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

explorerx4 · June 7

#6 was the failure point in many of that type of engine.

stickguy · June 7

there are some cars (especially higher end ones) that run multiple chains. I think some have 3. one for each bank and one in the middle connecting things.

tjc78 · June 8

@sda said:
That 3.8 V6 Ford used across all makes didn’t enhance owner loyalty. My sister’s boss had a new Taurus based Lincoln with every option. It was dark metallic brown with dark brown leather interior. I thought it looked nice. He had problem after problem, including defective paint. It was repainted under warranty. He was always a Ford man but no longer. Lexus for him and his wife ever since.

Those Continentals were not good cars. They had all the problems of the 3.8 Taurus plus the air suspension and more electronics.

The 3.8 was better in RWD applications but still not a great engine.

sda · June 8

tjc78 said:

fintail said:

tjc78 said:

fintail said:

andre1969 said:
Thinking back on my Intrepid again, I did have the dealer do a search and see if there were any green ones in the area they could swap for. Back then they had two greens. One was a nice, deep forest/sequoia type green, which is what I really wanted. The other was more of a washed-out light green, sort of like that "sage" green that seemed popular in the late 60s. But this green actually looked sort of gray in certain lights, and just didn't do anything for me. The sales manager ended up asking the typical "what can we do to get you in this car TODAY?" and I said "throw in the cd changer." The Intrepid had a fairly nice standard sound system, but only had a cassette player, and they had mentioned a 12 disc CD changer that they could mount in the trunk, for something like $500. So, they said yes, and I said "SOLD!"

Perhaps not the best pic, and a bit ironic that it looks like it's outside a junkyard, but this is the green I wanted...

That got me thinking. I have technically never "bought" a new car. All 4 new cars were leases, and the current car was a bought out lease - maybe I can count that one as a technicality.

Also I am not sure if any new cars even have CD players anymore, I am skeptical.
I've only "bought" one new one, a 1998 Olds 88 LS. It didn't last long in the stable at all due to chronic interior water leaks.
Pretty young for a car like that? IIRC we are a similar age, in 1998 I was soon to graduate but still in college. I kept the fintail as a DD until just after Y2K when I did the sensible thing and bought a 10+ year old S-class (I was very anti-new car during that era).

@uplanderguy - did either of you have the liftback? I have only seen a few 5 door Corsicas over the years.
Yep, I was the ripe old age of 20. I've always been an "old man's car" type of guy as you all know. At the time I also had my 79 Continental (traded the 93 Taurus LX on the Olds). After the Olds was a 2000 Solara, by then I also had an 89 Town Car in the fleet. The 79 Conti got junked not long after I got the 89.

Young, foolish and still lived at home! At one point with three cars my Stepdad said anymore and I can sleep in one of them

Dad wasn’t keen on my growing collection of cars, either. My daily driver was a 76 Sunbird V6 , 5sp, ac, with ‘luxury interior’. A 59 Cadillac Series 62 coupe. Sadly after I did a partial engine rebuild, rings, rod bearings, carb rebuild, etc. I discovered it had a cracked block. Good learning experience but I was bummed. Being a college student, lack of $$, made it worse. A 70 DeVille convertible. I did a fair amount of work on it, including a repaint that I did in our garage. It looked nice and even dad liked it. He drove it several times. Great car, wish I still had it. A 65 Cutlass 2dr hardtop. 330 V8 4bbl, factory buckets, console and tach. The 59 was the only car I’ve owned and never drove and sold for a huge loss. The 65 I sold for a profit. The 70 I sold when I moved from TN to NC. One of my favorite cars dad had was a 77 Grand Marquis. Period metallic brown, brown leather and cloth interior, 460 V8. I can hear Emmy Lou Harris singing Luxury Liner from the 8 track. lol

tjc78 · June 8

Nothing drives like the Grand Marquis or period Lincoln’s on the last revision of the full size platform. They rode amazing and have such a heavy feeling. Great car to soak up highway miles. My 79 also had amazing AC.

fintail · June 8

When I think of those late run big Grand Marquis I always imagine one in two tone, maybe brown and caramel type colors.

