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 7/22 for details.
Options

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

1128812891291129312941306

Comments

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860

    Well, today's the drawing for that '63 Stude. I found my ticket stub!


    I bought two.

    If I win I'd sell right away, but if I wanted to keep it, I'd have to paint the wheels the factory white Stude used. They've been painted black over the years. I hate seeing that even behind the full wheel covers, LOL!

    I hope the car has the tach. I hate the big blank spot where one wouldn't have been ordered!

    I'm pretty fussy about a car being given to me aren't I? LOL
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    Very good 'RFD' episode--number one. Andy and Helen get married; Barney is best man; Aunt Bee changes her mind from moving to WV with her sister to become Ken Berry's housekeeper (another widower with young son in Mayberry). It's a nostalgic episode.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860

    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    Looks like it does indeed have a tach!
    Here's a link, with a bunch of pics:
    https://sdckeystoneregion.com/2024-raffle-car/
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    Thanks! When you didn't get a tach, there wasn't even an empty bezel there--just that panel of woodgrain.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    That's a pretty nice car. Amazingly, right now on BaT there's a '66 Daytona Sports Sedan, very nice, that was also purchased new at Fulker Motors in Baltimore, same as that Hawk.

    Say that five times fast!
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    edited June 2024
    Spotted in a real estate ad for a house that hasn't sold in at least ~50 years (as long as my county publishes data online), clean looking early Celebrity - these seem to be hen's teeth now, with most survivors being later cars:


  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    That's the taillight styling I like best on Celebrity cars--my '85 was like that.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860

    Here’s the old ‘65 Corvair Monza being worked on at the end of our street today.

    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    Compared to at old car shows/meets, it is fun to see an old car out in the wild, driving down the street or even parked somewhere you don't expect it.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,341
    1965 was out and about today up here. +/-

    first, getting onto the highway, a Plymouth Satellite 2 door. dark red. Looked very nice and man did it smell like the 60s with all that exhaust/gas smell. Very low compared to modern cars. sounded good.

    then parked at the mall a bright red Nova SS, with some mods (wheels/hood). looked brand new. Then a bit later on local busy road, a bright yellow Modded 67ish Chevelle.

    rarest was actually being towed on a trailer, a perfect looking 57 Bel Air, with some cragers so not bone stock. The rare part? It was a 4 door. Nobody restores a family sedan like that!

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

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,723
    I saw an aqua 65 Plymouth Fury 2 door with chrome Cragar's. Immaculate looking.
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415

    That's the taillight styling I like best on Celebrity cars--my '85 was like that.

    I don't see a CHMSL, so 85 at the newest. I found an image online of an 84 with similar rear badging, but I don't know my Celebrities year by year aside from the facelifts.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    andre, I see the comments that the raffle Hawk "stays in PA, and second prize of $2000 goes to Arizona. Winners will be notified". Sigh!

    Fin, I seem to remember that taillight formation on some early Celebritiys, maybe '82 and or '83, with a yellow section, which I dislike. Nearly certain that by '84 and '85, that was gone.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 18,325
    I enter several charity car raffles every year. Mostly classic muscle cars and European exotica.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
    Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
    Son's: 2018 330i xDrive

  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 18,325

    I’d really like to win this set; I would sell both and pick up a nice F87 M2 CS and a dual sport Beemer.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
    Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
    Son's: 2018 330i xDrive

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415

    andre, I see the comments that the raffle Hawk "stays in PA, and second prize of $2000 goes to Arizona. Winners will be notified". Sigh!

    Fin, I seem to remember that taillight formation on some early Celebritiys, maybe '82 and or '83, with a yellow section, which I dislike. Nearly certain that by '84 and '85, that was gone.

    I find this image from a 1984 C&D test, just going by the badge placement (car in pic is of course a Eurosport, which greatly improved the looks of these cars - not a fan of those wire wheelcovers):



    MBCA has raffles, never won anything so I haven't entered in some time - car is always something odd like a CLS AMG or AMG GT sedan etc, something I would sell if I won. I am not sure if I recall a vintage car being raffled, as maybe they think some aren't into it.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    My '85 Eurosport looked nice, other than it was a boxy coupe, LOL. I ordered those wheels as shown in your pic above, and was told they were on backorder. I said "If the car comes in without them, I'm not buying it". Luckily, it came in with them. That car, and my C8, are the only two cars I ever ordered, although most of my new Chevys I got through dealer trades as I was pretty specific on equipment and colors.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 18,325

    @fintail said:
    I find this image from a 1984 C&D test, just going by the badge placement (car in pic is of course a Eurosport, which greatly improved the looks of these cars - not a fan of those wire wheelcovers):

    MBCA has raffles, never won anything so I haven't entered in some time - car is always something odd like a CLS AMG or AMG GT sedan etc, something I would sell if I won. I am not sure if I recall a vintage car being raffled, as maybe they think some aren't into it.

