This is a joint post by Steve and me, for which he is providing more technical details - since he is a car person and I am definitely not. One reason is that cars are less significant when living in a large city like Philadelphia, also the only vehicle I remember growing up is the Volkswagen bus (correctly called a "microbus"). Old Swedes Church provided a vehicle that was used for both church and our family transportation. I don't know all the reasons why, but this ended up being 3 buses during the 1970's into the early 80's. I don't find them attractive, probably since I spent TOO much time suffering in them. But Steve (who rode in one a few times while working at a summer camp) kind of likes them, since they were functional, innovative and relatively fuel efficient. There was no radiator to overheat, instead the engine was air-cooled. In practical terms, power was being generated by a souped-up lawn tractor motor. Below are pictures of VW buses in the 2 colors I remember we had.
A VW microbus will get you from point A to point B, but here's a litany of complaints. As Steve points out, it's designed with a down-sloping front end so there was minimal protection for the driver or front passenger in an accident. (Airbags did not become standard equipment until the 1990's.) In addition, the steering wheel was sort of like a large serving tray. In a head-on crash, the driver's ribs and knees could be crushed. Luckily we had no accidents of note. Typical of cars in the 1970's, there was no "power" anything including steering. Manual steering is the earliest steering technology and it requires force to turn the wheel. This was physically difficult at low speeds - like when parking or pulling out. Driving on the highway, the bus acted like a sailboat on windy days. This model had a nasty tendency to develop gas tank leaks, so when this happened the people in the back seat were nauseus from fumes on longer trips.... of course, the older kids (Aunt Julie and me) were stuck there. Seats were uncomfortable, and the panoramic windows barely opened. There was no cooling in the summer, minimal heat in the winter and the power on hills was attrocious. During camping vacations when Grandad drove up Red Rock mountain to Ricketts Glen park, we went about 25 miles per hour with other traffic crawling along behind us. Quite humiliating, I wanted to scooch down so no one could see me.
Steve also has pretty specific memories of 1970's vehicles..... which he began acquiring sometime in his high school years. Per Steve, here are the many '70's vintage cars that he owned - in order.
- 1974 Plymouth Duster, 2 door. I owned this with my brother Rich. It was pea green, but one of the front fenders was rusted out so we replaced it with a used part...that happened to be orange. It literally looked like an Irish flag. It was practically option-less, not even having carpeting (it had a giant rubber mat instead). I eventually handed over my interest in the car to my brother. I think about a year later the engine blew.
- 1974 Plymouth Fury III, 4 door sedan. This was probably my favorite car, ever. 360 cubic inch engine. Very fast and very comfortable. It was tan with dark brown vinyl tap. I ended up totaling it while driving on route 307 during a snowstorm (I was picking up my mother from where she worked).
- 1970 Buick LeSabre, 4 door sedan. It was black and bore a striking resemblance to the batmobile. I sold it after about a year or two.
- 1974 Chrysler Newport Custom, 4 door sedan. This was the car I took away to college for my junior and senior years. It was enormous. How big? Well, I've stayed in hotel rooms with less interior space. 440 cubic inch engine got about 10 miles to the gallon city. I didn't drive down the road in it...I floated down the road. The transmission eventually went bad...and this is the gospel truth...while driving home for the last time from college. Talk about loyalty!
- 1978 Chrysler LeBaron, 4 door sedan. This was a great car, but it had one flaw: Whenever it rained the floor behind the driver’s seat would flood. I kid you not. I checked and it wasn't rotting under there, and the window seal was good, so who knows where the water came from. The car was totaled in York PA while I was driving back from work by a guy who ran a stop sign.
- 1980 Dodge Colt, 2 door. This was a great car, and I put a ton of miles on it. I had this car while I worked for Bon Ton, buying it with the insurance money from the LeBaron wreck. Traveling between the Bon Ton in Carlisle and Perry County I went through something like four sets of front brakes. The transmission eventually died at about 160,000 miles or so in mid-1989 as I was just starting to work for Prudential in Florham Park, NJ.
- 1974 Mercury Comet, 4 door sedan. The worst car I have ever owned, hands down. I was given this car by my brother Chris, as I needed something to drive (the Colt had died) while in NJ and I couldn't afford another car. This was a wretched piece of crap that wasn't worth the "free" price I paid for it. The steering was bad. It leaked exhaust gas into the cabin. It creaked like an 85-year-old man as it drove down the road. One day I drove it to the junk yard and said, "here, just take it".
