And here, direct from the greatest depression that our auto manufacturers and their buyers ever endured is a 1976 Pontiac Astre. Listed on eBay, the car has been bid to just $1981, with no reserve. I have never met a Pontiac I didn’t like – ok maybe I haven’t met a CAR I didn’t like – and this one has virtues. First and foremost, it has had only one owner. It comes with the original owner’s manual and both sets of factory keys. It runs and drives and has always been maintained and garaged, according to the seller. Unfortunately, it was repainted from gold to black and the paint is compromised. Gold is so 70s – I wish it hadn’t seen a color change. As we’ll see, the interior is clean and the car appears less rusty than almost anything else in Chicago, which is where it’s located. We have Larry D. to thank for this tip!
The Astre was a Vega “with better decals” – as stated by Car and Driver. The Vega was introduced in 1971 to occupy the subcompact niche for Chevrolet; Pontiac’s version was called Astre and it arrived in the Canadian market in 1973. By 1975, it became available in the US. The two cars were nearly identical, including the much-maligned “Dura-Built” 2.3-liter aluminum block four-cylinder engine. This motor contradicted its name by developing a reputation for overheating and oil consumption. The high silicon-content alloy caused valve stem seals to fail; the car’s small radiator and owners’ inattention to coolant levels could disastrously warp the block. Under certain circumstances, oil starvation occurred. The “Dura-Built” compounded its negative reputation by being slow as molasses. The odometer on this car reads 21,000 miles, but no doubt it has turned over at least once during the decades.
After the agony of the engine, we have the ecstasy of the interior! The owner has kept the cabin in admirable condition. The Hydra-matic automatic floor shifter is visible in this photo. The trunk area under the hatchback is nearly pristine, though the hatch seal might need replacement.
Underneath, the chassis is straight as far as we can see, and really clean. The seller says the frame and floor pans are sound. From the front, however, it’s obvious the hood is sprung and the rest of these panels are crooked. This portion of the car endured an accident at some point. Still, this Astre runs and drives. Scanning the “for sale” options, we see several Vegas and Astres made into hot rods or pro street cars. That’s a tempting destiny for this one; what do you think?
Painful memories when I see another of these “Dura-Cr@p” engines; drove a ‘73 Vega with no HVAC to Las Vegas in June from Lake Tahoe ( a 458 mile trip ONE WAY), and on the way back the motor puked 9 miles past the infamous Cottontail Ranch-replete with a runway but no pay phone and at the time not open during the day.
Needless to say, my appreciation for GM began to sour with every step along the 103* highway hitchhiking to get home.
With that one must wonder if the model name of this Pontiac was supposed to be Austere but they shortened it to save money on the exterior decals.
You needed Joe Conforte (brothel owner, mob boss) to pick you up. Or one of the bunnies..
The “Durabilt 140” was a revised Vega 2300 (140 cubic inches = 2300 cubic centimeters) that had significant improvements. An improved head provided better cooling and a host of other improvements meant that the engine might actually last longer than the warranty…….
The Durabilt engine was released in 1975, so this car never had one.
Since the durabuilt came out in 75, since this car is a 76, logic would dictate that this car has the durabuilt.
True. I had a ’71, and I am still in counselling for PVSD. I jumped the gun. The subject is a trigger
It was a from a French auto reviewer.
He apparently thought the car resembled an ashtray and wanted not to insult ashtrays thus he created Astre
For when a Vega isn’t enough.
Madison Avenue at it’s best. Did you know, people were willing to shell out another $180 bucks( almost a grand today) extra for this? It was something to keep ALL the GM divisions mechanics happy, not just Chevy. To be clear, this was the last year for the Vega motor, and the Iron Duke , a much better motor replaced it, something Chevy should have done from the beginning. But to most, Vegas left their mark( on driveways) and few noticed the motor change anyway. A Toyota was a far better choice. I say the mileage COULD be 21K, and why it survived at all, das motor kaput.
