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

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    Quite a few east of the Mississippi states I think, but I don't recall specifics. I wonder if it is like the original 25 year rule, bought and paid for, so to speak.
    Michaell said:

    fintail said:

    You are the crumple zone.

    I talked to the owner - 1997 model, as new as it can get here with the dumb 25 year rule, imported by him 2 months ago. Said it wasn't a difficult process, all-in he's about 6K into it, which seems like a lot, but I guess that's the new 4K. He only uses it around town. I've read kei vehicles and some JDM in general are being banned in some states, especially points east, because freedom.

    ab348 said:

    In those, if you’re in a front-end collision, you’re first on the scene.

    I read that was true in Florida.

    Which seems the opposite of everything else that's going on, there.
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 240,121
    fintail said:

    Quite a few east of the Mississippi states I think, but I don't recall specifics. I wonder if it is like the original 25 year rule, bought and paid for, so to speak.

    Michaell said:

    fintail said:

    You are the crumple zone.

    I talked to the owner - 1997 model, as new as it can get here with the dumb 25 year rule, imported by him 2 months ago. Said it wasn't a difficult process, all-in he's about 6K into it, which seems like a lot, but I guess that's the new 4K. He only uses it around town. I've read kei vehicles and some JDM in general are being banned in some states, especially points east, because freedom.

    ab348 said:

    In those, if you’re in a front-end collision, you’re first on the scene.

    I read that was true in Florida.

    Which seems the opposite of everything else that's going on, there.
    Maine is one, mentioned in a Jalopnik article from last summer.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    edited May 2022
    Not an obscure car, but an obscure car part. Yesterday I went on one of my occasional, random tromps into the wilderness, and came across this, along an old access road, long forgotten, on a wildlife preserve...
    For a moment it threw me off as to what it was. Even though you can tell that it used to have a Bonneville emblem glued to it, something about the color made me think mid-80s. At first I was thinking Bonneville-G, but knew that couldn't be right. The G- didn't have that little notch that stuck out in front; it was totally flat. And I also knew the Bonneville-G (and '78-81 LeMans) had sheetmetal designed so that it could use the same doors as a Malibu. So on that lower crease, it would have been reversed, with the lower part actually sticking out a bit more than the upper. And I knew full well it didn't come off of any FWD Bonneville, as they wouldn't have had that much space between the wheel opening and the back edge where it meets the door. But still, it looked too small, to be off of a bigger car.

    But, when I got home, and got online, I looked up some pics, and it turns out it was an '80-81 Bonneville. Still, it just seemed like a weird thing to find back in the woods, so far away from anything.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    edited May 2022
    I knew right away that was at the oldest, a '77 full-size Pontiac front fender, from the shape of the wheel opening. In my mind, anyway, the '80-81 is smoother so far as creases, etc. so I don't think I could've absolutely identified it as an '80-81. I do know the later Bonneville (LeMans-based) had the Bonneville nameplate ahead of the wheel opening so I could've ruled that out early.

    andre, sent you a PM. FYI.
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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    I think there's a car show in the area today, out on the road earlier saw a black 64 Impala SS convertible, and a maybe 52-53 Ford hardtop, along with one of the oddball late 80s style Avantis.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    I was starting to second guess a bit, thinking it's possible it could have been a '77-79? But, looking at pics, it looks like this fender I found has more of a slope to it, and there's less distance between the top of the wheel opening and the fender top than on the '77-79 models. Not a huge amount, and it could be exaggerated by the angle that I took the pic Also, on the '77-79 models, the rear part of the wheel opening seems to cut forward slightly, at the bottom, where on the '80-81 it looks like it just drops straight down.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Almost forgot...the other day, after I left my little romp with nature and malaise-era car parts, I spotted a first-gen Neon 4-door. I can't remember the last time I've seen one of those, outside of a car show. And yes, they actually show up at car shows from time to time. Well, okay, it's the Carlisle Mopar show, where just about everything even remotely Mopar-esque under the sun shows up, but still :p
  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,936
    I saw a silver Mazda Protege wagon, fog lights, rocker sill kit, sunroof in clean, not great, condition. An older fellow was driving it 45 in a 55 zone.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    edited May 2022
    A couple of fun spots in Oz from another group I follow. These are like cars from a parallel universe, similar but different.

