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

uplanderguy · September 2021

That color on the Diplomat is pretty bland.

andre1969 · September 2021

I ran that T-bird price through an inflation calculator.

The $5477 base price is about $37,000 in 2021 dollars, while the $7075 as-equipped price comes out to around $47,800.

On one hand, it shows you how far cars have come...just think of how much car you can get these days for $48K. Or even $37K. But, at the same time, it still seems like something's missing. Presence, prestige, status, whatever you want to call it. In 1971, if you saw someone driving around in a T-bird, it was probably a good bet that person was pretty successful. But these days, it seems like a $48K vehicle is just no big deal. I think part of it is that with long term financing and leases, you can be "Big Hat and No Cattle" for as long as you want as long as you can make the monthly payment. I think the fact that styles don't change as often, and aerodynamics has made them all look much more similar might have an effect on the "prestige" factor as well.

Another problem might simply be that these days, $48K is a mid-range pickup truck, and it doesn't really look any different from a basic work truck, just more chrome here and there, nicer wheels, and other detail changes. Go buy a $48K truck and it looks like millions of other vehicles on the road. But back then if you bought a '71 T-bird, especially a 4-door sedan, it stuck out as pretty unique. And maybe it wasn't as prestigious as a Cadillac or Lincoln, but those had a lot more cachet about them, as well.

I think that as soon as I started seeing lease deals that could get you into a new Cadillac for the same monthly payment as what my base Intrepid ran me, almost 22 years ago, that was a real wakeup call that the mystique of that prestige had worn away.

ab348 · September 2021

Well, the standard of living (for some segments of the population) has gone up significantly as well. Look at housing. I live in what was considered a middle-class development in 1950 when they were built. Most homes are just under 1000 sq ft, with maybe 1/3 of the ones in the neighborhood being 1500 or so. People thought they were doing well if they could get one of these places. Today they are mostly for singles or couples with no children or just a toddler. If you look at what is being built today, McMansions are commonplace and while they may not have the quality of a similarly-sized home built a few generations ago, they are fitted out with features and have space that was only for the very rich back then. That is due to many things of course but not the least of that is double-income earners in many households. And for those who are left out of the boom it is not a pretty picture.

texases · September 2021

Yep, lots more folks can afford 'nice' cars. That why the inflation-adjusted average car price has increased, while the inflation-adjusted price for, say, a Civic or a Camry hasn't.

uplanderguy · September 2021

For me, the fun of shopping cars--and I choose to desire domestic brands--is gone. The domestics have essentially given up on sedans.

When I look at a Chevy dealer now, it's depressing. I liked the last Impala, especially in Premier trim, a lot. Gone. The Malibu I have to believe is on its last breath. Other than a C8, there's nothing I like to look at.

To be fair, no matter the brand, there's nothing I like to look at now. And this from a guy whose biggest fall excitement was new-car introduction night. I might as well be shopping for a toaster oven.

sda · September 2021

Much of the excitement is gone for me too. Though dad didn’t take me to dealerships, I waited excitedly for Popular Science or Motor Trend to preview the next year models. I still prefer a sedan or coupe. Now all the releases are CUVs,SUVs, trucks, etc. Though I am impressed by how refined they’ve become and some of the versatility that they offer they just don’t do it for me.

andre1969 · September 2021

Yeah, that's one thing I forget about, is how houses have gotten nicer and more luxurious over the years. I can remember as a kid, thinking my paternal grandparents were rich, because they had a house with three bathrooms! (Well, two on the main level, a half in the basement). Yet nowadays, 2 1/2 baths is probably considered one step above poverty!

I guess just like cars, easy access has made a nice house seem a bit less "special". I can still remember this one housing development in my old neighborhood that, as a kid in the 70's, I thought that's where the rich people live. But in the early 2000's they broke ground on some new McMansions on the other side of the state road, and at their peak many of those were north of $1M. Suddenly those 70's houses looked like Cabrini Green in comparison. But, by that time they were giving a loan to everybody with a pulse, doing interest-only mortgages, letting them take out a first mortgage and then a second to cover the down payments, sometimes even finance closing costs. Needless to say, we all know how that ended up.