Vegas never got the Iron Duke engine. That went into Monzas and Pontiacs but only after the Vega was discontinued. I was a Chevy dealer tech all through the 70s and never saw an Iron Duke in a Vega. I have seen an Iron Duke (with auto trans) in a Firebird with a Screaming Chicken on the hood though LOL!
Monza’s had them.
All true..
But there was a “Monza” station wagon and a low-end Monza hatchback that were simply Vegas that got rid of the “how cheap can we make a bumper conforming front cheesy cheese grater” front fascia with something a lot better integrated. The improved part probably cost $1.79 per unit.
Dressed up in Monza drag, those Vegas in transition did get the Iron Duke
Maybe it spent most of the last forty+ years in the shop.
I’m surprised the Iron Duke, being a Pontiac project, wasn’t in the Astre from the start.
My first vehicle purchase was a 1977 Sunbird 2 door brown with saddle bucket seats. No AC which in retrospect was a big mistake. Two major problems though-one was that apparently a seam opened up with regards to the uni body construction. Water would pool behind the driver’s seat when it rained. This happened after I had the Sunbird for a few years. Number 2 was the Iron Duke engine. The exhaust manifold gasket would blow out every now and then. The Pontiac dealer took care of both problems every time. Six months or so after I paid off the car, I had our family mechanic give it a complete look over. His verdict being that it would be best to trade it in. I did that and ended up with an 81 Monte Carlo with a 229 V6. Those were among the first vehicles that were equipped with computer-controlled emission systems. I can attest that carburetors & computers do not work well together.
I remember in ’81 GM flat rate to rebuild a Quadrajet (computer) carburetor was 4 hours.
Iron Duke was installed in Astre’s starting in 1977. It just wasn’t available before then.
The listing says it was originally gold, but it has a red interior, and red paint visible under the trunk carpet? Something doesn’t make sense here…
It was the 1970s.
Weird color combos created by a design team on Quaaludes
The listing states it was originally gold, yet it has a red interior and red paint under the trunk carpeting? Something doesn’t make sense here….
1970’s
No love for THIS past pokey partner…. Pop out that craptastic engine… Do a bit of tweak and tuck on the chassis… Cut a hole in the floor for a shifter, bang a BIG OLE’ TURBSKI fed 20b powerplant in this thing and have the MOST unique drift missile in the world. At least… That would be MY dream for it. What is yours?
My dream would be watching it go through a crusher.
Says the Ford guy.
When I worked at a Chevy dealership in the 70s we used to get new Vegas come in with Pontiac emblems or wheel covers or steering wheels. Proving that they were the same as a Vega and built on the same assembly line with the same complete indifference to quality control.
“Look for, the Union label…”
This Detroit disaster is hangs around the neck of management. From the moment of it’s conception in GM management, to each catastrophic purchasing decision, to the agressive cost cutting that doomed the car’s engine and body to premature death, this management owns this one.
Lordstown had its issues…….but if you start with a shit engine, crap steal, cheap plastics, and indifferent quality control, you could have the best trained most disciplined workers in the world, and the Vega still would have been “recycle-ready.” It did not help that management said to the Lordstown workers, “Oh, by the way, you are going to build four times as many cars per hour as this plant was designed to assemble.” There is no part of the Vega story that isn’t a prologue to the disaster
I once chatted with a former Chevy dealer who said Vegas were built poorly on purpose. Customers would come in out of curiosity, look it over, and it was easier to upsell them to a Nova.
There’s an old saying, “lipstick on a pig”. This is what ya call lipstick on a Vega. It has to be the original miles, these turds didn’t live long enough to even flirt with the idea of rolling over the odometer. I don’t think it happened, but somebody refresh my old memory, did Buick or Oldsmobile ever appear in this horror film?
Ha! Good question, I wondered the same thing. Apparently, these were the “H” platform, and initially, only Chevy and Pontiac, however, in 1975, the H line was expanded to include Buick Skyhawk and Olds Starfire along with Monza and Sunbird.
Only the Vega and Astre ever used the “Dura-Built” so-called engine, though.
These were great looking cars. I’m half in the bag to ignore everyone and say “Oh, they couldn’t have been that bad….”