    I’ve been entering the BMW CCA Raffle since the early ’80s; hope springs eternal.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
    Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
    Son's: 2018 330i xDrive

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Out on the road today - couple of 70s Corvettes, 80s Corvette, maybe 56 Dodge sedan, immaculate 68-69 Chevelle sedan, Tempo, couple of squarebodies.
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 18,325
    Saw a clean C3- '75 or '76.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
    Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
    Son's: 2018 330i xDrive

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,280
    Something odd happening on this discussion and this one only, at least for me. It is never taking me to the first unread new post like all other discussions I am following, but instead always to the top of this discussion page. It's doing this on multiple PCs. Maybe @Michaell or @kyfdx can shed some light as to why.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107

    Yep, same here.

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,280
    Now its doing it on CCBA too.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    It's been doing the same with me as well, taking me to the top of the page. It's been doing that for so long, with me at least, I thought that was normal?

    Oh, with the Celebrities, in '82-83, they also had a lower grille slotted in between the headlights, whereas the '84-85 had a larger grille that went almost to the top of the headlight bezels. I wonder if they did it that way because in '82-83 the Malibu was still around, and they wanted to give the Malibu a bigger grille for a bit more status? But then with the Malibu gone, they went more full-grille with the Celebrity?

    But then, they did a similar thing with the Cavalier. In '82-83, it only had single headlights and a low, thin grille. But for '84 it went to quads, and a fuller grille.

    I thought the Celebrity hit its peak, style-wise, in 1984-85, although I'll give the '86 a close runner-up award. I think the slightly aero front end was a nice update, maintaining the quad headlights. But when the composite lights went in for '87, I didn't think it looked as nice.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    I like the '84-85 best of the Celebrity styling (although 'styling' is not a word usually attached to the Celebrity, LOL). I like the taller grille and I like the taillights best. Something else I like better on the up-to-'85 than on the '86 and later is the font they used for the 'Celebrity' nameplate. At some point in the later years, the right 1/3 of the instrument panel was completely dash padding--no trim insert; I don't like that.

    I bought my '85 to beat the CHMSL which I knew was coming and thought would look stupid.

    A small thing I liked was I ordered the optional couple of instruments. The needles were very thin and reminded me of stereo receiver instrument needles.

    One dumb thing on my car was I did not order the tilt wheel. Since it was the Eurosport, it had a thick wheel--which completely hid the linear speedometer from where I sat.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,565
    ab348 said:

    Something odd happening on this discussion and this one only, at least for me. It is never taking me to the first unread new post like all other discussions I am following, but instead always to the top of this discussion page. It's doing this on multiple PCs. Maybe @Michaell or @kyfdx can shed some light as to why.

    Thanks, we’re aware, and someone is working on it.

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,723
    edited June 2024
    Badge on the side read Thunderbolt.


    I guess it was a real thing. Even had power upgrades.
    https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=ranger+thunderbolt&mid=79D27F1C80646EA52E9779D27F1C80646EA52E97&FORM=VIRE
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    I remember when the CHMSL came out, I liked them as it made it easy to determine the year of a car (there were aftermarket units, but they never looked quite right). Our late build 85 Tempo had a factory CHMSL, and I was happy that it did, as it made the car "look newer". Kids.

    Speaking of Celebrities, I recall an aunt had an 86. I remember it as I recall riding in it when it wasn't terribly old, my dad driving, and he complained that it needed brake rotors - obvious pulsing. My uncle was very mechanically inclined, but I think he never drove or rode in her car, and she apparently didn't think it was worth mentioning. For whatever reason I've always found that amusing. I can't recall what replaced the Celebrity, but I know her last car was a cloud car Stratus, which she drove regularly until she was in her late 80s.

