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I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)
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Not sure what year or make it was, as I think these things were built for decades, and by several different makes. It was more squared-off in the front though, like the pic I posted above. I think Kaiser, GM, and Diamond-T all built these things over the years?
Also spotted - a black 1987 or 1988 Cadillac Brougham airport limo - 6 doors - and for sale! Looks to be in good condition. If it only has the 307 V-8 like my car, I'm sure it's slower than molasses in January at the North Pole. Also - a yellow 1978 Cadillac Coupe DeVille that didn't look so good on closer inspection.
These are neat
It was obsolete when new even back then
Not many of these in this condition
This looks like good preservation
Early Traction
And look what this company makes now
Survived pretty well
Andre and lemko can fight over this
Not many of these were preserved
Same for these
Sharp Olds
Missing a couple doors
"This car is a classic"
"Very collectable"
That '79 Electra's nice, but I don't think Lemko goes for green the way I do. And as far as greens go, it's a bit too limey to really turn me on. So if we did get into a fight over it, I don't think either of us would put much effort into it. :P Now if it was more of a frosty green, or a nice, deep forest or emerald green, then I'd probably be drooling! Still, looks like a nice car.
That Safari wagon looks like it would make a nice workhorse, as long as the seller's not too crazy with the reserve.
And speaking of crazy prices, check out the buy-it-now on that '84 Daytona! I have to admit, looking at that car I think I like its style better now than I did when they were new. But it's still just a K-car!
I also like the the styling of the Dodge Daytona Turbo Z, although it's not a very good car. Not terrible for the period, but not too good, either. regardless, it's way overpriced.
That Daytona couldn't have cost that much even when new....cars from that era don't appreciate.
And regarding the Starfire...I have always liked the 60s style of those, I remember I saw one when I was a kid and it stuck with me because of the trim, both that side trim and the interior. It's unique and very much of the period.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Old street scenes are pretty fascinating, and I have to believe that photographer was at least somewhat of a car enthusiast, as he bought a Lincoln Zephyr coupe in 1940.
Also, the shots of London are great, because while many of the old buildings are still the same, there are loads of empty spaces where we now have skyscrapers, etc...
The shots showing StPauls and Westminster show how dirty the buildings used to look then, before the great clean-up in the 80's, and with greater environmental control now they presumably won't get that black in future...
Starting on the foreign shots now, and already finding strange cars in Italy, etc...
The condition of some cars is also noteworthy, both positive and negative
Oh yeah, can't remember if I mentioned this or not, but my officemate, who bought a '62 Galaxie 500 sedan on eBay, had it delivered recently, and is happy as can be. I haven't seen it yet though. And he sold his '65 Volvo wagon. I think he got around $2100 for it.
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2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
it seems to me this year i am not seeing as many classics on the road as in past years. i guess that makes sense considering the economy and gas prices.
Less impressive provenance
What a use of resources, dopey
One of the less goofy French cars
Survivor
Lose money fast
"IN ITS CURRENT CONDITION YOU WOULD BE DISQUALIFIED AT THE GATE"
Old school style
Even malaise Ponchos had more style (or presence) than late model examples
I'm not getting this auction at all.
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TY COBB's Hudson -- is not Babe Ruth's Lincoln. There is no Baby Cobb candy bar. There is no "House that Cobb Built".
I do think there was a Ty Cobb movie....maybe.....
And the copy of the documentation is.....where? Oh, you didn't have time to post it?
DOH!
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Citroen SM: Gee look at those bids! Do these people know what they're getting into? "Many men have stepped into a Citroen SM.....few have returned".
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Willie Nelson's Dodge: Does anybody care? Gee, I could put it next to Amy Grant's Pacer! Or John Voight's.....oh nevermind.....
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I'd be interested in what other readers think about this car.
I'd be interested in what other readers think about this car.
These were good cars to own but not to drive I bought one new in '79 and had it Ziebarted, we had it in the family for around seven years. I gave it to my wife after four years and got a Rabbit GTI which unlike the dull Accord was a blast to drive.
With the low mileage I don't think that one will be needing parts soon but I imagine you could source needed parts from a wrecker or perhaps a specialty house. Japanese carburetors are very reliable, I've never had any trouble with 'em.
I'd wonder if it had been rustproofed.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I drive by that guy's house everyday. I guess I never realized that was an MBZ. I'm usually too busy thinking about how much that gold Rolls costs him to keep running. You can see it in some of the pictures. From the street, all the cars are pretty clean. Just like in the pics, the cars sit in his driveway. IIRC the house has a 2 car garage - maybe that's where his shop is. But the cars sit out in the elements.
RE: the 300TE
I don't know what it is about 124 station wagons, but I love them. Not to the point of paying $40,000 though. I assume that wagon is totally unrelated to the 500E - Wasn't the 500E basically built by Porsche and significantly different than the other W124s?
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
What are people thinking?
As for fuel economy, he'd get around 20 local, 25 on the highway. Part of the problem was the automatic tranny I'm sure, but if it had been well taken care of, I'm sure it would have been better too.
I drove it a few times, and rode in it quite a bit. For such a small car, it was actually very roomy up front. The back seat was practically non-existent, but I swear I had more legroom up front than in many modern compacts! Of course, it's also been nearly 20 years since I drove or rode in one, so it may not be as I remember.
Also, considering how rusty it was, and how ratty the interior was, the car was actually very quiet at highway speeds.
I think the carburetor was Mikuni 3-bbl, and I've heard they could be troublesome, and expensive to fix. I don't recall if my friend had any problems with his carb. I do remember it having a sticky throttle that would make it have a problem with sudden acceleration...if you could call it that. It really wasn't all that sudden!
Ah I see the gold Rolls...a Shadow...no surprise, given the seller. Those are worse pits than an Adenauer.
That wagon has no connection to the 500E. The 6.0l Hammer wagon was a creation of AMG, before MB controlled them. It was built by a then-independent tuner and was in a supercar class at the time. No kidding, it probably cost a good 125-150K when new. And that price is too steep, a few months ago a nice AMG 6.0l widebody SEC brought just under 30K IIRC. For 80s tuned ostentation, widebody SEC>Hammer, but maybe not by a lot.
A 500E is a different animal from a normal W124, yes, assembled at a different facility, different exterior and interior bits, a lot more subtle than an 80s AMG.
The Adenauer is cool, but yeah not for $89k. For some reason I get attracted to unrestored old cars, especially old european cars like that. :sick: :confuse:
The Benz wagon is nice too, but I'd go for this wagon instead. I know it's not the same thing but that leaves me $35k in my pocklet to find a nice old school 5 series Alpina, late model MB CL, or an M3, M5,......
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
I have noticed a lot of grey market MB coming into Van over the past few years due to the easier import rules than in the states. I am sure you would be cautious anyway, but I have to think some of these are TÜV failures that might otherwise be bound for Russia or maybe Eastern Europe. One would really have to know what they are doing and check every square cm over. On a positive note, a lot of Euro-spec cars tend to have rare bodykits and accessories that are virtually unknown in NA, so you can find some real oddballs, if you are into that kind of thing. That wagon has a facelift hood and S600 style grille...I don't know if I go for that on that car. That car appears pretty cheap, maybe for a reason. They are durable though.
Oh, and on this thread title...I saw a pristine early 90s M5 with Alberta plates the other day, all the way down in the Seattle suburbs. That's a good drive.
All imported vehicles here have to go through a government inspection, in which they check the basics that the car is safe to be on the road (no major rust, no suspension or brake failures, steering ok, has mufflers etc...).
I liked the E34 M5s but I hated the hubcap looking wheels on the early ones.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
I would still be a little scared of these cars unless they had really good documentation. Local ownership history always gives me a better vibe.
The M5 I saw had non-stock wheels, I want to say they reminded me of those on a later 8-series coupe.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
I sure don't think so, early Accords had metal as thin as tissue paper, they'd rust out faster than Fiats if proper rust-proofing wasn't applied. Mine wasn't rust-proofed at the dealer, I went directly to the Zeibart franchise. Seven years later we had a car with just a little surface rust around the rear decklid but nowhere else.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Dealer rust proofing was essentially useless for its stated purpose, but was very effective in padding dealers' and salesmen's pockets (sales ladies didn't exist in dealer showrooms prior to 1980, at least where I lived...I guess only men were capable of selling vehicles in those days).