Ironically, I remember one of their model homes was named the "Tara". Oddly fitting, since when the Great Recession hit, many of those dreams of home ownership were Gone With The Wind.

andre1969 · September 2021

uplanderguy said:
For me, the fun of shopping cars--and I choose to desire domestic brands--is gone. The domestics have essentially given up on sedans.

When I look at a Chevy dealer now, it's depressing. I liked the last Impala, especially in Premier trim, a lot. Gone. The Malibu I have to believe is on its last breath. Other than a C8, there's nothing I like to look at.

To be fair, no matter the brand, there's nothing I like to look at now. And this from a guy whose biggest fall excitement was new-car introduction night. I might as well be shopping for a toaster oven.

The last time I was at the dealership, getting my Ram's oil changed, I remember killing time walking around the lot, checking out their inventory. That used to be something I loved doing, but this time it was about as exciting as watching the grass grow or the cars rust. About the biggest thing I remembered was the sticker shock, at how expensive even a cheap, basic work truck had gotten. Granted, I know it had been about 8 years since I bought my Ram at the time so there was some price creep, but when I was seeing cheap, basic work trucks that were essentially just my truck but with a V6, crank windows, no carpeting and cheaper wheels but priced about $8-10K more, I just didn't see the value.

I think the last time I went to an auto show, and actually enjoyed it, was early 2014 at the DC auto show. I did go in 2018, but even in that amount of time, it seemed like the types of vehicles I liked were becoming fewer and farther between. Plus it just seemed like the manufacturers in general didn't have as many cars on display, and some of the high-end ones didn't show up at all.

andre1969 · September 2021

Hmm...it just hit me. Today's an anniversary. It was 9 years ago on this date (it was a Sunday though) that I took this home...

sda · September 2021

andre1969 said:
Hmm...it just hit me. Today's an anniversary. It was 9 years ago on this date (it was a Sunday though) that I took this home...

Happy Birthday Ram! IIRC you got a solid buy on it, Hemi to boot.

stickguy · September 2021

Probably could sell it for close to what he paid for it now.

andre1969 · September 2021

I think the MSRP on it was around $26,000 new. I got it at the end of the model year and they were running a lot of discounts, and most people don't want that cab/bed configuration anymore. I got it for something like $20,700 out the door.

Every once in awhile I'll get letters and emails from the dealer telling me how desperately they need my truck, and I think they're usually estimating around $10-11K. Which at a quick glance seems ridiculous for a vehicle that's now 10 model years old. But, with the way everything's gone up, who knows? Only thing is, while I'd get a good re-sell price, I'd get screwed with whatever I bought to replace it.

I could live without a pickup if I had to, but they're just so damn nice to have around! My uncle has a 2016 Colorado that I could use whenever I need, but it's just not the same. If I had to go down to just one vehicle (well, one daily driver, taking the antiques out of the equation) I'd give up the Regal before I gave up the Ram.

andre1969 · September 2021

Oh, another anniversary of sorts, although my mind gets a bit fuzzy on this one. But it was September 1990, that I bought the DeSoto. For some odd reason the 25th sticks in my mind, but I just looked at an old online calendar, and that was a Tuesday. I remember it being somewhat late in the month, so I'm guessing either the 22nd or 29th (unless it was the 15th and that's why the number I'm thinking at least has a 5 in it?)

stickguy · September 2021

Run the ram through Carvana. Just for kicks. I think you might be surprised at what they offer you!

Michaell · September 2021

stickguy said:
Run the ram through Carvana. Just for kicks. I think you might be surprised at what they offer you!

