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

Mr_Shiftright

The 914 isn't bad for rust actually. Not like the other two, which are notorious. What happens to the 914 is the battery tray corrodes and eats into the unibody (uh-oh).

Saw a very nice Volvo 122S 4-door sedan, in white, a 1963 Valiant convertible rotting under a tarp (good work, owner!!) and a slammed 80s SC T-Bird, black on black, big wheels---looked pretty good actually.

texases

Passed a nice W108 (I think) on the way to work. Nice change from the herd of old diesels W123s that are out now with $3 gas...

Mr_Shiftright

Yep, "dieselmania" sure dried up fast. The used car lot selling old MB diesels in my area went out of business. If they can't make it here in "greentown", they aren't going to make it anywhere. I guess people got tired of dragging used peanut oil out of Chinese restaurants? Another American dream shattered :P

fintail

There's a place here that asks like 5K over book for 5 year old VW TDis etc. I suspect it will die off too, and not a moment too soon.

If I am going to have a diesel, it will be a Bluetec or I'll hold out til 2010 when the diesel C-class is rumored to finally make it here.

Mr_Shiftright

Well WV TDIs are more appealing because they are modern cars with really excellent mileage, and they are scarce. The older diesels are not so scarce, not very modern, and don't put up that really a good fuel economy A TDI can double the mileage of a 300D or 240D, go faster and you can buy parts anywhere.

imidazol97

Our nephew bought a TDI a couple years back. It was hard to find one. He talked about it getting mileage equal to the interstate number while actually cruising on the highway (75, 70).

fintail

But still...this place will want 20K for an old style Jetta diesel...10K for a 1996 Passat diesel with 100K on it, and so on. A coworker of mine has an 04 Jetta TDi...he can hit 50mpg on the highway, but it has developed loads of electrical issues with 40K miles on the clock.

lemko

...on Whittaker Street in NE Philly: Green 1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe sedan. Looks like somebody just brought home a new project car.

texases

A coworker of mine has an 04 Jetta TDi...he can hit 50mpg on the highway, but it has developed loads of electrical issues with 40K miles on the clock.

Honda should thank VW for building up demand for reliable diesels!

Mr_Shiftright

hey you used the words "reliable" and "VW" in the same sentence! :P

oregonboy

Here's a cool little number from Craigslist
GTX

What did this sell for new? :confuse:
Golf TDI

I like this; a manual TDI wagon, but again big $ for the year and mileage.
Jetta Wagon

james

fintail

The Mazda is a neat little oddity. No surprise it is in Bellingham, lots of strange cars end up there.

That Golf is at the overpriced dealer I mentioned earlier. They do a lot of stuff like that.

Mr_Shiftright

you gotta be careful using biodiesel, especially B100 pump stuff. It works better in older cars but it's tricky in newer ones.

oregonboy

Oh yeah, uh-huh, here's a winner:
"a true diesel classic"

As fintail would put it, "another case of diesel greed". This thing has been for sale for months. Oddly, the price was $14.9k, dropped after several weeks to $12.9 (a bargain!!), then recently went back up to $14.9. I guess the recent bump in gas prices made the seller realize he had it priced too low. :P

edit: Surprise!!! it's our buddies at "The Green Car Company" again!!!

james

fintail

I've seen that one too. I don't know its story. It's wearing Euro headlights, so it is a grey market car? Or does it just have some oddball engine? There was no diesel Volvo sold in NA that year, I am pretty sure. But it is too new to be grey market for the US unless someone went to a lot of work.

The guy I know at work is wanting out of his Jetta...I should tell him to go there and see what he can get for it.

texases

Wierd combo - per Wiki, they stopped selling diesels here in '85, they did have those headlights in the US in '86-'93, so must be grey market?

fintail

I think those lights are slightly different from the NA-spec ones, they have a flatter front. The Euro cars were like that.

I thought it was a huge pain to get a car into the US if it is under 25 years old. It could make it into Canada...but the car is claimed to be in the US. It's weird.

Mr_Shiftright

So he wants $12,000 over book because it's a diesel? Yeah, right. Those Volvo diesels were awful cars anyway.

kyfdx

I bought an '88 GTX in 1994.. I think I paid then, what they are asking now... :surprise:

It was a cool little car..

ghulet

...someone in my neighborhood has one of those GTXs (it's white with gray or black on the bottom), just as a daily driver, it's kinda beat up. I wonder if the owner knows what they have, not that it's worth a fortune, but certainly it's rare at least.

fintail

Lots of junk this week

Big Brit...it will end up back home sometime

"The Last Tiffany?" - I hope so!