On the road today saw a 70s Datsun pickup and a bathtub Packard. Should be well into the 90s here today, warm inside both no doubt.

explorerx4 · June 8

Never saw this before and probably won't see this again.
2 white HHR's. One just past the Tesla.

xwesx · June 9

I agree, Andre.... the guides are absolutely the issue with any timing chain setup. They add them so that the block can be more compact and it helps keep the system quieter on startup, but they cannot help but wear with time, and when they do, it is nothing but problems. Even if chains were as long or longer than present, without the guides, they would almost always last well beyond the rest of the car. The only issue is that they would take up far more space due to making a straight shot from the crank to the cams, and they would also need to be much tighter, which would require more robust bearings at all points.

stickguy · June 9

out driving yesterday, both on the highway, a 1963ish 2 door Ford Galaxy (looked a little pepped up). and a 1970-72ish FS Olds convertible in a period light yellow/tan. With the top down. quite the barge. That one looked bone stock and nicely restored.

stickguy · June 9

also, in my neighborhood a black BMW I have seen parked in the back was out on a driveway. 1980s I think (maybe early 90s) 533i with the center exhaust. Back when they were moderate sized and cleanly styled! Not positive, but I think the generation prior to the original M5

edit: did a google. was an E28, offered in the 1983 and 1984 MYs, and also was the first model range that had an M5.

fintail · June 9

The center exhaust carried over from the E12.

Out in the heat today - flat tire Aurora was gone, was able to get close to the Alliance convertible, parked outside with top down - I think it's an 85.

roadburner · June 9

stickguy said:
also, in my neighborhood a black BMW I have seen parked in the back was out on a driveway. 1980s I think (maybe early 90s) 533i with the center exhaust. Back when they were moderate sized and cleanly styled! Not positive, but I think the generation prior to the original M5

edit: did a google. was an E28, offered in the 1983 and 1984 MYs, and also was the first model range that had an M5.

In the US the E28 was sold from 1983-1988. Models offered were the 528e, 533i, 535i, 535is, 524td and the M5.

Michaell · June 9

roadburner said:

stickguy said:
also, in my neighborhood a black BMW I have seen parked in the back was out on a driveway. 1980s I think (maybe early 90s) 533i with the center exhaust. Back when they were moderate sized and cleanly styled! Not positive, but I think the generation prior to the original M5

edit: did a google. was an E28, offered in the 1983 and 1984 MYs, and also was the first model range that had an M5.
In the US the E28 was sold from 1983-1988. Models offered were the 528e, 533i, 535i, 535is, 524td and the M5.

When I was a senior in HS in 1982, my then GF's dad drove a 533i. I always thought it was an E28, but now I'm not sure. His was a stick shift, that I do remember, and he used to tow his three-quarter midget racer behind it. Took it to Ascot raceway in Gardena a couple of times.

kyfdx · June 10

Michaell said:

roadburner said:

stickguy said:
also, in my neighborhood a black BMW I have seen parked in the back was out on a driveway. 1980s I think (maybe early 90s) 533i with the center exhaust. Back when they were moderate sized and cleanly styled! Not positive, but I think the generation prior to the original M5

edit: did a google. was an E28, offered in the 1983 and 1984 MYs, and also was the first model range that had an M5.
In the US the E28 was sold from 1983-1988. Models offered were the 528e, 533i, 535i, 535is, 524td and the M5.
When I was a senior in HS in 1982, my then GF's dad drove a 533i. I always thought it was an E28, but now I'm not sure. His was a stick shift, that I do remember, and he used to tow his three-quarter midget racer behind it. Took it to Ascot raceway in Gardena a couple of times.

It had to be an E28. I don't think the 533i ever applied to any other 5-series model

Michaell · June 10

kyfdx said:

Michaell said:

roadburner said:

stickguy said:
also, in my neighborhood a black BMW I have seen parked in the back was out on a driveway. 1980s I think (maybe early 90s) 533i with the center exhaust. Back when they were moderate sized and cleanly styled! Not positive, but I think the generation prior to the original M5

edit: did a google. was an E28, offered in the 1983 and 1984 MYs, and also was the first model range that had an M5.
In the US the E28 was sold from 1983-1988. Models offered were the 528e, 533i, 535i, 535is, 524td and the M5.
When I was a senior in HS in 1982, my then GF's dad drove a 533i. I always thought it was an E28, but now I'm not sure. His was a stick shift, that I do remember, and he used to tow his three-quarter midget racer behind it. Took it to Ascot raceway in Gardena a couple of times.
It had to be an E28. I don't think the 533i ever applied to any other 5-series model

Of course, this was 40+ years ago, so my memory could be failing me. I know it was a 5 series, and I remember it pulling like a frieght train compared to the cars I normally rode in or drove.

