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I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)
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There is a 1981 Triumph TR7 for sale, and it only has 95 miles! 95 certified original miles, can you believe that? It has been so many years since I have seen a TR7 or TR8- I thought they all went to the scrapper years ago. Would it be worth having as a collection car, by any chance?
Collectible vlues of the TR-7 reflect it's poor construction and ugly looks.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I saw a showroom looking Lancia Beta today...it had some kind of special exhaust and sounded like a junior Ferrari.
I wouldn't think even a mint TR7 would bring big bucks. Simply not a great car....it will be remembered for badness.
Pinzgauer
Unimog
The Pinzgauer, like the Unimog comes in several different configs with as many as six wheels and extended bodies etc.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
It is ugly enough to be cool, however, and you may be the only kid on the block with one---so there is that allure.
RE: the "brand new" TR7.
Here's my read on a car like that....if nobody wanted it new, it's never going to be worth a great deal when old.
There are probably baseball cards or vintage oil cans that are worth more than a TR7 with 95 miles on it.
Think of what an Aztek with 95 miles on it will be worth in the year 2025. Exactly! $2,750 on a good day.
-Andrew L
Actually I take that back. A museum should buy a car like this in case they wish to document each Triumph model, regardless of their merit. That could work for all parties concerned.
Merkurs seem very fragile, and the 4 cylinder is a bone-shaker. Every time I drove one, I wanted to wear a flak vest when I heard that engine rev up.
We have one very nice Scorpio here where I live. Probably a survivor rather than a restored car, since they aren't worth much. Looks comfy though.
There is someone out there who wants everything. If you've got a unique item and you're willing to wait long enough, you'll find them. I paid $3000 for a 1986 Pontiac with peeling paint and bad brakes because it was the exact car I wanted and I could not find one like it anywhere else. Someone, somewhere wants this thing with 95 miles on it, regardless of its poor reputation. Not all buyers are rational actors like you, who carefully consider resale value and reputation before buying a car.
-Andrew L
I also went to a garage sale and noticed a pair of cars in the garage...not really obscure, but unusual. There was a 65 T-Bird and a highline full size 65 Mercury 4-door hardtop, both cars were immaculate. And both were the same color, a metallic bronzish-maroon. Is that "emberglow"?
This is why prices drop on things. If everything sold, eventually, at any crazy fool price, then prices would never come down for houses, cars, etc. But they do drop.
So I believe that anyone who thinks they can hang whatever pricetag they want on an obscure and unpopular car, fully assured that some fool will pay it, is going to be buying that car a birthday cake every year for a long, long time. We aren't talking Hemi Cuda' here, we are talking TR7.
Like the Alfetta fintail mentioned, the reason why you see so few of them is because everybody junked them rather than fixed them.
Now one could argue that if enough of an obscure brand of car gets junked, the price will go up, and to a certain extent this is true (same demand, which remains near zero, but less supply, so price rises); however; given that the obscure car was generally shunned by 99.9% of humanity, (hence its obscuritgy) this price rise for 'scarcity" can't be very high.
If you pay a very high price for a TR7, you are literally throwing your money away. You can't get use out of it, and you won't get admiration out of it, and you won't get any more value out of it. Hardly an opportunity for any kind of pleasure.
We were up in Estes Park, CO yesterday. I guess the local Prowler club was having some sort of club drive. We saw at least 10 of 'em pass down the main drag.
My only complaint about the more reliable FI Alfas is that they don't rev like the carburetor cars do.
A 68-69 boatail (sometimes called a Duetto) would be nice.
I just saw the new Rolls-Royce being taken for a test drive. My goodness, that thing is hideously ugly. The headlights and front grille look as if they are made out of plastic. The rear looks good, as does the interior -- they have that traditional Rolls-Royce look. But the front end is simply awful. Awful! How could BMW have done this? It's so wrong.
Also saw a Maybach the other day driving home from the store. Don't know whether it was the 57 or 62 -- didn't get much of a glimpse at it -- but I have to admit that it looked nice. In pictures it looks a lot like a last generation S-Class, but in person you can definately see a difference if you are a car person. It's also BIG -- very big -- but not at all ungainly. It seemed like a very nice car.
The grille lost it's classical proportions and the headlights, sidemarkers and tailights look cheapo.
Obscurities seen today--
Saab Sonett III (late model--mid 70s V4) in fairly nice driver shape and '69 or '70 Cougar convertible in fair shape (h/l covers open and crooked trim missing).
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Any links?
