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

davem2001

I usually prefer a closed roof coupe over a convertible, but the M Coupe looks too much like a munchkin station wagon for me.... I'd have to get the ragtop version instead. I'm sure it's a great car to drive, and all that, but it's still on the ugly side....

fintail

"My wife hates anything that vaguely resembles a wagon, hatchback or a mini-van.. But, she loves SUVs..."

You need to take her in for a deprogramming. The media hype has worked. Put her in one of those oddball M coupes and see how she likes driving it...

bumpy

"Is this the same platform as the Wave/Aveo?"

Naah, the Matiz is a size smaller, not quite a supermini. It's also the car Chery ripped off for the QQ.

doohickie

What's a QQ?

And while I'm at it, I'll document another "Mexican exotic" (cars not available in the U.S.): I saw a VW Polo today with Mexico plates.

bumpy

"What's a QQ?"

One of the more notorious examples of the Chinese auto industry practice of producing thinly disguised clones of vehicles sold in China by foreign manufacturers.

Matiz:


QQ:

doohickie

Is that a Daewoo badge?

mazda6iguy

The Matiz also comes as a Chevrolet in some countries and Pontiac in Mexico.

doohickie

I'm asking about the badge in the photo, though.

lemmer

good commuter car?

bumpy

Yep, Daewoo.

fintail

Well, that MR2 would show up all the riceboys for being outrageous.

Today I saw a very nice Volvo P1800 and a good looking orange TR6

kyfdx

I see now... I've been looking for a turbo.. But, what I really need is a turbo-fan engine...

jaserb

Lamborghini Diablo roadster in the bluest blue I've ever seen. I think it was probably visible from space.

Hammered BMW Isetta, parked on the front porch of a specialty grocer as a decoration

And, the one that really got my blood boiling: a beautiful rosso Alfa Giulietta Spider in excellent condition. Top down and gorgeous. My wife said "You never react like that when you see me!" I thought about responding "Well, let's see if you look that good when you're 45" but decided against it...

-Jason

Mr_Shiftright

Tell her the car's name is actually a kind of "pun"....Giulietta is of course Juliet in Italian and Romeo....so....Romeo and Juliet........how ro-MANNNN-tic....

Speaking of which, saw an '84 Alfa "Graduate"...punched in nose (typical), levers broken off wing windows (typical), big crack in dash (typical), dead battery (typical)...I could pick it up for $500 but it's a real toss-up...it's one of those "as is where is get it outta here" deals....I suppose I could pass it on to some Greater Fool....we know the synchros won't be any good (typical) but fortunately for Alfas when you put the top down all these problems go away!!

jrosasmc

I have the opportunity to purchase a '92 Volvo 960 wagon for a real low price: $1300. It's low because it's at a Honda dealer near me where it was traded in the other day by an old lady, and no one else wants it. Also, the dealership doesn't want to have anything to do with it. The car has 130k miles on it, all records, and is real immaculate because the lady never drove it in the winters (I'm in VT). For a '92 Volvo wagon that's pretty rare (straight 6, top-line), what do you think for $1300?

kyfdx

I like it, because its RWD...

A pretty nice car... What is nuts, is if it were the down-market 240 wagon, they could get $3500 for it, easy...

I assume it is an automatic... the only drawback...

regards,
kyfdx

kyfdx

Fairly new Mercedes C240 wagon.. I think this might be the first C-class wagon that I've seen in a decade.. I see plenty of E-class...

jrosasmc

Yes- the 960 only came in automatic for all the years it was sold here (1992-98).

Yeah I wonder too- how come the 240s of that vintage (early '90s) are valued more than 740s or 960s of the same age? I'm assuming they must be coveted by Volvo nuts such as myself.

kyfdx

Why do you think they are selling for only $1300? Maybe something wrong with it, that they aren't telling you?

I would think if they put it in the paper for $3495, it would be gone for more than $2500 in less than a week..

At that price, I would almost be tempted to offer them $1000, and try to turn it... Even paying for tax, registration and insurance, you couldn't go wrong..

Not that I ever do that..

regards,
kyfdx

jrosasmc

No nothing's wrong with that 960...it's in real immaculate shape and was owned by an old lady who never took it out in the winters. The price is so low because the dealership (Honda) doesn't want to have anything to do with it. The only thing wrong with it is a cracked taillight lens, and that's basically it. For $1300 it's a real steal.

kyfdx

So.... why are you still here? lol...

stickguy

I would have bought it on the spot if it drove as well as you say it looks.

fintail

That Volvo sounds like a bargain

This morning I saw a gorgeous 280SE 3.5 low grille Cabrio out in the pouring rain! It was a medium blue with a dark blue convertible top. They just don't make class like that anymore.