Maybe he could buy your Maverick!

stickguy · September 2021

If that deal goes through, I definitely will swing through Carmax on the way home!

uplanderguy · September 2021

Sitting at my Chevy dealer while having the trans fluid in my Cruze (52K miles) drained and refilled. I had a coupon from them for that.

I am against "flushing", as once I took a vehicle in with no negative issues and within two weeks of a trans flush I had issues. Look online, and it's easy to see a ton of similar stories and advice against a 'flush' even from trans shops, unless the car has like 30K miles or something.

The female service writer, when I reminded her 'drain and fill', looked at me like I was from outer space and said "that's what this coupon is for". I said, "No, a drain and fill, while it doesn't get all the fluid, is a different procedure than a transmission flush. The coupon says 'drain and fill'".

You trust the dealer to know things the best, but...sheesh.

But anyway, they have a 'Black Cherry' '21 Malibu LT that actually caught my eye. Machined aluminum wheels, black cloth interior with the cloth patch on the instrument panel, options include the automatic braking front and back, and sticker is $28.6K. I remain convinced that no one has paid sticker price for a non-Corvette Chevy in history, LOL. I don't care for the zig-zaggy bottom grille up front, but I think overall the car looks more 'domestic' than other cars....clean in profile, I like the individual chrome "MALIBU" lettering, and I like the rear styling--simple, no goofy square plastic things in the lower corners of the bumper, etc., and a rather simple, domestic-looking instrument panel. I remain convinced though the Malibu is probably on its last legs at Chevrolet.

This particular car has a New York dealership on its window sticker, so apparently it is a dealer trade.

uplanderguy · September 2021

I'm looking at a Bolt right now. Everyone here no doubt knows about the battery fires the Bolts, even recent ones, have been having.

Problem is a Korean supplier, but the car says "CHEVROLET" on it, not the supplier, so the ultimate fault lies with GM, IMHO.

I remember having a conversation here a few years back about a foreign manufacturer's recall that was the fault of a supplier, and the poster, whom I can't remember, was saying "It's not the manufacturer, it's the supplier's fault". Yeah, OK. Ultimately it's always the manufacturer's fault, as they OK'd the supplier's part for production.

imidazol97 · September 2021

uplanderguy said:
Sitting at my Chevy dealer while having the trans fluid in my Cruze (52K miles) drained and refilled. I had a coupon from them for that.

I am against "flushing", as once I took a vehicle in with no negative issues and within two weeks of a trans flush I had issues. Look online, and it's easy to see a ton of similar stories and advice against a 'flush' even from trans shops, unless the car has like 30K miles or something.

The female service writer, when I reminded her 'drain and fill', looked at me like I was from outer space and said "that's what this coupon is for". I said, "No, a drain and fill, while it doesn't get all the fluid, is a different procedure than a transmission flush. The coupon says 'drain and fill'".

You trust the dealer to know things the best, but...sheesh.

I had the trans on my 2015 Cruze drained and refilled at 45K when my son had it and was driving it. It had been a rental or lease vehicle earlier. Cost was cheap IIRC.

I had bought the Cruze back from him this year when he purchased the Venza, and I had had it for a couple months before I discovered it had a trunk release under the chrome edge above the license plate. I was replacing the chrome strip across the trunk because the original had developed a wrinkle in the plastic chrome layer.

Also the lid on the center storage compartment always seemed back too far when I drove the car getting it serviced for him or while he had flown out from the airport and I picked it up there to reduce the parking charges. I found out there is a button under the front edge of the top, and it can be slid forward 3 notches which puts it in a better position to support my elbow.

