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

seminole_kev

but edmunds doesn't know what to do with those Ebay links. Try copying and pasting the whole thing into the address bar.

andre1969

you just have to paste in the whole link. For some reason, Edmunds chops ebay links when you paste them into a message. Anyway, starting price is $35,000.

If you still have problems viewing it, just go to www.ebaymotors.com and then paste 4531743378 into the search box.

fintail

I saw TWO Merkur Scorpios today, and a Suzuki Samurai too

turboshadow

a 68 or 69 Corvair coupe on the side of the road. Sidemarker lights were amber--can't remember which year had them, but those 68-69 fenders and quarters must be $$$ to replace.

Turboshadow

andre1969

were first required in 1968, although I think the rules may have been laxed a bit for 1969 to allow for lights or reflectors. At least, my '68 Dart had round marker lights on the sides (amber up front, red in back) while my '69 just had rectangular reflectors (again, amber up front, red in back)

I just looked at a few Corvair pics on the web, and it looks like the front side marker might've been amber on the '69 and more clear on the '68. It's hard to tell in pictures sometimes, as lighting can make colors look different.

Oh yeah, I found this...twisted, but interesting!

magnetophone

While on holiday in New York, I saw a Maybach limousine parked in front of a 50's style diner in Hoboken, New Jersey... is that obscure?

Mr_Shiftright

Probably the driver getting a hamburger.

andys120

in case you were wondering what the hell a Murena GT was... http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=101839

210delray

Lights OR reflectors were allowed in 1968-69, amber in front and red in the rear. Beginning with 1970 models, lights AND reflectors were required, same colors.

jaserb

but today I saw a lime green DAF 33 2 door, putting around town under its own power.

About all Google could tell me about DAF is that they were Dutch. Who knew the Dutch ever built cars?

-Jason

kyfdx

Oh, the Dutch once had a very thriving car industry..

Unfortunately, they made the cars from wood, just like the shoes...

They were eventually driven out of business by the great termite infestation of 1953..

andys120

LOL, DAF was bought out by Volvo IIRC and had the distinction of being the first maker to install a Van Doorne transmission (that's a CVT to us).

A rare sighting indeed, I don't know if I've ever seen a DAF.

andys120

This car is an example of why I've always preferred '56 over '57 Chevies, it's the perfect color combo.

http://hemmings.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/dealers.detail/hmn_vehic- le_id/217376

andre1969

is a sweet car. Bronze was always one of those colors that I considered really risky. Some cars can pull it off, but other cars look horrible in that color. This '56 looks perfect in it.

And just for comparison, that auto museum does have a couple of '57 Chevies for sale too. It's interesting to look at the pics and see just how much they changed between the two years. There's no way the auto makers could afford to differentiate the cars that much every year nowadays!

They also have a '56 Ford, and it looks downright tacky compared to the '56 Chevy. Interestinly, I always thought the '56 Chevy looked a little Ford-ish up front, but it still looks better than any F-word of the era! ;-)

lemko

...spotted yesterday - a rather rough 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle and a silver VW Phaeton.

210delray

In surprisingly good condition, not an SS, in an unfortunate color -- tan.

I don't know how to tell the '63 from the '64.

kyfdx

Someone looking for your expertise.. here:

brown81, "Reliability and long-term costs of ownership - MB, BMW, VW/AUDI compared" #481, 3 Mar 2005 1:55 pm

kyfdx

Subaru Justy... not in too bad of shape..

I think it rides on 12" tires... From behind, they look incredibly tiny...

Mr_Shiftright

I was called in to appraise a 1965 Dodge 270 Dart 2-door post sedan w/ 273 V8. Car has 67,000 original miles on it, not started since 1988!

Body was pretty good (one dent in rear quarter, dented up grill), interior pretty much original and clean (one bad armrest), engine a bit dirty, ditto chassis===typical road dirt. "old lady" car. Four flat tires, dead battery natch.

I figured $1,800-$2,500 as is, where it sits.

kyfdx

Interesting Porsche question in Real World Trade In Values.. check it out..

andre1969

where's that Dart located? I always liked those things. Kinda goofy and bug-eyed, but they still had a sort of charm to them. Will it start up? What color is it?

Mr_Shiftright

Who knows if it will start up after 17 years? Hard to say. Small block Mopars are pretty tough but if the rings have rusted to the cylinder walls, well...

