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

tjc78

I never really had a problem with any of the GM whales. The rear 1/4 of the Roadmaster was a bit much but I thought they were all good looking for the largest cars on the road at the time

uplanderguy

Looking for something else, just stumbled on this televised road test of a '84 Caprice Classic sedan. I'm surprised at their comments about the cornering, particularly since it looks that this example does NOT have the F-41 Sport Suspension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmXtwzFUjnU

ab348

fintail said:

The late run Fleetwoods with composite lights looked off to me, the flush lights being too modern for the rest of the design. The 80s ones were the most cohesive. There's a later box Fleetwood sitting under a tree on my jogging route, obviously parked there for a long time, surprised nobody has claimed it.

I remember when the 93 was new, along with the aero large GMs already in production, I thought it was way too "whale" like, but I am fine with it now. Time can cure the shock of a design. Those cars now make me think of Morty Seinfeld.

I agree with you on the composite headlights on those box Caddys. A step backwards in terms of design.

On the Orca GM fullsizers, I either did not know or just forgot that the Caprice came out for '91 but the Caddys held off for a couple of years. None of the Orcas looked good to me then or now, just a huge mistake by GM Design.

andre1969

The Roadmaster held off a bit as well. As I recall, the '91 Caprice came out early in the model year. As a result, if you look up sales statistics, it looks like it was a pretty good hit, compared to the outgoing, squared-off 1990. But when you factor in that the new one had an extra long selling season, it doesn't look so impressive.

The Roadmaster wagon also came out for '91, as did the Olds Custom Cruiser. But, the Roadmaster sedan didn't come out until 1992. I don't know if the sedan had an extra long first year, but it sold pretty well initially, but then fell off fast for '93.

uplanderguy

I saw my first '91 Caprice in late Dec. '89, but I think that might've been a special fleet deal or something. The first car I saw had a company name on the door. The wagon came out later in the '91 model year.

The LTZ model was Motor Trend's '91 COTY, but even though it had a 350 engine and the big tires and suspension bits standard, I did not like at all that it could only be had with blackwalls.

Weird that there was the Custom Cruiser, when no sedan was ever offered.

I did like that there were wagons, which Ford retired before their '92 CV's.

uplanderguy

9K mile '92 Eldorado on BaT.

I always wanted to like these cars, but they left me cold.

Still, always a fan of a low-mileage original, and you sure don't see them around much.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-cadillac-eldorado-4/

andre1969

Yeah, I thought the Custom Cruiser was odd as well. Maybe the Olds dealers lobbied for it. Plus, they didn't do much to differentiate it from the Caprice/Roadmaster wagons, so it didn't cost much to cobble it together. Still, they only sold 7,663 in 1991 and 4,347 in 1992, so it was kind of, why bother? I kind of liked them, though.

Pontiac retired its Safari (they dropped the "Parisenne" from it starting in 1987 I believe) after 1989, so it didn't even make it to 1990 like the other three wagons did. But, the Parisienne didn't really fit Pontiac's image anymore, so I think they made the right decision in not trying to badge-engineer the new wagon into a Pontiac as well.

ab348

The last-gen Custom Cruiser wasn't even marketed in Canada. Nor was the sad Olds Cutlass version of the FWD Malibu.

fintail

There's a Custom Cruiser a couple blocks from me, appears to be in ok condition, but it is sitting outside and I think has been for awhile. The S-10 Blazer has been outside for at least a decade:

uplanderguy

I always thought it was odd that the '77-79 Custom Cruiser didn't have the square wheel openings the other full-size Oldsmobiles had. Similarly, '80 and later Buick Estate Wagons had round wheel openings, unlike the other body styles.

explorerx4

I've been watching a bunch of these Bob Mayar car reviews. They are short.
Fiat Strada. I assume the reviewed car are from a press fleet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqfcJ_PWLk8

uplanderguy

I've seen a few Stradas over the years, but our hometown didn't even have a VW or Toyota dealer back then, yet a Fiat dealer, LOL.

You gotta wonder how Fiat, or the dealer, allowed a car with the steering wheel so far off-center, so obvious, to find its way to a TV reviewer. Anyone would've commented on that, of course.

