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

explorerx4

Have seen this for a while but finally took a pic. Looks to be in pretty good shape.

xwesx

Cannot tell; too distant and obscured. Looks like something out of the late 90s or early aughts.

explorerx4

not a very good picture. A 2K era Sebring convertible.

andre1969

Yeah, '96-00, IIRC. I went through a phase where I kinda wanted one of those Sebring convertibles. I always thought it was interesting that they based the convertible off of the US-designed "cloud car" 4-door sedan platform, rather than the Mitsubishi-sourced coupes.

On Sunday, I went to the movies with a friend to see "Twisters" and spotted this in the parking garage...
Considering they only made this generation of Avalon from something like 2000-2004, they still seem a lot more common than they should be. In fact, this was the fourth one that I saw over the weekend. On Saturday, I saw a silver one and a gold one. And on Sunday, just before getting to the mall, I saw a burgundy one.

Oh, on a side note, if anyone's planning to see "Twisters" in the theater, I'd definitely recommend seeing it in Dolby, or whatever they call that enhanced sound. I don't know if it costs a few bucks more, as my friend bought the tickets and I bought the food, but if it does, it was worth it!

texases

Combine peak Toyota quality with the few/easy miles driven by the retirees and other ‘mature’ owners, result is a VERY high survival rate.

ab348

I was surprised to see ads for that new movie since it doesn't seem that long ago when "Twister" and its original flying cow was produced. Just more evidence that Hollywood producers and writers have run out of original ideas I guess.

andre1969

Yep, the original came out in 1996. I remember seeing it with my ex-wife. Doesn't seem that long ago. It's scary, how quickly 28 years can pass!

And, in many ways it was like the original. There was a love triangle. The tornadoes also conveniently appeared in sequence, from smallest to largest. And there was a night tornado. Oh, and a Dodge Ram was pretty much the vehicular "hero" in both movies. Still, if you're into that kind of stuff, it was pretty enjoyable.

BTW, the other three Avalons I saw were all in much better shape than this one, but this one caught my eye because of the color. I remember variations of that color being pretty popular for awhile, from roughly the mid-90s to maybe the mid-00s. I remember test driving a used '96 Caprice with the LT-1 350 in a similar hue. And when the RWD LX Magnum, 300, and Charger first came out, they had a color like this, called "Magnesium," I believe.

I didn't really care for these when they were newer. The ratio of passenger-cabin to overall car just seemed too much. It made me think of the '78-80 Malibu sedan, which to me had the same problem. But I remember sitting in a used one in CarMax, and noticing how roomy and comfortable it was. Nowadays, I look at it and don't mind the style, though.

tjc78

I had that generation of Avalon. The interior was a very nice place to be. In all reality the interior didn’t really match the very basic exterior.

Not mine .. but similar and same color

Michaell

andre1969 said:

Yep, the original came out in 1996. I remember seeing it with my ex-wife. Doesn't seem that long ago. It's scary, how quickly 28 years can pass!

And, in many ways it was like the original. There was a love triangle. The tornadoes also conveniently appeared in sequence, from smallest to largest. And there was a night tornado. Oh, and a Dodge Ram was pretty much the vehicular "hero" in both movies. Still, if you're into that kind of stuff, it was pretty enjoyable.

BTW, the other three Avalons I saw were all in much better shape than this one, but this one caught my eye because of the color. I remember variations of that color being pretty popular for awhile, from roughly the mid-90s to maybe the mid-00s. I remember test driving a used '96 Caprice with the LT-1 350 in a similar hue. And when the RWD LX Magnum, 300, and Charger first came out, they had a color like this, called "Magnesium," I believe.

I didn't really care for these when they were newer. The ratio of passenger-cabin to overall car just seemed too much. It made me think of the '78-80 Malibu sedan, which to me had the same problem. But I remember sitting in a used one in CarMax, and noticing how roomy and comfortable it was. Nowadays, I look at it and don't mind the style, though.

Didja see the Jeep J-10 in the movie? Was only on screen for a few seconds before it got sucked up.

Was driven by Bill Paxton's son.

andre1969

Yep, definitely noticed the J-10, and when I saw it, figured it HAD to be a nod to the original movie!

uplanderguy

I saw a Hudson Jet two-door sedan, plain trim level, yesterday outside of Cortland, OH, clipping right along at probably 55. It was maroon. Like a lot of other people, they look like a 2/3-size ‘52-54 Ford to me.

Fin, overdue reply, but Moses Lake had a nice Fairfield Inn we stayed in and we wanted just simple food and they recommended Bob’s near the hotel. Just basic comfort food. I did order peanut butter pie and got chocolate and never saw my server again lol. I ate it anyway and it was good.

fintail

Out here where rust is slow, those and other early Avalons are still everywhere. A friend's wife has one, bought it new. 2000 model, more basic XL trim, something like 250K on it now and going strong.

