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

uplanderguy

I bought a '15 Equinox LS with 26K miles for my daughter to replace the Cruze which she had for five weeks. She's paying the difference. The insurance company's adjuster absolutely rankled me with his written offer on my wreck--he offered $1,200 less than I had paid three months earlier (originally bought for my other daughter) and with just about 3,000 miles since purchase. He had three 'like' cars, two of which were at dealers near me and in fact I had seen the one car in person. He had $600+ deductions for 'condition' adjustment for each 'like' car, to 'bring it down to mine'. I told him I'd meet him at the Impound Lot and we could walk around the car and look for nicks and such on the undamaged panels--there were no such nicks. I reminded him that I bought it at a dealer and not from a guy down the street. I got kicked upstairs and said, "Let's look at Edmunds TMV, NADA, and Kelley Blue Book for my zip. I know this as I have bought two '15 Cruze LS's this summer--one cannot be bought for your offer within 200 miles of my zip". The supervisor acquiesced and gave me four dollars less than I paid, quite fair.

I won't mention the company, but let's say it's named after a city in Pennsylvania.

I expect an adjuster to work for me, not be like a slimy used car salesman.

I kept the Equinox in our garage for a week, all cleaned up from the dealer--when my petite daughter first got out of it, a plastic piece of trim down at the bottom left side of the driver's seat came off. I couldn't find anything that broke, but I couldn't get it to fit back in, either. That irritated me, as I know she'll just leave it that way rather than have it fixed under the original warranty. If it had happened on my watch, I'd have had it back to the dealer already, LOL.

iluvmysephia1

And rightly so, uplander!

uplanderguy

RE: That Caddy from LMAD--I know it's about whatever you were most used-to back then, but I sure think the Caddys, as extreme as they were, were better-styled than concurrent Lincolns. I think HFII liked that blunt-front, slab-sided look at the time.

uplanderguy

I have bought five cars this year, sigh. Hope I'm done!

In GM's, I prefer a 2015 to a 2016, as the powertrain warranty is 40K miles longer.

The Equinox we bought was first delivered in Aug. 2015, so has a fair amount of the factory bumper-to-bumper warranty left. The one right next to it was delivered in Nov. 2014 and was only $100 less. I went for the most-remaining warranty. Of course, original in-service date is on the Carfax, plus I had the dealer's service writer (whom I know) run the VIN to verify and look for other stuff. When shopping for my one used Cruze, the dealer could tell that one I was considering had body work done at a Chevy dealer's shop. That was not on the Carfax.

xwesx

uplanderguy said:

The supervisor acquiesced and gave me four dollars less than I paid, quite fair.

I won't mention the company, but let's say it's named after a city in Pennsylvania.

I expect an adjuster to work for me, not be like a slimy used car salesman.

I'm glad that you were able to get them to come around to a reasonable amount, uplander! I also had a helluva time with our 2010 Forester. Their "local comparisons" were a complete joke. Like you, they were about $1,200 under a fair price. I tried everything I could to get them to see that the amount I suggested was entirely reasonable. They came up a measly $400. In order to get it to pencil out, I eventually just had to buy it back from them for about $1,200, then turned around and sold it for $2,000 (without all of my modifications on it, which also saved me money when we replaced it with a like vehicle).

PF_Flyer

From my mid-week matinee. I remember when it looked like this was going to be "the thing to do". Thankfully sanity prevailed

berri

Thanks for helping the economy Uplander

stickguy

But it adds so much trunk space!

uplanderguy

Well berri, only one was new. The others were a Studebaker and three 2015 Chevys, LOL. The new one was built just 40 miles down the road.

ab348

stickguy said:

But it adds so much trunk space!

Plus it makes it far easier to judge where the front of the car is when parking!

fintail

On foot going to lunch today, saw a fairly immaculate looking first gen Integra 5-door, and a first gen Camry 5-door.

ab348

Parked nose to nose with an fairly pristine mid/late '80s Dodge Aries "Super K" wagon today. Was exactly like one my Dad had in that era that he bought new, right down to the color (dark red). Amazed at how clean and solid this one was, haven't seen one as good here in a long time. I was grinning as I walked around it, surprised at how big it seemed. A very useful vehicle, still surprised how wagons of that size are no longer popular.

fintail

Was a Super K some kind of special model? Maybe a turbo? I don't recall that model name being used in Yankeeland.

xwesx

PF_Flyer said:

From my mid-week matinee. I remember when it looked like this was going to be "the thing to do". Thankfully sanity prevailed

Major League, IIRC. Willy Mays Hayes!

stickguy

passed one of those bug body kit cars today. This one was something like a 32 Willys or something.

fintail

I remember the 40 Ford conversions were big too, I think I have seen more of those than the Rolls-Royce ones.

ab348

fintail said:

Was a Super K some kind of special model? Maybe a turbo? I don't recall that model name being used in Yankeeland.

