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

stever

Got one in Cruces but haven't eaten there. Used to like their lemon ice box pie but most of the franchises (outside the South at least) serve it frozen, not realizing that ice boxes are cool at best, not freezers. Pretty reliable catfish, and always some old car stuff hanging on the walls with the other antique Bric-à-brac.

uplanderguy

I'm a meat-and-mashed-potato guy and for a chain you could do a lot worse than the 'Barrel. Best biscuits anyplace, IMHO. Real mashed potatoes, good prices, good breakfasts too, and much of their signage inside is original, I can tell. Can't beat the fireplace on a cold day. The other sort-of similar chain in our area is Bob Evans, but in our area they seem to be going downhill in quality and service. I'd pick the 'Barrel every time! Funny, a Studebaker buddy of mine would rather eat at any local dive before the 'Barrel. I understand the helping-the-local concept, but I've found the 'Barrel to be consistently better than a fair amount of local places.

berri

Cracker Barrel - I like their Chicken and Dumplings, also their French Toast.

andre1969

Bob Evans isn't bad. We have a few around here. I used to get my grandmother, and my grandmother's cousin, a gift card to Bob Evans every Christmas. I tend to associate them with old people, but then yesterday I was at a Denny's with my uncle, and happened to notice that I'm only ten years away from the Senior Citizens' discount, myself!

One place I kinda miss is Bob's Big Boy. My grandparents on my Dad's side of the family used to take us grandkids there fairly often back in the 1970's and early 1980's. And during summer vacation, when my Granddad on my Mom's side of the family would watch me (Grandmom was still working), every Wednesday we would go to the local Big Boy. They're all gone now though. I forget what they were initially replaced with, but a Silver Diner is on the spot where one once stood, and a Bojangles is on another. The one Granddad took me to every Wednesday was a Glory Days bar and grille for awhile. During the summer months, there would be a little get together out in the parking lot with people showing off their antique cars. I went a few times. That whole mall recently got demo'ed though. I think a Whole Paycheck -er, Whole Foods, is going in where that mall once stood.

berri

Bob Evans seems to have kind of retrenched to Ohio and east, as well as Florida. There was a somewhat similar chain at one time called something like Bill Knapp's I think. I remember that each geographic area seemed to have a different first or last name for their Big Boy's. I don't remember anymore, but Michigan had two within the state, one was something like Fritch's and I can't recall the other one. I haven't seen a Big Boy in a long time. I think the last one I ate at was just across the Mackinac Bridge in Upper Michigan and that was probably a good 7 or 8 years ago. Many years ago a friend of mine in La La Land took me to what was purported to be the original Big Boy. I'm not sure, but I think it was either Burbank or Pasadena. They had a big evening car show that day. I do remember the one near us in the western suburbs of Chicago while in high school. It was a combination eat in or drive in with the stalls, microphones, car hops and all that old nostalgic stuff. I remember the protocol for us high school cruisers went something like pull in, rev it, drive around twice to scope it all out, then enter a parking stall and order. There was another chain in places like Illinois and Missouri called Steak 'n Shake. Good food and there are still some of those around in the Midwest at least.

stever

I don't remember seeing a Bob Evans near the Mack, but my wife ate at the Port Huron one just a month ago.

There's a Steak 'n Shake in Chattanooga. Wasn't too excited about the food, but it's been a decade since I ate there. Besides a Waffle House breakfast and McD's coffees, I don't think we hit a chain joint in the last couple of weeks on the road. A couple of times we should have, lol.

explorerx4

I used to have a tee shirt that had written on the front. End of Earth - 2 miles. Port Huron - 4 miles.

stever

Our friend there just bought a house in Las Cruces. Just saying.

stickguy

old Ford day. on the garden stare parkway, a green 2 door Granada. Going the other way so did not get a good look, but seemed original (in a tired old car way)

and more shocking, near my house, waiting at a light a 4 door maverick. Early, thin bumper model. Orange, and also looked like a tired but original car.

toomanyfumes

Killing time waiting for the kid to take his guitar lessons, local dealer had a Corvette club show. Way too many '90's vettes, the coolest car there was a early' 70's Plymouth Scamp. Beautiful condition, clean V-8 with a column shift automatic Looked original, but must have been at least repainted, it looked too nice.