I also had a HS car-pool friend (a year ahead of me) who would occasionally be allowed to drive her sister's Bavaria. That car I liked, a whole lot. Her normal DD was a Datsun 610.

explorerx4 · June 10

If I had half a clue this BAT auction would have gone like this, I would have told everyone to tune in.
Once it got down to the first 1 minute clock, about 5 pm, I couldn't leave.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1993-ford-mustang-svt-cobra-135/

xwesx · June 10

That is just insane.

My mom's 1994 Mustang was that color. Quintessential 90s.

fintail · June 10

kyfdx said:

Michaell said:

roadburner said:

stickguy said:
also, in my neighborhood a black BMW I have seen parked in the back was out on a driveway. 1980s I think (maybe early 90s) 533i with the center exhaust. Back when they were moderate sized and cleanly styled! Not positive, but I think the generation prior to the original M5

edit: did a google. was an E28, offered in the 1983 and 1984 MYs, and also was the first model range that had an M5.
In the US the E28 was sold from 1983-1988. Models offered were the 528e, 533i, 535i, 535is, 524td and the M5.
When I was a senior in HS in 1982, my then GF's dad drove a 533i. I always thought it was an E28, but now I'm not sure. His was a stick shift, that I do remember, and he used to tow his three-quarter midget racer behind it. Took it to Ascot raceway in Gardena a couple of times.
It had to be an E28. I don't think the 533i ever applied to any other 5-series model

Per wiki there was an E12 533i but I suspect was never officially sold in the USDM, I have never seen one anyway.

roadburner · June 10

The E12 M535i was the first M car based on a production car.

sda · June 11

Good retro https://youtube.com/shorts/AQ9dyYZbk9Q?si=S6_OzxIMIOnNox0j

sda · June 11

Datsun 510. We had a 71 wagon that served us well, but rust was its friend. Solid rear axle on the wagon, alas.

thebean · June 12

I was perusing a feature in Classic American magazine (UK mag devoted to US cars) this morning showing Buick brochures from 1963 compacts. Then, while going to work out, I saw a ‘65 (maybe) Electra 225 (deuce and a quarta’), which decidedly is not compact. I really miss Buick cars. My grandmother was a huge Buick gal. She always said she would rather stay home than drive anything other than a Buick. I remember her cars in the 50’s & 60’s - very cool. She never had a 225 - said she wouldn’t be able to park it.

kyfdx · June 12

Early '70s Coupe DeVille converted to an El Camino type vehicle. Couldn't get a picture of it. Looked pretty decent from about 50 yards away.

explorerx4 · June 12

When I was in high school we had an Electra 225.
We also had a 30's garage, so when the door was closed(by hand) it landed just past the rear window.

tjc78 · June 12

Saw a really rare 80s Gem today. Late run Cressida wagon. It was on a car carrier. Looked pretty rough.

stickguy · June 12

@kyfdx said:
Early '70s Coupe DeVille converted to an El Camino type vehicle. Couldn't get a picture of it. Looked pretty decent from about 50 yards away.

Probably a former funeral home flower car.

fintail · June 12

Saw a K-car (sedan) driving along, probably the same as I saw a couple weeks ago as how many dark brown K-cars are still on the road? Come to think of it, knowing Spokane there are still a few.

gsemike · June 13

Left my car at the shop and had some interesting sights walking home a mile +

A Hybrid Tahoe
A Mazda6 wagon
First gen Camry. They've all rusted away here

kyfdx · June 13

That Camry is pretty, but that's 2nd Gen

I think all the Mazda 6 wagons were V6 models.

gsemike · June 13

kyfdx said:
That Camry is pretty, but that's 2nd Gen

I think all the Mazda 6 wagons were V6 models.

