I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today!
Continuation of the original discussion.
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2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Fin, you ok out there? Daughter said she’s fine.
For some reason, there's an illogical part of my brain that tempts me into getting something like that, to use as an everyday car, to keep the miles off of the others. But then I have to remind myself, that I don't drive enough, to worry about keeping the miles off of the other cars! The Ram is a bit of a guzzler by today's standards, getting around 15 mpg in mostly local driving. But, I've only put about 4600 miles on it in the past year, so its appetite really doesn't hurt the wallet.
Fun note, the house, a typical 1930s bungalow, last sold in 1983 for 39K. Was maybe renovated then by the looks of the kitchen, probably not since, listing price is just under 10x that sale price.
On the LeSabre note, maybe back around 2017 my uncle sold his 98 LeSabre as my grandma stopped driving and gave him her Taurus, which was a newer and had fewer miles. I remember the car was clean and well kept but miled up (close to 200K IIRC) and had a decent fender dent - listed it for 2K and the next day someone showed up with something like $1750 and he let it go. There's always been a market for those cars it seems.
https://www.facebook.com/share/1Dt9C6JWzG/ this is one of those interesting cars that spends it's whole life in the outer boroughs and hardly gets used
It provably hasn't left the Bronx in decades.
I wonder what the needs are the it needs to be towed
Fisker Kharma in front of an oil change place. Too bad these weren't well made. Beautiful looking car
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It has a gas engine so hopefully they are
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
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The similarity had never registered for me. 59, 60, 61.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
https://static.cargurus.com/images/forsale/2024/10/17/16/04/2022_lexus_rx-pic-5740104650186069154-1024x768.jpeg
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Of the three, I like the '59 Buick the best. It's an over-the-top sort of weird, but for some reason I find it appealing. It was bold, and they were willing to take a chance on the styling. But the '60, while more tasteful, just seems a bit dull and anti-climatic to me.
The Plymouth, in my opinion, is just flat-out ugly, and I do wonder what was going through the stylists' brains at the time. Consumer Guide, in one of their auto encyclopedias, said that the '61 inspire a whole generation of Japanese movie monsters.
At the time, the Plymouth must have been a really hard sell against a Ford or Chevy. I think both were great looking in their own way, with the Chevy seeming to go for a more youthful, sporty flavor, while the Ford looked like it would be appealing to more conservative buyers. That didn't leave much left for Plymouth, and they also had to fight with the Dodge Dart lineup for buyers. In 1960, the Dart lineup actually outsold the full-sized Plymouths. For '61, Plymouth did take a small lead, something like ~204k to 184k Darts. Both were off considerably compared to '60.
One thing I'll say in defense of the Plymouth though...as ugly as it is, I do admire the complexity and detail of that front end.
I'm intrigued by the '62 Bel Air Sport Coupe, the only '62 GM with a bubble top, but I swear that every single one has been turned into a 409 4-speed with dog-dish caps. I'd love a 327, Powerglide, one with whitewalls and full wheel covers, but I sincerely believe there are none left.
Dodge kept a similar roofline through 1964, with their 880, and I think it still works fairly well on it. But, the Dodge, while getting more squared-off, still kept a bit of curviness about it.
That GM bubble-top roofline probably would have looked really out of sorts on any of the '63-64 GM B-bodies, especially since they changed the windshield and A-pillar from '62, getting rid of that little curve at the bottom. With the Dodge 880, that roofline was carried over from the 1960 models, and it's really not that different looking from the '57-59s.
You could probably shave the fins off of a '57 Coronet, take off some of the chrome, and in profile it really wouldn't look all that different from the '64 880.
Two commercials on that use slightly modified classic cars. One for a drug:
The other for IHG hotels:
I imagine it’s done with computer rather than actual modifications. Either way I wonder why?
Last couple of days some of these back from the TNN days are showing up.
A couple of well known names in the studio.
And, a few minutes later, waiting at a traffic circle, I was kinda shocked to see this '77-79 Olds Ninety Eight roll past. If I'd been quicker on the draw, I could have gotten a side view.
It looked like it was in very well-kept shape, running on oversized tires, and seemed to be sitting a bit high. It went past too fast for me to really notice the rims. Something aftermarket, I'm sure, but I don't think it was anything ridiculous like 22s or whatever they're up to these days. For whatever reason, if a car is sporting the wrong rims, it doesn't always catch my eye right away. But if they're WAY too oversized and blingy, then I tend to notice.
https://www.facebook.com/commerce/listing/1208157973606504/?media_id=0&ref=share_attachment
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
I watched another one where the reviwer was Kathy Kostia(spelling could be completely wrong).
