Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

oldfarmer50

Have any of you seen the TV ads for this group?

https://www.carvana.com

Wonder how they get around the dealer monopoly laws?

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Actually the Eurosport was a step above the base Celebrity. It had a higher output 2.8L that needed premium gas and had some suspension tweaks that improved handling. My 84' was a nice ride for the time.

I didn't get my Celebrity until 87' so in 1985 I was driving this:

And you lose!

I remember I had a rental Omni in '84 for a week, driving around Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and environs. It had the 2.2L engine and was quote zippy. I recall liking it a lot and it had tons of room.

Weren't those Omni/Horizons really VW Rabbits?

My brother got the first Rabbit and it was in the shop more than it was on the road.

No they weren't. The similar style gave rise to the rumor. I understand some had a VW sourced engine but they were an otherwise Chrysler design.

stickguy

the early ones did use a VW engine (with some mods on it). Other than that, they just looked similar. The Omni was also used in Europe but under some other brand name connected to Chrysler.

stickguy

oldfarmer50 said:

Have any of you seen the TV ads for this group?

https://www.carvana.com

Wonder how they get around the dealer monopoly laws?

I think they just put one of those in Philly someplace. Sounds just like any dealer, they just deliver the car to you.

explorerx4

@tjc78,
It was an 83 Turbo Coupe with a 5 speed stick. I did get another Tbird with a V8 a few years later(88).

ab348

bwia said:

In 1985 this was daily driver, a Dodge Mirada. In those days I drove 35k plus miles per year, now about 5,500 miles per year. http://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/vCYAAOSwG-1W0jQN/s-l225.jpg

I always thought those were a nice-looking design. Not sure about how they drove, and I imagine they weren't of the highest quality given Chrysler's woes at the time.

ab348

stickguy said:

the early ones did use a VW engine (with some mods on it). Other than that, they just looked similar. The Omni was also used in Europe but under some other brand name connected to Chrysler.

Here's a good backgrounder on that: http://www.rootes-chrysler.co.uk/car-development/dev-horizon.html

jmonroe

OK eat you hearts out.

This is what I was driving in 1985. 1980 Buick Park Ave. same color and condition too but mine didn't have the fake wire wheel hub caps. Mine had the spoke wheels. One of the most reliable cars I ever had. Even the A/C was still working in '97 when I finally sold it to a used car lot for around $900 IIRC with a tranny that was just starting to act up with about 120K miles on it.



jmonroe

bwia

ab348 said:

bwia said:

In 1985 this was daily driver, a Dodge Mirada. In those days I drove 35k plus miles per year, now about 5,500 miles per year. http://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/vCYAAOSwG-1W0jQN/s-l225.jpg

I always thought those were a nice-looking design. Not sure about how they drove, and I imagine they weren't of the highest quality given Chrysler's woes at the time.

How do you post a pic instead of the link? I forgot how to do that.

Lee Iacocca himself drove the Dodge Mirada. As you can see from the pic it is a car that Ricardo Montalban would love. Even without Corinthian leather, it was a nice handling car but it leaked when it rained and it had numerous electrical problems. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dodge-Mirada_1.1.jpg

Mr_Shiftright

I betcha HIS didn't leak.

ab348

jmonroe said:

OK eat you hearts out.
This is what I was driving in 1985. 1980 Buick Park Ave. same color and condition too but mine didn't have the fake wire wheel hub caps. Mine had the spoke wheels. One of the most reliable cars I ever had. Even the A/C was still working in '97 when I finally sold it to a used car lot for around $900 IIRC with a tranny that was just starting to act up with about 120K miles on it.



jmonroe

Those were great cars, JM. Today they would be considered huge, but at the time they were just a full-size car.

I was a late adopter, since I had a '79 Electra Park Avenue that I was driving in 2002. I thought it was nicer than a Cadillac of that same year. Mine had the Olds 403 under the hood, and a fabulous interior.

carnaught

Mr_Shiftright said:

I betcha HIS didn't leak.

