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

ab348 · January 2022

Those 2nd-gen Lacrosses were available in basic trim at least for a while. It probably has the 4-cylinder (non-turbo 2,4 or 2.5L, I forget) under the hood, which has to be pretty awful.

I remember driving one of those Lacrosses when they came out in 2010, but it was loaded up with the 3.0 V-6 (no 3.6L until the next year IIRC), beige leather, and White Diamond paint. Just a really nice car, though I wasn't a huge fan of the styling.

sda · January 2022

I think they offered the LaCrosse with the 2.5 four cylinder as standard on the base model. No thanks.

andre1969 · January 2022

I did a quick search...looks like it was a 2.4 with 182 hp. Motortrend stated that the folks at Buick said it should be good for 0-60 in a bit over 9 seconds. Maybe a 2.5 version came later, though?

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2010-buick-lacrosse-cx-drive/

That actually doesn't sound too bad...I thought it would be worse. But I wonder how it would act if you had a few passengers on board weighing it down more, or when it comes to a passing maneuver at highway speeds.

Still, it's not anything I'd want. Back then though, the LaCrosse served a different market. It replaced the old W-body LaCrosse, which itself replaced the Century and Regal. And while it definitely moved upmarket, it had the lower trim levels were still catering to people who would have bought one of those more basic W-body LaCrosses, or Centurys before that. And I'd imagine some of those lower trim levels went into rental fleets.

fintail · January 2022

Even better of course if it's a DeVille D'Elegance, two pretentious names at once. The Eldo Biarritz seems classier somehow.

I think we can all appreciate each other's tastes, especially for older cars, as many cars become "cool" in some way once they hit a certain age, if only just for surviving.

That lowline Lacrosse screams rental car to me.

uplanderguy said:
Sorry about that. It's a burgundy '79 Fleetwood Brougham d'Elegance. I usually prefer the non-d'Elegance but the pillow seats aren't too crazy in this car.

"d'Elegance"--that name is such a cliche, LOL. I think there's a Seinfeld episode where George's Dad is talking about their Cadillac and says, "It's a De-Elegonce"!

But the car itself, that Fleetwood--very nice.

RE.: YT and FB versus other car forums--everyone here has different tastes, but there's almost no churlishness.

Love that word--from Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Oh, churlish dolt!".

uplanderguy · January 2022

Last-gen Impalas could be had with a 2.5 four as well. A couple or so years in, it could be had even in the highest trim level. I never saw any in person except a low-line one.

Just Googled it and a 2019 Chevy press page came up that said it was 197 hp.

andre1969 · January 2022

I found an old Car & Driver review of a 2014 Impala with the 2.5, and they were able to get 0-60 in 8.7 seconds. Quarter mile was 16.8 seconds @85 mph.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15113788/2014-chevrolet-impala-25-lt-test-review/

They gave it a pretty good review. And it seems like a nice car, overall. I guess it's just that a car like this is begging for the V6, so the 4-cyl just seems like you're settling. Even if it's still a nice consolation.

Looking at that review reminded me of just how far cars had come. For comparison, my 2000 Intrepid had a 2.7 V6. It had 200 hp, and 190 ft-lb of torque. Just a touch more than the 2.5 Malibu's 196 hp and 186 ft-lb. The Impala's also heavier, around 3700 lb, whereas my Intrepid was around 3400.

But, I've seen 0-60 times for the 2.7 Intrepid ranging from 9.0 to 10.0 seconds. The 9.0 was actually for a 2000 Concorde with the same engine, a heavier car; I remember C&D or MT comparing it to a 2000 LeSabre, but I figure if a Concorde can do it with that engine, so can an Intrepid. The 10.0 was a C&D comparison test of 2002 models (December 2001). I can only find the text to the article online, but no detailed data tables like they normally show. In the text, they mention the Intrepid hit 82 mph in the quarter mile, but didn't list the time. Here's that C&D comparison test.

I think it's pretty incredible though, how despite having less hp and torque, and having to move a heavier car, the 2.5 Impala does better than the 2.7 Intrepid. It also gets better fuel economy, with an EPA estimate of 21/31. For comparison, the window sticker on my Intrepid stated 21/29, IIRC, but when the EPA revised their ratings, it went down to 18/27.