Michaell

Saw a pristine Kaiser-Darrin on Friday in Denver. Mint green.

Mr_Shiftright

Rare sighting! There were only 435 Kaiser Darrins ever made. High survival rate, however. I know of 2 near me.

berri

I always thought Kaiser's were pretty modern looking for the early 50's. There were actually several in my neighborhood growing up, but I think that was because they were cheap used cars back then. The two knocks I heard in those days on Kaiser were no V8 and they were prone to overheating.

fintail

The variety of casual dining options here is limited, my friends and I have said it for years. It's kind of weird - the only people here who know what a Cracker Barrel, Bob Evans, In and Out, Waffle House, etc are, are those who have traveled. A good example is Chick-Fil-A, which opened in my city 2 months ago. The lineups were insane, even today, there's usually a line out the door. People were desperate for something different. We also have Red Robin, which I like, and doesn't seem to be everywhere.

A friend of mine who lived in Georgia for a few years also liked Cracker Barrel. I visited him a few times, as he was homesick, and we'd go there at least once.

I think that's a western cultural universal - high income tends to have more fitness. I think WA is more fit than the nation as a whole, but get outside of the cities, and it isn't as apparent. Of course, this reverses with age...the fat plutocrat ideal doesn't exist for nothing.

berri said:

Fin, Don't think you can find a Cracker Barrel much west of Colorado. I like them too. So what's with the lack of fast food joints in the Pacific Northwest. They are putting In and Out Burgers near Dallas, but none in Seattle or Portland. I don't get it. Seems to me that the PNW has lots of overweight people and smokers too. That athletic stereotype appears more in the small, higher income techie areas. Now don't laugh down in SoCal, never seen a Winchell's donut shop that wasn't busy. Seattle does have Ivar's on the Piers or at Sea-Tac. But Jack In The Box seems like the only fast food joint that isn't a big national chain, and I'm sorry, but that's sad (although maybe good for the legal weed) .

fintail

Yesterday, I went on the annual "Leavenworth Drive", which is a loosely organized caravan of European cars headed to the faux-Bavarian tourist destination of Leavenworth, about 120 miles from here. This year there was no central meeting place before the drive, which was a let down, as there'd usually be hundreds of cars to look at. Next year, it will need better organization.

I did see quite a few unusual cars - a trio of Austin Healeys , unrestored but running and driving Honda N600, a few E30 M3s, BMW Bavaria with so much paint patina it was probably artificial, a couple 60s VWs, Merkur XR4Ti, every variety of modified E30 and 80s Golf you could imagine. Saw a pastel grey 77-79 Bird and a big ~72 LTD for sale, parked on the side of the road.

I also saw a Jensen Healey on the road this morning.

uplanderguy

I like Kaiser Darrins. The last couple I've seen were a lemon-yellow and a mint green one.

The guy who restored my Lark did a lemon-yellow one that got a Junior First (I'm pretty sure) at Hershey the year he finished it.

The whole family went to Cracker Barrel tonight and on the way home, I spotted that same green '59 Lark sedan I'd seen last week when I went to Cracker Barrel, just going in the opposite direction.

stever

Saw an '80 Subaru Brat in Taos today. Had a shell on the back; apparently you have to toss the seats to get a shell to fit and this one was missing the rear seats. Our friend here got an '80 Brat in '82 and drove it for years. He's had a Subaru ever since and currently has a '98 Impreza. We floated a tame section of the Rio Grande this morning and I got to run shuttle in the Impreza for about 20 miles total on a slow curvy road. Fun shifting again and the pattern was the same as my old Tercel so I even managed to hit reverse correctly on the first attempt.

Went to dinner last night with friends of theirs and they have a '97 Outback similar to my old '97, except their's isn't a Limited.

The common thread with the Impreza and the Outback is that both have CELs on, and the owners have been ignoring the lights for years now. That's kind of a New Mexico theme.

berri

I think that's a western cultural universal - high income tends to have more fitness.

