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

ateixeira · January 2013

The Gentleman's Mustang. I liked 'em too.

But I also liked the early LS, which even came with a manual.

hpmctorque · January 2013

You made several good points in your comparisons, but didn't that Mopar Turbo 4 have reliability and durability issues?

ateixeira · January 2013

I think so.

I bought an Escort GT and my buddy had a Shadow ES (turbo) at the same time.

His car was slightly quicker, but by the time I got rid of the Escort he wanted to buy it and ditch his Dodge.

andre1969 · January 2013

didn't that Mopar Turbo 4 have reliability and durability issues?

Yeah, it did, although sometimes I wonder how much of that could have been from abuse or neglect? My uncle bought a used '88 LeBaron turbo in 1990, and in 1995 sold it to me when I was married. I let the ex have it in the divorce in 1996, and by early 1998 it was total junk.

However, it was fairly reliable to about 90,000 miles. That was when we had the timing belt replaced (should have been done at 60K...oops!) and the crankshaft and camshaft seals done. It was soon after that repair that we separated. Anyway, the car got stolen and joy-ridden a few times, and impounded a couple times as well. And, the ex didn't have the money to really take care of it, so it started getting really troublesome after we split.

At the 118,000 mile mark, it was essentially "done". It had blown a head gasket, and had a warped head. My ex and her mother found somebody to put on a new gasket and a used head for $750, but it didn't run right after that. I talked her into letting me take it to my mechanic, and he got it running a lot better for $75...turns out there were a lot of loose/misdirected wires and vacuum hoses, as a result of the head swap. But, he also did a thorough checkover on the car and said don't put another dime into it. The turbo was shot, compression was really low in two cylinders, and a bit off in the other two. By that time the a/c compressor was also shot, the power antenna had broken off, and it had a slow leak in the transmission.

She drove it maybe another month or so, and then it started belching sweet, white, antifreeze-laced smoke out the exhaust again. I gave her 90 bucks for it, limped it to my grandmother's house, and ultimately sold it for parts. I pulled the radio out of it, thinking I could get it to work in the '79 Newport I had at the time. It would physically fit, but the wiring was all different, so I gave up. I still have that radio, packed away somewhere.

One last thing to add...I'm sure they made running improvements to the turbo 4 over the years. So the one in my '88 LeBaron was probably more durable than the earlier models.

lemko · January 2013

...very ratty white 1972 Mustang hardtop with a tattered black vinyl top on the corner of Ripley and Tabor in NE Philly. Looks like the guys there bought another project they'll never finish.

fintail · January 2013

My uncle had a Chrysler "E-class" when I was a kid - maybe the least common K-car variant. I forget what year it was, maybe an 85 or so. It was light yellow with kind of a tan interior, odd colors. It seemed nice, but I remember little else about it other than the plastic/lucite style hood ornament. Oh, and the rear badging was kind of MB-like.

My brother's first car was an 85 Aries sedan (this was maybe 1998), same colors as that E-class. I drove it once, and that was enough :shades: The old Tempo was still hanging around the family then, and to me, it seemed like a lot newer and more solid than that Aries.

tjc78 · January 2013

My uncle had a Chrysler "E-class

We've probably talked about this before but my Step dad had one too. An 83, white/blue and the Mitsu 2.6. It was a plush little car and it talked to you! I've seen only a few other than his.

fintail · January 2013

Chrysler had some fancy interiors then, I remember the button tufted leather in the period small and large NYers. I don't recall my uncle's car talking, maybe it had a digital dash - those were big then too. I can't remember the last time I saw one, although I want to say I have seen a Plymouth Caravelle relatively recently.

oldbearcat · January 2013

I agree with you there. I once souped up a 1980 Ford Fiesta with FWD to the point where I once broke one of the front driveshafts trying to launch it hard. With the increased power, the torque steer became ferocious on that thing.

