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

fintail

I saw another nice Riviera today, on the road - maybe a 67? Strinking car amongst all the Civrollas and Nissubishis of Vancouver.

Mr_Shiftright

Not really obscure unless you consider the engine option. It's a '66 Malibu SS 396 I looked at today. Pretty car, but rather a beast to drive. That close-ratio gearbox sounds and shifts like a truck.

berri

Something I'll never understand Fin is why people choose a Mitsu over a Ford or Chevy. I think that's taking Asian preference maybe a little too far.

fintail

I think it is price. Canadians love cheap cars, as back east, cars are used up and thrown away due to rot. Here out west, it isn't such a thing, but old habits I guess. I see a ton more Mitsus here than in Seattle.

berri

"It's cheap" reminds me of the last time I was in the Victoria and Vancouver areas. You've got to be careful in summer because there are more than a few hotels without A/C, but they often have a kitchenette. Living in Seattle, you know that "you don't need A/C here" is a load of hooey

fintail

I wouldn't be surprised if some really basic cars here still lack standard AC, or just got it recently. Cheap makes a lot of people jump, and they will try to live with it. This also a market which also adored the Cavalier and Sunfire, along with early Hyundais.

And yes, those who say they don't need AC must like to sleep in their own sweat - even in Seattle. The summers can be legitimately warm, and really have been the past few years. My place faces south and has no shade - it'll easily be into the 80s indoors without AC.

I don't cheap out on hotels anymore - I learned my lesson on a trip to the south. I bargain hunt and use bidding sites, but usually if it seems to good to be true, well, you know. The no AC fun is pretty common in Europe.

berri

Got to watch out for that in rental Hawaiian vacation condo's too.

Hotels, you're standards change once you are working and have money

iluvmysephia1

1962 Dodge Dart

Well, last night on one of my 500-channels on DirecTV I spotted 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World' on and immediately remembered fintail's comment on seeing the '62 Dodge Dart on there. I had to scope it out for myself as I oddly am enjoying the old Dart on internet pictures of late.

It is one nutty movie and the '62 Dodge Dart is featured prominently, too. Goofy car chase with a bunch of cabs and cops after the older gray-haired guy with the suitcase of cash trying to lose all of them. They eventually knock his Dart in circles and to a standstill and then go chasing him around the streets and into a building there. Looks like early 60's California coast possibly LA.

Good movie to catch my Dart in...I'll bet it was the V8 and not the slant 6 225 c.i. that I have my eye on! BTW-the Dart holds it's own in the handling department during the chase. I am rather impressed. Oh, and the Dart in the movie is black, too.

ab348

That older gray-haired guy was Spencer Tracy, one of the most fabled actors of the times.

Here is an interesting short piece about the locations used in the film then and now:

https://youtu.be/lwCcownGNYM

Michaell

ab348 said:

That older gray-haired guy was Spencer Tracy, one of the most fabled actors of the times.

Here is an interesting short piece about the locations used in the film then and now:

https://youtu.be/lwCcownGNYM

Ab, thanks for posting that clip. I didn't realize my home town of Oxnard was used for some locations in the movie. I remember watching it as a kid when I stayed over at my grandmothers house. And I still enjoy watching it today.

iluvmysephia1

Thank you for that, ab348! It looks like it was Oxnard, CA, where they went up in the building at the end. I do love 'then and nows' a lot.

berri

I like the Oxnard area. It still looks California.

Michaell

berri said:

I like the Oxnard area. It still looks California.

When was your last visit there? I get back to visit family once or twice a year. Much different than what it was like in my childhood.

fintail

Thanks for the IAMMMM clip, one of my favorites too, great for car spotting (there's even a fintail in a shot) and just a cool Camelot-era piece of fun. So many good performances and cameos. There's also a "Plaster City" in real life, which might be funny to pass through just for a laugh.

This is another filming location in Oxnard (I took the pic):



This is from the scene near the end of Back to the Future Part III, where Marty backs out of the drag race, and avoids hitting the Rolls-Royce. This was the entrance to "Hilldale".

fintail

Here's that Caddy, 30K miles, mostly original finishes, seats under plastic. It has some pizzazz:

iluvmysephia1

Looks like it must weigh 4,400 lbs.!

stickguy

took a run up the NY thruway this weekend. only notable spotting was a Nomad, being towed on a trailer. Yellow body with white top. Look just painted. extremely bright!

berri

Michael, it's been a few years. I know there is urban sprawl everywhere, but the downtown area near the train station still looked older days CA. And there still are some strawberry and other farm fields out there.

Michaell

berri said:

Michael, it's been a few years. I know there is urban sprawl everywhere, but the downtown area near the train station still looked older days CA. And there still are some strawberry and other farm fields out there.

Agreed on both points. My mom uses the train station frequently when she goes to San Diego to visit my sister and her family. In fact, she is returning from there tomorrow.

