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

danf5

but those old ones had character and charm (charisma?). Would you rather drive and be seen in a Healey or an Integra?

Well, I bought two Integras and no Healeys. That should be a clue.

cal_cal

on the streets in Cleveland downtown.

lancerfixer

Spotted today at another building on my company's campus...at mid/late 80's Rolls Royce Silver Spur "Gucci" Edition, whatever that was.

Kinda tacky, actually.

fintail

I saw a Segway yesterday. My first one.

I don't recall a Gucci Roller...looks like bad taste clashed with cash once again

lemko

...that 1984 300D that's been for sale forever now sports new signs with a $2,800 price tag. The car looks to be in good condition - shiny paint, no rust, interior isn't worn. Is $2,800 still too much for this car. I spotted the man driving the car near my house so it obviously runs.

lemmer

I think I had less trouble convincing people I saw a real 427 Cobra than he has convincing people he saw a running Biturbo. Of course, due to attrition the Biturbo might actually be more rare now. I think the last running Biturbo I saw was when I was in high school and a girl used to get dropped off by her dad in a Biturbo Spyder - but that was in 1987.

fintail

2800 isn't bad if the car really is good. But I would certainly have it looked at before buying.

Mr_Shiftright

I sold mine for about that but it was in nice shape and very good mechanically. You have to be careful with old Benzes....one big problem and you've bought the car twice within 5 minutes.

But for close to $3,000 you should be shopping for a turbo model...if this is a turbo and it's tip top that's a righteous price.

Mr_Shiftright

This is a nice place to visit...

andys120

That's a Roomful of Zoom!

Today I saw a nice '69 Road Runner and an early 911 wearing the Whale Tail from a 930 Turbo :confuse:, both were black.

explorerx4

of course 'verts don't give you same solid feeling as a coupe. that's not what it's about. actually on rough roads with the top down rather that top up, the ride is smoother, due to chassis flex.

fintail

Probably no more than a few of these left in this condition

Probably not more than a few of these ever made it to NA. I've never seen a 105 wagon

Anyone want a brand new Yugo? I didn't think so

I don't know what the market is for these, but I think it's pretty charming. I like the skiff bodywork

Price is ridiculous and it looks over-restored, but I like these too

For the brave

Such a sad ending

And another one. Every one of these homely things ends up on ebay

Yo Mr. C! Actually this is the nicest one of these I've seen

" Fine French design"...well, the last 2 words are correct

Fun little putt-putt. I really think I'd like a veteran like this

I don't know what to say

Worst...ebay....photos...ever

Nice last year of the 190SL in the same color as my fintail

Mr_Shiftright

Don't these people ever even LOOK at a price guide?

"Gee I got 0 bids after 10 days on eBay....why? why?"

$10,000 for a '66 300SEL? Try $3,500 if you're lucky.

Tatra is silly silly money. Maybe MAYBE worth 1/2 that if you can find a buyer at that price. Perhaps a rich European?

190SL could be a very good buy but you'd be nuts not to have it personally checked for RUST. Those cars are notorious for that. I can't Zoom in enough to see if there's body filler in certain body separations that should still be exposed and visible. Also the car needs to be correct at that price, and many are not. You'll often find Weber carburetors, wrong tops and upholstery, and dinged up or cracked chrome. The front grille is the same one used in the 300SL Gullwing, so you can guess what THAT costs if it's broken.

boomchek

of a Porsche 1500S or 1600S? Similar body to the 356 but this was a coupe. I saw one in mint shape yesterday, black, all original as the owner claimed. Must be very rare.

fintail

The Tatra would be better if it was prewar. I think the money is for those cars.

That 190SL appears to have correct carpet/mats, if that's worth anything. I don't know much about the upholstery on those.

I think there was a Porsche 1500 and a 1600

Mr_Shiftright

A 1600S just means "Super"...it's the same car as any 356 but a stronger engine. Not particularly rare but worth more than a regular 356 by a few thousand dollars for sure. An S can be a coupe or convertible.

Unless you are talking about the "notchback coupe" or "hardtop coupe" that has the rear windows that roll down...they are somewhat unattractive and are worth considerably less than a regular 356 coupe.