Based on anecdotal evidence, Ziebart retarded rusting...IF it was applied properly, meaning thoroughly. I don't recall ever seeing any objective tests to prove or disprove Ziebart's effectiveness. I had two cars that I kept for many years Ziebarted, and there was very little rust formation, over a period when I believe rusting would have occurred. My concern about rusting was such that I drove both of these cars directly from the new car dealer to the Ziebart dealer, and then home, only after they had been rust proofed. Also, to insure that the material was applied thoroughly, I identified the technician who was going to work on my car before he did the work, and gave him a generous tip. Did the Ziebart Help. I believe it did, although I have no proof of this, and don't recall seeing a Consumer Report article on this subject. Regardless of whether it was effective, it gave me peace of mind. You know the saying "ignorance is bliss." So, if the money spent on Ziebart was wasted, at least I slept better. That mad the expense worthwhile.
What really helped cars withstand rust was the use of galvanized steel on the vulnerable panels. As far as I can remember, that began in earnest around 1976 on some cars. Would you believe that the Chevette had good rust proofing for its day? Maybe the Vega's aweful. rust problems was such an embarrassment and hassle that GM decided it didn't want a repeat. I bought a new Datsun 510 that showed visible signs of rust after the first winter, and had gaping holes in the body after three winters. That's when I seriously investigated rust proofing.
In addition to the use of galvanized steel, car manufacturers got better at reducing areas where road salt collected.
Incidentally, Ziebart was just one of several rust proofing brands. Some products were no better than those the dealers used. Of course, what interest did the dealers have in making cars last a lot longer? This was a case -- and hardly the only one, I'm sure -- where the dealers' interests were diametrically opposed to the consumers.'
It's funny you should mention the Datsun 510. I recall a buddy's '70 510 (White vinyl over Apple Green!?) which like yours had rotted front fenders after about a year . Another buddy with a '70 240Z took a couple of years to show rust on his car.
After losing a couple of nice roadsters to the Worm ('TR-4A, 124 Spider) there was no way I wasn't going to try protecting my 1979 purchase, I think it was the best $600 I ever spent.
I ought to mention that both my brothers owned '79 Accords, neither was rustproofed and both were, like mine, garaged and both showed rust after a few years while mine showed none for many years. If you look at the three cars as a scientific experiment, with control subjects and all, you can see why I'm convinced Ziebart worked.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I live in a relatively mild climate, and the 85 S-10 Blazer my dad had was getting some crusty areas by the time it was 5 years old, especially around the rear window and tailgate.
Then, from what I can remember, when the 1978 Omni/Horizon came out, and then the 1981 Escort Lynx, both of those were fairly good with rust resistance, as well. I guess the Omni/Horizon was a bit of a miracle, considering the shape that Chrysler was in at the time. And truth be told, in 1981 Ford wasn't much better off financially than Chrysler.
Interestingly, the Chevette, Omni/Horizon, and Escort were all "world cars", rather than developed specifically for United States consumption. So the domestics COULD build a small car that was fairly rustproof, but they still had to look for help outside the US!
With regards to rustproofing, one thing I've noticed about the older GM cars I've had ('67 Catalina, '69 Bonneville, '76 LeMans) is that the entire trunk area has sort of a speckle-coating, a mixture of black and gray. I've seen old-fashioned cookware with a similar coating, and have also seen it in old-fashioned washing machine drums. In fact, last year I bought a new washer, and even its drum had that coating in it.
None of my old Mopars ever had it, though. I wonder if that speckle coating helped any, with regards to keeping rust at bay?
Count me in the hoax camp...
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I've also heard a big problem with some rust proofing treatments is not the substance itself, but the application. The coatings would block drain holes leaving the water to just sit against the metal.
Growing up in California, I used to take rust issues for granted. One benefit of living out west or in drier climates is the ability to regularly see unrestored cars in very good shape. Even here in Virginia, which is hardly the Rust Belt, the only older cars you see or either totally restored or rusted heaps. In California, I would imagine you can still find a neglected project that doesn't suffer from incurable cancer or wasted chrome bits.
Yet another reason to prefer the West Coast.