Up here at least, Super K was what Chrysler called the refresh of the K-car that happened for the 1985 model year.

fintail

Funny, I have no memory of that. Of course, I was 8 in 1985

Looks like it was a thing, there's a bit of content online referring to it:



My brother's first car was a yellowish 85 K-car that my dad bought from an estate. I remember a few years before, my sister wanted a K-Car woody wagon for her first car (and she ended up with a Dodge Rampage via my dad, looks like he had Mopars of that era on his mind).

ab348 said:

Up here at least, Super K was what Chrysler called the refresh of the K-car that happened for the 1985 model year.

uplanderguy

My '66 Studebaker, bought in April with 25,797 miles, has been somewhat of a challenge its first season. Once after a cruise-in it would crank but not start, for a good ten minutes....then, fine.

I took it to a nearby exhaust shop to replace the original exhaust. I have subsequently had two leaks which they repaired free, grumpily.

They called this last time to say they couldn't get it started.

I went there, got it started, and it ran terribly the entire ten miles home--'chugging' and vibrating upon acceleration. Only other experience I'd ever had in a car like this was when my '85 Celebrity Eurosport needed plug wires.

A buddy of mine who has an Avanti II, a '70 Coupe deVille, a '97 Corvette, and a 2000-something Jag sedan, put plugs, points, and wires on it. One spark plug wire was very burnt, which he blamed on sloppy work by the exhaust shop. That's why it ran fine there but barely ran on the way home. I'm done with that place.

He says it's not getting gas in the carb when cranking, so probably needs a fuel pump and/or carb work.

It's a 283 Chevy engine from the factory.

He's out at Hershey now but says he'll test fuel pump pressure when he gets back.

Anybody else here at Hershey this week? I'd have loved to, but have missed enough work lately with the two car accidents in our family in 3 1/2 mos.

uplanderguy

"Super K"--can't say I remember that, but I wasn't a Mopar guy. I did get K's for rental cars pretty often back then. I actually preferred Omnis and Horizons as they didn't quite have the "Grandpa" look, LOL.

The "Super" marketing reminds me of Chevy calling the Citation, "Citation II" starting in '84.

fintail

Too bad about the Stude hiccups, but maybe some parts just act up after 50+ years and maybe long dormant periods. I am sure it can be solved relatively easy and probably without huge expense.

I remember Citation II branding, too.

uplanderguy

I came quite close to buying a new '85 Citation X-11, in May of '85, when rumors were out about the X-cars' demise. I knew they were mechanically identical to a Celebrity Eurosport with a 2.8 MFI and even had the same wheelbase, but could be bought for less. Back then I was a bachelor and bought new every three years, so was worried about resale value. I instead ordered a two-door Celebrity Eurosport with aluminum wheels and 2.8 MFI V6, in a solid dark plum color with matching interior. It was unusual in that most of those cars that plum color were silver below the body side moldings.

ab348

Dad actually bought two new Super K Aries cars in '85 the same day, a wagon for him and a 4-door sedan for his GF. Both dark red. He was living large in those days. This was after he wrapped his '82 Omega Brougham around a telephone pole. They were both good cars although he drove the wagon over a concrete parking lot stop he didn't know was in front of him and punctured the sump, or maybe tore it off, not sure.

fintail

Good one today, parked at a Quick Lube place, a Chevette. 4/5 door, white, facelift rear but script nameplate and chrome grille, I will guess 1980-81. Looked to be in OK condition.

berri

One of the things I enjoy if driving in the PNW or NoCal is all the old, and sometimes unexpected, daily drivers out there.

fintail

Oh yeah, I saw the Volvo Amazon/122 wagon that someone DDs in nice weather, too.

Mr_Shiftright

I see old cars on the road every day. I really enjoy that. It's like living in Cuba, but 300X more expensive.

kyfdx

On our recent visit to the PNW, I was pretty amazed at what I saw on a daily basis. So much, that I can't recall the details now. (Portland has a lot of craft beer)

fintail

I like that Cuba comparison. Only 250x as expensive here

xwesx

I certainly noted that when I drove my '69 C20 from Anchorage, down to Oregon, across to Pennsylvania, and back to Anchorage in 1999. Once we hit the midwest (Chicago) area, we were the oldest vehicle on the road by about twenty years. Seeing anything that wasn't a '90s model was notably rare.

omarman

Seems like the cost of living here compared to Cuba tips over when you put the cost of cars in your budget. Search the Cuban Revolico (CL type ads) and expect the worst.

This 2014 VW PASSAT may be "PERFECTO ESTADO" but the asking precio is 110,000 CUC.

2009 TOYOTA CAMRY looks nice, but not 100,000 nice! That's not pesos, right?

edit to add: so a cuban peso is CUP and a cuban convertible peso is CUC but it all still adds up to crazy money in USD for ordinary cam-cord transportation.

Mr_Shiftright

I wonder how much a '55 Olds costs over there? Of course, you might pay extra for the Russian tank engine that's been installed, but....

fintail

I wonder what one can get on the the black market exchange rate.

