Are you a current Michigan-based car shopper? A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/2 for details.

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

1…388389391393394…1306

Comments

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,367
    She inherited it from her grandma :shades:
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 264,019
    Nope.... when she was in her '20s, her father thought it would be a nice car for a young single lady...

    I swear... I must have heard this a thousand times... ;)

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    She actually is 20, just looks 50 after owning the car for a few years.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Yecch!!! It's one surefire way to keep her single too!
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    It's one surefire way to keep her single too!

    Um, I hate to tell you guys, but my wife was driving an '86 Tempo when I met her in 1996.

    However, it was a stick, any bonus points for that?
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,015
    Um, I hate to tell you guys, but my wife was driving an '86 Tempo when I met her in 1996.

    That just shows what an awesome woman she must be, if she was able to get married in spite of the Tempo! :P
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,367
    Was it also a diesel or a sport model with weird headrests? Must have been something interesting...or she was just awesome :shades:
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    I think the Tempo was a GL, but it had alloy wheels, bucket seats and an aftermarket sunroof.

    She picked it out her own self .. at the time, she was married with one child - the second one wasn't yet born - and was driving a Datsun 210 that had been totaled in an accident.

    IIRC, she test drove an Aerostar and a Honda Prelude :surprise: - you couldn't find two more diverse cars. The Tempo fit the family budget; her first husband was a roofer so a consistent income was never a guarantee.

    And, yeah, 13 years later, she's still pretty awesome.
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 16,865
    edited June 2010
    While we are on the topic our SO's cars. My GF had a red 04 Mustang when we first met a little over 2 years ago. Right around when we started dating she went to a new 08 Elantra. She said the gas was killing her (was really high then) and the RWD was not good enough in bad weather for her.

    I always joke with her that around two years ago not only did she get stuck with me... she lost her fun car! To make matters worse now that we live together her commute dropped from 75 miles round trip to 25.

    2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,367
    It's funny that a Tempo would probably be the most interesting car owned by any girls/women I have known.

    I don't have any good SO car tales...I did know a young woman who had an Integra...never maintained it...ended up running the engine dry of oil and destroying it...I had a laugh anyway.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    Where's the humor in that?
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,367
    It was her fault - she ignored warning lights and paid the price. No doubt her parents were stuck with the 2K bill for the engine. Haven't seen her in nearly a decade...I wonder what she drives now...
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,367
    Surprising bids for a Wisconsinite

    Classy and subtle

    "House Car" must have something to do with the aerodynamics

    Nice Frenchie

    Why?

    Ready to eat you up and spit you out

    Go out in style

    This needs to end

    Another time warp from the 70s yacht seller

    Lipstick

    Good old name

    Air cooled

    Lots of doors
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,648
    http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1975-PONTIAC-GRANDVILLE-CONVERTABLE-18KS-ABSOLUTL- Y-MINT-/330441940356?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4cefdfdd84

    This guy's selling a convertable rather than a convertible.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 16,865
    edited June 2010
    Caddy.... "only 250 made" thank God!

    Olds on 26s... I think we have talked about this car before, its just awful IMO. I saw a 80s Caprice just like that today.

    Grandville... Nice car, in actually decent colors.

    Lincoln, I prefer the Mark Vs, but thats a nice example. I am not a fan of red interior, but on a white car and only on the carpets and dash I could handle it.

    77 Honda, same question as you: Why? Who really cares about that car?

    2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,191
    I like that. mostly.

    I had a '75 (I think) of that same hatchback model. Mine was dark green though. Bucket seats and an X steering wheel.

    Oh, and a stick.

    Interesting set up. originally it was a column shift, but it got converted to a floor shift. But somehow, the linage still went through the column, so when you shifted, the sleeve (where the tree shifter would have been) moved. And occasionally binded up...

    overall, not a bad car. And tons of room for junk with the back seat down.

    I had a lot of hatches over the years. Still want another wagon type for my next car.

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

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    "only 250 made" -- cornered in a warehouse, the owner of Grandeur Motor Car Company, surrendered to police, saying "stop me, please, before I build another one".
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    The restored Civic. 3 days left and 0 bids at $5k starting. I think it's a cool little car and if I had all the money in the world I probably wouldn't pay more than $10k for it. If he spent $50k on resto, I wonder what his reserve is.

    I like the Citroen, including the seller's other CX Prestige. Good prices I think.

    The stretched/chopped Caddy is ugly. It boggles my mind as to why anyone would buy such a thing in the first place when it was new.

