The Year Is: 1978

[wildmanjoe]

The Year Is: 1978

The year is 1978 and you're at the dealership service department. The service advisor breaks the bad news to you that your last foray in to the back country has terminally wounded your Omega and there's nothing they can do.

You face a dilemma; you enjoy camping and back country exploring, but every vehicle you've used so far has not been up to the task. A Jeep CJ and is too small for you to comfortably camp in, a full sized pickup with a slide in camper is too cumbersome for the trails you like to frequent and the hatchbacks and wagons you have been using lack ground clearance and traction.

After browsing the brochures and talking to the salesmen, you decide a full sized bobtail would be perfect for your needs. The only questions is, which one?

Chevrolet Blazer:

GMC Jimmy:

1978 Jeep Cherokee:

1978 Dodge Ramcharger:

1978 Plymouth Trailduster:

Ford Bronco:

[A Horse With No Name]

I am sure that I will be in the minority, but I am going to say Ramcharger.

[ocnblu]

Plymouth Trailduster. When I look at them all together like this, I know in hindsight that the GM trucks will be rustbuckets, the Jeep is old-skool, with roots going back to... 1962 was it? I know the Bronco was sensational that yerr for opening the name up to a wider audience (although the '77 was so much cooler in hindsight), but I have to go with a 318/Torqueflite powered Plymouth... IF YOU SAY THERE IS NO WAY MY OMEGA CAN BE FIXED.

[Camino LS6]

[Camino LS6]

Plymouth Trailduster. When I look at them all together like this, I know in hindsight that the GM trucks will be rustbuckets, the Jeep is old-skool, with roots going back to... 1962 was it? I know the Bronco was sensational that yerr for opening the name up to a wider audience (although the '77 was so much cooler in hindsight), but I have to go with a 318/Torqueflite powered Plymouth... IF YOU SAY THERE IS NO WAY MY OMEGA CAN BE FIXED.

They were all rust magnets in '78.

[Camino LS6]

Another option left out of the poll:

[Drew Dowdell]

I have fond memories of that generation of Ford... it was an F-150 but still. So I'd go with that.

[A Horse With No Name]

Plymouth Trailduster. When I look at them all together like this, I know in hindsight that the GM trucks will be rustbuckets, the Jeep is old-skool, with roots going back to... 1962 was it? I know the Bronco was sensational that yerr for opening the name up to a wider audience (although the '77 was so much cooler in hindsight), but I have to go with a 318/Torqueflite powered Plymouth... IF YOU SAY THERE IS NO WAY MY OMEGA CAN BE FIXED.

They were all rust magnets in '78.

Actually I think 78 or 79 GM dramatically improved their rust proofing....

Another option left out of the poll:

Very capable vehicle, one of my best high school friends had one of those, ti was a hoot to hoon around in....

[Robert Hall]

I'd go w/ the Cherokee or Bronco..partial to them (though the one I had was the little Bronco II). I learned to drive in a '79 Dodge Power Wagon w/ the 318/automatic...it was a turd.

Edited July 2, 2012 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Camino LS6]

Plymouth Trailduster. When I look at them all together like this, I know in hindsight that the GM trucks will be rustbuckets, the Jeep is old-skool, with roots going back to... 1962 was it? I know the Bronco was sensational that yerr for opening the name up to a wider audience (although the '77 was so much cooler in hindsight), but I have to go with a 318/Torqueflite powered Plymouth... IF YOU SAY THERE IS NO WAY MY OMEGA CAN BE FIXED.

They were all rust magnets in '78.

Actually I think 78 or 79 GM dramatically improved their rust proofing....

Another option left out of the poll:

Very capable vehicle, one of my best high school friends had one of those, ti was a hoot to hoon around in....

Trust me, the '78s and the '79s rotted away just like the '73-'77s did. When they changed the bodystyle in '81 things did get alot better on the rust front.

I'm pretty familiar with all of these, and have done wheel time in most of them back when they were new/newish, and I'd take the Scout over all of them.

[wildmanjoe]

I thought about including the Travelall since I was doing full sized SUVs, but they quit making them in 1975 and as near as I can tell, were never made as a two door during the same years as the rest of these:

If I wanted to do a two door full sized International, I'd have to go back a few more years:

[Camino LS6]

Yeah, no 2-door Travelall.

Still, the Scout was a competitor with all the rest on this list (once it became the Scout II).