There is something called SOAR (Save our agricultural resources), which limits the amount of farm land that can be converted to development, either residential or commercial. So, a lot of the farms on the Oxnard Plain will be around for years to come.

iluvmysephia1

There is something called SOAR (Save our agricultural resources), which limits the amount of farm land that can be converted to development, either residential or commercial. So, a lot of the farms on the Oxnard Plain will be around for years to come.

Yep - those Califernians always have ta think in terms of trying ta save their air from pollution, anyway. Trying is better than not, eh?

stever

lol, and then you have the old school ag around here plowing during the windy season and burning during the fall. And running diesel pumps to irrigate.

They are rarely obscure but this is great country for spotting old farm pickups. Besides the usual Fords and Chevys, there's lots of LUVs and B2000s still running around.

Oddly, my Ranchero and El Camino spottings have dropped way off. Probably getting sold off to Californians for restoration.

iluvmysephia1

The early 60's Ford Falcon ones with a truckbed are called Ranchero's, right, stever? Or did they have another name? And you're rarely seeing any of those, eh?

stickguy

Still rancheros.

iluvmysephia1

Thought so but thanks for confirming, stick!

stever

Yeah, seems like I used to see them all the time, but not so much any more. Then again, maybe that was back in the condo rental days the first couple of months that we were here when I was seeing a lot more cars in general.

jwm40517

A friend has a 1960 El Camino that was based on a full size Chevy instead of the later ones based on a Chevelle.

bhill2

jwm40517 said:

A friend has a 1960 El Camino that was based on a full size Chevy instead of the later ones based on a Chevelle.

Yeah in 1960 full-size is all they had (except for the Corvair, which they made a pickup version of starting in 1961, and the Corvette; [that would have been interesting]).

andre1969

iluvmysephia1 said:

1962 Dodge DartGood movie to catch my Dart in...I'll bet it was the V8 and not the slant 6 225 c.i. that I have my eye on! BTW-the Dart holds it's own in the handling department during the chase. I am rather impressed. Oh, and the Dart in the movie is black, too.

It's been awhile since I've seen that movie, but IIRC, that Dart also held its own pretty well at the end of the chase when the two '59 Plymouths started smacking it around. I think they only got in a few hits, but I seem to remember the Dart holding up pretty well, whereas the Plymouths seemed to buckle a bit more. Of course, it can also depend on how the cars hit each other.

berri

57-59 Ford Ranchero's were also based on the full sized cars.

berri

The front ends are a little bit much, but I actually like the lines on the body and green house - just maybe needed to be spread out on a bit larger and wider chassis.

berri

Anyone see the latest Collectible Automobile magazine? Nice article on the 1959's. The 57's have a reputation for good design, but the 59's had a lot of over the top models. In fact, Chrysler products may have been the most conservative of the Big 3 that year (as long as you didn't have the toilet seat trunk at least).

fintail

Today saw a VehiCross and a 79-83 or so Corolla sedan.

ab348

berri said:

Anyone see the latest Collectible Automobile magazine? Nice article on the 1959's. The 57's have a reputation for good design, but the 59's had a lot of over the top models. In fact, Chrysler products may have been the most conservative of the Big 3 that year (as long as you didn't have the toilet seat trunk at least).

I just bought a copy today so I'll be reading it over the next while. Found it at a supermarket - never saw it there before, usually I had to go to the biggest magazine store in town to get it.

toomanyfumes

Vacationing in New Orleans, saw a battered Vehicross and 3 Suzuki sedans. Also a sharp red BMW 633 2 door.

Michaell

Somewhat obscure, but certainly not a classic, but I've seen four (count 'em) of the old Saturn L-series wagons in the past few days.

All different, so it's not the same one I'm seeing multiple times.

Having owned an L-series sedan, I always liked the looks of the wagon. Probably just as unreliable, however.

andre1969

berri said:

Anyone see the latest Collectible Automobile magazine? Nice article on the 1959's. The 57's have a reputation for good design, but the 59's had a lot of over the top models. In fact, Chrysler products may have been the most conservative of the Big 3 that year (as long as you didn't have the toilet seat trunk at least).

Just going on style, I think my three favorite '59 models are DeSoto, Pontiac, and Mercury. I think the '59 Chrysler is more cleanly styled than the DeSoto, but seems a bit plain to me, whereas I think the more heavy-handed front-end works well on the DeSoto.

The Pontiac has a nice, modern look to it. Shave off those fins, take the kink out of the A-pillar, and it pushes domestic automotive design kicking and screaming well into the 60's. The '59 Olds isn't too bad, but I never was crazy about the widely-spaced headlights.

I think one reason I always liked the '59 Mercury is because of that crease that comes forward over the top of the wheel opening...just like a '57-58 DeSoto/Chrysler. I always liked that touch, and it's one reason I like the '61-62 Cadillac so much, as well. When handled right, I think it gives the car a sleeker, streamlined look.

berri

The 59 Mercury is kind of a unique looking car, so I suspect people either liked it or not. I liked it, but didn't care as much for the '60 makeover. When I was a kid I saw the GM 59 models at a shopping mall in the fall of 58. They were very modern looking for the times and I thought reflected the jet age, space and Sputnik focus of the time. But I think the 57 Mopar reveals were even more exciting. I've always liked the 59 Chevy flat top and I really don't know why. But I liked its looks and its interior dash. Kind of Avant Guard for the times perhaps.