    Spotted today - a Kizashi, and an immaculate pre-facelift 90s style LeSabre, little old lady driving it, the car looked nearly new.

    I like the '84-85 best of the Celebrity styling (although 'styling' is not a word usually attached to the Celebrity, LOL). I like the taller grille and I like the taillights best. Something else I like better on the up-to-'85 than on the '86 and later is the font they used for the 'Celebrity' nameplate. At some point in the later years, the right 1/3 of the instrument panel was completely dash padding--no trim insert; I don't like that.

    I bought my '85 to beat the CHMSL which I knew was coming and thought would look stupid.

    A small thing I liked was I ordered the optional couple of instruments. The needles were very thin and reminded me of stereo receiver instrument needles.

    One dumb thing on my car was I did not order the tilt wheel. Since it was the Eurosport, it had a thick wheel--which completely hid the linear speedometer from where I sat.

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,341
    some cars didn't handle the brake light well (kinda like when impact bumpers came out). the Porsche 911 was particularly bad. It was like a periscope in the up position, on a stalk.

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

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,565
    stickguy said:

    some cars didn't handle the brake light well (kinda like when impact bumpers came out). the Porsche 911 was particularly bad. It was like a periscope in the up position, on a stalk.

    That was mostly the convertible, though. The coupe and targa had normal looking CMHSL.

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    edited June 2024
    At Chevy, the Camaro and Corvette particularly handled the CHMSL poorly, tacked outside at the top of the rear window.

    fin, my Celebrity was the last car I remember owning that seemed to eat rotors. But too, back then I think the idea of shops using a torque stick to evenly tighten, as opposed to just slamming those guns on, hadn't happened yet. I know one Firestone or Goodyear shop actually took a chunk out of my Celebrity's aluminum wheel near a lug nut, which I didn't notice right away, sigh.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • benjaminhbenjaminh Member Posts: 6,546
    1-minute video about a 90-year old who owns a 1964 Mercury Comet. She tries to buy parts with lifetime warranties. She's gotten seven Midas Mufflers for the price of one that way.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou05-9dh0OE
    2018 Acura TLX 2.4 Tech 4WS (mine), 2024 Subaru Outback (wife's), 2018 Honda CR-V EX (offspring)
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    I've been seeing that Comet video for awhile now, so I was wondering what ultimately happened. Turns out, she gave up driving at the age of 93, and the car had around 567,000 miles. She died on May 11, 2017, at the age of 98, so that would have put her giving up driving around 2012-13.

    https://www.powernationtv.com/post/93-year-old-turns-in-keys-after-567000-miles-with-her-1964-mercury-comet-caliente#:~:text=Rachel Veitch had quite a,is hanging up the keys.

    Hopefully the car is still around.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    edited June 2024
    Man, are some people on FB car pages, rock-heads.

    Guy posted a pic of a gorgeous triple-black '84 Fleetwood Brougham coupe.

    Now, I believe people come to sites online to enjoy pics and also get factual information.

    One guy said, "That's a Coupe deVille. It doesn't have four doors".

    I post, "It's a Fleetwood coupe, made from '80 to '85. Don't believe me, Google the '84 Cadillac brochure online".

    Reply: "I had one. It's a Coupe deVille".

    Then, "Whatever. I had one. It's a Coupe deVille".

    Yeesh....I don't have to be right, but I also don't have to pretend to be wrong just to massage someone's ego, sheesh.

    Blockhead.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,928
    benjaminh said:

    1-minute video about a 90-year old who owns a 1964 Mercury Comet. She tries to buy parts with lifetime warranties. She's gotten seven Midas Mufflers for the price of one that way.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou05-9dh0OE

    That's nothing compared to:

    https://www.preludeonline.com/threads/prelude-w-700-000-miles-yes-700-000.34918/
    '18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    Spotted this in a group today, thought uplander would appreciate this - apparently Volvos and GMs have a similar bolt pattern. Older Volvo wagon on 80s Monte Carlo checkerboard wheels:


  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    And then there's Irv Gordon, who got his Volvo P1800 up to around 3.26M miles! https://www.volvocars.com/au/news/electrification/2023-october-one-careful-owner/
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    edited June 2024
    I do love the checkerboard wheels. I'm not sure that I've ever seen them in person.