Keep in mind, however, that I also had an Oldsmobile Diesel as my first car, and it was every bit as bad as everyone said it was…
We used to dump olds 350’s and 403’s in those 88 and 98’s with diesel once in a while at the shop I worked at.Put a 455 in one with very slight mods.Never had to go to emmisions testing because they had diesel titles.
I worked at a Delorean dealership in the 80s. If I ever needed a good example of why being great looking didn’t make something a good car, that would be it.
The Oldsmobile Diesel issues were confined to the motor, and I’m told that they can be fixed. Every single component of the Vega was crap. You can install a new engine, almost all you see on the road have had a swap, but the bodies still rusted to bits
Yes it can be fixed – take out the diesel, throw it away , and replace with an Olds 350 gas engine
Someone should buy this thing, just to prove they actually were built. There can’t be many left.
My thoughts exactly, I see a Pontiac 400-421-428-455 with a 4-speed, oh the fun I’d have ! 🤣
Like a Yugo!
Tub and cage it.Put a built small block in it with a blower and a tremec 5 speed. Then I’ll drive it.
All this hip-talk here. Let me jump in with some:
“Slam ‘er with a triple and run 4.95 gears to the valve pots with high-rev modifiers out the axle, and run ‘er at the gas drags with 9.25s front ‘n rear.”
I know the engines were crap out of the gate and rust was a significant issue, however most cars have engineering issues and most people don’t understand what they are driving. I knew a shop that strictly sleeved these engines when these were new and the cars rotted away before the engine failed again. Pintos, Opels, Vegas and a few others were toss aways in the day. I still use an Opel wagon but I understand it’s not my 5.0 or a 500 Cadillac or 460 Lincoln and drive it as it is. A nice survivor here that I would love to play with. No matter how big a piece of crap the engine were/are, there are many upgrades for that. Very neat piece here.
In the case of the Vega, it wasn’t normal lapses, but a constellation of catastrophes created by a flawed management process that allowed an orphan concept to be thrust onto Chevrolet, which completed it much as a dog owner dutifully carries home that plastic bag. The Vega 2300 aluminum alloy engine had to operate in a very narrow temperature band to avoid rapid degradation of the cylinder walls. Accounting supplied a radiator that could not do the job. Not only was the body built of low quality steel, the design of the firewall was such that it could not be properly rustproofed or even painted…….then when the plastic inner fenders were deleted, northern Vegas had their bare metal firewalls spayed with road salt all winter long….and there were so many more places where cost cutting got way too close to the bone. The Vega was not only a terrible car, it may be the worst consumer product ever put up for sale
I agree with you 100% The Vega and other bombs were the start of the GM decline. I would add to the Vega the 4-6-8 system on Cadillacs. Our family mechanic had a number of those that could never run right. Additionally, there was the absolutely brilliant idea of turning a V8 into a diesel. I did not know about the Vega firewall design and lack of plastic inner fenders. One more glorious GM bomb the Chevy Citation and its spawn. Ford & Chrysler also their share of Vega type vehicles.
Not my favorite car either but boy, lots of vitriol here. Any old car that’s survived intact should be respected. Just think about how many vehicles that used to be everywhere but aren’t seen anymore.
TimS,
You didn’t have one.
This was a car with incredible potential, but all the engineering in the world can’t correct the horrible management and cost cutting stupidity that converted it from a “game changer” to a major reason that consumers stopped even considering Detroit products.
I traded mine on a VW Rabbit, which was followed by a series of watercooled Volkswagens. I looked at a Cavalier, the dome light was that K-mart fake crystal piece that was used on every single GM vehicle at every price point thinkable in the 1980s. I looked at the salesman and said, “I can’t do it. That light just reminded me of my Vega.” “That car cost us so many sales.”
I’m quite serious when I say that when you talk about the Vega you cannot avoid discussing its myriad flaws and the management incompetence and disaray that allowed such a dreadful product to be produced. That is the car’s legacy.
In the decades since, I have bought, used, GM cars. An ’88 Fiero GT and an ’87 Allanté. Next, I want a Cimarron…
Drove ( and wrecked) my dad’s Vega back in the early 80s. Due to my teenage jackassery it didn’t live long enough to die the way most did though it was on its way.