Mr_Shiftright

The 960 has always had a baaaad reputation, so if you bought it I would use the Shiftright Defense Method against cars with a criminal record....which is really very simple...you buy it cheap, drive the hell out of it and when something breaks you either a) ignore it or duct tape it, or b), if it's a major component, leave it at the side of the road. If you can't swear to yourself to do that, don't buy a car like a 960. It's a money pit kind of car*

*money pit (definition) : a car with a bad reputation, no resale value and expensive to repair.

kyfdx

So.. now we know why they sell so cheap...

I'd still buy it...

jaserb

My wife lived in northern Italy for a couple of years and is pretty fluent in Italian, so she gets the Romeo and Juliet thing. Actually, her time in Italy was what got me the go ahead to buy my first Spider. I told her I'd found an Alfa Romeo I liked, and she pictured something like the Milanos and Guilia sedans that she had seen all over in Italy. Boring sedan, no big deal to her. So she shrugged and said OK. When we went to the dealer to pick it up and the salesman pulled the Spider around, her eyes got really big and she said "THAT'S the car you bought?" I thought I was a dead man. "That's SO COOL!"

I love my wife.

-Jason

Mr_Shiftright

I never drove an Italian car, no matter how ugly or unreliable, that wasn't fun to drive.

kyfdx

I had to read that twice... At first, I thought you said "Italian woman".... no matter how ugly or unreliable

andre1969

I know my stepdad's mother does. Oops, I must've read it wrong too, like kyfdx! :P

ghulet

......I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but since this is usually one of the more entertaining and frequented forums, why not? My friend, who at age 37 has never driven a car, does not have a license nor even the hope of a parking space, just bought this, for $620, from someone on eBay (I know, I know):

90 Toyota Cressida, burgandy/gray leather, 198k
body decent, no typical Toyota wheel well rust, but scraped up hood and replacement black front bumper; otherwise quite nice, including the paint
no idiot lights on, rides, brakes and steering seem great
interior OK except for driver's seat seams and aftermarket stereo
all electrics seem to work (seat, windows, locks, roof)
original rims, but balding tires cuz it needs struts ($1000, supposedly)
Runs (ran?) crummy because trans is leaking and valve cover gasket needs replacing (both fixable for $405, supposedly, but I'll believe that's all it needs to be roadworthy when I see it!!!) And she was freaking out that it was going to be that much (her mantra the entire time we were messing with the damn thing was 'it shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred dollars to fix everything, right?'); she doesn't know that one can seldom hope to be out of any car repair shop, save for exhaust or brakes, for under $500 any more. I suspect the trans will need more than a leak repair, as it wouldn't hold a hill when I drove it and it was slipping badly. BTW, all fluids 'looked' fine before I drove it but like I said, the trans was slipping, engine was sputtering and it would barely go over 20 mph. I supect she has bought a rather expensive parts car. The engine, to the right Supra buff in need, might be worth something, though.

I guess she wants to learn how to drive (first I've heard any mention of this in the 5+ years I've known her). I explained that I could teach her how to drive, or that she could learn how to drive without purchasing a car, never mind a 15 year-old RWD beater that she has nowhere to park. She's a bit nuts in general, though, so this doesn't surprise me, she also once bought a non-running Yamaha Virago off eBay (this is the perfect forum for lazy yet impulsive people; they can buy literally anything without a second thought or a look-see or even leaving the house). Apparently she has taste for formerly nice things. :confuse:
:

andys120

-A '65 Impala SS/327 convertible in dark blue, nice driver/show shape.

-Aston-Martin DB7Vantage (convertible), light blue metallic, top down,
old guy driving, young lady passenger :P

doohickie

That was his..... ummmm..... niece.... I think.....

kyfdx

Or... to use a term from the film, "Rebecca"... It may have been his favorite cousin....

Mr_Shiftright

donate it immediately, Don't even open the door. Don't even look at it.

ghulet

.......I think she got the $400 stuff done, I might have to go with her to pick it up from the mechanic (since she can't even drive), she already bought plates and was bidding on new tires on eBay before she even knew it would ever be roadworthy. I basically told her to at least stop spending money on the bloody mess until we knew for sure how bad it was. Apparently she thinks owning a car is fun and games or a shopping spree or something. It's sad (because she can't even pay her mortgage or utilities half the time) but entertaining at the same time because I've never seen someone her age so naive yet giddy about a stupid old car. She will have to live and learn on this one. I just wish she would have at least consulted me (or someone) before buying this thing; she would have to pick the only Toyota made in the '90s that's not only complex and unloved but worthless and thirsty.

Mr_Shiftright

Maybe a garbage truck will total it.

kyfdx

Or... maybe she'll flunk her driver's test...