    Note the Fairlane has both an Oz style sunvisor and blinds:



    Familiar, but different:





  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,188
    sda said:

    I saw a silver Mazda Protege wagon, fog lights, rocker sill kit, sunroof in clean, not great, condition. An older fellow was driving it 45 in a 55 zone.

    Last year for those was '03? Most of them have serious rust issues around the fender wells, by now.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    That Aussie Valiant is an interesting looking beast. Looks like they used a US-spec '69 Dart as the starting point. I wonder if the extra set of lights (or perhaps they're just reflectors) in the rear bumper were an Australian requirement?
  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,936
    edited May 2022

    Though not a car per se I found these as I was searching for something else. The GM keys and fob were for dad's 95 Cutlass Ciera. The key chain says Frontier with the Olds rocket engraved. The valet key to my 98 Mazda Millenia. Not sure what of many VWs that one belonged. Parking sticker as a commuter so I could park in the north 40. Seems like yesterday.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    I wonder how much remote entry added to the price of a Ciera back in 1995? I'd think that was still a fairly rare option. My 2000 Intrepid didn't had a remote entry/alarm, but I had an aftermarket one put on after it got broken into at the local Six Flags amusement park. I think the nicer Intrepids, like the ES and the RT had it standard, though.

    My '03 Regal had it, but the fob broke years ago, so I just get into it the old fashioned way.
  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,936
    I have the window sticker. The car had all options for 95. IIRC it was $150. One thing I found interesting, unlike my 82 Skylark X-car from which the Ciera was based the Ciera had a driver 6 way power seat and power recliner, the passenger side didn’t have 6 way power but did have a power recliner. The switches for the controls were located at the bottom front corner of each seat and not on the side like most cars. I think the passive restraint seatbelt mechanism took up so much room you couldn’t but your hand between the door panel and seat.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    edited May 2022
    This morning I played a little game of musical cars in the garage, making it easier to get them out, in the order that I plan to take them to the mechanic for their annual checkups. I have to confess, I hadn't started any of them since April 12, and I was trying to force myself to get better about that. Still, three of the four started, and only the LeMans had to be put on a charger.

    I sort of ran out of play money, so had to hold off on doing things like getting electric installed in the garage, and grading around it and such. But, today I discovered that the LeMans and the 5th Avenue can go out the front door in the middle, without anything scraping. I already knew the DeSoto could. I didn't want to take a chance with the Catalina, so I put down a couple boards, and it went out just fine, without anything scraping. Here they are, in front of the Desoto...
    While moving the cars around, I also noticed a few little musings. For instance, here's roughly the view you'd get, if a '67 Catalina was about to rear-end a '57 DeSoto...
    And this is probably a good poster child for the need for standardized bumper heights... Although looking at it again, I guess the bumpers do actually line up fairly well. It's just the the fins on the DeSoto make its rear look so much taller that it looks like a mis-match.

    And speaking of things not lining up, check out how the bumper guards on the 5th Ave and the LeMans interact with each other...This last one is probably a moot point, because if you're about to rear-end a car, I doubt you're going to line up bumper-guard to bumper-guard, even if they were mounted at standard points!



  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    Plus you would hit the brakes and the bumper would be scraping the ground!

    Andre ,that poor desoto needs a paint job!

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    edited May 2022
    Spotted this in town. '90-ish Toronado/Trofeo? I was never a fan of the styling but this one sure looked in good shape from this distance, for 30 years old in NE OH:


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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    stickguy said:

    Plus you would hit the brakes and the bumper would be scraping the ground!

