1979: Behind the Scenes at the Big 3

autoplaybook said:

This was awesome! And vehicle quality certainly has improved since the bad old days. Map pockets coming apart on a $17k Cadillac? Awful.

And better quality in a subcompact AMC at half the price? AMC's cars weren't nearly as bad as everyone remembers. However, his city a/c mileage with the Spirit 6cyl was awful. Way worse than I ever got in my similar Gremlin with the same engine (18mpg).

Click to expand...

Citation84 said:

AMC's cars were as bad as people remember. Hence the "Buyer Protection Plan" introduced in 1972. Even Motor Trend commented on the poor workmanship of their Javelin and SC 360. My parents owned two: a 71 AMC Gremlin and a 72 Ambassador Brougham. The Gremlin had paint drips, rust begining to form around the corners of the "hatch" [glass framed window with one strut as opposed to two the year before], seat frame hardware chewing a hole through the upholstery and floorboards that filled with water during a rainy trip to PA. The folding rear seat back squeaked from the first day. The door fit was atrocious.

The first Gremlin we test drove in 1970 was leaking water around the rear windows.

Motor Trend's answer to the question AMC ads posed at the time "If You Had To Compete With GM Ford and Chrysler, What Would You Do? " was: "Kick some ass on the assembly line and get them to finish their jobs."

Car and Driver made similar comments on the then new 78 Concord.

The Ambassador had wind-lacing you could poke a finger through at the corners of the doors, misaligned [and Gremlin quality] plastic on the dashboard, rust bubbling under the vinyl top after two years, suspension bushing out before 50,000 miles and a transmission that wouldn't shift out of second driving home from the dealer. It also used the same cheap braided chain the Gremlin used to secure the glove box door. My Dad said: "If this is the best car AMC builds, I'll never buy another one."

In addition I would haunt the two AMC dealer lots just to look at the cars and the sloppy work was evident there as well: poor door fit paint drips, rust and detached dash trim laying on the front floors.

AMC's well known reputation for quality started disappearing around 1967 when they started trying to chase GM Ford and Chrysler into every market without enough money to really compete in those markets. Non-synchro first gears and vacuum wipers into the 70S? Cost cutting measures that were comical even then ? This was supposed to provide an alternative to the then Big Three? Motor trend [again] called the 68 Rebel "Amc's bread and butter car, though thinly sliced and lightly spread".

But to this day, I'd still like to have one or both in my driveway.I loved them. On paper they were pretty good cars. In reality they were way back of the pack.

Click to expand...