It's in San Francisco, out on the avenues. I can give you the name/number if you want. The color is white, with a blue interior. I figure $1,000 bucks puts in on the road mechnically (unless you do it all yourself, then half that) , and $750 for bodywork and a paint buffing.

fintail

A few oddballs today...immaculate c. 68 Toronado, Diahatsu Charade, Echo hatch (Canadian plated of course), and of all things, a c. 57 GMC school bus.

Stopped by the MB specialist to have an exhaust leak checked out on the fintail. Turns out I have an exhaust leak and a leaky fuel line at the gas tank. Nice. Got to see the old beast on the lift, which is always fun.

The MB guy also mentioned he sold his cherry lowline ponton on ebay - for $14K. A record for sure.

Mr_Shiftright

That's about market for a really stunning #1 ponton, but more like $8K-9K for anything less than just perfect. They take just as much money to restore as a coupe or convertible, so few people take the time to do them up right.

fintail

Here's the ponton in question. I've seen it myself, I could seeing it passing for a #2 car as it really is pristine for a lowline car, but it's not near #1. The sales was legit too, according to the seller the money has already changed hands. Maybe the market will slowly turn upward for these cars. Fintails must be next! LOL

Today I went to the local step-away-from-the-junkyard car auction. A few oddballs there, including an absolutely strippo 65 Chevy BelAir sedan that seemed to have no options except for a 283. A guy across the street from the place put a 59 Buick 6-window sedan for sale in his yard....magenta and white, but kind of rusty and not worth the 4K he wanted for it no doubt. Not much else in the auction itself...there was a black 98 DeVille Concours with paint that looked like the car had spent a few years on the sun, but that's all that sticks in my mind.

Mr_Shiftright

Well I'd like to actually see a cleared check on that "sale". Somebody is going to be very upset if they get that car appraised---but tough luck, one should know the market before one buys something.

Interesting, I had a similar situation with a ponton just a few weeks ago...guy wanted me to appraise it for $30K---I looked at the car and said "$5,000 maybe--it's a bit rough here and there".

Well he wasn't very happy of course but one thing some folks dont' understand is that if you OVER-appraise a car (and some appraisers will do that just for the fee) that doesn't mean the insurance company will pay you that--they aren't dummies.

fintail

According to him the deal is done, the money has cleared, etc. I saw the car being prepped for transport. He couldn't believe it either, apparently there was a bidding war. His reserve was only something like 9K I believe, which I would expect to be high market for a pristine car.

He now predicts the market for really good rustfree pontons and fintails (he got 12K out of a 200D) could slowly start to rise. It's not easy at all to find a complete solid correct example anymore.

Today I saw something which I think is odd....a VW squareback, and the designation on the back called it a "1500 S". Is an "S" rare?

210delray

...it was an older (pre-97) Ford F-150 with FENDER SKIRTS. Talk about odd-looking, or how to feminize a pickup!

Mr_Shiftright

Well all old cars will at least rise with inflation, but 4-door cars are generally hopeless unless they have:

1. big engines
2. custom coachwork
3. are Jaguar 3.8s with wire wheels, stickshift, and overdrive.

We must remember that one sale equals a database of one. You'll always have glitches in the bell curve, sales that are too low or too high. It's the majority sales that count.

I like VW squarebacks. They are very handy, fun little cars.

jrosasmc

How about the Jeepster Commandos AMC made from 1967-73? Classic SUV buyers have told me that it's the next collectible SUV to have, as they're getting harder and harder to find each year. To me it just looks like a glorified CJ (which maybe it is).

Mr_Shiftright

Well when a Jeepster from that era starts bringing Toyota FJ40 prices all day long, talk to me. Otherwise, I don't think any AMC product is ever going to be a first tier collectible unless it is limited production and has a big engine---probably what you are seeing here is that old SUVs have a good utilitarian value, and so their value has to do mostly with the 4X4 business, not at all with being a Jeep Commando. Same as old Broncos, etc. People like them for off roading and hunting and they are way cheaper to buy and fix up than a new 4X4 would be---and if you are in the middle of nowhere, you have ignition points and carburetors you can fix with duct tape and picture hanging wire. Try that with a 2005 Ford Explorer.

Remember Shifty's Collector Car Golden Rule---"if not popular when new, not popular when old".

fintail

Is an "S" model squareback of any rarity? I do like the Notchback and Fastback models too...a few years ago I could have bought a really decent FI Fastback for $400. I have nowhere to keep something like that, and no desire to do much with it as I have the fintail, so I passed on it. A kid bought it and is still playing with it I believe.