Twisters is the one movie in recent times I think I might see eventually.

andre1969 said:

Yeah, '96-00, IIRC. I went through a phase where I kinda wanted one of those Sebring convertibles. I always thought it was interesting that they based the convertible off of the US-designed "cloud car" 4-door sedan platform, rather than the Mitsubishi-sourced coupes.

On Sunday, I went to the movies with a friend to see "Twisters" and spotted this in the parking garage...
Considering they only made this generation of Avalon from something like 2000-2004, they still seem a lot more common than they should be. In fact, this was the fourth one that I saw over the weekend. On Saturday, I saw a silver one and a gold one. And on Sunday, just before getting to the mall, I saw a burgundy one.

Oh, on a side note, if anyone's planning to see "Twisters" in the theater, I'd definitely recommend seeing it in Dolby, or whatever they call that enhanced sound. I don't know if it costs a few bucks more, as my friend bought the tickets and I bought the food, but if it does, it was worth it!

fintail

uplanderguy said:

I saw a Hudson Jet two-door sedan, plain trim level, yesterday outside of Cortland, OH, clipping right along at probably 55. It was maroon. Like a lot of other people, they look like a 2/3-size ‘52-54 Ford to me.

Fin, overdue reply, but Moses Lake had a nice Fairfield Inn we stayed in and we wanted just simple food and they recommended Bob’s near the hotel. Just basic comfort food. I did order peanut butter pie and got chocolate and never saw my server again lol. I ate it anyway and it was good.

Small world, I stayed the night in ML a little over a week ago, as my mom wanted to stop there on my recent road trip (as we lived there when I was a kid). Too bad about the pie, but chocolate pie sounds good too

fintail

Another oddity from a local real estate listing, Model T Speedster:

kyfdx

A friend of mine (now deceased) had a Mercer Raceabout in his bedroom. They had to tear out an exterior wall to get it out, after he passed.

andre1969

I'm sure it's a combination of the wide angle lens and small cars that throw off the perspective, but that garage looks HUGE!

fintail

kyfdx said:

A friend of mine (now deceased) had a Mercer Raceabout in his bedroom. They had to tear out an exterior wall to get it out, after he passed.

That might be too much for me, but I have thought more than once about bringing a bike into the house as a fun piece.

fintail

andre1969 said:

I'm sure it's a combination of the wide angle lens and small cars that throw off the perspective, but that garage looks HUGE!

Yeah, realtor trick, but it does look like a nice garage:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3404-E-Montgomery-Ave-Spokane-WA-99217/23518495_zpid/?

Price is maybe a little cheap for this area, and also maybe high - within a few years a new highway is going to be going near or maybe even directly through/over that location.

sda

Neat house. It would drive me crazy keeping all those windows clean. Too bad about the future highway. Progress..sigh

fintail

sda said:

Neat house. It would drive me crazy keeping all those windows clean. Too bad about the future highway. Progress..sigh

Growing city, growing state. I checked on a map, it looks like highway 395, linking I-90 and commercial areas near it to the ceaseless suburban sprawl north of Spokane, will be cutting through about a block to the west. Likely not enough to endanger the house, but you'll hear it.

stickguy

Not sure about the location but I love that house.

andre1969

Check out what used to hang out next door to that house back in 2007!
And, a bit further down...

sda

Early shade on the Edsel. https://youtu.be/M_fk084vJVI?si=fzqvo65p3eGKKaLS

fintail

andre1969 said:

Check out what used to hang out next door to that house back in 2007!

Looks like typical Spokane - 17 years later still a lot of material like that hanging around - this is a low rust area where the sun eventually causes more problems than other rot. That early 50s Mopar looks familiar to me, I have maybe seen it somewhere. A friend of mine stalks out areas on Streetview as a hobby, he's found a lot of oddballs locally.

fintail

sda said:

Early shade on the Edsel.

What could go wrong with either?

I notice comments that the Edsel appears to maybe have bodywork.

fintail

Here's the Mopar I was thinking of - either the paint really wore away during those 12 years, or different car (also note 2x Volvo P1800):

andre1969

Interesting teardown with that Plymouth vs Edsel propaganda. I'd be curious to know what the as-equipped price of each car was? That engine they equipped the Plymouth with, to make it comparable to the Edsel, was the 305 hp 350 big-block Wedge. It had a 2-4bbl carb setup, and was optional, even in the Fury. Incidentally, that upgraded suspension the test Belvedere had was essentially the Fury set-up, I believe. So that car was basically a 4-door Christine!

As far as that supposed hill-holding/engine-braking prowess of the Plymouth vs the Edsel? The Plymouth, with the 350/Torqueflite had a 3.31:1 axle ratio standard, although a 2.93:1, 3:15.1, and 3.73:1 were optional. The Edsel had a 2.91:1 standard. I couldn't find any mention of optional ratios, although I'd imagine they were offered. So I'd imagine that the axle ratios of the two cars had more to do with engine braking, than the transmission itself.

It's been decades since I read it, but I remember Consumer Reports testing one of the smaller '58 Edsels, with the 361-4bbl, 303 hp setup. I forget the exact 0-60 time, but I remember them saying that, at that point, it was the fastest car they ever tested. However, Consumer Reports rarely tested high-performance cars, so that does put a little bias on their statement.

In some pics, the build quality on that Edsel does look horrible. Especially around the 4:20 mark.

explorerx4

The Edsel in that screen shot makes it look like it is covered in suede.

andre1969

explorerx4 said:

The Edsel in that screen shot makes it look like it is covered in suede.

Now that you mention it, it does! I was thinking that it looked like it had something applied to it, to make it look less reflective, sort of like what tv shows would sometimes do whenever they'd have a car used on an indoor set. The first show that pops into my mind is "Green Acres," how the cars often seemed kind of dull. Most likely they put something on them to cut down on the glare from the studio lights.
But, the Edsel looks worse than this! Almost like a really bad colorization of an old black-and-white picture.

Even though I prefer the Plymouth, and think the 4-door hardtop roofline looks great, I always did admire the C-pillar area on the '58 Ranger/Pacer (and corresponding Ford) 4-door hardtops. The way the beltline kicks up and the roofline kicks down, it forms sort of an "X" shape.

Also, looking at the Edsel in profile view, I see how they could probably increase the wheelbase of a car, simply by moving the rear axle back a bit on the leaf springs, as long as there's enough room in the wheel opening to do so. I wonder if that's what they did in '59 and especially '60? In 1959, the Fords were on a 118" wb and the Edsels a 120" and in 1960, the gap was closed to 119" and 120", respectively.

Edit: Actually, for 1959 it looks like there was more involved than just moving the rear axle back, within the wheel opening. Curbside Classic did a pretty good spread on the '59 Edsel, and in one of the pics they show a Ford and Edsel 4-door sedan, one on top of the other. The rear wheel opening cuts into the back door a bit more on the Ford. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-for-sale-1959-edsel-ranger-six-4-door-sedan-for-950-obo-you-can-own-the-most-advanced-styled-american-1959-car/

andre1969

I was curious about base pricing, so I looked up those two cars. A '58 Belvedere 4-door hardtop started at $2528, while an Edsel Ranger 4-door hardtop started at $2678. However, the Belvedere came standard with a 6-cyl! So I'd say the Ranger's standard 303 hp 361-4bbl made up for the lack of standard carpeting and a clock!

I'd imagine that, as equipped, both of those cars were pushing $4,000. I'm basing that using my grandparents' '57 Ford Fairlane 500 Victoria 4-door hardtop, which was something like $2404 base price, but the way they equipped it, was a bit over $3500.

fintail

I think the first car I noticed on TV that was clearly prepped to be non-reflective was the 55 Pontiac in the California episode of I Love Lucy (which was not hard to find on retro reruns when I was a kid in the 80s). No windshield, dulled paint and chrome:

andre1969

I've often wondered what color that '55 Pontiac was. I tend to picture it being a pearly white color, with a burnt-orange/copper contrast. Looking online though, I've seen one source say it was red and white, and I've also found a scale model, with it being a pearly white with aqua two-toning.

According to this link: https://www.streetmusclemag.com/news/top-50-tv-cars-of-all-time-no-18-i-love-lucys-1955-pontiac/ the car is still around, although it's now painted silver with a white contrast. The text mentions it was originally red and white.

explorerx4

A rare 1960 Starliner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSSAOpSvqqs

andre1969

I saw an old episode of "Scooby Doo: Where are You?" the other night. Probably hadn't seen it in decades! Anyway, it's drawn a bit vaguely, but I can see some 1960 Ford in this police car...

fintail

andre1969 said:

I saw an old episode of "Scooby Doo: Where are You?" the other night. Probably hadn't seen it in decades! Anyway, it's drawn a bit vaguely, but I can see some 1960 Ford in this police car...