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,191
    amazing how much some people put into "normal" cars, then seem to get tired of quickly.

    One site I look at about Volvos has for sale listings. One guy has a 1998 S70 listed that he pretty much rebuilt and upgraded totally. Not customized, just tastefully modified.

    claims to have 23K invested in it in the last 1-2 years. Looks better than new. Is now down to Asking $6,995 to get rid of it.

    for that kind of cost, could have leased something nice like a M3 BMW, and probably still been $$ ahead.

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

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    which relates to my motto:

    "If you want a faster car, sell yours and buy a faster car".
  • jljacjljac Member Posts: 649
    edited June 2010
    That is my Commander and I took that photo near the James Dean crash site on the 50th anniversary on September 30, 2005. The "saginaw green" originally had more blue in it. The car was special ordered the day before James Dean's birthday in February 1955 with many options (power steering, brakes, windows, seat) and shipped to Burbank California where James Dean lived at that time. That baby is my "Christine." Runs like new on the James Dean route every time September 30th falls on a Friday. More photos of the car and a musical slide show about it are here. http://stude.net/commander.html.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited June 2010
    My car in college was the same Studebaker, same color, but it was a "President" with a 289 V-8 and 3-speed manual transmission with overdrive. The OD meant that the factory put in a fairly low rear end ratio, so this car was pretty quick for its day compared to a 265 /283 Chevys of the day.

    One day both rear springs broke off their shackles, and the engine was tired, so I was done with it. Bought a '63 Riviera, white with red interior.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...red 1964 Chevrolet Corvair four-door sedan and dark blue 1965 Pontiac Grand Prix travelling north on the PA Turnpike NE Extension near the Lehigh Valley exit.
  • omarmanomarman Member Posts: 2,702
    "James Dean ... James Dean's ... James Dean ... James Dean ..."

    Nice car but a consensus of scientists believe that James Dean hated Studebaker times infinity!

    j/k :P
    A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Funny thing is James Dean himself wouldn't have driven a 1949 Mercury as he did in "Rebel Without a Cause." He much preferred sports cars like the Porsche in which he ultimately ended up dying.

    I believe the 1950 Ford had sort of the same cachet among contemporary teens as the "James Dean" Merc.
  • jljacjljac Member Posts: 649
    edited June 2010
    I never believed that James Dean wanted to own a Stude. The point of the slide show at Stude.net page 5 is to say that JD believed that he was too cool for any car that came from Indiana as he did. I believe that he ordered it for his father and then changed his mind. In 1955

    Studebaker started the model year with a 224 cu in V-8 and then increased it to 259 cu. inches in January 1955. The following year Stude also offered the same motor as 289 cu.in. when it changed to a 12-volt electrical system. Most Stude owners who converted to the bigger 289 also converted to 12 volt electrical system as well because the 6 volt system did not have the juice to crank the bigger motor.
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,617
    edited June 2010
    a perfect black Model T driving down Main St, an area where the houses are 3 to 4 times as old as the car.
    today a white Gen 2 RX-7 convertible and just ahead of it, a current generation RX 8.

    about 20 photos from a tv station at a local auto show
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • lemmerlemmer Member Posts: 2,689
    I saw a primered Subaru XT6 smushed up in a ditch after a guy (possibly the lead singer of Primus) rolled it.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,367
    Out walking not long ago, spotted a 450SLC in a parking lot. I walked close to it - it was either a low mile time capsule car or restored, it looked brand new. Medium metallic brown with a caramel interior, on perfect bundts - VERY 70s.
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,662
    It was probably a miles orig. I can't imagine someone restoring an SLC.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,367
    Well, fools and money...but yeah, SLCs aren't worth much.

    Sunny day here finally, one odd sighting - white Geo Metro convertible.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 264,019
    A mid-'60s 4-door... fairly large... V-8 emblems on the side... F85 on the back... Windows down, no B-pillar... Could see the stuffing coming out of the seats on the interior, but the exterior was just original/faded, with no glaring rust problems...(ugly puke brown/yellow).. .chrome was dicey...

    Definitely no engine issues... pulled smartly away from me, leaving a red light....

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,015
    According to my old car book, the only year Olds offered the F-85 as a 4-door hardtop was 1966. It's whole, proper name was F-85 Deluxe. For 1967, there was just the F-85, a fairly basic stripper; if you wanted a 4-door hardtop you had to spring for the Cutlass.

    The 1966, and 1967 Olds intermediates were pretty big cars, on a 115" wheelbase, and I'd guess around 206-207" overally. They had a beefy, hulking look to them that, IMO at least made them look even bigger than they were.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 264,019
    edited June 2010
    I'm guessing it was a '66, then... It was definitely a big-body car... It's local.. I've spotted it at a distance, before... this was the first time, up close (until he decided to dust me.... lol).

    I'm sure I'll see it again... pretty cool, in a shabby way.. Love the 4-door hardtop...

    Oh yeah... It was two-tone.. with a white roof..

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    edited June 2010
    ...I spotted a black and silver 1962 Oldsmobile Starfire hardtop at a used car dealership along Sumneytown Pike in NW Montgomery County, PA. It was parked next to a two-tone blue 1980-85 Cadillac Seville with one of those funky aftermarket grilles.

    I went to school with a girl who had a maroon 1966 Oldsmobile F-85 sedan with a black cloth and vinyl interior. About a month before we graduated, some knucklehead rear-ended it and pretty much totalled it.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 264,019
    Strangely enough.. another mid-60s big body Olds... in the same color, but with a black roof... This time, an Olds 98....

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,617
    edited June 2010
    i've driven by it probably 10 times in the last couple of days.
    the description on the windshield says 1985 M 635 CSI.
    a silver coupe with BBS rims. also could read 'eurospec' on one of the windows.
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    I always thought that the 62 Olds Starfire was one of their sharper looking vehicles.
  • dieselonedieselone Member Posts: 5,729
    Saw one yesterday in our small town. Older lady with a yippie little dog hanging its head out the window. White with black top and spoke rims. I have no idea what year it was, I'd guess 1990 or so.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 264,019
    That's the gray-market Euro model... wonder how much they want for it?

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • dieselonedieselone Member Posts: 5,729
    My wife and I went out to breakfast yesterday at the local "Choke and Puke" and there was a 300 Chrysler convertible in the parking lot, I'd guess that it was a '65 from looking at pictures online.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,367
    Saw a yellow 63 Falcon convertible with a tan top a couple hours ago...weird color combo, and not in a good way.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,015
    Sometimes I wish I had gone with white instead of black when I had my Catalina's top replaced last year, especially on really hot days when I don't feel like putting the top down. I was worried though, that a white roof would clash with the pale yellow of the body. And, I wonder if a white top, versus black, would help keep the interior cooler?

    Here's a '67 Delta 88 convertible I saw at a car lot in Carlisle PA last year, in butternut yellow (or whatever Olds called it), which is a touch darker than my car, which I think is called "Montego Creme"...
    image

    I'm just not that crazy about the white top, but maybe I would've gotten used to it?
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,662
    So far today I've seen a 1951 MG-TD Roadster in good driver shape parked in a store lot with a tonneau cover over both seats, bright red that was orangier than the reds I remember on old MGs. Stock except for the luggage rack over the outside spare.

    Then I saw a gen I Corvair Convertible,probably a Monza. Seemed to be in good shape but perhaps having mechanical probs based on where it was. Dark gray paint was good, chrome and top good too.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    "Choke and Puke"

    Hahaha, that made me laugh.

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,015
    "Gimme two Diablo Dogs and a Dr. Pepper and make it snappy I'm in a golddang hurry!"
    -Jackie Gleason, c1977
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,648
    edited June 2010
    With this grand artful example of Chrysler excellence, you don't have to worry about color:

    http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/DSC07399.jpg

    image

    This is an Imperial in prime condition--best I've seen in this area. Not the usual car you see at KMart!

    http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/DSC07400.jpg

    image

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,367
    The thing that would get me about a white top would be if it would show stains or grime easily. But, I have never owned such a car, so I am not sure. Black does look sportier, which could go with the Pontiac image of the time. Was one or the other put on when new, or are both correct?
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,648
    >Black does look sportier, which could go with the Pontiac image of the time.

    Sporty, clean, light colors for interiors were the order of that period. I've vote for the white top.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • dieselonedieselone Member Posts: 5,729
    "Gimme two Diablo Dogs and a Dr. Pepper and make it snappy I'm in a golddang hurry!"
    -Jackie Gleason, c1977

    Classic.

    I still remember my parents taking me to see Smokey and the Bandit, I was only like 6 years old. I can remember stepping on my tip toes to peak in side any TransAm I could find. I thought that was the coolest car in the world back then.
This discussion has been closed.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles