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We had a bright red '77 Impala coupe that Dad bought in early Nov. '76, but I did like then being told by people "It resembles a Seville". Wheel openings and general profile I think.
So even though that $44K is a lot of money, perhaps it still serves as a good cautionary tale for anyone who aspires to simply buy a car and put it away, hoping it'll be worth "big bucks" someday. Sure, some cars, a select few, will be. But, most won't.
And on that note, I could easily turn 75K in 1987 into maybe 600K in 2022 with a house in Spokane, or into seven figures in some areas in the Seattle metro.
I am in the same boat, counting maintenance and repairs I would never get my money back, but that's not the point. In terms of enjoyment, the old car has been a bargain.
Yeah, if you didn’t know it was the “fin era” you would just think it was the design they went with.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
When I first bought an old car, my '63 Lark Daytona Skytop R1, a friend suggested I buy a hardback journal book and keep track of all expenses. At some point I couldn't bear to keep doing that so stopped, LOL.
Even in periods when I'm not using my current Cruiser very much, I'd be lying if I didn't say there are times I like to just soak it in, outside and interior, just sitting in my garage. I think most of us are like that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_p_aQbJ1T4
In a way, this Beaver goof is just the opposite, of the Andy Griffith one.
I notice in the Leave it to Beaver pic, along with the fun wheel, they also tried to make a higher back driver's seat, so an attempt was made anyway.
Saw a Honda Acty Kei van, TINY. First one I’ve seen on the road.
I've seen that Beaver episode a million times, but I think, in later years, what initially tipped me off that something wasn't quite right was that diagonal pattern on the door panel vinyl. Definitely looks Ford-ish to me. Plymouth's door pattern was more of a swoopy, 50's-futuristic (but probably considered out of touch by '61) horizontal pattern, like this... But yeah, I do like the fact they at least made the attempt, with using that high-back driver's seat.
Years ago, I forget the forum, I made the joke, about the one time Mayberry put Andy and Barney in a Mopar, but I remember someone getting huffy about it, even though I explained the "joke"...about putting them in a Mopar for an interior shot. Someone kept swearing up and down to me that it didn't happen, but now, I feel vindicated, that I'm not the only one that sees it
Also spotted this 64 Impala on the road:
Although I took this pic last year, it was maybe 6 blocks from where I spotted it last year - had to be the same car.
I joined the Andy Griffith Memorial Page on FB. I'm about done. If anyone mentions enjoying a color episode (and many recently have said so), or is happy that TVLand is showing the color episodes, there are daily, multiple posts of exactly the same thing, "I hate the color episodes. I've messaged TVLand that I've stopped watching until the B&W ones come back on". Tiring. Then, next is "I hate Helen Crump", followed by 50 similar posts.
People have actually strong-armed TVLand into stopping playing the color episodes. Sheesh, talk about 'get a life'.
Honestly, I dislike hick-ish Andy, Ernest T., and the Darlings in the first couple seasons. The laughs may be fewer but the writing is generally better in the color--more pathos, maybe. I would exclude Goober's talking dog and Aunt Bee learns to fly episodes in my opinion, LOL. A couple 'jump the shark' episodes there for sure.
https://tnmot.org/the-collection/?auto
"Andy Di Dia
MAKE
Custom Build
MODEL
The Bobby Darin “Dream Car” is a one-of-a-kind custom car designed by Detroit clothing designer Andy Di Dia in 1953 and completed in 1960. Mr. Di Dia apparently did not care for the design of automobiles in the early 1950’s. The Di Dia 150 was hand-built by four workers in Detroit, Michigan between 1953 and 1960 at a cost of over $93,000 dollars. The original Cadillac V8 engine was replaced by a Ford 427/365 hp V8 engine. The body and chassis are hand-formed in aluminum with an aluminum alloy welded tube frame. The car has hidden windshield wipers, retracting headlights, swiveling turn signals, and doors that opened with a push on a panel outside of the car (there are no door handles) and a trunk that was hinged from the driver’s side. The Dream Car was also equipped with the first backseat-mounted radio speakers. The interior is rust-colored to contrast with the ruby colored exterior. The car has 30 coats of paint with ground industrial diamond dust to add sparkle. Bobby Darin, a well-known singer, purchased the car from Mr. Di Dia, and as a result, it became forever known as Bobby Darin’s Dream Car."
I'll confess I prefer the black and white episodes, but I still enjoy them all. And hell, I wish they'd throw the Mayberry R.F.D. episodes into the rotation! One episode of the color episodes of Andy Griffith I always enjoyed, was when Opie became friends with a rich kid and went over to their house, but then when the rich kid came to his house, Andy and Aunt Bee were kind of embarrassed by their own social standing, and tried to put on airs. I remember Andy going to the country club, and borrowing Aunt Bee's convertible, because he didn't want to be seen driving the squad car. Although, I don't think that you would've impressed anybody at the country club by showing up in a '55 (or was it a '56?) For convertible, in the mid/late '60's!
That new deputy they got though, Warren or whatever his name was...now he definitely was NOT a selling point of the color episodes!
One advantage though, I think, of the black and white episodes, for me at least, is that sometimes they could almost fool you into thinking they actually WERE in North Carolina. But when they went to color, that magic just seemed to be lost, and it just had that "California backlot / Griffith Park" look to it.
'Warren' was the deputy. He was only in eleven episodes in season 6, then mysteriously disappeared. By the bandwagon complaints on the FB page, one would think he was in every episode the last three seasons, LOL. They shouldn't really have even tried to replace Barney. Can't be done. Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?
My very favorite episode of the whole run was in season 7, called "Barney Comes to Mayberry". He's back at the same time as a movie starlet from town, who's on the same train as he is, to have her new movie's premiere in Mayberry. It's actually moving. At the end--and a reviewer on some site said he thought it was the best epilogue in the entire series--Andy is reading a letter from Barney after he returned home to Raleigh, to Aunt Bee. Afterwards, Aunt Bee says, "You know, I miss Barney". Andy says, "I do too. I guess there's just the one Barney Fife". It's as if they were admitting 'Warren' was a mistake. This was the last episode Don Knotts won an Emmy as 'Barney Fife', for.
I did see one episode called 'The Legend of Barney Fife' recently. Barney was back visiting and had a big hand in apprehending a criminal. At the end, Barney says to Andy, as they wait for the newspaper editor to come over and take pictures and get the story, "Push most of the credit over to Warren. It's his town now, not mine". Warren walks in later and says, "That Barney is sure a great guy isn't he Andy?". Andy replies, "He sure is".
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2014 MINI Countryman S ALL4
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
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I see more box Panthers than early aero models. Couldn’t tell you the last time I saw a 92. They are getting scarce. 98+ are still everywhere here.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
Oh and for the non-Panther geeks..
Box - 79-91 (89 for Town Car)
Aero - 92-97 (90 for TC)
Whale - 98+
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
I really liked the look of the '98-05 Grand Marquis. I'm not that crazy about the later ones, but I wouldn't swear one off, if I found a nice one I liked.
The grille-less '92 Crown Vic was really sharp looking as well, I thought, but the design was a bit polarizing. Ford tried to put a grille on it in later years, but it never quite worked right, in my opinion.
With the older aero models, I still seem to see a fairly good number of the '95-97 Grand Marquis, but not so much of the '92-94. The Crown Vic from that era seems pretty rare, though. With the older box models, I'll see an occasional later model, which I called the "aero-brick"...the style with the slightly rounded front and rear. Earlier ones seem pretty rare on the street, but are getting common at car shows.
The 92 Vic was a great design but the fleet models had a tendency to overheat so they went back to a regular grille for 93.
If you were to really rank the late run Panthers 2004 was the pick of the litter. The plastic intake manifold was gone, they fixed the soft axle bearing from 03 and the decontenting wasn’t too noticeable yet. 2005 was Ok but for some reason they went back to a real antenna (instead of in the glass) and it was the first year of DBW and they don’t have great throttle response.
@texases I agree with you on that. At least from 91 on the TC got the 4.6 which bumped the power up significantly. The 4.6 wasn’t ready in time for the 90 re-design so the 5.0 remained. What I’ll never understand is why for that one year they didn’t install the HO version of the 5.0 from the Mark VII.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
I saw a beat up, being used as a painter's work vehicle, Ford Freestar. Didn't they have the dreaded CVT?
2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
On the road today, a 67-68 Caprice or Impala 2 door HT, and a 56 Chevy 4 door post, couldn't tell exact models as some distance away in traffic. Surprising to see them as it was 97 when I was out.
I always wished they'd have done a Starliner (fastback) in '62, but this one really caught my eye as-is.
He didn't start driving it regularly until they moved to the city in 1968. When he died in '71, it only had around 30K miles on it. My grandmother sold it for $500.
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First gen NSX (pop up headlights) at Walmart parking lot just now, clean, not a fan of the aftermarket wheels.
Last few all with in about a mile or so, 1966 Fairlane convertible white with red interior and for sale.
Immaculate 1966 beigey Charger, white and orangey red 1955 Chevy shoebox, and light yellow late 70's big Bronco with top removed.
'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...)