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

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Comments

  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,979
    I always hoped that my FIL would buy a LeSabre T Type:


    Sadly, he liked those gaudy pimped-out Park Avenues with the fake convertible tops and gold trim. Once I had to drive one of them to pick up some oil and filters at the BMW Store in Cincy; I parked several blocks away so no one would see me behind the wheel.

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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,545
    edited January 11
    I seldom see these anymore... but reminds me of the vinyl roof days of the large H-bodies.
    Can anyone guess where I saw this puppy?



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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    Sheesh, is that Impala egregious.
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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,545
    The chrome cladding on the door frames sometimes shows up on GM cars in the urban area. It really looks odd to my eye for this day and age in cars.
    The proportions or shape of the C-pillar made that car look awkward.
    The leSabres and Park Avenues in their time frame of 1995-2005 looked better with the vinyl roofing.

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  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,979

    I seldom see these anymore... but reminds me of the vinyl roof days of the large H-bodies.
    Can anyone guess where I saw this puppy?



    A school for the blind?

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    Son's: 2018 330i xDrive

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,545
    edited January 11

    I seldom see these anymore... but reminds me of the vinyl roof days of the large H-bodies.
    Can anyone guess where I saw this puppy?

    A school for the blind?

    LOL. My belly laugh for the day. Good one.
    But you're close:
    Chick Fil A. The yellow lane markers are common in this area to guide cars through the ordering and pickup lanes.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    edited January 12
    I'd have actually liked that Impala the way it was originally built--Premier model, in a decent color.

    Also, a big fan of the food and service at Chick-Fil-A.
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  • thebeanthebean Member Posts: 1,243
    edited January 12
    Driving to pick up some meds, I saw a clapped out late 70’s Cutlass Supreme coupe. It gave me chills as it reminded me of my silver ‘79 Cutlass with a 260. Worst car I have ever had. Paint started oxidizing as I drove it off the lot, although to be fair I wasn’t as diligent waxing it as I should have been. After 6 months, the passenger seat started sliding forward every time I braked when someone was in the seat. Dealership took 3 visits to somewhat fix it. Vinyl landau roof cracked after 2.5 years. It knocked like an old diesel unless you used premium fuel. 💰

    But the worst issue was the locks, which didn’t show up until after the warranty was up. First was the ignition lock, which stuck in the on position while my wife was getting groceries. That cost me a couple hundred, if I remember. Then, two days before I traded it in, the trunk lock froze in the locked position. Lots of graphite and work with a screwdriver got it working until I could get it to the Toyota dealer to pick up an ‘84 Camry. I bet they sent that pig to auction the same day I traded it. My last GM car, but to be fair, most every car maker had quality issues then. The Camry had a pulsating front brake issue that was never fixed properly.
    2015 Honda Accord EX, 2019 Honda HR-V EX
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,545
    edited January 12

    I'm not sure what year it is. But it's an Oldsmobile rather than a Chevy or Buick version.
    Was there a Pontiac version in the lineup in these A bodies? I think they were A bodies.

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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 52,311
    might not be a great car, but man, tons of cargo room and amazing visibility all around!

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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,545
    I wouldn't have it out on a day with snow on the roadside melting with salt in it spray up underneath.
    Only visible rust was on panel bottom behind rear wheels.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,990
    Yep there was a Pontiac version of the A body wagon, I think called 6000 Safari. That Olds appears to be maybe 86-92 or so - eventually they got a full body color bumper. Profit margins must have been 90% on those by then, almost a retro car when the design was finally retired.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    edited January 12
    With the swing-out little window on the rear-side, this is a three-seat wagon.

    I always thought those cars turned into a wagon, well, styling-wise. The Buick and Olds coupes looked nice too, once the roofline was softened a bit. Funny, I didn't like how the cars looked when the sedan's roofline was softened; I preferred the boxy roofline, with the small C-pillar window, there.
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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    edited January 13

    I was volunteering at my hometown historical society this morning and looking through the 1959-60 phone book. My town's population was under 9K in 1959-60. There were three Plymouth dealers within three blocks of each other. In fact, the 16 N. Water and 14 N. Race locations were back-to-back.
    Apparently then, you could sell Plymouth with Chrysler, with DeSoto, and with Dodge.