    A couple weeks ago, a guy posted on a Cruze forum his odometer had just turned over 400K miles on original engine and trans. That's a goal for me, LOL! Only 292K to go.

    Several years ago a guy posted an odometer pic of an early Cruze with over 700K miles. The guy was a courier of some sort. I'd say the chance of it being all-original are slim. I sent the pic to my younger daughter, who was driving the car I'm driving now, that I expected her to get that out of it!
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    edited June 2024
    Irv Gordon is probably the most-famous high-mileage owner out there, ever.

    The old lady with the Comet, I want to say I remember one of the later trips she took in it was all the way to Erie, PA and back to FL for her high school reunion!
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    From what I could find online, a Volvo 240 had a bolt pattern of 5-on-108mm, which translates to roughly 4.25 inches. Those checkerboards should be a 5-on-4.75" pattern if they're stock. So, that Volvo has been modified in some fashion. Or, maybe there's just some kind of adaptor kit they're using? The front wheel looks like it sticks out a bit more than normal, but that could just be because of a wide wheel/tire combo.

    The checkerboard wheel was 6.5" wide. But I found that on google, so don't take it as the gospel!
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    edited June 2024

    Spotted by me this morning. '60. Owner said his Dad bought it in 1968. Decent driver, not-great paint.

    I still like these, although of course they are dated now.

    One thing I like about Corvette is that the car is in the same place in the lineup as it was in 1953 when introduced, a fiberglass-bodied two-seat sports car. The name hasn't been moved around to other cars....at least not yet.

    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    I would like to see a different set of wheels on it, nice otherwise.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    Maybe because I can't wrench, I love finding out the history of an old car....I mean, most get scrapped; most any old car you see is because at somewhere along the line, someone decided "this car is worth keeping/saving".

    My friend has a lovely red-on-red-leather '63 Riviera. He is a self-taught mechanic-of-sorts, and enjoys working on it as much as he can, himself. He has the new-car sales paperwork in it, showing dealer name and original owner.

    He wasn't as interested as me, but on Miller, SD's FB page (maybe historical society page), I found a 1959 pic of the dealership, which also sold Chevy and Cadillac as well as Buick. It was small and had gas pumps out front, as the town was small (I want to say 3K people now but I'm fuzzy on that). Anyway, the original owner of the car was a pharmacist and owned a (the?) drug store in town. He was born in 1891 and was 72 when he bought the car. I imagine that in that town, it may well have been the only '63 Riviera sold by that dealer. The original owner's son was later a state representative. I love all that kind of stuff. My friend bought it about a decade ago in Wisconsin.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415

    I do love the checkerboard wheels. I'm not sure that I've ever seen them in person.

    A couple weeks ago, a guy posted on a Cruze forum his odometer had just turned over 400K miles on original engine and trans. That's a goal for me, LOL! Only 292K to go.

    Several years ago a guy posted an odometer pic of an early Cruze with over 700K miles. The guy was a courier of some sort. I'd say the chance of it being all-original are slim. I sent the pic to my younger daughter, who was driving the car I'm driving now, that I expected her to get that out of it!

    I've seen a couple with them - I wonder if it was maybe regional. Always on a later LS car, but I understand they existed earlier maybe as far back as 81-82. I think they were also possible on a Mexican market SS.

    High mileage on modern cars can be interesting, runs in the face of those who claim the cars will be shot at 200K miles. It's all about the maintenance and the the driver. Here's a pic from a MB group I am in, this car started production in late 2016, so it can't be older than that:


  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415
    andre1969 said:

    From what I could find online, a Volvo 240 had a bolt pattern of 5-on-108mm, which translates to roughly 4.25 inches. Those checkerboards should be a 5-on-4.75" pattern if they're stock. So, that Volvo has been modified in some fashion. Or, maybe there's just some kind of adaptor kit they're using? The front wheel looks like it sticks out a bit more than normal, but that could just be because of a wide wheel/tire combo.

    The checkerboard wheel was 6.5" wide. But I found that on google, so don't take it as the gospel!

    That reminds me, my old college friend who had an 83 Monte had a few sets of wheels for it, one of them from I think an 80-81 Z28. He thought they'd bolt right on - and he was wrong. I forget the issue (I want to say width was part of it) but he had to do a lot of fettling to make it driveable.