    Andre ,that poor desoto needs a paint job!

    Every time I see a Desoto with the large fins, I think of Andre's Desoto. I loved those cars when they were new.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    This has found a place in my memory for 32 years now I guess, great:

    https://youtu.be/jdZPvVSmGqA

    Spotted this in town. '90-ish Toronado/Trofeo? I was never a fan of the styling but this one sure looked in good shape from this distance, for 30 years old in NE OH:


  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    Now that I look at the pic again, looks like it has an 'Oldsmobile' front plate.
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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    Wow, the Belafontes. Embarrassing today!
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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    edited May 2022

    Wow, the Belafontes. Embarrassing today!

    LOL, whomever came up with that marketing idea needs to be serenaded with this!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OAB3kpb2YM

    And thank you Fintail, for reminding me that commercial is 32 years old now. I feel old now. Where's my Geritol? Get off my lawn!! :p
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    Do they still make Geritol?

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    edited May 2022
    I dunno, but, I'm probably showing my age now, having a flashback to this jingle...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iu8Ln48FS8

    Edit: I just googled it, and it looks like Geritol's still around.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    Geritol used to sponsor some TV programs.
    It's been replaced by adult diapers and Medicare Supplemental plans as sponsors. LOL

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    edited May 2022
    I rather liked the '90-92 Toronado. There was something a bit off about its styling; I don't think it benefitted nearly as well from the up-sizing as the 1990 Riviera did, but for some reason, I still kind of like it. It's interesting that the Toronado never really embraced the split grille that became an Olds hallmark on other models. The '68-69 had a narrow chrome split, and they did seem to go for it in '86-89, although towards the end it seemed like just a spot to hang the logo.

    And good lord, Jimmie Walker is hawking a Medicare supplement as I type this. Where's John Amos when we need him, to keep him in line. "You better quit poppin' them chops, Junior!" :p
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,029
    I posted THIS ARTICLE over in Chronic Car Buyers but it could have easily gone here too - I wasn't sure where to put it. Some very interesting stuff to see from the annals of Ford Styling in regard to Lincolns over the years.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    edited May 2022
    Sorry for the poor pic; car coming up behind me, but a nice, clean, DeVille spied this morning. I always liked the size and shape of these, and simple styling--round wheel openings, vertical taillights on the corners, etc. Don't know the year of course but this one did not have the little square "GM" emblem on the front fenders, which was dropped for the 2010 model year I think.

    I rented one of these once probably a decade or more ago. We commented on how the seating was like four Barcaloungers, and we meant that as a good thing, LOL. My older daughter said at the time, "Dad, I'd give up our van with VCR in the back for a car like this!".


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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    I always liked that final-gen DeVille/DTS, and to me it seemed like the last hurrah of a "traditional" type of Cadillac. I just never could warm up to the XTS. The proportions just looked too awkward, some of the styling details a bit cartoonish, and I didn't like the lack of a V8 engine. I'm sure that with the right engine it would actually blow the Northstar away, but I guess it's just a psychological thing with me, and with not having a V8, it lost a bit of prestige.

    The CT-6 seemed like a decent attempt at a return to a flagship Caddy, but alas, it just never seemed to catch on. And, while RWD cars usually have better proportions, there's still just something about the CT-6's shape that I don't like. I think part of it is not enough decklid and too long of a roof. FWD cars usually suffer from that set-back front axle, that puts the front wheels too close to the front door. That was one detail I didn't like about my 2000 Park Ave. But on that final DeVille/DTS, I think it still looks good despite that.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    Geritol--

    I'm 64 in a couple weeks, but I remember it advertised on "The Lawrence Welk Show" and "Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour".
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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    I only heard about the Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour from "Duel", of all things. It's mentioned towards the beginning, as Dennis Weaver is driving along, and around the time he first encounters the tanker truck. It's been ages since I've seen it, but I remember them saying something along the lines of a guy who plays "Oh Johnny" on the bicycle pump, and another guy who plays meat. (double entendre probably intended...it WAS the 70's after all!) At the time I thought it was just something they made up for the movie.