Kudos to the owner if it has 121k. That can’t be common.
Agree that they’re good looking but if it were mine it would be a project. Not a V8, plenty of those around. Something different.
Harbor Freight sells some cheap V-twin industrial engines, that might be a good upgrade for a Vega engine?
The Durabilt 140 is a reliable engine and what should have been in the car from Job 1.
It’s not surprising that this later car is running with its original engine. It’s the ’71-’73 models that were the cars that were simply not designed to last for more than a couple of oil changes.
The “DuraBuilt” isn’t a new engine, it’s the same old Vega engine with several changes and improvements, most significantly hydraulic valve lifters, but it still has the same aluminum block with aluminum bores, which was the primary problem with the Vega all along. Then they put DuraBuilt stickers on the air cleaner and started painting the engines orange, and then blue, like all other Chevy engines, to draw attention away from the aluminum block. Many people believed that they had iron or steel bores, but they didn’t. Of course the salesmen, who knew nothing, were happy to tell potential customers that their new Vega now had an iron block. I still run into people all the time who think the “DuraBuilt” engine had an iron block or sleeved bores.
My 1972 pinto was a car I could put $5 in gas and go all week running around town and work, I put $5 in my 1971 charger with a 440 and coud drive pass a gas station without being empty. The pinto was also cheap new
If the floor pans are solid, what is that green piece of sheet metal Tek screwed to the underside?
Looking more closely.. it’s pop riveted and is the spare tire well?
It needs a radiator before going anywhere,,,
“And here, direct from the greatest depression that our auto manufacturers and their buyers ever endured is a 1976 Pontiac Astre.”
Just looking at this car depresses me.
Up here in Baja Wisconsin we have a lot of Amish and Mennonite people, and the black paint and dog dish hubcaps made me think of them. Would the like to buy a used Pontiac, English? I do agree with Howard A about the mileage. If that had 121k miles, the driver’s seat would be shredded.
Harrison Ford is John Book! the black with the tiny silver center hubcaps makes it look like they were trying to play “Cop” – maybe by the school crosswalk. All it really needs is a wind wing on the trunk lid and you’d be the county road KING!
Was assigned one when I worked a road job for Pontiac Motor. Took a 200 mile trip and couldn’t stand up from vibration. Turned it back in for a Gran Prix.
On my very first day working at a Chevy dealership in 1971 one of the first cars I drove into the shop was a brand new Vega. I went to the shop foreman and told him there was something seriously wrong with the car, everything was rattling and shaking and vibrating and buzzing. Even the windshield was visibly shaking. The foreman and one of the senior techs checked it out and informed me that was normal. No problem, they all do that. I soon found out that vibration was the least of the Vega’s problems.
Ah, the Vega and the Astre. I had a friend in high school who had a ’71 or a ’72 Vega. Her Dad got it for her. You could smell the car before you saw it because it burned oil almost as quickly as you could dump it into the sump. And when you saw the car……..ugh. It was originally mustard yellow (the ’70s were a weird time for colours) but it had broken out in metallurgical psoriasis everywhere…….hood, doors, roof…the paint had blistered badly. The car looked like it had come down with a bad case of the measles. The car was in bad shape in 1978, when we were all in school…..I think the car disintegrated into a pile of rust and mustard yellow paint flakes not soon after we graduated two years later………..
Vega & Monza were both designed around the 50mil$ licensed GM Rotary engine from Mazda – But GM couldn’t get strong enough metal seals made for the engine & built it w/to many cubic inches & it was snapping the engines off from Torque sheer.
Mazda had this problem in 1960s experimental Rotary engines when they built a 300CI example & they simply kept going SMALLER until they found the sweet spot for reliability & power at 70CI 12A Engine & 80CI 13B engine.
GM having no engineering brain power didn’t follow Mazdas example of the 12A 70CI engine & kept trying to make a 200Ci engine which won’t work.