I guess you can chalk some of this improvement up to the Impala having a 6-speed automatic, versus a 4-speed for the Intrepid.

Adjusting for inflation, even the pricing is close! The MSRP on my 2000 was $20,950, including freight. Putting that into an inflation calculator, I'm getting $29,294 in 2013 dollars. I'm comparing the years 1999 to 2013 here, because I bought my Intrepid in November 1999, and that C&D article was posted in October 2013. The base MSRP for a 2014 Impala was $29,785, although the one they tested was $34,795. My Intrepid did not have ABS, and only had two airbags, and I'm sure was missing a lot of other features that even the cheapest 2014 Impala had standard. Yet in real dollars, was only $490 less.

Now, I don't know if the prices C&D mentioned included freight or not. The Intrepid price I mentioned was with freight. Without it, it was $20,390 ($28,512 in 2013 dollars).

Despite the improvements on that 2014 Impala, over my old Intrepid, I'd imagine that the typical 2022 car has leapfrogged even further, when it comes to the combination of technology, performance, features, and price.

sda · January 2022

With Buick’s success with the executive class in China, wasn’t the later generation LaCrosse with generous back seat room designed for that market and then shared with the US market? I’m a little surprised Buick would have a 4 cylinder as standard, which gave up some ‘refinement’ that most want from a Buick.

imidazol97 · January 2022

The 2.5L NA is a good engine from GM, at least after 2014. I believe there's a 2.5L before that which was improved for 2014.
LKW
https://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/gm-engines/lkw/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Ecotec_engine#2.5

Much like the 3800's 4-speed transmission worked well with it, the 6-speed transmission gearing makes it feel like a V6 IMHBO. I love my 2014 Malibu with the 2.5. I recall our friend's talking about his son using his 2014? Impala when his car had troubles telling his dad the Impala really came into it's own when you hit 100. (The son was an adult in charge of security for some stores of a known box store. I suspect he traveled between stores and I-75 was handy as he "circled" between stores for problems.)

IOW, if I were someone shopping for a moderate mileage Impala and I found one with the 2.5L, I'd sure want to consider it. I'd maybe drive a few used Impalas locally that you really weren't interested in buying, but just ot experience the 2.5L.

BTW I think someone here likes dark greens, and our friend's Impala ~~was~~ is a dark green that was mistaken for black unless the light was fairly good. His widow kept the Impala and passed on the 2013 Malibu.

fintail · January 2022

I think a 4 in a large car is just a thing nowadays - also the base engine in an E/5er/A6 for a few years. They can be pretty refined most of the time, not sure if the Buick would be the same, but I assume Buick has an NVH team to isolate it.

sda said:
With Buick’s success with the executive class in China, wasn’t the later generation LaCrosse with generous back seat room designed for that market and then shared with the US market? I’m a little surprised Buick would have a 4 cylinder as standard, which gave up some ‘refinement’ that most want from a Buick.

kyfdx · January 2022

fintail said:
I think a 4 in a large car is just a thing nowadays - also the base engine in an E/5er/A6 for a few years. They can be pretty refined most of the time, not sure if the Buick would be the same, but I assume Buick has an NVH team to isolate it.

sda said:
With Buick’s success with the executive class in China, wasn’t the later generation LaCrosse with generous back seat room designed for that market and then shared with the US market? I’m a little surprised Buick would have a 4 cylinder as standard, which gave up some ‘refinement’ that most want from a Buick.

Turbos, now. My wife's 4 cylinder makes 248 hp

tjc78 · January 2022

I still have a tough time believing that our XC90 is a 4cyl. It moves along that beast with ease. Turbo and supercharged for over 300HP. Only thing is it requires premium.

roadburner · January 2022

I have three I4 powered cars in the garage. My favorite is the 1.8 M42 motor in the Club Sport. The Turner/Conforti power chip boosted the hp to 150- which isn't bad for 110 naturally aspirated cubic inches. Best of all you have to keep the revs above 4,500 rpm to stay in the meat of the power band, so it's really a hoot to drive.

fintail · January 2022

4s are the new 6s, 6s the new 8s. The 362 hp 6 in my wagon, an engine introduced a few years ago, makes it a sub-5 second 0-60 car that still hits about 30 mpg on the highway. Not shabby.

I've ridden in a couple of the late MB 2 liter 4s, at low speed or startup there's a little telltale noise, but hard to tell once moving, and no vibration.

xwesx · January 2022

tjc78 said:
I still have a tough time believing that our XC90 is a 4cyl. It moves along that beast with ease. Turbo and supercharged for over 300HP. Only thing is it requires premium.

From those who own them, the same is true for the new full-size Subaru (can't remember the name for some reason). 2L 4-cylinder, but it moves along quite well.

stickguy · January 2022

had the Maverick out and about today doing our errands. same thing about the 2.0T. so quiet really don't hear it running and it is plenty quick. Could easily pass for a V6 of not to distant past. All the engine something this size needs.

uplanderguy · January 2022

I've only been searching for 2020 Impalas and only V6's have come up, which makes me think the four was dropped for 2020.

I own two turbo fours now. I'd prefer a V6 although I know they are passe now.

I have read so much online about turbos really requiring premium fuel for durability, despite the manufacturer doing things to make them accept 87, that I put premium in both our cars. I will say that in my Cruze, my MPG is significantly higher with premium, but I'd rather not have the added complexity of a turbo. But that is the wave.

ab348 · January 2022

My 2014 ATS had the 2.0 Turbo 4, which I think was rated at 250-something HP and 290 torque. It was very quick off the line and seemed to have lots of zip on the highway too. The 2017 with the V6 has 336 HP and yet actually does not feel as zippy off the line. But it escalates quickly once you are underway and is crazy fast on the highway.

tjc78 · January 2022

I had three vehicles with the GM 3.6. I never felt a lack of power when I needed it, even when loaded up. Good engine, only knock is that it’s thirsty.

uplanderguy · January 2022

In the Impala it was 303 hp.

andre1969 · January 2022

I'll admit to having a bit of a fear of the complexity and cost of a lot of this modern technology, but I'll also admit it's probably mostly unfounded. For example, a friend has a Ford Escape. Its turbo is leaking oil, and I think the estimate to repair was something like $1600. But then, I have to remind myself...it's a 2015 so it's now seven model years old. And I think it has over 150,000 miles on it. So it's not like this just happened on a fairly new vehicle that's just out of warranty.

I guess eventually, I'll end up with a vehicle with a small, tech-laden, high-powered 4-cyl. Probably go into it, kicking and screaming, but once I get used to it, I'll probably wonder how I ever got along before!

And, at the same time, while I do like the relatively simple Hemi and 6-speed automatic in my 2012 Ram, I'm sure I'm fooling myself if I think those components are going to be cheap to repair, if they do break! EVERYTHING is expensive, these days!

sda · January 2022

Even with their complexity most cars last longer today. In the past cars started needing major repairs after 80k and a car with 100k was considered worn out. I was talking with a friend who just had his Ram totaled with almost 300k. He was planning to give it a refresh, paint, some interior touch up and just had spent $$ getting the mechanicals spruced up. It wasn’t his fault, of course, didn’t get that much for it from insurance. With today’s crazy market he ended up with an overpriced Ram with 140k. He said it is clean but has the Hemi tick which he is going to address. He said he remembered when you traded a car before it had 50k otherwise you got nothing for it.

explorerx4 · January 2022

One our Escapes had a leak and I was quoted something like $800 to fix it.
Next time I brought it in they said they could fix it for $250.

stickguy · January 2022

that is where a good indy shop can come in handy. The dealership is always going to be pricey at their hourly rates, plus will only do the "official" repair, not the often available sneaky way to do it cheaper.

andre1969 · January 2022

Just for kicks I went to Cars.com to see what all is out there for sale, and it's amazing how quickly you can fall down the rabbit hole. I started off looking at Impalas, but then went to Buicks, and before I know it, I found this:
1972 Buick Electra Limited hardtop coupe.

