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

xwesx

stickguy said:

The cab proportions is why I like them. And hate new models. I like to be able to see out and have manageable dimensions

One thing that I notice immediately (and appreciate) in the newer (for last 10+ years, TBH) Ford half-ton pickups is the excellent visibility. They have very well designed windows and mirrors that allow for incredibly good visibility. Better than anything before them. Better than any of their competition.

I have never cared much about rearward visibility because I learned to drive on a cargo van with no windows aft of the driver seat (and my first vehicle was that same van for many years), but I sure do want great visibility out of the front and sides, paired with a quality mirror setup.

xwesx

andre1969 said:

The newer ones might be better. My old '85 Silverado wasn't so great, for me at least, because the seat didn't go back all that far, so the distance from the steering wheel and cowl/windshield was reminiscent of an old 40's car. The seatback was also pretty thin, and no headrests. It only had the fore-aft adjustment. The one saving grace is that the seat was fairly high off of the floor, so that helped offset the lack of fore-aft room.

But, I think it's one of those things where it doesn't seem bad, if that's all you're used to, but once you get accustomed to something better, you realize just how bad you had it. My 2012 Ram is considerably better. The seat goes back further, and there's enough room in the cab for it to even recline a little bit. The steering wheel/cowl distance are more like a car. It doesn't feel like it sits up quite as high off the floor as the Silverado did, but is still much better for long distance driving comfort. My Ram only has fore/aft and backrest recline adjustments though...nothing like raising the seat, adjusting the angle of the base cushion, or fancy stuff like that.

I think my only beef with the Ram is that to me it feels like it has compact car seats, but that might be simply because my butt got accustomed to those couch cushions that were in my 2003 Regal, and the 2000 Park Avenue before that. And, most cars these days feel like that to me, including the 2023 Charger I just got.

Oh, yes! Trucks these days are so luxurious compared to days of old! I still love driving my '69 C20, though.

sda

xwesx said:

andre1969 said:

The newer ones might be better. My old '85 Silverado wasn't so great, for me at least, because the seat didn't go back all that far, so the distance from the steering wheel and cowl/windshield was reminiscent of an old 40's car. The seatback was also pretty thin, and no headrests. It only had the fore-aft adjustment. The one saving grace is that the seat was fairly high off of the floor, so that helped offset the lack of fore-aft room.

But, I think it's one of those things where it doesn't seem bad, if that's all you're used to, but once you get accustomed to something better, you realize just how bad you had it. My 2012 Ram is considerably better. The seat goes back further, and there's enough room in the cab for it to even recline a little bit. The steering wheel/cowl distance are more like a car. It doesn't feel like it sits up quite as high off the floor as the Silverado did, but is still much better for long distance driving comfort. My Ram only has fore/aft and backrest recline adjustments though...nothing like raising the seat, adjusting the angle of the base cushion, or fancy stuff like that.

I think my only beef with the Ram is that to me it feels like it has compact car seats, but that might be simply because my butt got accustomed to those couch cushions that were in my 2003 Regal, and the 2000 Park Avenue before that. And, most cars these days feel like that to me, including the 2023 Charger I just got.

Oh, yes! Trucks these days are so luxurious compared to days of old! I still love driving my '69 C20, though.

I enjoyed driving dad's 76 GMC Sierra 15 full time 4wd. Modestly quipped, am radio, heater. No question, it drove and rode like a truck and not a sedan. Solid and tough.

explorerx4

Couldn't get the photo I originally wanted, a Model Y parked right near it, too much traffic, but I went by it today and was able to at least get this.

uplanderguy

Last C8 pic of the year, taken this morning in sweatshirt my daughter bought.

I went to Cane’s for lunch, and a young guy carrying a huge bag of to-go food, said, and I quote, “G*****n! A C8!”. I laughed.

fintail

explorerx4 said:

Couldn't get the photo I originally wanted, a Model Y parked right near it, too much traffic, but I went by it today and was able to at least get this.

Looks like an Excalibur Series IV or V Phaeton. I had a thing for those when I was a kid, and had a toy/model of one.

fintail

uplanderguy said:

Last C8 pic of the year, taken this morning in sweatshirt my daughter bought.

Is the car now going to hibernate for the winter?

