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

lemko

...of Pennsylvania?

I know of a 1960 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty-Special that belonged to a well-known mobster back in the day.

fintail

The Sonnett I saw had the pop up lights

Interesting design for a Saab, but still kind of unhappy

seminole_kev

Well the "LeBaron owned by John Voight" bit is from Seinfeld. George buys the LeBaron just because he was told it was owned by John Voight (although I can't remember if it really was or not in that episode).

andre1969

I'm not sure...I just remember the guy selling the car said that it was used by a former governor. This was at Chryslers at Carlisle back in 1997. Now looking back, my memory could be fuzzy. It might've been the mayor of Harrisburg, or maybe the mayor of Philly. But it was some kind of gov't official car. Nothing too special, just a midnight blue (Chrylser called it "Nightwatch") with a nice cloth interior, power windows, not a spec of rust and a 318 that still purred like a kitten, although with 120 hp, it would be a neutered kitten!

But I guess whatever administration was around in the early 80's would've been the one that used it.

lemmer

Bingo!

The car was actually owned by a dentist named John Voight, not the actor.

Mr_Shiftright

First of all, the "celebrity" has to have a LOT of clout. I don't think Amy Grant counts for instance.

Secondly, their name has to be on the registration, OR there have to be photos of them driving the exact car OR there has to be excellent documentation. Just being part of the "estate" of Frank Sinatra doesn't cut it, as in the case of the Pontiac station wagon I saw that was driven by his gardener. Didn't mean diddley.

The 4-door Buick Roadmaster (?) in question that belonged to Howard Hughes and was subsequently modified by him brought FIFTY TIMES market value. Was it worth it? Well, if you can make it back by stuffing it in a Howard Hughes museum and charging admission, maybe. But for bragging rights, that's a whole lot of cash to pay for a rather uninteresting car.

Of course, anything owned by FDR would be valuable, as he has tremendous stature in American history. But say the car owned by a former VP--I rather doubt there's much $$$ in that---maybe 5% to the right person, I dunno.

But with a less than hot celeb owning a less than hot car---not much going on there.

Interestingly, there is not one photo existant of Hitler ever behind the wheel of a car. It is doubtful he knew how to drive.

Most politicos aren't car freaks---but LBJ was--loved Lincolns I guess.

andys120

I dunno if he was a car freak but FDR just loved to drive, there are lots of films of him driving a convertible, usually a Ford. Perhaps it's because, with the proper hand controls his handicap didn't keep him from driving .

stickguy

a '68-'70 ish Olds 98 convertible, top down. Beige (maybe light yellow). Looked OK, not restored but fairly fresh. Man, that beast was huge!

lancerfixer

IIRC, Colin Powell's quite the car guy, and likes to restore old Volvos.
Spotted Tuesday: a burgundy Citroen CX25 Premiere. I saw what I'm guessing was the same car (how many burgundy Citroens do you think there are in Cedar Rapids, anyway?) with Oregon plates about a year ago, so I'm guessing the owner moved here from the west coast and brought the car with.

Also spotted (actually heard first, then spotted) as I played with my son at the park this evening, a black Ferrari 355. I'm actually amazed at how many Ferraris there are here.

fintail

That CX25 would be a grey market car too. Have fun finding parts.

This evening I saw an old rounder c.1978 Mazda GLC 4 door...in really nice condition.

Lots of Ferraris here in the affluent suburbs just east of Seattle, too. It's like a high end car parade every day.

lancerfixer

Well, I'd expect to see a bunch of Ferraris in the major metro areas...but in the middle of Iowa? It was kind of surprising when I moved here.

whahappan

Hate to nit-pick, but I think you mean CX25 PRESTIGE. I don't think there was a Premiere model. But close enough. Most people wouldn't have a clue. (Why would they, they weren't imported here except grey market.)

lancerfixer

Yeah, that must have been it. I caught only a glimpse of the rear decklid.

fintail

Oh yeah....I guess one wouldn't expect to see many Ferraris there...or anything but domestics. I didn't know you were there.

lemmer

I learned to drive on a bright yellow 1978 GLC Sport with a 5 speed. I have no idea what the Sport package offered other than about 3000 thousand decals and styled steel wheels - maybe the tachometer was part of the package too. I could make those 63 screaming horsies power oversteer the car if it was raining hard enough.

kyfdx

Hee hee.. These were big on Pintos and Mustang IIs..

lemko

"Most politicos aren't car freaks---but LBJ was--loved Lincolns I guess"

LBJ had a black 1957 Imperial before he became Vice President. I saw a picture of him with the car.

Leonid Brezhnev, former leader of the USSR, was fond of American cars. He had a 1973 Cadillac Eldorado, 1973 Lincoln Mark IV, and a 1974 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Nicolae Ceaucescu of Romania had a black 1975 Buick Electra Limited. Aleksandras Abisala of Lithuania was fond of Oldsmobile Ninety-Eights.

How about the cars of infamous people? Gary Heidnik, the Philadelphia serial killer had both a 1971 Rolls-Royce and a 1987 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. How much would one pay for Ted Bundy's VW? Saddam Hussein and sons had a massive car collection.

andys120

Brehznev was fond of all sorts of cars, not just American. IIRC he had a Citroen SM and a Mercedes Limo or two.

As for infamous people Capone had a '27 Caddy V16 and Bonnie and Clyde famously favored Ford V8s. Does it add to the value of a car if it was once stolen by B&C, Machine Gun Kelly or Pretty Boy Floyd? :P

wimsey1

Looking sharp in dark green AND running under it's own power was a Fiat 850 Spider. Pretty, if wimpy, car. Didn't Fiat have a "thing" about having Pinifarina do the convertibles and Bertone the coupes. I think the 850, 124 and Dino all followed that pattern. Shifty, was the Fiat Dino any good, or a bad end for a great motor? I've always thought they were neat though the Stratos remains my favorite Dino motored car.

Fintail, I think the Sonett's share a kinda' funky, stubby "homemade" aesthetic with old TVR's that works for me. Not pretty, just fun and weird.

lemko

...beautiful white 1965 Ford Thunderbird coupe and a red Honda Insight. I recall a time when Insights outnumbered Priuses, (Prii?). Now Insights are scarce.

kyfdx

'67 Mustang convertible.. restored condition.... blue w/white top..

kyfdx

A step-side Toyota Tacoma..

Kind of weird...

lancerfixer

Here you go.

If you need a place to crash between FL and WA, I'm about 1/3 of the way...price of admission to my guest room: one spin around the block. :shades:

stickguy

Well, if you want one, that looks like a nice choice!

Have Terry swing over and check it out. I think he is in the neighborhood someplace.

stickguy

a 71-72ish Caprice convertible (Andre must be drooling). Medium blue, black top. Looked pretty clean. And huge. I couldn't imagine piloting something that massive around.

fintail

Wow, that's a nice C43...the right colors, and the cosmetic condition looks like just what I am looking for. No stupid 2 tone interior either.

It's a 98 and it doesn't have xenons...but I nitpick. If it was a 99 or 00 with xenons, I'd actually give about that kind of money for it.

And I'll still keep an eye on that one. It's funny...I am here in Bellevue, which has A LOT of MB, and I have not seen a single C43. I have seen a couple C32/C55 though...but a nice used C32 is barely in my price range and I'd rather not spend so much anyway.

No ebay cars today...the schmucks at Comcast "accidentally" cut off my internet and TV, and I just got back on this morning.

fintail

Today on 405 I saw a stunning black Euro 500SEC with period aftermarket chrome wheels. It looked brand new. Beautiful car. It was creeping along at about 50-55 though.

I also noticed yesterday in the showroom of the local Bentley dealer a red British drophead coupe of some kind from the 30s. Maybe it's a Bentley. I'll have to look sometime...hopefully they'll let me and my old car in.

kyfdx

Speaking of big Mercedes..

Yesterday, in an urban shopping center (basketball shoes for the boy).. A mid-'90s (?) S600.... with aftermarket dubs... and temporary tags...

fintail

So little money to buy compared to new...so much to go wrong. With the dubs I am sure it is a car from one of those high end buy here pay here type lots. No history, but the wheels sure do shine!

PF_Flyer

Coming back from a weekend trip we passed a GORGEOUS 1964 Chrsyler 300 convertible tooling across I-80 at about 70 MPH. Was in absolutely perfect condition.

I really miss the days when model year was immediately identifiable!

kyfdx

Dropping my son off at basketball camp at the local high school.. I'd seen this '91 318is before.. Red, and darn near perfect looking for a '91..

