Is that a Maverick or an upscale Mercury Comet? I'm thinking the latter is a lovely poop brown shade of color
No, it has a Maverick badge on the dash. That one has been worked on some, as that floor shifter isn't factory. Also wondering when they got bright trim on the pedals? Our '74 Luxury Decor didn't have that.
Is that a Maverick or an upscale Mercury Comet? I'm thinking the latter is a lovely poop brown shade of color
No, it has a Maverick badge on the dash. That one has been worked on some, as that floor shifter isn't factory. Also wondering when they got bright trim on the pedals? Our '74 Luxury Decor didn't have that.
I do notice that the Maverick has a remote dirver side mirror. Unusual on such a low end 70s car
I do notice that the Maverick has a remote dirver side mirror. Unusual on such a low end 70s car
Our '74 LDO came with one - I believe it was standard with that package. I managed to break the control stalk twice. It was placed where my right knee would sometimes contact it when getting in or out. Ford made the thing out of pot metal so it was not difficult to shear it off with an impact. Dealer replaced it originally under warranty, then I did it again out of warranty. Didn't try to replace it again. Lots of junky stuff on that car.
Is it even Federalized for the US? Pretty grandiose price. You can buy really sharp clean ones under $20K.
Hey. All it needs is: a/c repaired, right rear power lock repaired, new struts, a new battery, and various dings and scratches fixed. And on the good side the power steering hose is new.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
A friend of mine mentioned that Alpinas should have a blue gauge cluster, which this one doesn't. I wonder if the cluster might have been changed at one point or another, and maybe it has higher kilometers than claimed, especially with the condition it's in.
That Alpina B10 3.5/1 was apparently listed on ebay last summer and was featured on the German Cars For Sale Blog along with a Bitter SC as a "Heap Of The Week Twofer."
At that time the seller offered a little history: "I originally imported this car for my father back around 2007. At that time it had around 115KM on it if I recall. Car has only travelled `36,000 km since then as it is now at 150,940 KM. Car was sold new in Japan. After a couple of years, my dad sold it to a friend of his. This second Canadian owner dented the trunk lid and the rear Alpina badge is now gone. (see photos and description) After a short period my father bought the car back from his friend. At that time we imported an E34 M5 Touring and the Alpina was put in storage for a couple years. That is when I then bought the car with about 132 KM on it. I have had it for about 1.5 years."
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
I would have no use for it whatsoever, but I've always liked those old military Duece-and-a-halfs. He mentions a unique 8-speed Hydramatic. I bet that would be a pain, come rebuild time!
I guess if nothing else, I could always take it to the GM show in Carlisle, PA. I'd hate to think of the fuel bill on that run, though.
I used to work with a guy who had a 450SL. Can't remember if it was a '74 or '73. I remember he bought it, sight-unseen, from some classic car dealer down in Florida and had it delivered to Maryland, for his wife. I rode in it once. Nice little car. As I recall, it had about 180,000 miles on it, a little surface rust in the doorjamb, but felt solid as a tank.
He got ripped off though. Paid something like $15,600 for it, plus whatever delivery cost. I don't think it was *too* troublesome in the few years that he had it, but then they sold it for something like $7,000. The transmission ended up crapping out on the new buyer.
Probably has to do with it being a private import - the US has an especially asinine corporate-sponsored 25 year rule, and working around it is tedious and expensive.
Hmmm....very neat old rig but seems kinda pricey for all the work it needs---and 50 mph isn't great for american roads. You could buy yourself a pretty nice Westphalia for this money or an older Dodge Van pop-top with a V-8 and AC. A total novelty piece for sure.
I think the guy is delusional. $15K for something like that? The amount of work it needs is staggering despite looking OK on the surface. Then you have to drive the thing, which does not sound like fun. No thanks.
I went through a motorhome phase back in the late 90's. Came very close to buying a 1974 Travco 220. It looked like this, just with a blue stripe...
It was actually a neat little rig...for only being 22 feet long, it had its own separate bedroom in back. But, when I saw it up close and personal, and really thought it over, I backed out. Probably for the best, as I can count on my closed fist the number of times I've gone camping since then.
I also know first-hand, how much trouble an old car can be, as well as an old house. Not sure I want to combine the two!
Is that thing Dodge-powered? Reason I ask, is my high school Economics teacher, who I thought about just the other day when back in town for a funeral and driving past his house, had a motorhome back in the '70's that looked a lot (IMHO) like that one, and it had "DODGE" block letters across the front.
Unrelated old-car mention: My wife wanted to see "The Kingsmen (Secret Service)" yesterday, which I knew nothing about. Sheesh, talk about two hours of my life I'll never get back! I learned there it was based on a comic book series. Ugh. Maybe when I was 22 I'd have liked it...
Anyway, there's a very over-the-top scene at a bible-thumping church somewhere in Kentucky, and shown several times quite clearly in the church parking lot is a black '79 Monte Carlo Landau, looking like a three-year old car and bone-stock as to wheelcovers, pinstripes, vinyl top, and even has the oft-missing bright horizontal strips on the front bumper. Best part of that sorry film, IMHO!
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Maintenance on a motor home can be a bit crazy. If my tent dies, I can pick up another nice one for $300 or so. And it doesn't bug me to leave my tent on the shelf for six months at a time, "depreciating". A friend just ordered a $700 custom-fit backpack. Sounds nuts but some motorhome tires cost that much each.
When you replace a stationary water heater, you at least you have a shot at getting some of your money back out of it if you sell your house before it ages too much.
Is that thing Dodge-powered? Reason I ask, is my high school Economics teacher, who I thought about just the other day when back in town for a funeral and driving past his house, had a motorhome back in the '70's that looked a lot (IMHO) like that one, and it had "DODGE" block letters across the front.
Yep, IIRC, the earlier models did simply say "D O D G E" across the front. I forget what year they started building them, probably around 1963. The first model was a 27-footer that was much more rounded off, and had sort of a 40's-futuristic look to it. Initially, they used the 318 "industrial" engine, which was geared more for torque than hp. Whereas a car 318 put out 230 hp back then, these were only good for 205. Must have been horribly slow.
Later models went to a 413, and I think the one I looked at had a 440, although I'm not positive. I know the 413 was gone from cars by then, but it may have persisted in bigger trucks. And in motorhomes, sometimes the chassis is built several years in advance before it reaches the customer as a finished motorhome.
This sounds kinda corny, but at one time they even had an ultra luxury model called the...wait for it... "Dodge Majal"!
The 27 foot model was probably the most common model back in the 1960's, but throughout the 1970's, there was a bigger 32-footer that probably took over as the sales leader. I think the 22-footer ultimately got phased out in favor of the smaller, van-based Class-C "Mini-mothorhomes".
IIRC, Travcos were Dodge-based through 1980, when they finally used up all of the 440-powered chassis. For 1981, I think they went to a Chevy base exclusively...can't remember they were ever offered with a Ford platform. At some point in the 1980's, Travco was bought out by Foretravel, which already offered a range of luxury motorhomes, so I think Travco was finally phased out around 1985 or 1986.
I've heard that Mopar pretty much ruled the motorhome market up through 1978. Their reign ended with the bailout, since part of the agreement was that Mopar drop their big-block engines. After that, I think GM tended to be the go-to for Class-A motorhomes, while Ford dominated the Class-C, mainly because GM didn't offer anything bigger than a 350 in the vans, whereas you could still get a 460 in the Ford.
Maintenance on a motor home can be a bit crazy. If my tent dies, I can pick up another nice one for $300 or so. And it doesn't bug me to leave my tent on the shelf for six months at a time, "depreciating". A friend just ordered a $700 custom-fit backpack. Sounds nuts but some motorhome tires cost that much each.
When you replace a stationary water heater, you at least you have a shot at getting some of your money back out of it if you sell your house before it ages too much.
Speaking of tires, that was something that scared me on this 1974 Travco I looked at. They were an odd size, 17.5", which probably isn't easy to find. They were also mounted on something called a "split rim", and I've heard those things can be dangerous.
Oh, another thing about replacing the water heater in your house...for the most part, it's a common, standard size, and a fairly generic thing any plumber could put in. In motorhomes, things are miniaturized, and often designed to a particular fit. So what might fit in a Travco might not work in a Winnebago, Pace Arrow, or whatever. And, when they miniaturize things, often they end up being even MORE expensive than what would be in your house.
I've heard that's one reason those rigs based on vans are so expensive. Not the Class-C mini-motorhomes, but rigs like the Dodge Xplorer, which were sort of a step up from a conversion van...
They'd have all the features of a bigger motorhome, like a kitchen, bathroom, etc, but the miniaturized appliances and fixtures would often jack up the price so much that you could get a larger motorhome for less money. Of course, it would be a lot more cumbersome, so depending on your needs, cost isn't everything.
Oh I like this!: "1991 Alfa Romeo Spider "Alfo" with Ford V8 - Baby Italian Cobra." I went looking for more info and found a Daily Turismo link here to a Hayward CL ad for it, but the seller's original post has been flagged/removed. Apparently there is - or was - an asking price of $13,500 on CL.
I did manage to find an old BAT post which even shows a 2011 pic of this car with a clear or opaque hood. Hmm...I like the current look much bettah. Better looking than some Mustang convertibles.
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
When I was a kid, I went on a lot of camping trips with my grandparents. However, here's what ultimately spelled the end of that...
In the summer of '85, Granddad bought his '85 Silverado half-ton...the truck I still have. He also had a '76 GMC crew cab 3/4 ton, and that's what we did all of our camping with. Granddad put that camper in the back of the new truck, and did a test run around the block...didn't like the way it handled one bit. He kept both trucks concurrently for about a year, so that summer, we still spent a week in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, using that camper, with the old truck. But, once he sold the '76, that ended camping for us.
In the summer of '82, my Mom had to attend a 6-week class for work in Texas, and Grandmom and Granddad decided to plan a vacation around it. 8 weeks total, where we took our time to get out to Texas, and then we dropped Mom off and we went the rest of the way out to California. Looking back, it's amazing to think that we basically lived in that 10-foot slide-in camper for 8 solid weeks! And didn't kill each other.
Sometimes, I've thought that if I ever wanted to take up camping again, I'd go this route...just get a 3/4 ton truck and a slide-in camper. But even that route isn't particularly cheap. I have fond memories of camping being dirt cheap back in the day, but I think Grandmom and Granddad had a senior citizens' discount to a lot of places, and if you're old enough, I think you can camp for free at a lot of the National parks. I remember them griping about how a camping spot at the KOA campgrounds was something like 20 bucks per night, so it was rare that we stayed at one of those. But, adjusting for inflation, that's probably the equivalent of $50 a nite these days.
My guess is that any type of vacationing I do these days is going to involve a car/SUV and hotel rooms. Or a plane ticket. Although, I think a tent could be fun.
About three miles from my house is a light green with white side insert, Dodge A-100 (I think they were called that), van with the pop-up roof. The owner drives it around in the summertime, sometimes past our house. It looks prety decent. The guy also has a '70's International Travelall, with factory full wheelcovers that were a reissue of the '64-65 Studebaker full wheelcover. Once when I had the garage door open and my '63 and '64 Daytonas there, he pulled in with the Travelall just to introduce himself and look at my Studes. I never met him again but I still see the two vehicles driving around in good weather.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Comments
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/calgary/1989-alpina-b10-3-5-1-sedan-rare-and-authentic/1044369754
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Hey. All it needs is: a/c repaired, right rear power lock repaired, new struts, a new battery, and various dings and scratches fixed. And on the good side the power steering hose is new.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
And yes, it's over 25 years old, so it is finally immune from repressive bought-and-paid-for American private import regulations. Thanks, Mercedes.
If I get an Alpina, I want an older one with the gaudy stripe package:
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
That Alpina B10 3.5/1 was apparently listed on ebay last summer and was featured on the German Cars For Sale Blog along with a Bitter SC as a "Heap Of The Week Twofer."
At that time the seller offered a little history:
"I originally imported this car for my father back around 2007. At that time it had around 115KM on it if I recall. Car has only travelled `36,000 km since then as it is now at 150,940 KM. Car was sold new in Japan. After a couple of years, my dad sold it to a friend of his. This second Canadian owner dented the trunk lid and the rear Alpina badge is now gone. (see photos and description) After a short period my father bought the car back from his friend. At that time we imported an E34 M5 Touring and the Alpina was put in storage for a couple years. That is when I then bought the car with about 132 KM on it. I have had it for about 1.5 years."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I like these, even if this one has been buggered up. Price is right! (well, bargain some). Popular rods w/ v-6 or v-8 power.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/4883366212.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Too bad it wasn't a 5-speed. Looks like he did all the scary stuff already:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto/4886620733.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally, a beater XJ6 priced realistically! Make money on the parts!
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/4886417155.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My SUV can beat the crap out of your SUV: Awesome!
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/4886223348.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unloved when new, unloved when old? Might be money left in this baby if you're lucky.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/4886210151.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Classic British roadster for the price of a banged up Miata (and a sacrilege to the fussy types)
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/4876523851.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Mercedes convertible---cheap---what could possibly go wrong?
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/4889098929.html
I guess if nothing else, I could always take it to the GM show in Carlisle, PA. I'd hate to think of the fuel bill on that run, though.
He got ripped off though. Paid something like $15,600 for it, plus whatever delivery cost. I don't think it was *too* troublesome in the few years that he had it, but then they sold it for something like $7,000. The transmission ended up crapping out on the new buyer.
'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
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
That "peanut butter" interior was a thing once, I seem to see it most on V12 cars.
Thanks for the laugh,
-Mathias
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
It was actually a neat little rig...for only being 22 feet long, it had its own separate bedroom in back. But, when I saw it up close and personal, and really thought it over, I backed out. Probably for the best, as I can count on my closed fist the number of times I've gone camping since then.
I also know first-hand, how much trouble an old car can be, as well as an old house. Not sure I want to combine the two!
Unrelated old-car mention: My wife wanted to see "The Kingsmen (Secret Service)" yesterday, which I knew nothing about. Sheesh, talk about two hours of my life I'll never get back! I learned there it was based on a comic book series. Ugh. Maybe when I was 22 I'd have liked it...
Anyway, there's a very over-the-top scene at a bible-thumping church somewhere in Kentucky, and shown several times quite clearly in the church parking lot is a black '79 Monte Carlo Landau, looking like a three-year old car and bone-stock as to wheelcovers, pinstripes, vinyl top, and even has the oft-missing bright horizontal strips on the front bumper. Best part of that sorry film, IMHO!
Maintenance on a motor home can be a bit crazy. If my tent dies, I can pick up another nice one for $300 or so. And it doesn't bug me to leave my tent on the shelf for six months at a time, "depreciating". A friend just ordered a $700 custom-fit backpack. Sounds nuts but some motorhome tires cost that much each.
When you replace a stationary water heater, you at least you have a shot at getting some of your money back out of it if you sell your house before it ages too much.
Later models went to a 413, and I think the one I looked at had a 440, although I'm not positive. I know the 413 was gone from cars by then, but it may have persisted in bigger trucks. And in motorhomes, sometimes the chassis is built several years in advance before it reaches the customer as a finished motorhome.
This sounds kinda corny, but at one time they even had an ultra luxury model called the...wait for it... "Dodge Majal"!
The 27 foot model was probably the most common model back in the 1960's, but throughout the 1970's, there was a bigger 32-footer that probably took over as the sales leader. I think the 22-footer ultimately got phased out in favor of the smaller, van-based Class-C "Mini-mothorhomes".
