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

Mr_Shiftright

Sure beats the Plymouth Guppy

texases

Kind of like the Marlin - take a sedan, try and put a sporty rear on it, not much success...

roadburner

texases said:

Kind of like the Marlin - take a sedan, try and put a sporty rear on it, not much success...

Or the 1st generation Charger.

texases

I'm ok with the Charger, the other 2 turned out just...odd...

benjaminh

benjaminh

ab348

texases said:

I'm ok with the Charger, the other 2 turned out just...odd...

I feel the same way. I think the difference with the Charger was that the stylists were free to taper the roofline down sooner from front to rear, whereas the Marlin stylists were forced to keep it higher in order to satisfy a decree from AMC boss Roy Abernathy that rear seat headroom be maintained, making it look awkward. The Barracuda's Valiant body just didn't work as a fastback, and the rear window, while unique, was just odd-looking.

andre1969

I went out for a walk during my lunch break, and spotted this in one of the parking lots...

It photographs fairly well, but in person was pretty rough. the passenger side was really rusty around the rear wheel opening.

xwesx

230 horsepower. Hah.

Put a CTS-V drivetrain in one of those puppies. Hahahahaha!

fintail

I wonder if it is a big bumper car shorn of its bumpers to improve looks.

I also see an 87-91 Camry in the background.

andre1969 said:

I went out for a walk during my lunch break, and spotted this in one of the parking lots...
It photographs fairly well, but in person was pretty rough. the passenger side was really rusty around the rear wheel opening.

andre1969

I didn't even notice the Camry...odd because, that's actually my favorite generation of Camry! If there is such a thing, of somebody having a "favorite generation' of a car like that!

I've noticed lately, that time seems to finally be catching up to a lot of these older Japanese cars, at least around these parts. It seemed like not that long ago, '87-91 Camrys, and especially the 92-96, were EVERYWHERE! For some reason the '97-01 never seemed at prevalent, though, although weren't sales down a bit on that model? Anyway, these cars are starting to seem more and more elusive these days.

I was thinking that too, when the other day, going up to Hershey PA, I saw a '98-02 style Accord, along the highway, with the left front wheel angled in a position Mother Nature never intended. Guessing a ball joint or tie rod or something in the suspension finally gave out? Anyway, those cars were everywhere as well, but these days, are seeming to be a bit of a rarity. It's strange how it's like you just get used to seeing them, and then you wake up one day and they're all gone!

roadburner

andre1969 said:

I went out for a walk during my lunch break, and spotted this in one of the parking lots...

It photographs fairly well, but in person was pretty rough. the passenger side was really rusty around the rear wheel opening.

It could be a 74-up; it has late plastic grilles but a pre-1972 rear bumper. Who knows? I also see non stock seats and E30 bottlecap wheels. They can rust anywhere, but at least the rear wheel arch is a relatively easy fix.

tjc78

andre1969 said:

I didn't even notice the Camry...odd because, that's actually my favorite generation of Camry! If there is such a thing, of somebody having a "favorite generation' of a car like that!

I've noticed lately, that time seems to finally be catching up to a lot of these older Japanese cars, at least around these parts. It seemed like not that long ago, '87-91 Camrys, and especially the 92-96, were EVERYWHERE! For some reason the '97-01 never seemed at prevalent, though, although weren't sales down a bit on that model? Anyway, these cars are starting to seem more and more elusive these days.

I was thinking that too, when the other day, going up to Hershey PA, I saw a '98-02 style Accord, along the highway, with the left front wheel angled in a position Mother Nature never intended. Guessing a ball joint or tie rod or something in the suspension finally gave out? Anyway, those cars were everywhere as well, but these days, are seeming to be a bit of a rarity. It's strange how it's like you just get used to seeing them, and then you wake up one day and they're all gone!

The 92-96 Camry was a handsome car, IMO still looks good today. The only off putting thing is that soooo many of them ended up with gold badging. I'm so happy that fad wore off.

I remember getting my 2000 Solara and the dealer asking me if I wanted the "gold package"... No, Thank You!

texases

And the 92-96 Camrys ran forever. My sis finally got rid of her '96.

I think they were a groundbreaking car, the equal of the US intermediate (Taurus, various GM models) in size, way better in refinement and quality.

kyfdx

texases said:

And the 92-96 Camrys ran forever. My sis finally got rid of her '96.

I think they were a groundbreaking car, the equal of the US intermediate (Taurus, various GM models) in size, way better in refinement and quality.

And yet, I still liked the previous generation better. A completely different vehicle, in size.

fintail

The car in the background could be a pre-91 as well, as I don't spot the belt buckle grille emblem. Visit the PNW, still plenty of those Camrys around, especially the 92-96. I even see coupes and wagons now and then. They are aging off, but slowly. A co-worker had one until last year, I am pretty sure he got it past 250K, but his gf crashed it. It was replaced by a Prius C that he chose only for economy.

Something I notice on 98-02 Accords, especially in dark colors, is bad paint. Dark ones seemed to start losing paint maybe a decade ago, and many look a little rough now.

uplanderguy

RE.: Early Barracudas--I kind of like them! There used to be a red '65, I think, "S" model with the wheels or wheel covers that looked like chrome reverse wheels, in town here. Hey, at least they didn't split the window in two with a big portion of the roof making a blind spot in the middle, like the '63 'Vette! LOL

At one time, the Avanti had the largest rear window in the industry, but my guess is that the Barracuda took over that position.

The Marlin--the only one I can take even a little, is the '67, hardly ever seen, which was built on the Ambassador chassis. The '65 and '66 just slap me in the face with the quarter window and proportioning. And the decklid--even former Packard stylist Dick Teague, who did the Marlin, said years later in jest, "I got paid in Marlin decklids for the job".

uplanderguy

I was thinking that too, when the other day, going up to Hershey PA, I saw a '98-02 style Accord, along the highway, with the left front wheel angled in a position Mother Nature never intended. Guessing a ball joint or tie rod or something in the suspension finally gave out?

Around here, whenever I see a car on the street with a front wheel looking like it's broken off, it is invariably a Honda.

berri

I think the 55/56 GM lineup redo probably had more impact on Pontiac than any other brand. It changed its image from an old person's car to a modern, desirable car. Pontiac was kind of dying until the 55 came out.

berri

The original Barracuda was supposed to be a sports series Valiant initially until word of the Mustang got out. I kind of thought the 2nd gen Barracuda (67-69) had a rather clean, European influenced design, but personally I'm a 70 E series Dodge Challenger fan when it comes to that era pony cars from Mopar. I like the similar Barracuda, but think the few extra inches in length carried the proportions even better.

xwesx

uplanderguy said:

I was thinking that too, when the other day, going up to Hershey PA, I saw a '98-02 style Accord, along the highway, with the left front wheel angled in a position Mother Nature never intended. Guessing a ball joint or tie rod or something in the suspension finally gave out?

Around here, whenever I see a car on the street with a front wheel looking like it's broken off, it is invariably a Honda.

Yes, in most cases it is not by accident that these are this way. It is called "stance," apparently, and its a big deal!

uplanderguy

I never liked the '67-69 Barracuda in the coupe version (with trunk). I always thought the roof looked too small for the car...like it does on the '71-73 Impala Sport Coupe. I definitely saw a lot of those Barracudas though. I can remember the "Mod Top" version. Remember some of the funky vinyl tops Mopar offered in the late sixties? I wonder how they held up over the years.

andre1969

Not the most obscure thing in the world, but I saw this, today in the morning commute...


I think the Intrigue was my favorite of the GM W-bodies in that era. It didn't seem as stuffy as a Regal or Century, but more grown up than the Grand Prix, which was doing the "Ribs & Wings" take on sportiness. I always thought the Intrigue had a pretty nice interior, as well, a bit above the typical W-body. But, alas, it wasn't enough to win over the import buyers Olds was trying to capture, and the typical Olds buyers were probably flocking to Centurys and LeSabres. Or, dare I say...Shady Pines?

ab348

The Intrigue was a really good car, at least mine was. The Shortstar engine was sweet, it handled really well, was comfortable, had great visibility and ample room. You're right in that they have mostly disappeared from the roads, though I still see an occasional one from time to time. My buddy up-country still has his 2002 that he uses mostly as a winter car now, over 100K miles on it, few problems.

uplanderguy

The Intrigue was a darling of the magazines then. I haven't seen one in a long time; thanks for posting.

I always laughed at how they simply could not have used a smaller "Oldsmobile" nameplate on the Intrigue or Aurora, LOL.

uplanderguy

Yes, in most cases it is not by accident that these are this way. It is called "stance," apparently, and its a big deal!