Regards:
Oldbearcat

berri · January 2013

I always thought the Chrysler GTS 4 dr fastback was a nice looking vehicle. I actually test drove one, but it was too stiff for me. I had a Dodge Dynasty several times as a rental, but that car seemed too loose and sloppy to me.

ab348 · January 2013

My late father's last car was a Dodge Dynasty. I drove it a few times and your description was exactly correct. It felt loose and floaty and I really didn't care for it at all.

fintail · January 2013

The GTS was maybe the nicest looking K-car spinoff, with the NYer being the plushest, Spirit R/T being the fastest (I think), etc.

Here's one in full 80s regalia:

On the K-car spinoff topic, my driver's ed car was a Plymouth Acclaim, which was...a car. No issues with it as it was virtually new at the time, but that's about all I can say.

And on the obscure topic, local Chevy dealer has a "Saab" 9-7x sitting on the lot - a car that represents the pinnacle of modern GM idiocy.

dieselone · January 2013

I think you're right about the Spirit RT. IIRC it was one of the fastest fwd sedans at the time.

bhill2 · January 2013

In the mid '80s my SIL got a new New Yorker Turbo on a lease. It kind of struck me as an economy car with a tarted up interior (can you say Cadillac Cimarron? I knew you could.) For some reason, however, I liked it. She gave it back at the end of the lease, however.

fintail · January 2013

Saw an original Lotus Elan today. Drizzle at times, which meant it was probably slowly dissolving.

omarman · February 2013

Article says it's been parked since 1980 and "the motor has been coaxed back into life" despite rodents nesting under the hood.

lemko · February 2013

Beautiful car and thank God the mice didn't find their way to the interior. That interior is in amazing condition. Hope the leather isn't all dried-out.
Like Sean Connery was the best Bond, the DB5 was the best Bond car.

fintail · February 2013

Fun. Not long ago, it wouldn't have even made it to the auction block in that condition, it would be restored first and maybe a small profit coaxed out. Now, just sell it as you found it. I'd clean it up and drive it like that. Astons of that vintage are far cooler than the relatively douchey new ones.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2013

That one's going to cost at least $200,000 to restore I would guess, possibly more..

fintail · February 2013

If it even gets restored. The trend is away from that, it seems. Rebuild the mechanicals to make it safe and reliable (well, for a 60s Brit), clean it, and enjoy it.

ateixeira · February 2013

Saw an early 90s one, red, like the one in this GI Joe commerical minus the T-top:

http://youtu.be/ylyvWXcoOWQ

Mr_Shiftright · February 2013

I dunno...one would like to think so, but rebuilding an Aston engine is a very pricey job, + other mechanicals---I mean, would you like to have spent $75000 + $150K to buy it, and drive a car that looks shabby? You'd have to have a very high level of self-esteem.

fintail · February 2013

It's trendy now, though. And it can be driven with less worry, and is cheaper. Even on something like a DB5, I bet you could easily get into red ink before completing a nut and bolt restoration.

Somehow, a slightly shabby looking gullwing or old Ferrari or that Aston etc would appeal to me.

uplanderguy · February 2013

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?68805-62-Lark-in-My-Three-- Sons-Episode

I don't like how the Lark owner seems like such a phony, but the car is interesting and I'm surprised with Pontiac sponsoring the show, a Lark is featured so prominently. Guess by '67 Studebaker couldn't complain much.

The Lark must be a four-speed by the way the father reaches to the floor to shift.

omarman · February 2013

Funny how OCD upkeep is touted for cookie-cutter modern daily drivers, but at the same time it's the "shabby chic" treatment for neglected classics. If a classic DB5 doesn't need shiny paint and soft leather then it's time to blitz every German lease-return fleet with a church key! :shades:

Groundhog Day used to mean something in this town. They used to pull the hog out and they used eat it! You're hypocrites, all of ya!

fintail · February 2013

What's new is new, what's old is old. New car with battle damage = bad driver or lazy. Old car showing "experience" = history. I like the unrestored look for one main reason - it's cheaper. And patina doesn't have to mean outright neglect - I can deal with my mellowed fintail, but I don't want moss growing on it, rusty chrome, etc.

Am I right or am I right? Or am I right? Am I right? :shades:

andys120 · February 2013

Am I right or am I right? Or am I right? Am I right?

