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From: bellas@ttidcb.UUCP (Pete Bellas)
Newsgroups: net.auto,net.auto.tech
Subject: Re: buying used car
Message-ID: <606@ttidcb.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 3-Jan-86 11:43:11 EST
Article-I.D.: ttidcb.606
Posted: Fri Jan  3 11:43:11 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 5-Jan-86 01:35:22 EST
References: <1079@cvl.UUCP> <2101@phri.UUCP>
Reply-To: bellas@ttidcb.UUCP (Pete Bellas)
Organization: TTI, Santa Monica, CA.
Lines: 36
Xref: watmath net.auto:8962 net.auto.tech:545

Distribution:
Organization: Transaction Technology, Inc. (CitiCorp), Santa Monica

In article <2101@phri.UUCP> fritz@phri.UUCP (Dave Fritzinger) writes:
>>
>>    I'm planning on buying a used car in the $1500 range.  I'd like to get
>> something with a little power (i.e. 0-60 in under 10 seconds) that handles
>> half decently.  People have suggested late '60's and early '70's muscle
>> cars to me.
>>                              - Eli Liang
>
>If you want something that handles half decently, I would avoid muscle cars
>like the plague.  They usually tend to have the biggest (read very HEAVY)
>engine that can be stuffed into a small or mid-sized car body.  The result
>of this is a car that is very fast in a straight line, but one that under-
>steers very badly, meaning that driving around corners just isn't a whole
>heck of a lot of fun.  Breaking systems also tend to be rather dubious, since
>these cars are heavy, with break technology from the sixties.  All in all,
>they are cars that I would avoid unless you live in an area where there are
>no curves and no need to stop :-).

While there were a lot of muscle cars that did not handle well, there were
also a lot that did handle decently.  Small block Mustangs and Camaros are
fast and handle quite well (the early Shelbys are still used in autocross,
and slalom racing, that takes handling).  I still have my 70 Mustang, with
a small block, and it will not only out accelerate 75% of what people call
sports cars these days, it will out handle them too!

>BTW, these are my opinions only.  If anyone has any flames, please send them
>elsewhere, rather than tying up the net.

Do not interpret this as a flame (note: no capitalized words :-), I just
wanted to set the record straight.

                -Pete-