Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options

I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)

1115811591161116311641306

Comments

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,347
    What a barge. Hangs well over the barrier, and still blocks half the aisle! Hard to get my head around a 2 door car longer than a big cab Ram PU

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    ab348 said:

    That blue paint on the Catalina puzzles me. Pontiac only offered 2 blues in '76, Athena Blue, a light shade, and Polaris Blue, which looks much darker than this. This definitely isn't Athena, but a search for Polaris gives results all over the map, though nothing quite like this. I wonder if they offered a spring special color?

    You mean the Catalina Fintail posted? That's a '74. I think that color might be "Regatta Blue"? For '74 they had Porcelain, Regatta, Admiralty (I think; I can't quite make it out on the chart I looked at) and Gulfmist Aqua. On the color chart, the Admiralty looks really dark, like a midnight blue. The other three look similar, but looking at that '74 Fintail posted, "Regatta" looks close to me.




  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    I think that's a '74 Catalina.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,284
    Ah, my mistake. I didn't realize they offered that roofline in '74.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,284
    Speaking of '74's, here's Dad's Impala in a period pic. Pretty plain-jane.


    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    edited March 2022

    andre, I didn't recall that '77 dark green actually having 'blue' in the name but it did. For some reason, I never thought of that color like the '81 Dark Jade as in '81 there was a jade interior color and that color on '77's always seemed to have just green interior.

    It wasn't the dark green/blue, "Berskshire" that made me think of GM's dark jade. It was the light "Bahia Green", that made me think a bit of the light jadestone. Like this (Olds just called it "medium green poly")....

    Here's an '82 Cutlass, in light jade, like what I had (except mine was nowhere near this nice)...
    Although seeing them side-by-side, I definitely notice the difference. The '77, by itself, looks like it has just a hint of blue and silver mixed in, giving it a slightly frosty look, but then when I see it compared to the '82, it just looks like light green!
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited March 2022
    Greg, that is a pretty basic Impala! Doesn't have the optional wheel opening moldings nor the body side moldings with the rubber insert! Nor whitewalls! I'm serious when I say that I've always heard the Canadian car buyer, just generally, is thriftier/less showy than the U.S. buyer. Do you have any feelings one way or the other, about that statement?

    My Dad was deciding between two '74 Impala Sport Coupes with the identical bottom line of sticker--$4,408.00. One was that baby diarrhea non-metallic green with green cloth and white painted top, and the other was the maroon of your Dad's with white painted top and the black and white herringbone interior, which reminded me of a sport coat. I wanted the latter, but Dad chose his third light green car in a row.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,284

    Greg, that is a pretty basic Impala! Doesn't have the optional wheel opening moldings nor the body side moldings with the rubber insert! Nor whitewalls! I'm serious when I say that I've always heard the Canadian car buyer, just generally, is thriftier/less showy than the U.S. buyer. Do you have any feelings one way or the other, about that statement?

    I think that was certainly true in the '70s when that pic was taken, and carried on for a while (see the success when the cheapo Hyundai Pony and Lada were introduced here in the '80s, and even the VW Golf City, an older model sold alongside the one that superseded it, for a lower price) 10 or 15 years ago. These days I think the acceptance of leasing and perhaps generally higher standards of living has changed that.
    My Dad was deciding between two '74 Impala Sport Coupes with the identical bottom line of sticker--$4,408.00. One was that baby diarrhea non-metallic green with green cloth and white painted top, and the other was the maroon of your Dad's with white painted top and the black and white herringbone interior, which reminded me of a sport coat. I wanted the latter, but Dad chose his third light green car in a row.
    Our '74 had that herringbone cloth. I didn't care for it much. This one was an ex-Budget rental car he bought cheap, and it showed, though until I saw this pic I had forgotten it didn't even have whitewalls. Ran decent for a '74 - it had the leaned-out carb that that would always stumble from a standing start unless the choke was still active.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    I've always thought the traditional Canadian love for cheap cars was also because of the harsh winters enjoyed by much of the populace - if your car is going to turn into a pile of iron oxide dust in a few years, why spring for the fancy loaded model that will dissolve just as quickly as a base model or a smaller car? Purchasing power issues are likely part of it too, although some real estate markets oppose that idea.