Ebay time:

I didn't know they still made these...uh...things

AMG Jaguar...I have a vague memory of this

I like the style, but it seems way expensive

Aussie Reo

Neat late Pierce

Another Brighton car...needs different paint

Supercharged Kaiser with healthy bids

Early Brit export

Shifty-Mobile

I've always kind of liked these...buy it now is a bit steep

I've never seen one of this model before

Nice Packard with great patina

Nice little Fiat sedan

These late DeSotos got pretty weird...was Exner on something? (I assume he was involved

A more elegant DeSoto

Pretty lowline fintail with more normal bidding

Interesting early AMG W126. I have a copy of the April 1983 C&D that features this car. I wonder if it is the same one? They actually called it the "Atomic Blueberry" and were very taken by it

kyfdx

The AMG Mercedes reminds me of "Miami Vice" for some reason...

Some people just dont "get" Ebay... A starting bid of $25K? He should have started it at $5K, just to get some action going... I'll predict that won't get any bids, at all..

Mr_Shiftright

I don't know where people get the idea that old AMG stuff is worth anything. They are unattractive, gray market cars with nearly impossible to find components. That car is worth LESS than a normal Benz of that year, and you could certainly buy a new car today that will whup it for the same amount of money he's asking.

There's nothing older than yesterday's "high tech".

NSU Spider --- ohhhh, Shifty like. Shifty want. Shifty put in modern rotary engine w/ 5 speed. Go real fast. Use old Wankel engine for boat anchor.

andre1969

on the final DeSotos is that they made them look the way they did so that it would be easier to phase them out. Chrysler had been wanting to move the Chrysler nameplate downmarket since 1955, when they tried to start making Imperial fly on its own as a separate marque.

At the same time, DeSoto was doing unusually well, sales-wise. In fact, 1955-57 would be the only 3-year period where DeSoto sold over 100,000 cars per year. In calendar 1956, which includes part of model year 1957 sales, DeSoto actually OUTSOLD Chrysler by a thin margin! And in model year 1957, DeSoto only ended up about 7K units behind, selling around 117K units to Chrysler's 124K. 1957 was also an all-time high for Imperial, at roughly 37,000 units.

Well, in 1958 a recession hit, and it hit the middle and upper-priced makes hardest. Ford, Chevy, and Plymouth fared comparatively well, and Rambler sales actually took off as people found a new interest in compact cars. However, further up the line brands like Edsel, Mercury, Lincoln, Pontiac, Buick, Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler, and Imperial got slammed hard. IIRC Olds actually did fairly well in that horrible year, which is a shock because it had to have been about the most hideous tranformation when compared to its 1957 counterpart. And Cadillac was relatively protected.

Well, it became evident that the mid-priced market was going to shrink, and Chrysler just had too many models there. With Dodge, the entry-level Coronet was the only thing holding up sales for '58, as the Royal and Custom Royal plummeted. DeSoto was plummeting on all fronts, and at Chrysler only the entry level Windsor sold fairly well.

For '59, rumors started circulating about DeSoto's demise, although they still offered a full lineup that was styled much different from Chrysler models. But then for 1960, the DeSoto looked all but identical to a Chrysler. I think they did that partly because it would be cheaper to build them, but also to wean people off of them. They were good looking cars, but why buy a DeSoto when you could a car that looked just as good, with the prestige of the Chrysler nameplate for maybe $50-100 more?

Then for 1961, Chrysler fielded the cheap Newport, which was cheaper than Chrysler had gone before, and actually undercut DeSoto and was down in Dodge territory. The '61 Chryslers still had those odd slanted headlights, but a bigger, more conventional grille, not so different from what the current 300 models are sporting. It was much better looking than that awkard mess on the front of the '61 DeSoto! I wonder if maybe they did that on purpose, so that, if in '60 there was little reason to pick a DeSoto over Chrysler, this year you'd really have to be a hardcore DeSoto hugger to pick one over a Chrysler!

With DeSoto gone, Chrysler sales really took off, but a 60's Chrysler was a much different beast in price and prestige from a 50's Chrysler. In many ways, the Chrysler of the 60's WAS the DeSoto of the 50's.