    But then, there was an episode of "All in the Family" where Archie makes a reference to "Fred Mack Amateur Hour." I think it was the Sammy Davis Jr. episode. At that point I figured out it was probably a real thing. (Ted, not Fred!)
  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,936
    Speaking of Duel, I wonder how many Valiants they used for the different situations. It was actually a nice car. I appreciated that the film shots of the instrument panel were actually from a Valiant, temp gauge creeping to HOT, Oil light blinking, Speedometer varying speed. That was a movie that kept me on edge.

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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    Yes it’s very nice, but man that price! What would you do with it? Park in a collection? Run to the ice cream place on a nice Sunday? Certainly not taking it back country!

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    edited May 2022
    I remember "Duel" when it aired on the "Tuesday Night Movie Of The Week" on ABC. It riveted me then for sure.

    I remember thinking, "Wow, a Valiant with a front-seat center armrest!". Pretty certain no one but Mopar had that then.

    I grew up Chevy but even then I think I knew that the Mopar compacts (Dart/Valiant) were the industry's standard-bearers in that class. Nova was not far behind IMHO, and Maverick and Hornet, IMHO only, were way-behind in what you got.

    Speaking of the "...Movie of the Week", one of my favorites was "The Screaming Woman", a Ray Bradbury adaptation with Olivia deHavilland, whom I always enjoyed in "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte". She's a sweet , well-to-do grandmotherly type who was just released from a mental hospital and when she'd ride in a horse and carriage on her property, kept hearing muffled screams and moans and of course no one else heard them. She started digging on her property and let's just say, the scene where a woman grabs her hand and pulls herself out of the shallow grave startles me to this day!

    RE.: Ted Mack--it was shown on early Sunday evenings where I lived. My Dad enjoyed that, and Lawrence Welk, so I was subjected to both.

    RE.--Archie Bunker and his malapropisms--best I remember is, when working on a woman's car and she asks what is taking him so long: "What do I look like? Mr. Goodwench?".
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  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    edited May 2022
    My '72 Duster had a seat just like this:

    And it was otherwise what you'd call a 'stripper' - 198 CID 3 speed manual, no power anything, no a/c.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    edited May 2022
    Oddly, my first exposure to "Duel" was the "Incredible Hulk" episode "Never give a Trucker an Even Break". It built a story that used a ton of footage from "Duel", but they had to get a Valiant to shoot new footage. From what I've heard, one of the trucks from "Duel", a backup truck that was never used, was still around, and they pressed it into service for new footage.

    I was exposed to "Duel", proper, around 1984. By that time, slasher/serial killer type movies were all the rage. "Duel" was for rent at the video club, and marketing had updated its cover to reflect those times. I remember the tagline "The Most Bizarre Murder Weapon Ever Used", which made me think it was going to be something like "The Car" or "Christine"...something with a body count. Although those two movies really don't fit the slasher type genre, either. Its cover was probably something like this...I remember watching it with my grandparents. They had seen it before, heck probably when it came out! And I remembered my grandmother kept saying "That's Chester from Gunsmoke!" Anyway, even though it wasn't what I expected, I was fascinated by it.

    Funny thing about the Incredible Hulk episode. David Banner, the lady trucker, and one of the bad guys all end up driving the Valiant at some point during the episode. So, they have all three of them wearing a light blue shirt, so it would work a bit better with the stock footage, because Dennis Weaver wore a light blue shirt.