  • sdasda Member Posts: 7,580
    andre1969 said:

    andre, I didn't recall that '77 dark green actually having 'blue' in the name but it did. For some reason, I never thought of that color like the '81 Dark Jade as in '81 there was a jade interior color and that color on '77's always seemed to have just green interior.

    It wasn't the dark green/blue, "Berskshire" that made me think of GM's dark jade. It was the light "Bahia Green", that made me think a bit of the light jadestone. Like this (Olds just called it "medium green poly")....

    Here's an '82 Cutlass, in light jade, like what I had (except mine was nowhere near this nice)...
    Although seeing them side-by-side, I definitely notice the difference. The '77, by itself, looks like it has just a hint of blue and silver mixed in, giving it a slightly frosty look, but then when I see it compared to the '82, it just looks like light green!
    The rental car dad got when they were replacing the head gaskets on his Eldorado diesel was just like that, same color, Cutlass Supreme. It had the body color rally wheels instead of wheel covers. I thought it drove nice and the 231 V6 though not fast, didn’t feel sluggish and was pleasant overall.

    2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023


    Besides being all in to the new full-size GM's that year, something that kind-of turned me off in a minor way to Chevelles that year, was the door panels on the Malibu Classic previously had a big cloth insert that matched the seats, if the seats were cloth, and vinyl door panel inserts for all-vinyl interiors. The urge to cheapen/simplify must have been overwhelming for '77 as you got the vinyl door panel inserts no matter if you got cloth or all-vinyl interior!

    Are you sure about that, Uplander? I looked at the '77 sales brochure, and it looks to me like there's still cloth on that part of the door panel.
    http://oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Chevrolet/1977_Chevrolet/1977 Chevrolet Chevelle Brochure (Rev)/image4.html
    I could be wrong though, and it might be my eyes playing tricks on me. Admittedly, the resolution of the door panel in this pic isn't the greatest. And it's possible that they made a change after the brochure was printed. Reading the text, it makes it sound like the cloth seat is standard and all viny is optional. So If that's the case, I could see a Chevy dealer spinning it, saying that you were getting the "upgraded" door panels with the cloth seats! I guess it's also possible that the all-vinyl was simply a no-cost option?

    Anyway, with the Malibu Classic, I think the cloth looks pretty nice. But the base Malibu's cloth/vinyl mix looks so cheap, I could see springing for the upgrade to vinyl!
  • sdasda Member Posts: 7,580
    edited March 2022
    It is interesting to see the change in color palate from 73-74. Dad’s Catalina was Valencia Gold (light metallic orange) with a light beige/ off white vinyl top and saddle interior. Later our 73 GrandAm was Mesa Tan with saddle interior. Neither exterior colors were offered for 74.
    https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/L2cAAOSwUJNdl3Lj/s-l1600.jpg

    2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    At GM then, colors usually changed yearly, or at least every other year.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited March 2022
    Are you sure about that, Uplander? I looked at the '77 sales brochure, and it looks to me like there's still cloth on that part of the door panel.

    Yeah, I'm sure. I saw that blue interior pic and my immediate thought was they probably reused it from the '76 brochure, as the seats themselves were the same pattern. I always liked that tuck-and-roll design as it gave you a little lower back support you might otherwise not get in a bench seat at the time.

    A couple examples of '77's with cloth seats but vinyl trim on the door:

    1977 Malibu Classic
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited March 2022
    Late in the '77 run, cars started coming in without the scrolly "Malibu Classic" nameplate on the grille but with the block "CHEVROLET" nameplate, like on the decklid of our '77 Impala, as well. Interesting to note that neither the '76 nor '77 Malibu Classic has any piece of 'Chevelle' identification on the car, anywhere, inside or out.

    I could like the exterior of a '76 base Malibu coupe--decent grille, although I bemoan the lack of rocker moldings, of which I'm usually a big fan. And I'd have added the optional five-slot Rally Wheels. But there is just no way to make that base-model low-rent interior look better. The optional round instrument package doesn't do it; the optional woven vinyl doesn't do it. Beginning in '74, to me there should've been a model between the Malibu and Malibu Classic.


