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

kyfdx

An acquaintance of mine.. bought a 3.0CS in the late '80s.. Paid somewhere around $7K-$8K, and had it redone... I think put about $15K-$18K more in it.. It was really nice when they finished it.... in the early '90s... It was then worth about $15K (total cost of around $24K)... and of course, now..in present day....is again worth about $7K-8K.. Here is the kicker.. it is an automatic... :surprise:

And this is for a 3.0CS... the 2800CS is worth less..

Mr_Shiftright

That's about how it goes. Old BMWs are not high demand cars, at least not for decent money. Your best buy in an old BMW is still a 2002Tii coupe I think, as it is the only one, along with the Baur convertible, that has any chance of appreciation. (postwar cars I mean). A real bargain is the 635csi coupe--they are so cheap right now and it's a lot of car for beer money.

Of course the old rule of old cars applies: "Whatever got you in cheap when you buy will haunt you when you sell".

ghulet

...I saw a running, early VW Quantum ('early' meaning non-composite headlights, so pre '86), in a nasty non-metallic khaki, bouncing down the road as most old VWs do. What is it about their suspensions that must be so expensive to replace?

wimsey1

A brass era Model T being driven on the street! I see a lot of A's driven around here but T's are rarer and a brass one is pretty novel. What year did Hank the First declare the "any color as long as it's black" rule? Was that when Ford switched to steel radiator shells?
I've developed an affection for some "brass era" cars lately.

Jeep Commando-I remember those, had a model of a '72 (styled front end, earlier ones had CJ type noses). Saw a CJ style one on a trailer back a month or so ago.

andys120

on a 100 mile round trip to Portsmouth, Kittery and York and back home:

-A Renault LeCar(R5), I can't believe there's one that still runs.

-A Dodge truck-based "woody" wagon from the early-mid 50's, looking decent but not perfect.

-A '68 or '69 Mercury Cougar looking a little tatty with "mag" wheels and traction bars.

-A TR-3 of late 60s or early 60s vintage, parked with a tonneau cover to keep off the occasional rain. It was the then popular sky blue with wires and whitewall tires. Pretty nice overall but the paint was beginning to crack in spots (the effects of chassis flex in lacquer paint?) as well as show a few rust bubbles.

It looked hugely inviting for al l it's cosmetic and likely mechanical flaws.

-A topless SWB Land Rover of similar vintage complete with hood mounted spare.
No visible rust on this one, my buddy reminded me they were Al bodied.

-'66 Dodge Charger on a dealers lot.

Mr_Shiftright

The black rule was very practical, as black lacquer dried much more quickly than cars that were painted various colors.

I'm not sure when the Ts stopped being brass but there is a definite value difference....something like 1914 I believe...right around there.

Ts are tough to drive...requires a lot of practice...but you can install overdrives in them if you have the guts to drive them over 55 mph. I think they are really fun and don't cost very much money. A classic case of "supply and demand"...you can buy an 80 year old car for way less than a 10 year old one in this case----they made a lot of 'em. A highly recommended "hobby car" if you aren't in a hurry and your life insurance is paid up.

fintail

IIRC the last brass T was the 1916 model year...a little after most mainstream cars turned away from antique looking brass trim. I have a strange attraction to some brass cars too.

Those old things are relatively cheap - a showable late T is proably a 7K car now, but are not good for anything more than local cruising

fintail

Sitting at my window here in downtown Bellevue, I just saw a dark bronze-ish 220S fintail drive by. Made my day.

Lots of oddball newer cars here, this must be what living in a good area of southern California is like. In the past 10 minutes I've noticed a Ferrari 360, new Range Rover, a handful of 7 series and S class, a Boxster, FX45, new A6, Cayenne, and a black Ford Elite.

wimsey1

Yep, Ford's changes were appropriate at the time. He wanted to create a durable affordable to the masses vehicle-and succeeded brilliantly. It was a worthwhile object for both the customers and the company.

Fintail, one brass era car I really like is the "coffin nose" Stanley Steamers. Green paint looks great with all that shiny brass!

fintail

The T was certainly the most significant car ever, and always will be. Nothing will change the market so much, or really, define the market as it did. In time someone else would have created an everyman's car, but it would have been a bit later. I like the early model T coupe, a brass car, pretty elegant. The center door sedan is interesting too.

I like the very large old brass cars, some early supercars like a Mercedes Simplex, and the really early horseless carriage type cars. When I was little, my late grandfather had a jumble of junk in his rural garage, and one item was a one cylinder stationary engine. It fascinated me, it was so simple and mechanical. A few years back I saw a one cylinder Caddy c. 1905 at a local car show, and when the owner started it, I was really taken by it. The victorian styling and mechanical purity of these cars can be charming. RR Silver Ghost is an interesting piece of engineering too.

lemko

...1965 Mustang fastback - cream with gold stripes and auxillary lights in the grille, and a lightly modified VW Karmann Ghia.

michaellno

1970-era Pontiac Tempest (?) - 4 headlights, 2 door coupe. Medium blue with a dark blue vinyl top. Looked to be in OK shape as I passed by at 50MPH.

fintail

I saw 'Casino' last night...an automotive dream world for lemko and Andre.