It's not the most exotic color combo in the world (white with a beige vinyl top and a light brown vinyl interior) but it looks like a nice car, overall. I guess I've gotten used to the later models where "Limited" would sort of imply thick shag carpeting, leather or crushed velour, and an armrest in the back seat (unless that was just for the 4-door models?) so its interior doesn't seem all that extravagant to me. Still, it's nice.

Oh, Cars.com also recommended this 2006 Monte Carlo LT to me. It's nothing fancy, basically a Monte Carlo rental car, but I guess I kind of like it for the obscurity factor. I'm still going through sticker shock, though. The idea of paying $6000 for a 16 model year old car with 111,000 miles just doesn't sound appealing to me. It's 3 years newer than my Regal, but has about 8,000 more miles, so in my mind it doesn't feel like a step forward. It just has the 3.5 V6. I found a Motorweek article where they mentioned a 3.5 Impala doing 0-60 in 8.3 seconds and the quarter mile in 16.7 seconds @ 86 mph. So a bit of a dog by today's standards, but in range of my Regal.

ab348 · January 2022

That Electra is nice, but not $25K nice. Although with the prices they are getting at Mecum in Kissimmee this week, who knows.

I would not buy a GM car with the 3.5, but that's me. Always really disliked that engine.

uplanderguy · January 2022

I like that Electra. I would've thought it would say "BUICK" on the decklid somewhere, which makes me think.....

I would've thought it would've had a rear-seat center armrest too. Coupe De Villes of that year did. I do know that Grand Villes and Centurions only had the rear-seat center armrests in the sedans that year (and in the Grand Ville only with the optional Custom Interior).

That Monte looks in decent shape, but to me, the '02 is the best-looking of that gen in the minor details. The 3.5 is supposedly a better engine than the 3.4 though.

That Monte Carlo needs a body side molding. You heard it here! N/A from the factory at any cost though. I think the 2003 or 2004 was the last year with them. That side is too plain without them IMHO, although as I say here often, most '60's through '80's cars look better without them I think.

ab348 · January 2022

uplanderguy said:
I like that Electra. I would've thought it would say "BUICK" on the decklid somewhere, which makes me think.....

A quick Google search appears to indicate that they did not come with any name badging on the decklid.

uplanderguy · January 2022

You are correct. Thanks.

sda · January 2022

On the chrome strip on the left tail light there is BUICK in block letters, on the right tail light LIMITED.

fintail · January 2022

I saw this on the road again today:

explorerx4 · January 2022

Stickguy's least favorite type of car.

imidazol97 · January 2022

fintail said:

So when people say the large cars of the 70s and 80s were "boats," is this what they meant?

stickguy · January 2022

well, at least that one is a convertible.

fintail · January 2022

Based on a late 80s/early 90s LeBaron IIRC.

uplanderguy · January 2022

I agree that cars are generally more reliable today, but although I've not experienced this, I've seen/heard many examples of failures of modules, etc., that are castastrophically expensive. I don't remember much like this when I was a kid or young adult.

My friend, trained as a mechanic, told me maybe a decade ago that the dealer's price for replacing his sister's Acura's headlight was $1,200.

Timing belts that need replacement strike me as something that was originally pretty Asian-maker specific but have crept their ways into certain domestic makes. Most people would consider a $1,000 repair a PITA. When the manufacturer says "Maintenance", the mood becomes "meh".

andre1969 · January 2022

My housemate's stepdad recently bought a 2017 F150. A few weeks ago, he decided he wanted to change the high and low beams to something that was a higher intensity. He actually had to take off the plastic wheel well lining, to get to the bolts to take off some plastic trim around the headlight, and I think he also had to take off a piece of trim above the headlight, concealed by the hood as well. Then take the headlight cluster out.

I can't imagine what the labor rate would be on something like that, at the mechanic! but worse, the way the thing was designed, I remember one of the bulbs, when you went to put it in, met with some resistance, where it felt like if you turned it too hard, it would break something. He was having trouble figuring it out, and I tried to help him some. I told him he might want to look it up on Youtube and see if there was an actual video. I remembered a few years back, I had to replace something in one of the toilets at my new house. It's one of those fancy Kohler toilets, so everything's more complicated than it needs to be. Anyway, I remember this one part just twisted into place, but seemed like it would take so much effort that I'd break it first. Well, lo and behold, there was a Youtube video! And in the video, they even mentioned something along the lines of "even though it feels like it might break, twist it until it locks".

Anyway, rather than try looking up a video, he simply heard the "twist it until it locks" part of my advice. And did it, and, damn if it didn't work! Well, this time, at least. It does make me wonder though, what's going to happen, as that plastic headlight assembly ages and gets brittle? Headlights don't burn out like they used to, but I can imagine a scenario where, by the time it does burn out, the cluster gets broken trying to replace it, and then you're out Lord-knows how much money to replace that!

I know I've told this story before, but back in 2004, my Panther-loving friend bought a new passenger side headlight cluster for his '95 Grand Marquis. The existing one had gotten brittle, and not only fogged up somewhat, but actually had cracks in it. It was getting water in it, and retaining it, yet had cracks along the lower part. I jokingly said well maybe we should just drill a hole for the water to drain out, and see how long it lasts

Anyway, he brought the car and the headlight cluster to me, figuring I'd know how to put it on. But, it was the first time I'd ever tried to deal with that type of headlight. Even though I had my 2000 Intrepid almost five years at that point, it hadn't had a headlight burn out yet. I couldn't figure it out, on his car. So, he ended up taking it to the dealer. In addition to the $225 he paid for the headlight cluster, they charged $75 to install it. I guess, on the plus side, it came with new bulbs! But essentially, $300 to replace that headlight cluster.

And then, within a month, he decided he wanted a newer car, so he traded that Grand Marquis on an '04 Crown Vic LX at CarMax, and they gave him all of $600 in trade! I'm sure he would've gotten the same $600, whether he'd replaced that headlight assembly or not. I also told him hell, I'd give him more than $600 for it, but he's one of those strict "never sell a used car to friends" type of people. That Grand Marquis had about 175,000 miles on it, smoked a bit on acceleration, and you could tell it was getting a bit tired, but it still had some life in it. It was also rusting a bit at that exposed seam at the top of the C-pillar, on both sides, but that could have been sanded and painted, at least. It wasn't that bad, yet.

Oh, and eventually I did have to replace a headlight bulb on my Intrepid. And was able to figure it out. It was just two REAAAALLLY long bolts that you had to take out, and then you could pull the cluster forward enough to get behind it and change the bulbs. I wonder if the Grand Marquis was similar?

andre1969 · January 2022

Oh, as far as overpriced repairs these days goes, here's what I experienced with my Ram. In 2018, on the way to the Ford show in Carlisle PA, the passenger side front brake locked up. Luckily, it happened early on the trip. I was going to pick up a friend on the way, but we changed plans and I left the truck at his house, and we went up in his car.

I had the truck towed to my mechanic. From his explanation, the brake hose failed somehow, and caused the caliper to lock up. That messed up the pads, warped the rotor, and the heat messed up the caliper itself. And, because when it comes to brake and suspension work, they like to replace everything in pairs, I ended up with two new front rotors, pads, calipers, and hoses, and the total came up to around $1200. My mechanic said all that was because Chrysler decided to save a few pennies up front by using "cheap Chinese hoses" when they built it.

Oh, the other big expense, in 2019 the radio stopped working. The CD player worked fine, and I think satellite would have worked, if I subscribed to it. But it would only pick up radio stations intermittently, like there was a short in it or something. Well, the solution for that was to replace the whole radio, at the dealer, for around $600. But, all things considered, maybe that isn't *too* bad. I can remember back in the early 90's, getting an aftermarket radio with a tape player in it, was probably close to $200, unless you want with something cheap like a Craig or Sparkomatic. So adjusting for inflation, that would probably be close to $400 these days. Plus installation.

sda · January 2022

The left headlight on my 03 Acura TL had fogged and had moisture inside. To replace it required removing the front bumper. From what I understand that wasn’t a big deal as the cover was held by multiple push in clips and a few bolts. Thankfully the repair was covered by warranty.