I think young, upwardly mobile sections of cities are usually more athletic. Go somewhere like Wicker Park in Chicago and you'll find that. But then as they become middle class and wealthier the weight starts increasing and they move over to Lake Shore Drive

hpmctorque

stever said:

Saw an '80 Subaru Brat in Taos today. Our friend here got an '80 Brat in '82 and drove it for years. He's had a Subaru ever since and currently has a '98 Impreza.

Subaru seems to have a high retention rate, as well as a contagion factor among owners' families and friends. Assuming this is correct it helps explain why the Subaru brand outsells VW in the U.S. I find this surprising given VW's strong marketing efforts to break into the top tier in our country, its extensive model lineup, it's position as the world's #2 automaker by sales and, finally, that its presence predated Subaru's here. Countering this, I guess, is that VW's marketing and model introduction efforts have been inconsistent over the years, while Subaru has been more focused. Also, Subaru's cult status is stronger and more current than VW's, which is based largely on the original Beetle and, to a lesser extent, on the current retro models.

What am I missing?

stickguy

there aren't tons of people that remember horrible experiences with Subarus in the 70s-90s, and their service departments, that have sworn off the brand. Like with VW

uplanderguy

The Pontiac dealer in my small hometown added Subaru through maybe '75--then dropped them, or Subaru dropped the dealer. I remember looking at one up close; probably a new '73 or so. I couldn't believe the tiny tires and wheels, and I seem to remember a paper-thin piece of plastic on the dash came off. I want to say it was the ashtray lid, but I'm just not certain about that.

stever

I avoided Subarus when I lived up north because the fenders rusted out relatively fast. And it wasn't like the Midwest where every car rusted. But lots of my friends drove them.

@hpmctorque, I think VW lost their cachet when the Rabbit came out and it was problematic. The Scirocco was the same story you hear today - fun "driver's" car but high maintenance and as @stickguy says, the dealer network was lacking.

@uplanderguy, friends in Evergreen CO had a Subaru wagon in the early 70s and it remarkable for how narrow it was. I think the skinny tires contributed to its snow prowess. That was my first sighting of one. The owners loved it.

berri

I think that a lot of the old Beetle buyers didn't buy another one because of the dealers. Then the 70's Squarebacks weren't known as really great cars. The Rabbit may have been the last draw for a lot of buyers and potential customers. Frankly, from what I've heard, I'm not sure VW has really resolved it's dealer and service issues today.

stever

My wife grew up with a Squareback and hated riding in it and driving it. The family switched to an Impala and she loved it, even after being in a wreck in it on an Arizona road trip when she was a teen (her Dad was driving).

She wasn't impressed with my used SuperBeetle when we met.

stickguy

my grandmother had a VW 412 wagon when I was a teenager. Automatic. I took my drivers test on that car. Evil, evil beast. Hated it with a passion.

fezo

I'm quite sure VW still hasn't resoled its issues. It pains me because I'd love a GTI but having once owned a Rabbit someone has to convince me they've changed and I haven't heard from such a somebody.

One thing I like at Cracker Barrel is you can order off the kids menu no matter what age you are. Chicken and dumplings. Perfect.

Supposedly not only are all those signs on the walls authentic but it's one guy who is constantly travelling the country hunting them down.

roadburner

I've come close to buying a Subaru several times over the years- I may finally succumb. I really like the WRX STI.

Michaell

stever said:

My wife grew up with a Squareback and hated riding in it and driving it. The family switched to an Impala and she loved it, even after being in a wreck in it on an Arizona road trip when she was a teen (her Dad was driving).

She wasn't impressed with my used SuperBeetle when we met.