So GM had to stuff a weak 4cyl engine in the Monza & Vega which were malaise Era JUNK
Thin sheet metal car collapsed on impact & was a constant fire hazard from the Aluminum Block melting down.
Car LOOKS nice but it’s a DEATH TRAP
My understanding is different. The Vega was designed around the 2300 Aluminum four, designed specifically for the Vega program. If the Wankel was to have been installed, the fall back would have been a version of the “Iron Duke,” and GM would not have spent gazillions developing the Reynolds Aluminum disaster in the first place
The Monza, however, was to have been a showcase for the GM Wankel. It would have been marketed more as an upscale competitor for the Mustang II/Celica/240Z. Instead, when the Wankel program was cancelled, various 4, 6, and 8 engines were pressed into service and “badge engineered” versions were given to each division in increase the number of fuel efficient vehilces that customers suddenly wanted, and the Monza became a fleet of Vega replacements.
I’m not familiar with the mechanical problems you describe, and I believe that GM cancelled its Wankel (which was so far along in development that spark plugs for it were in parts catalogues) because the engines deliver very poor fuel economy and are problematic for emissions controls, as well.
VW, Citroen, Mercedes Benz all ended their Wankel programs in the early 1970s, when fuel economy became a big issue for consumers after the 1973 Oil Embargo.
The first Mazda I ever drove was the tiny R-100. Mazda had lots of Rx2, Rx3 rotary sedans and even a pickup truck. These were quickly replaced with piston engines to improve fuel economy, the Wankel only continued on in the flagship RX-7 sports car, where lower sales volume and higher prices made it a more rational proposition.
Yes, the Monza (and it’s siblings under different badges) was originally designed for a Wankel engine. The Vega wasn’t. The AMC Pacer was designed for one too. The gas shortage happened and the “miracle” Wankel engine fell out of favor and the car companies had to stick something else in their new designs. That’s why the V-8 in the Monza was shoehorned in so tightly we had to disconnect the left motor mount and jack the engine up to get to some of the spark plugs (it wasn’t really that difficult though).
Ugh.
Drop in a crate 350, Muncie 4 spd, tub the rearend, 4’s on the front—-etc—etc, you all know the drill. Then you got yerself a car!
You’ll have a car but it won’t be e Vega anymore, except for the body, that will soon rust away.
Barry, thanks for verifying my memory of the first Monzas off of a transporter at a local Chevy dealership.
I’d almost lusted over the Monza body style at its introduction at the Chicago Auto Show. It was a nice looking little fastback and much better looking than a Mustang II or anything from Japan except the Datsun Z cars..
I pulled into the dealership and walked over to the transporter full of shiny new Monzas…
There was a large contingent of dealership mechanics waiting for the first V8 to roll out.
I was standing within earshot of the car when the hood went up and seconds later the profanities sounded like a longshoremen’s drinking contest…
They were all not too happy about the spark plug access.
Years later I read about the Wankel plans for the Monza and the subsequent tight V8 fit but had forgotten about the linkage until your bringing it up.
Having changed plugs in a couple of this cars I’ll admit it was a PITA but not even as bad as changing plugs in a big block ‘67-‘70 Mustang…
And getting back to the Vega engine….. the number one reason for its lack of durability was trying to run pistons in aluminum cylinders decades before Nikasil technology.
Dr Ron,
The Vega engine pioneered Reynolds aluminum’s Nikasil alloy. It was a pioneering use of a new technology. The Vega 2300 and Porsche’s V-8 each used the same material.
As it was explained to me, cold, the surface of the cylinders is smooth aluminum, but as the alloy heats up, the much harder silicon bits expand, and become “proud,” effectively becoming the surface that must resist the friction of the pistons/rings. If the engine becomes overheated, the silicon can no longer protect the aluminum cylinder surface, and you have direct contact of the hard pistons agains soft aluminum, and obvious recipe for premature wear and engine failure.
The problem was that in sucking every ounce of cost out of the engine, accountants demanded and got a completely inadequate radiator that could not protect the engine from high temperatures under even normal operating conditions. Apparently an extra heavy duty head gasket had been part of the orginal engine design, but accountants demanded and got an inferor cork gasket…and just to add another barrell of monkeys to the fun, a supplier shipped defective head gaskets well into the second year of production.