@fintail
Have you ever seen this setup in an SEL before? I saw this pic online and had to dig further as I had never seen individual Clarion components before
That would have been insane in the early 80s. This one claims to be 84.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
Reminds me of the decked out Thunderbird/Cougar of the era but much better.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
https://1000sel.com/
I have seen images of multi-component units like that in period custom builds. Some of them were even wilder:
(these and more can be found on that site)
"Better Than The Mayflower! See the New '56 Studebaker on Nov. 22".
That Stude Thanksgiving pic amuses me - the pilgrim does not look thrilled with his costume.
I like the sentiment of the commercial, although I’m sentimental and nostalgic in general. I do gotta say though, my first impression of the grandson was that he looked like a skinhead!
My bet is that next year’s commercial will revolve around an older Corvette and a new one. Now that the last Malibu has been built in Kansas City, the C8 is the last car Chevy builds, sigh.
I think the last Malibu has aged well. I particularly like the rear styling, and that it’s a large sedan. I could see me picking one up sometime. My C8 dealer, small and rural and in the same family since 1928, said he’s had a couple old-timers in who wanted one last new one.
Turns out I could actually pull it off...in my mind, at least. But, some people did say it made me look scary/skinhead/gang-member-ish, etc.
That commercial did hit a bit of a sentimental chord with me, as my Granddad had three GM trucks of that generation. The first, which I barely remember, was a '73 Chevy. It was sort of a mustard color with a white roof/insert. I think it was a 3/4 ton...Granddad tended to buy heavier-duty trucks, for hauling/towing, camping, etc. In those days, a half-ton truck wasn't much more than a midsized car with a bed, as far as towing/payload capacity.
The second was a '76 GMC 3/4 ton crew cab. It was sort of a burnt-orange/coppery color, with a white roof/insert. We did a lot of camping in that. I can still remember it acting up going up the road to Mount Whitney, and Granddad pulling to the side of the road, pulling out a spare part from the glovebox, and fixing it right on the spot. I think it was just a ballast resistor or something minor like that. The next was an '85 C10 Silverado, half-ton. Red with a white roof/contrast. The dealer told him that it was strong enough to haul the slide-in camper they had, but soon after Granddad got it home, he put the camper on it, drove it around the block, and didn't like the way it handled. So, they kept the GMC through 1986, and did a bit more camping with it.
After that, most of the vacationing involved staying in motels/with relatives, rather than campgrounds. As far as I know, that '85 is still around. Granddad died in 1990, and Grandmom ultimately gave it to my Mom and stepdad around 1995. They sold it to me in 2002, and I had it through 2017. I sold it to a friend of a friend, and within the last few years, at least, saw it show up in the background of facebook pics.
Granddad was also good with his hands, and did a lot of work on cars. He taught me most of what I know of them mechanically, although I'll admit what I can do is a mere fraction of what his knowledge was. He also did just about all of the maintenance/repair work on the house, and did some wood working projects, as well.
We still have Grandmom and Granddad's house. My uncle had been living in it until he died last year. And I'll admit I've been moving at a snail's pace, clearing it out. A couple months ago, one of my friends helped me pull Granddad's old work table out of the garage and bring it into my place, and for some reason, that was a bit of a tear jerker for me. Just seeing Granddad's old garage and workspace slowly get deconstructed like that, was harder than I thought it would be. That sucker was also a bit of a back breaker...Granddad built that sucker STURDY!
I'm hoping to get that place cleared out and ready to sell sometime next year. But it's hard, because I've inherited some of my family's packrat tendencies. I'll come across some old artifact, and sometimes hang onto it just for the nostalgia. Or, I keep thinking, it's a shame to throw it out, if it might come in handy some day, or someone else might appreciate it.
As for the final Malibu, I like them too, as sort of an appliance car. The absolute LAST thing I need, is another car, but sometimes I do miss my Dad's old '03 Regal. It had sort of an anonymity about it that I liked. It didn't really draw attention to itself, and you could take it almost anywhere, and not worry about someone messing with it.
I really wanted to like the Chrysler 200, that model that was based on the Dart. And I liked the final-gen Fusion a lot...at first. It seemed pretty exciting and fresh around the time of its launch, with that sort of a "poor man's Aston Martin" look in the front. But, the first time I sat in one, it was just sort of meh. And the longer it was on the market, the less I liked it. But the Malibu, while hardly the epitome of excitement, just seems like it's aged rather well.
Hopefully we can link up at Hershey next year for a bit again, or maybe one of the other shows.
It occurred to me after this year's Hershey, that when I'm with people with a shared interest I tend to do a lot of the talking, LOL. I know the cars lemko likes, but I really had no idea what Greg likes and didn't ask. I will ask next time.
I had a nicely loaded Malibu as my last rental. Slow but otherwise I enjoyed it. Very comfortable and rode well.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
I wonder, for 1980, if they switched to rectangular headlights as a running change, part way through the model year? Or was it one of those instances where the half-ton trucks got the rectangulars, and the beefier trucks kept the round lights?
Or, maybe the rectangular lights were an option package, that came with one of those upper trim levels? I remember my great-uncle's truck being pretty basic inside. Retroactively I'd probably refer to it as a "Silverado", but it was probably a Scottdale or Cheyenne or whatever they called the more basic ones.
Oh, as far as the hat goes, that's a by product of Covid and work-from-home, I think. I'd usually cut my own hair...it grows fast enough that even if I screw it up, it tends to correct itself fairly quickly. But, with working from home I got lazy about it, and would just throw on a baseball cap to help mat it down! I last got a professional cut about a month ago, just prior to going to the funeral of the last remaining uncle on my Dad's side of the family. And before that, I hadn't had a professional cut since July of 2023, and that was for Mom's funeral!
As for me, Grbeck, and Lemko, between the three of us, we all represent the Big Three pretty well. Lemko, of course, is a die-hard GM fan. But, he does appreciate some cars from Mopar and Ford. He's even said that one of the best cars he ever owned was an '85 5th Avenue. And, he's said from time to time that he should get a Ford product as a daily driver/beater, so we'd have something to put in the Ford show at Carlisle. My preference is towards Mopar, but there's a lot of GM and Ford cars I like, too. Grbeck's preference tends to be Ford. If he was to get a classic car, I could see him in something like a Fox-body Mustang, or an '83-88 T-bird. But, he likes cars from all brands. He once owned a '72 Cutlass Supreme coupe, and does have a fondness for Oldsmobiles. And, he does have an appreciation for big, full-sized cars, just as Lemko and I do. He made a good point once, about how nowadays, there are plenty of modest family cars that will blow the doors off of most muscle cars from the 60's and early 70's. But, the traditional, old-school, hedonistic full-sized luxury domestic truly is a lost art. About the closest modern equivalent, I guess, would be something like a BMW 7-series or Benz S-class, but they're priced up into the stratosphere. And, they still seem to have a European, stark sensibility about them, rather than the hedonism the older cars seemed to ooze. And on the domestic front, I guess these types of cars have been replaced by the likes of the Escalade and Navigator. But, being trucks, it's just not the same. And I'm still convinced that any type of back seat that's designed to fold or be removeable, sacrifices something in comfort. The last time I was in a Suburban, I sat in the back, and remember the seat seemed really small, like it was meant for a compact vehicle. And it was a bit low, so I had no thigh support.
Although to be fair, a lot of those older cars aren't as comfortable was our memories might trick us into thinking they were. For instance, with GM's big '71-76 C-bodies, those back seats are awfully flat and low, and you sink down a bit too far into the cushion. And especially, once you get back into the 60's and 50's, most cars had a really uncomfortable driving position, especially if you're tall.
My best man worked as a Chrysler zone service mgr. in WV in the mid-and-late '80's. He usually had a couple company cars in a year.
He was tasked with filling out a quality survey on the cars he drove.
Fifth Avenues (and I'm sure the other Mopars like them) ended up being built at AMC's plant in Kenosha, WI.
He used to say that AMC built Chryslers better than Chrysler did.
As for the "last of," Lemko has said once or twice, that back in the day he might have bought a '56 Packard, just to be different. And even though it's not quite the same, because Chrysler corp itself was still around, but I think a '61 DeSoto would be kinda cool. But, that's looking back on it through a modern mindset. I wonder, if I was an adult back then, and ready to buy a car, if I would have wanted something that was soon doomed to become an orphan? I don't think there was really the sense of nostalgia for old cars back then, that there is today. And I think it took cars getting as bad as they did in the 70's, for people to really appreciate the cars that came before.
I wonder, if I had bought a '57 DeSoto brand-new, if it would have been enough of a turd at the time that I'd be a bitter old man, still bad-mouthing it to this day? Although realistically, if I bought something like that brand-new, I'd probably be dead by now, since that was 68 model years ago. And I doubt too many 20-somethings, or even 30-somethings, were buying middle-priced cars brand-new back then. I'd imagine the typical buyer of a new car like that was in their 40s or 50s...maybe late 30s, if they were successful?
He also used to say that you could find out the original owner and address of your '60's Stude, and what they traded in and what they did for a living, was a negative thing. Yeah, okay. LOLOL
'56 Packards--I like them from a 'different' standpoint too. My dealer friend said the torsion-level was a sore point, and I know the Ultramatic transmissions were as well. But they did ride nice for a car from that period. One of their ads said, "Let the Ride Decide", clever IMHO.
andre, you've got me curious on the square-headlight '80 Chevy trucks. I'm thinking that wasn't until '81 but you've got me wanting to look at the brochure. In my experience, the few times there were mid-year changes, a revised brochure was usually issued. But I'm curious.
I'm pretty burned out from all the company having dinner for 19 entailed yesterday, and a good chunk are still here--when I need a break later today I'll check out the brochure! LOL
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