Whose, Ricardo's or Iacocca's?

fintail

I think in 1985 my dad had a Horizon, which he loved. The S-10 Blazer that came after it was not so loved. 1985 was also the year of the Tempo that was in my family for many years. It was an odd late build car with a factory CHMSL and a 1986 style (4 spoke) steering wheel. I remember the in-service date was September 85, it was maybe in the last days of production for 85s, and apparently some old parts supplies were exhausted. That car pushed me into remembering odd minutiae about cars. It was also one of the better quality Tempos, having 190K or so on it when it was finally let go.

jmonroe

bwia said:

ab348 said:

bwia said:

In 1985 this was daily driver, a Dodge Mirada. In those days I drove 35k plus miles per year, now about 5,500 miles per year. http://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/vCYAAOSwG-1W0jQN/s-l225.jpg

I always thought those were a nice-looking design. Not sure about how they drove, and I imagine they weren't of the highest quality given Chrysler's woes at the time.

How do you post a pic instead of the link? I forgot how to do that.

Lee Iacocca himself drove the Dodge Mirada. As you can see from the pic it is a car that Ricardo Montalban would love. Even without Corinthian leather, it was a nice handling car but it leaked when it rained and it had numerous electrical problems. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dodge-Mirada_1.1.jpg

The way I post a pic is like this:

(1) Place cursor on picture and "Right Click"

you should get a pop up box.

(2) From the popup box, Left Click on "Copy"

(3) Go to where you want to place the pic and Left Click to place the cursor at that point.

(4) From the keyboard select "Ctrl V" to paste pic at that point.

Note: It all depends on the site you are getting the picture from as to how fast the pic will appear after the "Ctrl V" thing. Some are as quick as turning on a light switch and some are like waiting for molasses to start pouring but they all seem to work for me.

Just practice doing it into a Word document and you'll be an expert like me in no time.

Good luck.

jmonroe

driver100

graphicguy said:

Not sure I want to admit this, but in 1985 I was driving a Renault Fuego.

GG, I think you just took the "last place" prize away from oldfarmer!

bwia

Thanks jmonroe, I'll try that next time when I'm on my PC.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

bwia said:

In 1985 this was daily driver, a Dodge Mirada. In those days I drove 35k plus miles per year, now about 5,500 miles per year. http://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/vCYAAOSwG-1W0jQN/s-l225.jpg

Wow, I never even heard of that and I was a Chrysler fan back then. I kinda like the looks.

Oh oh, now he is going to try to find one of those.

Actually, I like the squared off styling with the large windows....so it would suit me too.

jmonroe

@ab348 said:

I was a late adopter, since I had a '79 Electra Park Avenue that I was driving in 2002. I thought it was nicer than a Cadillac of that same year. Mine had the Olds 403 under the hood, and a fabulous interior.


_________________________________________________________________________________

That was my interior, exactly. Gray velour and very comfortable. Great for going on vacation. Of course the guys in here that want "handling" would laugh themselves silly at the way that car handled compared to the "feel of the road" cars they like but I liked it for the comfort. I wasn't trying to do slalom runs with it. If I tried I'd be dead from the effort. Even today I doubt you could find a more comfortable ride than that car.

My '80 Park Ave had the 350 V8 not the 403 like you had.

When people talk about a "land barge", this is what they are referring to.

jmonroe

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

Have any of you seen the TV ads for this group?

https://www.carvana.com

Wonder how they get around the dealer monopoly laws?

I have seen the "Anything For Love" TV commercial and it is pretty well done....but, I had no idea what they were really selling.
CARVANA (30 seconds)

The website looks like a good set up. I checked out pricing on a 2014 C Class and it was pretty competitive. Well thought out....really trying to make used car buying state-of-the-art.

driver100

jmonroe said:

OK eat you hearts out.

This is what I was driving in 1985. 1980 Buick Park Ave. same color and condition too but mine didn't have the fake wire wheel hub caps. Mine had the spoke wheels. One of the most reliable cars I ever had. Even the A/C was still working in '97 when I finally sold it to a used car lot for around $900 IIRC with a tranny that was just starting to act up with about 120K miles on it.



jmonroe

You win the "Best Old Guys Car" award for a young guy award.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

OK eat you hearts out.

This is what I was driving in 1985. 1980 Buick Park Ave. same color and condition too but mine didn't have the fake wire wheel hub caps. Mine had the spoke wheels. One of the most reliable cars I ever had. Even the A/C was still working in '97 when I finally sold it to a used car lot for around $900 IIRC with a tranny that was just starting to act up with about 120K miles on it.



jmonroe

You win the "Best Old Guys Car" award for a young guy award.