I know the late '70's were a period of high inflation, but the window sticker of my Dad's '77 Impala coupe, V8 but no air, was $5,503. That was a $6K Fiat.

andre1969

When I first read "steering wheel so far off center", I was thinking at first about how some cars actually have the steering column a bit off-center, compared to the driver's seat. My '76 LeMans is like that, and I seem to recall the Toyota Tacoma, when it "grew up" (2005 MY) was like that.

But yeah, watching him drive, it looks like that steering wheel is off, about 90 degrees! However, it also looks to me, like the steering wheel is off center, compared to the driving position. Unless it's just the camera angle...
As for that pricing? I just checked my Consumer Guide auto encyclopedia. In 1979, that $5242 base price would put you in range of a Malibu Classic 4-door sedan. An Impala sedan would have been $5,928 base price, with the inline-6, a bit lower than that Strada as it was equipped. Granted, the Impala would have been a stripper, but would have at least had an automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes at that price. So, that Fiat definitely wasn't cheap. But, the domestics had become such experts at building bigger cars to a lower price, it was probably hard for a smaller company, or a more limited production car, to really be able to compete on price.

ab348

I remember we had a Fiat dealer locally in the ‘60s and early ‘70s but I don’t recall if they lasted long enough to provide us with the Strata. Do not recall seeing them around here. Don’t think they would have lasted too long here in the rust belt with that thin steel. Interesting that Bob didn’t make any editorial comment on his opinion of the car despite the problems it showed.

stickguy

only Strada I remember in person is when I was in HS in the 70's. A teacher had one. The "cool" teacher (I recall he had been in Vietnam, and had a Camaro earlier in my HS days.) Probably related to one of the gas crisis's, but the Fiat replaced the Camaro. What a poor, poor decision!

fintail

I think most Strada were off the road by the time I was a kid - I've only seen a couple, and they probably aged better here than elsewhere. I also recall seeing one on an old TPiR. They did have a kind of cool avantgarde Euro design, and at least there could be optioned with cool wheels.

fintail

Saw a 5 door 1st gen Mercury Tracer in traffic today

uplanderguy

RE.: Fiat--when we visited Italy in 2010, our tourguide on the bus pointed out the Fiat plant and mentioned the Agnellis. I said to my wife, "Fix It Again, Tony" and the tourguide then said in her Italian-accented English, "...and it does NOT stand for 'Fix It Again, Tony'" which made much of the bus laugh.

fintail

Spotted a late 70s Blazer in very clean condition on collector plates, and a very unrestored maybe 86 Sentra wagon (had a CHMSL but not sure if stock)

uplanderguy

I'm finding I have a perverse sort of interest in this 9K mile '92 Eldorado on BaT. I'm lukewarm on the styling, lukewarm on the color, but I like that you hardly ever see them. Frankly, a friend's parents bought about the same year Lexus SC380 and it never did a single thing for me either and I believe it was more expensive (I know, I know, 'superior quality', blah blah blah, LOL!). I have to say I like the pinstripe whitewalls; a domestic throwback at that time for a car like this.

I think the 4.9 was a good engine.

Bid to $15.3K now with three hours to go.

fintail

Definitely more durable than next year's Northstar. Those were a nice design for 1992, I remember the rags were excited about Caddy's apparent comeback.

Lexus SC was in 300 (I6) and 400 (V8) variants. Toyota quality, but not without potential issues. IIRC the 6 can have headgasket issues, and some interior surfaces were not the most durable.

sda

Speaking of the Lexus SC 300, yesterday I saw a light blue one cutting in and out of traffic on I-77. It looked pretty ragged. I haven't seen one on the road in several years. The 4.5 that I had in my 89 Seville was a good engine. Smooth, nice noises when pushed, would get 18 mpg city, 26-28 mpg on the highway. It was the 155 hp version that ran on RUG. For 90 the hp increased to 200 but took PUG.

texases

fintail said:

Definitely more durable than next year's Northstar. Those were a nice design for 1992, I remember the rags were excited about Caddy's apparent comeback.

Lexus SC was in 300 (I6) and 400 (V8) variants. Toyota quality, but not without potential issues. IIRC the 6 can have headgasket issues, and some interior surfaces were not the most durable.

How many 'Caddy comebacks' have we had over the last 30+ years?