There's really no right or wrong, there's just what you like or what trends you may follow. There's also practicality. Any car that is not a garage queen is going to show some wear and tear, it's really up to you (and your bank account) to decide how much you can accept.

I've made scale models of cars with mud streaks scratches and the like. It makes them look more realistic and life-like.

I own up a couple of decade-old (+) BMWs that have some dings and scratches but I don't think it's worth having them removed. They still look good, in fact my 2001 330Cic looks so good that it draws compliments from strangers in a weekly basis. I've decided not to replace the roundels (paint peeling off). I'm going to have it detailed because I want the "swirlies" removed but I'm wondering if anybody but me notices.

fintail · February 2013

That "right" line is from "Groundhog Day", in reply to a line also from the same movie :P

Yes, people can do what they want, but if they want to sink 100K into a 40K car, or drive so poorly that their new car looks like a wreck in 8 months, we can point out what we see as their errors.

I have a decade old MB, people either think it is vintage (I've got the "old school" comment), or that it is new. No bad scratches, I did have a couple small dents repaired when I bought it (at ~20K miles), as the original owner was someone so rich and oblivious, he just didn't care, and was a bad parker.

Swirls are easy to cure, use some Meguiars polish and a couple coats of their NXT wax, makes my dark grey car look new.

andre1969 · February 2013

spotted out in Annapolis, MD today, in a movie theater parking lot. It was a copperish color with a tan vinyl interior, and actually looked like it had been in good shape until recently. There was some battle damage up front...still driveable, but probably technically totaled.

Oh, and I saw a white-on-white '56 Desoto Firedome Sportsman 2-door hardtop, as well as a bunch of other 50's cars...as the movie I went to see was Hitchcock's "Vertigo" from 1958. This particular movie theater, it turns out, shows old classics in the morning on Sundays.

Anyone here ever seen "Harold and Maude"? That's what they're showing next Sunday. I've heard of it, but never seen it. I'm kinda curious though, as it has Ruth Gordon in it, and I remember her from the very obscure (but I liked it) "The Big Bus".

Oh, and on the way home, at a gas station, I saw one of those old mid-70's Jeep pickups...Honcho or whatever they called it? Can't remember the last time I saw one of those.

fintail · February 2013

Saw an Isuzu Oasis today - hard to get odder than that. Went to take the fintail out, and slumbering under a cover in the new garage is an Avanti - I bet it's the same car previously sharing a space with my car.

bhill2 · February 2013

Anyone here ever seen "Harold and Maude"?

I would recommend that you see it. I loved it. It is a very oddball comedy; what can you say about a depressed 20 year old guy who falls in love with an 80 year old woman whose hobby is attending funerals of people she doesn't know? But do go see it and make up your own mind. Oh, and Ruth Gordon was wonderful.

kyfdx · February 2013

Also saw what sounds like the same Omega.. only mine was crabbing down the freeway.. also looked totaled..

I love Vertigo.. if you liked that one, see Rear Window, another Jimmy Stewart/Hitchcock work..

There is a nice E-type Jag in Harold and Maude, which is sort of integral to the story..

omarman · February 2013

Dark comedies don't get much better after Cary Grant in Arsenic and Old Lace. In Harold and Maude's world, Mortimer would considered a freak instead of the lucky SOB who turns out to be adopted by his family.

To be fair in the hands of Charles Addams the story of Harold and Maude would be funny instead of just trying to be funny. Happily the movie Addams Family Values came along years later to show the "cult" followers of Harold and Maude how it's supposed to be done:

Girl speaking to Wednesday: Why are you dressed like somebody died?
Wednesday: Wait.

toomanyfumes · February 2013

I'd recommend Harold and Maude, if only for Ruth Gordon and the E-type. She steals a Mustang at one point in the movie, and does a smoky burnout in front of a cop.

uplanderguy · February 2013

First, in the McDonalds parking lot (hey, it's National Pancake Day!), and secondly out driving in our sloppy, snowy, salty streets today.

It's the '57-60 style but has four headlights which would make it a '58-60. Looked used, but decent--white with "Bender Garage" painted on the door.

