THE Greatest 3-way trade in human history!

[Sixty8panther]

It's 11:00pm & by 3:45am I'll be preloading UPS trucks

so I'll make this juat a quick synopsis for now:

XP715 bought a 1977 Cadillac off of me last May, as you probably already know.

I had nicknamed it the "Banana Boat" since it was Naples Yellow, my daughter

Sofia, who was then 3 years old LOVED the car. She was legitematelly upset

with me when I sold it. Over the past few months I've been thinking more and

more that I miht want the '77 back... but meantime I kept myself busy with my

usual car-orgy of buying & selling. But after having owned 40+ cars in my 12+

years since I turned driving age the Banana Boat remained the biggest case of

"the one that got away" I missed it even more than I did my '68 Camaro.

Recently XP mentioned to me that if & when he finds the prefect box-burban

('74-'91 Suburban) for a daily driver I can finally buy the '77 Cadillac back.

This past Saturday, in my never-ending quest to sample as many of my many,

many, favorite GM classics I bought a '62 Buick Special that had the potential

to be a daily driver. It had sat for a few months but ran/drove/stopped etc...

So I bought the car, and as god is my witness as crazy as it sounds 1.5 hours

after it was started up for the first time since last summer I drove it to work

& delivered Chinese Food in it for the next 5 hours, without incident mind you!

Mean time, as much as I was in love & awe of my new '62 Buick with only 73K

original miles on it, XP was busy dreaming and loosing sleep over a certain

super-solid '90 Suburban (with barn-doors, a MUST) that was about 2-hours

away in a small town of New Hampshire.

Well at 4:00pm today I traded my lovable and dead reliable 46 year old classic

Buick with those signature (beautiful) surf-board fenders & sculpted sides,

for said 1990 Suburban.

It's a 2wd baby-blue Burb. w/ high miles, but is so rust free & clean it boggles

the mind! The car lived 99% of it's life in Texas and all the mialge is obviously

just from higway miles becuase the truck drives and rides like a vehicle with

10% of what the odometer states.

So this cool used-car dealer & classic car afiscianato up in New Hampshire now

has my '62 Buick Special and is going to give the car the care, attention & love

it deserves, his "weekday toy" '90 Suburban is sitting in XP's driveway & as of

2 hours ago I once again own the "Banana Boat".

WIN, WIN, WIN!

That's my story, it's been a crazy day. Thank God my wife was understanding &

was willing to take a rain-check on V-day.

And most of you have already seen the "Banana Boat" seeral times but

here's my favorite pic. of the car, sitting next to my '59 Buick LeSabre.

[vonVeezelsnider]

Sofia will sure be surprised when she sees it again!

Seriously, dude, the DMV people must have a special division dedicated to tracking your vehicle registration records and keeping up with them

[Robert Hall]

Sofia will sure be surprised when she sees it again!

Seriously, dude, the DMV people must have a special division dedicated to tracking your vehicle registration records and keeping up with them

I'm surprised they don't make him register as a car dealer. I had a buddy in college that bought, fixed up, and sold cars continuously for about 5 years to pay his way through school..I think he had over 100 cars over a 5 year span..

[Sixty8panther]

oh, and before I forget (damnit it's midnight!!!) here's that super cool Pontiac coupe.

Yeah, it's another cheesy '77 GM land yacht coupe, but when (if ever) have you seen one of these!?

If I had $3500 kicking around and I was looking for another toy I would seriously consider it.

[Robert Hall]

Wow...that Pontiac coupe is CLEAN. I don't think I've seen one that nice since '77.

[Cory Wolfe]

oh, and before I forget (damnit it's midnight!!!) here's that super cool Pontiac coupe.

Yeah, it's another cheesy '77 GM land yacht coupe, but when (if ever) have you seen one of these!?

If I had $3500 kicking around and I was looking for another toy I would seriously consider it.

Intriguing car. Never seen one before, you're right.

[knightfan26917]

Wow ... kinda like that Pontiac .

CONGRATS Sixty8 and XP on such a great WIN for all involved. That trade is awesome .

XP ... enjoy that Suburban.

Sixty8 ... glad you have the Banana Boat back .

Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve&pacemaker

WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"All of the chaos makes perfect sense" ... Joe Diffie ... 'Third Rock From The Sun'

[2005 EquinoxLS]

My 1981 Bonneville isnt even that perfect. Very good but not that perfect. I wonder what is under the hood?