So, today, the young man that owns it, pulls right up next to me.. He graduated this year, and is going off to college.. He has had the car for three years, and it has 136K miles..

Anyway.. no dice on selling it.. He says his Dad loves the car, even more than he does...

Mr_Shiftright

You can buy 318s pretty darn cheap, under $3,000, sometimes around where I live for $2,000 in good shape. They aren't worth much and aren't all that much fun either. Kind of a failure in the marketplace for BMW. Be prepared to be blown away by a Sentra. That's why you don't see 'em--nobody wanted 'em when new. You should drive one before you get hot for it, which of course I'm sure you'll do. Be prepared for a disappointment though. A 325i stickshift is way mo' bettah IMO. Nothing like an inline 6 I always say.

kyfdx

Actually, I've driven a lot of them... and really like them..

The '91 was the only year they got all the sport stuff... It was a special edition that was only sold that year.. I agree.. some of the earlier ones are pretty pedestrian, but this one year, I think they got it right..

If I had $6K or more sitting around, I could find a really nice 325is... The extra power is great, but the handling is what I like the best.. The '91 318is handles as well or better than the comparable 325is....

And "very cheap" is not a bad thing...

regards,
kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright

That is true...very cheap is what bottom feeders like me thrive on :P

But still, it's a thrashy motor, I don't like it. Reminds me of a 320i. Besides it costs just as much to fix as a nice 325 but you'll never get your money out...it'll depreciate into oblivion.

Speaking of oblivion, isn't it interesting how fast most 80s cars are disappearing? Even the most plentiful ones? My theory is that wrecking yards aren't stocking them anymore, (since real estate values, environmental costs and zoning rules require a yard to squeeze as much profit out of each square foot as possible) so spare parts are drying up and the cars are being scrapped very very quickly.

fintail

No more Celebrities and K-Cars? Oh the shame

kyfdx

Yeah. . never much worried about depreciation on a $3500 car...

I'm starting to feel that I have a problem... I really liked the 320i, as well.. I thought it was unfairly maligned.. :surprise:

I drove a '90 325i that was on the used lot at a local Toyota dealer... It had under 80K miles, and looked to be a one-owner car.. No sport stuff, though.. They had dropped the price from $8K to $6K.. A decent example and everything worked, but it seemed a little tired.... The cosmetics were almost perfect, though.

regards,
kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright

I think the 320s big problem was that it was outrageously overpriced for what you got, not that it was so bad a car...certainly a technical improvement over the 2002, but it never got to feel the love, that's for sure.

How about a 635CSi---they are pretty cheap and a nice ride, too.

kyfdx

While I like the 6-series, that is a big piece of iron.. and parts tend to be more money than the E30...

I'm thinking of something that I can hand down to my son in 4 years... Which is part of the rationalization for getting this past the wife... See? She really loves her son.. She just tolerates me...

I agree about the 320i prices... I can still remember about '79, they had all the new cars inside the mall.. And, they had an $11K 320i all fitted out with ski racks, sheepskin seat covers and all the other accessories they could cram on it.. With a final dealer sticker of $16K!!

The biggest joke about that? If it snowed, you wouldn't be able to get anywhere in the 320i, anyway...

andre1969

but I notice that a lot of 90's cars are really becoming throwaway items. Yesterday I was walking with my old man along the railroad tracks over near his place, and we walked by this junkyard I had never seen before. It was a small one, probably just a couple acres. Anyway, in back they had plenty of 90's and even some 00's just thrown around, piled up like giant versions of a careless child's Hotwheels cars or something! Most of them just had a minor smash here and there, which is all it takes to total a newer car. But then, the way they were piled up and thrown together, there was plenty of otherwise good sheetmetal that was now rendered useless.

As for 80's cars though, if you go out to the more rural, less-moneyed areas, you'll see more of them. Or in depressed urban/suburban areas where people can't afford anything newer, you'll still see them cruising the streets, battle-scarred and weary, but still moving. Usually it's the RWD models like Ford Panthers, GM B/C bodies, and Mopar M-bodies, as the FWD models usually couldn't put up with the abuse and over time something critical would go bad in their suspension, tranny, etc. Still, if there's one FWD model from the 80's that I still see a lot of, it's usually something like a Cutlass Ciera.