    For fin, there's an ad for the M-B dealer, my good friend, Carl E. Filer Co.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,920
    Here's 33 South Race Street nowadays. Even though Google maps says 38, there's a 33 on the door, above the top diamond window (just can't see it from this screen shot)
    So I wonder if that's the original building, just modernized somewhat?
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    edited January 13
    I drove by there this morning!

    That is the original N.W. Moyer Motor Co. building, from '30's 'til 1961.

    I've been inside, probably a decade ago. Still has the big wooden ramp that led upstairs where they stored cars. Almost a 90-degree angle on that ramp. I don't know how they drove late '50's cars upstairs.

    The Stude-MB dealer is to the left in that picture, now owned by the water company which covered all the windows up. I can only assume they've got equipment stored inside. You can't see it here, but the original metal pole that held their big vertical dark blue "STUDEBAKER" neon sign, which hung there for a few years after Studebaker was gone, is still out at the street.

    Ristvey-Charles, I don't remember, but the building is still there. J.W. Wolfe was the Dodge dealer in all my youth, into adulthood actually, at 14 N. Race. Pretty big showroom at the time, and a full basement where they kept new-car inventory.

    When I was a kid, between 33 and 43 S. Race St., was a two-or-three story, yellow brick, narrow apartment building.
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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565

    Here’s a gloomy photo of the Stude dealer, about ‘66. They no longer had M-B then but had Simca.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,990

    Stude made good use of that partnership. "Where to Buy Them" - how many in the greater Greenville metropolitan area were buying MBs in 1959? :) In that 1966 pic, fun to think that the VW is now worth many times more than any of the others (if any survived).

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,990

    With the swing-out little window on the rear-side, this is a three-seat wagon.

    I always thought those cars turned into a wagon, well, styling-wise. The Buick and Olds coupes looked nice too, once the roofline was softened a bit. Funny, I didn't like how the cars looked when the sedan's roofline was softened; I preferred the boxy roofline, with the small C-pillar window, there.

    I thought the A wagons looked decent too, even back in the day. But that seems to be a thing, some cars really wear the wagon well and it is an improvement over other variants.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    edited January 14
    I can only remember one M-B of that period in Greenville when I was a kid--a powder blue 190SL driven by my school nurse, who was an older lady even then. My friend said that they serviced it but I don't remember him saying they sold it.

    I know that Mr. Filer Sr. had a 220 sedan, black with red interior.

    They sent their best mechanic to M-B school in NYC, and he said he'd take the train from Greenville (Erie-Lackawanna Railway) to NYC and drive back a M-B back for them to sell, a few weeks in a row. On a Greenville FB page, one guy posted his Dad worked part-time at Filer's and remembered removing cosmoline from chrome trim on 'Benzes.

    When the Stude/MB agreement ended in '65, Filer's lost that franchise going forward.

    I'd been told that they got 'Benz repair and maintenance business from outside the Greenville area including larger Sharon, 15 miles to the south.

    When I read/hear that "...only the best/biggest Studebaker dealers were chosen to handle M-B", I have to laugh a little. I believe if you offered to buy tools, signage, and training, you got the franchise.

    The lettering over the front of the building has survived, I recently found out. I want to at least see it sometime. That font is what Studebaker told dealers to use for signage in the '40's.
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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    Found this pic on FB of N.W. Moyer Motors, 33 S. Race St., Greenville, probably late '30's or '40's. Nice service trucks.
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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,920
    I always thought that the pairing of Plymouth-Dodge would have caused problems in '53-54, with those shrunken models that looked too much alike. But even then, they still kept a good separation in price. In '54 for example, the most expensive 4-door Plymouth was the $1963 Belvedere. The cheapest Dodge 4-door was the $2,025 Meadowbrook.

    Incidentally, the most expensive 4-door Dodge was the $2,373 Royal V8. Cheapest DeSoto 4-door was the $2,386 Powermaster, which just had an inline-6. Next up the rung was the Firedome, with the Hemi 276.1, at $2673. That did overlap with Chrysler, as their cheapest 4-door was the Windsor Deluxe, at $2562. It came standard with an inline-6 that was slightly larger than the one in the DeSoto.

    So, in 1954 at least, Chrysler Corp was still doing a pretty good job of maintaining a hierarchy, without too much overlap. Despite juggling five divisions, GM was actually doing a pretty good job as well, with the exception of Buick. The Special was cheaper than the least expensive Olds, and cheaper than the most expensive Pontiac.

    Ford didn't have any problem at all maintaining their hierarchy, as they only had Mercury to fill the gap between Ford and Lincoln.

    Still, even though Dodge and Plymouth didn't quite overlap, they might have been close enough to cannibalize each other's sales a bit. Meanwhile, the distance between Plymouth and DeSoto or especially Chrysler was big enough, that it made more sense to pair them up.

  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 255,895
    Wasn't that the reason Ford decided to create the Edsel? To better compete with all the brands from GM and Chrysler?

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    edited January 14
    I've heard that's why Ford added Edsel as well. Ironically, James Nance, former head of Packard and of Studebaker-Packard in the '54-56 years, was tapped to head Edsel, actually M-E-L (Mercury, Edsel, and Lincoln). He was fired by McNamara in '59 I believe and moved to Cleveland to run a bank, which he did until he died in 1984.

    In early '50's Plymouths, I think maybe '51 or '52, I seem to remember model names "Cranbrook" and maybe "Cambridge"?, spelled out in block letters on the front fenders, with an underline under the name. If I remember them, they were old cars by then and most-likely driven by old folks. Although, I'll admit that old folks are who I mostly remember seeing driving Larks right through '66 models.
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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    edited January 14

    Humor me here; one last photo from my hometown.

    This is the Erie-Lackawanna Railway station, where we'd get on passenger trains from Hoboken, NJ and Chicago and a bunch of places in-between, until Jan. 1970. This pic is from '67. Building was built in 1881. It still stands but looks sorry. A group (of which I'd have been part) asked the current inhabitant, Norfolk-Southern, if we could paint the exterior for free and they denied us.

    I used to leave out of this station with my mother and sister in the '60's, and go to visit my maternal relatives in Brooklyn and Long Island, while my Dad was at USMCR Summer Camp.

    Sign in the eaves said, "Greenville, Home of Thiel College".

    Boy, when I look at the pic andre posted of the former Moyer and Filer car dealers in town, then look at the old pics of the places, I realize how barren that general area looks now, even devoid of any trees now, sigh.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,920
    Yep, and the Edsel might have worked out, if it had come out a few years earlier. And in preparation for the Edsel, Mercury started moving a bit upscale for '55, and a bit further in '56, and even moreso in '57. But by '57, the market in general was starting to cool off, and the middle-priced market really was getting crowded.

    Worse, Edsel and Mercury actually overlapped pretty badly. The Ford-based Edsels carried the bulk of the sales. The most expensive 4-door Ford was the Fairlane 500, at $2428. That was with a 6-cyl engine. The cheapest Edsel 4-door was the Ranger, at $2592. It came standard with a V8, a fairly potent 361 with 303 hp. I imagine though, if you put a V8 in the Fairlane 500, it would have come close to the Edsel's price.

    Mercury had a Medalist 4-door that year, priced at a low $2,617, with a 235 hp 312 V8. It was kind of a loss leader model, probably to get shoppers in the door, and maybe the occasional fleet sale. It was a slow seller. The Monterey 4-door was $2721, and had a 312 hp 383 standard.

    Meanwhile, Edsel tried to make their larger, Mercury-based models a bit more exclusive, offering them only has 2- or 4-door hardtops, and a convertible in the top range Citation. Station wagons, and 2/4-door pillared sedans, were relegated to the cheaper, Ford-based models. The Corsair 4-door hardtop started at $3425, while the Corsair was $3615. Meanwhile, Mercury had the Montclair "Phaeton" 4-door hardtop at $3365, and the Montclair "Turnpike Cruiser" at $3577.