    Dennis Weaver's Valiant was a nicer Signet model, but the Valiant they used in the Incredible Hulk was just a base model. It looked like they just painted the rocker panel so that it looked like it had a wide silver strip down there.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    My duster had a shift lever between the bucket seats. Just like God intended.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    edited May 2022
    Maybe more uncommon than obscure still, but I was amused by these near-twins (brothers from another mother anyway) I spotted yesterday:



    My sister/brother in law have one of these "bullnose" or "Saab nose" (as I call them) Tribecas, he bought it nearly new and has held on to it through some kind of attachment. They've had several cars in the meantime, but always kept the Tribeca.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    **Edit: In looking at my old car book, it looks like the Valiant Signet was gone after '69. For '70, the Valiant 4-door was just, well, "Valiant". I looked in the '70 sales brochure, and there's not much information. It just says "A wide choice of interiors".

    That year, it was all about the Duster. Plymouth sold 192,375 regular Dusters, plus another 24,817 Duster 340s. They only sold 50,810 Valiant 4-doors.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    stickguy said:

    My duster had a shift lever between the bucket seats. Just like God intended.

    Mine had a floor shift, too. With a "Hurst" shift knob :D
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,029
    sda said:

    Speaking of Duel, I wonder how many Valiants they used for the different situations. It was actually a nice car. I appreciated that the film shots of the instrument panel were actually from a Valiant, temp gauge creeping to HOT, Oil light blinking, Speedometer varying speed. That was a movie that kept me on edge.

    And through most of the 1970s thereafter, Universal Studios kept using that Valiant imagery as stock footage for all sorts of their TV productions. Andre mentioned The Incredible Hulk episode in his post, but at least there the producers took the trouble to actually use a Valiant of their own in the episode. But I remember seeing that Valiant speedo in all sorts of other shows where it didn't belong. Somebody would be driving a Ford or a Chevy, get into a car chase, and they would cut to the Valiant speedo footage to show how fast they were going. Drove me nuts.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Here's a scene from that Incredible Hulk episode that was shot for the show...


    The Subaru takes the worst of the hit, but the VW Bug actually flips, while the Pinto is mostly unharmed...

    Watching it in action though, it looks obvious that something was attached to the VW Bug to make it roll over. It just doesn't look natural the way it does it.

    I'd imagine that Subaru was a pretty rare model, even when new.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,029
    andre1969 said:


    I'd imagine that Subaru was a pretty rare model, even when new.

    That's only because almost nobody wanted to buy something like that. B)

    Remember, "scarcity" is not a synonym for "desirable".

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  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,188
    Looks like they're on a budget. Only trashing crappy cars.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    Weirdo offbeat brand, who knows what maladies the car had, probably depreciated fast. A coupe like that is a unicorn now, and some nut would probably pay good money for it.

    It's funny reading early 80s newspapers and seeing how cheap 70s rotary Mazdas were, due to their needs. Those cars are very rare and fairly valuable now.
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 240,121
    I remember going with my dad to look at the Mazda‘s in 1973, before we bought our Toyota Corona. RX-3 and RX-4 were available at the time.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    I'd like a RX-3 or RX-4 wagon with the "Rotary Wagon" badge, which does it for me:


  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,936
    I drove my friend’s RX-3. What a hoot. Unknowingly I kept hitting the redline and a buzzer would go off. It was so smooth. Keep in mind my car was a 71Vega GT.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    I was listening to a playlist of music from 1979 earlier today, so I went to the local newspaper archive and brought up today's date in 1979 for a flashback to the golden age of the automobile.

    First, nice "article":



    And some ads. Dependable and affordable:



    Good buys:




    Gas crisis:



    A bunch of stuff:


  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,056
    RE.: Malibu article:

    As much as I prefer the '78 styling details, in and out, better, the '79 was probably the better choice then, with the availability of the 4-barrel 305 and with a revised F-41 suspension that year.

    But, I so-prefer the diagonal-cut taillights, the gold trim outline on the gloss black around the instruments instead of chromed, and the lack of a dash nameplate that doesn't match the one on the exterior of the car, LOL!
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