Quote:
Originally Posted by 4X4
Useless trivia for the day: the reason Pintos were prone to 'exploding' was because their gas tanks were at the back of the vehicle and the bumper bolts were directly behind them. In a rear end collision, the bumper bolts would puncture the gas tanks and, depending on the amount of fuel in the tank, cause an explosion because of the sparkage caused by metal puncturing metal.
Ideally, to blow up a Pinto, you'd want the tank to be about 25% full. That is the best ratio of fuel to fumes for a nice Pinto BBQ.
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This is true, and it was also determined that a small rubber gasket costing about $7 could resolve the whole incendiary situation but it was deemed as too expensive over the production run of the cars.
A little OT.
As for your car, I've always been a fan of some of the newer Mazdas. They handle well, are reliable, good on gas and relatively inexpensive.
Nissan Altimas are pretty nice too. Not my style, but what the hell right?