What year or years do you think produced the best cars? An overall combination of reliability, style, build quality, performance, and driver satisfaction.

My vote goes to 1950. They didn't just build cars, they made them. Every nut an bolt oozed style and beauty. I'm only 20 years old but every time I see a car from that period it gives me a warm and happy feeling. Perhaps it's because they harken back to the time of American optimism. A time when everything seemed possible. When people held family values and honor in a place of high esteem. I wish I could have lived back then...

I think that it would be easier to pick the best decade, but if I had to pick a year I think I would go with 1963.

I'm 16, and the lack of personality in modern day cars is appalling to me. I would have to go with the 80s, I'm so in love with the F-bodies and Fieros and Corvettes, they all look so nice and full of character.

1970 THE PEAK OF THE MUSSEL CARS

Maybe not the best decade, but I really like the economy cars from the 1970's.

If I had to choose a year, it would be 1990. You had (reasonably) well built economy cars, the 3000GT, good trucks, sports cars, etc.

[This message has been edited by Dburger (edited 08-20-2013).]

quote Originally posted by ray b: 1970 THE PEAK OF THE MUSSEL CARS

quote Originally posted by RilesOfSmiles: What year or years do you think produced the best cars? An overall combination of reliability, style, build quality, performance, and driver satisfaction. My vote goes to 1950. They didn't just build cars, they made them. Every nut an bolt oozed style and beauty. I'm only 20 years old but every time I see a car from that period it gives me a warm and happy feeling. Perhaps it's because they harken back to the time of American optimism. A time when everything seemed possible. When people held family values and honor in a place of high esteem. I wish I could have lived back then...

I'll start off with the fact that late 40's early 50's is my favorite era of cars too, but are they the best era? Not a chance. Build quality was horrible, as well as reliability and longevity. Many cars would break down within a year or two of being new. Not to mention tons of cars leaked and creaked and cracked right out of the factory.

But they sure did look cool. They had the art and design aspect down, which is what most people see and remember.

If we are talking the best reliability, longevity, build quality and power, today's cars are impossible to beat. The cars are lasting longer, running better, and are more efficient than ever before. Cars are safer than cars made even 5 years ago, and we are getting more power out of modern engines than even the big block muscle cars from the 60's.

[This message has been edited by BlackEmrald (edited 08-20-2013).]

1920s class
1949-1959 post war ideas
1960s power
2010- computers sorted out, resurgence in economy, field more equal (Asia, Europe, US)

I think 1970 was also the last year of when things were great. After that the emissions regulations started to strangle everything and cars became the size of North Dakota. Once great automotive namplates all had "brougham" carelessly slapped on every slab sided body panel and with that began a decade that spawned endless examples of tasteless mediocrity. Yuck.

Hey, every decade has its good points. Some of those mid-70's land yachts ride a cloud

quote Originally posted by BlackEmrald: I'll start off with the fact that late 40's early 50's is my favorite era of cars too, but are they the best era? Not a chance. Build quality was horrible, as well as reliability and longevity. Many cars would break down within a year or two of being new. Not to mention tons of cars leaked and creaked and cracked right out of the factory. But they sure did look cool. They had the art and design aspect down, which is what most people see and remember. If we are talking the best reliability, longevity, build quality and power, today's cars are impossible to beat. The cars are lasting longer, running better, and are more efficient than ever before. Cars are safer than cars made even 5 years ago, and we are getting more power out of modern engines than even the big block muscle cars from the 60's.

New cars are best by far and more even in quality. They require far less maintenance and last longer.

The cars from 57-60 were nice styles. The early 50s had corrosions issues. The early 61-63 made some ugly cars, but the muscle cars of the mid 60s t0 70s were great. The current cars seem to be quite reliable but have no style thay all look the same. Now todays cars have all sorts of gizmos on them and I'm not crazy about them.

Overall, 1988. That year, you could buy any of the following:

Pontiac Fiero
Pontiac Trans Am
Toyota MR2 Supercharged
Toyota Supra Turbo
Toyota Celica All-Trac
Porsche 959
Porsche 911 Turbo
Ferrari F40

I know there are others I'm missing, but I'm tired and those are the ones that immediately come to mind.

