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

17197207227247251306

Comments

  • bhill2bhill2 Member Posts: 2,598
    Michaell said:

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

    And the conversion is undetectable.

    2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    A Cor-dorado? An Eldorvette?
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,866
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I don't think he's gonna fall for it Up. :D
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    lol, what a story.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The photo was funny, though.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,866
    I think this is a very nice wagon, although when I was younger I didn't like a station wagon with fender skirts. I wonder what it'll bring. It seems like such an outlier among collector cars, it's a real wild card I think.

    https://www.mecum.com/lot-detail/SC0516-240685/0/1975-Oldsmobile-Custom-Cruiser-Wagon/Automatic/

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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,356
    quite the barge. and certainly a time warp machine. I love the options list, some of the stuff that is optional. My favorite I think on this beast is the $24 "fuel economy meter". Did it even need to bother going into double digits?

    I remember a friend in HS family had a clamshell Chevy version of this.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,419
    Clamshells have interest around them, and that option load can't be common. I bet it brings some healthy interest for a car that wasn't worth much not long ago.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Weren't those clam shell tailgates kind of problem plagued?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited April 2016
    crazy low miles, too.

    This looks like the same car, which apparently didn't sell yet at $18K

    http://www.gertonautosales.com/vehicle-details/1975-oldsmobile-custom-cruiser-9-passenger-wagon-3b81ef6837e14e48a90e8c57d151fdeb/

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,866
    I had heard that the power tailgate which slid under the floor could sometimes bind. I don't know if they got that figured out later in the run, like this one, or not.

    I remember Chevy used to advertise that you could open the tailgate without unhitching a trailer.

    Chevy used to offer a manual tailgate, although the window was always power (of course).
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,866
    That is definitely the same car. I wonder if those bumper rub strips are still available--since there's a chunk out of the one in the front. Probably not. ;)

    Still, I like the car. Different, and mostly original. And like they say, "they're only original once".
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    It is a nice old car. All they have to do to sell it is to price it reasonably, as befits its pedigree.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,419
    edited April 2016
    What's real world on that, assuming it is as nice as it looks? Low teens, 10-15K?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Maybe $10K, if it totally checks out. $8500 to be sure of getting out of it alive. It's not really that nice if you look closely at underside and engine bay. It's not much to get excited about either, so you'd really want to have one of these for a curiousity.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,287
    Make sure you have a big garage. That thing is 19 1/2 feet long and over 5000 lbs.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited April 2016
    Don't laugh--that is often a factor in how hard it is to sell a "classic" car. Generally, the bigger it is, the harder the sell.

    Or, as Top Gear viewed it: ( I think far too harshly, but he had some good points).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjzpx_jUUA0
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,356
    well, he has a point.

    and somewhere, TJC sheds a tear.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,287
    Good thing he was driving the downsized version.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,866
    edited April 2016
    That chunk out of the bumper rub strip on that Olds, left front corner, just slaps me in the face. I'd bet that's probably unobtainium. Still, what an interesting, original car. I'd take the patina of it being unrestored, over it having been painted underhood, etc. I know a couple low-mileage '60's Pontiac Bonneville wagons we'd discussed here before were both bid well into the 20's, but I know there isn't the love for '70's wagons like that. I couldn't even venture a guess as I can't imagine there's much if any history of such a low-mile Custom Cruiser being sold lately. I'll be interested to look after Mecum to see. Of course, as we always say, the big auctions sometimes bring out stupid prices.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Whatever Mecum brings, don't forget to deduct 15% auction fees + seller's transport costs. So a $12,000 result is probably $9500 in the seller's pocket.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,866
    Fees are usually spelled out in the auction results.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    But not deducted, unless they list a "hammer price" as well.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,866
    That's right, of course.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Yeah if you're going to follow the auction, let us know how it turns out. I've seen 60s and early 70s wagons sell for pretty good money at various auctions, but not late 70s. It's all about what's under the hood, you know.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,287

    That chunk out of the bumper rub strip on that Olds, left front corner, just slaps me in the face. I'd bet that's probably unobtainium.

    I don't think those were commonly stocked by dealers and GM would have tossed any spares long ago, so I suspect you are looking at a junkyard part at best. If memory serves they are a PITA to replace too, requiring the bumper to be removed, then a whole bunch of fiddly push-on fasteners to be wrestled with. That would be times two (if not more) for the pain of removing it at the junkyard.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • omarmanomarman Member Posts: 2,702
    I'm liking the Leno solution: 3D scanner and 3D printer. Leno states that he's currently "scanning a Duesenberg body." I don't suppose he's lending out those tools for restoring old station wagons though.
    ab348 said:

    That chunk out of the bumper rub strip on that Olds, left front corner, just slaps me in the face. I'd bet that's probably unobtainium.

    I don't think those were commonly stocked by dealers and GM would have tossed any spares long ago, so I suspect you are looking at a junkyard part at best. If memory serves they are a PITA to replace too, requiring the bumper to be removed, then a whole bunch of fiddly push-on fasteners to be wrestled with. That would be times two (if not more) for the pain of removing it at the junkyard.