There used to be a poster here with a fixation on these kitschy things

Ebay USA is not the place to list this

An interesting postwar sidenote

A holy grail for vintage VW fans

Now this is a neoclassic...nice gaggle of freaks in the driveway too

Classy

Not many held up like this

Tin can hardtop

I think it would take three of these to weigh as much as its present day counterpart

Not horrible looking

Always demand for these

Patinated survivor

Never seen this in this configuration before

Slow junk hauler...I hate the interior

Amusingly accessorized early fintail

And a really nice fintail...these seem to be edging up just a little (as in hundreds, not thousands

I can see this going to Europe...some Belgians are nuts over these

80s pimp

magnette

Another nice mix - liked the Kaiser, Edsel and that Pierce Arrow.
Interesting collection of cars behind the Viewt,( S-Cargo, Mini. Figaro......)
Not sure about the old Humber - it should come home as it is cheap here due to exchange rate, but this is never going to be a fashionable model.
The M-B estate is good - I see one of these every now and then in London - never sold here new,I think, so it must be an import from Europe

fintail

I don't know if the Universal was ever officially exported to the UK either. A handful made it to NA, but I think were sent over via an independent importer. A 230S is the rarest variant, with around 300 units built. They have a little cult around them, and I've seen them advertised with huge prices - one in Germany for nearly 30K Euro.

bumpy

It's only a moderate pain to bring in cars if there is a USDM equivalent that can be documented as substantially similar in crash tests. If so, then you just have to swap over the bumpers, speedo, etc. from a USDM car; hence the occasional JDM Civic or Supra will show up here. Cars that never had a US version are next to impossible to import before they hit the DOT age exemption.

That Benz pickup looks like something the domestics might have turned out in the '30s.

fintail

Not an obscure car, but the local MB dealer has an 05 E55 in mars red (a fairly bright non-metallic red). Apparently it was a special order from someone with a bit of clout and could be unique in NA. I saw it today...it does not look good on the car.

fintail

That restored W110 brought 21+K...but didn't hit reserve. The guy certainly has more than that into it...but a fintail cannot be restored to make money.

The Universal and nice W111 from last week also brought decent money.

mtn_trvlr

i'm trying to find out who made a small 4wd pickup in the early 80's that was full time front wheel drive and you kicked the rear wheels in when going to 4wd. I almost want to say Datsun or Nissan but couldn't swear to either. anybody else remember anything like that?
thanks

kyfdx

Sounds a little like a Subaru Brat... though, it isn't much of a pickup truck, and I don't remember how the AWD system operated..

VW had a FWD pickup based on the Rabbit, but I don't think it was offered in AWD.

mtn_trvlr

this was an actual pickup, high ground clearance and everything. it had fairly square lines like the VW, but at least 3 times the clearance. i don't think you can manually disengage the AWD on any Subaru, but as i said, i don't know.
thanks

andre1969

The only small import trucks I can think of from that timeframe are the Chevy LUV/Isuzu P'up, Ford Courier/Mazda Whatevertheycalled it, Dodge D-50(can't remember if there was a Mitsu-badged version), and then the Toyotas and Datsuns. As far as I know, they were all longitudinal engine/RWD, although most, if not all, had 4wd as an option. I can't think of any "true" pickups that were FWD in their "default" mode. Wouldn't that pretty much imply a transverse-mounted engine?

oregonboy

I believe the Dodge was a Mitsu. My dad had one for business. He drove it from Oregon to Alaska and back and really liked it. It didn't have the "jacked up" stance of most 4x4s. In fact, it almost looked like a 2wd.

As for a front drive default 4x4 in the 80s, I think that it would have to be a Brat.



james

andre1969

Yeah, the Dodge D-50 was built by Mitsubishi. But was there a Mitsubishi-badged version of it sold in the US? At least, in the early years? It's kinda funny how back in those days, the Japanese built all our little trucks for us. But these days, Dodge builds the little (relatively speaking) Mitsubishi truck, while Chevy builds (or built) the pickup for Isuzu. And Mazda was re-badging Ford Rangers for awhile, but that may have stopped by now.

texases

The Mitsu Mighty Max was their version, but I don't know when they started selling it here - 1985?

stickguy

well, the only 3 FWDs I can think of are the Brat, Rabbit PU and the Dodge Rampage.

mtn_trvlr

thanks all for your replies, i asked because i'm looking for a cheap, small, 4wd with good ground clearance for winter use on my secluded property. my forester is great up to about 8" of snow, but at this time my driveway is hard packed 25" deep and is 500 yards long. i always liked the idea of a truck being fwd so it wouldn't be so helpless without a load and remembered an old coworker having "this" truck "way back in the day".
can anyone suggest something 4wd that could be had for a grand or less that would be worth buying? preferably something with a normal carb and ignition that could be maintained out in the sticks by a talented amateur.

oregonboy

Wow, 4x4 for less than a grand. That's a tough call. I would expect that you would have to spend 2-3k to get anything that you could actually drive home! :sick:

Seattle Craigslist only had one candidate, and it's a "fixer".
Something electrical caught on fire :surprise:

james

oregonboy

Wow, 4x4 for less than a grand. That's a tough call. I would expect that you would have to spend 2-3k to get anything that you could actually drive home! :sick:

Seattle Craigslist only had one candidate, and it's a "fixer".
Something electrical caught on fire :surprise:

james

toomanyfumes

"Melted a few things." Sounds like a nightmare to fix.