    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    I'd have been happy if they'd offered a Custom Interior option of the Classic's interior trim, and offered an optional rocker panel molding. I'd have probably wanted a '76 Malibu coupe with those particulars. As offered, not.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    I know it's a minor nitpick, but that actually bothers me, that Chevy cheaped out like that! I actually like the pattern on the door, in cloth. But in vinyl, something about it, with those little buttons, looks kind of tacky. And in red it makes me think it belongs on a headboard in a Louisiana cathouse!

    That also reminds me of how, in more recent times, Dodge did a similar thing with the Intrepid, for 2002. Back then they had a base cloth, and an ES cloth. You could also get leather on the ES, and I think it was standard on the R/T. Anyway, for '98-01, if you got cloth seats, you got matching fabric on the door panels. If you got leather, the door panel was vinyl. But for '02, they made them all vinyl. They also de-contented a few other details, too. They took the carpeting off the lower door panels on the base models (can't remember if they did that on the nicer models as well though). They also took the rear sway bar off the base model, and changed the cupholder in the center console from a design that would pop in and out as needed, to one that was stationary.

    I guess eventually, though, most cars went this way, abandoning the fabric on the door panels. Now that I think about it, my friend's '95 Grand Marquis GS, with cloth seats, just had vinyl on the door panels. My '03 Regal has these inserts that have wrinkles in them, trying to give it a leathery look. Which it has, if your eyesight is bad and you've had enough to drink! :p

    Now that I think about it, I don't believe the Grand LeMans, of the Colonade generation at least, ever had cloth on the door panels. Actually, with the LeMans, it seems like the vast majority of those had vinyl seats. I just tried looking up pics for a '76, and one of the first ones with cloth was right-hand drive, so I guess that's a sign they were pretty rare! As far as I know, though, if you got cloth seats in the Grand LeMans, you got the same door panels, which were basically leftovers from the '73-75 Grand Am.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    My friend's parents had a '76 Malibu Classic sedan, dark blue with a silver vinyl top--really. And It looked nice. It had the blue cloth interior. Between that, and another friend's parents' '74 Monte Carlo Landau, I decided that the Colonnades not only drove nicer than the old '71-76 style full-size Chevys, they seemed to me to actually ride better and be quieter too.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    My '17 Cruze has cloth on the door panels and instrument panel, which I'll take over plastic or vinyl anytime. Our Equinox has neither, sigh.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    edited March 2022
    I remember someone, Adam on YT perhaps, saying that the '71-76 GM big cars were a bit weak in the frame department, and not as beefy as comparable Ford products.

    I don't know how much of an indication a car's GVWR is of its "beefiness", for lack of a better word, but that rough '73 Catalina for sale on Hemmings was only rated at 5566 lb.
    That seems awfully low to me, for a car that big. For comparison, the GVWR sticker on my '76 LeMans is something like 5622 lb, and on my '79 5th Avenue, it's around 5450. So for a battlecruiser-class full-sized car to have its GVWR in range of those two, something doesn't seem right. I've heard that sometimes though, tires can make a big difference here, and a low GVWR can often be a case of a car simply coming with tires that are really too small for its own good. Or in other instances, it might just be a matter of installing beefier suspension bits.

    The parents of one of my friends once had a '76 Delta 88 4-door hardtop. He said that the car was extremely shaky, and seemed a bit TOO flexible for its own good. Now, that could partly be a product of it being a 4-door hardtop, but then I remember my old '69 Bonneville 4-door hardtop, and that car had a nice, solid feel to it. The only area where that car felt cheap was the trunk lid. It felt thin and flimsy, and also sounded so when you closed it. But the hood and doors, nice, solid thunks. And it didn't shake, rattle & roll down the road, either. My grandparents' '72 Impala was a 4-door hardtop, and I can't remember how it felt, but I was a young kid at the time and really didn't notice things like that. The main thing I remember about that car, is that by the time it was about 6 years old, Granddad had a yearly ritual of bondo-ing the lower part of the front fenders, behind the wheel opening (most likely where the cowl drains into). I can still remember, asking Granddad if he would hold onto it until I turned 16 so I could have it, and he said it would be long gone and rusted away by then!
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    edited March 2022
    Made just for Lawn Guyland:


  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,723
    Yesterday I saw, within minutes of each other and both white, a Volvo 760 GL sedan and a 7?? wagon
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,284
    I don't think I've ever seen chrome sports mirrors from that era of GM before.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    edited March 2022
    Those local limited editions can be unique. My '72 Duster had a color combo I've never seen since, and not listed in the brochure.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited March 2022
    I don't ever remember chrome sport mirrors on a GM then either. Interesting.

