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

fintail

The 80s today are like the 50s were in the 80s

berri said:

when I was a kid in the 80s.
Hey Fin, you may be a relative youngin' here, but our lingo is starting to rub off on you

fintail

Workplace parking garage today - the baby Seville I showed some time ago, with a very clean 2nd gen Prelude in the background. Like a little time warp from 1987. Cars survive here:



Also on the road saw a 67 (I think, couldn't get the angle for a side marker) Mustang, ~70 Beetle, 80s S-10 Blazer.

sda

On my drive home a clean Infiniti M30 convertible, pearl white, black top and a very nice medium blue Shelby Daytona with T-top and pop up head lights.

andre1969

This morning, while at a red light, I saw a Chevy Corsica go past in the heavy highway traffic. One thing that struck me about it was how it really stood out, because of the blue color. It wasn't the loudest blue they probably offered back then; I'd say it was close to this hue...


However, it made everything else on the highway just look like a washed-out sea of gray. Even if there were other blue cars, red cars, etc out there, it seems like they manage to infuse those colors with a bit of gray to tone them down. It probably didn't help that today is a cloudy, misty day, so everything else just sort of blurred together with the sky and the pavement.

And, I know I've mentioned it before, but it also drove home the point of how much automotive styling really HASN'T advanced, in later years. This car could have been as much as 32 model years old, yet other than the bright color, really didn't stick out. Cars have gotten taller, with higher beltlines and thicker roof pillars, and less of a rear deck, but even there, you could open up a picture of a Corsica in Photoshop, distort it a bit, and having it look like a modern car.

In contrast, when the Taurus came out, a 32 year old car would have been a 1954 model. No amount of photoshopping in the world would make a 1954 car resemble a 1986.

I didn't care for the Seville, or any of those shrunken E/K bodies when they first came out. But, nowadays, I think the style is pretty classy. Nice proportions, good amount of glass area, etc. It loses the neoclassic/pimp-factor of the '80-85...but some people might say that's not a bad thing!

stickguy

At least you can see well out of that.

tjc78

I don’t mind that Seville either.  I know the public as a whole hated it and it didn’t sell well. 

IMO the next generation was a looker.  I still like those today.  

stickguy

I like that style too.

andre1969

Yeah, I think the final Seville was definitely a looker. I didn't think the Eldorado carried over quite so well to that style, though. Even though the styling was similar, I think the Seville's front-end was a bit more attractive. And I never cared for the quarter window/C-pillar treatment of the Eldorado. I think, if the rear window was a bit less rakish, with the base moved forward a bit, and if the leading edge of the C-pillar had a bit more rake to it, the proportioning would have been nicer.

My thought process has always been that with a 2-door car, you give up some practicality for style, compared to a 4-door. But once it got to the point that the auto makers were making the 4-doors look just as good, suddenly the 2-door became obsolete, unless you're talking niche markets like 2-seaters, pony cars, etc. And in my opinion, the '92+ Seville just looked nicer, overall, than the Eldorado, so if I was shopping at the time, I probably would have gone with the Seville. Or, once the '95's rolled out, a Riviera...I always liked that '95-99 style.

fintail

I kind of like the wheels on the baby Seville, as they are wheels and not cheapo looking wire caps. I also have respect for someone who obviously likes the car, and is maintaining it to a decent standard - this and the Prelude appear to be daily drivers, I see them a bit.

I suppose that blue Corsica would be a 92-93 with those hubcaps, funny that I recall these details. Back in the day we had one as a rental car, a decently equipped 3.1 (I think). The throttle tip in was amusing, it would shoot off the line and felt quite fast, but in typical period style, would loose a little oomph before speeds became too illegal.

stickguy

I agree about 2 doors. When I’ve looked the big doors and restricted access to the back have been a turn off. Unless it is a purely toy/sports car for the fleet.

tjc78

All the 3.1 and. 3.3 cars felt faster than they were.  We had a 92 Buick Century in the family with the 3.3 and it felt like a rocket ship off the line then fell on its face fairly quickly.  

tjc78

All the 3.1 / 3.3 cars felt faster than they were.  We had a 92 Buick Century in the family with the 3.3 and it felt like a rocket ship off the line then fell on its face fairly quickly.  

ab348

I'm seeing bright metallic blues similar to that Corsica on more and more cars of late, typically smaller models. Elantra, Cruze, some small Toyotas and Hondas come to mind.

ab348

That '72 Gran Torino Squire wagon with 450 miles on it that I posted here last week is closing on BaT in a few hours, bids are up to $32,000 and probably will go even higher.

Mr_Shiftright

Came up behind a '68 Toyota Corona yesterday. The car looks incredibly small to modern eyes, even compared to a Mini.

roadburner

tjc78 said:

All the 3.1 and. 3.3 cars felt faster than they were.  We had a 92 Buick Century in the family with the 3.3 and it felt like a rocket ship off the line then fell on its face fairly quickly.  