A 1500S would have to be a very old car, from like 1952-55. These are called "Pre-A" cars (pre 35A) and while somewhat rare are not all that desirable...perhaps a bit less than a newer 356A.

Now, if the car was a Carrera 1500 GS, that's both rare and desirable, with a very special engine unlike normal 356s. It has four camshafts, dry sump and a roller bearing crankshaft. The engines are so valuable and so difficult to rebuild that most people who own Carrera GSs take out the engine and use a regular 356 engine. A rebuild could easily cost you $30,000 if you can even find anyone who knows how.

kyfdx

fin... while I appreciate your expertise in old Mercedes, and your enthusiasm...

You really like some goofy ****...

Double :P :P :P :P

No offense... it just amuses me....

regards,
kyfdx

andys120

The Bertone-bodied Mini is a rare example of an Italian coach-builder coming up with a body that had less character than the original. It came from Bertone's golden age, too!

fintail

How is a Tatra or a 2cyl Caddy goofy? LOL

I think the Italians had their share of misses duting the time of that Innocenti. Dark ages for cars in general.

On that note, I saw a Lancia Beta this morning...must have been restored as it was very nice. The strangest thing was the sunroof(s)...it had 2 rectangular sunroofs, going the length of the roof, like above each seat. I have never really noticed anything like that before.

merckx

A Corvair van passed me while I was cycling yesterday...Later, I saw a Dodge A-100-the one with the headlights in large silver buckets...

kyfdx

Geo Metro convertible.... top down.. The female driver actually weighed less than I do... which makes me think it might not be her car..

Faded red.. with a white drivers door..

The driver's side sun visor was broken, so it hung straight down... The lady driving had her seat all the way forward, so that the bottom of the visor hung right about eyebrow height, just two inches in front of her face.. When she came to a stoplight, she had to hold it up, so she could see when the light changed...

My first thought, upon seeing this car.. I can't imagine surviving any wreck that was even remotely more than a fender bender...

fintail

A twin to my 126, and not even very far from me. I might go take a look sometime

A really mint one on ebay....Buy It Now is kinda crazy, but oh well

This got bid up pretty fast. If it was a LWB sunroof car, I would almost be tempted

jlawrence01

I spent the past week in Southern Texas and saw the following:

Hyundai Atos - and you thought the Ford Aspire was small ...
VW Pointer - saw one that looked like a pickup and another like a sedan.
Nissan Almena
GM Chevy - looked as if it was Korean built
Pugeot 206 - looked like a fairly sharp compact sedan - a nice vehicle
Renault Scenic

All recent vintage with Mexican plates.

debaser853

An orange VW Thing. Top down, for sale sign inthe front glass. Looked nice as I was speeding by.

scott1256

Once in a lifetime sighting for me: on June 22/05 while crossing South Dakota.

Parked on the street at Wall Drug among all the other cars was a turquoise RR Silver Ghost Picadilly roadster with the top down. It had Illinois plates and some road grime: it must have been driven there. It's neat to see such a rare car being used for touring as intended.

I think I found this very car in an internet search. Here is a picture of it at an AACA club site. It is much more impressive in the metal than in the picture!

http://local.aaca.org/illinois/Fox%20Valley/FVChapter_1.htm

Mr_Shiftright

Those were great cars, back when Rolls actually built an automobile that was clearly superior to most others.

wimsey1

A white TR-7 coupe w/ sunroof. Any takers...at any price. Hmm, dinthinkso.

1st gen Riviera in a soft yellow. Haven't seen one in ages, parked next to the '70's Eldo convert. that has been there at least a year.

Mr_Shiftright

I like those old Rivs---the TR-7 is a car from hell.

kyfdx

Hey... at least you didn't tell us that the TR-7 was running..

Mr_Shiftright

You can actually make them run, for a while. One trick is to use two or three head gaskets stacked on top of one another.

scott1256

I was surprised at the length and height of this car. I had never before seen a Ghost other than in pictures.