    I can't find a pic of our '74 Impala Sport Coupe. Other than this one is the better light green metallic and ours was that creamy pale pea soup green with white top, it was trimmed out like this one. Ours had bumper guards though:
    Despite energy issues, the 1974 Impala Sport Coupe sold more than 50,000 units.

    Our interior was this interior. I did like the pattern at the time. This car is missing the loops in the head restraints for the shoulder belts. The swirl pattern in the seats was kind-of satin-y, but these seats have some wear.


    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    edited March 2022
    I tried looking for a pic of a '74 full-sized Chevy in that green the other day, but like you, Uplander, the only one I found was that metallic one, which isn't too bad looking. The about the best example I could find, is this...at least I think this is that color...
    I think it would look better with a white landau roof, or even a black one. But having the vinyl be the same color as the body just makes that color worse!

    I think the way the light sets it off though, makes this color show a lot better in person, than it does in real life. When I was younger, I seem to recall seeing a '74 Catalina locally, from time to time, in this green. But I think it had a white top at least.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited March 2022
    Today found this pic of my second Monte Carlo--an '82 in Dark Jade (which was darker than my '81's bottom color), and this one had what would later be called the CL interior, but it was a V6. I liked my two-tone '81 with 267 better. I bought it with 6,100 miles after my '81 was stolen and never recovered (within 30 days). This was my hometown dealer owner's demo. I bought it in Nov. '82.

    Back then I was somewhat interested in the short girl. What's funny is, haven't seen or spoken or communicated with her in well over 30 years, but I'm still friends with her old roommate, the taller one.

    This is on some beach in northern FL.


    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    That's the color, andre. I can't say one good thing about it!
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    That's not Daytona Beach, by any chance, is it, Uplander? I know they let you drive out on the beach down there. Although maybe there are a lot of places in Florida where they let you do that. I have a picture somewhere, of my 2000 Intrepid out on the beach. The parents of one of my friends had a house trailer in Port Orange, in an over 55 community that they let us use for a week back in 2005, and we made a little vacation out of it.

    It's interesting how, in that pic, that dark Jade looks like it's midnight blue. I'd imagine that dark jade as a solid color was pretty rare. I recall seeing plenty of light jade cars, and even a decent sprinkling of the two-tone light/dark, but off the top of my head, I can only think of one dark Jade car in recent memory. It was a 1982 Cutlass Supreme sedan, for sale at the GM show in Carlisle one year. I know I took a picture of it, but I just looked through a bunch of old pics and can't find it. It definitely caught my eye, and if I had money to burn, I would've bought it, just for that color!
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited March 2022
    For some reason, I'm thinking it was Fernandina Beach. The girls lived in Gainesville and it was
    a drive north, and of course east, of there IIRC.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,284
    That 1974 Chevy green is quite unappealing. It might even be worse than the 1975 "Medium Blue" (Olds called it Horizon Blue), non-metallic, a hint of grey in it, looked almost like a color the Navy would have used on equipment.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    Wow...tell me Google, or someone, isn't watching our every move. I just went to google maps to look that up, and this is all I had to type...


    Of all the places that begin with "Fer", THAT is the first one it tries to auto-fill?! :p
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 262,197
    andre1969 said:

    Wow...tell me Google, or someone, isn't watching our every move. I just went to google maps to look that up, and this is all I had to type...


    Of all the places that begin with "Fer", THAT is the first one it tries to auto-fill?! :p

    Hey, it is spring break season.

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and let us know! Post a pic of your new purchase or lease!


    MODERATOR

    2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    edited March 2022
    That '82 of mine had this interior (left) in Jade. At the time I thought it was pretty high-zoot. Strange that it is a bench seat. It didn't become a 60/40 until '83 model year.
    82monte4
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • sdasda Member Posts: 7,580

    That '82 of mine had this interior (left) in Jade. At the time I thought it was pretty high-zoot. Strange that it is a bench seat. It didn't become a 60/40 until '83 model year.
    82monte4

    Even the base interior was handsome.