1955, since I had to pick just 1.

This is just my own personal opinion but I'm saying 1992. The reason I say that year is because of 3 cars from my high school years. I had a 92 Z24 Cavalier AND a 92 GTZ Beretta in high school (not at the same time of course). Just so happened my best friend had a 92 Z34 Lumina. All three were great cars...no so sure about the reliability but they were cheap and economical fun in the late 90's/early 2000's for us.

quote Originally posted by RWDPLZ: Overall, 1988. That year, you could buy any of the following: Pontiac Fiero Pontiac Trans Am Toyota MR2 Supercharged Toyota Supra Turbo Toyota Celica All-Trac Porsche 959 Porsche 911 Turbo Ferrari F40 I know there are others I'm missing, but I'm tired and those are the ones that immediately come to mind.

Ford Taurus the one with the 60 K plus one mile transmission that I bought.

But I do still have an 88 Fiero.

I grew up in the fifties and I used to know the year and model of every car on the road. Now I see mostly only generic looking cars out there. The styling is all that I miss though. Everything else is far better now, and we still get some great styles.

I can't really pick a specific year because my favorites aren't all available in the same model year. I could pick a decade, of which it would be the 90's. The VW Corrado, 1st and 2nd gen Eclipse, mini trucks were still mini. The vehicles were getting more refined but weren't overly burdened with all these computer controlled systems like drive by wire that we have nowadays. Sure we went from OBD1 to OBD2, but cars were cleaner on the emissions end and 4 cylinder engines were really advancing power wise such as the 210 HP turbo charged engine in the Eclipse. The 90's had both the 1st and 2nd gen Ford Taurus SHO with the Yamaha designed heads and intake on the V6. Saturn burst onto the scene with their "plastic bodied" cars, a new kind of car a new kind of car company. Really there was just a lot of vehicles in the 90's that I liked but I don't think they were all available in the same "year".

Here are some of the reasons for my year choice:
http://www.macsmotorcitygar...year-in-cars-1955-2/
watch the slideshow.

1986 because by then many cars had what I call the modern era, which is Electronic Engine Management, Fuel Injection, and a 5 speed overdrive trans.

quote Originally posted by maryjane: Here are some of the reasons for my year choice: http://www.macsmotorcitygar...year-in-cars-1955-2/ watch the slideshow.

I remember staring at a new red and white 55 Chevy in the showroom at a dealership.
That was the prettiest car I'd ever seen at the time.

[This message has been edited by spark1 (edited 08-21-2013).]

I cant choose a year but I can choose a couple periods.

48 to 58 for the oldies and 67 to 71

I guess all attributed to style.


But no **** right now today as far as upper end cars go what they lack in original style they really make up for in ride and drive.

quote Originally posted by maryjane: 1955, since I had to pick just 1.

I might expand it to 55 thru 57

[This message has been edited by 2farnorth (edited 08-21-2013).]

Modern day cars are no doubt better on quality, reliability, safety, fuel economy and performance, (comparing apples to apples of course). But the styling of the mid 50's to the (very) early 70's is where it's at for me. If GM could just take the stylings of yesteryear and use the underpinnings from today's cars, I'd be the first in line.

quote Originally posted by spark1: I remember staring at a new red and white 55 Chevy in the showroom at a dealership. That was the prettiest car I'd ever seen at the time.

My father did the same thing. Then he went to the bank and cleared out his bank account to buy that red and white 55 Chevy. My first car was a 57 Chevy. My 2nd was a 61 T-bird. My 3rd car was a 65 Chevy Impala. I loved the 65 the most of all the cars I owned. Reliable, easy to fix, and some nice styling.

quote Originally posted by ray b: 1970 THE PEAK OF THE MUSSEL CARS

Me too.

quote Originally posted by RWDPLZ: Overall, 1988. That year, you could buy any of the following: Pontiac Fiero Pontiac Trans Am Toyota MR2 Supercharged Toyota Supra Turbo Toyota Celica All-Trac Porsche 959 Porsche 911 Turbo Ferrari F40 I know there are others I'm missing, but I'm tired and those are the ones that immediately come to mind.