When he had it I never thought about reading through the glovebox owner manual. I might have learned those things earlier.

ab348 · September 2021

uplanderguy said:
But anyway, they have a 'Black Cherry' '21 Malibu LT that actually caught my eye. Machined aluminum wheels, black cloth interior with the cloth patch on the instrument panel, options include the automatic braking front and back, and sticker is $28.6K. I remain convinced that no one has paid sticker price for a non-Corvette Chevy in history, LOL. I don't care for the zig-zaggy bottom grille up front, but I think overall the car looks more 'domestic' than other cars....clean in profile, I like the individual chrome "MALIBU" lettering, and I like the rear styling--simple, no goofy square plastic things in the lower corners of the bumper, etc., and a rather simple, domestic-looking instrument panel. I remain convinced though the Malibu is probably on its last legs at Chevrolet.

A few years ago I had a current-model Malibu as a loaner. The car was OK, though the little engine was close to being overwhelmed. For me the worst thing about it was that interior. It was all black inside, and the black cloth piece on the dash did nothing to offset the monochrome look. It was really dismal inside and a real turn-off. A little design flair would have gone a long way.

sda · September 2021

I think the current Malibu has a CVT. I haven’t read any reviews on how the CVT performs but having had a CVT I much prefer the shifting characteristics of a conventional automatic.

imidazol97 · September 2021

You have to buy the Premier, top series, to get a 2.0 L turbo engine along with
a 9-speed transmission. I believe the Premier is required to get the full
action autobraking technology as well. I would pass. I told my son to pass
when he called asking me about buying a Malibu when he started car shopping.

https://chevrolet.com/cars/previous-year/malibu/build-and-price/trim

andre1969 · September 2021

I just checked my records. I had the Ram's transmission serviced in early 2018, around 48,000 miles. Just to show how little that truck gets driven these days, now, 3 1/2 years later, I think it's at around 56,000. I had the Regal done around the same time, but it was at around 72,000. I inherited that car in 2017, with about 66,500 miles on it, but I don't have any of my Dad's old service records. And these were just drain-and-fills, not a flush.

When I had my 2000 Intrepid, the owner's manual called for a transmission "service" (I forget if they said flush, though) at 100,000 miles for the "regular" schedule, or 50,000 for the "severe service" schedule. And part of me was convinced that's why the danged things had such a high failure rate! So just to play it safe, I had it done every 30,000.

As for interior colors, I remember for awhile there, when it seemed like everything was either a sea of gray or a sea of beige, I used to think a black interior was a welcome change of pace! My Intrepid's interior was black-ish, more of a charcoal, I'd call it, but the pillars and ceiling were light gray, so I thought it was a nice contrast.

As for the new Malibu, I want to like it, but I just have trouble warming up to it. But I wouldn't mind having one of the final-gen Impalas. From what I remember the last time I looked at the interior specs, I don't think there's much difference in the published dimensions between the two, and I think the Malibu might have had a bit more shoulder room. But, just from what I remember in sitting in the cars, the Malibu seemed smaller. I'm sure it would be perfectly adequate for my needs, but it just doesn't stir anything in me. I guess these days though, if you want a domestic car in that range, that's all that's left! Either that, or go a bit larger and get a Charger or 300, although they're more expensive.

"Premier"...that's what they used to call the top-of-the-line Volare!

ab348 · September 2021

andre1969 said:
As for the new Malibu, I want to like it, but I just have trouble warming up to it. But I wouldn't mind having one of the final-gen Impalas. From what I remember the last time I looked at the interior specs, I don't think there's much difference in the published dimensions between the two, and I think the Malibu might have had a bit more shoulder room. But, just from what I remember in sitting in the cars, the Malibu seemed smaller. I'm sure it would be perfectly adequate for my needs, but it just doesn't stir anything in me. I guess these days though, if you want a domestic car in that range, that's all that's left! Either that, or go a bit larger and get a Charger or 300, although they're more expensive.

Impala was the same platform as the final-gen Buick Lacrosse and Caddy XTS. All 3 are good cars, but the Caddy was really nice. You could get that trimmed out very luxe with all kinds of geegaws and toys. Used ones are likely a bargain (or were, up until the great boom in car prices). I saw one on the road just yesterday, diamond white with light interior, that looked great.

tjc78 · September 2021

I loved my LaCrosse. The one needed option on those is the Hi-Per (or however they spell it) struts. Makes a huge difference in reducing torque steer and overall handling.

uplanderguy · September 2021

I liked the looks of the old Lucerne, although never rode in one.