Where are the white New Balance/Air Monarchs and a phone holster?

stickguy

It’s a Chevy. Drive it in the winter!

uplanderguy

I won't drive it in winter weather, but I'm just trying to not burn people out with pics of it, LOL.

explorerx4

Changed the oil in the Mustang today, about 75 degrees out today.
Didn't make too big a mess and brought the old oil to Autozone to get recycled.
The guy got a chuckle when I told him it was still warm.
Guessing close to the 50th time I've changed the oil.

fintail

uplanderguy said:

I won't drive it in winter weather, but I'm just trying to not burn people out with pics of it, LOL.

No worries, I think most like seeing it. Show us some more angles and maybe details you find interesting.

imidazol97

X2

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

I won't drive it in winter weather, but I'm just trying to not burn people out with pics of it, LOL.

Hell, a car like that is a once in a lifetime thing...show off as many pictures as you'd like!

As for winter driving, I'm sort of in the same boat with the Charger. It was supposed to replace my '03 Regal, as more of a daily driver car, or at least split the driving between it and my 2012 Ram. But, I'm finding myself only driving the Charger in nice weather, and definitely NOT taking it into iffy neighborhoods!

One day, in a video work meeting, someone asked about my new car, saying they didn't see it in the parking lot, and without thinking I blurted out "No way in HELL am I bringing that car into Prince George's County!" That raised an eyebrow or two, admittedly.

In a way, I blame Lemko for my mentality with this car. Back in 2007, he bought a new Cadillac DTS. But, he considered it "too nice" and started treating it more as a "forever" type of car, and started buying used cars to put into service as his daily driver. I've noticed I'm starting to feel that way about the Charger. There's a part of me that keeps thinking I need to buy a cheap (if there is such a thing anymore) used car for daily driving, but then when I think about it logically, it just makes no sense. I can always use the Ram for that. And even if it's not all that fuel efficient, I don't drive enough for it to make sense to add yet another car to the fleet just to save on fuel costs.

Maybe part of it, too, is just that it's been so long since I've had a brand-new car, I've forgotten how to act with one! And I'm thinking age has something to do with it, as well. Way back when I bought the Intrepid, I was only 29, and my attitude was buy it, drive it, use it up, and when it needs to be replaced, get something else. Plus, it didn't seem all that expensive, of a car, at the time.

I was 42 when I bought the Ram, and again, it didn't seem like that big of a chunk of money. My attitude with the Ram was also pretty much the same...keep it, use it, and eventually replace it. Actually, when I got the Ram, I had this pipe dream of getting into the habit of trading right around the 5 year mark. I wasn't driving nearly as much by then, and it was more of a backup vehicle anyway, so I figured it would be low mileage, and have a good trade in value, so it would make a good down payment for its replacement. And that way I would have dumped it before it needed much in the way of maintenance/repairs, and be back in a new vehicle, under warranty. But, the 5 year mark came around, and it only had around 46,000 miles, so it seemed silly to trade it. And nowadays, regular cab/8-foot bed pickups are a bit of a rarity.

But here I am now, at 53 when I bought the Charger. And even though in inflation-adjusted dollars, it's not THAT much more than my Intrepid was, especially considering all the extra features, performance and such, I still didn't like spending that much money. And, some sort of subconscious preservation mode has kicked in! I guess that's midlife crisis (presuming I live to 106? )

kyfdx

The Cayman has summer tires, but I'm still planning on taking it out on any dry day that's over 40 F.

I drove my '84 911 year-round. Of course it was on all-seasons. Plus, with rear-engine, it had great traction.

andre1969

Thinking back, we haven't had what I'd call a "real" snowstorm in this part of Maryland since January of 2016. We got about 19". Since then, I can think of three snow storms, in 2018, 2019, and 2022, where we got maybe 8-10". But, it melted pretty fast. Back in 2018, they closed work. In 2019, I was on furlough, so working from home. And 2022 we were still on Covid lockdown, so working from home. And, from here on out, now that everyone has laptops, I think the snow day is a thing of the past, it's just work from home.