    On an odd wheel note, I think all MBs from the 60s through the 90s anyway have the same or nearly the same pattern for factory wheels, which is why one might see a fintail on bundts or a 70s car on 90s 8 hole wheels.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,415

    Spotted by me this morning. '60. Owner said his Dad bought it in 1968. Decent driver, not-great paint.

    I still like these, although of course they are dated now.

    One thing I like about Corvette is that the car is in the same place in the lineup as it was in 1953 when introduced, a fiberglass-bodied two-seat sports car. The name hasn't been moved around to other cars....at least not yet.

    It was dated in 1963 B)

    Not my first wheel choice but maybe kind of period correct for the owner, I could see those in the 70s when such a thing was just a neat old used car.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,860
    edited June 2024
    ....but I do not like the C2 styling, especially the split window. They were hard enough to see out of with a one-piece rear window! All those fake vents too.

    To my eyes, a '63 in silver looks like something from a 1959 B-level space movie, LOL. Especially with the headlights open.

    I do think it's funny 'experts' will comment on the Avanti's king pins, but completely leave out that all Corvettes through the end of the '62 model year (when Avantis were also being built), had kingpins.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    I think the main thing about high mileage cars, is how they're driven. If it's a lot of long-trip, highway miles, they should last quite a long time, as long as you don't lapse on maintenance. And with advancements in oils, transmission fluids, and the like, I'd imagine even a car from the bad old days would be more reliable in this day and age.

    Of course, there are also a lot of taxis that make it to high mileage. But I'm sure it's a safe bet that they get a lot of maintenance and repairs along the way.

    I bought my '68 Dart in 1992, with 253,000 miles on it. However, the previous owner put a rebuilt 318 in it, around the 242,000 mile mark, and that promptly destroyed the existing transmission and rear end. So he had those replaced, although they might have been with used parts. He also used to brag about how you could manually hold first gear until around 52 mph. I used to think that perhaps that was part of what killed its transmission. But then I noticed my '67 Catalina, which I bought a couple years after the Dart, would hold first on its own until around 55 or so if you floored it, chirp a tire going into second, and sometimes even chirp going into direct drive. Similarly, my '79 New Yorker would hold first until around 55 mph, all by itself. But, not enough guts to chirp on the 1-2 shift! As for axle ratios, the Dart was a 2.76:1, while the Catalina is a 2.56:1, and the 5th Ave is a 2.45:1. So, the Dart was geared a little shorter, but I dunno if 52 mph is really THAT extreme.

    I stopped driving the Dart in 2001, when it had about 338,000 miles on it. The biggest issues I had with it were brakes, suspension, radiator, alternator, power steering, exhaust, etc. And, it was starting to rust pretty bad in the rear quarters, but the main structural areas, like where the sub-frame mounts to the body and such, were fine. I ended up letting it sit for too long, and couldn't get it to restart. However, I think it was just something simple, like either a fuel line or the fuel pump. If you poured a bit of fuel in the carb, it would fire right up, and run for a couple seconds. But by that time, I had pretty much lost interest in it, and it just sat around, until I eventually sold it around 2009. The guy I bought it from actually did get it to fire right up though, again with some fuel dumped in the carb.

    In theory, that car could have gone on for a lot longer, I'm sure. I also used it to deliver pizzas, from early 1996 until around April or May of 1997, and I'm sure that wasn't exactly easy on it. On a busy Friday or Saturday night, I'd occasionally log about 200 miles, of mostly short-burst, stop and go driving.

    I had a '79 Newport that I rescued from the junkyard, that I used to replace the Dart as daily transportation. And that gave way briefly, to my Mom's '86 Monte Carlo. She gave it to me in March of 1998, with 179,000 miles on it, and I got T-boned 3 months later, and in that short time I had it up to around 192,000. After that I went back to the Newport, but that gave way to an '89 Gran Fury ex copcar in the fall of 1998, and that gave way to my 2000 Intrepid in November 1999. So from around April/May of 1997 until I couldn't get it started that fall day in 2001, the Dart mostly just sat around, only seeing occasional use. And after that it just sat.
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 18,325
    In retrospect we probably shouldn't have sold our 2004 X3; it had a bit over 200k miles on it and was running just fine. It looked new inside and out.

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
    Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
    Son's: 2018 330i xDrive

This discussion has been closed.