A small thing--I'd have HAD to get whatever trim got you the horizontal chrome strip at the bottom of the decklid. To me, the others looked naked without it.

ab348 · September 2021

Out running a few errands today and encountered this in traffic. I had never seen it locally until it appeared last week in a FB for sale group and someone announced they had bought it. These pics are what the buyer posted once he got it home. 1980 Eldorado in yellow:

Then just as I was getting close to home, I saw a '69 Dodge Dart convertible, red w/ white top, very good-looking, rolling past on a flatbed. I never saw that car locally before.

tjc78 · September 2021

@uplanderguy said:
I liked the looks of the old Lucerne, although never rode in one.

A small thing--I'd have HAD to get whatever trim got you the horizontal chrome strip at the bottom of the decklid. To me, the others looked naked without it.

The Lucerne was a nice car. It drove and rode nice, but (while bulletproof) the 3800 was a little underpowered. The Northstar was a requirement IMO. I ended up picking an Avalon over it back in 2006 but would have been happy with one.

stickguy · September 2021

I’d rather have the yellow ram behind it!

sda · September 2021

ab348 said:
Out running a few errands today and encountered this in traffic. I had never seen it locally until it appeared last week in a FB for sale group and someone announced they had bought it. These pics are what the buyer posted once he got it home. 1980 Eldorado in yellow:

Then just as I was getting close to home, I saw a '69 Dodge Dart convertible, red w/ white top, very good-looking, rolling past on a flatbed. I never saw that car locally before.

80 Biarritz. I can’t read the engine badge but hopefully it has the Cadillac built 368. The 81 368 would incorporate the ingenious yet troublesome V8-6-4 variable displacement. The wire wheel covers are the same as what dad had on his 79 Eldorado. They are beautifully put together and look great when absolutely clean. They weigh a ton, probably didn’t help ride or handling.

uplanderguy · September 2021

The '80 should have the 'regular' 368.

The Biarritz pimped the styling up a bit. In '79 and I think maybe '80, there was a nice-looking aluminum wheel available on Eldos; I'd like that.

I still like these cars; feel like just a smaller luxury car, as opposed to a smaller car with 'puffed up' luxury. I'm reminded of the '67-70, a good thing IMHO.

sda · September 2021

I really liked dad’s 79 Eldorado. The exterior was sharp, the interior luxurious without being gilded like the Biarritz. Thankfully it didn’t have the half padded landau top and it looked great with the two tone paint and wire wheel covers with the Michelin whitewall tires. Even though it was a diesel, it’s hard to describe, the car felt special, a joy to drive.

roadburner · September 2021

uplanderguy said:
For me, the fun of shopping cars--and I choose to desire domestic brands--is gone. The domestics have essentially given up on sedans.

When I look at a Chevy dealer now, it's depressing. I liked the last Impala, especially in Premier trim, a lot. Gone. The Malibu I have to believe is on its last breath. Other than a C8, there's nothing I like to look at.

To be fair, no matter the brand, there's nothing I like to look at now. And this from a guy whose biggest fall excitement was new-car introduction night. I might as well be shopping for a toaster oven.

I have no desire for a CUV/SUV, aside from my Wrangler. I sometimes consider a 4X4 truck, but all but a couple are much too big for my tastes.

explorerx4 · September 2021

Crappy picture because I zoomed in too much from too far away, but my neighbor's 06 Mustang still looks good.

stickguy · September 2021

I like that one!

andre1969 · September 2021

uplanderguy said:

I still like these cars; feel like just a smaller luxury car, as opposed to a smaller car with 'puffed up' luxury. I'm reminded of the '67-70, a good thing IMHO.

