that brown is about the worst choice imaginable for that '75 LeSabre
Sadly, brown was actually a pretty popular color back in those days, especially on big cars like Buicks and Olds. Of course, plaids and leisure suits also ruled!
Sadly, brown was actually a pretty popular color back in those days, especially on big cars like Buicks and Olds. Of course, plaids and leisure suits also ruled!
Yeah, ain't that the truth! The 70's were a strange decade when it came to color. It's like it was the best of times, and the worst of times, all rolled into one. There were some really beautiful colors, but it seemed like the nastier hues often prevailed.
I think one thing that bugs me about that '75 LeSabre is just that the brown interior seems to clash with the white exterior. I would almost like the car better if the paint was brown!
re: the LeSabre convertible, it's also strange how plain-jane that one is: no mags, no power anything, no tilt. The whole thing is kind of a 'why bother?'.
That stripper LeSabre is probably more rare than the loaded-up models! By 1975, I think GM was loading their convertibles up to the gills...partly to profit more from the whole "last convertible" thing, but also partly because that's what the buyers wanted.
Back in college, I found a 1972 Impala convertible at a local used car lot near the campus. Even it had power windows, although I can't remember the locks, and the seat was definitely not power. It had a 350. It was white, and now that I think about it, it had a brown interior, too! Main thing I remember about the interior was the huge crack in the dash, that went through the center speaker cutout. I think that was almost standard equipment on these cars!
I'd LOVE to get a '75 LeSabre convertible, but I already have a specific combination in mind. Glacier blue with a white interior. Power windows, door locks, tilt wheel, split bench seat. 455 V-8. Magnum wheels. That's not being too picky, is it? :P Fortunately, that light non-metallic blue seemed to be very common on these cars, so should I decide to pull the trigger, it might not be TOO hard to find my dreambarge.
Maybe it's because the nastier hues were so awful we remember them better. Remember Avocado and Goldenrod for kitchen appliances? My Mom's kitchen had a Hotpoint stove, a Gibson dishwasher, and a GE "No-Frost" refrigerator all in Goldenrod! Yuck!
By the way, are you going to attend the Philly Auto Show on the 30th? Remember that really nice 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix that was there last year?
My grandparents bought new appliances for their kitchen in 1969, and picked avocado. This picture I found on the web brings back some memories... They also got a new telephone to match. The appliances are long gone, as Grandmom got new ones in 1994. We kept the fridge out in the garage until 2004, when I swapped in a newer one that I had from when I remodeled my condo. It was still working fine, but it was not frost-free, and the color was so out of date. And I'm sure it was an energy hog compared to the newer fridges.
Grandmom still has that green phone mounted on the kitchen wall though. It's a rotary, so nobody uses it anymore to dial out. But when it rings, sounding just like Jim Rockford's telephone, it's the phone I prefer to answer if I'm over there, because it seems to get better reception than the newer phones.
There was a family that went to my old church that had a light green '72 Impala. Looked kinda like this... I guess this color could turn some stomachs, but I kinda like it! I think the light green that GM used in earlier years was a bit nicer though. It was a bit more subdued and had a hint of silver or gray in it.
As for the Philly show, I'm still a bit up in the air. If I can't make the 30th, would you be able to do the following weekend?
The funny thing about that picture (for me) is I have an Aunt that has that same exact glass coffee percolator and still uses it to this day. It must be near 35 or 40 years old.
That's a Pyrex coffee percolator, and they sold millions of them from the late '60s through the '70s. And, the comment on the rotary wall phone... it was most likely a Western Electric-manufactured phone for the "old" Ma Bell (AT&T), and those phones were not only built like tanks, but had a perfect frequency response of 300 to 3,000 Hz. Ma Bell conducted many lab tests to properly shape the receive and transmit frequency response of the receiver and the microphone. And, the choice of 300 to 3,000 Hz is most important, and it's the nominal response curve of the human voice.
The vast majority of the Chinese-made phones use Electret condenser microphones (wide-band frequency response) and junk speakers, hence the voice reception/transmission quality differential.
Heck, we still have an Oster blender in avocado, although it's in a closet and not in the kitchen!
My parents had an awful green shag carpet in the living room when I was a kid. I still have an avocado-colored GE can opener that once belonged to my Grandmom. You can tell its old, not only by the color, but that it was made here and it so sturdy it would put a dent in the floor if you dropped it.
There was a guy I went to high school with that had a dark blue 1972 Impala sedan with a white roof like the one pictured.