    2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Funny, I was in Fernandina Beach last weekend - that area has something of an old school feel compared to much of the crazy state.

    For some reason, I'm thinking it was Fernandina Beach. The girls lived in Gainesville and it was
    a drive north, and of course east, of there IIRC.

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    My '81 had the base interior but in '81 the standard bench did not have a center armrest, which became standard in '82. My parents' '84 had the standard interior in a maroon cloth, but in 60/40 configuration. I thought it was a nice, understated trim.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,861
    I used to go to FL a good bit with work, and of course we've done the Disney thing a couple times. I simply couldn't live there. To me, sitting in a parking lot called an interstate is a quality of life negative, but I'm a grumpy old guy who lived for my first 22 years in a small, non-suburban town of well under 10K.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,284
    One of the things that just doesn't happen here on our expressways is having traffic suddenly stop due to congestion, unless there is construction or a wreck. In those cases you get lots of advance warning. However both times I visited Williamsburg, VA and was driving there from Norfolk airport, traffic would just suddenly stop on the interstate for no visible reason. It was very alarming and somewhat disquieting.

    Speaking of which, the last time I was there in 2013 and was driving my rental back to Norfolk airport. On the street leading to the airport I suddenly got a strong smell of natural gas. Apparently there was a leak somewhere. Yet traffic kept flowing and people did not seem particularly concerned, although I did see a few official vehicles with flashing lights parked. Here, they would have evacuated and closed off blocks.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    edited March 2022
    Funny, to me, having lived in the Seattle metro, FL traffic isn't anything remarkably bad. FL drivers are unique, but compared to Puget Sound gridlock, I doubt anything in that state compares. You want to talk about sitting in a parking lot interstate, Seattle area is where people will make the sacrifice of a 90+ minute each way commute for "affordable" housing (that is, a generic tract house that only costs 500K instead of 1MM). It's where the jobs are, and the area is still hip among monied younger people.

    On the car note, spotted a tired looking but still on the road 77-79 Sedan DeVille, yet another 64 Galaxie - this one kind of a fintail blue but on big wheels, Ferrari FF (quite unusual out here).

    I used to go to FL a good bit with work, and of course we've done the Disney thing a couple times. I simply couldn't live there. To me, sitting in a parking lot called an interstate is a quality of life negative, but I'm a grumpy old guy who lived for my first 22 years in a small, non-suburban town of well under 10K.

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    edited March 2022
    It was 2005 that I went to Florida, and I remember traffic being pretty bad down there. But, not really much worse than the DC area, that I'm used to. However, I really got spoiled all those years that I worked close to home. From 1992-94, then '96-99, and then late 2003-2018, I was only around 4 miles from home. And then in late 2010, they moved my office, so I was only about 2.5! In those two gaps, My home was around 13 miles from work. But, I always had an evening job, up through late 2001, so I often didn't go home right after work. As a result, I didn't really get to experience the full joy of evening rush hour.

    But, once I moved in late 2018, and got thrust into it, full-force, I got to see just how bad DC area traffic had gotten over the years, and learned quickly to hate it with a passion. My commute was now about 18 miles, and in the mornings would take around 35-45 minutes. In the evenings, more like 45-60. Evenings got bad enough I started working alternating short/long days. On my long days I'd stay til around 5:45, and while local traffic was still bad, I found that if I took the long route, which was mostly highway, but longer, at around 23 miles, I could often be home in about 40 minutes, sometimes less. And on the short days, I'd take off around noon. But, I only had to deal with that for about 18 months, thanks to COVID, and the whole work-from-home thing.