Yeah, you're right on the Camry. Gen 1 was similar but more squared creases

The 6 was a V6 and I do believe they all were. I think those came out late in their model run. Didn't sell many and got dropped for the next gen.

stickguy · June 13

a couple tonight. at the store, a mid-50s chevy PU. custom, with mags and lowered quite a bit.

and the real oddball, actually driving around, a Citroen SM. looked very nice. and it was moving under it's own power.

imidazol97 · June 14

Birds of a feather flock together.

imidazol97 · June 14

ab348 · June 14

imidazol97 said:

Birds of a feather flock together.

A dime a dozen!

explorerx4 · June 14

I see a yellow Dodge Dart GT, a Gold GMC pickup, a white 66 or 67 Plymouth Belvedere.

stickguy · June 14

a mid-80s downsized platform El Camino, parked at Aldis. Looked pretty decent from a row over.

stickguy · June 14

out driving nearby today, a black early 6 series (mid 80s). Looked very nice and shiny. Did not see the badging so not sure if it was an M6 like RB had, but right vintage.

fintail · June 15

Saw a very restored 56 Chevy convertible on the road today, continental kit which isn't what I would choose.

I look at Porsche Speedsters like Rolexes - everyone assumes they are fake

fintail · June 15

A few more sightings - an E34 5er in a pretty silver blue color, parked on the street with no plates. Those are getting thin on the ground. Also noticed an immaculate later run 90s Cougar - I was thinking "that's not very old" and then realized at a minimum it is 28 years old now. Drove by the neighborhood house where a white Mark IV lives, it looked clean sitting in a carport, haven't seen it on the road yet this season.

stickguy · June 15

28 years and it still seems like a normal, modern car. But that is the same age as a 1940 model in 1968 when it still looked like an antique.

fintail · June 15

stickguy said:
28 years and it still seems like a normal, modern car. But that is the same age as a 1940 model in 1968 when it still looked like an antique.

And still fun relative to that car, equivalent to at the newest a 1969 car when it was new. Some 90s cars look dated, but not old, and I don't think it is just us getting older but not realizing it.

uplanderguy · June 16

a dime a dozen!

A Ferrari at Chevy prices, built here by UAW, and with Chevy's about-tied-with-Ford's by-far largest U.S. dealer network!

No bad there!

Even I think a red Corvette is cliched though. Really, a red performance car is a cliche to me.

I'm driving mine to western PA this morning and back, about 140 miles in total.

andre1969 · June 16

Even though it's considered a second-gen, isn't the '87-91 Camry still somewhat based, on the '83-86 style?

stickguy said:
28 years and it still seems like a normal, modern car. But that is the same age as a 1940 model in 1968 when it still looked like an antique.

I got a little reminder again of how fast time goes by, the other day. I was filling out the registration for the car show in Macungie, PA, that I normally put my '67 Catalina in. It's put on by the AACA, so they're a bit stricter than a lot of shows, normally requiring the cars to be at least 25 years old. Well, that puts it at the year 2000, currently. So my old Intrepid, which I bought brand new, and I swear doesn't seem all that long ago, could now be put in an AACA show!

If I still had my Dad's old 2003 Regal, I have a feeling I could have slipped that one in, too. Even if it's technically too new, I have a feeling that nobody could tell it from a '97-2000 without looking at the VIN. Maybe some eagle-eyed afficionado with a fetish for the '97-04 Century/Regal might be able to tell, the differences from year to year, but I know I sure couldn't!

I think even the AACA is aware, that its membership might be dwindling. For instance, this year the featured car at the show is the Camaro. So they're letting ANY Camaro be shown, even those after 2000. And, to attempt to lure in a younger crowd, I guess, they have a category called "Sports Cars," which ranges from 1900-2015. Its criteria is "Coupes and Roadsters only," so I guess that means someone with a fairly recent Civic or Accord coupe, Miata, etc could put one in. Although I tend to think of "Roadster" in a somewhat strict sense of a small, sporty, 2-seater open car with a manual top, and curtain windows. So would that mean they'd exclude a late-run Solara convertible (since it's not really a roadster?), but let in the coupe?