Not interested. :@ :@

jmonroe

Mr_Shiftright

I"m sure Lee's had a full bar and was upholstered in frogskin.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe said:

OK eat you hearts out.

This is what I was driving in 1985. 1980 Buick Park Ave. same color and condition too but mine didn't have the fake wire wheel hub caps. Mine had the spoke wheels. One of the most reliable cars I ever had. Even the A/C was still working in '97 when I finally sold it to a used car lot for around $900 IIRC with a tranny that was just starting to act up with about 120K miles on it.



jmonroe

That looks like my 82' Oldsmobile 88 which I got used in 1989 with about 27k miles. Thought I was riding fancy since it was a cool 2 door but the 80s build quality caught up with me and I sold it in the early 90s with only 75k miles to stop it from bleeding me with repairs.

Not the actual car but it looked like this:

driver100

I still like those Miradas. They didn't sell too many of them. Unless it is a sporty car it is hard to get big sales for a 2 door model, even back then. I see the Mustang has become the number 1 selling sports car in the world.....now that sales have



Ford Mustang was the top-selling sports coupe worldwide in 2015, according to IHS Automotive registration data
Ford sold around 110,000 Mustang Coupes and around 30,000 Mustang Convertibles in 2015; Mustang was the only sports coupe globally to sell more than 100,000 units last year
Once a North American phenomenon, Mustang is now on sale in 140 markets, including Australia, where it was sold out through 2017 before receiving an extra allotment of cars.

The Mustang now outsells the Camaro by quite a wide margin in the US suddenly. I could never understand how the Camaro could outsell the Mustang...except possibly on performance only.


FULL ARTICLE (it is quite an achievement)

carnaught

I like 'stangs and Camaro's; wouldn't throw either out of bed for eating crackers.

stickguy

I might be able to live with a Mustang. No way I could do it with a current Camaro.

qbrozen

driver100 said:

I still like those Miradas. They didn't sell too many of them. Unless it is a sporty car it is hard to get big sales for a 2 door model, even back then. I see the Mustang has become the number 1 selling sports car in the world.....now that sales have



Ford Mustang was the top-selling sports coupe worldwide in 2015, according to IHS Automotive registration data
Ford sold around 110,000 Mustang Coupes and around 30,000 Mustang Convertibles in 2015; Mustang was the only sports coupe globally to sell more than 100,000 units last year
Once a North American phenomenon, Mustang is now on sale in 140 markets, including Australia, where it was sold out through 2017 before receiving an extra allotment of cars.

The Mustang now outsells the Camaro by quite a wide margin in the US suddenly. I could never understand how the Camaro could outsell the Mustang...except possibly on performance only.


FULL ARTICLE (it is quite an achievement)

Looks like a slight variation on my '79 Zephyr.
(this is not mine. mine was dark red.)

andres3

The NHTSA comes out with drivel like this:

In 2011, 42% of speeding drivers who were involved in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher. What does this mean? Drivers who have been drinking are more likely to speed and then cause a deadly crash because of it.

Such a false line of logic. How about driving drunk leads to fatal crashes? Clearer, simpler, and truer.

No, they just had to pad the "speed kills" myth with nearly half of speeders being lumped together with drunk drivers.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

I still like those Miradas. They didn't sell too many of them. Unless it is a sporty car it is hard to get big sales for a 2 door model, even back then. I see the Mustang has become the number 1 selling sports car in the world.....now that sales have



Ford Mustang was the top-selling sports coupe worldwide in 2015, according to IHS Automotive registration data
Ford sold around 110,000 Mustang Coupes and around 30,000 Mustang Convertibles in 2015; Mustang was the only sports coupe globally to sell more than 100,000 units last year
Once a North American phenomenon, Mustang is now on sale in 140 markets, including Australia, where it was sold out through 2017 before receiving an extra allotment of cars.

The Mustang now outsells the Camaro by quite a wide margin in the US suddenly. I could never understand how the Camaro could outsell the Mustang...except possibly on performance only.


FULL ARTICLE (it is quite an achievement)

The latest Camaro has a number of features I like but the high belt line and low roof is a real turn off. I rode in the previous generation (2010) and it seemed ok but visability was lousy. As I said, I like the style of the early 2000s better.

