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

Mr_Shiftright

14K for a pristine 560SL would be a good buy, yes.

Mr_Shiftright

Went to look at a 1957 Porsche Speedster, all restored perfectly down to the last little detail. Red with tan interior. Nice, nice, nice.

fintail

And another one pops up...there can't be too many of them moving under their own power anymore

It's a shame we didn't get the 300SL from 86+ - the 107 styling that everyone likes with a good engine.

au1994

I have always liked the Pugeots as well. They just seem so much more stylish than the domestics at the time.

I once suggested to my dad that he look at one once, he looked at me as if I had sprouted horns. He was a die hard GM man at the time, despite being stranded on the roadside by various Olds and Caddys. He was also very anti-foreign car at the time. He did not buy his 1st one until 88-89. Now he and mom have a Camry and an Outback. My how times change...

andre1969

I liked those Peugeot 505's. I think it was the front-end, which had that slant to the headlights, which made them appear a bit more foreign and exotic than the typical sedan or wagon of the time.

Mr_Shiftright

mostly they die because parts and service are nearly non-existant. I only know of one or two places in the entire San Fran Bay Area that works on them anymore.

andre1969

did Peugeot have back in the 80's? Reason I'm wondering is that my 1985 Consumer Guide has a test of a 505 sedan in it. I think it had a wagon in it as well, unless I'm just thinking about the Renault wagon that was in that issue. I'm guessing they must've been prevalent enough at some point, to warrant a test in a Consumer Guide issue. And my great-uncle, who was pretty rednecky, drove a tow truck and loved to sit back and tell raunchy WW-II stories, knew how to pronounce it. :shades:

Or maybe he knew how to pronounce it simply because he drove a tow truck, and by default tended to pick up a lot of Peugeots? :P

Mr_Shiftright

Actually I bet he didn't quite pronounce it right....most of us say POO-JOE when it's really PUH-ZHOE....if he was a REAL redneck it would have been POO-GOT!

british_rover

Did he serve in France?

Maybe he ran across some Peugots back during WWII.

A couple of towns over there is a Ford dealership that I guess back in the 80's also had a Peugot dealership as well cause the Peugot sign is still posted below the Ford sign.

fintail

My 1981 Consumer Guide has a 505 in it...they actually liked it.

andre1969

he did pronounce it with a "J" sound, but more like how you'd say "Jacques", versus "Jack". He pronounced it better than I would have back then, though!

I'll have to dig out my 1985 Consumer Guide sometime and see what they thought of the 505 by that time. IIRC it was still rated pretty highly by them.

lemko

I found out where Peugeots go to die. There are about 20 of them lined up along Cheltenham Avenue in Philadelphia.

Anyway, I spotted a fairly nice 1978 Buick Electra Limited coupe last night. This one was light yellow with a white top. Unfortunately, it had a bent antenna mast and a mismatched steel rim on the right rear to the remaining three chrome 15" factory rims.

gsemike

I wish that they were still here. If you go to vacation in Europe, you'll see that they make some seriously nice looking cars these days. I don't know if they're any better, but they're nice looking.

british_rover

The new Turbo motor that is going in the 2007 MINI was developed by Puegot and is supposed to be very good.

mdmonetti

ah, nationalism vs. economic interest...funny how the pendulum swings.

M.Monetti
www.thedefensivedrivingclass.com

Mr_Shiftright

Peugeot makes some great cars. Their turbo diesels running around now are outstanding.

gsemike

Check out these cars:

Puegeot UK Site

That 607 is a serious looker

kyfdx

Hey lemko!..

I was following an '89 DeVille yesterday with a For Sale sign in the window.... It looked almost new... Asking $4000....

fintail

My 1981 Consumer Guide said "Peugeot has done a nice job indeed with the 505" and gave it 89 points on their scale of the time. Of course, I guess it was a new model at the time and all, so they couldn't predict that the car would be quirky (to put it nicely). I actually like the 504, the older looking predecessor to the 505.

That year of Consumer Guide is also of interest as it has a very early test of a W126 Mercedes. They raved about it.

A friend of mine was in England a few weeks ago and rented this 407 Diesel. He loved it, claims he'd buy one if they sold them here

chuck1959

Afriend of mine rented a Citroen in Spain and he said they thing about it.

wevk

Saw one of these on a trailer in nice condition.

http://www.1motormart.com/gallery/64stud01.jpg

WVK

fintail

U-G-L-Y

It's neat, and bid up to some big bucks

One survived...what a surprise, in Quebec

I wonder how this made it in

I wonder about this one too

Not as tacky as the coupe, but still a disco-mobile

Buick knew about class back in the day

Kind of an Andre-mobile....nice brocade cloth

Even Eldo Brougham parts are expensive

Bluesmobile kinda

Late fuselage that I almost like, but insane buy it now

Very nice very early fintail

Awesome low mileage fintail...I've never seen the cloth upholstery hold up like that. I'll wager sooner or later this thing makes it back to Europe

"Bandit"

Mr_Shiftright

American Underslung: This is a rare and highly desirable car, so that's why the bidding is about triple any other common 1910s-20s car you are likely to see. Also beautifully restored--this car isn't the "top of the line" for American Underslung but it may top out at around $90,000. Also the dealer is well known and well regarded by the type of collector who is likely to bid on a car like this. So the car has a lot going for it.