With my antique cars, I'll usually drive them on occasion, on nice days, at least until the first time the trucks put down that brine spray for the first snow storm. Then I'll usually keep them put away until Spring, unless it's a nice, dry day after we've had enough rain to wash that stuff off the roads. I'm sure I won't have to baby the Charger to that degree. At least, I'd like to think its rust resistance is better than those old cars!

stickguy

It will be fine down there. Up here, maybe not so much! I’m seriously considering going the winter beater route

uplanderguy

andre, same here--I said the C8 would be my daily driver in non-snowy weather, but I already find myself not wanting to drive it in the rain!

Does lemko still have the Cadillac? I still like that era and model Caddy.

Since fintail asked (!), here are a few pics I took in the garage this morning.

First, I love the exhaust tone of the car. Growly V8. Upon startup, it's almost symphonic!

I like this angle of the car:


I like the traditional crossed flags emblem:


I particularly like the interior. I always liked red interiors and they seem to be gone in most vehicles. The interior is somewhat luxurious, in the American way (bright metal trim, as an example):


Here is the worst angle of the car--straight on from the back. It's a fat a**; there's no other way to put it. And the convertible's small rear window doesn't help. I would've bought a coupe, which has the fastback rear window and you can see the engine, and is $7500 cheaper to boot, but wifey said "I'm not helping you take the top off".


I've had it three weeks tomorrow, and have about 450 miles on it. I know it's early, but I haven't seen any fit goofs or gaps or the like that bother me.

Speaking of interior colors, my dealer had a pic on their site of someone taking delivery of an Equinox and they specifically mentioned the 'new blue interior option'. Hallelujah, even though I've typically not liked blue interiors. But hey, at least another choice.

uplanderguy

This pic was taken two days ago in rural NW PA. That's my brother-in-law. They sold their house and 50 acres of land. This is the garage that they added on about 15 years ago. It's connected to the old farmhouse by a great room. This garage is two stories and you can drive around back and go straight into the second floor.

The Studebakers he tried to sell, but hasn't yet. The new owners are allowing him to keep them there until he sells them. They are driving to Arizona where they have a small place, as we speak. The 300 he bought new in 2005 and drove it regularly except stored it in winters. I always liked it. He sold it two days ago. He said he'll miss it as he's owned it 18 years. The Ram truck on the right is his new '23 bought about a month ago. It's a Longhorn and trim level either Laramie or Laredo I think?--all decked-out inside, beautiful.

fintail

That rear view also makes the rear window look smaller than it probably really is (still small, but exaggerated). White on red is a classic combo and makes me think of the later C1 cars.

I sometimes feel bad about even driving the wagon on our rough roads and in winter, but get over it. It's a car - a nice and not cheap car, but a car, it is meant to be driven. Fintail gets to slumber in the winter here, as I don't want it to get dirty in the snow, and the road chemicals probably won't do the old metal any favors.

Count me in as liking blue interiors, but really anything other than beigegrey or black can be interesting. The Horizon my dad had when I was a young kid was blue on blue, 66 Galaxie was blue on blue, Tempo was blue on blue, Taurus had a blue interior, fintail is blue on blue - I see a pattern.

kyfdx

The Longhorn is a Laramie variant.

roadburner

I drive the Club Sport and the C43 year round as long as there is no salt on the roads- that's what the Wrangler and X1 are for.

stickguy

The no salt rule can be limiting up here. Was not an issue in philly really.

xwesx

stickguy said:

The no salt rule can be limiting up here. Was not an issue in philly really.

Just get it undercoated with FluidFilm and don't worry so much about it!

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

Does lemko still have the Cadillac? I still like that era and model Caddy.

Yep, he still has his 2007 DTS. I think it might be up to around 15,000 miles! He also still has his '89 Brougham as well.

sda

andre1969 said:

uplanderguy said:

Does lemko still have the Cadillac? I still like that era and model Caddy.

Yep, he still has his 2007 DTS. I think it might be up to around 15,000 miles! He also still has his '89 Brougham as well.

That’s cool. What is his daily driver?

sda

https://youtu.be/sF3nAeYVmPY?si=7bnSLSre0qMER0og

Impressive. @andre1969 ☎️

andre1969

sda said:

andre1969 said:

uplanderguy said:

Does lemko still have the Cadillac? I still like that era and model Caddy.