My parents had a '67 or '68 Squareback - dad took us from CA to NY and back in the summer of '71.

texases

1980s rush hour - '87ish Fiero GT and a '85ish Cutlass Supreme, both doing fine on the freeway. They looked to be in good shape.

fintail

Chrome bumper MGB, 80s small truck day with period Ranger and S10, late run 1st gen Lexus SC in a pretty light blue, 300CD, ~67 Buick (GS?) convertible, Oh, a McLaren SLR just drove by my window.

andre1969

Nothing really old/classic today, but I managed to spot two Teslas. One was in the parking lot at work. The other was out in Annapolis, MD. I used to think they were kinda exotic looking when they were more novel, but nowadays, they sort of look like a cross between a Madza and a Hyundai. Still attractive looking, but not really exotic.

sda

stickguy said:

there aren't tons of people that remember horrible experiences with Subarus in the 70s-90s, and their service departments, that have sworn off the brand. Like with VW

My sister had a 73 Subaru 1300 GT bought in the early 80s. It was dark blue with a white GT stripe that went the length of the car near, rocker panel level. It had been rode hard and put up wet. Used a lot of oil, and was tempermental. It was a fun car in a odd sort of way. Dad had just spent about $500 in repairs, including a new steering rack and my sister promptly hit a curb and totaled it. He was not pleased, nor did he buy her another car, forcing my other sister to share the 73 Grand Am. Fun times.

texases

I've never understood how those old opposed 4 Subarus were such buzzy rough engines.

andre1969

texases said:

I've never understood how those old opposed 4 Subarus were such buzzy rough engines.

Could it have just been a sign of the times? People who were accustomed to bigger, smoother engines, complaining about how buzzy and rough the Sube was? I had to drive my uncle's 2013 Camry 4-cyl a lot lately, and the first thing I noticed about it was how buzzy the engine was. And Toyotas aren't known for being crude. But when you're used to the sound of a V-8, they sure sound it.

stickguy

oh, those early sube 4s were quite agricultural. Definitely more of a growl than a contemporary inline 4 from a corolla say.

the only car I remember that was as noisy/rough like that (and had plenty of noises!) was the 310 my sister had. Sucker sounded like it had square cut gears.

fintail

Old Subarus sound like hyper lawnmowers to me, and by old, I mean before the early 00s. The warble - some of the fanboys love it, and make sure everyone else knows.

My mom's Camry with the big 4 is pretty smooth, but the 6 in my E is sometimes like a electric car.

sda

fintail said:

Old Subarus sound like hyper lawnmowers to me, and by old, I mean before the early 00s. The warble - some of the fanboys love it, and make sure everyone else knows.

My mom's Camry with the big 4 is pretty smooth, but the 6 in my E is sometimes like a electric car.

The 73 1300 GT had that distinct throbbing sounding engine yet it didn't seem strained sounding when revving hard like a Vega did. It burned about as much oil, however!

texases

I was comparing my '79 Scirocco and '83 GTI to my friends early-80s Subie. Much smoother in the VWs.

kyfdx

texases said:

I've never understood how those old opposed 4 Subarus were such buzzy rough engines.

I don't think the newer Subie engines are all that great, either (though a turbocharger fixes a lot of that).

hpmctorque

Just ahead of me at a stoplight, a silver Cadillac Catera. From the taillights, this was one frmo the last year or two of production. It appeared to be in good shape cosmetically.

Hadn't seen a Catera in weeks or months, but this was the second one within a week. The first one was an older, dark green example, and its body also appeared to be well maintained.

I wonder whether Cateras have some kind of a minor cult status, similar to, maybe, the Aztec, or whether they're just cheap transportation? I imagine they're cheap to buy but rather high maintenance.

Michaell

hpmctorque said:

Just ahead of me at a stoplight, a silver Cadillac Catera. From the taillights, this was one frmo the last year or two of production. It appeared to be in good shape cosmetically.

Hadn't seen a Catera in weeks or months, but this was the second one within a week. The first one was an older, dark green example, and its body also appeared to be well maintained.

I wonder whether Cateras have some kind of a minor cult status, similar to, maybe, the Aztec, or whether they're just cheap transportation? I imagine they're cheap to buy but rather high maintenance.