As for the Philly Auto Show, I usually go both weekends anyway. One when I go with you and grbeck and the other I take my wife. Just let me know which weekend you and grbeck want to come.
The appliances in my parents house were identical to those - both range and refrigerator. We took the frig with us when we moved from the house, and had it all through my high school days as our "backup." I think my brother took it to his college in '97 or '98, where it remained after he left.
I have an old Gibson unit (I think that is the brand name) of about the same vintage in my basement that serves as an overflow for our little 3.6 cu ft refrigerator in the kitchen, and it is actually not too bad on electricity. When I last tested it a couple years ago when it was empty, it used a little under 1.5 KwH per day. If it were in a warmer space, I am not sure how much it would use.
Also, my grandmother had an early '70s Cadillac (I cannot remember the model) that looked extremely similar to that Impala. I thought it looked nice - much better than the blue 1984 Town Car that replaced it.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Quick question. I have an opportunity to pick up an MR2 Turbo (91) for a few hundred bucks. It belongs to a friend of a friend.
It has T tops, manual tranny, lowered suspension, painted dashboard, blue glowing gauge cluster, the usual tuner stuff.
It's been sitting in a condo garage for about 6 months, all tires almost flat, battery dead, and needing exhaust repair to pass a smog check (apparently it has a hole in the exhaust somewhere). It was driven regulary before. The other things not working is that all hvac controls don't light up, and there is some rust bubbling (3 bubbles) on one of the fenders.
EDIT: It's a normal North American edition with the steering wheel on the left side, unlike many grey market JDM imports here and it has about 150k miles on it.
It has rebuild status but no current damage on the vehicle. Other than adding air into the tires and charging up the battery it's a driveable unit, and I did take it for a circle around the garage.
Looks like I'm gonna get it but I just though I'd ask the folks here if you think it's a possible money pit or a steal of a deal. And yes, it is only a few hundred that he wants for it. I'm thinking it it fails smog I can flip it as a parts car and get more than I put into it.
Hardly a steal but as you say you could always part it out. Clean good running ones are worth something but with a rebuilt title and rust you are never going to see those prices.
I'd say you can play with it but STOP at $1,500 total investment, not a penny more.
First thing I'd do is get it running. If you need a CAT or an exhaust manifold those don't come cheap...and the manifold is a b***h to replace.
I'm on the fence with this one---the mods and the rebuilt title and the rust kind of spoil the future potential of it.
You can buy show quality versions of this car for around $6K real money, so there you go.
It actually shows fairly well. The rust is under the paint, and from what I saw it's just literally 3 bubbles on one fender. So it's no rustbucket by any means, but consistent with a 19 year old car.
As for paint it doesn't need any. Once, and if, I end up getting it I'll post some pics.
Much like the Miata discussed not long ago (what happened with that?), the ONLY thing I would do with such a car is make it a track/autocross toy. No need to worry about or fix the cosmetic stuff in that case. I agree with setting a limit, and the limit isn't for what you could get back out of the car but for how much you are willing to pay to have some fun with the car. But consider that money completely spent with no chance of getting it back.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
odd you mention the avocado wall-mounted phone; my grandparents had one til they sold their 'old' house (1995?), also rotary, two lines (you had to turn a little switch to, well, switch lines). Those old Western Electric phones were excellent weapons, they weighed like five pounds. I still have both pink rotary and light blue push-button Princesses, and a white rotary Sculptura (I'm a phone geek, too, among other things).
$2K for what? :confuse: You have to do *everything* to the car, a complete tear down, so why start with anything expensive? It's hopeless as a restoration worth doing, so it's a parts car IMO, and for parts, I can't really see more than $500 bucks in there in little trim pieces. I mean, would YOU put a used mechanical part from that pile into your nice classic?
those '62-64 Impalas were worth something, partly because the rapper crowd used to go for 'em. But maybe that's just the big blocks and SS models? And this beater is what? A 283-2bbl?
That ratty Impala would be perfect for the rapper crowd...they can make their lowrider or jumper, and not ruin a nice original car. I don't think they really care about what is under the hood...drop a chrome-trimmed 350 in it, and the masses will be happy.
Yes until we watch Child Services take their families away and the Board of Health napalm the premises--LOL!
I remember this guy named Brownie---he was a hoarder on the waterfront. He had some neat car stuff, but he just let it rot. I remember really nice big block engines sitting outside with the spark plugs removed, for YEARS....and a lovely wooden runabout---just let it rot to all hell.