-juice
And he was right. All 4 door windows just unwound without much pressure.
He says they all do that (manual window models).
Pretty funny. I wonder if anyone has told the Kia engineers yet.
BUT I DO have an obscure car, except I won't see it until Saturday. I'm going to look at a 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 Spyder.
What is interesting about the Lancia Aurelia models, (starting with the B20 in 194...um 8?) are two things:
1. It's the first car ever to use a V-6
2. These cars actually went from showroom to winning or placing high in races like the Mille Miglia. In one Mille, an Aurelia managed to place between a pair of Mercedes Gullwings, one of which one the race outright.
As someone once said of the Aurelia GT, "it makes the modern use of the term "GT" on cars seem like a very grotesque marketing joke".
Very interesting car.
Today I spotted an Aston-Martin Vantage (Cabriolet). I don't think it was the current model but perhaps the most recent gen.
I find myself more and more attracted by current AM styling. They really look like gentlemen's expresses, sleek and fast but not gaudy or flashy.
The light blue Vantage I saw today was probably about the 5th or 6th Aston I've seen in my entire life.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
The term "spider" has become bastardized I'm afraid--traditionally, it means a car with very minimal trim and weatherproofing. With roll up windows and a fold down roof, that Fiat should not be called a Spider but a convertible. But I think even Fiat called it a Spider, or "Spyder". Shame on them they should know better.
The B24 Aurelia doesn't even have door handles, and sports a flimsy top that you disconnect and stow behind the seats, in a true "roadster" fashion.
The V6 engine sounded strong. It didn't have the optional "Nardi Kit" (twin carbs) but the car felt like a sub 10 second automobile nonetheless, and was a ball to drive. Revs right up for a V6, too, great engine note.
Only 240 of these Spiders were made 1954-55.
Value....this car in #3 condition (clean average)---about $65,000.
Obviously, these classic Lancias should not be confused with the junk they sent over here in the 70s and 80s.
Actually, nobody knows where the term "Spider" comes from. The French prnounce it SPEE-DAY.
My theory is that it comes from horse-drawn carriage days, when a "spider" buggy was one where the driver stood in an open cockpit behind the carriage itself (behind the rear wheels). The female spider carries her young in a sac on her back.
I kinda liked the Quantum when they were new, but I heard they were really trouble-prone. This one hadn't survived the years too well, either, with enough rust-out to make a '71 Vega look good!
IIRC, didn't these things have 5-cyl engines?
I think they did have those engines, yes. I remember a few being around still in the 90s...smoky if I rememeber correctly.
You can get decent money for a clean used Audi 4000 Quattro but most Quantums are boat anchors at this point and will perish for sure.
Quantum was discontinued in the US in I believe 1988.
If you found a very clean 5 cylinder one cheap, it would be a good beater. They are comfortable and economical cars.
I thinbk the Passat was one of those cars that owners either swore by or swore at. It was long a favorite in New England.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Saw a new Maserati coupe today. Those things look really nice on the road. The c-pillar in particular has a very nice, corporate look.
-juice
4Motion and Quattro are the same system but Synchro was a different system.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Ah, we are BOTH right (isn't that nice when that happens?)
The 4000 had the 4 cylinder but the 4000 Quattro had the 5. So the Quantum got to share the Quattro engine later in life, that's the car I had.
the Audi 5 was a helluva good engine, basically indestructible. My friend who runs a Porsche/Audi shop says they are easy 250K engines.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
-juice
I used to think they were neat when I was a kid, but when I did a google search to jog my memory, it's like damn, what a little pig! In a twisted sorta way though, they're still kinda neat.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
-juice
The 411 was never highly regarded or popular. On paper it seemed like a good idea to take the virtues of the popular Beetle and upsize them.
They ended up with a car that was still small, even more gutless and a general pig all around.
I don't think it caught on in Europe either.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
It's interesting how car survival rates work, isn't it? I mean, I've recently seen three examples of a car they made 200 of, and cars that were made in abundance, like the 411 and the Corrado, are extremely rare sightings.
It supports the theory that the most common cars disappear at a much faster rate than the limited production ones.
-Jason
That's the hatchback model. The Voyage is the coupe based on it, and the Parati the wagon, in 3 doors or 5. And yes, even a wild, tiny pickup called Saveiro.
Then they have the ancient Santana sedan and Quantum wagons. I'm not sure if they still produce them now.
They did start manufacturing the Golf in Brazil, in fact they export them here now.
I tell ya, step outside the USA and the cars are wildly different.
-juice