I also happened to see an SC300 yesterday, looked in decent condition from afar.

uplanderguy

To me, the Lexus SC models didn't look 'luxury' but it's no shock that I'm old-skool. The '92 Eldo was not traditional American luxury, but more so than the SC IMHO. The SC was quite tight in the back seat too.

A friend bought a '93 Allante a few months ago. He claims he's talked with guys who have had their cars since new with no problems ("I do recommended maintenance"), but I am aware of what has been written. There must be at least something to it.

Friend's Allante has 75K miles and supposedly runs strong. I don't love them, but you don't see many and that's always a plus to me.

uplanderguy

Sold for $17.3K.

Just shootin' from the hip, that seems like a better deal than some other BaT cars, LOL.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-cadillac-eldorado-4/

fintail

Probably well-bought based on inflation and how few have to exist in similar condition. If you just have to have one, condition is probably exceeded by few other survivors.

texases

I'm trying to think of the last Cadillac I've seen in that color red, regardless of year/model.

explorerx4

Unusual review by Bob.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6XYOgLEH2g

stickguy

a red MB 380 SL. later run, no clue what year, but the Dallas style. maybe from the late 80s?

odd thing was it is up here in salt country, on a not great weather day, and it was just parked in the lot in front of a bank. Had the hardtop installed at least.

ab348

That Tiffany electric looks like an old Henney electric.

fintail

stickguy said:

a red MB 380 SL. later run, no clue what year, but the Dallas style. maybe from the late 80s?

odd thing was it is up here in salt country, on a not great weather day, and it was just parked in the lot in front of a bank. Had the hardtop installed at least.

380SL was MY 1981-85. Still not worth a lot, 15K should be able to buy a nice example and driver quality cars can be had for less. They have great period presence but are kind of thirsty and not sporty, limits some appeal I think.

roadburner

uplanderguy said:

To me, the Lexus SC models didn't look 'luxury' but it's no shock that I'm old-skool. The '92 Eldo was not traditional American luxury, but more so than the SC IMHO. The SC was quite tight in the back seat too.

A friend bought a '93 Allante a few months ago. He claims he's talked with guys who have had their cars since new with no problems ("I do recommended maintenance"), but I am aware of what has been written. There must be at least something to it.

Friend's Allante has 75K miles and supposedly runs strong. I don't love them, but you don't see many and that's always a plus to me.

I had a friend who worked at GM when the Allante was being developed. He told me that the Pininfarina body was just barely able to meet the contemporary U.S. crash standards. He was not at all impressed with the car.

tjc78

You have to love the 90s. This big burly truck and it has neon color speckled interior. Subtle, but it’s there. Sweet truck and in amazing shape.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1994-ford-f-250-25/

ab348

tjc78 said:

You have to love the 90s. This big burly truck and it has neon color speckled interior. Subtle, but it’s there. Sweet truck and in amazing shape.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1994-ford-f-250-25/

The domestic manufacturers by that point were just about to be hit by the Sea of Gray tidal wave that would soon wash away any semblance of color on interior trim for years to come.

uplanderguy

Agreed, Greg. The domestics started about then thinking, "If the foreign manufacturers can get away without it, so can we". Sigh.

I know we're talking about a truck, but function of my age and work and parenting and senior-parent issues, but I think the last domestic anything that I liked a LOT, anyway, were the '87-88 RWD GM mid-size coupes.

In trucks, for looks anyway, I liked the earliest of the GM squarebodies, when there wasn't a 'Silverado' yet and 'Cheyenne Super' was the top line. Great interiors for a truck IMHO. I do believe as the years went by, the squarebodies got better for rust-resistance, anyway.

fintail

Some people took some things less seriously in the 90s. Of course that truck is a current year flip in the flipper haven (both houses and cars) of my backyard.

andre1969

Weird looking Buick I'm not familiar with, spotted the other day. Judging from the ventiports, must be a low-line model

fintail

I see the Ghibli as kind of a super deluxe super sport Chrysler 300 - quite a bit of shared componentry.

I have a cousin who is maybe 65 (gotta love those age gaps in the family) and recently bought one, loves it. She lives maybe 2-3 hours from the nearest dealer, which worries me, but maybe some shared parts means it can be serviced locally - I hope so, and wish her no troubles with it (it replaced an older CTS which she got tired of, that replaced a BMW E38 that I think became a money pit with age).