I think some GM cars of that era had a throttle linkage that opened the throttle faster for a given accelerator pedal movement- 10% of pedal travel got you 20% of throttle opening, or similar.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

Came up behind a '68 Toyota Corona yesterday. The car looks incredibly small to modern eyes, even compared to a Mini.

And the Corona was their mid-sized offering. The Sprinter was even smaller.

Mr_Shiftright

That little Corolla was a fantastic car--just bulletproof----but alas, not rust-proof!

stickguy

Pretty sure it took decades for the Japanese to understand the concept of winter in upstate NY.

Mr_Shiftright

The Japanese had a view things to work out for the American market.

1. We have lots of freeways and we drive 100 miles for a good taco.
2. We are bigger than they are...a LOT bigger.

andre1969

roadburner said:

tjc78 said:

All the 3.1 and. 3.3 cars felt faster than they were.  We had a 92 Buick Century in the family with the 3.3 and it felt like a rocket ship off the line then fell on its face fairly quickly.  

I think some GM cars of that era had a throttle linkage that opened the throttle faster for a given accelerator pedal movement- 10% of pedal travel got you 20% of throttle opening, or similar.

My Dad's '03 Regal, which has the 200 hp 3.8, feels sort of that way, too. From, say 0-60 it feels pretty quick, but above that, it feels a bit sluggish. Highway passing, for instance, isn't so hot. In contrast, my old 2000 Intrepid, which also had 200 hp, but from a tiny 2.7, was slower from 0-60, but felt much more responsive at higher speeds.

Oddly, the old '82 Cutlass Supreme I had, which just had a 110 hp 3.8 2bbl, seemed pretty responsive at higher speeds. It was a bit of a dog from, say 0-60. The closest test of the time I could find was an '85 Regal with the same setup, and Consumer Guide said "about 13 seconds", but even though the cars spec out the same, I have a feeling the '82 was still slower, since they were still trying to work the kinks out of the computers, emissions controls, and such. But, once you got into 3rd gear, if you needed to stomp on it, in mid-range situations where it would still kick down, that sucker felt like it had some guts. And it was a good highway cruiser, as well.

Although, maybe part of that Cutlass experience was psychological. It started off kind of lame, but at higher speeds didn't suck any worse. Whereas with the newer cars, they give you some guts at the low end, but then when you need it on the highway, it lets you down. The newer cars still probably had better higher speed responses than my '82 Cutlass, but because of that let-down compared to the lower end response, I noticed it more?

thebean

Yesterday, I parked next to a burnt orange McLaren 570S at a cafeteria-style eating place. Man, that thing was low. I was surprised anyone eating in a cafeteria (normally old folks, me included) could bend low enough to get in it. I don't think I could have. But, it was sure purty.

jpp75

I know these are hot items but this price seems crazy, although I'm certainly not versed at all in pricing on something like this.

https://inventory.davisautosports.com/vehicles/26/1987-buick-regal-grand-national

ab348

jpp5862 said:

I know these are hot items but this price seems crazy, although I'm certainly not versed at all in pricing on something like this.

https://inventory.davisautosports.com/vehicles/26/1987-buick-regal-grand-national

I really don't care for them but I know a lot of people love the Grand Nationals. That one is essentially new so that drives a lot of the price. It is probably 2 or 3 times what a nice but driven one would go for. My buddy up country has one that he bought last year, I think it's been driven twice this summer.

Mr_Shiftright

Well basically the dealer wants a 50% premium over "show" condition for the ultra low miles. Seems like a stiff add-on for a....Buick. But go find another with 74 miles on it.

Here's one for $14,000 less with only 10,000 miles on it.

https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1147186/1987-buick-grand-national-for-sale-in-dearborn-michigan-48120

Or...$20,000 less with 16,000 miles on it:

https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1136340/1987-buick-grand-national-for-sale-in-apopka-florida-32703

The problem of course with these ultra-low-miles cars is-----what do you do with them? If you drive them very much, you are eating away your premium. If you don't drive them, then you are on the lawn-chair circuit at Buick festivals.

explorerx4

Those prices? For a GNX, maybe.

ab348

ab348 said:

That '72 Gran Torino Squire wagon with 450 miles on it that I posted here last week is closing on BaT in a few hours, bids are up to $32,000 and probably will go even higher.

Holy cow! It sold for $47,500! Insanity.

stickguy

I wish I had a boring old car forgotten in the garage to throw on BaT. I would be rich!

stickguy

well, got me down the rabbit hole.

wish it was original colors, but man, I would love this. Not that I could ever afford the final price.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1978-porsche-911sc-12/

and this one is really cool. Lots of provenance. I would not do it exactly like this, but I always wanted to build a sported up 140 some day. Yeah, I got issues.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-volvo-142-2/

Mr_Shiftright

I wonder how the bidder will feel about this once he's sober?

ab348

I like that 140. The '78 911 is really nice but I dunno if I could stand putting up with the attitude of that owner/fan community.

kyfdx

If you want a 911, get a Carrera from '84-'89. By now, they look vintage, and are easier to live with.