Yeah. Cars were still light enough that you didn't need 500 horsepower to have a decently quick car (not that I'm against safety, just that it works opposite of the goals of performance and MPG).

The '80s also had Gruppe B racing - some of the most wicked cars ever made, IMHO, for that series. Lancia Delta S4, for example: Very light weight, 'Officially' the horsepower was 480, but Lancia had them around 600. 1.8 litre engine. 0-100km/h around 2.3 seconds ON GRAVEL. Faster than a Bugatti Veyron to 100km/h.

WRC is for the boys. Gruppe B was for men.

[This message has been edited by dsnover (edited 08-21-2013).]

For American cars I would say 1955 to 1959. They oozed style and sex appeal and represented a prosperous time.

1967 first year for the Firebird.

Steve

------------------
Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't



Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: 1967 first year for the Firebird. Steve

pic courteous google images

quote Originally posted by RilesOfSmiles: What year or years do you think produced the best cars? An overall combination of reliability, style, build quality, performance, and driver satisfaction. My vote goes to 1950. They didn't just build cars, they made them. Every nut an bolt oozed style and beauty. I'm only 20 years old but every time I see a car from that period it gives me a warm and happy feeling. Perhaps it's because they harken back to the time of American optimism. A time when everything seemed possible. When people held family values and honor in a place of high esteem. I wish I could have lived back then...

I would be hard pressed to argue any era other than the present as being the best years for cars, when combining all of the above qualities. With the technology and drivetrains available now, and how far even common cars have pushed performance, ride, and handling envelopes combined with longer lasting and more durable mechanical components... it seems an easy choice.

I personally love older and classic cars too.

quote Originally posted by RilesOfSmiles: What year or years do you think produced the best cars? An overall combination of reliability, style, build quality, performance, and driver satisfaction. My vote goes to 1950. They didn't just build cars, they made them. Every nut an bolt oozed style and beauty. I'm only 20 years old but every time I see a car from that period it gives me a warm and happy feeling. Perhaps it's because they harken back to the time of American optimism. A time when everything seemed possible. When people held family values and honor in a place of high esteem. I wish I could have lived back then...

You never had to set valves/adjust lifters or blow a head gasket on a flathead 6 or 8 did ya? Work on them, better have a good set of adjustable reamers to make the cam bushings, king pin, and piston pin bushings fit, and different thickness shim stock to make the main and connecting bearings fit right. I love the old flatheads, but man they were a pita. Thin castings in the block caused frequent overheating, and lubricants of the day sludged badly, and it all ended up down in the gallery where you adjusted the valves.
Pulling a rear axle from a DeSoto or Chrysler involved a big puller that wedged against the leaf spring brackets with a hydraulic porta power jack to provide the "ooph" to dislodge the bearings from the axle housing.
(yeah, I'm old)

quote Originally posted by Fformula88: I would be hard pressed to argue any era other than the present as being the best years for cars, when combining all of the above qualities. With the technology and drivetrains available now, and how far even common cars have pushed performance, ride, and handling envelopes combined with longer lasting and more durable mechanical components... it seems an easy choice. I personally love older and classic cars too.

Yeah best (for its time) would maybe make a difference.

But it also depends on if you like traction control, automatic things that turn themselves on, anti lock brakes, computers running everyhting, non-servicable joints, etc. Stuff that some consider good things and some dont.

quote Originally posted by fastblack: pic courteous google images

the red one in the back looks like mine was, hood tach and all

here you go and why I say it was the Best year



400 CI 365 HP out the show room door, my first real fast car. ain't she perty.


Steve

------------------
Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't



Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 08-21-2013).]

next year.
as in tomorrow never comes.

while I would says cars are always getting better - there have been some backwards years. like the late 70s & early 80's

quote Originally posted by Pyrthian: next year. as in tomorrow never comes. while I would says cars are always getting better - there have been some backwards years. like the late 70s & early 80's

What would you say caused those backwards years?

quote Originally posted by 2.5: What would you say caused those backwards years?

stagnating. not taking seriously the foreign competition.

1966 was a favorite of mine.

I think I'll also say 90's as an alternative. It was the decade when they figured out how to make cars fast but hadn't yet loaded them up with 837,492 metric tons of junk

69