When I see them, they are blocking traffic....it is by accident.

Where I live, college-town NE OH, that look you're talking about hasn't exactly hit here.

uplanderguy

This is an older article, but I just saw it this morning....Harry Truman's '53 New Yorker--the one he and Bess toured around the countryside in, by themselves, after leaving the White House--survives:

https://jalopnik.com/5791608/the-secret-of-harry-trumans-lost-1953-chrysler

I love touring presidential homes and would surely like to tour his home in Independence, MO. I've heard his last car, a 1972 Chrysler Newport Royal, the lowest-priced Chrysler model that year, is still in the garage.

fintail

"Stance" is definitely a thing here, I see stuff like this now and then:



Makes me smirk when I think of our decaying roads. Not my style, but I try not to grumble too much, lest I become like the blowhards who whined about hot rods 60 years ago, or the whiners who probably moaned about lowered minitrucks 30 years ago. Fads come and go.

berri

I always thought the Intrigue was very good looking and I liked both versions of the Aurora as well. I wonder what would have happened had John Rock taken over Olds 5 or 6 years earlier? He made some progress. But the separate mid priced car market was drying up I suppose. Personally, I think GM only kept Buick for two reasons. First and foremost, China. Also, they needed a car brand to sell with GMC.

Michaell

I always tried to get an Intrigue when renting.

I remember having one in Boston, on a trip where my family joined me. Took a day and went to the Mystic Aquarium. Nice sized, comfortable and good ergonomics inside.

tjc78

I was really close on buying an Intrique back in 98.   The dealer cut me a deal on a loaded 88 I couldn’t pass up.  

That car was a total lemon so in hindsight I should have gotten what I wanted 

ab348

uplanderguy said:

The Intrigue was a darling of the magazines then. I haven't seen one in a long time; thanks for posting.

I always laughed at how they simply could not have used a smaller "Oldsmobile" nameplate on the Intrigue or Aurora, LOL.

In '98 they had no Oldsmobile badging on the outside at all, just their then-new logo. In '99 (I think) they had a small badge spelling out "Oldsmobile" on the trunk, and in later years it was made larger.

fintail

On the road today: Malibu Maxx SS (pretty sure the same one), 89-93 DeVille, Infiniti G20, MB W220 S55 AMG and C215 CL55 AMG (not common and will eventually be rare due to complexity)

stickguy

I saw a Maxx out on the road not long ago, but don't think it was an SS. I did see an HHR SS though. that lives near me.

sda

ab348 said:

uplanderguy said:

The Intrigue was a darling of the magazines then. I haven't seen one in a long time; thanks for posting.

I always laughed at how they simply could not have used a smaller "Oldsmobile" nameplate on the Intrigue or Aurora, LOL.

In '98 they had no Oldsmobile badging on the outside at all, just their then-new logo. In '99 (I think) they had a small badge spelling out "Oldsmobile" on the trunk, and in later years it was made larger.

The '98 did have Oldsmobile on the rear, it was hidden in the clear back up light (tail light), it was part of the light and very easy to miss. My '00 GL which was an early '00 build had the script in the tail light as well as the small Oldsmobile badge on the right side of the trunk lid. Later models got the larger Olds script. I really liked my Intrigue. It was a well balanced and nice looking car.

tjc78

While on the Intrigue, the Alero was also nicer than the Malibu and Grand Am at the time. When I traveled heavy I got those as rentals a lot. For the time it wasn’t a bad car. The interior was very different than other GMs of the era. They even used different radio headunits that looked more like the import double-DIN size rather than the 1.5 DIN GM used for 100 years.

ab348

I also had an Alero as a rental and quite liked it, especially with the V6. Unfortunately I saw the concept car in 1997 when I was in Lansing for the Olds Centennial, and the translation to production was a real letdown. This thing was just stunning.

ab348

You need to forgive the author of this piece, as he is clearly a millenial and does not appreciate these things.

Courtesy cars at the Masters have come a long way from this hideous station wagon

uplanderguy

I remember when Arnie did commercials for Cadillac.

Pretty predictable, the mindset of the writer.

fintail

Note to self: Don't read Golf Digest for automotive insight I know numerous millennial car enthusiasts who like malaise era metal and traditional wagons, especially 90s era Roadmasters.

I think the mystery "brown car" in the link is a Cutlass Ciera, and no way is the white DeVille below it a 90, judging by it and the rounded car behind it, more like mid-late 90s.

ab348 said:

You need to forgive the author of this piece, as he is clearly a millenial and does not appreciate these things.

bhill2

ab348 said:

You need to forgive the author of this piece, as he is clearly a millenial and does not appreciate these things.

Courtesy cars at the Masters have come a long way from this hideous station wagon

My guess is that he is disturbed by the cars being painted in actual colors (although he seems to like Arnie's red Caddy droptop; go figure).

fintail

I saw a 78-80 Monte Carlo in traffic today, sadly, it had suffered a car fire, and backed up 405 for a bit. Car is on the right, of course an old Corolla with no hubcaps was trying to get in the way, the kind of car I steer cleer of:

https://youtu.be/CQ7gc6xb5Q8

Also spotted the same red 2nd gen Paseo convertible I saw a few weeks ago, has to be insanely rare now.

Mr_Shiftright

Found one for you!

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/d/toyota-paseo-1997-clean-title/6725792610.html

fintail

Unicorn. Not many could have sold when new.

boomchek

fintail said:

Unicorn. Not many could have sold when new.

Wow. I never knew (or forgot) that Paseos were ever sold as a convertible model.

boomchek

fintail said:

On the road today: Malibu Maxx SS (pretty sure the same one), 89-93 DeVille, Infiniti G20, MB W220 S55 AMG and C215 CL55 AMG (not common and will eventually be rare due to complexity)

I used to see a lot of C215's in Vancouver a few years ago, not so much anymore. One time at the used car lot I worked at we happened to have one CL55's for sale, plus one owned by one of the sales guys, and a customer happened to pull up in a CL600 with the unique triangle shaped wheels. So 3 of them happened to converge at once.



Funny thing though is I don't think they aged that well, especially the interior. At one time years ago it was one of my dream cars, but working in the car business and seeing a few of them come through work, the desire has worn off for me.

I much prefer the newer C216. I had one at work that I took out for a night out a few times and it just has so much presence either parked or on the road, that it's still one of my favorites.

boomchek

ab348 said:

I also had an Alero as a rental and quite liked it, especially with the V6. Unfortunately I saw the concept car in 1997 when I was in Lansing for the Olds Centennial, and the translation to production was a real letdown. This thing was just stunning.

Concepts always look nicer than production models. When I first saw the sunfire concept I thought GM got it right, until the production model came out.

boomchek

uplanderguy said:

The Intrigue was a darling of the magazines then. I haven't seen one in a long time; thanks for posting.

I always laughed at how they simply could not have used a smaller "Oldsmobile" nameplate on the Intrigue or Aurora, LOL.

Oldsmobile (along with many other auto makers) used to send me promotional materials in the late 90s including this trick 3d slideshow viewer of the Intrigue which I still have (but doesn't work anymore ).





For me being 20 years old, I actually liked the Intrigue design, but I ended up leasing a new Civic anyways

boomchek

fintail said:

"Stance" is definitely a thing here, I see stuff like this now and then:



Makes me smirk when I think of our decaying roads. Not my style, but I try not to grumble too much, lest I become like the blowhards who whined about hot rods 60 years ago, or the whiners who probably moaned about lowered minitrucks 30 years ago. Fads come and go.

I feel the same way. Not sure if I'm just getting old and don't see the point of modifying a car to that extent, and instead spending money on something that matters, or if I just don't like the new trends and style. I do like when cars are lowered an inch or two as it gives any car a more aggressive stance, but this crooked wheel thing I just don't get.

uplanderguy

I've had a number of Lordstown-built econoboxes over the years, but my favorite for styling was my 2002 Cavalier coupe. I liked the full-teardrop quarter window of the Cavalier better than the Sunfire's clipped quarter window. (The Sunfire above reminded me.)

It had these wheels and subtle spoiler, and 5-speed, but kbb got the 2002 green color wrong. It was a new-for-'02, dark emerald green:
https://www.kbb.com/chevrolet/cavalier/2002/

Probably my favorite econobox I've owned. My girls were starting to complain how they didn't like getting into the back seat though. Good car too. At 105K my younger B-I-L drove it and said "I was expecting a POS. It drives fine".

Perception isn't always reality.