Of course, A/C is still mostly theoretical.

omarman

Mr_Shiftright said:

I wonder how the bidder will feel about this once he's sober?

stickguy

I would not car if it had AC at all. would likely never use it anyway. So, problem solved!

stickguy

Isn't this Wes' dream car? 355 HP? wow.

https://www.subaruofcherryhill.com/used/Ford/2010-Ford-Flex-cherry-hill-nj-f0a0fa000a0e0a6b3da2e12b5db71a65.htm

xwesx

Mr_Shiftright said:

I wonder how the bidder will feel about this once he's sober?

I imagine he'll feel like maybe he should skip town, and that BaT will do him a favor if they ban him for life!

xwesx

stickguy said:

Isn't this Wes' dream car? 355 HP? wow.

https://www.subaruofcherryhill.com/used/Ford/2010-Ford-Flex-cherry-hill-nj-f0a0fa000a0e0a6b3da2e12b5db71a65.htm

I dunno about "dream" car. Perhaps if it had my Q7's drivetrain. Mmmmmmm.......

However, that's the one to have in terms of (real) drivetrain and features! This one has the most boring color combo, and is a first gen (would prefer 2013+).... There's lots out there, though, so not too hard to find a well-optioned example.

fintail

Workplace parking garage today - a ZDX. Saw the same Mustang from yesterday, it's a 68.

Mr_Shiftright

stickguy said:

I would not car if it had AC at all. would likely never use it anyway. So, problem solved!

It just gets in your way on an older 911 when you're trying to work on the car.

fintail

That Ford wagon has to be in the hall of fame with the 80K Mini.

uplanderguy

That white Seville fintail posted fairly recently really looks nice to me--and distinctive. Considering I couldn't stand them when they came out, I'm surprised how nice it looks to my eyes now.

The last year or two of that iteration Eldorado I like too--the ones where the rear quarter 'fins' were elongated some.

I liked the larger new '92 Seville, too. The Eldorado that came out that year was a dud IMHO. It didn't look any more stylish than the Monte Carlo that came out a few years later IMHO. The interiors of the '92 and later Seville and Eldo disappointed though. In an effort to look European or Asian, far-less brightwork seemed to adorn the inside. If you're an old-soul like me, that was disappointing.

I like original and low-mileage--the reason I bought my '66 Studebaker Cruiser--but that price on the Gran Torino wagon is beyond-insane to me. But hey, it's his money I guess. My sister and first husband had a '73 Gran Torino Squire for awhile. Brown with woodgrain. Seems to me it needed trans work fairly early.

explorerx4

Nice Harry's Garage video of a Lancia Thema.
https://youtu.be/y3rHl4DH-fY

stickguy

a mid 70s rolls royce sedan. Period dark brown. Looked like early year of 5 MPH bumpers. Amazingly, it was driving around town. Under it's own power!

a later, parked at the curb, a Viper GTS (I guess, it was the coupe model, 2nd generation I think). That was odd seeing in a lower priced neighborhood just street parked.

andre1969

Well, as of last night, there's one less Panther in the world. And I'm kind of in possession of it! Here's the background on that one. Last night, my buddy with the '09 Grand Marquis LS Ultimate, who had an '04 Crown Vic LX before that, and a '95 Grand Marquis GS before that, got into an accident last night. He tangled with an F350, and, naturally, lost.

That should buff out, right? Anyway, because of its age and mileage ('09, and 188,000), my friend had dropped full coverage on it earlier this year. Unfortunately, because of that, the insurance company would have nothing to do with it, so the place he was originally going to have it towed to would have been $50 per day, although I think they did long-term storage of $100 per month. If he had full coverage, the insurance would have at least covered storage until an adjuster made the decision as to whether or not it was totaled. Oh, and going with liability-only, now that he needs a rental car, he got a bit screwed because the insurance company won't cover collision/comprehensive on the rental, so that's another $22.95 or whatever per day.

Anyway, I had the tow truck driver bring it out to my house and drop it, and told him he could worry about disposing of it from there, rather than having to deal with storage fees. But, anyway, what do y'all think...this is a total, right?

stickguy

given the street value of a 10 YO 188K one of those, has to be. though without insurance coverage, unless he can sue the other guy as at fault, total doesn't really apply. Just, how much does he want to spend to get it back?

if it was mine, I would be calling the Knackers yard to come take it away for parts or scrap.

Mr_Shiftright

Yep, that's a total all right. Hood, grille, headlight assembly, fender inner and outer, frame pull, maybe door hinges sprung---put a fork in it, sorry.

ab348

Would make a good parts car for someone.

Mr_Shiftright

No doubt. It will live on in other bodies.

explorerx4

It will probably serve for the next 10 years as a taxi.

fintail

Lots of good parts there no doubt.

Obscure cars today - saw a 55-56 Ford 2 door wagon parked in what appeared to be a car hoarder's driveway, and a 2nd gen Paseo convertible, which appears to be quite rare.