He had a Jaguar Mark IV--he bought it running and it was pretty decent. Within about two years it was apart, outside, and ruined.
He had good taste and bad habits.
I didn't have a great deal of sympathy for him actually. :P
I would immediately walk away from anything that didn't have the aircleaner on it. I mean, really, what the heck did you do with the aircleaner, and how much garbage has gone down the carb? When I see something like that, I figure the motor is a complete write-off.
.....and I always laugh at anyone claiming little to 'no rust' on anything that's been sitting outside for forty years, no matter where (and since when is Eastern Washington 'the desert'....that IS snow this thing is sitting in, right?) :confuse:
....and the part about the glass ("the only windows broken are the windshield, the driver's side window and the [likely impossible to find] tailgate") and the don't know if it runs, I haven't tried it (uh, gee, it's been sitting outside since 1970) were both entertaining, though.
....the greedy price is even funnier given that the thing is sitting on land that the seller inherited. Geez.
That reminds me...I had some land in SW Virginia passed down to me that has a 1959 Edsel wagon and a late 40's/early 50's Buick on it. The last time I saw that land or those cars was in 1979, when my grandparents first bought it, and those cars were pretty shot (both figuratively and literally, judging from all the bullet holes) even back then. I'm curious as to how much further they've deteriorated in the intervening 30 years.
Yeah, I liked that part of it too, along with the "don't know if it runs" bit. There's probably a family of rodents living in the engine block. A weird kind of greed tinged with a little dishonesty. Coupled with some unobtanium parts for that car, I can't see why anyone wouldn't buy it.
Lots of old cars in similar condition to that sitting outside in that area of the state. The weather can be severe, but the metal does seem to hold up.
Wasn't there someplace where you saw a 1957 Chrysler somewhere and the body was so rusted the fins were collapsing in on each other?
That doesn't ring a bell, but for years, there was a 1956 Chrysler Windsor hardtop coupe parked out on the street, about 5-6 miles away. It had been there as long as I can remember, in that same spot. Well, one day in 1991, I happened to drive by, and saw it sitting there, crumpled. It had been rear-ended. The quarter panel on the driver's side looked like it had split lengthwise, and the fin was sticking up into the air at an obscene angle. So I'm guessing the '56's had a seam somewhere there, and this one had gotten rusty enough that it just split there.
The next time I drove by, the car was gone. No doubt that rear-end job was the fatal blow to it.
I also know where there's a 1958 DeSoto Firedome in a junkyard that's so rusted out in back that it's collapsing on itself, to the point that the fins are about level with the ground, rather than sticking up. It's probably been back there since the 1960's I'd guess. I'd love to know the story on why it went into the junkyard in the first place, as it doesn't have any body damage on it. And the engine has been pulled out, an indication that it wasn't a blown engine that put it there. It might have just been an old car that nobody wanted anymore.
That same junkyard has a 1953 Firedome sedan in it, that my Granddad got some parts off of back in 1978. One of the times I was in that junkyard, I was reminiscing with the owner, and he mentioned that car was one of the first ones they got in when they opened in 1961 or 1963 (can't remember now). It was still driveable. In fact, when they bought some more land and expanded, they actually drove the car to a new spot further back, which became its final resting place. I'm sure by 1978, when we came along, it had long since seized up, but the body was solid enough that Granddad got a good hood, fender, bumper, and grille teeth, all for about 80-90 bucks. The last time I was down in that junkyard was 1997, and that car was still there. It actually didn't look TOO bad, for having been in that same spot for 30 plus years. Still had some salvagable glass, maybe the doors and trunk lid, too.
I'm kinda curious to go down there again sometime, and see what it looks like now...if it's still there. That junkyard started falling on hard times in 1994 and the owner started crushing cars for the first time.
Given the convenience location and excellent condition of the vehicle, I would think one would be a fool not to offer at least a generous $300--$600 for this prize. Then, for a mere $50K or $60K, one could have themselves a very nice 60s period wagon worth $20,000. I'm shocked....SHOCKED :surprise: that there are no bids. I mean, do the math people!
Comments
Sadly, brown was actually a pretty popular color back in those days, especially on big cars like Buicks and Olds. Of course, plaids and leisure suits also ruled!
There are a few here and there.... its not all bad. Someone has to love the 70s vehicles.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
Yeah, ain't that the truth! The 70's were a strange decade when it came to color. It's like it was the best of times, and the worst of times, all rolled into one. There were some really beautiful colors, but it seemed like the nastier hues often prevailed.