1997 Fiat -- the buyer better look over the EPA and DOT certificates ten times or he's going to get screwed big time and the car will be deported or destroyed. But if conversions and approvals are all in order, no problem.

1978 AMC Barcelona: the ad copy is pretty hilarious:

"For example, items that were still optional on other makes, but were included on all Matadors were power steering, power front disk brakes, automatic transmission, and individual reclining seats in velveteen crush".

fintail

If I was around in 1913, I'd drive something like that Underslung

Velveteen crush...that's what MB was missing out on back then

Mr_Shiftright

yep, AMC was definitely pushing the edge of technology with velveteen crush and power steering. :P

gsemike

Reclning seats were pretty unusual in a sedan at that time. It's interesting that it had Chrysler rims on it. How closely were they aligned back then?

chuck1959

U-G-L-Y I love it! It's unusual and different. If I only had the money....

Late fuselage...I have a weakness for 70's Chrylers....I know WEIRD huh? LOL

Kind of an Andre-mobile....nice brocade cloth...I've always like the 2 door fullsizer of that era. Kind of rare.

From post #9716 AMC....it had Chrysler rims on it.

Those are AMC rims I have owned a few AMC's and the all had them. Which Chrysler did you see them on? I never have on new ones that is. IIRC AMC used Chrsyler trannies.

gsemike

My friend had the same rimes on a 79 Chrysler LeBaron

andre1969

the Chrysler-esque rims on that Matador. Chrysler had a pattern that was very similar, if not identical, which was common on LeBarons and Diplomats. I've seen it on a lot of '69-73 and '74-78 full-sized Mopars, and occasionally on the '79-81 R-body. I've thought about trying to track down a set for my '79 NYer. They'd probably look a bit classier than the copcar rims that are on it now!

Those rims also remind me of the 15x8 Rally wheels that Chevy and GMC used for years on full-sized pickups and vans.

IIRC, AMCs actually used Ford rims, rear-ends, and other suspension/wheel components. Ford and Chrysler both used a 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern, but the center hub, or whatever it's called, is smaller on Fords. So you can put a Chrysler wheel on a Ford or AMC, because the cente hole would be oversized and allow it to fit, but you can't put a Ford/AMC wheel on a Chrysler, because then the center hole would be too small, and the wheel wouldn't sit all the way on. You could still get the lugs on to hold it, but it probably wouldn't be too safe!

As for that '74 Electra, that is a classy looking car. Sadly, '74 was the final year for the hardtop coupe. They went to a style with a long, fixed opera window for '75-76. I really love the '75-76 Electra, but if I were to ever get one, it would be a 4-door, which was still pillarless.

I kinda like that Monaco "bluesmobile", too. It seems really rare that I ever see a '74-77 full-sized Dodge or Plymouth anymore, although the Newports and New Yorkers seemed to have a good survival rate. I guess all the Dodges and Plymouths got smashed up in the "Blues Brothers"! Also, that Monaco's a 4-door hardtop, which must really be rare. Not valuable, but rare.

lemko

...did you ever count how many of those "Hill Street Blues" Royal Monacos got smashed up in the "Blues Brothers?"

Anyway, I spotted a very rough-looking 1953 Chevrolet sedan that looked as if it was being readied for a backyard restoration.

andre1969

here's a 1979 LeBaron pictured with those rally wheels.

Lemko, I heard that at one point "The Blues Brothers" held a record for the number of cars smashed up in a movie. Dunno if that's true or not, though. IIRC, a lot of the police cars that weren't smashed up too badly in that big pile up out on the highway were re-used again for the pile-up in Downtown.

I did try to count the number of cars smashed up in "Grand Theft Auto" once, but lost track because toward the end of the movie, everyone ends up at a demolition derby and all hell breaks lose. I heard that one had something like 70 cars crashed.

Supposedly the original "Gone in 60 Seconds" had something like 94 cars crashed in it. I've often wondered how many got smashed up in "Smokey and the Bandit: Part 2"?

bumpy

I saw a primer gray body kit, altezza tails, and a giant wing on a...

Miata. :surprise: :confuse:

ghulet

This is unusual, pretty cool, I'm sure a money pit, not to mention the price (about four to five times the average 1991 5-series BMW):

http://chicago.craigslist.org/car/152328230.html

Mr_Shiftright

Try $15,000 tops and do check the rocker panels behind the front wheels...notorious rusting out spot, especially in Chicago.

kyfdx

At least it is a '91... the '89 and '90 models had a lot more problems...

Though, I guess they'd all be worked out by now...

fintail

I can get an 01 advertised locally for 33K...I'd rather go that way.

Hmmm a clean silver C43 just drove by my window...makes me want to go check the garage to make sure mine's still there

jrosasmc

I thought that BMW had solved all their rust problems by the early '90s but judging by your comment about E34s rusting out in spots, I guess not.

Mr_Shiftright

You live in Chicago, you rust....sooner or later.

andys120

-A very nice 560SEC
-Two original looking (slighly ratty but apparently driveable) TR-4s on two different dealer lots.
-A 1956 Lincoln Mark II that looked great from ten feet away but close examination revealed dead spots on the (white) paint, ripples in the fenders, evidence of bondo and doors that didn't line up with the body. We're learning Shifty.
-A Smart For Two, parked on a city street. It was so tiny the parking meter should've given it a discount. :P
-An original late 80's MR2 with the structure holding the T-Tops cut away to make an ersatz convertible out of it. :lemon:

ghulet

....I just can't imagine a '91 M5 (rare though they may be) with a seriously vague description and 95k miles, selling for anything like $20k. I realize they're full of HP, but a newer 540i is likely as fast, with fewer problems, cheaper parts, and a lower price, eh? Unless you're a fanatic/collector of this particular era M5, I don't see the reason. Buy a '97 540i for about the same price, save some hassle and add some resale.

au1994

Interesting note about the smash up scene in Smokey part 2. The majority of those cars were bought by the producers at a deeeeeep discount from a car rental company because they had been delivered without A/C and the company could not put them into their fleet, especailly in the southern part of the country. IIRC, most all of them were Pontiac Bonnevilles?

andre1969

From what I remember, most of the cars that got smashed up toward the end of "Smokey and the Bandit 2" were big late 60's and early 70's cars, with a scattering of '76-77 LeManses and a few '78-80 LeManses.

Sherriff Justice drove a 1980 Bonneville, but just about every time something happened to it an older Pontiac like a '75 Grand Ville or '75-76 Bonneville stood in for it. His two brothers had new LeManses when they first showed them, but toward the end when they got wrecked they were replaced by AMC Matadors! :surprise:

I did think it was kinda odd that they had Jackie Gleason driving a new Bonneville, as that seems like a strange choice in a police car. Maybe the Bonnevilles were the ones that were bought from a rental company? And perhaps the few new LeManses that they used for closeup shots before replacing them with old junkers towards the end. I wonder if Pontiac even offered a police car package in 1980?

Oh yeah, supposedly Smokey and the Bandit 2 holds the record for the longest jump made by a car under its own power (as opposed to launching it with rockets, cables, nitrous, etc). I don't remember any big jumps in that movie though, unless it was one of the police cars that got wrecked up towards the end. About the only thing I remember Sherriff Justice's 1980 Bonneville doing was going over a low retaining wall after taking out a roller coaster, and when it landed the whole front-end buckled upward. And for that one, they actually used a 1980 Bonneville, and not one of the older cars.

au1994

yeah, I think the close ups of the ones that had a real hard crash were 60-70's iron of various mfg's. The ones I was talking about were filler and used in some of the "lesser" crashes.

But you are right. The continuity was terrible in both Smokey movies, many many times there were differences in the cars in crashes, wide angle vs close up etc.

In the first one, near the end during the last chase scene it looked like they had found any large 4 door sedan and painted it up to be a cop car. If you look close you will see stuff that I've never seen as a cop car before. I seem to remeber a couple of Olds 98's.

andre1969

Yeah, I remember that Olds 98! IIRC it was a 1974, and I think I even read somewhere that it was one of the rare airbag models. It got slightly damaged toward the end at the fairgrounds, after the Snowman smashed through two '65 or so Ford Galaxie copcars. Then a '77 LeMans screeches to a halt at an angle, and the 98 plows into it.

From what I read, the impact wasn't enough to deploy the airbags. The 98 was barely touched in the impact, although it smeared the LeMans pretty badly. Sometime later though, that 98 was put through a crash test and videotaped.

As for continuity, I also remember towards the beginning, a Fury/Coronet was chasing Burt Reynolds at first, but then it turned into a LeMans just as it went into a lake.

Being a Mopar fan, I used to joke that they used mainly Pontiacs in that movie because the Mopars kept catching the Trans Am! :P But since I bought a '76 LeMans last year, I guess I should be quiet.

au1994

Do I remember correctly that a few of the Fury/Coronet's had a hood scoop on them?

andre1969

some of them did have hood scoops. I thought that was kinda curious, too!

lemmer

I saw some guy driving to work in one this morning. The panel gaps looked big enough for a kitten to crawl through. I know GM's build quality was pretty bad back then, but this looked worse than I remembered. And the car in general didn't look nearly as good as it did to me in 1986.

stickguy

parked at a local gas station. Red with white top, 2 door Electra (I think). I only drove by, so couldn't read the tags.

It was a '75ish I would say, still large and RWD, and looked like new (from the paint).

ghulet

...what was the last time you saw one of these?:

http://chicago.craigslist.org/car/153321124.html

Mr_Shiftright

neat car actually....I used to have one. But the price is very very silly.