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When my Grandmother could barely walk I remember jacking up the seat as high as it would go to make it a little easier to get in.
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My mom is getting to that age where egress especially on marginally low slung cars gets to her. She seems to have no issues with her older Camry (steering wheel helps too), but in my car she kind of drops into the passenger seat, and I will raise it to help her out. I remember she hated egress in the Escalade rental I drove her in several years ago, and she liked my ex-BIL's old Tribeca, I think she's fine with the height of my sister's Model Y too.
My 72 year old mother with dual knee replacements somehow gets into my Ram which has a 3” lift from the factory. Obviously the running boards are key here.
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Andre will appreciate that ‘69 Bonneville, but the missing wheel opening moldings and skirts are making me twitch.
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It almost looks like something out of some post-apocalyptic type movie, where civilization might have been wiped out in the mid-90s.
Looks like someone needed a Delta 88 rear bumper!
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2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
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Some of the detail styling lost me in those years, but I do like the '68's fastback roof, and that was the last year for a long time that a two-door Bonneville Brougham had a rear-seat center armrest.
When I was a kid, I didn't care for the '70 one bit. They've grown on me since, mostly 'cause it seems you just never see them. There was a Ventura two-door hardtop on some for sale page that linked to my FB recently. Poor interior pic. The Ventura option gave you a fairly-modest interior upgrade on the Catalina, but nice. I especially like the "Ventura" lettering outside because they're so rarely seen, then or now.
I could also like a '70 Bonneville Brougham hardtop coupe.
The '69 I think is OK mostly. I never got why they offered bucket seats on the full-size two-door Catalina (Ventura option) and Bonneville, but you couldn't get a console, or floor shift THM. That's a head-scratcher I think. Maybe a couple years ago I saw a '69 Ventura hardtop coupe with bucket seats online, and it was nice. I don't believe I've ever seen another '69 full-size Pontiac with buckets but they are pictured in the brochure.
I like old cars with factory appearance, best, but of course over the years owners do all kinds of stuff to them, their rights of course.
By the time warp house and its ownership history, this is a long term or maybe even original owner vehicle.
The house is a beauty too - very dated inside but in a cozy way, even in little ol Spokane this will probably be 1MM +/-:
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The '64 Chevelle (and also the other GM mid-sizes that year) sold quite well. I always heard that since the big cars had gotten so big, these cars reminded folks of '55-57 Chevys in size, and a lot of people liked that.
The styling of the '64 Chevelle leaves me cold though....it has what I accuse Ford of doing in the late '70's on some models--blunt front, blunt rear. Barely any trim difference between the base 300 and 'upscale' Malibu.
My late friend Bob who wrote for HCC used to say Studebaker couldn't have picked a worse time to introduce what he felt were the nicest mainstream models they'd had in awhile--the '64's--as it was hard to compete with these conventional new GM midsizes, and he was happy GM got rid of some of the 'engineering foolishness' as he called it, about cars like the earlier Tempest and aluminum V8's and such.
I really like the two-door Chevelle wagon exclusively offered that year and '65, though. There was a top-notch restoration, dark blue one with 4-speed offered for sale a few years back by the son of the original owner. We discussed it here and I want to say it sold for $30K, which astounded everybody.
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I look at much of Spokane as similar in appearance to maybe other post-industrial areas 40 years ago. Much of the in-city areas have a stuck in the past vibe, both the more posh areas (where the house in question is) and those less fancy. Lots of early postwar type housing as this place must have boomed through the 50s, some of it better kept than others, and lots of 120 year old housing that can also vary in maintenance. This being a relatively arid area can make things look worse. If one doesn't have an automatic sprinkler system or isn't devoted to watering, the lawn will eventually look rough. Maybe also an impact is price inflation - many have seen prices double in 10 years and some triple in less than 15.
Couldn't find any currently for sale but guessing 350K/450K depending on condition.
The lots are are quite a bit smaller, so a 2 car garage would have to be located behind the house with a driveway running next to the house into the back yard.
Here's an example I took a picture of while walking the dog, due to what I saw in the garage, some time or other.
But then in '68, I think it REALLY went off the rails. For most of the 60's, it seemed like Pontiac put their efforts into styling the big cars first, and then the compact/intermediate was styled to somewhat emulate the big cars...the one exception being '67. But for '68, it seemed like they put all their effort into the new midsizes, and then half-heartedly tried to make the big cars look like the intermediates, and it just didn't work. I think the '69 was a pretty big improvement. I think the styling looked better thought out, whereas the previous model was essentially trying to force the '68 intermediate styling onto a '67 full-sized car.
The '70 is one of those styles that has grown on me, in later years. I'm not a fan of the too-narrow grille, that leaves too much sheetmetal up front, so they put in those fake horn ports inboard of the headlights. That narrow grille worked pretty well on the Grand Prix, but I don't think it worked with the big cars.
I'm not a huge fan of the '68-69 Buicks, either. Most of my distaste for them is in the front. The '68 just seems like a confused jumble of leftover Pontiac/Olds design rejects, while the '69, I don't like the way the headlights are inset, in that loop bumper/grille. I don't think the '70 Buicks are bad looking though, although the front seems a bit too Oldsmobile inspired.
If I was a new car buyer back then, who mainly went for Pontiacs, I think I would have switched to Oldsmobiles for '68-70. And then for the most part, Buicks for '71-76. One exception would be '74, where I think the Olds looked pretty nice that year, while I didn't care for the spaced-out headlights in the Buicks.
That's one thing I do miss about the multiple divisions back then. If I didn't like the Pontiac, there was still a good chance I might find something I might like at Olds or Buick, and still stay within the GM family.
I thought the '68 big Chevys looked worse, inside and out, than the '67, although I don't like the '67 grille either--too wide.
On the mid-sized cars, the Buicks of '68 and '69 were my least-favorite at GM. They tried to take that swoopy side line the '67 and '68 big Buicks had, and it looked weird to me. Add to it, the rear bumper with the taillights that seemed to almost point downward, and it was a non-success in my eyes, anyway.
Although I didn't like, much, how the '68 GM midsize coupes seemed notably smaller outside and in than the '67's, I was intrigued by the Concours coupe, which isn't in any brochure or catalog that I have ever seen...and I've tried. It was the result of a strike at an upholstery supplier. I have the bulletin to dealers about it, spring '68, somewhere here. I'm thinking the only interior available on a Malibu Sport Coupe during that strike was black vinyl, so it seems they offered the Concours coupe to add some choice. It had either the Cutlass Supreme seating or Skylark Custom seating, in black vinyl, depending on assembly plant, with 'luxury' door panels and added wheel opening moldings outside. I have seen exactly one in person my entire life. It was not really a companion to the 'regular' Concours Sport Sedan, which had panty cloth upholstery.
My aunt's husband traded that Buick in on a new '69 Ford station wagon. I remember 'unk' saying the Buick needed a valve job. Ironically, parents of a friend of mine had bought a used '67 Pontiac Executive wagon in '70 or '71, and had it only six months, trading it for a new '71 Ford Ranch Wagon. I remember the mom saying that the Pontiac "was a lemon".
Odd to me, that I knew two people who owned '67 medium-priced GM full-sizes who traded on full-size Ford wagons.
I’m surprised we don’t see more K’s on the road. They were pretty simple cars and the 2.5 4cyl / 3 speed torque flight held up well.
I’m guessing no one wanted to keep them going or in some climates they just rusted to bits.
I am sure I’ve mentioned it before but I kinda have a thing for mid 80s to early 90s Mopar. My Uncle was a Dodge GM and cousin a mechanic at the Dodge dealer. All those cars were everywhere in our family.
We had two Shelby Chargers
One 2.2 Charger
Daytona Shelby
Laser
Two Shadows (an 87 Turbo and a 94 V6)
94 Spirit
My Uncle always had a loaded up Lancer/Diplomat/Dynasty or woody Caravan for his demo
I still remember when he brought the first Intrepid his dealer got. Of course it was hunter green
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Happy 3/27
I’ve never noticed that piece or lack thereof.
I looked up some pics to verify the Impala is what I thought is was.
There were some with that lower piece and others without it.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
That's a biturbo model?
Back to 327– I remember people older than me saying the 327 was a good engine for a mix of performance and durability. The 283 seemed known for good durability too. You were probably in good shape with either engine with Powerglide.
Then, at the Aldi parking lot in Annapolis, this old-skool VW Bug...
And finally, in the parking lot at the dollar store, this Lucerne...
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On a transport trailer on the highway a bright blue 1970ish road runner or satellite. Really stuck out with among the boring normal cars also on the trailer. All gray black or white.
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I actually think the one in the pic I took is fairly attractive. I believe it's an earlier model, which would have just had the 231. And these cars were a bit heavy for that engine.
I've never driven a Lucerne, but sat in a few at auto shows. They seemed a bit smaller inside than my old 2000 Park Avenue, but still pretty roomy. And the interior quality was definitely an improvement. Nicer plastics, switchgear, better fit and finish, etc.
I see a Lucerne frequently in my neighborhood, it has chrome fender trim that stands out. I forget if it is a 3 or 4 holer, probably a 3.
EDIT: Looking online, looks like both Buicks were guilty of that instrument panel. Here's a LaCrosse:
This pic is one I took after the dealership shut down and before the signage was removed.
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Nice wheels. I like bright, which seemed a bit unusual by that time.
Thanks for the reminder of the proper spelling, ‘Lacrosse’. I should know that.
Those always made me think ovoid Taurus-inspired.
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Lemko's wife had one, a 2005 I believe. It was a really nice deep, rich blue.
"It's GOLD, Jerry! GOLD!"

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He calls it a '68, which seems on par. Only seen in one episode IIRC, apparently it belonged to Frank.