I like the old '56 Ford, and I love the '61 unibody Ford trucks for styling--those '57-60's didn't do anything for me but it was neat seeing one out today.

Those early sixties Ford unibody trucks are one of my favorite trucks styling-wise, of any trucks. I like how the rear wheel opening mirrors the front. They changed that (and not for the better IMO) in the '64 and later wide bed trucks.

Speaking of those Ford unibodies, I heard they didn't hold up to heavy use. In '62 Ford started offering a separate wide box that was the '57-60 style. Width-wise it was fine, but it didn't have a single styling cue--wheel opening size/shape, creases, anything--in common with the newer cab style.

andre1969 · February 2013

Speaking of those Ford unibodies, I heard they didn't hold up to heavy use.

I've heard that too, that they were rust-prone, and because the cab and the bed were integrated, it was harder to do body work on them.

I wonder if being all one piece like that would cause the body to stress and bend over time, since pickup trucks, especially older ones, tend to flex going over bumps.

fintail · February 2013

I like those unibody pickups too,clean design. Make it a 61 for the odd rear window option.

Recent sightings - DeLorean, VW Squareback, gold W126 300SD that screamed 1982, black W210 E55 AMG, Tempo.

berri · February 2013

A Tempo? Heck, I seldom see any of these even in the southwest any more.

fintail · February 2013

Not just that, on local craigslist right now there are 2x V6 Tempos, both with under 60K on them. Odd ducks.

berri · February 2013

Wow, are you sure you're not partaking in some of that Pacific Northwest weed while reading that - just kidding! Incidentally, when you get a Subaru I'll know you moved south to Oregon!

fintail · February 2013

If Tempos are going to survive anywhere, it is here. Although first gen ones are getting to be really rare. Oh, also saw a Probe GT today.

Subies are popular here too - lots of dealers, and my workplace garage especially is loaded with them. The new Impreza seems like a good mature package.

toomanyfumes · February 2013

I used to see lot's of Tempo's around here (Wisconsin) in the winter, cheap winter beaters I imagine. I think I've maybe seen one this year, they must all be dying.

ateixeira · February 2013

new Impreza seems like a good mature package

So far of all the small cars I've test driven those had the best ride by a wide margin, and they don't give up much in handling either. Good job tuning the suspension.

Oh, classic thread, um, gimme a 22B. :shades:

dieselone · February 2013

I still see Tempos running around here. I guess they're kind of like cockroaches. You think they're gone, but keep popping back up;)

I see a HS kid most mornings piloting a Tempo v6.

ab348 · February 2013

A well-known old-car website recently featured the unibody Ford pickup in its daily blog, and those issues ended being discussed by those who commented. It seems all of them were true, as people posted tales of body flex when burdened with a heavy load that led to door malfunctions, cracking, etc., along with tales of rust problems. The styling was, though, universally admired. Apparently the seperate-box model was rushed into production to address some of those issues, and the box was the same one used in the previous generation, which explains the lack of styling continuity.

hpmctorque · February 2013

Today's online New York Times features an original owner '76 diesel with over 250,000 miles. Interesting article, but lacking details on maintenance and repairs that I wish had been included. Check it out...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/automobiles/a-mercedes-with-tenure.html?hpw

fintail · February 2013

I remember someone calling the Chevette a mechanical cockroach. Seems there were several still around up until maybe 10 years ago - then they all suddenly disappeared. I know there's still one in the area, and an early one no less.

fintail · February 2013

Fun article, what a color for that thing. Seeing as the owner appears to be very careful and by-the-book, it might not have suffered many failures over the years (not a lot to break), but the recommended maintenance has probably consumed some money over 37 years.

fintail · February 2013

I'd like one with the bubble rear window. I've only seen one in person like this:

Kind of reminds me of a modern version of the Dodge Sweptside.

I guess the later ones maybe 1964-65 were different? I remember seeing the "I-beam" badge too.

uplanderguy · February 2013

The whole appeal to me was the rear wheel openings and integrated taillights. The '64 (I think) and later had a smaller rear wheel opening that didn't look nearly as neat, I don't think.

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

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