IIRC, Travcos were Dodge-based through 1980, when they finally used up all of the 440-powered chassis. For 1981, I think they went to a Chevy base exclusively...can't remember they were ever offered with a Ford platform. At some point in the 1980's, Travco was bought out by Foretravel, which already offered a range of luxury motorhomes, so I think Travco was finally phased out around 1985 or 1986.
I've heard that Mopar pretty much ruled the motorhome market up through 1978. Their reign ended with the bailout, since part of the agreement was that Mopar drop their big-block engines. After that, I think GM tended to be the go-to for Class-A motorhomes, while Ford dominated the Class-C, mainly because GM didn't offer anything bigger than a 350 in the vans, whereas you could still get a 460 in the Ford.
Oh, another thing about replacing the water heater in your house...for the most part, it's a common, standard size, and a fairly generic thing any plumber could put in. In motorhomes, things are miniaturized, and often designed to a particular fit. So what might fit in a Travco might not work in a Winnebago, Pace Arrow, or whatever. And, when they miniaturize things, often they end up being even MORE expensive than what would be in your house.
I've heard that's one reason those rigs based on vans are so expensive. Not the Class-C mini-motorhomes, but rigs like the Dodge Xplorer, which were sort of a step up from a conversion van...
They'd have all the features of a bigger motorhome, like a kitchen, bathroom, etc, but the miniaturized appliances and fixtures would often jack up the price so much that you could get a larger motorhome for less money. Of course, it would be a lot more cumbersome, so depending on your needs, cost isn't everything.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/141574969651?forcerRptr=true&item=141574969651&viewitem&sspagename=ADME:SS:SS:US:1120
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I checked the gas mileage ONCE and I believe it was 6 MPG. After that I was afraid to check it.
Between paying insurance, storage and maintaining the thing we could have stayed in some nice resorts.
We kept it three years and sold it for what we paid for it. Around 6000.00.
RARE-1963 Volvo 4x4 Swedish Military Truck - $7750 (Albuquerque)
I went looking for more info and found a Daily Turismo link here to a Hayward CL ad for it, but the seller's original post has been flagged/removed. Apparently there is - or was - an asking price of $13,500 on CL.
I did manage to find an old BAT post which even shows a 2011 pic of this car with a clear or opaque hood. Hmm...I like the current look much bettah. Better looking than some Mustang convertibles.
That's not a bad price. A late model Spider, without the rubber tail, would run about that.
In the summer of '85, Granddad bought his '85 Silverado half-ton...the truck I still have. He also had a '76 GMC crew cab 3/4 ton, and that's what we did all of our camping with. Granddad put that camper in the back of the new truck, and did a test run around the block...didn't like the way it handled one bit. He kept both trucks concurrently for about a year, so that summer, we still spent a week in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, using that camper, with the old truck. But, once he sold the '76, that ended camping for us.
In the summer of '82, my Mom had to attend a 6-week class for work in Texas, and Grandmom and Granddad decided to plan a vacation around it. 8 weeks total, where we took our time to get out to Texas, and then we dropped Mom off and we went the rest of the way out to California. Looking back, it's amazing to think that we basically lived in that 10-foot slide-in camper for 8 solid weeks! And didn't kill each other.
Sometimes, I've thought that if I ever wanted to take up camping again, I'd go this route...just get a 3/4 ton truck and a slide-in camper. But even that route isn't particularly cheap. I have fond memories of camping being dirt cheap back in the day, but I think Grandmom and Granddad had a senior citizens' discount to a lot of places, and if you're old enough, I think you can camp for free at a lot of the National parks. I remember them griping about how a camping spot at the KOA campgrounds was something like 20 bucks per night, so it was rare that we stayed at one of those. But, adjusting for inflation, that's probably the equivalent of $50 a nite these days.
My guess is that any type of vacationing I do these days is going to involve a car/SUV and hotel rooms. Or a plane ticket. Although, I think a tent could be fun.