I still love the part where Sharon Stone bashes her SL into De Niro's Eldo. The Caddy comes out battered while the SL has barely a bent bumper! I guess those unsightly DOT park bench bumpers work.

kyfdx

The round looking one from the early '90s.. A very rare spotting around here...

debaser853

Over the weekend I saw a very early Datsun pickup, headed down the street. I was really taken aback by how tiny it was, almost like a toy car.

jrosasmc

Where do you live, if you don't mind me asking?

In my neck of the woods (Vermont), there are a bunch of those '90s Audi Coupes around. They make excellent winter cars because of the Quattro.

kyfdx

Greater Cincinnati.. I was thinking that it was the first one I'd seen in five years... It is kind of homely.. I really liked the first generation Audi Coupe, but I never warmed up to this one..

andys120

I spotted a Dodge Power Wagon tow truck sitting at a gas station. The old timer looked as if it got at least occasional use.

seminole_kev

"The old timer looked as if it got at least occasional use."

uh, the driver or the truck?

debaser853

An S600 pulled up under my office window. A little older than new style, still has square headlights instead of the more modern dueling ovals that MB has been using. I wouldn't have given it much of a second look, but the car has a "V12" badge behind the rear door on the C pillar. Seems like a strange place for a motor badge.

One other thing that "shows" it's age: looks like it's on 15" wheels (maybe 16"), but still small for a premium car these days.

jaserb

Smaller than it looks in pics. I can imagine this was a tough sell at 2-3X the price of a 3 series or a Z3 ragtop.

-Jason

fintail

That's the right spot for the V12 emblem too.

It is interesting that highline cars didn't get 17" or greater wheels en masse until maybe 2000. IIRC the biggest on the W140 S would be a 16...I can't remember if the very late cars went to 17 or not, but I don't think they did.

debaser853

Came back from lunch to see a late 60's Dodge Van. Had to do a little research, but found http://dodgetruckguy.tripod.com/A100s/a_100.htm - the one here is a Gold with creme stripe, not a pop top tho.

au94

Saw an ~88 626 5 door hatchback on the way to work this morning. I thought they were decent looking, kinda had a fastback look to it. Funny how those never really caught on in the US. From what I remember you could get a GT version of these with the 2.0L(?) turbo that was pretty quick. I drove a 1st gen MX-6 with that same motor a few times and it was nice. I also remember that those motors didn't last long though. My mom had an 88 4 door 626 LX that was a great car. I think it's interesting Mazda brought the 5 door hatch back in the 6. We'll see how long it lasts this time

andys120

I think I saw a King Midget this AM.

au94

a what??? Anybody got a pic? :confuse:

wimsey1

King Midget ads in the back of Popular Mechanics back in the "60's. Sorry no pick. I can't think of anything you could have seen that you could mistake for one Andy.

Has anyone else noticed some of the background vehicles in "The Incredibles".
They are usually a bit different from the real ones (example: an obvious Datsun Roadster front end on a coupe) but still recognizable. I've noticed 2-seat T-birds and a mid '60's one, old Caddies ('59?), early Mustangs and many others. Somebody cared enough to keep them from all just being gener-o-mobiles.

au94

I googled it and found a pic. Good Lord, it looks like a toy my grandpa made me years ago!!

lemko

...appears to be some cross between a 1961 Rambler American with Citreon DS taillights in the roof. I think I spotted a few '50s Buicks in the background and there most definately are '59 Cadillacs.

navigator89

white Ford Galaxie today, with a red interior. The car was so wide that it could have seated like 4 adults on each bench. The trunk looked so big that it might have made a Crown Victoria or Five Hundred ashamed.

explorerx4

honda ridgeline. sorry just tweaking a few folks. :P
actually i drive behind a '59 cadillac convertible for a few miles. it was white on white. it tracked straight and the body panels looked really smooth (no bondo evident). the only thing that didn't have flash was the regular turned down exhaust ends. at one point i was able to pull along side, and told the driver and his older grandson (maybe). 'great car, i enjoyed driving behind you for a few miles.'

lancerfixer

While dropping the kids off at daycare this morning, I noticed that a house across the street has a very nice early 70s Benz 280 SE 4.5 for sale in their driveway. I'm not super up on my old German iron, but this one looked very presentable. No asking price evident.

fintail

Like all old MB sedans, another competent car that is undervalued. A presentable rustfree reliable driver with good cosmetics should set one back no more than 5K or so. Pristine ones might just cross the 10K barrier, but those cars are very rare. They tend to be neglected, and like fintails, they do like to rust. The one to go after would be a 300SEL variant, with the higher line trim, but not the bank-draining 6.3. As with so many others, a nice original example is a far better idea than restoring one.