If I was at the track frequently I might prefer the new generation Camaro for the sheer performance.

imidazol97

This reminds me


of This

ab348

Nah, I don't think so. The Mirada had good proportions and was a harmonious design. That generation T-bird was just awkward and fat-hipped.

driver100

qbrozen said:

driver100 said:

I still like those Miradas. They didn't sell too many of them. Unless it is a sporty car it is hard to get big sales for a 2 door model, even back then. I see the Mustang has become the number 1 selling sports car in the world.....now that sales have







Ford Mustang was the top-selling sports coupe worldwide in 2015, according to IHS Automotive registration data

Ford sold around 110,000 Mustang Coupes and around 30,000 Mustang Convertibles in 2015; Mustang was the only sports coupe globally to sell more than 100,000 units last year

Once a North American phenomenon, Mustang is now on sale in 140 markets, including Australia, where it was sold out through 2017 before receiving an extra allotment of cars.



The Mustang now outsells the Camaro by quite a wide margin in the US suddenly. I could never understand how the Camaro could outsell the Mustang...except possibly on performance only.





FULL ARTICLE (it is quite an achievement)

Looks like a slight variation on my '79 Zephyr.
(this is not mine. mine was dark red.)




You must have attended the JMonroe school of car design....if it has square tailights and 4 doors it looks the same.

driver100

ab348 said:

Nah, I don't think so. The Mirada had good proportions and was a harmonious design. That generation T-bird was just awkward and fat-hipped.

I agree....the Dodge looks good and has it's own very distinctive design. The T-Bird is a spin off from the Fairmount with a funny looking roof to try to make it look more like a coupe. That rear tailight looks like they had an idea to do a sweeping tailight right across the back, but they ran out of money and had to cheapen it to get it in under budget....a big problem with a lot of cars of that era.

fintail

It's a useful tool to justify relentless speed enforcement (while other violations are ignored virtually in total). Follow the money.

andres3 said:

The NHTSA comes out with drivel like this:

No, they just had to pad the "speed kills" myth with nearly half of speeders being lumped together with drunk drivers.

fintail

I probably shouldn't admit it, I have a guilty pleasure in a 77-79 T-Bird, but it's gotta have T-tops:



I prefer the one without the blanked out rear quarter window, but the ones sans window are the higher model, and will have nicer fittings:



I think these were more LTD II related. Definitely a case of making do, compared to the prior T-Bird with its Continental lineage. But better than the 80-82 models!

I don't mind the Mirada either, it wears those angular lines well, and isn't as overdone as the T-Bird. Also needs T-tops:

roadburner

explorerx4 said:

@tjc78,
It was an 83 Turbo Coupe with a 5 speed stick. I did get another Tbird with a V8 a few years later(88).

I ran a 1984 Turbo Coupe from 1994 to 1998. Mine also had three pedals. A nice car.

ab348

Chrysler also did a far better job of integrating the impact bumpers on those Miradas and Cordobas as compared to the railroad ties that Ford used in those years.

graphicguy

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

Not sure I want to admit this, but in 1985 I was driving a Renault Fuego.

GG, I think you just took the "last place" prize away from oldfarmer!

LOL! Can't disagree.

Actually, the Fuego wasn't necessarily a bad car. Not a great car, either. Lots of turbo lag. Pretty poor materials, at least inside. It wasn't really fast. But, it never left me stranded. Biggest problem was the dealership I bought it from (and surrounding Renault dealers) started going under shortly after I bought it.

And, for reasons I still can't explain, independent garages wouldn't touch them.

I do remember keeping it until I found out my (then) wife was pregnant and needed a sedan. Fuego was traded (after I took a huge hit on resale, since AMC/Renault was dying) and bought a new to the market Mercury Sable.

qbrozen

driver100 said:

driver100 said:

I still like those Miradas. They didn't sell too many of them. Unless it is a sporty car it is hard to get big sales for a 2 door model, even back then. I see the Mustang has become the number 1 selling sports car in the world.....now that sales have











Ford Mustang was the top-selling sports coupe worldwide in 2015, according to IHS Automotive registration data


Ford sold around 110,000 Mustang Coupes and around 30,000 Mustang Convertibles in 2015; Mustang was the only sports coupe globally to sell more than 100,000 units last year


Once a North American phenomenon, Mustang is now on sale in 140 markets, including Australia, where it was sold out through 2017 before receiving an extra allotment of cars.