In a similar vein, I always looked at the 60's Mercury to really be a continuation of the Edsel, just in a more attractive, more viable package. From '61 onward, Mercurys were priced more along the lines of what Edsel had been, as opposed to the late 50's Mercurys.

lemko

I spotted a Dodge Intrepid police cruiser in Langhorne, PA. The vast majority of police cars around here are Crown Vics with a small number of Impalas. This is the first Intrepid police car I've seen in the metal.

fintail

Of course that AMG is priced from a different dimension, but I find it interesting, as it appeared in a magazine and all. I think the blackout AMG styling is very passe and I have never cared for it. I also don't like those AMG steering wheels. I do like the Euro velour interior, though.

This is how a 126 should look...this one of course is mine, with its recently acquired factory chrome wheels

Another view. It looks right. Chrome is good

The MB specialist I often mention just picked up an immaculate 83 300SD that just got a biodiesel conversion. The car is pristine, you could eat off the powertrain. It was bought from a clueless mechanic who thought it had no compression. Apparantly something was tightened wrong in the valvetrain, and an adjustment cured it. My old wheels should be destined for this car. Dark blue with palomino leather...not so bad for the period.

Go for that NSU, Shifty. It looks pretty neat. You need something to give you a break from the 928.

That's a good theory on the last gasp of DeSoto, Andre. It could have been an intentional ploy to kill the name. They sure did a good job of it, with that goofy styling.

Mr_Shiftright

I didn't think you needed to "convert" anything to run pump biodiesel...unless the person is trying to run restuarant grease and such.

Did you know Benz will void your warranty if you use biodiesel fuel? But not VW for some reason.

andys120

It was bought from a clueless mechanic who thought it had no compression.

I knew a mechanic who bought a 350SE that was supposed to have a seized motor. He figured he's simply replace the motor and have himself a nice ride.

He found out that the motor was in fact fine and saved himself a pile of money and drove that sucker around for several years.

Go figure.

fintail

That must be what it was - the grease. There was a small diesel tank and a large tank for the alternative fuel in the trunk. There was also some extra piping on the engine, but I don't know what it all was for.

A 350SE would be odd in and of itself, that model never made it to NA as far as I know. I wonder if similar stories happen to more oddball cars where inexperienced mechanics simply don't know what to do.

Mr_Shiftright

If you run on grease you need to heat the fuel up before you use it and I think also filter it, so maybe that was it.

RE: inexperienced mechanics -- happens to me all the time. I've gotten great deals on just about all my cars that way. They didn't know what was wrong but I did (or thought I did).

couple examples-- bought my first Saab turbo convertible cheap because it wouldn't go in gear. I checked it out and figured the clutch disk was stuck to the flywheel from disuse. I was right about that one---just started it up in gear and floored it and BANG!...I had a clutch again.

andre1969

where I used to live, suddenly seems to be crawling with Intrepid police cruisers. I guess they got a good deal on the final 2004's or something.

kyfdx

I've got a similar story.. but, mine involves a Sears rototiller...

Same theory though.. ;-)

andyman73

We have one Intrepid Police Cruiser in my town. Been here for 3 years. Tho I haven't seen it since Christmas. They have several Impalas, too. Thank goodness they keep some CVs on hand, to handle the heavy lifting.

My grandfather was a huge fan of DeSotos, drove them until mid 50s, then switched to Chryslers. He was a Hemi man, too. According to Dad, Grandpa(died when I was 2 months old) liked trying out all the new gizmos on the DeSotos.

Grandpa liked to go fast, when the urge came upon him, so he always ordered the biggest motivators.

andys120

I've got a similar story.. but, mine involves a Sears rototiller...
Same theory though.. ;-)

Come to think of it I had a Sears chainsaw that wouldn't work so I took it in and they said it was a goner, motor seized.

A couple of years later I figured I'd give it a try before replacing it. It started right up.

lemko

...saw a beautiful 1956 Chrysler New Yorker on Saturday morning. It was a sharp two-tone green with the proper wide-whitewall tires. It looked a lot like the one we saw at Macungie. Maybe somebody bought it? That car sure stood out among the sea of look-alike econo-compacts, Camcords, and SUVs.

debaser853

Saw 2 Gti's this morning: First a new R32, bright yellow, and several miles later a black, rough looking first gen model.

Mr_Shiftright

The first GTIs never great credit as a ground-breaking car. This little pocket rocket put fun back in driving during the most dismal period in automotive history, the 1980s.

andre1969

wasn't that '56 at Macungie a 2-tone blue? My memory's getting a bit fuzzy now...

lemko

...I believe it was blue - dark blue with a light blue top.