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

19549559579599601278

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  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,029

    You know, he handled the affair thing the right way--he 'fessed right up. I can't remember if that was with Janice, or Janice was the one he bullied about gaining weight.

    But on the affair, I remember he admitted it, said she had told him he needed "excitement in his life", and he said, "I didn't need THAT kind of excitement!". This was after his longtime wife Dorothy had passed. And the story largely blew away.

    His affair was with Dian Parkinson, who joined the show after a few years to join Janice (who I think was one of the originals, along with Anitra Ford, who departed). The one who got dumped for weight gain was the very cute Holly Hallstrom. I watched this show almost daily when I was in university.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    edited August 2019
    Super low-mileage Cutlass Supreme Colonnade Sedan. I think Chevy called that color "Green Gold", but I'm going from memory. Odd to have small hubcaps and no body side molding on a Supreme; my guess is that it was ordered and the purchasers didn't want that "extra stuff", or the salesman did a poor job of selling full wheelcovers and side moldings or realizing they were not standard-- probably 90% of this model had those items.

    I'm a bit surprised full wheelcovers weren't standard on a Supreme--they were on a '73 Chevelle Laguna, that I know. The green wheel on the spare to me substantiates that that's the way this car was built. (Full wheelcover cars from GM in this period came with black wheels.)

    I think that interior is beautiful and surpasses a Laguna that year for sure.

    https://duluth.craigslist.org/cto/d/duluth-1973-oldsmobile-cutlass-supreme/6957723325.html
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    All that glass, no a/c - you could bake a cake in it down here!
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Good catch, on the no a/c. I didn't even notice that. Interestingly, the dash still appears to have four in-dash vents, unless my eyesight's going. I think with the Chevelle/Monte Carlo, if you didn't get a/c, they put cover plates over two of them?
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,029
    That '73 Cutlass shows further evidence of GM cost-cutting. I blew up the pic as much as I could and see no evidence of this ever having inner fender splash shields to protect the engine compartment from water, slush and mud. And it looks as though there was no trunk mat either. '72 models had those things.

    Salesman should have ordered wheel covers for sure given that the entry-level versions were usually pretty cheap. The interior looks pretty nice though the light beige color does little for me.

    According to the brochure I just looked at the paint color would have been either Emerald Green or Moss Gold.

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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    If you like seeing classic cars and trucks being driven or parked, this video is an attempt to capture the cruisin' strip flavor. Muncie IN used to have a cruising strip of several miles. Stick a GoPro type camera on and drive on.

    A group revived the cruising last summer once a month on Saturdays, recruiting partly on facebook.

    The traffic on the road isn't there because one of the highways bypassed town. The drivers aren't as young as in the last century. But enjoy seeing some classics. Check the parking lots where folks park and enjoy watching others go by.

    Detroit has its Woodward Cruise once a year and Muncie has its Madison Street Cruise. Yes, I plan to go over one Saturday night. I had access to my car and going to McDonalds on Madison was a treat to get away from studying.

    https://youtu.be/jRcmqyoLkgo

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjxuxqMKpqs

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    No cruising grounds like that in these parts.

    Nice brocade in that Olds. It would look good on period Olds rally wheels, too.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    I wonder if one of those vents was a 'dummy' chromed up to look like a real vent.

    Chevelles and Monte Carlos in '73 with no air only had two long, chromed vents just to the right of the center of the dash. The Monte had a cubby hole in the dash where the left-most A/C vent would be; Chevelles had this area filled in with hard, crinkle-cut black plastic. No A/C cars had no filler block where the rightmost A/C vent would be; cars received their own instrument panel pad with no cutout for the vents there.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    edited August 2019
    RE.: cruising...my old hometown is having a driving cruise starting on one end of town, going through town and back up to the starting place, then repeat... as is being promoted...."just like we used to do". I did in fact do that with my Dad's '74 Impala Sport Coupe there years back. I can't make it over there as I am moving my daughter to California this coming Friday. My first drive cross-country...not on Route 66 in a Corvette as I'd hoped, but in a rental Ford Edge while she and her boyfriend drive her Cruze.

    First night St. Louis; second Amarillo; third Kingman, AZ, then San Luis Obispo. I'm a bit concerned about the whole thing but afterwards I'm sure I'll have considered it an adventure. Dropping the rental off out there (ouch) and flying back, so I don't spend every waking moment of a week off from work and the leading and ending weekends, driving by myself.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    AC? What, were you all a bunch of rich kids? Our Volvo didn't even have power steering! Or brakes. Or an Automatic. But it did have 4 wheel disk brakes!

    Come to think of it, it did absolutely nothing to help you drive along. It was muscle power, or nothing!

    Darn, I loved that car!