Yep, he still has his 2007 DTS. I think it might be up to around 15,000 miles! He also still has his '89 Brougham as well.

That’s cool. What is his daily driver?

For his daily driver, he did something that the Lemko of 20 years ago would have probably considered sacrilegious...a 2019 Lexus ES350! He's had it a few years now; I think it was 2020 that he bought it? It was during the Covid lockdowns, but before car prices really started jacking up. He also laments that there's really nothing out there, on the domestic front that really turns him on anymore.

uplanderguy

I remember us kidding him gently about the '61 Plymouth front end styling, LOL, at Hershey 2022.

I regret not buying a new Impala Premier in 2019/2020. I still like the styling, size, and it's hard for me to imagine anyone needing more interior luxury. I never got caught up in name-brand-status; in fact I often chuckle at that.

Lemko was more of an outsider-to-the-car-mainstream than me back in the day, to be a young guy and buy a couple new Caddies! I like both years/models he owns.

tjc78

Having similar taste in cars…. I agree with his statement. That’s why I drive a truck now. In all honesty with as nice/comfortable/roomy as they have become it’s a pretty good substitute for an old school RWD barge.

andre1969

sda said:

https://youtu.be/sF3nAeYVmPY?si=7bnSLSre0qMER0og

Impressive. @andre1969 ☎️

Wow, I actually recognize the spot where that video was taken. Once upon a time, it used to be a car dealership. The Carlisle fairgrounds people own it now, I believe, and I think they call it the "Expo Center." For the Ford show, they used to set up a course in the parking lot with road cones and let you drive some of the new cars around. But alas, the last year for that was 2019. It went away with Covid, and never came back.

I had to go through my pics and yep, I actually saw that car, this past summer!

uplanderguy

I think we talked about this. I remember at Hershey, back in the '90's, when the show was on pavement, a gold DeSoto convertible and I'm almost certain it said "Supercharged" on it. I was standing next to my restorer friend's stunning solid-black '57 Golden Hawk, and the DeSoto owner asked me to step further away from his car, even though I was two or three feet away, LOL.

EDIT: I now believe it said "FUEL INJECTION" on it, not 'supercharged'.

uplanderguy

RE.: That old Excalibur--an older guy, sharp dresser, known as "Sharpy" as I think his last name was Sharp but everybody knew him, nice guy--used to show up at about every local cruise-in in one of these or a Zimmer, not sure which--I'll have to Google what Zimmers look like. He had all kinds of extra aftermarket J.C. Whitney stuff attached to it, including his nickname. He occasionally would drive his first-gen Corvair sedan similarly decorated, LOL. I'm pretty sure he passed away in the past couple years.

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

I think we talked about this. I remember at Hershey, back in the '90's, when the show was on pavement, a gold DeSoto convertible and I'm almost certain it said "Supercharged" on it. I was standing next to my restorer friend's stunning solid-black '57 Golden Hawk, and the DeSoto owner asked me to step further away from his car, even though I was two or three feet away, LOL.

EDIT: I now believe it said "FUEL INJECTION" on it, not 'supercharged'.

Funny, Grbeck and I saw that car at Hershey, in fall of 2002 I believe. There can't be a ton of gold '58 Adventurer convertibles still around, so at least I'm guessing it was the same one. They only made 82 Adventurer convertibles that year, and I'd imagine the number originally equipped with fuel injection was in the single digits. Most were converted to dual quads under a recall, but this one still had fuel injection. Funny thing is, we got hollered at too, but it was by some guy taking a picture!

We were on the passenger side of the car, looking inside, and suddenly we hear this angry hollering. It was a guy, on the driver's side, who had a shot lined up with a professional looking camera, and I guess he didn't like the fact we were in the background of his picture.

It caught us off guard enough at the moment, that we moved away. Nowadays though, someone takes that tone with me, I don't know that I'd be quite so accommodating. To quote an old movie, "I'm older, and have more insurance."

Actually, when I went to take a pic of the black Adventurer at Carlisle this past summer, I remember someone getting a bit douchey with me. I don't remember what he looked like, so it could have been the owner in the video. It's just that there were a couple of guys standing, in front of the car, chatting away, at exactly the spot that I tend to like to take a picture. I asked, politely, if they'd mind moving so I could get the shot. They did, but then one guy said, kind of annoyed "Just make sure you don't put that online and say it's yours!" like apparently that's a thing.