[Sixty8panther]

Thanks guys.

The Poncho is powered by it's original 301, a REAL Pontiac motor.

WMJ: It was a shipment of sex toys that went to the GOP headquarters, get it straight.

[Z-06]

That Pontiac is awesome.

[Drew Dowdell]

Thank God my wife was understanding & was willing to take a rain-check on V-day.

I wouldn't play that card too often.

[Intrepidation]

Good thing I got to see the Buick when I did! Too bad I forgot to get pictures.The Suburban is super clean. Congrats on getting the Banana Boat back...now don't go selling it ina month again.

[z28luvr01]

Nice.move. I hope the Banana Boat's foste.r owner took care of it in the interim. I'm sure it feels even more special the 2nd time around.

Sorry to see that little Buick go so quickly. Such a cool little car - the 61-63 intermediates (especially the B-O-P versions) are some of the most under-appreciated yet coolest cars that GM ever made

[Camino LS6]

My head is spinning.

Congrats to all involved.

[XP715]

It doesn't get much better than driving a nice solid straight tight quiet barn door square 'Burb with all the creature comforts of the Cadillac (except for eight-track, unfortunately ). Let's just hope Sixty8 actually gives the thing what it needs for a change instead of driving it till it blows up like he did with his '59 Buick and '64 Oldsmobile. Godspeed, mighty banana!

[2005 EquinoxLS]

How good though is the Pontiac 301 versus the Olds 307 thats in mine? Heard a few horrror stories about the 301. Still a beautiful car. Seems most people forget about the cars in the timeframe my two were made in. Its a shame because they are just as important to history as the 1950's and 1960's vehicles.

[Sixty8panther]

The 301 is a TRUE Pontiac motor, it's the same basic block as a 326, 400 & even the

mighty Poncho 455.

I have not heard much in the way of negativity towards the 301, but I'm not all that

familiar w/ them either, perhaps if there is some history of problems with them it is

because it is a product of the 1970s, not so much Pontiac.

[daves87rs]

That is cool....

I love that big red boat!

You guys gotta stop posting these boats-I just paid off the wife's car this week!

[daves87rs]

Sofia will sure be surprised when she sees it again!

Seriously, dude, the DMV people must have a special division dedicated to tracking your vehicle registration records and keeping up with them

I was thinking that too...

[Sixty8panther]

Yeah, I do know the people at the local RMV by first name.

Also, my insurance company gets so confused & flustered

every time I walk through the door, they've been known

to say things like:

"WHAT year is this Buick?!"

"What exactly IS a Datsun...?"

"Why can't you just own a NORMAL car for once?"

"Did you buy another vehicle?"

[Robert Hall]

"Why can't you just own a NORMAL car for once?"

Yeah...settle down, buy a Corolla, keep it 10 years..

[Sixty8panther]

Yeah...settle down, buy a Corolla, keep it 10 years..

Over my DEAD body!

One of my UPS co-workers saw my new ride (the '77 Coupe deVille)

& said "you deliver Chinese food in THAT? you need a Honda..."

I was so disgusted I just said "Only way I'd drive a Honda would be

over a damn cliff"

"My love is bigger than a Honda, it's bigger than a Subaru..."

-Bruce Springsteen

[vonVeezelsnider]

Over my DEAD body!

[knightfan26917]

my new ride (the '77 Coupe deVille)

Man, Sixty8 ... between your Banana Boat ... and a friends' '79 Sedan deVille:

http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/200711/RT1...dillac_JPG.html

...I'm thinking I should fine one of my own .

Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve&pacemaker

WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"I'll start running as fast as I can" ... Girls Next Door ... 'Slow Boat To China'

[2005 EquinoxLS]

Just what I would want (The Honda). A piece of tim foil to do my work in. I would choose the Caddillac too. Though when the lease is up on the Equinox I may look at an Aveo. Or a new Malibu. Or an HHR. Or maybe an Impala. Though I STILL plan to keep the other 2. I know I will never find two old cars in the shape mine are in though that 1977 Pontiac looks darn fine. $3500 for it? Hmmm. Makes me wonder what to 2 of mine are really worth. Dont know what they would even sell for.

[Sixty8panther]

Sweet Sedan KF:

Suburban/Bonneville guy also has a rust free, tripple orange '79 Sedan deVille

from California that had a low-end wrap, he's dropping in a SBC.