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  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,256
    A couple of box 80's Volvo's(240?), both in nice shape.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    stickguy said:

    AC? What, were you all a bunch of rich kids? Our Volvo didn't even have power steering! Or brakes. Or an Automatic. But it did have 4 wheel disk brakes!

    How well did that Volvo brake, with no assist? Did it take a lot of effort? I was always under the impression that, once disc brakes became more common, a power assist was almost mandatory. At least, with the cars I've owned, when one would stall out, once the boost was gone, you had to really stand on them to make them stop. But, I also had a '67 Newport, with non-power drum brakes, and it was no big deal. In fact, it had been owned by a little old lady before me, since 1971, and she didn't have any trouble handling that big beast...so that was in indication to me, at least, that if you just had drum brakes, a power assist was nice to have, but not really essential.

    I've never had a car without power steering, but I've had cars with broken power steering, which is actually worse! Good arm workout, though.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,029
    Our '73 Volvo had 4-wheel discs, but it had a power booster from the factory. Maybe earlier ones didn't? No power steering though, but it wasn't bad.

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  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 240,118

    RE.: cruising...my old hometown is having a driving cruise starting on one end of town, going through town and back up to the starting place, then repeat... as is being promoted...."just like we used to do". I did in fact do that with my Dad's '74 Impala Sport Coupe there years back. I can't make it over there as I am moving my daughter to California this coming Friday. My first drive cross-country...not on Route 66 in a Corvette as I'd hoped, but in a rental Ford Edge while she and her boyfriend drive her Cruze.

    First night St. Louis; second Amarillo; third Kingman, AZ, then San Luis Obispo. I'm a bit concerned about the whole thing but afterwards I'm sure I'll have considered it an adventure. Dropping the rental off out there (ouch) and flying back, so I don't spend every waking moment of a week off from work and the leading and ending weekends, driving by myself.

    sounds like a great time; SLO is a great little town. Let us know your thoughts on both the Edge and the scenery.

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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    from what I remember, they worked great, just took a firm push. Which was only a problem when I drove a domestic with pinkie toe assist, and I used the same firm foot. But when you were used to the volvo it was fine, and great feel. Squealed like crazy though. But that came in handy because the turn into our street was off a downhill so needed a firm push, so we always heard my parents coming home well before they hit the driveway. Just in case that was important!

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

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,256
    @uplanderguy,
    You are going to buy a lot of stuff out there?
    Can't fit a lot of furniture in an Edge or Cruze.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • benjaminhbenjaminh Member Posts: 6,311
    edited August 2019


    2018 Acura TLX 2.4 Tech 4WS (mine), 2018 Honda CR-V EX AWD (wife's)
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Some long days, but I like driving out west. And Michaell is right about SLO. Kingman has a nice little Route 66 museum. You don't have time, but one of the best preserved stretches of the Old RT 66 kind of follows I-40 a bit north of it from Williams to Kingman. Enjoy the trip!
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    Thanks everybody.

    We are indeed buying a bed out there, but she knows, as we've made it known, she will be living frugally while there.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    The low option 68 Fairlane my dad had in the 90s (289, 3 on the tree, manual steering, manual brakes, dog dish caps, but it had an AM radio!) could be a chore to drive, especially in low speed parking maneuvers. Once going maybe 20 mph it wasn't too bad, but it was not my favorite car to drive.
    andre1969 said:



    I've never had a car without power steering, but I've had cars with broken power steering, which is actually worse! Good arm workout, though.

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    Parallel parking the Volvo was not for the weak. I don't think my sister ever even tried. Heck, if my father or I drove it last, my sister and mother had to get one of us to get the handbrake released. If you pulled it up hard enough they couldn't get it themselves.

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

  • benjaminhbenjaminh Member Posts: 6,311



    2018 Acura TLX 2.4 Tech 4WS (mine), 2018 Honda CR-V EX AWD (wife's)
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    edited August 2019
    My '66 Studebaker does not have power steering or power brakes...and I'm OK with that, as less things to maintain. The steering isn't bad, but the thing is to keep the car moving, at least a little! Backing it into its winter storage space is a hassle though, as space is tight. It's like an eight-point turn, LOL.

    My Dad had neither an automatic transmission nor power steering or power brakes until the end of August '74, when we bought our new Impala Sport Coupe. He never had A/C until his 1984 Monte Carlo.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    In 79 my parents replaced the ‘69 Volvo with a base model Omni. Also a stick with no AC. pretty sure that was manual steering, but did have power brakes.

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

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    edited August 2019
    I can't remember the last car I drove without power steering. I think it was something small, like a Plymouth Champ. You could tell it didn't have it, but it was still tolerable.