I was tempted to say something like, "Oh, don't worry, I already have one. And it has a Hemi!"

I just thought it was odd. Honestly, when I'm at a car show and someone wants to take a pic of my car, I'm honored. Of course, there's a bit of a difference between a '79 5th Avenue, and a '58 Adventurer!

There was another '58 parked next to it, a Firedome 2-door hardtop, that I was actually more curious about, because it had a poly-head engine under the hood, something no "real" DeSoto ever did. The Dodge-based Firesweep used a Dodge poly-head 325 in 1957, but DeSoto V8s were all Hemi-head from '52-57 and Wedge-head from 58-61.

uplanderguy

I always tried to be accomodating when people would ask me out-and-about about my Studebaker(s). Of course, you hear "Those had Ford 289's" and "They still make those in Canada I hear", but that's OK. I think oftentimes the general public's opinion of old-car guys is 'douchey' as you say, so didn't hurt to try and push back on that image!

RE.: The fellow name 'Sharpy' I mentioned above...it was actually 'Sharpey'. I just googled his obit and I am seriously in awe of the man. He wasn't as old as I had thought.

https://sommervillefuneralservice.com/obituaries/eugene-sharpey/

fintail

uplanderguy said:

RE.: That old Excalibur--an older guy, sharp dresser, known as "Sharpy" as I think his last name was Sharp but everybody knew him, nice guy--used to show up at about every local cruise-in in one of these or a Zimmer, not sure which--I'll have to Google what Zimmers look like. He had all kinds of extra aftermarket J.C. Whitney stuff attached to it, including his nickname. He occasionally would drive his first-gen Corvair sedan similarly decorated, LOL. I'm pretty sure he passed away in the past couple years.

Many Zimmers were Ford-based - Panther or Fox. The Quicksilver was Fiero-based. Funny, as I liked Excaliburs when I was a kid, even I thought the Zimmer was a bit much.

fintail

tjc78 said:

Having similar taste in cars…. I agree with his statement. That’s why I drive a truck now. In all honesty with as nice/comfortable/roomy as they have become it’s a pretty good substitute for an old school RWD barge.

ES is a 2020s LeSabre or even Park Avenue (or maybe even CV, I suppose), even though the latest ones apparently have a false pretense of sport trim package. Getting harder to find things that aren't fake rugged or fake sporty.

imidazol97

I have taken lots of pictures at car shows/cruise-ins. I am used to waiting for the flock to clear away from the car. I have noticed if some folks see someone lining up a shot on a car, they go over to it to look inside and dawdle. Sometimes I fake that I'm taking a picture of another car at a different direction, then switch to the one I want. My shots are taken from father away than most to get a shot that doesn't exaggerate the fender closest to me, so sometimes folks don't realize I'm wanting a picture. Two older guys can stand and talk to each other for a long, long time while I'm waiting.

And many people see someone with a phone up or regular camera to take a picture and apologize and hurry. I sometimes tell them they are why the cars are at the show. I'm just takin' pics.

I've never had an owner tell me to move away. When I approach a car with my 35mm size camera hanging, I always grab it with my hand so it doesn't swing on the neck strap and hit the car.

Imagine trying to take pics at the festival cruise-in/show in the picture. There are a couple of those in the area that I just avoid. Impossible to work around the festival folks to get pics and enjoy the cars.

sda

andre1969 said:

sda said:

andre1969 said:

uplanderguy said:

Does lemko still have the Cadillac? I still like that era and model Caddy.

Yep, he still has his 2007 DTS. I think it might be up to around 15,000 miles! He also still has his '89 Brougham as well.

That’s cool. What is his daily driver?

For his daily driver, he did something that the Lemko of 20 years ago would have probably considered sacrilegious...a 2019 Lexus ES350! He's had it a few years now; I think it was 2020 that he bought it? It was during the Covid lockdowns, but before car prices really started jacking up. He also laments that there's really nothing out there, on the domestic front that really turns him on anymore.