Mine blew it’s head gasket somewhere around 15,000 miles outside of Durham North Carolina, half way to Boston.
This engine could have worked. The Vega was an attractive design. For the first 10,000 miles, it was a better car than its competition Then, myriad booby traps placed by overly agressive cost cutters quickly destroyed the car.
You might have an engine, transmission, and a rearend, but you still wouldn’t have a car.
Gm.in 1976..how did it ever last.with those motors..I had a 73 vega..I think.till 1976..3 motors in it..none of em worked..blow a head gasket at 60 mph and warp the motor..orange color oil I. It….3 choices in 75 gm cars..buy a big azz.caddy..8mpg…buy a 74 camaro and 170 horse 350…10mpg…or buy this self.exploding vega..you know it drove ok..the car..it needed the iron Duke motor.but gm was not gonna pay the dimes for a decent motor in it..that’s why you don’t see them em anymore..they were crushed.in the yards..rip 75 vega
In 1984 while in college, I had a 77 Vega with the automatic that had been wrecked and repaired, bought it cheap for $400 and had it for well over a year. I beat the living daylights out of that car. It never let me down, never used much oil but did have some rust. It had a propensity for not liking winter weather though with regards to heat. I used to put a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator during the winter to get some sort of heat in the interior. Call me insane but I loved it.
Once again we see that Vega owners with something nice to say about their cars are almost always 1974 or later, and most frequently, 75-77, whe the vastly improved Durabilt 140 was installed, along with plastic inner fenders, a glove compartment, rustproofing, and higher quality steel.
I had a ’71. I still wake up in the night with terrors
Went to work for a Chevy dealer in 1980. Was there 5 years and don’t think I ever saw a Vega in the shop. Extinct in NY.
Back in the mid 70s’ the Mazda Rotary pick up and coupes had to run with the 460, 454, and 440s’ at the strip. A buddy of mine had a 74 Mazda coupe with the Wankel, he took it out on the highway after work late at nighte, got the needle buried @140mph and still had half a gas pedal to go before hitting the floor. BTW if you didn’t run premium fuel, they were real pigs.
Other than short lived grenades for engines, bodies that rotted away before your eyes, and poorly fitting plastic interiors, I understand they were great cars.
I believe they polished this one with a bag of walnuts…
Interesting to read all the above comments. I turned off all interest in new cars in 1970. The excitement of great mechanicals and styling began to wane and just wasn’t worth getting off the couch for after ’69. I DID still watch anf hope for some sort or revival, but the industry floundered under Federal mandates and bad ideas. I was horrified when the ugly little toads – Vegas and Pintos – appeared on the scene. The Vega was better looking than the egg-shaped Pinto, but word was quickly out that the Vega suffered terminal problems. The Vega would get better looking by 76, while the Pinto got even uglier, but all was for naught … no car built after 1969 was as good as what had come before. I guess with this attitude, I was spared the grief youzalls describe. Still, interesting to read your accounts.
Looks like a part of fan blade broke off & hit the top of the radiator.
I would ck the motor mounts, get an all alum radiator, electric fans, accurate temp gage, & special coolant that lowers temp 20 degrees & 180 or even 160 degree thermostat. & use 10w40 dino oil with zinc additive. & keep a frequent GOOD eye on coolant & oil levels & temp gage. & ck 4 smoke from tailpipe. & install a fan shroud & coolant recovery bottle if it don’t have those.
I wonder if there are any Astre panel delivery versions left – & how many were sold.
Wow tough crowd. Don’t believe I have seen so many lengthy comments before. They’re right of course, not good cars, but Bracket Racer’s love em, and look fantastic. I had an Astre, and a Vega wagon, just never with a 4 banger. Love em
I just saw this car last night at Harbor Freight in Madison Heights, Michigan. I hadn’t seen an Astre in the wild in 40+ years. I know it’s the same one, as the hubcaps are the same and the owner said he bought it out of Chicago. Small world.