Mystery car pix

stickguy

texases said:

ab348 said:

What I find more troubling with current vehicle preferences is getting out of spots in parking lots. If you return to your car and find yourself parked between a minivan or SUV on one side and a Peterbilt-sized pickup on the other, the complete lack of visibility on either side means getting out into the lane requires you to be flying blind. Perhaps sedans will require telescopic periscopes in the future!

That's why backup cameras are now mandatory for any car I buy. Better to back out with a camera than park with the front faced out and deal with the problem you describe.

BU camera definitely, but even better is the rear cross-path alert you get with BLIS. There are just some times backing out you physically can't see something coming up from the side. Even with properly adjusted side mirrors.

ab348

Another Ruscha pic from the Getty Museum circa 1966, of a parking area off Sunset Blvd in L.A. Makes me wish I could go back in time for a moment.

texases

Obvious Mustang, but I'll call it a '65 because of the black center on the gas cap, the absence of the side scoop chrome, and the extended hub caps. Also, no backup lights and maybe no front fender badge: it might be a stripper 6 and not a V8.

magnette

@fintail

Your comment regarding ruggedness etc in modern cars reminds me that the worst road I ever drove on was in Iceland - in a Hyundai i10

We were warned it wasn't to go off road when we hired it but some of their highways were more offroad than anything I've ever encountered in Wales and we ended up on a gravel road across what felt like a quarry on the moon for a very long time, being overtaken by huge 4x4's which were of course the correct mode of transport for there

I will never say anything against Hyundai after that - it survived everything although we did have to use a lot of the road to avoid bottoming in ruts. And this was in their summer..

Certainly not a rugged car but so light it just went across

The end of the road, we turned a corner and the tarmac was as smooth as a marble floor!

stickguy

Chevy II out in the road in front of a Christine era Mopar.

Is the FHC between the newer Ford and Chevy an MGA?

magnette

"Just off Sunset Blvd"

Far distance on the left is a 1960 Dodge of some sort - Dart Phoenix perhaps? I know the year as they had that triangular bib on the grille in 60which I don't think anyone else had

To the right we have one of Abingdon's finest with a late MGA - the horizontal lights make me thin its a MkII or even a TwinCam although the latter is less likely. We got a Deluxe in Britain which had all the chassis improvements for the Mk II but the original engine I think

fintail

That might be a pro for high riding soft roaders - decaying infrastructure, at least on this continent, as we'd rather embark on more failed trickle down fantasy than actually maintain what built at some sacrifice in the past. As long as these vehicles don't have over-aggressive wheels/tires, they'll probably handle the ruts and holes better. However, not many of them are what I would call light, most vehicles are somewhat porky compared to a generation ago. The 6000 lb rough and rugged real man pickup of today is the 4000 lb Yank tank of yesteryear, and the 4000 lb 4x4 mallcruiser is the 3000 lb Fairlane warped to modern day.

magnette said:

@fintail

Your comment regarding ruggedness etc in modern cars reminds me that the worst road I ever drove on was in Iceland - in a Hyundai i10

We were warned it wasn't to go off road when we hired it but some of their highways were more offroad than anything I've ever encountered in Wales and we ended up on a gravel road across what felt like a quarry on the moon for a very long time, being overtaken by huge 4x4's which were of course the correct mode of transport for there

I will never say anything against Hyundai after that - it survived everything although we did have to use a lot of the road to avoid bottoming in ruts. And this was in their summer..

Certainly not a rugged car but so light it just went across

The end of the road, we turned a corner and the tarmac was as smooth as a marble floor!

fintail

At far right, 61 Galaxie hardtop notchback ("Club Victoria", I believe), close enough to a 60 to let it pass.

ab348 said:

Another Ruscha pic from the Getty Museum circa 1966, of a parking area off Sunset Blvd in L.A. Makes me wish I could go back in time for a moment.

fintail

I virtually always back in, problem solved Also park in a somewhat outlying area much of the time (which usually attracts others).