oregonboy

Wow, 4x4 for less than a grand. That's a tough call. I would expect that you would have to spend 2-3k to get anything that you could actually drive home! :sick:

Seattle Craigslist only had one candidate, and it's a "fixer".
Something electrical caught on fire :surprise:

james

Mr_Shiftright

You might find a real beater Nissan 4X4, but it won't be pretty for $1K. But being Japanese, you won't have to fix it, just maintain it :P

Here's a running '89 Dodge for $800

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/551133775.html

Toyota 4X4 for $1,000

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/car/550783319.html

A Nissan for $1100

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/550442850.html

And you could probably get 25 Jeep Cherokees for FREE and make one vehicle out them and sell the 24 carcasses to an Turkish steel mill.

fintail

Frenchie

Limey

Humble beginnings

Cool...in Canada

First of these I have seen on ebay. It's very odd...a mix of styles, a prediction of the future with the roofline and conventional A-pillar. It's so odd that I like it...you could go to a Caddy show and likely have the only one

It's a time warp...or a nightmare, with what is under the hood

Unusual finned beast

Yeah it's a neat freakshow, but it won't come to this side of the pond

Good hauler or tower or cruiser

And it's downsized counterpart...these must have seemed quite modern when new

andre1969

Ahh, the '58 Windsor. Either an early attempt at a downsized Chrysler, or a badge-engineered Dodge, depending on how you want to look at it! If given the choice, I'd prefer a "real" Chrysler, like a Saratoga or New Yorker, on the proper 126" wheelbase, just as I prefer the "real" DeSotos to the Firesweep. Still, that Windsor looks nice. I think that Chrysler grille bolts up to the Dodge fenders better than the DeSoto grille did, so it looks a bit better thought out.

Seeing that '73 Custom Cruiser and the '79 is an interesting comparison. The '79 probably shed about 1000 pounds, if not more, but ended up with almost as much room inside. I think the sedan and coupe versions of these cars actually ended up with MORE room when they downsized, but the wagons did lose a bit of cargo volume. Also kinda interesting to see how much better thought-out the '79 was. For instance, the back seat looks much easier to get into, thanks to the less obtrusive C-pillar, and the curvature of the doors isn't nearly as severe. I thought you could still get a 403 in these cars in 1979, though? Unless they were limiting that to the Electra and Ninety-Eight by this time? I think they did the same thing at Pontiac. I'd always thought the 400 and 403 lasted through '79, but I think they actually dropped them from the Catalina/Bonneville after 1978.

andys120

The Simca Aronde Oceane is an exceptionally stylish sportscar for 1959. Triumph for example was still selling the TR-3 with a flat windshield and side curtains.

I can't imagine where you could get a replacement for that great wraparound windshield. :surprise:

PF_Flyer

Just as a lead in to today's Alternate Route...
Everything Old Is New Again

toomanyfumes

Saw a '67 Skylark sedan, white with Buick Rallye's, running around in the rain and snow we're getting in Wisconsin today. Thats really a good looking body style, I had a '69 Skylark and it was a great car.

fiona2

I am considering selling my '62 Thunderbird?
It is in excellent condition overall, with 40,00 orginal miles. It is garage kept,390/300HPV8 engine.completely operable in orginal condition,(not restored)
Mint condition.
How much should I ask and what do you think I could get for it and how much would a collector pay?
any ideas would be appreciated.

thank you

Mr_Shiftright

This is a coupe, right?

Well you could asking $15,000 but if after a few weeks you only got offers around $10,000, I'd take it.

I am presuming this is a very very nice car.

You could put it on eBay with a very high reserve that can't possibly be met (like $50,000) and see what it is bid up to. Then, if you like the highest bid, contact that person and strike a deal. This is a good way to test the market. But I bet I'm pretty close, presuming your description is accurate.

For any dents, rust, bad interior, faded paint, non-working AC, etc. deduct heavily.

fintail

Not much, I'm lazy

Huh? Kinda steep there

Now this is something

Camry's dad

Earlier than usual DS

Wow...optimism...but these do seem to have a growing following

Mr_Shiftright

Simca Vedette -- $24,-000? Not in this country young man.

Tatra 601 --- very cool car. In the 1940s, they used to call Tatras the "[non-permissible content removed] killer" because so many German officers were being killed and maimed in confiscated Tatras. They went real fast but didn't corner all that well. I read that the officers were finally forbidden from driving them in occupied territories.

77 Toyota Corona--so much for the collectibility of 70s Japanese sedans. 19 bids to get to $1,300? What, are they bidding in $5 increments?

Citroen DS 19

And the OPTIMIST'S AWARD goes to:

"Only two problems that anybody a bit mechanically enclined will quickly resolve: the suspension system no longer raises the car up"....

(I don't even want to HEAR the other one)

Pontiac T/A --- yes, these once-shunned birds are coming around but the price is still silly. About double actual value. Bids are astute at around $20K, should sell at about $23,500 to be market correct.

andys120

If I had a little time I'd shoot down to Waltham just to look at that Simca but I doubt it's worth half the current bid, cute as hell though. The '70 Tatra is wicked cool too.