If The Chevrolet Vega Could Talk - "People remember me either with love or hate but I'm remembered!"

If the Chevy Vega could talk it would say,"Tell GM to put four steel sleeves in my engine." Then the entire history of the Vega would have been different.

Vega is a good looking car. Too bad they weren't built better.

IN 1977 my father bought a 1973 Vega with the 4 speed manual for $75.00 in a auction. He gave it to me a young airman in the Air Force. It made it ten miles for me and the shift linkage bound up. I get under the car and free up the shift linkage and return the car to my father and went to the local Plymouth dealer and bought a used 1974 Plymouth Duster. I then repaired the Vega and it was used by father for the next 3 years as a bomb around car. You never followed that car very close as it would literally drop bits and pieces of rust decayed parts on the road behind. After about three years the car started to be a automatic mosquito fogger as it was going through a quart of oil every 50 miles and my father took the car to junkyard.

I had a green 72 Kammback. I loved that car. Always started after sitting a week in sub zero weather in Burlinton VT. UVM student. I drove it straight through to Ft. Lauderdale FL and back. It ran fine, but...19 quarts of oil used. Every 150 miles it needed a quart. It got 28 mpg. I never had an issue with the stick shift. GM fixed it on warranty, and then 1,000 miles/quart. Acceptable.

I purchased a 74 hatchback in June of 74. It had A/C and a 4 speed. The A/c worked great at night but couldn't keep up with the glass area and sun. I had the car for 18 months and traded it for a special order 76 Nova SS. The main reason for getting rid of it was it was like a 2 cycle outboard. Every time you filled the gas you had to add oil!

I loved my first little car, A second hand 1972 Vega hatchback! I was in high school and worked part time. What made it even better was a small block Buick (232, 238?) 6 cylinder dropped in and boy did it scream! I could finally start from a stop without turning the air conditioning off.💖

My uncle, a GM employee and super long GM car owner , had a wagon that was using a quart of oil in under 100 miles. He asked me what my thoughts were. I said a Pinto - which he then bought. The Vega was one of the few quick rust out cars where engine failure happened earlier.

My best friend bought a 72 Vega in 75. He then dropped a Chevy 283 in it, added a Holley and a bigger rad, and kept it as a sleeper. The only way you could tell it wasn't stock was the dual exhausts. There were a lot of shocked Mustang and Camaro drivers when that little Vega blew their doors off.

My grandfather had a wagon in the late 70's, he gave it to my father in the early 80's. His mechanic suggested he get ride of it.

My dad had a Vega wagon with V8 power back in the day. I was just a wee lad, but recall he really liked that car. The red Vega wagon you featured is a badass ride!

My Grandma drove a 1973 Vega hatchback. I remember the road trips in that car going to visit her mother for long weekends. I miss the 70's.

My parents bought a 76 GT wagon. It was a 4 spd with A/C and it was in the family for 22 years and 170k miles. When it was new it was Ziebarted and my parents kept up with inspections and touched up paint chips and scratches. They were meticulous about mechanical maintenance. When the car was finally totaled after it was rear ended it the only rust was a quarter sized spot in the doglegs and the engine only used a 1/4 between changes.

Years back a friend and I spent three months in a Vega going across country. We started in LA up the coast to San Francisco then to the Redwood Forest to Oregon Caves. Then thru Spokane WA to Idaho then north thru Eastport to Canada. East along Tran-Can to Maine, south thru Salem--Bosten--NYC--Phila--Washington--Skyline Dr to Blue Ridge Route--Alanta GA "Stone Mountain"--Jackson and St Augustine Fl. Then to Disneyworld to Miami and Key-West. Back north to Tallahassee "Florida Caves" to Mobile AL "USS Alamba"--New Orleans--to Houston then San Antonio. Then on to Carlsbad Caverns "great place"--El Paso--Grand Canyon--Hoover Dam--Vegas then HOME. All in a Vega with no problems... Amazing

I had two. A 71 & 74. I wrecked the first one and bought a 74GT version. That car had engine trouble at about 60k miles, loosing compression and requiring a rebuild using steel sleeves. Basically a good car by 1970's standards.

Always liked the style of the Kammback, what a great idea at the right time. Too bad the early engines were so problematic, if only they could have straightened them out sooner. “Fill it with oil and check the gas” was kind of like our running joke about them back then.

I had one back then, never any issues or whatsoever! Sure wish they made cars like them now! Sure wish that I still had it! Was a great car!!!

A very close friend of mine today had a Vega in high school. He and I spent many hours bombing around town. Great memories! Great feature guys!

Had a 72 Vega, got rear ended once by a little foreign sports car. That car’s front end was accordioned so bad the fenders locked the front wheels and we couldn’t push it off the road. My Vega? Dented the rear bumper so mildly I didn’t even accept his insurance’s offer to repair it.

Had 2 '73 GT'S . 1 hatchback, 1 wagon. They were so easy to care for and fun to drive. Bith were 4 speeds. I also owned, and still have a '73 Camaro Z-28. The interiors of the fastback and the Z-28 were identical rught down to the instrument cluster! I believe someone at Chevrolet even called them "narrow Camaros". I loved those cars si much. I cannot relate to all the negative remarks and press. They were masterfully styled and beautiful. I wish I could own another one. A friend of mine put an Olds aluminum v8 in one! Fantastic conversion. Sounded like and ran like a Ferrarri! I miss mine so much.

I am 43 now, but as a child growing up in the ealy 80's I remember my father turning his vega into a dragster. He finished it.. and it was cherry.. then sold it for an 1986 ford aero star.. haha! Family life.