The Mustang now outsells the Camaro by quite a wide margin in the US suddenly. I could never understand how the Camaro could outsell the Mustang...except possibly on performance only.








FULL ARTICLE (it is quite an achievement)

Looks like a slight variation on my '79 Zephyr.
(this is not mine. mine was dark red.)

You must have attended the JMonroe school of car design....if it has square tailights and 4 doors it looks the same.

They have more in common than just that. First, they are both 2 doors, not 4. Anyway, the rear side markers and front fender vents are also in same position. Cover up that 10% of the car behind the door and above the beltline and you'd be hard pressed to tell them apart. 

bwia

fintail said:

Wow, this brings back memories. My Mirada was also white but without the T-top. Come to think of it I don't remember the t-top as a factory installed option. As you can see from the above pic, the proportions and size were perfect, enhanced by the rear wheel drive orientation, which is not possible with many of today's front wheel drive cars.

The shark gills were an elegant touch as well but was a bear to keep clean. The original stereo was anaemic so I installed an after market unit that was worthy of the car but not for my wife and young daughter's ears.

Good memories.

driver100

I agree, the Mirada is a beautifully designed and proportioned car......even the shark gills look good on it.

The T-Bird IMO is a mess. Ford tried to convert a Ford LTD II which was supposed to be a lighter car because of the gas shortages into a T-Bird to try to save production costs I am sure. The LTD was still pretty hefty for a smaller lighter model........and that T-Bird has no resemblance to what a T-Bird should be like.

Mr_Shiftright

Too much front overhang always makes a car look clumsy IMO.

laurasdada

1985: Arrest me red turbo, my first new car!

stickguy

My first new car. The colt version. Sans turbo, but with the suspension, tires and seats.

fintail

I am pretty sure I have seen a couple t-top Mirada over the years - maybe rare or mostly sold in certain markets, but I suspect it was available from the dealer, if not an aftermarket company doing conversions and selling them through the dealer. When I was a kid, a friend of mine's mother had a white Mirada, I think it was the fancy "CMX" model. Nice looking car, especially given the circumstances of pre-K-car Mopar.

The 80-83 Datsun/Datsun by Nissan 200SX had a similar profile:



But quite different front and rear detail:

fintail

I'd take a T-top 77-79 over one of these things any day:

driver100 said:

I agree, the Mirada is a beautifully designed and proportioned car......even the shark gills look good on it.

The T-Bird IMO is a mess. Ford tried to convert a Ford LTD II which was supposed to be a lighter car because of the gas shortages into a T-Bird to try to save production costs I am sure. The LTD was still pretty hefty for a smaller lighter model........and that T-Bird has no resemblance to what a T-Bird should be like.

imidazol97

Mr_Shiftright said:

Too much front overhang always makes a car look clumsy IMO.

Back in the 1980s wasn't some of the overhang a way to pass the bumper test without as much damage to the parts like the radiator. Am I recalling correctly that the damage from the impact was measured in $$$ and it had to be below a certain amount?

Michaell

fintail said:

I am pretty sure I have seen a couple t-top Mirada over the years - maybe rare or mostly sold in certain markets, but I suspect it was available from the dealer, if not an aftermarket company doing conversions and selling them through the dealer. When I was a kid, a friend of mine's mother had a white Mirada, I think it was the fancy "CMX" model. Nice looking car, especially given the circumstances of pre-K-car Mopar.

The 80-83 Datsun/Datsun by Nissan 200SX had a similar profile:



But quite different front and rear detail:

When my uncle moved to CA from PA, he bought one of these (plain jane white, with a blue interior and a stick shift) for his commute to work.

roadburner

There's a reason they are called "Boxbirds."

Mr_Shiftright

imidazol97 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Too much front overhang always makes a car look clumsy IMO.

Back in the 1980s wasn't some of the overhang a way to pass the bumper test without as much damage to the parts like the radiator. Am I recalling correctly that the damage from the impact was measured in $$$ and it had to be below a certain amount?

I really don't know anything about that but it sounds like an incredibly clumsy way to engineer a bumper problem!