    My attitude with Florida is that it might be a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. If you're close enough to the beach, it's too expensive and you have to worry about hurricanes. But then if you get into the inner parts of the state, I imagine it's mostly just hot, muggy weather and bugs. And, I guess I just think of what if I had my fleet of antique cars down there...I'd probably need a more heavily fortified building, to withstand the storms, and that would cost a lot more than the garage I had built in Maryland.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,284
    Pros and cons of just about anywhere, I suppose. I have an online acquaintance in her early 50s who leads a very interesting life. Grew up in Pacific Palisades, went to the tony Harvard-Westlake school, then on to Yale. Things went sideways there so she moved to Santa Barbara for a few unhappy years, then to NYC. These days she splits time between NYC and Pacific Palisades with lots of travel in between. The Palisades is a very rich area, but SoCal is no longer a place that appeals to me very much based upon her accounts since I'm not wealthy enough. She loves NYC, but I could not live the way she does there in a tiny 4th-floor walk-up. Recently she visited New Mexico for some reason, which I always thought might be kind of neat, and did not enjoy her experience there at all, finding it too sketchy and dirty in the parts she visited. She seems to like Seattle and the richer parts of Connecticut, but doesn't have to pay the price of living in such places since she only visits. The perfect spot is elusive.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,675
    edited March 2022
    Chevrolet Malibu Maxx in nearly perfect condition being driven by a younger
    woman. Likely an inhertied vehicle from a relative that was driven little?

    Volve 144e. In a medium Earl Scheib blue but looked original and powdered
    from age. Driven by elderly man who hoped I'd ask him about his car as he got out.

    Probably volvo's light blue
    https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0271/7931/9375/files/1972-volvo-pg01.jpg?9356


    Rear lights looked smaller than this car, but....?






    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    ab348 said:

    The perfect spot is elusive.

    Yeah, tell me about it! Although with me, I think a lot of it is just familiarity. With the exception of one year (1979-80) that we lived in Southern Maryland, I've lived my entire life pretty much within a 10-15 mile radius. From where I live now, I could get to any of my old homes in about 30 minutes, if traffic cooperates, and two of my former homes are actually on the way, more or less, from my current house to my office (well if I ever go back, that is).

    But, unfortunately, nothing stays the same, and things do change. Heck, right now as I type this, the people in back of me are having a bunch of trees taken down. There's still about 150 feet or so of forest between my house and theirs, all of it on my property. But it's opening it up enough back there, that suddenly I feel, well, exposed! It's like it's changing the whole Feng Shui or whatever you want to call it! Hopefully once the trees get leaves on them, it'll block them out.

    And, back at the old neighborhood, where my family has had roots since before the Civil War, it's really changed for the worst. As I like to say, "Look for it now, only in books, for it is little more than a dream remembered. A civilization, gone with the wind!"

    Funny you'd mention New Mexico, ab348. I've always had a fascination with the Southwest and deserts. Dunno if I'd want to live there full time, but I definitely want to get back to that area. When I was a kid, in 1982, my grandparents and I went on a long trip out to California and back, and some of my favorite parts of that trip were in the desert area (Zion canyon, Bryce canyon, that "four corners area", the Great Sand Dunes, the Sandia Peak aerial tram, etc). Of course, vacationing in a place, and actually living there, are two different things!
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    Imizadol, I know that car you posted the pic of isn't the one you saw...but I'm liking that color! It's not a color most modern cars would wear very well, and it's probably debatable on whether it looks good on that Volvo, but I LIKE it!
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 262,197
    andre1969 said:

    ab348 said:

    The perfect spot is elusive.

    Yeah, tell me about it! Although with me, I think a lot of it is just familiarity. With the exception of one year (1979-80) that we lived in Southern Maryland, I've lived my entire life pretty much within a 10-15 mile radius. From where I live now, I could get to any of my old homes in about 30 minutes, if traffic cooperates, and two of my former homes are actually on the way, more or less, from my current house to my office (well if I ever go back, that is).

    But, unfortunately, nothing stays the same, and things do change. Heck, right now as I type this, the people in back of me are having a bunch of trees taken down. There's still about 150 feet or so of forest between my house and theirs, all of it on my property. But it's opening it up enough back there, that suddenly I feel, well, exposed! It's like it's changing the whole Feng Shui or whatever you want to call it! Hopefully once the trees get leaves on them, it'll block them out.

    And, back at the old neighborhood, where my family has had roots since before the Civil War, it's really changed for the worst. As I like to say, "Look for it now, only in books, for it is little more than a dream remembered. A civilization, gone with the wind!"

