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I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)
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Actually, I've seen it look much worse on other cars:
http://news.yahoo.com/car-crashes-california-wal-mart-driver-attacks-shoppers-01- 1834066.html
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
This was one of the Toronados that was made longer after the '86 restyle. Honestly, I always hated the very-visible black seam around the panel in the rear, when looking at the car dead-on from the rear.
But hey, it didn't look bad otherwise for its age and being in NE OH, where the salt is plentiful and the roads are s**t.
I've heard that all the electronics on them can be troublesome, though.
Sometimes I still think it would be neat to have a 1995-99 Riviera, or a similar-vintage Olds Aurora. But, they're probably both getting old enough that it would be hard to find a nice one that would provide years of service. At least, at a reasonable price.
I always liked how you could get a bench seat and column shift in those Rivs--at least in the first couple years or so. A true six-seater coupe if need be.
I also liked those early Auroras. I always liked that light metallic green with the darker green interior. I know the interior and trunk were supposedly small for the exterior size, but I liked the styling much better than the second-generation Aurora. A coworker had a relative who ordered an Aurora with cloth seats, which was unusual.
There was a lady at work who had a first-gen Aurora. It was that pale silvery blue/green, which may be the same color you described. I thought it was a gorgeous car, and that's the color I'd want if I bought one. She let me drive it though, and I'll admit I was a bit disappointed. Like you said, it was small inside for its external dimensions. Legroom was okay for me and the seating position was okay overall, but it didn't feel like anything even remotely resembling a full-sized car. Much smaller inside than my Park Ave, for example. I also didn't like the way it handled. It felt a bit numb, and wallowy. Probably one reason Oldsmobile ultimately failed. Here was a car that didn't look like your father's Oldsmobile, but in feel and handling, it seemed almost like your Grandfathers!
The rear of the Aurora always made me think a bit of the Toronado. And in a way, I guess that's appropriate, as the Aurora took over from the Toro as the flagship at Olds.
I reinforce that a lot of those are still in the hands of original owners or maybe widows when I visit Kroger on a Friday or Saturday. There often are gems in the parking lot driven by older folks.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I've been wrong a lot on memory items, but I recall that the Aurora was advertised as replacing the 98 as premium car. I guess it was luxury in finish and ride without the room of the 98.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The "Autobahn Package" probably remedied that.
Well, it sort of took over for both, I guess. When the C-bodies were redone for 1991, the Park Ave was a pretty big success, but the 98 seemed to flop. Similarly, the Toronado had been selling poorly since it was downsized for 1986, although when they lengthened it, that did help somewhat.
The Aurora came out as a 1995 model I believe, but I think it came out early in the 1994 calendar year. I believe 1993 was the last model year of the Toronado...in fact, IIRC, there was no 1994 Riviera either.
The last year for the Olds 98 was 1996. The Park Ave was redone for 1997, but Olds didn't get a version. However, Olds did try to satisfy what little demand was left for the 98 by taking the 88, putting a 98 grille on it, and calling it "Regency" or something like that.
In a weird sort of way, I kinda like those 1991-96 Olds 98s. I didn't like them at first, but they're growing on me now. I'll still see one every once in awhile, although they're not nearly as common as Park Avenues from that vintage.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Except for the front corners, the '65 Riv remedied those things IMHO and it's probably my favorite Riv.
Early Rivs are still plentiful and reasonably priced, all things considered.
When the '71 boattails came out, I wasn't a fan...I thought it was too big to be a Corvette Stingray (LOL). Over the years, I've changed my mind. I like the '71's with no side moldings and the license plate to one side in the rear. Back then, I liked the '74-76 Riv much better. Can't say that I do now, but I still like those '74-76 Rivs...the last REALLY big GM that could be bought with buckets and a console with floor shift.
I didn't care for the Boattail Rivieras at first, because they seemed so pimpy. But today, in the right color, I think they look good. The '74-76 seemed to lose a lot of its magic though...I'd rather have a fully-loaded LeSabre, where at least you still got roll-down rear windows!