I guess the term "Roadster" has evolved though over the years. For instance, I'd think of a Miata as a roadster, as it's small, sporty, 2-seater. I dunno if the top is manual or power. And, of course it has real glass windows instead of snap-in curtains.

kyfdx · June 16

I guess every car is based on the one before it.. But, the Gen one could be had in a hatch, and the Gen II was sedan only. People went nuts for the Gen III (1992+), but I think Gen II was just about the perfect vehicle.

andre1969 · June 16

I think the '87-91 Camry did have a lot of '83-86 in its DNA. It wasn't like the Accord, where it seemed like Honda totally threw out the old design and started the new one from scratch. But, it was still substantially different.

One major difference I remember, is that the '87-91 seemed to have a totally different seating position. I remember the '83-86 being what I'd call "a decent 4-seater." I could sit in the front, and be fairly comfortable, and also be able to fit back, with the front seat adjusted for me. The '87-91 seemed to be a LOT roomier up front, but it was cramped in the back.

It's been ages since I've been in either one though; were' talking like 30+ years here. It could have been something as simple as them just giving the front seat more fore-aft travel with the '87-91.

My idea of various auto generations might run contrary to the "real world" though. For instance, I tend to think of the '59-64 Chevy as one generation, although I don't think most people do. I think with me it's because that range uses the same frame, and the same basic body structure, even if the styling changed considerably over the years.

But then with the '57-64 Fords, which used the same frame, I tend to lump '57-59 together, and then '60-64. I wonder if 1959 could be considered a stand-alone year. I heard that for '59, the Ford actually got a modified version of the '57-58 Mercury body, while Mercury got a new body for '59-60. And then for '61, Mercury moved downscale to the Ford body (and frame).

sda · June 16

I believe Mercury for 59 had a unique wrap around windshield with parallel sweep wipers instead of the opposing wipers on the Ford and Lincoln's lesser wraparound glass.

kyfdx · June 16

Of course, Gen II also had a wagon. Almost forgot that one.

uplanderguy · June 16

Saw this on "Low Miles, No Miles" FB page last week. I love low-mileage originals of any make, and this car was from the Lambrecht Chevrolet dealer auction in Pierce, NE (pop. 1,823) in Sept. 2013. It was interesting TV to me. I watched it on the History Channel then, although their host was largely clueless ("Engine in the back in this Corvair?! Wow!"). I'll admit to being skeptical at the time about the lady auctioneer but she did just fine and was well-informed about the cars and trucks.

I find the small-town dealer thing irresistable, and I guess this town didn't know what hit them when the auction came to town, as it had been widely promoted. I saw guys who looked like they didn't have two cents to rub together, open their wallets to show they'd brought 25 grand with them, LOL.

Anyway, I know all about the "What do you do with it? All the rubber will need replaced!", but I love cars advertised as original, and the small details actually confirm for a change. It's refreshing. This car has ten miles.

Some interior parts show some storage/weather wear, but hard to believe this '65 396 was leftover at the end of the model year. Lambrecht wouldn't sell model-year leftovers when the new model year was introduced in the fall. I simply don't understand how he could afford to do that.

As we've discussed here many times, the '65 Impala was the best-selling single model in history, never repeated since--a million sold for '65 model year, and that does not include the lower-trim level Biscayne and Bel Air models of the same car.

I could only guess this car having a 396 might've been a harder sell then.

It had been advertised at $41K I think it was; now just listed as "SOLD".

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2066782386864241/search/?q=1965 impala

explorerx4 · June 16

The front fender color doesn't match door and rear quarter and it also doesn't fit very well.

xwesx · June 16

kyfdx said:
I guess every car is based on the one before it.. But, the Gen one could be had in a hatch, and the Gen II was sedan only. People went nuts for the Gen III (1992+), but I think Gen II was just about the perfect vehicle.

Both second and third generations were available in wagons. Ugly as sin and very afterthought in appearance, but they did exist. The AWD wagons, which I am pretty sure were second gen only, were extremely popular up here in Alaska.... but even so, still rare as hen's teeth.

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

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles