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

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Comments

  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,700
    "Museum of the unused cheapo"...
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    I thought I caught a 20K claim too. Of course, he has a 235K 190SL on his website.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    That's not going to happen, E-V-E-R. I don't know where people get the idea that car museums have money to spend, especially foolishly.

    Prices for old cars are set by just one group of individuals, who have sole jurisdiction and complete authority to dictate these prices...they are called BUYERS.

    Not sellers, not appraisers, not club members, not museums.

    and you need MANY buyers to agree on the price....just one sale doesn't cut it, because there are always imprudent people with too much money.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,486
    I wasn't implying that a museum would buy it. Just that he seemed to feel it would fetch a lot of money because it was good enough to be in one.

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  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    ah, okay. Still, a rather odd idea that a car this new and this common would be in a Museum. It would have to be a very modest museum indeed.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    Or the MB Museum - but they already seem to have plenty of nice "youngtimers". I'd say it is closer to a ~10K car than 20K. If you could find a mint 20K mile original W123 for 4K, it wouldn't last long on the market...I might even buy it.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    When my family first moved into the neighborhood back in 1969, the grocer next door had a huge garage where the folks with the nicer cars kept their rides. One of the cars was a 1936 Auburn Speedster. One day, somebody came for it and I haven't seen it in over 40 years. I wonder what became of it?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Gee I don't know about that...this is such a weak-driving car---0-60 in 28 seconds! I think anyone who paid $10K for one would soon regret it, after the first flush---"oh, it's not a 300SD!"

    but, you know, buy what you like and be happy. :)
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    edited November 2012
    There's a cult. Logic flies out the window.

    I'd certainly rather have a 300 Turbodiesel, or a W126 300SD. 10K for a mint 20K mile 300SD wouldn't be insane, IMO.
  • jljacjljac Member Posts: 649
    If you want to locate an Auburn, the car is probably in the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club http://www.acdclub.org/ Here is a nice video about those cars. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCmhS8Za6yw.m There are many other videos at that page. You might see it.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    This 220D cult must be a very secret organization. I've seen all kinds of car cult loonies, but never one for that car. The 300SD, most certainly. Citroens, yes. Even Geo Metros!

    A 220D is literally DANGEROUS to drive on a modern road--it's like a Model T, only noisier :P
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    A 220D is literally DANGEROUS to drive on a modern road

    I've said it before .. my folks owned a 220D (automatic!) back in the 80's.

    Oh. My. Gawd. 0-60 could be timed with a sundial.

    Solid as a rock, however.

    I got them vanity plates for them as a Christmas gift:

    REAL SLO
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    It was a 240D, and W123s have a big following, especially the wagons.

    Could be worse, imagine a fintail or ponton diesel. Those things probably can't hit 70mph.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Yes but those are wagons---an entirely different animal. The 240D is really wretched to drive. The vibration alone just wears you down.

    I fail to see the charm.
  • bhill2bhill2 Member Posts: 2,471
    Could be worse, imagine a fintail or ponton diesel. Those things probably can't hit 70mph.

    You are probably right. In the mid-'60s my mother's cousin, who lives in Northern California, drove his 190D fintail up to visit us in the Seattle area. I didn't think much about it at the time but in retrospect I can't imagine it. The car was built like a brick s**thouse though. Even in my mid-teens that impressed me.

    2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])

  • toomanyfumestoomanyfumes Member Posts: 1,019
    Following an '60's T-Bird tonight, copper color 4-door with suicide doors. Still had what looked like origininal dealer sticker and an old AAA sticker on the rear bumper. When I was farther back and saw the tailights across the back I thought it was an old St. Regis. Now that's obscure, haven't seen one in years (other than Andre's of course.)
    2012 Mustang Premium, 2013 Lincoln MKX Elite, 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Must've been a 1967-71 T-Bird if it had the suicide doors. Those were the only years the 4-door Bird was produced. I liked how the designers repeated the landau bar motif on the inside of the C-pillar when one looks into the interior.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    edited November 2012
    Simple, unkillable, agricultural - some like that kind of thing.

    I am in the Fatherland right now, and there are still lowline W124 diesel taxis in service.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    If she stuck to the right lane or back roads, she was probably ok. Those cars were built like tanks, especially in areas immune to rust.

    I am away from home now, in the land of weirdo cars. There's a Dacia Logan wagon parked in front of my hotel. Saw a hardtop MB Adenauer wedding car, a 70s 911, pristine 900 turbo, Lancia Dedra (I think), much unloved mid 90s Scorpio, Renault 19 convertible, and an 80s looking Honda Africa Twin.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    yeah I kinda get that--sort of like the folks who collect 40s pickup trucks....
  • jljacjljac Member Posts: 649
    Must've been a 1967-71 T-Bird if it had the suicide doors The early ones had self-locking doors that would lock when the car moved including when they were towed through a car wash. The car would exit the car wash with the motor running and the keys locked inside. I believe they were modified to lock at a higher speed. Not bad for a four door car, but I don't believe that a Thunderbird should have four doors.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    A W123 is like an old truck - workhorse. When they are still doing commercial duty in harsh locations almost 30 years after the end of production, you know something is strong about them.

    Not much odd today, but saw a 2CV, Ferrari 412, 80s Sierra wagon, and a MB SLC doing a bit of a power slide in the rain in downtown Cologne.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The W123s have tremendous build quality, but all the accessories or sub-systems on them seem to fail often. This is one reason why the "strippers" are the best---less to go wrong. You simply won't find a W123 for sale in the USA without something wrong with it. But then, hey, these are old cars! Most cars their age are long dead.
  • magnettemagnette Member Posts: 4,154
    Enjoy the trip Fintail !
  • magnettemagnette Member Posts: 4,154
    If anyone out there is within reach of London - Brighton, tomorrow is the annual veteran car run - an early start for me as I'll be on Westminster Bridge to watch them rattling south from about 7:10am..

    About 500 cars entered, and great to watch - providing the rain holds off...
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    That's right, and Wayne mentioned that too on his show. The car he found was an absolute stripper - roll up windows, no passenger mirror, probably didn't have AC. When the fancy stuff fails, it gives people an excuse to neglect the rest of car. No doubt the low models have good survival rates.

    Speaking of low models, I have been peeking in E-class taxis. About 80% of them are manual, including 2012 models. Saw another W124 still doing taxi duty today, and a few oft-derided W210s.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    London-Brighton is on my bucket list. I'd love to participate in something like a Mercedes Simplex, too - but a little dear for me.

    Odd cars today: Nice W123 coupe, very early Espace, 924, 70s Beetle, 90s Explorer,

    And something parked on this street is unlike the others:

    image
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    We will expect your dispatch in due course, with its usual thoroughness of course. Carry on!
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Are Lemko and Andre in town!
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,700
    Saw a nice-looking 190SL drive by yesterday - most interesting car I've seen on the road around here for months. Dallas is not a good area for car spotting...
  • omarmanomarman Member Posts: 2,702
    Wow 500 cars entered! I didn't realize that many started. A neighbor who lived across the road from me in the 70s was invited to the 1959 event with his 1899 Locomobile steamer. He and his wife called their car Tillie the teapot. :D I found a youtube video which shows their car (#34) around 0:12 at the start of the run. You can just barely make out the Ohio historical license plate.

    Hope there aren't many DNFs with that many vehicles running this year. I remember that the Weiant's Locomobile did finish back in 1959 but it took a bit over 6 hours. :shades: How many people are expected to turn out to see the event? Should be fun to watch rain or shine. Have a good time.
    A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Why yes, a MAXI Buick.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    Big fish in a small pond :shades:

    Today saw a Corrado, a 2002 Baur cabrio, a 70s Citroen DS, and have seen several MB C124s thhe past few days.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I saw a car last week I bet you've NEVER seen, at least not in the USA--- a Baur 320i. :shades:
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    Depends on what size. I did have a couple toy E30 Baurs when I was a kid :shades:

    image
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    This was a Baur 320i with a 325 engine and 5 speed. Nice car!

    I find this configuration a bit odd, but that's just me I guess. Maybe I'm just having Triumph Stag horror flashbacks.... :P
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    edited November 2012
    So an E23? 80s grey market import?

    The partial convertible design is odd. Maybe gives more structural rigidity.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    grey market, yes.

    sure, if you chop the roof off a car, you are essentially cutting the top off a hollow pyramid.
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,386
    edited November 2012
    The partial convertible design is odd. Maybe gives more structural rigidity.

    Not to mention better roll-over protection. In the early 70s lots of people thought that more stringent safety regs would doom the traditional ragtop convertible. The '76 Eldorado was assumed to be the last ever made by the Big Three so a lot of basket hoop and T-Top "convertibles" came out.

    Thankfully they were merely interim stop gaps

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

  • au1994au1994 Member Posts: 3,371
    I have actually seen one in my office park. I about went through my window trying to see where it turned in so I could chace it down.

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  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 236,527
    That would be an E21, I think..

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,671
    What is that car behind the Park Ave? It might just be the perspective, but it doesn't look much smaller than the Buick!

    Every once in awhile I'll see one of those '91-96 Park Aves out and about, and nowadays I think they actually look pretty petite. Length-wise, I don't think it's much different from my 2000 (around 206" long I think), but the '91-96 was much more tapered in the front and back, and no doubt narrower and shorter.

    Most cars here in the states have plumped up quite a bit since the mid-90's, so that might be one reason those '91-96 models seem smallish to me. Of course, in Europe, I'm sure they're mastodons compared to just about anything short of a bus!
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    It's a Skoda Octavia, which is the same platform as a Jetta. Must be perspective. The Buick was in very nice condition, too. There's a cult in Europe who like big American cars.

    I also saw a Chrysler Cirrus the other day, original 1995 style, those are thin on the ground even in the US, not to mention here. Small cars here are the majority, and some are very small. A real economy car here is a scooter, which are also everywhere.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,083
    Re.: '91-96 Park Avenues..I always liked the styling, but I remember looking at them when new and thinking they were smallish. Even when one got instruments inside, the gauges even looked small! Around here, I've seen them where the bright metal trim strip on the rear quarter is rusted completely through!
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  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    edited November 2012
    A Park Avenue with the supercharged 3800 and th optional touring/rallye (or whatever they called it) suspension option would be a nice luxury cruiser. Roomy, comfortable, with decent performance and road manners, plus acceptable fuel economy.

    The '97-'05 generation is an improvement over the '91-'96, which borrows heavily from the squared off body '85-'90 platform.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    I saw what I believe was a Saab 900 series station wagon today. Said Saab on it, so it wasn't a Volvo. I don't think I've seen that before, even on the east coast.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 236,527
    Probably a 9-5 wagon?

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  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    May well have been and the funny part of it is that I actually saw it in the Midwest of all places!
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,486
    the rebirth series. not sure if it was a '77 8 or 9. Yellow, along rt 13 somewhere in Maryland or Delaware. Looked real nice, and for sale!

    I actually really liked them when it returned for 1977. Nicely done package, for the time.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    I visited the MB Museum today, it is an amazing facility and worthy of the time. I last visited 3 years ago, and was still able to spend several hours there seeing it all again. Something obscure and unusual were some W116 based safety cars from about 1973, not in the museum but sitting at the adjacent dealer. These cars were test units for the original MB airbag and ABS units. And endless dozens of other priceless amazing cars to be seen, too.

    And a snapshot from the competition cars area, with a nice fintail rally car in the foreground.

    image
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