tjc78 · January 2022

On the 95 MGM the headlight housing is only three or four clips but they are a royal PiTA to get out and usually break. They also aren’t easily seen and you can miss them and think you have to take the studs out.

stickguy · January 2022

our 2000 Acura TL had one HID headlight that occasionally went out, but would come back. So probably a loose connection someplace. After reading about the complexity and cost of replacing them, I just lived with it and hoped for the best!

sda · January 2022

My SIL reminded me that one of the headlights burned out on the 06 TL that my daughter now drives. As the dealer also had to remove the bumper to replace the bulb, she used good judgement and had the other side replaced as well. I think it cost $500 or so. The bulbs and labor were not cheap. The side marker on the left fender has burned out. It is going to stay that way as the fender liner and other steps have to be taken just to reach the darn thing. The turn signals, parking lights on the front work fine, so no biggie in my mind.

fintail · January 2022

I think there's an "easy to live with" component of modern cars due to longer service intervals, and some mechanical durability is part of that too. I'd hope any new car would be capable of 200K miles with normal maintenance, and that wasn't a thing even a generation ago. Some cars can hit 300K without huge issue, and not just old diesel MBs. But due to the prices of electronic components and bodywork labor, cars are likely much easier to total out than cars were in the past. There's also a new breed of obsolescence, in-car electronics. A car from a decade ago may not look ancient in terms of design, but the electronics can be like going back in time. To young people especially, a 2010 car with no bluetooth, USB, reverse camera etc must be not far removed from the fintail.

I think a new set of OEM multibeam LED lights for my car are at least $3K. I have to believe the assistance components nicely located in the front clip are also expensive - a minor front end shunt could hit 5 figures with ease, I suspect.

On the car subject, saw a no fender skirts 90s Caprice, burgundy, at the supermarket this morning, also in the lot was a red Tempo, things once everywhere that are now getting rare.

uplanderguy said:
I agree that cars are generally more reliable today, but although I've not experienced this, I've seen/heard many examples of failures of modules, etc., that are castastrophically expensive. I don't remember much like this when I was a kid or young adult.

My friend, trained as a mechanic, told me maybe a decade ago that the dealer's price for replacing his sister's Acura's headlight was $1,200.

Timing belts that need replacement strike me as something that was originally pretty Asian-maker specific but have crept their ways into certain domestic makes. Most people would consider a $1,000 repair a PITA. When the manufacturer says "Maintenance", the mood becomes "meh".

roadburner · January 2022

There are tradeoffs as always. As for me, I like being able to own a car with strong performance that still returns decent fuel economy and isn't temperamental.

uplanderguy · January 2022

I know about tradeoffs. I sure used to be more excited/interested in new cars than I have been for a good while.

xwesx · January 2022

andre1969 said:

Anyway, rather than try looking up a video, he simply heard the "twist it until it locks" part of my advice. And did it, and, damn if it didn't work! Well, this time, at least. It does make me wonder though, what's going to happen, as that plastic headlight assembly ages and gets brittle? Headlights don't burn out like they used to, but I can imagine a scenario where, by the time it does burn out, the cluster gets broken trying to replace it, and then you're out Lord-knows how much money to replace that!

You're not wrong about that! One of my headlights on the Q7 finally burned out at about 123,000 miles (good life span on those!), and I had to pull the full light assembly out of the car in order to replace the bulbs. The process itself was pretty easy, but all of the parts are plastic clips, and most of them broke. Rather than worry about it, I just shoved the units back in, dropped some tape on them in strategic locations, and called it good. So far, another 1,500 miles later, and you'd never know.

I tell ya, Audi comes up with some very clever clip designs, but I don't think they ever stop to consider the durability of those clips should the connector ever need to be removed. So far, I'm probably at about 30% success when it comes to not breaking a clip on that car when trying to remove it.

sda · January 2022

It is all too common manufacturers using all types of clips to hold things together. It seems a special tool is needed for each type, which is annoying. Being determined to work around not having the correct tool I have buggered up and broken my share.

laurasdada · January 2022

fintail said:
In podunk for a few days, so far have seen a brown Citation 4 door and a Ford Festiva.