Mr_Shiftright

LOL--all KINDS of good things can still happen to make this turn out right...

andre1969

if that Cressida doesn't work out, have your co-worker check out my Dart over in "project cars, hold 'em or fold 'em" :P Although in all fairness, it might make her appreciate that Cressida!

ghulet

.......the other night when we were trying to PUSH it up the mechanic's (short) driveway (90 degrees outside, me in the car, she behind it, with the car going downhill toward her, trans slipping badly enough so the car was rolling toward her), I suggested she at least get in and try to drive while I push, being the gentleman that I (sometimes) am; I said, 'just get in, put in drive, step on the gas', to which she replied, 'what's drive, and which pedal is the gas?'. I'd think even an average 37 year-old with no driving experience would at least know that. Naturally, I nixed that idea quickly.

This can't have a happy ending, unless some merciful (read: stupid) soul buys it after we (hopefully) get it running.

andre1969

that reminds me of an old episode of "Mama's Family" where the family was trying to teach Mama how to drive! At one point, they were in Fran's (Rue McClanahan) Duster, and she said something like "That long skinny thing on the right, that is the accelerator pedal, and that big lumpy thing on the left is the brake"

To which Mama replied, a bit miffed "I have logged enough miles as a passenger to figure out how a car starts and stops. Tell me something I DON'T know!! What's a Prindle?"

ghulet

.......if we can get her to pay $620 for a semi (she claims it was at the time of purchase)-running Cressida, she might buy your Dart.

She hasn't had gas in her condo for two years, is routinely two months behind on her mortgage, lives a block from the lake in one of the most populous neighborhoods on the north side of Chicago (so no parking), two blocks from the el and a block from four busses and a supermarket, doesn't have a job, but dammit if she doesn't NEED a car.

andre1969

I've finally uploaded the pics I took at the Mopar Nationals at Carlisle this year...enjoy!!

http://photobucket.com/albums/v247/jgandrew/Mopar%20Nationals%202005/

explorerx4

andre... thanks for posting those great pictures! i'm sure i'll go back and look at them a several more times.
a lady at work said to me yesterday. you're a mustang guy, just wanted to let you know i just bought a charger r/t. i said 'that's nice car, what color?' she said silver, and then in a soft sweet voice said, i'm a grandma so i got a 4 door, pause, with 340 horsepower. i said, 'from now on, you are the little old lady from Pasedena.'

fintail

Yeah nice pics...a few pretty cars in that lot

Today I saw a white RR Silver Cloud, with period whitewalls, obviously restored. More imposing than any new lux car save for a new RR. Also spotted a W113 280SL with some kind of sport exhaust, you could really hear it.

Ebay time:

This is an interesting freakshow...someone should want it

The car is unusual, but much more entertaining is that Isetta being put in that little crate at the bottom of the page

This is something...big commie tank. I think they copied the styling from Chrysler with a little MB thrown in, but the interior is definitely Mercedes. Look at that steering wheel! The upholstery pattern is a knockoff of MB velour too

This was an unusual engine. I like how the headlights mimic the radiator shell

Very pretty all original Adenauer hardtop with nice looking velour

Neat neat fintail...looks to be in excellent condition. Nice color, Kuhlmeister, looks to be a Blaupunkt radio, leather...you could do worse for the money. It even has an aftermarket SW electrical gauge to the left of the radio, just like mine! The "automatic" badge was only used on 1965 models, IIRC, so someone added it. But what about that "Fuel Injection" badge on the right? It reminds me of something off a FI 58 Pontiac or something. It's not a MB badge. Anyone know? I kinda like it

Nice original low mileage DeSoto with a record player

One for Andre

Anyone want one of the nice K-car wagons left?

Looks so nice and deco from the side...then you see that ugly duckling face

Can't be many of these left

Hey Andre, it's right in your neck of the woods

A real shame this is so far gone...a SWB divider car...never seen one before

This is nice and clean in a way, yet it also reminds me of an X-car notchback Olds or Buick

Now this is pimpy. Nice color combo

A somewhat handsome old yacht...you could do worse

Almost none of these left like this anymore

Almost new Fairmont...I don't know why

dontshopthewal

While driving through Mississippi today I noticed a small Chevy Aveo-like car from Mexico. It had slightly different styling, etc. from the Aveo and the wheels seemed smaller.

doohickie

Was it maybe a Pontiac Matiz? Or maybe a Chevy C2?

lancerfixer

Here ya go, man.

lancerfixer

I really did spot an obscurity today: a very nice (and by that, I mean 'well kept') Chrysler TC by Maserati. At a first casual glance I thought it was a LeBaron coupe from the same era. Maybe that was its problem all along.

fintail

Now there's a car. A 300SC is even better, but that's nothing to scoff at.

If I win the lottery, I am going to send my fintail to Kienle for a nut and bolt restoration.

And I think that's exactly the reason the TC failed...