Interesting out on the road today, spotted a maybe 83-84 Marquis (not Grand), 87-88 Ciera, Geo Metro 5 door, couple of pre-facelift 90s Town cars, Olds Calais coupe.

tjc78

I see less and less of the early 90s Town Cars. Panthers in general are really starting to fade here. Not extinct by any means but not as ubiquitous as they once were.

andre1969

I was looking at used cars online the other week, slowly preparing for the inevitable, as my '03 Regal is on borrowed time. I found a Crown Vic LX for sale at a Subaru dealership about 20 miles or so away. It was a 2011, and had about 67,000 miles on it I think. I want to say it was around $11,000. Well, I went to look for it again, just the other day, and it was gone.

I guess when I do get serious, if I find something I like I'd better move on it somewhat fast, as there's not exactly a glut of cars out there.

Michaell

andre1969 said:

I guess when I do get serious, if I find something I like I'd better move on it somewhat fast, as there's not exactly a glut of cars out there.

Welcome to car shopping in the 2020's! Low inventory and high prices.

fintail

I remember 10 years ago when the Panthers were being phased out en masse as cop cars and hitting the used car market, ex-service vehicles were everywhere, some looked decent and seemed like a fair deal. Now they seem a lot more scarce - used up I guess, and the grandma's baby type CV/GM is also becoming a rare right.

stickguy

that reminds me, tomorrow I need to get back into the Carvana app and try to finish getting my Maverick sold.

stickguy

fintail said:

I see the Ghibli as kind of a super deluxe super sport Chrysler 300 - quite a bit of shared componentry.

I have a cousin who is maybe 65 (gotta love those age gaps in the family) and recently bought one, loves it. She lives maybe 2-3 hours from the nearest dealer, which worries me, but maybe some shared parts means it can be serviced locally - I hope so, and wish her no troubles with it (it replaced an older CTS which she got tired of, that replaced a BMW E38 that I think became a money pit with age).

Interesting out on the road today, spotted a maybe 83-84 Marquis (not Grand), 87-88 Ciera, Geo Metro 5 door, couple of pre-facelift 90s Town cars, Olds Calais coupe.

used I assume? I would say to find a quality local indy if possible (helpful if you live in Wichita and can use the car wizard!) and avoid the dealer unless it was warranty related, or something with proprietary software (some things require the factory scan tools or computers apparently to update some modules).

roadburner

andre1969 said:

I was looking at used cars online the other week, slowly preparing for the inevitable, as my '03 Regal is on borrowed time. I found a Crown Vic LX for sale at a Subaru dealership about 20 miles or so away. It was a 2011, and had about 67,000 miles on it I think. I want to say it was around $11,000. Well, I went to look for it again, just the other day, and it was gone.

I guess when I do get serious, if I find something I like I'd better move on it somewhat fast, as there's not exactly a glut of cars out there.

Yes, the first two C43 sedans I looked at sold before I could pull the trigger(one was sniped by two geeks who looked like Todd and Lisa from SNL ten minutes before we arrived at the dealer). It all worked out, however; the third car had the best color combination and option set(top speed derestricted from 133 mph to 155 mph). This time I was smart enough to call and put down a deposit as soon as I saw it online.

sda

Yesterday, a two tone white upper, light green lower 1960 Edsel 4dr sedan. Not sure what model as I followed it for a block or so until someone merged in front of me.

fintail

I think all 1960 Edsel sedans were Rangers.

uplanderguy

Yes, all sedans, hardtops, and convertibles were Rangers. The wagon was a 'Villager' I think but trimmed as a Ranger.

Good one on the ventiports, andre!

I know I'm an old guy, but not a fan of black wheels.

imidazol97

andre1969 said:

Weird looking Buick I'm not familiar with, spotted the other day. Judging from the ventiports, must be a low-line model

I can't figure out what Buick that is. There's an emblem on the bottom of the front fender.
There's an emblem on the C-pillar.

I tried matching up the profile with last Regals, Lacrosses. Looks more like a Kia or Hyundai with
the high slope to the headlight covers.

stickguy

the very rare Buick Maserati.