But yeah, cameras are a virtual necessity these days with thick pillars and high beltlines, and high hoods for pedestrian regs. Surround view is even better.

stickguy said:

BU camera definitely, but even better is the rear cross-path alert you get with BLIS. There are just some times backing out you physically can't see something coming up from the side. Even with properly adjusted side mirrors.

tjc78

I still very much prefer a sedan, but will always have at least one SUV in the fleet. Most of them drive really well these days. I thought our Enclave felt smaller than it was and our XC90 does as well. No problem cruising down the highway at highly illegal speeds while still feeling connected to the road. It helps that most of them are based on cars anyway.

stickguy

I don’t mind a sedan for me. Even a smaller one. But I hate the way sidewalls keep shrinking. The roads around here are largely bomb craters and with my sporty cars, including the TLX A SPEC, lived in fear of hitting the wrong one and trashing a wheel. Not an issue with the beefy sidewalls on even the RDX.

stickguy

I want something practical or boxy. Yesterday I picked up a shelf. About 3’ wide, 2 deep, 6’ long. Opened the hatch, flipped the seat levers, and shoved it right straight in.

sda

My wife currently prefers an SUV type and I still prefer a medium size sedan. As much as I like the Q5 I am disappointed in the small cargo area. The parcel shelf is a bit clunky to remove, though I do like the privacy it provides. The cargo area is very nicely finished.

Michaell

sda said:

My wife currently prefers an SUV type and I still prefer a medium size sedan. As much as I like the Q5 I am disappointed in the small cargo area. The parcel shelf is a bit clunky to remove, though I do like the privacy it provides. The cargo are is very nicely finished.

It's funny - after two Saturn VUE's and a Mazda CX-7, the wife wanted to move away from the "SUV" mentality and get a wagon. She didn't want to be as "high up".

I'm sure many people would think of a Subaru Outback as an SUV, and, size wise, it's not all that different from the Mazda we traded for it. It has gobs of room inside and the rubber mats on both the cargo floor and on the back of the rear seats makes it nice to load items into the back without getting the carpets dirty.

The 3.6 engine is powerful enough, and it's very comfortable on long road trips.

stickguy

My wife won’t go back to something low. She prefers the height of what we have. And rejected the outback, not because of height (that was IMO just about perfect) but because “it’s a station wagon”. She did her time in that (3 years of a legacy wagon before a 12 year run of minivans). Good thing she likes the RDX because she will have that for at least 10 years, right on into retirement. Hopefully.

andys120

I much prefer vehicles that are low to the ground and have some real problems getting into many SUVs/CUVs. perhaps the preference for high riding vehicles will wane as the population ages. This summer I had trouble getting into a standard issue late 90s Camry.
I'm 5'6"

stickguy

That’s odd. Most aging people need a higher hip point so they can slide in. My wife hates really low cars she has to fall into and clamber out of. She is going to hate if I get a Miata!

tjc78

My S60 isn’t the easiest thing to get out of. My Mom has a little difficulty with it.

fintail

My mom hated getting into the Escalade I rented last year, but getting out of it wasn't so much of a problem. She enjoyed the huge seats and high riding position, but I can't imagine her driving anything higher up than a RAV4 or similar.

tjc78

Something like a RAV is probably close to perfect for those with mobility issues. Slide right in and out.

fintail

I think she might be in the market within a year or two - she is attached to her Camry but it isn't getting any younger, and the AC has become lukewarm - this might be her last car purchase (over 10 years with the Camry) . It'll be fun to see if she asks for my opinion (has done so in the past) or just randomly buys something (has also happened). I'd recommend something like that to her.

tjc78

As much as I do not like the RAV, it’s a solid vehicle. Does most everything well and is comfortable. I see why they sell so many.

Michaell

tjc78 said:

As much as I do not like the RAV, it’s a solid vehicle. Does most everything well and is comfortable. I see why they sell so many.

She should look at the Kona,too.

texases

And now there's the hybrid Rav4, 35 mpg or so.

fintail

No Hyundai dealer in my mom's town. She'll want access to a nearby dealer. There is a Toyota dealer (which until maybe 10 years ago tops actually shared a building with the Chevy dealer, always amused me). Her choices are domestics, Toyota, Honda, that's it. And if I am not looking over her shoulder, she'll pay asking price and buy every warranty possible, too.

Michaell

fintail said:

No Hyundai dealer in my mom's town. She'll want access to a nearby dealer. There is a Toyota dealer (which until maybe 10 years ago tops actually shared a building with the Chevy dealer, always amused me). Her choices are domestics, Toyota, Honda, that's it. And if I am not looking over her shoulder, she'll pay asking price and buy every warranty possible, too.