Heck, now that I think of it, I saw a '78-80 LeMans 4-door sedan on the way to work this morning. I saw it make a u-turn in front of me, and then pass by going the other way. It was brown, and looked in great shape. Driven by a young guy, like high school/early college age. Homely looking thing, though...I never thought the LeMans took too well to downsizing, especially the sedans.

lemko

...is there really such a vehicle as a C34 AMG? I'm no expert on Mercedes. I saw a guy driving a C-Class Mercedes the other day with decals on the back declaring the car as a C34 AMG. However, something seemed amiss as the car looked like your garden-variety bronze-colored early '90s C-Class sedan and the decals were a tacky mylar material. Did this Benz suffer the same fate as so many contemporary Honda Civics, (unpolitically correct reference to a starch food).

Mr_Shiftright

The annihilation of 80s cars is pretty well documented in the wrecking yard trade journals. Nobody is restoring these cars, rather just using them up, so it's not worth keeping them as the used parts market is very slow for them.

We will of course see survivors on the road for as long as they can stagger around but with only a few exceptions here and there (you can count 80s collectibles on one hand--well maybe two if you include foreign cars) we will see fewer and fewer each year. They will definitely be "the lost generation" among both American and foreign makes I think.

90s cars will I think survive better because people will try to hold onto them longer and there may be more of them that are worthy of restoration---certainly the "roadster boom" of the 90s will guarantee restoration of most of those (even Miatas), and by the way 90s cars are just mechanically better than their 80s counterparts.

BMWs -- yeah, 6 series cars can be pricey to fix, especially climate control issues and those troublesome drive-shafts.

davem2001

I went to a few old car shows and car cruises over the weekend. There were a bunch of them due to Father's Day I guess. They are starting to have more of the '70s and 80's cars that I grew up with, which is making me feel old!

Anyway, a few interesting things I saw -
'79 Cadillac Eldorado - looked like brand new. Only had 25,000 miles. Still had the plastic covering the back seat.

'80 Mercury Zephyr - (Fairmont twin) - 4 cylinder with stick shift.

'75 Cadillac Sedan Deville - What a huge car!

'81 - DeLorean

'79 - Ford Thunderbird

davem2001

I know there were C32 AMG. I also think there were C43 AMGs. If you saw one with C34 badges, it was a bad fake job.

jrosasmc

I saw a pristine '72 VW Karmann Ghia ragtop being driven by an older couple. Looked really nice in its lavender color too. (probably not original)

Shifty if I'm correct Ghias are more expensive to restore/fix than Bugs right?

andys120

I saw a Lincoln Blackwood @ the car wash today. That's only about the second one I've seen even though about every other vehicle is a pickup in these parts.

fintail

Lots of 80s cars still on the road here in the not so rusty Pacific NW

Nope, no C34. C43 would be correct, and it would also have other identifying features like the bodykit, exhaust, trim along the b-pillar, etc. That's pretty funny too, posers are always good for a laugh. The correct emblems would be metal , not the sticker kind that some lowline cars have used. They didn't even get the designation right...too funny. AMG C-class are C36, C43, C32, C55 (in chronological order)

The Honda parallel is a good one...one can often see older MB with big wheels and fake badges, just like your run of the mill high school parking lot 1992 Accord "Type R" with fake xenons and a sheet metal spoiler. Some people have no class and no shame.

A Mercury Zephyr at a car show? Whoa

davem2001

Yeah, if you're going to be a faker, at least get the designation right! LOL! C34!

I guess when they go to sell it, they can say - "the C34 was extremely rare... only one was made ....!"

davem2001

A Mercury Zephyr at a car show? Whoa

It wasn't exactly the Concours at Pebble Beach! It was just a local car cruise
LOL!

lemko

Dave,

I had a 1975 Cadillac Sedan DeVille. Some of the dimensions are:

Overall length: 230" (19.16 feet!)
Wheelbase: 130"
Width 79.5"
Fuel Tank Capacity: 28.5 gallons.

The car is powered by a 500 c.i.d. V-8 (8.2 litres). However, it only had 210 hp being strangled by prehistoric emission controls.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes, the body is way more expensive to restore because unlike the Bug you can't disassemble it with nuts and bolts...it's all welded together.