Watched an episode of CHiPs, there was a car chase involving a Mazda Cosmo - something I like, incredibly rare now, I recall only seeing one in my life, and it had rust to the point of likely being beyond redemption:

As it was on that show, of course it ended up like this, as this happens in every 35 mph car chase in reality (notice another now-desirable car):

That might show how quickly those cars depreciated, as it wasn't too old, but mechanical risks no doubt had them unwanted in trade-in.

Then watched Gremlins, and for the first time noticed The Futtermans (the guy with the "Kentucky Harvester" truck who distrusts anything foreign, kind of reminds me of some people I've met over the years ) have another car parked at the house, and imcdb also shows it:

The father in that movie, who is an inventor who makes quirky products, drives this (movie takes place in present day/1984):

Also for the first time noticed that Gremlins was filmed on the "Colonial Street" (Burbs) backlot, and the downtown scenes are on the Back to the Future lot.

One final Christmas movie car that I noticed some never spot, in Christmas Vacation, one set of grandparents apparently drives a very pretty 63 Continental, a random thing to be street parked in 1989:

Skimming this thread, Fin, seeing this post bought a bit of a tear to my eye. One of my best friends from high school, RIP, drove a (I believe) '76 Mazda Cosmo. Silver over maroon velour (bordello!) IIRC. What I remember most was the cool steering wheel and, of course, the "cosmonaut" center side window!

ab348 · January 2022

In terms of headlight designs with good serviceability, my '02 Intrigue had a really good design. The headlight units were held in place with 2 large and rather thick L-shaped plastic "captured wedges" for want of a better word (they had a slight taper) so all you had to do was pull the two of them upwards and it released the entire assembly, which let you get at the sockets on the back.

sda · January 2022

ab348 said:
In terms of headlight designs with good serviceability, my '02 Intrigue had a really good design. The headlight units were held in place with 2 large and rather thick L-shaped plastic "captured wedges" for want of a better word (they had a slight taper) so all you had to do was pull the two of them upwards and it released the entire assembly, which let you get at the sockets on the back.

That was a great design. I remember seeing that on my 00 Intrigue GL.

fintail · January 2022

I think the Cosmo may have only been MY 75-76 here, maybe into 77 but I am not sure. Stupendously rare car today either way. Silver on red would definitely be a color combo of the period, I've seen it it on 70s Lincolns and T-Birds/Montes, and I think 450SL too.

I have at least a passing interest in a handful of older Japanese cars, that's one I like - if I happened upon an estate sale or similar and there was a nice one at a reasonable price, it would be tempting. It would almost be expected to be a non-runner, I bet.

laurasdada said:

fintail said:
In podunk for a few days, so far have seen a brown Citation 4 door and a Ford Festiva.

Watched an episode of CHiPs, there was a car chase involving a Mazda Cosmo - something I like, incredibly rare now, I recall only seeing one in my life, and it had rust to the point of likely being beyond redemption:

As it was on that show, of course it ended up like this, as this happens in every 35 mph car chase in reality (notice another now-desirable car):

That might show how quickly those cars depreciated, as it wasn't too old, but mechanical risks no doubt had them unwanted in trade-in.

Then watched Gremlins, and for the first time noticed The Futtermans (the guy with the "Kentucky Harvester" truck who distrusts anything foreign, kind of reminds me of some people I've met over the years ) have another car parked at the house, and imcdb also shows it:

The father in that movie, who is an inventor who makes quirky products, drives this (movie takes place in present day/1984):

Also for the first time noticed that Gremlins was filmed on the "Colonial Street" (Burbs) backlot, and the downtown scenes are on the Back to the Future lot.

One final Christmas movie car that I noticed some never spot, in Christmas Vacation, one set of grandparents apparently drives a very pretty 63 Continental, a random thing to be street parked in 1989:

Skimming this thread, Fin, seeing this post bought a bit of a tear to my eye. One of my best friends from high school, RIP, drove a (I believe) '76 Mazda Cosmo. Silver over maroon velour (bordello!) IIRC. What I remember most was the cool steering wheel and, of course, the "cosmonaut" center side window!

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

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