HR-V or CR-V?

stickguy

I think a new HR-V will be out shortly. could be interesting,

fintail

She'd probably prefer the size of the latter. For a long time, she also had a thing against hatchbacks - she likes a physical trunk. But she seems to also like the Subaru Tribeca that belongs to my brother in law, and that seems to be a comparable size to the smaller end of middle CUVs of today.

She balked the last time I mentioned a replacement for the Camry, as she is now on a fixed income and is very mindful of it. But as my grandma passed away not long ago, she'll eventually have a little windfall, and if I tell her grandma would like her to be in a newer (safer) car, she might go for it.

Michaell said:

fintail said:

No Hyundai dealer in my mom's town. She'll want access to a nearby dealer. There is a Toyota dealer (which until maybe 10 years ago tops actually shared a building with the Chevy dealer, always amused me). Her choices are domestics, Toyota, Honda, that's it. And if I am not looking over her shoulder, she'll pay asking price and buy every warranty possible, too.

HR-V or CR-V?

andys120

tjc78

85 Nissan Pulsar

stickguy

I liked the hatchback version better, where you could change them for different styles.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

I liked the hatchback version better, where you could change them for different styles.

Did they have the hatch in Gen I? I thought that was the later model.

kyfdx

I had a girlfriend with the model, above.

andys120

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:

I liked the hatchback version better, where you could change them for different styles.

Did they have the hatch in Gen I? I thought that was the later model.

The interchangeable tops which included a hatchbck were only on Gen 2 Pulsars (starting
MY'87 IIRC).

The blue car shown is an '86 (gen 1)

fintail

Yep, those Pulsars were MY 83-86. A mainstay in local high school parking lots in the early 90s. There was even a turbo variant. I kind of like them for their unashamed 80s-ness.

fintail

Seattle, mid 70s, a couple here are pretty rare now:

stickguy

Corolla closest. And far right is a Z car.

fintail

A few more there to be ID'd.

And some more, Seattle, 1975:

stickguy

yellow truck is a Chevy LUV. I like those.

andys120

Yellow VW Squareback parked around corner on left.

ab348

Very rare '63 Dodge wagon in blue ahead of the VW.

ab348

A historic sight - perhaps the first-ever CUV. Sunset Blvd., Ruscha pics from the Getty Museum, 1966.

magnette

Was the Imp sold as a Sunbeam or a Hillman there? Must have been very rare there although it was seen in some markets in Europe as a VW competitor as it had better handling

Here, it was Hillman Imp Singer Chamois or Sunbeam Imp,and there was also a fastback version of the Hillman called The Imp Sport, and the Sunbeam with sloping window was the Sunbeam Stilleto.

They even did a Van badged I think as a Commer Imp and an Estate which was the Hillman Husky - using the old name for the Minx based small estates from the previous two generations of cars...

ab348

Here they were known as Sunbeam Imps. My brother owned one for a short time after he got his drivers license in the late '60s. My only memory of it is being with him when he had to stop in traffic on an uphill street and then tried to go forward again. Lots of stalled attempts and rolls backwards, until he finally gave it lots of revs and used up a lot of clutch lining to get it moving. His first experience with a manual transmission.

magnette

All Hallows Church By The Tower, to give it its full title, which I think was built by Wren after the 1666 Great Fire of London.

The car is post war and was taken in the time when you could again see to the Tower of London due to clearance of WW2 bomb sites

magnette

Another one

In under one month's time unless they sort it out this will again be an International border although hopefully more peaceful than in times past.

Border between Irish Republic and Northern Ireland

kyfdx

magnette said:

Another one

In under one month's time unless they sort it out this will again be an International border although hopefully more peaceful than in times past.

Border between Irish Republic and Northern Ireland

Do they drive on the left in Irish Republic?

texases

Yep

fintail

Tower of London pic - hard to tell from the rear, a lot of prewar-looking postwar material no doubt. Car nearest the camera is familiar, an AC I think.

Border crossing - car approaching the camera is a Wolseley, 4/44?

imidazol97

A 56 Chevy with the steering wheel on the "wrong" side of the car. I've wondered about the pedals on cars with the steering wheel flipped: are the pedals reversed or is the right foot for the gas and left foot for the clutch?