Miata Mailing List: January 1999, Message #1448

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Scott:

IIRC, the 1600cc (English made) Pinto engine was terrible. The 2000cc German design was much better.  And the Vega - Oh my GAWD!  I had a friend go 
through 3 engines in 30K miles - all burning in excess of a quart of oil every 300 miles.  GM replaced each engine for free.  It got to the point he'd stop for oil and 
top off the gas.  He sold it when the third was replaced... before he put any miles on it.  The Gremlin was relatively reliable - just butt ugly, very old technology, 
and cheaply made.  Of the three, the V8 Gremlin was the best buy IMO. 

Those were the days...

Tony
93 LE #1388 of 1500   

>I don't know about that, Richard. Both the Vega and Gremlin were much
>faster than the Pinto, and the Vega sold better. The Gremlin g=bagged a
>few IMSA titles along the way. And I don't know anyone who met a fiery
>death in a Vega or Gremlin. Rust, rattles and catastrophic engine
>failure, yes, but no fires. In fact the Cosworth-Vega was a decent
>little car.
>
>Scott Chamberlain
>Vice President, Nutmeg Miata
>The late, beloved "Thumper"
>Yellow 92 1.8, 5 speed "Flower"
>"Life is a journey...enjoy the ride!"
>
>
>