The Year Is: 1962

[wildmanjoe]

The Year Is: 1962

The year is 1962. You've just graduated High School and you're going to head off to college in the fall. Partly as a graduation present and partly because your current car isn't terribly weatherproof;

your parents have decided to pay half the cost of a new economy car for you. The question is, which one?

Chevrolet Corvair

Volkswagen Type 3

Chevrolet Chevy II Nova

Dodge Lancer

Ford Falcon

Mercury Comet

Oldsmobile Cutlass

Plymouth Valiant

Pontiac Tempest

Rambler American

Volkswagen Beetle

Renault Dauphine

[A Horse With No Name]

I know that I am going to be in the minority here, but I am going to say Corvair.

[ocnblu]

Corvair, followed by Tempest.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Tempest, though I would beg for a base model '62 Catalina hardtop coupe instead

[cletus8269]

chevy II, Olds, Valiant (max wedge exchange after college), corvair (not my fav body style)

[daves87rs]

Tempest.

[ocnblu]

Yeah, clete, the 2nd-gen Corvair is a timeless beauty, the first-gen is on par with its contemporaries, just not a knock-out like the 2nd-gen car.

[Drew Dowdell]

Cutlass... duh...

gosh that Valiant and Rambler are ugly!

[ocnblu]

Why you gotta pick on the little Rambler? It's a simple box with a 2013 Fusion grille.

[BigPontiac]

Chevy II. And as an FYI, the pictured Chevy II is not a '62.

[balthazar]

Yikes. Was actually putting my hands on my #1 choice today : Tempest, then the Cutlass.

I'm with Rog tho - go full-size if you want a real car.

[Drew Dowdell]

you know, I don't believe I've ever heard a Corvair running. Do they have a unique sound?

[balthazar]

Could not find a decent representative ex on Utube.

My buddy has had numerous 2G Corvairs, but I haven't seen one of his running in many years.

However, yes; they do have a unique sound. A combo of raspy & burbly is as best as I can word it.

[ocnblu]

They sound like six angels sitting on clouds playing the harp in unison.

[Camino LS6]

If ordered with a straight six, three on the tree (and some stealthy option choices) wouldn't this qualify?

[ocnblu]

That Nova body line running over the rear wheel arch into the rear bumper is present on Impalas, '00-up. It's subtle on the Impys, as it is not outlined with chrome, but it is there.

[A Horse With No Name]

Camino...yes...that would qualify...

And I would be dumb enough to drop out of school, drop in a 409, and go racing.....

[wildmanjoe]

Jetfire of course:

Because there's nothing like it on the road today!

[ocnblu]

are you serious it says turbo-rocket fluid on there

[SAmadei]

'62 Tempest is OK... but I'd prefer a '61... or wait for '63.

[Drew Dowdell]

The Falcon looks downright Soviet.... how did Ford move so many of them? Price?

[A Horse With No Name]

They were a very well built car for the era...and Ford had a very good reputation as a builder of the "Tin Lizzie" cheap depoendable cars you could drive to work every day.

Thy were the Kia of that era, methinks.

[Camino LS6]

The first car I ever drove was a '61 Falcon coupe.

[ocnblu]

I do like the '63.5 Falcon Sprint and Futura.

Edited July 22, 2012 by ocnblu