I think one thing that bugs me about that '75 LeSabre is just that the brown interior seems to clash with the white exterior. I would almost like the car better if the paint was brown!
That stripper LeSabre is probably more rare than the loaded-up models! By 1975, I think GM was loading their convertibles up to the gills...partly to profit more from the whole "last convertible" thing, but also partly because that's what the buyers wanted.
Back in college, I found a 1972 Impala convertible at a local used car lot near the campus. Even it had power windows, although I can't remember the locks, and the seat was definitely not power. It had a 350. It was white, and now that I think about it, it had a brown interior, too! Main thing I remember about the interior was the huge crack in the dash, that went through the center speaker cutout. I think that was almost standard equipment on these cars!
I'd LOVE to get a '75 LeSabre convertible, but I already have a specific combination in mind. Glacier blue with a white interior. Power windows, door locks, tilt wheel, split bench seat. 455 V-8. Magnum wheels. That's not being too picky, is it? :P Fortunately, that light non-metallic blue seemed to be very common on these cars, so should I decide to pull the trigger, it might not be TOO hard to find my dreambarge.
By the way, are you going to attend the Philly Auto Show on the 30th? Remember that really nice 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix that was there last year?
Did it have a hole in the top where some dumb kid put an umbrella through it?
Grandmom still has that green phone mounted on the kitchen wall though. It's a rotary, so nobody uses it anymore to dial out. But when it rings, sounding just like Jim Rockford's telephone, it's the phone I prefer to answer if I'm over there, because it seems to get better reception than the newer phones.
There was a family that went to my old church that had a light green '72 Impala. Looked kinda like this...
I guess this color could turn some stomachs, but I kinda like it! I think the light green that GM used in earlier years was a bit nicer though. It was a bit more subdued and had a hint of silver or gray in it.
As for the Philly show, I'm still a bit up in the air. If I can't make the 30th, would you be able to do the following weekend?
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
The vast majority of the Chinese-made phones use Electret condenser microphones (wide-band frequency response) and junk speakers, hence the voice reception/transmission quality differential.
Heck, we still have an Oster blender in avocado, although it's in a closet and not in the kitchen!
Now back to topic...
There was a guy I went to high school with that had a dark blue 1972 Impala sedan with a white roof like the one pictured.
As for the Philly Auto Show, I usually go both weekends anyway. One when I go with you and grbeck and the other I take my wife. Just let me know which weekend you and grbeck want to come.
The appliances in my parents house were identical to those - both range and refrigerator. We took the frig with us when we moved from the house, and had it all through my high school days as our "backup." I think my brother took it to his college in '97 or '98, where it remained after he left.
I have an old Gibson unit (I think that is the brand name) of about the same vintage in my basement that serves as an overflow for our little 3.6 cu ft refrigerator in the kitchen, and it is actually not too bad on electricity. When I last tested it a couple years ago when it was empty, it used a little under 1.5 KwH per day. If it were in a warmer space, I am not sure how much it would use.
Also, my grandmother had an early '70s Cadillac (I cannot remember the model) that looked extremely similar to that Impala. I thought it looked nice - much better than the blue 1984 Town Car that replaced it.
For the last couple of years I've gone on the week nights and found it to be less crowded and easier to get to the cars.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic
It has T tops, manual tranny, lowered suspension, painted dashboard, blue glowing gauge cluster, the usual tuner stuff.
It's been sitting in a condo garage for about 6 months, all tires almost flat, battery dead, and needing exhaust repair to pass a smog check (apparently it has a hole in the exhaust somewhere). It was driven regulary before. The other things not working is that all hvac controls don't light up, and there is some rust bubbling (3 bubbles) on one of the fenders.
EDIT: It's a normal North American edition with the steering wheel on the left side, unlike many grey market JDM imports here and it has about 150k miles on it.
It has rebuild status but no current damage on the vehicle. Other than adding air into the tires and charging up the battery it's a driveable unit, and I did take it for a circle around the garage.
Looks like I'm gonna get it but I just though I'd ask the folks here if you think it's a possible money pit or a steal of a deal. And yes, it is only a few hundred that he wants for it. I'm thinking it it fails smog I can flip it as a parts car and get more than I put into it.
Any thoughts?
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
I'd say you can play with it but STOP at $1,500 total investment, not a penny more.
First thing I'd do is get it running. If you need a CAT or an exhaust manifold those don't come cheap...and the manifold is a b***h to replace.