That's about how I felt about them, too. They felt like a full-sized car that was narrowed down to a comfy 4-seater, if that makes sense. And the styling came off really nice as well, in my opinion, at least.

I recall reading that when the stylists were coming up with early concepts for these cars, they tried to keep the original proportions intact as much as possible. Only problem with that, was that to keep the proportioning of something like a '78 Eldorado, the downsized one would have been about 4 feet tall, and totally impractical. So they went with the more upright, formal look. They still managed to have a low-slung look about them, yet were surprisingly roomy inside.

ab348 · September 2021

Another entry in the "You learn something new every day" sweepstakes. I had no idea these existed.

stickguy · September 2021

not bad looking. I like the wheels.

but that top cover fitment, screams aftermarket conversion hackjob.

sda · September 2021

I liked the styling of that version of the Mirada and Cordoba. With the top up I wonder if it has a chunky look?

andre1969 · September 2021

Those Mirada convertibles were done by some aftermarket company like ASC or something like that (*EDIT: Curbside Classic says it was Global Coach). I've seen two of them "in the wild". One was actually for sale, at one of the local Dodge/Pontiac (I think they're simply all-Mopar now) dealership back around 1993. I remember looking at it and taking it for a test drive. It was the deep, non-metallic "Nightwatch" blue and, I think, a dark blue leather interior, but my memory is fuzzy on the interior now. Anyway, it seemed nice, but it shook something horrible on anything but the smoothest roads. I think they wanted $12-13K for it. It looked good with the top down, but no so much with the top up. There were no roll-down quarter windows in back, so with the top up, from the door window to the back of the car, it was nothing but fabric, although there was a little clear plastic cutout. I'm thinking it was sort of the shape of the Chevy logo, except the whole thing was slanted, not just the edges.

A few years later, I saw one in the local junkyard, that specializes in Mopars. It was sort of a brown, as I recall. It hadn't been picked apart too bad, at the time, and for a brief moment, I thought it would be cool to try and rescue it. Thankfully, the logical side of my brain kicked in.

sda · September 2021

I was fairly certain it was an aftermarket conversion. Chassis stiffness and body integrity, especially reducing cowl shake can be difficult when the roof is chopped from a unit body.

andre1969 · September 2021

sda said:
I liked the styling of that version of the Mirada and Cordoba. With the top up I wonder if it has a chunky look?

Here's a Cordoba with the top up...

Not the most graceful thing in the world, but it most looks like it kept the roof proportioning of the fixed-roof model. Just the lack of quarter windows in the back makes it look off, to me. And it's a lot better than some aftermarket convertibles I've seen.

One of my grandmother's friends had an early 80's Monte Carlo that had been convertible-ized, and it looked horrible with the top up. I don't think I ever saw it with the top down, but I have a feeling it still stuck up some, and wasn't all that graceful.

Here's a message forum I found that talks a bit about them. Apparently Global Coach made about 200 convertibles, mixed across the Cordoba, Imperial, and Mirada lineup.
https://www.forfmjbodiesonly.com/classicmopar/threads/huge-south-dakota-barn-find-mirada-convertible.7528/

fintail · September 2021

That Mirada convertible looks pretty sharp. I've always thought that basic design looked good, if in the right trim. When I was in grade school, a friend's mom had a white Mirada CMX with t-tops. I thought it was a pretty nice car then.