    I drove my '68 Dart for something like 40,000 miles with the power steering not working, which is actually worse, because you have the quicker power steering ratio...something like 3.5 turns lock-to-lock versus 5 or so with manual steering. Plus, I'm convinced that all that crap that makes the steering require less effort, actually works AGAINST you, when it's not functioning! One of my friends took his driving test in that car...twice. The first time, he goofed up almost immediately, so the cop who went on the test with him had to drive my car through the whole course. My friend said the cop was griping about my car the whole way through! The second time, he did pass, but the parallel parking took some effort. And that particular cop noticed the effort my friend was putting in to turn the wheel and said "let me guess, no power steering?"

    My '79 5th Avenue started to lose its power steering back in 2011, at about the worst possible time...during the Mopar show up in Carlisle, PA. I got a few quarts of fluid and used that to limp it along while I was up there. It held out until, on the trip back, it finally went dry on the highway. Now, at higher speeds, you don't really notice it. But, once I got off the highway, had to come to a full stop, and make a sharp left turn, well, that was a tricep builder! The 5th Ave was worse than the Dart, too...heavier car, bigger tires, and a more modern, smaller-diameter steering wheel. I think the "lock-to-lock" ratio is tighter, too.
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,852
    When my 03 Avalon was brand new, it had a faulty pump from the factory and it puked all the fluid out on the highway (in week one of ownership).

    I could barely turn the wheels when stopped.

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    I remember the 66 Galaxie I drove regularly when I was 16 had a cold stalling problem, and when it stalled, it was very hard to steer - the fingertip-light steering would almost feel like the wheel was locked. I learned to be gentle on the throttle in any kind of slow turn when the car was cold.
  • pensfan83pensfan83 Member Posts: 2,538
    If I had not just purchased a vehicle...

    https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2270052186638897/

    1997 Honda Prelude Base - 2022 Acura MDX Type S Advance - 2021 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road - 2006 BMW 330Ci ZHP
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,029

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    That Monte Carlo SS led me to this, which almost seemed to be too good to be true at first: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/384210348960603/

    $500 for a 2009 Grand Marquis? My first thought was, what's wrong with it?! But then I read the ad... "$500 IS THE ESTIMATED DOWNPAYMENT AMOUNT! YOU MUST FINANCE THIS VEHICLE AND BE 18 YEARS OF AGE. PLUS TAX, TITLE, LICENSE AND SERVICES FEE.*$XXX down. DEALER WILL FINANCE ADDITIONAL DEFERRED DOWN PAYMENTS. Does not include tax, title or fees. Limited offer with approved credit on select vehicles at participating dealers. See participating dealer for full details and down payment required. Your down payment may vary. Sample deal: 40 monthly payments of $34.97 per $1000 financed at 21APR. Your payment and interest rate may vary. "

    So THAT's what they mean by "Buy here, pay here". I always thought it was just a slang term for a little mom & pop used car lot where a lot of poor people financed a cheap car. I didn't realize they FORCED you to finance it through them?!
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,852
    They make more money on the in house financing than the car itself.

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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    tjc78 said:

    They make more money on the in house financing than the car itself.

    Especially when sell the same over and over as people default and the car is repoed.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,852
    edited August 2019
    My Uncle had a BHPH lot. The stories he could tell.

    People couldn’t afford to fix the cars so they would trade them in and start paying more per week on something else.

    My uncle would then take the traded in car, fix it and put it back on the lot.

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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    nice looking cars. I always liked the 71 style. The hood with the fang for the grill too.

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

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,256
    edited August 2019
    Not classics, but over the last 2 days I've seen 3 regular cab ColoCan's that were all in great condition.
    Kind of the last of the small pickups, for now.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,029
    Out doing some errands this morning and spotted a few interesting (for around here at least, in the land of road salt) runners:

    First, just a few blocks from my house, an '85 Cutlass for sale at $6K Cdn asking. Looked to be in good condition, maybe even original paint. No idea whether it has the V-6 or the Olds 307, which is the only engine that would justify the price in the absence of buckets/console. I got some pics:





    Driving along just after, a square-rigger 80s Sedan DeVille in superb condition went by, looked brand new. Later on, going past a rad shop, what do I see but the same car in the lot, maybe radiator or A/C issues.



    But wait! What's that in the background? Why, it's the TVR Tasmin I saw last year driving around, also in for repair. Good luck!!