    The Corsair and Citation were actually on a longer wheelbase than the Mercury Medalist/Monterey/Montclair, 124" vs 122". But then, at the top of the range, Mercury trotted out the Park Lane, on a 125" wb, at $3,944 for the 4-door hardtop. That was more than a Buick Super ($3789), but still well below a Roadmaster ($4667) or Limited ($5112). The Olds Ninety Eight 4-door hardtop was $4,096.

    Over at Chrysler, the mid-range Saratoga was $3955 for the 4-door hardtop, while a New Yorker was $4404.

    Ford reacted pretty quickly with the Edsel for 1959, dropping the slow-selling Mercury-based models and focusing on the Ford-based ones. But, Mercury went the wrong way, getting even bigger for '59. The Park Lane moved up to a 128" wb, while the others went to 126".

    In general, 1959 was a recovery year for the industry. However, Mercury dropped a bit, from around 153K to around 149K. But, they dropped the cheap Medalist, which had accounted for about 17K units in '58, so maybe that wasn't so bad. Edsel contracted from around 63K units to around 45k. But again, considering it lost the more expensive models, perhaps that wasn't too bad. Getting rid of those larger models might have helped Mercury cut its losses too, as people who would have bought one of the bigger Edsels might have just gone with a Mercury. Also, by '59 the Galaxie was out, and pretty popular. That probably put some pressure on Edsel, and maybe Mercury, to a lesser degree?

    The other notable loser that year was DeSoto, which dropped from around 49K to 46K, despite a model lineup that was unchanged. I think DeSoto sales were a pretty good indication that the traditional middle-priced market really was changing. Their entry-level Firesweep actually increased in sales compared to '58. But the more expensive Firedome and Fireflite continued to drop. And the story was similar with Chrysler. The entry level Windsor saw a fairly substantial increase, while the more expensive Saratoga and New Yorker were off a bit.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,990

    I can only remember one M-B of that period in Greenville when I was a kid--a powder blue 190SL driven by my school nurse, who was an older lady even then. My friend said that they serviced it but I don't remember him saying they sold it.

    I know that Mr. Filer Sr. had a 220 sedan, black with red interior.

    They sent their best mechanic to M-B school in NYC, and he said he'd take the train from Greenville (Erie-Lackawanna Railway) to NYC and drive back a M-B back for them to sell, a few weeks in a row. On a Greenville FB page, one guy posted his Dad worked part-time at Filer's and remembered removing cosmoline from chrome trim on 'Benzes.

    When the Stude/MB agreement ended in '65, Filer's lost that franchise going forward.

    I'd been told that they got 'Benz repair and maintenance business from outside the Greenville area including larger Sharon, 15 miles to the south.

    When I read/hear that "...only the best/biggest Studebaker dealers were chosen to handle M-B", I have to laugh a little. I believe if you offered to buy tools, signage, and training, you got the franchise.

    The lettering over the front of the building has survived, I recently found out. I want to at least see it sometime. That font is what Studebaker told dealers to use for signage in the '40's.

    I've always imagined that some of the WW2 vet generation would be unwilling to buy a German car - but I suspect in reality just as many were curious via their experiences and would take a chance. Someone was buying a few cars before things really took off and the brand acquired big cachet in the US after the late 60s.
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,168
    Probably the best car ever available to win on TPIR.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksoPOYlSDoo
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  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 255,895

    Probably the best car ever available to win on TPIR.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksoPOYlSDoo

    Jake's 944 from 16 Candles

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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 52,311

    They actually had a Ferrari on a few years ago. I think on the nighttime show, or one of the anniversary specials. Nobody won it.

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  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,995
    Wow, she won it. Any better car ever been won? On any show?
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    fin, re.: Filer's--They sold a few impressive cars there--a '56 Packard Caribbean convertible, $6K car when new and one of only 276 built that year; they actually sold two of the eight 1964 Cruiser sedans with supercharger built, one to an elderly guy from Sharon who traded in a '59 M-B; and they sold a Bordeaux Red '64 Daytona convertible with 4-speed, which makes most Stude guys salivate (including me).
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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    Just sold at Mecum--'87 Chevette 4-speed with 47 miles, $30K.