A few of the Grand Theft Auto video games have a car in it that bears a strong resemblance to a '74-76 Riviera. Here's a screen shot of one.
It's not a dead ringer, though. In the front, it looks a bit like a 1975-76 Caprice.
I think they were all that color.
It was her late husband's baby and she refuses to let it go. The sad part is, it is worth next to nothing. I don't think she could get 5K for it.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
Same with '86 Toronados--I think they were all navy blue.
Yep. A good example were the early-mid 90s Dodge/Chrysler products. I swear most were either hunter green or that plum-burgundish color.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
I remember in 1992, a neighbor bought a new Caravan, it was kind of a black cherry - a Chrysler thing at the time.
A lot of period Cavaliers and late run Berettas in teal, too.
Now both cars would be silver, grey, or beige/gold.
My first new car was an '81 Monte Carlo. Here's the color palette right out of the brochure (click on it to enlarge):
http://gbodyforum.com/photos/displayimage.php?album=13&pos=8
Fourteen standard colors and seven optional two-tones, and six interior colors. (My car was the optional two-tone Light Jade Green over Jade Green and was Jade inside, a light aqua color--probably my favorite color combo of any car I've ever owned.)
Ten or fifteen years before 1981, there were even more colors on the palette. Most colors could be had in a light, medium, and dark hue. I do miss those days as custom-ordering a car that you'd never see the duplicate of was very possible then. Now, I've seen two identical cars, and I mean identical, parked right next to each other on the dealer lot.
In fact, those first Intrepids were good-looking cars IMHO and were very roomy inside ("Cab Forward" design). They had a sporty look to my eyes that you just didn't get with a Taurus or Lumina (although I did like the looks of Lumina coupes at that time).
that's because it WAS gray primer...the paint kept peeling off! :P
I do really like that green they offered on the first-gen Intrepid. By the time I bought my 2000, they offered two greens. One was a really pale, sort of a sage green, that almost looked gray in certain lights. The other was a darker green, more of a dark forest/emerald type. The darker one is the color I really wanted, but there were none in stock, so I just let them talk me into buying a silver one they had in stock, but got them to throw in a 12-disc CD changer.
Oh, I ran into one of my friends yesterday who I hadn't seen in awhile. He was driving a Chrysler Voyager minivan. And, guess what color it was? Plum/eggplant!
I actually like the style of the first-gen Intrepid better than the second-gen. It just seems longer, sleeker, more futuristic, whereas the one I had was a bit more egg-shaped. Unfortunately, the quality and reliability was pretty horrible on them in the first few years. Supposedly by 1996-97 they weren't *too* bad. And the 3.3 V-6 was a more durable bet than the 3.5. But, the '98+ was much improved overall, with one little exception. The 2.7 base engine was prone to sludging if you let it go too long between oil changes, let it overheat, and so on. And it was VERY expensive to replace. Supposedly it was actually cheaper to put a 3.2/3.5 engine in the car, than it was to put another 2.7 in.
Did Chrysler, Plymouth, or Imperial ever offer a 3-tone? DeSoto had the Fireflite Coronado in 1955, which was offered only as a 4-door sedan, wit an aqua body and either a white top and black spear, or black top and white spear. I think Dodge did triple tones for 1955 and 1956, but forget what the option was called.
Throughout most of the 1960's, I think about the most 2-toning most cars could get away with would have been a roof contrast. Which basically, is what vinyl roofs did. But, some of the more slab-sided cars, like a mid-60's full-sized Mopar, probably could have gotten away with two-toning. Now, nothing like the spears and sweeps of the 50's, but more like how they did it in the 1970's and 80's, where the lower body would be one color and the hood, roof, and trunk would be another.
These days, I think they could get away with a lower body contrast on most cars, sort of like that Intrepid that was posted earlier. And something squared-off, like a Chrysler 300, could probably do a two-tone with the sides being different from the hood/roof/trunk.
There's actually a couple of those in my area.