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I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today!

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  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 16,965

    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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  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,723
    1 millionth Thunderbird(1972). Didn't realize they sold that many.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n61aXT1ETnw
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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,423
    I checked the ad on that Jag again, now marked sold, somebody has a little bravery.

    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.
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 16,965

    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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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,423
    An assortment from a local real estate ad:


  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,871

    Andre will appreciate that ‘69 Bonneville, but the missing wheel opening moldings and skirts are making me twitch.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    I have to confess, when I had my '69 Bonneville, at some point I pulled the skirts off and left them off. Even though it gave the rear wheel opening a bit of an unfinished look, I thought it still made the car look SOOO much better. I thought the skirts made it look kind of fat.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,289
    The full-size Pontiac styling went into the ditch for 1968 through 1970. Unfortunate.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    This popped up in my facebook feed for some reason, from a page called "Decayingmidwest". Supposedly it's in Canada somewhere...

    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!
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,813
    You have to like a garage, that size. :)

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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,357
    out driving today (as it was starting to rain) something that I don't even know what it was. Tiny (about the size of an original Mini maybe) but looked vaguely 1950s British (like one of the odd Woolselys or a shrunken London taxi or some such). Really weird. I suppose it could have been a strange JDM retro something but didn't really seem like it.

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  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,813
    Right hand drive Land Rover Defender.. 2-door. From '80s or '90s?

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,871
    edited March 24
    The full-size Pontiac styling went into the ditch for 1968 through 1970. Unfortunate.

    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.
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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,423
    Spotted in the ad for an upcoming estate sale:



    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 +/-:





  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,289
    Couldn't find the listing, but at least it seems to have some good design on the exterior. Most of the homes listed in that area look pretty uninspiring.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,871
    edited March 25
    That house is a beauty, nice lawn too. That'd probably be $349K here, LOL.

    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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  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,813
    Where I live, that's $750K+, at least

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,423
    No listing for that house yet, estate company needs to clear it out first - probably at least a couple weeks away (and prime selling season). The interior looks like a late 60s cosmetic renovation in my eyes - lots of wallpaper and kind of grandma's house appearance. Kitchen is also from that era.

    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.
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,723
    There plenty of houses in that style in the neighborhood where one of my kids' live.
    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.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    With regards to big Pontiacs, this might sound a bit hypocritical since I own a '67, but I think styling went downhill after '66. While I LOVE my '67, I'll concede that the styling is chunky compared to the '66 model, a problem that all the full-sized cars had. I also thought the fastback roof of the hardtop coupes was just a bit TOO fast, whereas in '65-66 it was just about perfect.

    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.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,871
    The '68 big Pontiacs were still the '67 body, and mostly the same instrument panel, but yes, the front styling went downhill for sure.

    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.
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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,871
    edited March 26
    Talking about '67-68 big Buicks reminds me of my grandfather, who bought a new Madeira Maroon '67 Impala Sport Coupe with matching brocade interior. It had the chrome speaker in the middle of the rear seat back, last year for that at Chevy, anyway. My aunt and her husband had bought a light turquoise metallic new '67 Buick LeSabre two-door hardtop. I must've asked my grandfather about it, 'cause I can't imagine he'd just volunteer this, but I remember him saying, "I don't even like it as well as my Chevy". I agreed.

    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.
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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,423
    Saw a later K-car today, a little rough but all there and on the road. As the youngest one is 36 years old now, comparable to a 1953 car in 1989, it probably qualifies as an oldie. Also saw what I think was a FWD C-body 80s style Olds 98 from a distance, it looked nice from that distance.
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 16,965

    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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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,871

    Happy 3/27

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  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,723
    A 65 Chevy Impala but I have never seen that horizontal lower bumper piece.
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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,871

    I’ve never noticed that piece or lack thereof.

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  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,723
    @uplanderguy,
    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.
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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,357
    tjc78 said:

    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

    I have a sweet spot for the sportier versions of the small cars like a GLH.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,423
    At the MB dealer today saw an C124 E320 cabrio in the workshop having its top repaired. Also saw this somewhat rare model sitting outside:


  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,723
    @fintail,
    That's a biturbo model?
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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,423

    @fintail,
    That's a biturbo model?

    Yes. TT V12
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,871

    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.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    On a grocery store run yesterday, I came across a few obscurities. First, this pre-Tacoma Toyota pickup...
    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...
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,871
    I don't believe I ever even sat in one, but I always liked the looks of that-era Lucerne. Nice color on that one too. I think the models were CX, CXL, something like that, but I always would've had to have the one with the horizontal chrome molding at the bottom of the decklid.
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  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,289

    I don't believe I ever even sat in one, but I always liked the looks of that-era Lucerne. Nice color on that one too. I think the models were CX, CXL, something like that, but I always would've had to have the one with the horizontal chrome molding at the bottom of the decklid.

    I believe that one was the top line Super model with the Northstar V8. Near the end of the model run they may have made it available on other trims. At some point the engine changed from the 3800 to the Chevy 3.9 which made a bit more power. They had a Special Edition trim for a while too. I was always baffled by the trim levels.

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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,357

    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.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    edited March 28
    The Lucerne is one of those cars that I really wanted to like, but just couldn't warm up to it. Some of the models had a grille that seemed a bit too big for the rest of the car, where it formed kind of a Vee shape in the center. Initially I think it was just the V8 models that did that, but in later years I think they all got that grille.

    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.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,423
    Speaking of the Toyota, reminds me I got behind a T-100 in traffic yesterday. Still a few of those around here, they tend to be grandpa's baby or look like they spent a decade in a war zone.

    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.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,871
    edited March 28
    While I liked the Lucerne, I didn't care for the LaCrosse of about that same era. It reminded me of a Taurus, mostly about the rear door glass and C-pillar glass, and if I'm remembering correctly, I didn't like the instrument panel's pretty-big swath of shiny fake wood over on the right side (I know, a lot of cars are guilty of that, but it's something about the shape of that there).

    EDIT: Looking online, looks like both Buicks were guilty of that instrument panel. Here's a LaCrosse:


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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,871
    Not car-related, but fin, my wife is in Seattle through Sunday visiting our daughter. Just a minor FYI!
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  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,289
    edited March 28
    I bought a 2009 Lacrosse new in part because I got a ridiculous deal on it (combo of cheap end of model year deal, impending GM bankruptcy and a dealership about to go out of business) and because my Intrigue was starting to become troublesome. I was never in love with it. The 3800 engine was disappointing after the Intrigue’s Shortstar, and the Buick’s transmission was never right - two different dealers couldn’t fix it properly. All that said, the interior was probably its best feature. The shiny fake wood was a bit much but unlike the Intrigue it didn’t look like a large extrusion of gray mud. And the seats were the most comfortable I ever had, just lovely things. It was a bit frumpy looking but I thought it looked good in silver, which made the excess of chrome trim disappear a bit.

    This pic is one I took after the dealership shut down and before the signage was removed.


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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,871

    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.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,423
    Lacrosse or Allure? B) I agree upgraded wheels can really help some cars.

    Those always made me think ovoid Taurus-inspired.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,423

    Not car-related, but fin, my wife is in Seattle through Sunday visiting our daughter. Just a minor FYI!

    Hopefully it won't rain too much, spring can be moist.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,289
    fintail said:

    Lacrosse or Allure? B) I agree upgraded wheels can really help some cars.

    Those always made me think ovoid Taurus-inspired.

    I dumbed it down for a broader audience. B) The badging said Allure, but I never liked that name.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,023
    fintail said:

    Lacrosse or Allure? B) I agree upgraded wheels can really help some cars.

    Those always made me think ovoid Taurus-inspired.

    Yeah, I was about to say...doesn't "Lacrosse" mean something else up in Canada? 🤡

    Lemko's wife had one, a 2005 I believe. It was a really nice deep, rich blue.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,871
    edited March 29

    "It's GOLD, Jerry! GOLD!"

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  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,289
    andre1969 said:


    Yeah, I was about to say...doesn't "Lacrosse" mean something else up in Canada? 🤡

    Lemko's wife had one, a 2005 I believe. It was a really nice deep, rich blue.

    Lacrosse is Canada's national summer sport (hockey being the winter national sport). Any other meaning is just gutter slang in a certain language I do not speak.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,423

    "It's GOLD, Jerry! GOLD!"

    Remember the episode where George pretends to be a bad boy and has a GTO?



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

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