Today I saw a mint Porsche 924, a really nice c. 1950 Ford pickup, and a Mitsu Cordia.

lancerfixer

I'd better not check it out. I don't need the temptation. Plus, my buddy from work is still trying to unload his '89 300E on me...I just really can't spend the dough, plus it's developed an intermittent no start/stalling issue that I'd have to deal with.

Mr_Shiftright

300E is a much better car than an old 4.5. An old Mercedes V8 will kill you in repair costs. They really aren't very good engines all things considered, especially in the late 1970s.

A rather rare and desirable 80s Benz that you don't see much is a 16 valve 2.3.

fintail

The E would end up being easier, yeah. That starting/stalling issue is probably just a FI adjustment...mine can be hard to start when hot, the cold start system is a little out of order. No big deal. Very durable and modern cars.

The MB specialist I know has a 2.3-16, along with a 5 speed 2.6 (I don't know the history of that - it appears US spec though) and a 190E Sportline from 1993, one of about 500 IIRC.

On that note, the supposed AMG car I spotted in my parking garage is a fake. The interior is boke stock, and the wheels are not right.

andys120

Here's a link to some pix and info. I couldn't swear it's what I saw but it did resemble the cars show in the link.

jlawrence01

I saw an old Crosley truck ... unfortunately, I could hot hang a u-turn to get a better look.

Mr_Shiftright

I saw what appeared to be a 1948 or 49 Dodge Meadowbrook. Odd thing was it was a coupe fastback but it had an extra small window in the rear doors. Sort of six side windows rather than the normal 4. Kinda liked it!

Wonder what model that was?

andys120

link

The advertising postcard I.D.s it simply as a "Dodge Two-Door". I like it too, I think I recall Plymouths that looked like that.

Mr_Shiftright

That's it!
This one was dark blue, lots of patina (like it was sort of original), nice interior. I generally don't like late 40s cars at all but this one has nicer lines than the usual blocky, tank-like late 40s stuff. I call 1946-1954 The Grim Years with the possible exception of the '53 Studebaker and the Ford ragtops 49-51 was it? Some like the Buick Skylark but I find it a bit overblown and not fun to drive at all.

My fave late 40s car (1949 I think) is the Buick fastback coupe with the windshield wiper in the back window. Can you find a photo of that car? Very sweet.

1955 was a great year for American cars I think...the first "modern" mass production cars after WWII.

fintail

I think I recall one of those in a scene in "Back to the Future" just after Marty arrives in 1955.

I assume the Buick to mention is like this:



I've never seen one with a rear wiper, but by the looks of the design, one can see a wiper could be handy.

I actually like the earlier version of the car too, as it had a design much more connected to 1930s streamlining

Mr_Shiftright

The pontoon front fenders spoil it I think as do the residual running boards.The '49 is much more graceful and clean IMO. I love that little cut in the back of the rear window and the way the tail lights flow with the fender line. I just love that car!

fintail

I do like the Sedanet/fastback designs too

How about a 48 or 49 Caddy?



Large shot

Large front view

Large rear view

Same basic look as the Buick, but with early proto-fins and the OHV engine. Maybe that window line is an early influence on the Hofmeister kink...

andys120

but I think the Buick pulls it off better because the upturned fins spoil the flow of the fenders and the one piece rear glass of the Buick looks cleaner than the fussier three-
peice of the Cad.

Even the Chevy pulled the fastback lines off nicely

andys120

This '53 Hudson was one of the last of the slopeback era.

Mr_Shiftright

I don't like fins, even tiny little itsy bitsy fins (sorry, don't take it personally okay?)

I would grind them off if I owned that car, I swear, and make it look more like the Buick, "authenticity" be damned in this case. I'd turn it into a much cleaner street rod with Chevy power.

Hudson Hornet was a very cool car. I see them occasionally in vintage racing and they can be made to really fly and handle, too. Awesome cars those Hudsons, and before the Chevy 283 came along, it would put just about anything away.

fintail

So does that mean you won't be buying a 59 Caddy?

Mr_Shiftright

Oh you are really tweaking my nose aren't you

I think the '59 Caddy is the poster child for wretched excess in automotive design---which is probably why some people like them. Think of the '59 Caddy as "automotive pornography".

Actually fins can "work" sometimes if the rest of the car makes sense and also looks like the Jetsons about-town cruiser. Some of the Studie Hawks aren't too bad, or the Benz fintails, and the earlier Chrysler products, while kinda silly, are at least "fin-like" front to rear and side to side. There is "coherence" in the design, so I respect that even if I don't like the design.

But the '59 Caddy is a mess...the front, back and sides make no sense. It is "design chaos" at its worst IMHO. Ditto the '59 Chevy bat-mobiles. The car goes sideways up and down all at the same time. The lines collide, they don't blend.

lemko

...yellow Lotus Elise.