The Worst Value I Ever Got from a Car Purchase: A 1971 Chevrolet Vega

Introduction

In 1974, while serving in the Navy, I had to make a decision that would have long-lasting consequences. One that retrospectively would be considered a terrible value for my 1500 dollar purchase: a 1971 Chevrolet Vega. The story started with the end of a successful deployment in the Philippines and a return to Montana, my home state, where the weather was drastically different from what I was used to.

A Drastic Climate Change

When we left the Philippines in November, the temperature was around 95 degrees with 90 percent humidity, a stark contrast to Montana’s conditions, where it was a chilly 45 degrees with only 15 percent humidity. This climate change would set the stage for my bad car purchase. One of my highlights was leaving my beloved car behind since it was riddled with leaks that couldn’t be fixed in time to be shipped back to the United States. I moved to Montana with my family and decided it was time to seek a new car.

The Purchased Car

We were in Great Falls, Montana, looking for a reliable used car that could fit our family. We stumbled upon the cutest station wagon for an appealing price of 1500 dollars. It was supposed to be perfect for our family with kids and its low price made it seem like a great deal. We tested the car out and everything seemed fine, until the oil light came on shortly after we purchased it.

A Mileage Question

After a few days, a friend of my mother’s decided to visit his adult son who was in juvenile detention 500 miles away in Miles City. This trip was the start of a series of unfortunate events. When we started the journey with my wife and the friend’s family, we realized we needed to replace the oil. After refilling the oil and continuing the journey, the road conditions worsened as the car consumed 12 quarts of oil along the way. Needing to top up with both oil and a special oil additive, we continued through a severe snowstorm that would turn out to be one of the worst blizzards in Montana in 25 years.

Troubles in a Blizzard

Our 1971 Chevrolet Vega broke down 100 miles from our home. To make matters worse, we were forced to spend the night at a rancher's house. Fortunately, a local car service was able to tow the car back to our home. In the end, our cute little car turned out to be a significant financial burden. Over the next three years, we had to replace the car's engine multiple times and ended up spending an additional 4000 dollars on repairs and replacements. This experience taught me the importance of thorough testing and considering long-term durability of a car purchase.

Conclusion

The Chevrolet Vega may have been cute, but it was certainly not a good investment. This story is a cautionary tale about the importance of thorough research, reliability, and long-term value in car purchases. No matter how attractive the price or how charming the appearance, a car should be reliable enough to withstand the test of time and harsh conditions.