    A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,419
    Out on the road today, saw a first gen Camaro, a ~66 Bonneville 2 door HT, a green Nash Metropolitan convertible, a couple R107 SLs, and a nicely kept 79-83 Toyota 4x4.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,356
    an early 90s Cavalier. Quite odd seeing one of those around here now, considering not really that old and how many they sold.

    man, they look so small now. probably because sit so low with big windows.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,419
    Highlights from the auction (pics from their listings):

    This was pretty clean:

    image

    A little rough but not rusty:

    image

    I kind of liked this thing - they started it and it ran smooth:

    image

    That'll buff right out:

    image

    This was pretty clean, dash pad was flawless. It's weird to think that Accords are 40 years old:

    image
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,866
    I liked those LeSabre coupes back when...and I liked the four-headlight iteration better than the later one with one long rectangular headlight on each side. I even like that car with the aftermarket wheels.

    Man, where I live, I have not seen that generation Accord, in that condition, for probably 35 years. That's no joke. They routinely had holes at the top of the fenders.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,419
    edited April 2016
    Here's a couple more listing pics of the LeSabre - there was an odd "Limited Edition" badge on the bumper:

    image

    Interior pics weren't very detailed. 80s version of bordello red, I guess. Indicated 95K and it was well kept for those:

    image

    The Accord had the beginnings of rust cropping up at the passenger A-pillar. Terrible place for it, but that speaks to the gentle climate here. The interior wasn't completely decomposed, making me think it is a local car.

  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 16,961
    edited April 2016
    I've seen that piece on the Town Car, like another poster mentioned he should have driven a 70s model....makes the 86 he was driving seem like a race car.

    2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic

  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    That Chevy LUV - I don't remember seeing a step side compact pickup before...
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,735
    '72 TR-6?

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  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,735
    I like the LUV stepside. Very cool. And, of course, the Accord!

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  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    I like both of those Buick greenhouses Fin.

    Up, that black LeSabre reminds me a bit of a T type?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    No, I would say that TR-6 is a 1975, based on the rubber bumpers and the British flag decal and the word "Triumph" now below the bumper. Could also be a '76 for all I know. Can't tell just from one photo.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited April 2016
    @kyfdx, beats me, just a Triumph I spotted today (this isn't Mystery Car Pics, lol). Looked like a fun ride and today was a top down day too. I was at a light and it was parked a bit of a ways away across the street, and that's about the best I could do without pulling into the parking lot and getting some interest from the cops. :)

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,356
    oh man, I want that LUV. Bad. If that is a stick, I would have just bought it and figured out what to do with it later. Can't imagine it went for that much. Do they list sale prices?

    so probably a good thing it is 4,000 miles from here!

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,709
    I'll say the TR-6 is a 1974.

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,735
    Is that a rubber bumper car? I see the extensions, but those don't look like the 5 mph bumpers from later cars. (I reserve the right to be totally wrong).

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,419
    edited April 2016
    Yep the Luv was a stick. Here's another pic - it apparently sold, it is de-listed now, for whatever reason, the place doesn't list selling prices:

    Here's the old listing

    And a final run fintail that I should have bought, it was immaculate other than it hadn't run in 25 years and apparently was seized
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,356
    I love that LUV. I would have gone nuts bidding. Even already a "hot rod" since someone dropped in a V6, and real seats. Looks really nice. Dang.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Could be a '74. I'd need to see more of the car---Steve, get on it.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,866
    edited April 2016
    When the LUV came out, I thought it was fairly nicely-styled, but even as a teenager I had a hard time getting past the fact that it was an Isuzu! LOL

    Maybe this was a subconscious thing at first, but I always thought the slant or slope of the cut the rear of the door window reminded me of Studebaker Champ pickups.

    I have a foggy memory of that stepside look being available from Chevy on LUVS, a couple or three years maybe after they were first introduced, but I wouldn't wager a bet on that.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • omarmanomarman Member Posts: 2,702
    Taken from online archive of "Commercial news for the foreign service" dated 1977

    STEP SIDE CONVERSION KITS FOR MINI-TRUCKS — According
    to the manufacturer, the $395 (FOB point of manufacture)
    Step Side Pick-up Bed Conversion Kit is a less expensive
    replacement than stock pick-up beds for Datsun, Toyota,
    Ford, Courier, Chevrolet Luv and 4-cylinder Mazda mini-
    trucks. The kit is a simple bolt-on accessory, attaching
    directly to the stock bed mounting frame. The bed and
    tailgate are heavy-gauge, cold-rolled steel with an integrally
    welded, corrugated steel floor and are finished in automotive
    primer. Fenders and steps are constructed of high strength
    reinforced fiberglass. All mounting hardware and instructions
    are provided. The kits are designed for fleet or individual
    owners as well as auto customizers, builders and salesmen.
    Dealer inquiries are also invited. WRITE: Jerry Nichols,
    California Step Side Manufacturing, Inc., Dept. CN, P.O.
    Box 60249, Sunnyvale, California 94088 U.S.A.
    A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,866
    I seem to remember a factory or dealer-authorized stepside bed for LUV's, but again, I could be wrong. That pic of the LUV that was posted above appeared to have rear fenders patterned after the full-size Chevy and GMC trucks of the same years.
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This discussion has been closed.