Especially in the rear quarter. I wonder if they used an Andy Griffith episode for inspiration.

stickguy

out driving around, a very solid but original looking gen 2 Prelude (around a 1990). Si. I loved it. Wife thought it was ugly. Don't see many like that up here in salt territory.

ab348

stickguy said:

out driving around, a very solid but original looking gen 2 Prelude (around a 1990). Si. I loved it. Wife thought it was ugly. Don't see many like that up here in salt territory.

Wouldn't a 1990 be 3rd gen? That was the version that took the mid-'80s model that was a gangbusters hit and smoothed everything out a bit. For whatever reason that one didn't seem to have anywhere near the same impact.

stickguy

Looking at the pictures it could have been either generation. They look pretty similar and 3rd is really a facelift of 2nd. Had a 3rd brakelight though.

explorerx4

This morning a mid 50's Chysler 300 two tone turquoise/white. Followed shortly after by a 65/66 Pontiac Grand Prix.

explorerx4

Got a better picture of the red Sebring convertible.

laurasdada

Today, an original Lexus RX300... with portholes on the front fenders!
Nothing says class like glued on Ventiports.

fintail

X1/9 drove by my house today

ab348

Geez, @kyfdx, it would be nice to get this board fixed by the Vanilla software geniuses to let it take us to the first new post. It's only been a few weeks but it seems I've been looking at that top of page garage pic for a very long time.

kyfdx

ab348 said:

Geez, @kyfdx, it would be nice to get this board fixed by the Vanilla software geniuses to let it take us to the first new post. It's only been a few weeks but it seems I've been looking at that top of page garage pic for a very long time.

Yeah, you know it's just me and @michaell working on it, right?
I've already had to take three continuing education classes.

andre1969

It's funny, but I've gotten so accustomed to it just going to the top of the page, it feels "normal." But, out of curiosity, I checked another site I spend a bit too much time on, and over there it actually does go to the last post I read.

On the old car front, this morning going to BJs, I saw an older guy in one of those 70s-80's style SL convertibles. Didn't get a quick enough glance to see if it was a 380, 450, or 560. But it was red, and top-down as nature intended.

I also drove the Charger, since it's been awhile since it's been started. And, this is gonna sound weird, but I've come to the conclusion that I'm really turning into a truck guy in my old age! The Charger's comfortable enough, and not too bad getting in and out of, but visibility is just SOOO much better in the Ram. Plus, I really don't like all those menus you have to toggle through, the touch screen, and so on. But, I guess that's going to be just about any new car nowadays, so I really can't fault the Charger.

uplanderguy

How many miles on the Charger? I turned over 3,000 on the C8 yesterday, and it had its first oil change last Tuesday at the dealer. I also washed it for the first time yesterday in the driveway (although the dealer washed it once in my ownership). I blacked the tires, too. I don't like shiny black but I found a product that gives a 'satin' black finish.

andre1969

Don't laugh...a whopping 845 miles! I was initially going to use the excuse that since I started working mostly from home, I don't drive much, period. But then I looked back on my records. Since mid-March of 2020, I put about 10,400 miles on the old '03 Regal, about 16,000 on the Ram, and 845 on the Charger. So, that's still averaging out to around 6000 or so per year.

However, in that timeframe, I was also cleaning out my old house, getting it ready to sell, and now I'm doing the same thing with my Grandmom's house, and that's been putting the Ram to work. Lots of trips bringing stuff over to my house, or donation runs or trips to the landfill. And last year, when my Mom was sick with cancer, I put a lot of miles on it driving back and forth to Southern Maryland to see her. By this time, the Regal was on its last legs, and I didn't want to take a chance going that far.

Oh, and if I ever have any doubts that my packrat tendencies are hereditary, yesterday I was over at Grandmom's, doing a little cleaning in the garage, and stumbled across this...
My uncle once had a Dart and a Valiant, but I always get the details mixed up. I think one was a '63 and the other was a '66. One was white and one was blue. One was a 2-door sedan and the other a 4-door sedan. Looking at pics online, I'm thinking this would be a '63 radio, so I guess that's an indication that it was the Valiant that was the '63.

Both of these cars were gone before I have any real memory of them, although as a small kid, I can barely remember a white one, dismantled, in Grandmom and Granddad's back yard. I can remember my uncle saying that Granddad gave the blue one to his brother-in-law, and it was used for years at a transmission shop, to push disabled vehicles around on the lot, as needed.

fintail

It looks like the radio dial has CONELRAD triangles, so likely 1963 as the system was discontinued that year, although maybe (but maybe not likely in a high volume car) parts could have been used later.

explorerx4

The radio does have Valiant written inside the tuning window.

uplanderguy

Does that say "TRANSAUD" on the dial? I can't quite tell. I do remember when radios back about then used to say "ALL TRANSISTOR", when apparently that was still a big deal.