It was much longer than the Concorde parked beside it. Perhaps 20'+ long bumper to bumper and 5' or more to the top of the windshield (sorry, windscreen). A huge 2-seat roadster indeed!

The deck behind the seat was rear hinged: maybe a rumble seat?

jaserb

I saw a (barely) running TR7 convertible on Saturday. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what it was - there was a doorstop shaped piece of junk separating all of the rust holes. I quickly passed it before something fell off. When I started to pass the owner gunned it (I think) - the flatulent drone got quite a bit louder than it had been. My 4 cylinder 4X4 pickup with 165k miles just walked away...

Rule, Brittania!

-Jason

PF_Flyer

Actually, I saw a TR-7 dead on the side of the road yesterday! And a little while later, I passed an Edsel on the highway! An odd double play to be sure!!

wimsey1

Kyfdx-"running", I have my limits for halucinations! :P

Shifty, I've come to appreciate the early Riv's too, I like the 2nd gen "boattails" also.

lemmer

Yesterday I spotted a late 1980s Hyundai Excel that is being used as a daily driver.

lemko

...speaking of Hyundai Excels - there's a 1987 Excel on a neighborhood used car lot with the outrageous price of $2,300 on the windshield. Did he misplace the decimal?

fintail

Maybe even two decimal places. I think it would have to be pristine to break the $100 barrier.

andre1969

Ford stop making the Escort ZX-2 coupe? I swear I hadn't seen the things in ages, but then last nite I saw TWO of them! I thought they had stopped making them a few years back, and the ones I remember were grille-less, just having a lower air intake, but pretty much just plastic between the headlights. But then one of the ones I saw yesterday had a little grille between the headlights that made me think a bit of the '05 Taurus.

Oh yeah, this morning I saw a teal blue '65-66 Ford Galaxie hardtop coupe, with a smashed front-end, being towed. Paint was pretty faded, and it had rust around the rear wheel opening. I don't think it was a fresh accident...probably something that happened awhile back and then the car just got parked. And then perhaps the owner got tired of looking at it, or the county got on their back or something...

debaser853

Didn't Ford make the Escort for a year or two longer for the rental market?

Talk of the Riviera reminded me, I saw one of those 2 seater Buick coupes from the mid-80's, low volume, seem to remember that some of it was handmade? Can't remember the name right now, someone knows...

kyfdx

Reatta...

Joan Collins once remarked that they couldn't be "sexy", because they didn't have a back seat..

davem2001

I think they only stopped making them fairly recently. They definitely didn't drop them when the Focus replaced the Escort. I think they might have still been making them in 2003 or 2004.

jrosasmc

I remember seeing the most recent Kelley Blue Book edition that listed the Escort sedan as a 2001 model. But it didn't list trim levels, such as LX or SE...just plain Escort. I sure don't remember any Ford dealers selling new ones back in 2001, though.

chestnut

A search in autotrader shows several 2003 Escorts

stickguy

I think the coupe was around after the sedan left us for the Focus.

jlawrence01

Per the Black Book:

2003 ZX2 Coupe
2002 ZX2 Coupe, 4D Sedan
2002 ZX2 Coupe, 4D Sedan

The 1999MY was the last year for the Escort Wagon.

lemko

...become obscure, but they are getting scarce. I saw a 1968-72 Chevrolet Nova - red and white - on my way to work this morning. Back in high school, just about everybody had either a Nova or Chevelle.

Mr_Shiftright

Well the cheaper cars and 4-door cars tend to disappear faster than the deluxe or highly-optioned cars. This is true for most old cars. If the '65 Mustang came in a stripper 4-door, you'd hardly see one today.

When the "last ten" of any car ever made are standing there sometime in the distant future, they will not be 4-doors with no options.

lemmer

I saw a Lincoln Blackwood driving in my neighborhood.

These always seem to be driven very carefully and in spotless condition, as if the owner thinks it is a valued collectible.

Mr_Shiftright

I remember the first time I saw one. I just shook my head and said "now THIS is going to BOMB!"

stickguy

ditto here, along with the Aztec and a few others. I figure, if it was obvious to me, how the hell did the product planners and executives that approve these things every give it the green light?