In the early 90s, a relative had a 1980 Cordoba as a beater car. IIRC dark red and white (vinyl top) with a red button tufted leather interior. One could tell it was a fancy car in its day, but already was looking the worse for wear.

andre1969 · September 2021

Two of my relatives had those cars. One was a burgundy Mirada, and the other was a white Cordoba LS, the cheaper model with the more slicked-back nose and crosshair, 300-style grille. I do remember that neither one seemed like it aged very well. Both were traded/sold before the 1980's were over. However, the one with the Cordoba, her husband had an M-body 5th Avenue, and later an Eagle Premier, so apparently the Cordoba experience didn't sour their opinion of Mopar. The 5th Ave was involved in a multiple-car accident, and from what I heard it was the only car that was able to drive away from the scene of the accident, although it was still totaled, and it was replaced with the Premier.

stickguy · September 2021

Forget the Cordoba. I want the yellow keep behind it.

ab348 · September 2021

fintail said:
That Mirada convertible looks pretty sharp. I've always thought that basic design looked good, if in the right trim. When I was in grade school, a friend's mom had a white Mirada CMX with t-tops. I thought it was a pretty nice car then.

In the early 90s, a relative had a 1980 Cordoba as a beater car. IIRC dark red and white (vinyl top) with a red button tufted leather interior. One could tell it was a fancy car in its day, but already was looking the worse for wear.

Back when I was just a young pup, my first job out of university was with a owner/manager-run company in the dental supplies and dental prosthesis businesses. The owner was a terrible person, extremely driven and often very nasty. I recognized that some of that was due to the constant tightrope he walked to keep everything afloat, but he just was not a nice guy. However, his wife also was in the office and she was a lovely lady. In late 1980 she decided she wanted a new car, and bought a very loaded up Cordoba in that body style. It was a pretty gray metallic with gray interior. I asked her what made her decide on that, and she said she knew Chrysler was struggling so she wanted to do her part to keep them going, believe it or not.

ab348 · September 2021

andre1969 said:

sda said:
I liked the styling of that version of the Mirada and Cordoba. With the top up I wonder if it has a chunky look?
Here's a Cordoba with the top up...

Not the most graceful thing in the world, but it most looks like it kept the roof proportioning of the fixed-roof model. Just the lack of quarter windows in the back makes it look off, to me. And it's a lot better than some aftermarket convertibles I've seen.

The early LeBaron convertibles did a similar thing with the top and eliminated the rear quarter windows. I remember someone saying it looked like a Conestoga wagon.

fintail · September 2021

Was that also the same person who had a bustleback? I think it was you who had an unpleasant manager with one. Malaise luxury, what a great time.

I wonder how long Chrysler could have made it without the K-car.

ab348 said:

fintail said:
That Mirada convertible looks pretty sharp. I've always thought that basic design looked good, if in the right trim. When I was in grade school, a friend's mom had a white Mirada CMX with t-tops. I thought it was a pretty nice car then.

In the early 90s, a relative had a 1980 Cordoba as a beater car. IIRC dark red and white (vinyl top) with a red button tufted leather interior. One could tell it was a fancy car in its day, but already was looking the worse for wear.
Back when I was just a young pup, my first job out of university was with a owner/manager-run company in the dental supplies and dental prosthesis businesses. The owner was a terrible person, extremely driven and often very nasty. I recognized that some of that was due to the constant tightrope he walked to keep everything afloat, but he just was not a nice guy. However, his wife also was in the office and she was a lovely lady. In late 1980 she decided she wanted a new car, and bought a very loaded up Cordoba in that body style. It was a pretty gray metallic with gray interior. I asked her what made her decide on that, and she said she knew Chrysler was struggling so she wanted to do her part to keep them going, believe it or not.

fintail · September 2021

Out on the road this morning saw a 356 Cabrio, also spotted a parked beige W116 with color matching hubcaps, typical 80s style custom 56 Chevy, a couple of squarebodies. Had to stop at Wally World, I usually park several cars outside the unwashed masses - when I returned, this had parked next to me, no doubt knowing I wouldn't harm their car. Lowrider Regal with interesting aftermarket sunroof:

ab348 · September 2021

fintail said:
Was that also the same person who had a bustleback? I think it was you who had an unpleasant manager with one. Malaise luxury, what a great time.

That fellow was someone the owner brought in to be Controller, who turned out to be a raging alcoholic.

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

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