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From: rdz@ccice6.UUCP (Robert D. Zarcone)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Vegas
Message-ID: <406@ccice6.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 13-Jan-86 12:38:28 EST
Article-I.D.: ccice6.406
Posted: Mon Jan 13 12:38:28 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Jan-86 04:59:52 EST
References: <495@imsvax.UUCP>
Organization: CCI Central Engineering, Rochester, NY
Lines: 33
Summary: Ask the guy who owned one

In article <495@imsvax.UUCP>, ted@imsvax.UUCP (Ted Holden) writes:
> The Vega should not be in contention for worst car in this new best/worst
> thing.  Remember, the Vega came out at a time at which Detroit honestly
> believed it could not make money on small cars and was seeking ways to
> keep small cars OUT of America.  I honestly believe the Vega was a 
> deliberate effort on their part in this direction, the feeling at GM
> having been that anyone who ever owned a Vega would never want to own 
> another small car again as long as they lived.  As such, it cannot be
> viewed as a failure, but as a stunning success, too much of a success
> in fact;  Detroit is now making DECENT small cars, but nobody believes
> them.  All those former Vega owners are determined never to own another
> AMERICAN-MADE small car again, as long as they live.  Justice, maybe?

Having worked for a Chevrolet dealership, and having owned a 1975 Vega
for 5 years, I have to disagree.  Chevy was scrambling to keep small
FOREIGN cars out of America, as was Ford.  They knew they had missed a
whole market segment and were playing catch-up.  The MAIN problem with
the Vega (and there WERE problems!) was that they tried to bill it as
a little Impala and a Corrolla at the same time.  Neither Impala buyers
or Corrolla buyers were satisfied because they saw the car as the
oposite of what they had wanted.

As far as owning one, I guess I would rate mine (GT hatchback) a grade
of C.  It did some things well, others it didn't.  It was the smallest
car I ever owned and I have not gone back to the "sub-compact" catagory
in the two cars since then because of personal preference.

BTW, the car could take a hit!  I had two accidents with mine.  In one
I took out the rear quarter pannel of a Chevelle with the loss of my
rubber bumper strip being my only damage.  In the other, an El Camino
rear-ended me.  He lost his bupmer, grille, one headlight, and buckled
his hood and front fender.  I lost one tail light and had the bumper
thrown SLIGHTLY off kilter.