    Funny you'd mention New Mexico, ab348. I've always had a fascination with the Southwest and deserts. Dunno if I'd want to live there full time, but I definitely want to get back to that area. When I was a kid, in 1982, my grandparents and I went on a long trip out to California and back, and some of my favorite parts of that trip were in the desert area (Zion canyon, Bryce canyon, that "four corners area", the Great Sand Dunes, the Sandia Peak aerial tram, etc). Of course, vacationing in a place, and actually living there, are two different things!
    @andre1969 - Wife and I have been to NM a number of times - mostly Santa Fe, and a few overnight stays in ABQ as we drove to Sedona, AZ for vacation.

    We're hoping to move from CO to NM in the middle future. We're thinking Las Cruces, about 45 minutes north of El Paso. It's a college town (NM State) and about 100K population. Real estate is still reasonable - I've seen new build houses between 1600-2000 sf for $300K or so.

    Yes, it's a poor state, with not a lot beyond some fantastic scenery to its name.

    The desert is what I have to drive through to get from where I live in CO to where I grew up in CA. Vistas in Utah are spectacular, and that's just from I-70 and I-15 - I can't imagine what it looks like from some of the secondary highways.

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and let us know! Post a pic of your new purchase or lease!


    MODERATOR

    2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,675
    edited March 2022
    All I can figure is the car actually in the picture is "light green" on the Volvo
    color chart that I linked. The source said it's a 1972 and this is 1972 color chart...

    The color chart looks darker.

    It is pretty. Much better than the turquoise colors to my personal eye.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,347
    Our 1969 144S was the common light blue. I could tell that green one was a later model. A few more lights on it, but mostly because they switched from the older style protruding handles with a push button to the flush mount pull handles on that car. Rest of the body looks the same.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,181
    Michaell said:

    andre1969 said:

    ab348 said:

    The perfect spot is elusive.

    Yeah, tell me about it! Although with me, I think a lot of it is just familiarity. With the exception of one year (1979-80) that we lived in Southern Maryland, I've lived my entire life pretty much within a 10-15 mile radius. From where I live now, I could get to any of my old homes in about 30 minutes, if traffic cooperates, and two of my former homes are actually on the way, more or less, from my current house to my office (well if I ever go back, that is).

    But, unfortunately, nothing stays the same, and things do change. Heck, right now as I type this, the people in back of me are having a bunch of trees taken down. There's still about 150 feet or so of forest between my house and theirs, all of it on my property. But it's opening it up enough back there, that suddenly I feel, well, exposed! It's like it's changing the whole Feng Shui or whatever you want to call it! Hopefully once the trees get leaves on them, it'll block them out.

    And, back at the old neighborhood, where my family has had roots since before the Civil War, it's really changed for the worst. As I like to say, "Look for it now, only in books, for it is little more than a dream remembered. A civilization, gone with the wind!"

    Funny you'd mention New Mexico, ab348. I've always had a fascination with the Southwest and deserts. Dunno if I'd want to live there full time, but I definitely want to get back to that area. When I was a kid, in 1982, my grandparents and I went on a long trip out to California and back, and some of my favorite parts of that trip were in the desert area (Zion canyon, Bryce canyon, that "four corners area", the Great Sand Dunes, the Sandia Peak aerial tram, etc). Of course, vacationing in a place, and actually living there, are two different things!
    @andre1969 - Wife and I have been to NM a number of times - mostly Santa Fe, and a few overnight stays in ABQ as we drove to Sedona, AZ for vacation.

    We're hoping to move from CO to NM in the middle future. We're thinking Las Cruces, about 45 minutes north of El Paso. It's a college town (NM State) and about 100K population. Real estate is still reasonable - I've seen new build houses between 1600-2000 sf for $300K or so.

    Yes, it's a poor state, with not a lot beyond some fantastic scenery to its name.

    The desert is what I have to drive through to get from where I live in CO to where I grew up in CA. Vistas in Utah are spectacular, and that's just from I-70 and I-15 - I can't imagine what it looks like from some of the secondary highways.
    You just had to mention NM State...
    Yours Truly,
    UConn Alum

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,181
    And, perhaps there is a more perfect place, but as New Englander, I believe it ain't bad here. In general, four-ish seasons, good education, good health care. Nice terrain; mountains/beaches. Not inexpensive, but sometimes you get what you pay for.

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

This discussion has been closed.