I find myself with a similar predicament. Of the domestics, the Cadillac CT5, or the Chrysler 300C have some appeal. Regardless, my wife would have neither, therefore.. I still prefer a medium size sedan but not many to choose from. I am thinking either another Accord or TLX, and perhaps an Arteon could be next.

kyfdx

@imidazol97 If I saw that crowd, I'd be headed the other direction. No chance I'm wading through that mess.

The Newport, KY show has been pretty busy in the past, but nothing like that.

ab348

uplanderguy said:

I regret not buying a new Impala Premier in 2019/2020. I still like the styling, size, and it's hard for me to imagine anyone needing more interior luxury.

I was at my dealer on Friday for an oil change and on my way home I saw this car being demonstrated out front. Looked lovely in person and surprisingly impressive:

https://www.oreganschevrolet.com/vehicles/2017/cadillac/xts/halifax/ns/60057279/?sale_class=used

I assume that when new it was one they ordered for stock given the black interior which is all they ever order for themselves. With that paint it needs a different color inside.

Michaell

ab348 said:

uplanderguy said:

I regret not buying a new Impala Premier in 2019/2020. I still like the styling, size, and it's hard for me to imagine anyone needing more interior luxury.

I was at my dealer on Friday for an oil change and on my way home I saw this car being demonstrated out front. Looked lovely in person and surprisingly impressive:

https://www.oreganschevrolet.com/vehicles/2017/cadillac/xts/halifax/ns/60057279/?sale_class=used

I assume that when new it was one they ordered for stock given the black interior which is all they ever order for themselves. With that paint it needs a different color inside.

That's a very nice looking vehicle. Roughly $19K USD for 50,000 miles.

roadburner

uplanderguy said:

RE.: That old Excalibur--an older guy, sharp dresser, known as "Sharpy" as I think his last name was Sharp but everybody knew him, nice guy--used to show up at about every local cruise-in in one of these or a Zimmer, not sure which--I'll have to Google what Zimmers look like. He had all kinds of extra aftermarket J.C. Whitney stuff attached to it, including his nickname. He occasionally would drive his first-gen Corvair sedan similarly decorated, LOL. I'm pretty sure he passed away in the past couple years.

Bad taste is often fatal.

roadburner

No new domestics save Wranglers and Challenger SRTs interest me these days- although the last run 300 with the SRT motor is sweet.

uplanderguy

I'm the anomaly here. No imports interest me, LOL!

uplanderguy

That is a nice Caddy. Wasn't there even a bigger sedan than that? I guess that would be the CT6 maybe?

kyfdx

uplanderguy said:

That is a nice Caddy. Wasn't there even a bigger sedan than that? I guess that would be the CT6 maybe?

I think the CT6 replaced the XTS.

uplanderguy

I went to my dealer's parts dept. this afternoon to have them replace fob batteries on my wife's Equinox (total installed cost, $9.71 for both) and buy a key for my daughter's old '15 Cruze LS (she lost one key/fob at some point and wife suggested we get another). I wasn't so lucky there--$127.10 programmed and key cut, but they had one there and I waited while he did it and then programmed it.

There was a black last-gen Impala Premier with the rubber-band tires and big wheels (look nice but I wouldn't have bought it that way), but the car still turned my head. Looked like this:

ab348

uplanderguy said:

That is a nice Caddy. Wasn't there even a bigger sedan than that? I guess that would be the CT6 maybe?

The CT6 was a bit bigger than the XTS and was on a unique RWD-biased platform that was used for no other car. Must have cost GM a bundle since they didn’t sell many. Then there was the Blackwing V8 they designed for it too, of which they only sold a handful. IMO they cancelled the CT6 way too soon and could have sold more if they actually did some marketing. The XTS I posted about is the Cadillac version of the last-gen Impala and Buick Lacrosse.

andre1969

I sort of looked at the CT6 as Cadillac's last attempt at seriously going after cars like the Benz S-class, BMW 7-Series, etc., whereas the XTS was more of a stopgap to keep the faithful, traditional buyers, who had been buying DTS'es and DeVilles and such in the past.

According to Wikipedia at least, it looks like the CT6 is still around in China. In fact, it got a new design for 2023.

tjc78

The XTS was typical platform sharing. It is a nice ride, but certainly not BMW or Mercedes competition.