mosher (04/22/83)
With all this talk about muscle cars I have to provide the following comparison of two of my cars, a 1978 Ford Fiesta and a 1969 Z28 Camaro. The Fiesta does everything better than the Camaro except accelerate. The gear ratios are so wide in the Fiesta and so close in the Camaro that the first shift in the Camaro gives the driver the impression that first and second gear have the same ratios. The Camaro steering is loose and very imprecise, the body is also loose, the suspension is stiff but still somewhat slow to react to changes. The gas mileage is about 20 to 22 Canadian on the open road and not worth thinking about around town. The stock Z28 came without power stering because the engine did not have enough low RPM torque to run a power steering pump. I can remember going into a turn a bit faster than normal and realizing that I did not have the strength to turn the wheel any tighter even if required. It would corner well once set in a corner and the road was smooth. For all its bad qualities the car has some magical power over people, rough idle, high rpm, looks, sound, who knows, all I know is that I like it, can sell it for way more than I paid and likely will do so within a year or so. Incidentally, the Fiesta will hold 8 foot 2x4 studs with all doors and window closed, the Camaro will not. Also, we can buy leaded premium gas at Chevron stations in the Vancouver area. They advertise it with a talking engine who is looking for the Champagne of gasoline. A very slick ad.