Mr_Shiftright

Saw this '81 Corvette the other day. It has 16,000 original miles.

kyfdx

Not sure I can think of any 1981 model car that should have been saved..

(okay.. a couple... not that one)

Mr_Shiftright

Well look on the positive side--these "last of the C3s" are, along with the C4s, still priced at "entry-level". The '81 isn't such a bad car. That one has automatic, AC, targa top, leather interior. It's not a bad cruiser for a sunny day, and all for the price of an ordinary used car.

uplanderguy

First year for "Computer Command Control", although I'd think all the issues would have been corrected by now.

stickguy

What's that worth? 15k? I would not mind a 4 speed rubber bumper C3 as a toy.

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

First year for "Computer Command Control", although I'd think all the issues would have been corrected by now.

Or, maybe that "Computer Command Control" is the reason it only has 16K miles on it! That was also a weak spot on my grandparents' '82 Malibu Classic Estate wagon. It failed once, fresh out of warranty (12mo/12k in those days, although powertrain might have been longer), and cost $450 to fix. Then it failed again, around the 2 1/2 year mark, and that's when they traded it, without fixing it, on an '85 LeSabre.

I think about the only cars from 1981 that would really interest me are the full-sized models, or maybe a Dodge Mirada/Chrysler Cordoba. Unfortunately, with GM's midsized cars, the biggest engine you could get that year was something in the 260/265/267 range, unless you went with a wagon, which still offered the 301/305/307.

Now that I think about it though, there are some Japanese models from that timeframe I like...the small hardtop coupes like the Datsun 200SX, Mazda 626, Toyota Corolla, etc.

kyfdx

andre1969 said:

uplanderguy said:

First year for "Computer Command Control", although I'd think all the issues would have been corrected by now.

Or, maybe that "Computer Command Control" is the reason it only has 16K miles on it! That was also a weak spot on my grandparents' '82 Malibu Classic Estate wagon. It failed once, fresh out of warranty (12mo/12k in those days, although powertrain might have been longer), and cost $450 to fix. Then it failed again, around the 2 1/2 year mark, and that's when they traded it, without fixing it, on an '85 LeSabre.

I think about the only cars from 1981 that would really interest me are the full-sized models, or maybe a Dodge Mirada/Chrysler Cordoba. Unfortunately, with GM's midsized cars, the biggest engine you could get that year was something in the 260/265/267 range, unless you went with a wagon, which still offered the 301/305/307.

Now that I think about it though, there are some Japanese models from that timeframe I like...the small hardtop coupes like the Datsun 200SX, Mazda 626, Toyota Corolla, etc.

Oh.. I'd take a VW Scirocco or a Porsche 911.

omarman

Buy and hold "classic" 1981 cars with real money?
Ford Fiesta just for fun and super mpg, Eagle SX/4 (fun and weird at the same time), and I even liked the Cutlass LS notchback sedan.

Play money in hand? I still like the sharknose BMW 6 Series E24. Or a 7 Series E23 with automatic would be nice too.

kyfdx said:

Oh.. I'd take a VW Scirocco or a Porsche 911.

uplanderguy

I do have good memories of my '81 Monte Carlo, my first new car. It was that light jade over dark jade two-tone, a turquoise-ish color, inside and out, that hadn't been seen on a GM car in a decade. Even as a 22-year old, I made sure mine had a 267, as the sounds the engine in my parents' '80 Monte V6 made to me seemed like they shouldn't be coming from a car that looked like that.

V8, tilt wheel, two-tone paint, remote-control driver's mirror, intermittent wipers, Positraction, and no air. I didn't order it, but I did have my hometown dealer locate it. Originally I wanted just the dark jade color with Rally Wheels and the V8, but this one fit the bill otherwise. I remember as plain as day, the bottom of the window sticker was $8,192.

Drove it for 35K miles (did have to have the cat replaced under warranty) and it was stolen in Oct. '82. I replaced it with a solid dark jade '82 Monte V6 that I didn't like nearly as well.

ab348

I wondered why GM just didn't bring back the 265 or 283 SBC instead of developing a 267.

Mr_Shiftright

stickguy said:

What's that worth? 15k? I would not mind a 4 speed rubber bumper C3 as a toy.

I think a pristine low low miles example like that one might be worth more than $15K but yeah, you should be able to find a very nice clean driver for that or even less

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/5492967482.html

stickguy

hey, I actually like that one. Could live with the price I guess, since it sounds well cared for and sorted. Assuming it checks out as represented. Still has "style", and it is a V8 stick so will rumble. Relatively cheap fun.

Michaell

I think it's gotta be worth more as its a rare FWD Corvette!