Catalina destroys modern cars the lack of any drivers aids or assists everything is in the hands of the driver allowing to take full advantage of every bit of power the car has and it makes for many fun slides and burnouts, just like any American car should be able to do. Practicality : I doubt most classic car owners drive their cars everyday or even every week, but they would be surprised about how well a 52 year old car can still work as a daily.
Throughout my 13 month ownership of the vehicle I have driven it daily as my primary vehicle without much difficulty.
Gas Mileage : this is one of the weaker categories for the Catalina with a whopping 8mpg. I would always end up at the end of the week dropping $50 on gas, about 4 times as much as the typical car owner.
Reliability : In the past 13 months I have spent less than $200 on maintenance and repairs only having to replace a 30 year old alternator and the basics fluid changes. Cars of this period are so mechanically simple that there's not that many parts to break and if anything does break its very affordable and easy to replace making them quite reliable. When the alternator went out I went to the autoparts store put down $80 and within 20 minutes of getting back it was installed. When my moms 2012 honda needed an alternator it was $500 and took me hours.
Utility : Being able to legally seat 8 people with comfort and ease and a trunk the size of a small pickup bed the Catalina works just as well as any suv for hauling people and stuff just with more style and
speed. Safety : Old cars are death traps, and the Catalina is no exception. In fact the only safety feature it has are the 4 lap belts which are not legally required in a pre 1971 vehicle so it's fine to not even Cost : At only $4000 plus cheap running costs the Catalina presents a tremendous value in the automotive world. It is able to fill the roles of a cruiser, hauler, performance car, and classic daily I don’t think it's possible to get much more for the money. Verdict : My 13 months of ownership with the 1966 Pontiac Catalina have for the most part has been a very positive experience. I would recommend a Catalina or similar vehicle as a very fun daily driver, though primarily to an enthusiast. The lack of feature fuel economy and safety would present major concerns for the average car buyer. The typical person wants something a little more modern safe and easier to drive. A gearhead would
The simple car that was easy to fix with some simple tools have now become as complex as a supercomputer on wheels. Most people today have decided that automobiles of today are too complicated and just send their cars to a professional for repairs. As of January 2013, the average age of a vehicle operating on the roads today is 11.4 years old. (Associated Press, 2013). People are holding on to their cars a lot longer than in the past. Although, some claim that it is because today’s cars last longer. There is no doubt that today’s economy is also playing a part in the public’s reluctance to part with their older vehicles. However, cars will always need repairs.
years. It went from a step up from an average car to what it is now, a full
Entering the 1950s, no corporation even came close to General Motors in its size, or it's profits. GM was twice as big as the second biggest company in the world, Standard Oil of New Jersey (father of today's Exxon Mobil), and had a vast diversity of businesses ranging from home appliances to providing insurance and building Buicks, Cadillacs, Chevys, GMCs, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs and trains. It was so big that it made more than half the cars sold in the United States and the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust division was threatening to break it up(to prevent Monopolies, Like how Standard oil was broken up). In the 21st century, it's almost hard to imagine how powerful GM was in the 50s and 60s. Sports cars from Europe were getting popular, because of servicemen coming back from WWII, and wanted sports cars, but American Automakers didn't make sports cars, so they would either buy foreign, or go without. A man named McLean would still try to make a low priced sports car. But it didn't work. The idea of a car coming from GM that could compete with Jaguar, MG or Triumph was pretty much considered stupid and insane. C1:Generation: Bad but valuable. Just 300 Corvettes were made in 1953. Each of these first-year Corvettes was a white roadster with red interior. The Corvette was made of fiberglass for light weight, but the first cars were made with a really weak, (and kind of pathetic for a “sports car”) 150 horsepower 6-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission. The result was more of a look at me, I’m rich car than a race car. The first generation of the Corvette was introduced late in 1953. It was originally designed as a show car for GM's traveling car show, Motorama, the Corvette was a Show Car for the 1953 Motorama display...
In 1960, the American car landscape itself had expanded as Detroit began offering “compacts” alongside their full-size models. Many drivers, however, were looking for something in between these full size and compact model; this interest gave way to a new class, the intermediate. With many innovations between 1960 and 1964, like the 406 cubic inch V8 from Ford, the 389 from General Motors, and the wedge V8s from Chrysler, the golden age of muscle cars began in 1964. The Pontiac Tempest G...
Entering the 1950s, no corporation even came close to General Motors in its size, or it's profits. GM was twice as big as the second biggest company in the world, Standard Oil of New Jersey (father of today's ExxonMobil), and had a vast diversity of businesses ranging from home appliances to providing insurance and building Buicks, Cadillacs, Chevys, GMCs, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs and trains. It was so big that it made more than half the cars sold in the United States and the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust division was threatening to break it up(to prevent Monopolies, Like how Standard oil was broken up). In the 21st century, it's almost hard to imagine how powerful GM was in the 50s and 60s.Sports cars from Europe were getting popular, because of servicemen coming back from WWII, and wanted sports cars, but American Automakers didn't make sports cars, so they would either buy foreign, or go without. A man named McLean would still try to make a low priced sports car. But it didn't work. The idea of a car coming from GM that could compete with Jaguar, MG or Triumph was pretty much considered stupid and insane. C1:Generation: Bad but valuable. Just 300 Corvettes were made in 1953. Each of these first-year Corvettes was a white roadster with red interior. The Corvette was made of fiberglass for light weight, but the first cars were made with a really weak, (and kind of pathetic for a “sports car”) 150 horsepower 6-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission. The result was more of a look at me, I’m rich car than a race car. The first generation of the Corvette was introduced late in 1953. It was originally designed as a show car for GM's traveling car show, Motorama, the Corvette was a Show Car for the 1953 Motorama display at...
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...ltima, 2011 model, I bought it in second hand, its condition is good but got problem with axle because of which it make sounds in turnings, as it is not for long drives, it makes daily activities get done without fail. Because of axle problem there may be problem in long run. As of now it is working good.
This very affordable car also has a reputation for reliability. A reliable car is beyond doubt what a stressed out college student needs.
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