Even in the emissions craziness during the 70s, did GM still make solid vehicles before the fall in the 80s when their quality went down?
As long as you didn't buy a Vega!
GM actually made pretty good cars up until the 2000s, I've had great experiences with 90s GM cars (Oldsmobile, Buick, Chevy). However after the EV1 incident during the early 2000s their public figure was shattered, and ever since after that their quality has been going down faster and faster. I'm unsure if the EV1 incident has any connection to the dive in quality in the early to mid 2000s, but it's possible.
The Cadillac 472 and 500 engines. GM made some good vehicles in the 70s. You also got the camaro and trans am, the impala and malibu compared to today. GM in the 80s, some of their vehicles were considered ok (except for Cadillac; that was Cadillac's downhill).
What's EVI?
It was an electric car GM made in the 90s.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1
Chuck is right about the Vega. The 70s were a mixed bag for GM. Their V8’s and transmissions were generally solid. But the smaller engines were pretty weak. Interior quality was generally pretty good (and showed masterful use of velour) But paint quality could be spotty and rust was often pretty bad.
Overall, the 70s were probably the pinnacle for GM, but started to show the weaknesses that would haunt them later.