The Catera, like the Saturn L300 that I owned, had roots in European Opels and were expensive to maintain.

texases

I don't think the Catera has much of any cult status, they're not on every list of 'ugliest cars', or anything else. Pretty forgettable, that era look, like for the "GTO", just didn't work for most folks.

laurasdada

hpmctorque said:

Just ahead of me at a stoplight, a silver Cadillac Catera. From the taillights, this was one frmo the last year or two of production. It appeared to be in good shape cosmetically.

Hadn't seen a Catera in weeks or months, but this was the second one within a week. The first one was an older, dark green example, and its body also appeared to be well maintained.

I wonder whether Cateras have some kind of a minor cult status, similar to, maybe, the Aztec, or whether they're just cheap transportation? I imagine they're cheap to buy but rather high maintenance.

My father bought a Catera, loved driving it. Unfortunately, that was a minority of the time as it was wont to zig to the repair shop. Not in his fleet very long.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes a cult...a suicide cult. I can't imagine anyone desiring to have one of those Cateras.

andre1969

texases said:

I don't think the Catera has much of any cult status, they're not on every list of 'ugliest cars', or anything else. Pretty forgettable, that era look, like for the "GTO", just didn't work for most folks.

The GM show in Carlisle PA is this weekend. If I see a Catera there, I'll take a pic for y'all, but don't hold your breath! There will probably be more Zimmers and Stutzes there than Cateras. Interestingly though the GTO revival, along with the G8, definitely have their following. They've gotten sort of the same cult status as the '94-96 Impala SS and the Pontiac Fiero...cars that aren't really ultra-high dollar, still affordable enough to buy, drive, and enjoy.

Maybe the Catera would have done better if it had been badged as a Pontiac? But then again, maybe not. The thing that makes the GTO and G8 desireable is the V8 engine, something the Catera lacked.

texases

Yes, the GTO and G8 had a GREAT V8, but forgettable styling, to me. I was following a GTO last week with either a performance exhaust or a rusted out muffler, hard to tell!

It's kind of like their relative, the Chevy SS. But it's no bargain, and not long for this earth...

roadburner

The GTO was great to drive, but looked like a strangely mutated Cobalt...

sda

laurasdada said:

hpmctorque said:

Just ahead of me at a stoplight, a silver Cadillac Catera. From the taillights, this was one frmo the last year or two of production. It appeared to be in good shape cosmetically.

Hadn't seen a Catera in weeks or months, but this was the second one within a week. The first one was an older, dark green example, and its body also appeared to be well maintained.

I wonder whether Cateras have some kind of a minor cult status, similar to, maybe, the Aztec, or whether they're just cheap transportation? I imagine they're cheap to buy but rather high maintenance.

My father bought a Catera, loved driving it. Unfortunately, that was a minority of the time as it was wont to zig to the repair shop. Not in his fleet very long.

Exactly. I bought a used 98 Catera in late 99. It had a list price of nearly $39k, all options including rear sunshade, heated front and rear seats, Bose with cd changer, chrome wheels. A sharp car, solidly built, good driving dynamics, but not particularly quick and weak a/c, most un GM like. I had the car less than a year. It was in the shop over 13 times for various maladies, some which made it questionable to drive. I received Cadillac loaners which was kind of fun and all was covered by warranty but I couldn't keep that pace up. Bought with 24000 miles, sold to Car Max at 41000 miles.

fintail

Catera, typical hubris of big 2.5 cereal box MBA brand executive clones and their Euro models. Ford did it the same with Merkur. The Catera (Opel Omega) was not a prestige car in Europe, just a boring barge. It was brought here and expected to fight the premium brands, just like Merkur with its rebaged everyday German Fords. Neither plan worked.

Sometimes I think the defective ones were shipped over for a laugh, as the Omega and Ford Sierra/Scorpio weren't known to be particularly troublesome at home.

roadburner

I owned a Scorpio from 1988-1990. It was actually a very nice cruiser. It felt as solid as an equivalent E Class or 5 Series of that era. The interior was a bit more luxurious and the seats were extremely comfortable. While it had a few issues, the main problem was that parts like pads and rotors were more expensive than the equivalent BMW parts for the E28 535is that I also owned. And resale value went in the toilet once it was orphaned by Ford.