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Expert
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Location: DFW, TX | I picked up a copy of the May 1957 Popular Mechanics.
It has an Owners Report taken from a survey of owners of these nearly-new cars.
The findings are pretty fascinating, really! And brutally honest in some cases. You can really get an idea of what new owners thought of them at the time.
Enjoy!
Edited by 57burb 2015-05-05 7:50 PM
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Extreme Veteran
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Location: jersey | I have no real issue with un happy owners.
However, to thos that say, they don't like the styling of the fins, or it's to hard to park, etc... why did you buy the car?
The fins are super obvious, if you don't like them, why buy the car?
No one did a test drive? They just bought the cars, THEN realize they don't like it? |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7422
Location: northern germany | thanks for sharing. yes these are fun to read. i have the 1960 issue. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 499
Location: London, England | Fascinating! I wondered why my front seat is uncomfortable in the middle and seems to fall away at the edges, and the wheel is in my lap. Guess it's not just my car! |
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Expert
Posts: 3480
Location: Montreal, Canada | 58sportsuburban - 2015-05-05 8:02 PM
I have no real issue with un happy owners.
However, to thos that say, they don't like the styling of the fins, or it's to hard to park, etc... why did you buy the car?
The fins are super obvious, if you don't like them, why buy the car?
No one did a test drive? They just bought the cars, THEN realize they don't like it?
You are right, but I think this shows how strong the fidelity to a particular brand/make was in the 1950's, regardless of styling... The article shows that the majority of the polled owners had traded an older Plymouth for the 57 Plymouth they owned, and would buy a Plymouth again in the future.
Fascinating stuff, thanks a lot for posting!
Edited by soiouz 2015-05-06 12:31 PM
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Location: Parts Unknown | I would submit that pretty much all of us on this forum came to
Forward Look ownership long after they were a new sensation because
of the styling and little thought was given to all these "other things".
If the car was "too low", it was long since being a contemporary
issue, and was just another novelty of it being an old car. Glove box
incoveniently too far from the driver ? Who amongst us is weighing
convenience when considering ownership of one of these cars ??? 
Or the "inconveniently located" ashtrays !!! Yeah, ... I think I'll smoke
in my Forward Look car !!!
On the flip side, I only see one mention of body fitment in the form
the car being noisy inside, and not a word about rust. I guess that was
going to take another few months !
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | I've got the 57 Dodge version of this road test, and the 57 Dodge's Consumers Guide evaluation
(of a base-model Royal 4-door sedan).
The Dodge owners liked their cars better than the PLY owners...IIRC; the Dodge has a longer wheelbase,
which made it a more comfortable ride.
The 6-banger wasn't anymore popular, either, in the Dodges.
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Expert
Posts: 2312
Location: Arizona | <p>As to why some many buyers were former plymouth owners.... I asked my Dad why he always bought Chrysler products starting with a 57 plymouth he got rid of after less than 6 months...and his answer was only MoPar dealers would give him any trade-in value on the old MoPar. So it wasn't brand loyalty but economic reality that created the "brand loyalty".</p>
Edited by jimntempe 2015-05-06 5:34 PM
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | ...rather like having a lease agreement on a 'new
car...and, then, later finding out that you are not able to obtain better lease extenuation terms than that
which you have already obtained, thereby economically forcing you you to continue your existing agreement with your
leasing company.
Edited by d500neil 2015-05-06 11:34 PM
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Expert
Posts: 1324
Location: Hickory, NC | Ah water leaked in when new... so nothing to worry about these days! I like the guy who drove 105mph on a curve and wouldn't recommend doing that in any other car! |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13055
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | 1960fury - 2015-05-06 2:12 AM
thanks for sharing. yes these are fun to read. i have the 1960 issue.
Could you scan it and share it Sid? |
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Expert
Posts: 1819
Location: Vancouver, BC |
Floyd Clymer started doing those owners' reports for Popular Mechanics in 1950. By 1957 he was handling only the road test portion and by 1958 was no longer connected with Popular Mechanics. Clymer had purchased Auto Topics magazine in the early 1950's and began doing road test reports for AT, but not owners' reports, after leaving PM.
The idea of owners' reports was initially started by Clymer in 1947 when he purchased a brand new 1947 Kaiser sedan and drove it from Detroit to Los Angeles, and included a trip up Pike's Peak in Colorado. He surveyed Kaiser owners across the U.S. and published the report and his road test in a book. Clymer billled himself as the world's largest publisher of car books at the time. He also did reports for a 1947 Studebaker Champion, 1949 Ford and 1949 Chevrolet. They make great reading! You not only get a feel for the cars and what owners wanted, but what it was like driving across the U.S. in the late 1940's before the interstate and society's attitudes.
Needless to say, I have a number of Clymer's PM reports as well road test reports from Popular Science (Wilbur Shaw), Mechanix Illustrated ("Uncle Tom" McCahill) and Science and Mechanics. S&M also included a report from the Automotive Research Laboratories on vehicle performance and engineering
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Expert 5K+
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Location: northern germany | wizard - 2015-05-08 1:21 AM
1960fury - 2015-05-06 2:12 AM
thanks for sharing. yes these are fun to read. i have the 1960 issue.
Could you scan it and share it Sid?
sorry sven, don't have a scanner. right now the only way for me to upload a picture is via my cell phone/email account. |
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Owners Report! 1957 Plymouth