I'm on the fence with this one---the mods and the rebuilt title and the rust kind of spoil the future potential of it.
You can buy show quality versions of this car for around $6K real money, so there you go.
TURBO MR2 FOR SALE
car $300
parts/labor/smog $700
tires $400
rust repair $500
paint (cheapo) $1500
Total $3400 Value with salvage title $3500
I'd have to see photos to vote YEA or NAY on this one.
As for paint it doesn't need any. Once, and if, I end up getting it I'll post some pics.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Unusual set up If this does it for you, it might be OK
I'm a Chevelle guy and there does seem to be some decent dead of winter deals
If you put $10,000 into this, you won't have the car above this
Not running car going for the running car price
This has been on Craig's forever It looks decent. I guess he hasn't found the right guy for it.
Especially with the compressor belt missing. That is a very ominous sign.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
Seriously, does that heap have *any* value?
-Mathias
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Shifty Sez: "If you can see bad things from a digital photo taken ten feet away, you're going to see REALLY bad things when you sit in it".
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
I remember this guy named Brownie---he was a hoarder on the waterfront. He had some neat car stuff, but he just let it rot. I remember really nice big block engines sitting outside with the spark plugs removed, for YEARS....and a lovely wooden runabout---just let it rot to all hell.
He had a Jaguar Mark IV--he bought it running and it was pretty decent. Within about two years it was apart, outside, and ruined.
He had good taste and bad habits.
I didn't have a great deal of sympathy for him actually. :P
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-Car-2-door-Biscayne-1960_W0QQitemZ16039- - - 4767193QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item255845eb59
.....and I always laugh at anyone claiming little to 'no rust' on anything that's been sitting outside for forty years, no matter where (and since when is Eastern Washington 'the desert'....that IS snow this thing is sitting in, right?) :confuse:
But yeah, that price is optimistic. The car is rare, but not in a way that translates into money. It needs more than everything too.
That reminds me...I had some land in SW Virginia passed down to me that has a 1959 Edsel wagon and a late 40's/early 50's Buick on it. The last time I saw that land or those cars was in 1979, when my grandparents first bought it, and those cars were pretty shot (both figuratively and literally, judging from all the bullet holes) even back then. I'm curious as to how much further they've deteriorated in the intervening 30 years.
There was a green 1955 Chevrolet 210 sedan that has been sitting near stream since about 1968. It's virtually gone now.
Lots of old cars in similar condition to that sitting outside in that area of the state. The weather can be severe, but the metal does seem to hold up.
That doesn't ring a bell, but for years, there was a 1956 Chrysler Windsor hardtop coupe parked out on the street, about 5-6 miles away. It had been there as long as I can remember, in that same spot. Well, one day in 1991, I happened to drive by, and saw it sitting there, crumpled. It had been rear-ended. The quarter panel on the driver's side looked like it had split lengthwise, and the fin was sticking up into the air at an obscene angle. So I'm guessing the '56's had a seam somewhere there, and this one had gotten rusty enough that it just split there.
The next time I drove by, the car was gone. No doubt that rear-end job was the fatal blow to it.
I also know where there's a 1958 DeSoto Firedome in a junkyard that's so rusted out in back that it's collapsing on itself, to the point that the fins are about level with the ground, rather than sticking up. It's probably been back there since the 1960's I'd guess. I'd love to know the story on why it went into the junkyard in the first place, as it doesn't have any body damage on it. And the engine has been pulled out, an indication that it wasn't a blown engine that put it there. It might have just been an old car that nobody wanted anymore.
That same junkyard has a 1953 Firedome sedan in it, that my Granddad got some parts off of back in 1978. One of the times I was in that junkyard, I was reminiscing with the owner, and he mentioned that car was one of the first ones they got in when they opened in 1961 or 1963 (can't remember now). It was still driveable. In fact, when they bought some more land and expanded, they actually drove the car to a new spot further back, which became its final resting place. I'm sure by 1978, when we came along, it had long since seized up, but the body was solid enough that Granddad got a good hood, fender, bumper, and grille teeth, all for about 80-90 bucks. The last time I was down in that junkyard was 1997, and that car was still there. It actually didn't look TOO bad, for having been in that same spot for 30 plus years. Still had some salvagable glass, maybe the doors and trunk lid, too.
I'm kinda curious to go down there again sometime, and see what it looks like now...if it's still there. That junkyard started falling on hard times in 1994 and the owner started crushing cars for the first time.
RE: "I don't know if it runs..."
ANSWER: I know.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX