LinkExchange
LinkExchange Member 

Owners Report —Tempest
(Continued from page 95)

      "Excessive noise in driveshaft when engine is running in neutral." —South Carolina maintenance supervisor.
      "Loud whine in neutral and reverse (natural to this car they say)." —Wisconsin housewife.
      "They" are right. On automatic-transmission Tempests, driveshaft turns with engine, never rests.
      "I've had a split in the transmission case." —New Jersey fireman.
      "The transmission froze due to water in the line." —Ohio civil engineer.
      He means in the control cable running back from the instrument panel.
      "Had trouble with the transmission's losing oil." —Nebraska rancher.
      "Has the poorest paint job I've ever seen." —Arizona steamfitter.
      "Paint job on my car is speckled —was told that this occurs on all black cars." —Texas housewife.
      "The paint on the interior is poor and thin." —Iowa housewife.
      "Would like to have controllable movement of right-hand bucket seat to improve legroom." —West Virginia lab technician.
      Pontiac left seat adjustment off to save money and help keep price attractive, but it seems they chose a poor place to economize.
      Next, let's look over numbers six through ten on the Tempest owners' list of praiseworthy features:
      "There is excellent front seat legroom and lots of width." —Michigan lumberman.
      Here's a great selling point for rear-mounted transmissions like Tempest's; you gain lots of foot room up front.
      "There is a sufficient amount of head and legroom." —Alabama laborer.
      "My three Tempest company cars (1961-'62-'63) have been driven altogether 68,000 miles and have cost only 1 1/4 cents per mile for gas expense. I get 24 miles per gallon overall." —Missouri contractor.
      He's doing pretty well; few owners do better than 23 m.p.g. even on trips.
      "I'm getting twice the mileage out of the Tempest (19 m.p.g. overall) that I did with a 1961 Ford Galaxie." —California insurance man.
      "Good control in steering, especially in windy areas." —Califomia airman.
      Tempest's front end weight bias is a help when you want to go straight, but can be sometimes less than helpful on curves.
      "On the highway it has the roadability of a much larger car." —Michigan factory worker.
      We'll agree as far as cross winds go.
      "Higher seating gives better vision for driving." —New Jersey housewife.
      "I like the larger fifteen-inch wheels." —Minnesota laboratory worker.
   NEXT >
(Please turn to page 226)
POPULAR MECHANICS APRIL 1963
<< Back to Rich's Pontiac Page
< Previous page PAGE 5
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6
Next page >