Cool site though! That one is going to consume some time for me. Lots of Hyundai engines in the old timers, and more Ladas than I imagined.

omarman said:

Seems like the cost of living here compared to Cuba tips over when you put the cost of cars in your budget. Search the Cuban Revolico (CL type ads) and expect the worst.

This 2014 VW PASSAT may be "PERFECTO ESTADO" but the asking precio is 110,000 CUC.

2009 TOYOTA CAMRY looks nice, but not 100,000 nice! That's not pesos, right?

edit to add: so a cuban peso is CUP and a cuban convertible peso is CUC but it all still adds up to crazy money in USD for ordinary cam-cord transportation.

fintail

Spotted on foot today in downtown Bellevue - a Henry J. Yes, one of those. With talk about the odd cars on the road here, a real unicorn came out for a drive today.

berri

IIRC Sears actually sold the Allstate which was a version of the Henry J back then.

uplanderguy

No exterior decklids on those cars. I like 'em because they're so low-production.

Mr_Shiftright

A great many Henry Js became hot rods.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

A great many Henry Js became hot rods.

Yep.

Mr_Shiftright

You gotta love it.

fintail

Long drive yesterday, now east of the mountains. Of course, many odd sightings. Highlights were an 80s looking MB truck converted into a motorhome, slowly moving along I90 just before the Columbia River. I was going to get a clip of it, but forgot when clearing my dashcam. Lots of old cars over here - saw a 66-67 Chevelle decked out like a vintage racer, a 58-59 Plymouth wagon (maybe a 2-door, couldn't see but it looked very basic), several late 40s-early 50s era domestic cars and trucks sitting in fields where they have probably been for 40 years

Mr_Shiftright

If you go NE out of San Francisco, you reach the "Delta"--estuaries of the mighty Sacramento River (and it is mighty). The Delta region is literally like going back to the 1950s--old farms, fishing shacks, dilapidated little harbors under the willows, and hundreds of rusty old cars strewn out on the flatlands, like wrecked ships on a reef. I've even seen old boats out in the fields, some of considerable size, probably left there when they built a new levee and drained the area. Not too many tourists get up there but they should. It's a popular boating destination though. You can go miles and miles through the myriad sloughs (don't get lost!).

ab348

Found these on This Was Americar on FB, posting for @fintail. These are two different vehicles:

ab348

A local fellow on FB was looking for a Olds Toronado project. I told him of one I was aware of not far from me that has been parked in a guy's driveway under a tarp for at least 10 years, maybe 20. He sent me a message today - he went to the house, knocked on the door, the guy wouldn't answer. He knew he was home, apparently could see/hear movement, but the guy was reclusive. He took some pics of the tarp-covered car anyway, says he is not giving up. Good luck with that. I can only imagine how awful it is under that tarp.

Mr_Shiftright

A tarp is the WORST way to store a car. You'd be better off just leaving it open and shielding the windows.

Not only does the tarp trap moisture, it also causing the moisture to actually BOIL under the heat of the sun. If you've ever seen an old car with hundreds of little pimples in the paint--that's tarp burn.

The moisture also gets trapped underneath, if there is no air to circulate under the chassis, causing flash rust (or worse) on the frame and suspension parts.

Add to that the fun rodents have in dark, moist environments.

berri

Save that 60 Ford wagon for Fintail!

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

A tarp is the WORST way to store a car. You'd be better off just leaving it open and shielding the windows.

Not only does the tarp trap moisture, it also causing the moisture to actually BOIL under the heat of the sun. If you've ever seen an old car with hundreds of little pimples in the paint--that's tarp burn.

The moisture also gets trapped underneath, if there is no air to circulate under the chassis, causing flash rust (or worse) on the frame and suspension parts.

Add to that the fun rodents have in dark, moist environments.

Looking at the pics again, it may be a car cover. But still...

jwm40517

RB Re the Henry J drag car model car picture, I saw a real one like that at a local show in East Ky Friday night. Straight axle, big block Chevy, chrome fuel tank in front, period correct decals.

explorerx4

I knew immediately the second wagon was Mass state police. The color pattern and scheme are still the same.

stickguy

went to the other side of Philly today for a picnic, and took the back roads. Street parked was an early (pre-64) Corvair 4 door. Looked to be in fair shape, and likely original. I assume it runs and drives based on being parked along a main street in parallel parking spot.

Mr_Shiftright

ab348 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

A tarp is the WORST way to store a car. You'd be better off just leaving it open and shielding the windows.

Not only does the tarp trap moisture, it also causing the moisture to actually BOIL under the heat of the sun. If you've ever seen an old car with hundreds of little pimples in the paint--that's tarp burn.

The moisture also gets trapped underneath, if there is no air to circulate under the chassis, causing flash rust (or worse) on the frame and suspension parts.

Add to that the fun rodents have in dark, moist environments.

Looking at the pics again, it may be a car cover. But still...

Often just as bad. You can still get "cover burn".