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I lived through the "Fuel crisis of 1973 or 1974",
which ever it was. I lived in Grand Rapids Michigan at the time. I
drove a 73 Chevy Impala, with a 350 that delivered about 15 MPG, a significant
improvement over the 71 Chevy Bel Air 6 cyl which, on the few good days it
had , where it actually ran on all 6 holes, got 10. I was a road warrior,
driving about 50,000 miles a year. I do not recall ever waiting inline,
having to limit my fills, or any even- odd fill days. I do
remember being able to buy the car when the company was done with it for
$700, but the car stickered for $3,500 new. After 2 years, the trade
value had dropped to about $1,500, then you deducted for 5 years miles, $700 was
about all the Chevy dealer would give you for it anyhow. Other than
Cadillacs, luxury cars didn't hold their value at all. I bought a
1966 Olds 98 Luxury Sedan for $1,000 from a used car lot ,on the street, in
1969. The car only had 23,000 miles on it. Economically,
things in Buffalo NY were not all that great at the time, and the guy needed a
paycheck, but a 69 model carried a sticker around $6,000. I didn't
really shop. A semi had run over the rear end of my car on
the Throughway, and I was on foot. I had to be in New London, CT.
the next morning. Walking was not an option. I can't tell you what kind of
mileage that car delivered, I do recall that I could make it from New London Ct,
to Aurora, Oh on one tank of gas. 629 miles. The car that got run
over was a Falcon Convertible with a 6, that got 15. It was a tank to
Buffalo, another tank to Albany, and a stretch to make it off at Hartford.
With the little Falcon, people treated you as a target. With the
Olds, You didn't even have to threaten, people knew enough to get the hell out
of your Damned way. I used to be stopped by the NY cops in the Falcon for
70 in a 65 all the time. They never ticketed me, just impeeded my
progress. The Olds must have been invisable or something, because they
never even stopped me.
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