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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    Seeing "antique" plates on a 1985 car makes me feel old. Good spots there. Does the Caddy have an 8-6-4 fender emblem?
  • thebeanthebean Member Posts: 1,216
    GM certainly didn’t change the Cutlass much between 1979 (when I had one) and this model. Interior looks almost exactly the same. This was the worst car I have ever had. Engine (260 V8) ran rough and knocked when I used regular fuel, the locks (trunk and ignition) froze up several times, paint oxidized in the first 14 months, and the passenger seat would not stay in place, even after several visits to the dealer. There were other electrical gremlins that finally had me crying “uncle” after 4 years and I traded it in on a Camry. That soured me on GM cars to this day, although I know that is not a fair thing.
    2015 Honda Accord EX, 2019 Honda HR-V EX
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    edited August 2019
    For some reason, my gut is telling me that Cutlass Supreme has the 231, even though it's the Brougham model. Don't ask me what's tipping me off...just intuition.One way to tell, if you know how to decode these things, is I believe the code for the Olds 307 was either a "W" or a "Y". But, it looks like that for sale sign might be covering the VIN.

    Those VINs could get confusing, too, because sometimes they'd recycle letters. For instance, in the late 70's, "Y" was the code for the dreaded Pontiac 301. I forget how GM handled it in the years when they had both the 301 and the 307? Maybe that was when they used "W" for the 307?

    Another way to narrow it down, somewhat, is if the transmission was a 4-speed automatic, it would have been the 307. The 231 only used the 3-speed automatic. However, the 307 did also offer the 3-speed, just with ridiculously tall gearing to offset lack of overdrive. Confusing times!

    **Edit: I just found this online... https://www.gbodycentral.com/forums/vins-oldsmobile/1985-oldsmobile.php Looks like, by 1985, they were using "9" to denote the 307. This site doesn't say what the code for the 231 was, though.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,029
    Certainly the '78-'79 (maybe even '80) models were not very good. Combine GM cost-cutting/downsizing light-weighting/poor QC and emissions/fuel economy mandates (the 260 was a joke of an engine and should never have been produced) with an uncaring dealer and it would not have been a good ownership experience. The later models with the revised styling seemed to fare a bit better, but still felt flimsy and around here were bad rusters. That was why I got a shot of the rear end, as those bumpers are very thin and are usually rusted through here. These two-doors do seem to have a market though.

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  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,029
    fintail said:

    Seeing "antique" plates on a 1985 car makes me feel old. Good spots there. Does the Caddy have an 8-6-4 fender emblem?

    Good eye by you, as it indeed does have a V8-6-4 emblem, making it an '81 model. That engine was actually not bad and easily can be made to run on 8 cylinders all the time. Last year for the big-block Caddy V-8 that was better known in its 472 and 500CID incarnations. Of course in '82 they went to the awful HT4100 in these and it was all sharply downhill for these big RWD Caddys until that was dumped.

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  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,852
    What were they thinking with the 4100 in those cars?

    No wonder Lincoln really took off in the mid-80s. Multiport Fuel Injected 302 (after 85) and 4spd auto OR a 4100. HMM, tough choice there.

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,029
    edited August 2019
    Hey, Mike Joy of Fox Nascar fame is selling his '66 Mustang convertible! Nice, nice car in great colors.

    https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1966-ford-mustang-136/

    Nice modest little house he has.




    (Firefox went back to working with images for a while but something must have happened and it just went out on strike again. It seemed to spread to Chrome this time too, uh-oh. Like something in a thriller movie, the last push of the button on my last option (my personal laptop using Chrome) let me post the above. One out of 4 isn't great.)

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    That Cutlass has at least had paint I'd say, if not taken a hit in the back, because the "Oldmobile" script was never installed on the soft bumper there; it was on the decklid.

    This is a huge pet peeve of mine...take a freakin' picture before you start the work!

    RE.: The 4100--lousy engine; I still thought the Caddies had jewel-like design features, as I was never a fan of the thick side window frames of the Mark VII and where I live, I was always seeing '80's Lincolns sitting like a low-rider, but not on purpose. :)

    While on this subject, I'd still very-much like a '79 or '80 Eldorado or '77-79 Fleetwood Brougham, with the tapered B pillar I hated back then but now like as distinctive.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,852
    edited August 2019
    was always seeing '80's Lincolns sitting like a low-rider, but not on purpose. :)

    Continentals and Mark VIIs maybe... not the Town Cars. Those didn't get air springs until 1990. Years prior had regular springs and air shocks to level out with a lot of weight. If it broke the cars would still sit level unloaded.

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 4,686
    An Acura Vigor; rare in it's heyday likely, too!

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,852
    Haven’t seen one of those in years.

    They were 5 cylinders, correct?

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,029

    That Cutlass has at least had paint I'd say, if not taken a hit in the back, because the "Oldmobile" script was never installed on the soft bumper there; it was on the decklid.

    Well, given GM quality control at the time, maybe it just fell off. :D

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  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,029
    tjc78 said:

    What were they thinking with the 4100 in those cars?

    CAFE, mostly. This has a lot of good detail:

    http://www.mcsmk8.com/8-6-4/8-6-4.HTM

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

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