We've had the Favorite Detroit Malaise DOTS Car and Favorite Import Malaise DOTS Car polls (won by the '78 Eldorado and '73 BMW 3.0CSi, respectively), and we've had the How Jalopnik Is Your Car? quiz. Now it's time to combine the two concepts! Got a car built during the (unscientifically selected) Malaise Era of 1973 through 1983? Once you get it out of the gas line, see how it fares on the Malaise-O-Meter!  read more »

With the Malaisetastic '80 Plymouth Fire Arrow that we saw yesterday on my mind, I got to thinking about the meaning of the Malaise Era, specifically about the American-built vehicles sold during that period. Not captive imports like the Fire Arrow or quasi-domestics like the Capri, but real Detroit (or Kenosha) machinery. And, yes, I know that Jimmy Carter never actually uttered the word "Malaise" in his so-called Crisis of Confidence speech in 1979; what started as a joke term for the cars of the 1973-1983 period has now hardwired itself into my brain). Then I realized that I've forgotten the quasi-tradition of having a Friday poll for the readers to vote on their favorite DOTS machine of the week, so I owe you some DOTS poll action. That means it's time to jump like the late-70s inflation rate to pick your favorite of Alameda's Malaisewagons!  read more »