    Best for me to withhold comment, LOL


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  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 5,073
    I guess the buyer was desperate to save the manuals!
    A fool...
    More money than...

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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 52,311

    I guess if you just have to have the reference unit for all those people out there restoring Chevettes, it’s worth the money.

    I just want to know why it only have 47 miles.

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  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,350
    Most Chevettes have mileage similar to that, it's just that the owners eventually had them removed from the driveway to the back 40 rather than keeping it in pristine condition! :p
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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,920
    My 2012 Ram had more miles on it than that, when I bought it new from the dealership! It had 52. Although, I probably put about 5-6 miles on it, on the test drive. I'd love to know the story though, behind a 47 mile Chevette!
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,990
    Chevette seems to be about 4x its original price - still not the best investment but many cars of the era wouldn't have fared better in terms of ROI.

    Speaking of auctions, this one surprised me - a few more miles and several years older than the Chevette, bringing around 3x the original price:


  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    I used to not like those wheels, but I think that car looks good now. It has certainly aged well.
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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    I wonder if the dealer kept that Chevette, for some reason. It's the last model year.

    Truth be told, I'd rather have a 47-mile '77 Vega. It's what the '71 should have been, durability-wise. Make mine a GT wagon.
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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,990

    I used to not like those wheels, but I think that car looks good now. It has certainly aged well.

    Those wheels are called "bundts" as they can resemble the cake pan. They are brake dust magnets but are kind of iconic for 70s and early 80s MBs. For a design that debuted in 1972, that W116 looks good. If I was to choose a malaise era car for fun, one of my first choices would be one of those or the later W126 300SD. I suspect for 4 door sedans of the era, the 300SDs have among the highest survival rates.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,995
    Saw a '67 Galaxie on the drive home from work, odd to see it out at rush hour. Good shape, modern wheels, but not crazy big ones.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,990

    I wonder if the dealer kept that Chevette, for some reason. It's the last model year.

    Truth be told, I'd rather have a 47-mile '77 Vega. It's what the '71 should have been, durability-wise. Make mine a GT wagon.

    That got me thinking, I wonder if a no miles Vega (especially a wagon) would do better than the crazy Chevette. Vega wagon is a nice looking vehicle.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,920
    This is just my perception, but I'd think a no-miles Vega should do better than that Chevette, simply because the Vega developed the reputation it did. Even though later models were improved considerably, that reputation hangs over them all, in the minds of many. So I'd think that a pristine survivor of something with a bad reputation would have some value, for the kitsch factor, reverse-chic, or "so bad it's good" type of vibe.

    In contrast the Chevette never was truly horrible when it came to reliability/durability. It was more of one of those cars that would squeak and rattle with age, nickel and dime you, and you hated it the whole time, but it just wouldn't die. But, I think the Chevette was more of a forgettable little car for most people, and just never managed to achieve the level of infamy that the Vega did.
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,979
    andre1969 said:

    This is just my perception, but I'd think a no-miles Vega should do better than that Chevette, simply because the Vega developed the reputation it did. Even though later models were improved considerably, that reputation hangs over them all, in the minds of many. So I'd think that a pristine survivor of something with a bad reputation would have some value, for the kitsch factor, reverse-chic, or "so bad it's good" type of vibe.

    In contrast the Chevette never was truly horrible when it came to reliability/durability. It was more of one of those cars that would squeak and rattle with age, nickel and dime you, and you hated it the whole time, but it just wouldn't die. But, I think the Chevette was more of a forgettable little car for most people, and just never managed to achieve the level of infamy that the Vega did.

    The Vega was hyped as a revolutionary car- the first car to take on the imports. The Chevette was eminently forgettable.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    edited January 19
    It's easy to forget how the Vega was the darling of the car mags, and even in owner polls (Car and Driver did at least one). Flat cornering, lots of body styles and options. Updates were made throughout the run, but the '76 was the best. I have seen an old newspaper ad from a dealer that mentioned what became the '76 factory warranty (5yrs/60K miles on the engine, unheard of at the time), on '75's, which makes me think the improvements for '76 were actually a running change in '75 sometime.

