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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"The White House is running like a '72 Pinto."
Someone on the O'Donnell Show just said that right after talking about Trumps remark that his WH is "a fine tuned machine"
Made me laugh!
putitinD
(1,551 posts)adigal
(7,581 posts)I can't stand it. It is just insane.
NNadir
(33,516 posts)...great cars, but surely they were better at being cars than the Trump administration is as being an administration.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,683 posts)Maybe they ran OK, but they were really dangerous.
2naSalit
(86,586 posts)the rear because that's where the gas tank was. I drove several of them back in the day, crappy car but got me from point a to point b, I didn't need heat because I was in SoCal at the time. Maybe I'd have a different critique if I had one in the north east. This WH troupe runs worse than a dang YUGO, and those were really unfortunate little things.
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,326 posts)Mopar151
(9,983 posts)The problem was a filler neck that was too short, and came out of the tank in rear collisions. This was not the case with Pinto station wagons ( I had a '72), and the Ford recall fix worked, and was easy to verify (plate and Torx screws under the gas cap) The larger of the 2 engines was the 2-liter "Cologne" SOHC 4, which was anvil-tough, and the basis of several racing series (Ultimately, the mighty "Sierra"-Cosworth YBM, turbo'd to 400+ hp in World rally). The chassis was a good deal better than the GM offering (Vega, Monza, clones), the front end was the basis for thousands of race cars, street rods, and kit cars.
The real deathtrap of the era was the misbegotten Chevette (I was a GM dealer mechanic then), which had large, pointed bolts in the rear suspension aimed at the gas tank, and inches away. The recall fix was pretty hokey, too. The rest of the car? Opel leftovers and riding lawnmower parts.
NNadir
(33,516 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,683 posts)HassleCat
(6,409 posts)Bought it new when I was in the military. Horrible in ice and snow. After one winter, I traded it for a Bronco.
Dave Starsky
(5,914 posts)Never had a problem with it, and I ran that thing into the ground.
HassleCat
(6,409 posts)NBachers
(17,108 posts)He bought the Vega new, and it was a non-stop curse 'till it died.
However, I get the "burst into flames" reference.
HassleCat
(6,409 posts)It had an aluminum engine with a "siliconized block." The cylinders were supposed to be treated with some kind of silicone stuff to reduce friction and reduce wear. It didn't work. I think he got maybe 30k miles on it before it started to smoke and lose compression.
Mopar151
(9,983 posts)The whole Vega engine was a crapshow. Even the lovely Cosworth DOHC version suffered from the crappy Vega block. Structure of the front end was so shitty thet there were 2 recalls on it. First-years had to be pulled together with a come-along, and a brace welded in. On some of the later ones, a motor mount bracket would sag to the point it bound up the steering, at a full right turn! You have not seen an unhappy customer, 'til you've seen one for that recall! (Had to jack up the engine, and weld a reinforcing plate on the frame)
WePurrsevere
(24,259 posts)I lived in Schenectady. Going to my job was downhill so I could coast. First time I tried to go home up the then new Alt Route 7 hill with that car I literally had a bicyclist sip past me (and wave ) the darn car was crawling up the hill that friggin slow. The next day I start drove 20 minutes out of my way to avoid that hill and I still made it home faster.
I had wondered why on earth anyone would spray paint a car such a hideous bright fluorescent orange but I desperately needed a super cheap running car and the Vega ran and passed inspection so I shrugged it off... until that day when I learned why the bright orange made sense the embarrassing way.
OTOH I had 3 1970something Pinto wagons and absolutely LOVED them.
NBachers
(17,108 posts)Guilded Lilly
(5,591 posts)yortsed snacilbuper
(7,939 posts)the salesman said they had a hard time selling them, they did add some extra steel behind the tank though.
longship
(40,416 posts)Just in case of a rear ender.
My mother had a Pinto. It was a horrible vehicle!
we can do it
(12,184 posts)Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)I would take issue with the "running" part.
Elwood P Dowd
(11,443 posts)2naSalit
(86,586 posts)in that picture, it would have the whole team.
flamingdem
(39,313 posts)and it was barf green
It would run really well with the pedal all the way to the metal.
ProfessorGAC
(65,013 posts)I had the runabout so there was no hatch back. My cousin/brother had a Vega. My car lasted WAY longer than his did.
And, i'm surprised you say pedal to the metal. I did the math and proved my car could do 175 mph.
All i needed to do was drop it out of a plane.
Charles Bukowski
(1,132 posts)post-iceberg.
GoCubsGo
(32,081 posts)Grammy23
(5,810 posts)He drove it until the wheels almost came off. He Loved that car. I told him he should turn it into a planter for his back yard when it was worn out.
My assessment was tRump's administration is running like the old rattle trap driven by Jed Clampett.
moondust
(19,979 posts)I can't believe everybody in the press room didn't bust out laughing when TheRump said it was a "fine-tuned machine."
procon
(15,805 posts)He put an iced keg in the front trunk with a tap mounted in the dash. Jeebus... what we did in those days...
moondust
(19,979 posts)Whenever it decides to stop running it's...party time!!!!! (As long as it doesn't blow up and catch fire.)
2naSalit
(86,586 posts)was cannibalized and turned into a sand rail down in California. I'm sure there are a few still tooling about.
HassleCat
(6,409 posts)regnaD kciN
(26,044 posts)The stability issues with the early models has been designed out by the second generation, and the turbocharged Corsa models were known as "the poor man's Porsche." You still see them on the roads out here every so often.
Mopar151
(9,983 posts)The cars are beautifully turned out, and run great! There was a kit from Crown Mfg, to put a honkin' V-8 in the back seat!
kairos12
(12,859 posts)ThoughtCriminal
(14,047 posts)Ugly 27 HP junk. AND also owned by Vladimir Putin!
putitinD
(1,551 posts)gopiscrap
(23,758 posts)Phoenix61
(17,003 posts)It was an internal memo, the Pinto Memo, that ended up costing Ford millions in lawsuit payouts.
Motown_Johnny
(22,308 posts)Just a bunch of unnecessary parts moving wildly without ever finishing any objective and having no useful purpose.
Mopar151
(9,983 posts)An original piece of shit, sold through AMC dealers. They all had decals in the back window proclaiming them "Motor Trend Car of the Year!" (rumor had it the award was based on who paid the "Detroit Editors" yearly bar tab at the 4 Seasons)
Irony? They were generally found on the side of the road, decal proudly displayed, with flames shooting out from beneath the hood!!!