    Too lazy to check, but I'm pretty sure '74 was Vega's best-selling year, no doubt due to gas crises, but I'd guess that the bad news wasn't all that 'out there' by that time. They added a second plant to build them.

    For styling, I don't really like the first years very much. I don't like the dollhouse-tiny taillights and bumpers. I like the '74-75 styling the best.

    Wife was driving a 12-year-old Chevette in 1990. I don't recall it being unreliable, but it was indeed eminently forgettable. I detested painted metal inside the car that was the color of the outside.

    I could still enjoy owning a Cosworth. Yeah, I know, 110 hp instead of 150, but I like the idea of DOHC and fuel injection at the time. Probably the same reason I like late '60's performance Corvairs. Fact is, of course, that a big V8 will trounce them every time, but I like the idea, I guess, of 'engineering sophistication', for real or not. :)

    This was my favorite color combo on one. My friend wanted a used one at an AMC dealer in '78 in this scheme, asking price $3,500. His Dad wouldn't co-sign for a two-year-old Vega at $3,500, LOL, even though at the time he owned a '77 Vega Kammback he bought new, and a '78 Malibu Classic sedan.
    Chevy Cosworth Vega: The BMW-fighter that wasn't - Hagerty Media

    I met a guy at Hershey this past year who was showing a Cosworth Vega. It was his second one. He said he bought a new one....in 1978! I know the one our hometown dealer got in, hung around for a year and was advertised at $4,800-odd at that point. I don't believe anybody paid sticker for one! The small dealer where I bought my C8, told me they (i.e., his Dad) never sold Cosworths as he didn't want to spend the money for the tools. Probably a wise choice in hindsight!

    Road and Track, I remember did a test of one alongside some Euro cars....the only one I remember is a Saab, for some reason. Their conclusion was somewhat surprising, not the conventional wisdom then and especially now.

    Different tack, but coming out of my donut joint today, saw this Malibu I like in color and equipment. The rear styling is my favorite angle of the car. I put 2K miles on one last spring and was surprised at how pleasant (quiet, enough power, spacious, economical) it was. I entertained buying a new one but my cheap nature is keeping me in the old Cruze next to it for now.


    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    P.S. For those ready to experience the deep-freeze that is coming Mon-Wed where I live (NE OH), hunker down.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    edited January 19

    The in-laws of my younger brother-in-law just bought this '66 Chevelle Malibu Sport Sedan out in AZ. They said it doesn't meet noise levels in their retirement village, LOL.

    I spot that it is missing the factory wheel opening moldings.

    First year for a GM mid-size four-door hardtop.

    Emblem on front fender says "327", a good choice, but who knows what it's packing now.

    I like the old 'tinted glass in all windows' option--light green like glass Coke bottles used to be. My white '63 Lark Daytona had them; really noticeable on a white car.

    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,990
    edited January 19
    On the Vega note, I agree a super low miles car would fare better at auction than the Chevette. That makes me wonder if any were preserved that weren't Cosworth models - like an ordinary 71 wagon that somehow exists with 55 miles, etc. I've seen the Chevette joking called a "mechanical cockroach" making me think some might still be around if we end up being nuked or similar.

    On the winter note and obscure spotting note, yesterday morning I was in the middle of my every weekend day couple hours spent on the ice at the local skate ribbon (a smaller version of the one in Chicago), dodging the "swimmers" and dorky hockey dads/wild no rules for me hockey kids, and on the main street in front of the ribbon, saw a blue 58 Eldorado Brougham in traffic. We've had a fraction of the normal snowfall this year (we average around 4 feet each winter) and the roads aren't filthy, but it was no more than 25F out and the roads still have gunk on them, and this high rarity was out amid the cloned CUVs and manly man pickups. It looked immaculate, although it was far enough away for me to not see real detail nor a plate. I had to tell my friend how rare the car is, and how much more valuable it is compared to a normal 58 Caddy.

    On the tinted glass subject, period MBs could also be ordered with green glass. In the 90s blue tinted glass could be had, that was always an attention getter for the observant.

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,565
    edited January 19

    The Eldorado Brougham was really something special. I think $13k is sticking in my head as its new car price, astronomical then of course.

    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
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