I have found that there's nothing quite like an old school Caddy with a

white leather interior... only thing that is a NEGATIVE about my CDV is the B-pillar.

Someday, I hope to have an exact replica of Danny DeVito's '61 hardtop from that

classic movie TIN MEN. That's the ULTIMATE "Banana Boat"!

[XP715]

Sixty8: Your Special has already been to the body shop, been painted, put back together, and is back on craigslist:

http://nh.craigslist.org/car/580766044.html

Guy didn't waste any time, did he?!

[z28luvr01]

That poor little car deserves better than to be passed around like a joint at a Phish concert

[XP715]

That poor little car deserves better than to be passed around like a joint at a Phish concert

Buy it and break the cycle!

[Intrepidation]

She looks really sharp now.

[Sixty8panther]

This guy is a REAL car guy... he's not some tool just in it for the money.

His little dealership has more personality than some car museums I've

been to... in his garage a Tri-five Chevy panel wagon was being

restored while his truck inventory was quite expansive and mostly old

school C/Ks with clean interiors.

When I found this little Buick it had been sitting for about six months

next to barn, waiting for someone to driver her again.... I put her back

on the road and DROVE the car, figured out a few quirks & fixed them.

By selling it to this guy it ENSURES the car will not be left to rot again.

[Ravenfreak13]

Save my 66 Buick! lol

[SuperSport623]

i wish i had the cash for that buick!

id rock it all day long!

[Sixty8panther]

Wanna know the best part?

I bought that Buick for $800.00

Seriously!

That's why I call so many of you guys wimps for talking yourselves out

of a classic car again & again. I bought a '62 Buick for eight bills, had

a ton of fun driving it for a few days, installed a new ground wire for

the headlights/highbeams, replaced 3 lightbulbs, one sealed-beam

headlight, hard-wired in a 12v dual power outlet (cigarette lighter) for

my cell phone & GPS chargers (remember it was my DAILY DRIVER)

so that I could deliver Chinese Food in it at night and I also replaced a

corroded stop-lamp switch, ($6) even though the old one just needed

to be cleaned....

All told I spent about $30.00 on odds and ends, turned a few wrenches

and screwdrivers and then traded the car for a truck worth easily

double what I had invested the Buick, by the time XP cleans the Burban

up and fixes a few cheap quirks he could flip that for $4000 too,

although I hope he keeps it, being as awesome & rust free as it is!

So explain to me why all you guys are so damn afraid of buying a car

from the '60s or '70s? All the best cars were made when AM radio

ruled, bias-plys were commonplace & Gray-haired Grandmas drove

pea-soup green Pontiac hardtops with bench seats & three-on-the tree.

Edited February 21, 2008 by Sixty8panther

[2005 EquinoxLS]

Much as I like the old cars, I like not fighting with body rot and the other less than nice points about old cars. Wouldnt want to go back to having only old cars for daily drivers. Though mine are pretty good I still like the Equinox for winter.

[Sixty8panther]

You see a rust hole/flake/bubble/spot anywhere on that '62 Special?

There's plenty of solid cars out there... just gotta make the effort &

find one, nothing in this life that;s worthwhile is free/effortless!

[Robert Hall]

I like old cars..I enjoy seeing them at car shows, and I have a couple of my own--'69 Mustang, '87 Mustang, and I drive them a few hundred miles per year..

But for a daily driver, I prefer the reliability, safety, creature comforts, and disposability (i.e. if one gets stolen or wrecked, insurance takes care of it and I get a new one) of a vehicle built in this century...staying current, keepin' it real..

[daves87rs]

You see a rust hole/flake/bubble/spot anywhere on that '62 Special?

There's plenty of solid cars out there... just gotta make the effort &

find one, nothing in this life that;s worthwhile is free/effortless!

I wish I could find deals like that.....

[knightfan26917]

There's plenty of solid cars out there... just gotta make the effort &

find one, nothing in this life that;s worthwhile is free/effortless!

*nods*

Yep ... my '87 MC LS is solid ... and, apparently, according to daves87rs' description of his newer Cobalt in his "when a beater gets beat" thread, more reliable than a car 20 years younger.....

*shrugs*

Plus ... I don't have a car payment .

Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve&pacemaker

WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"Something is wrong here" ... Uncle Cracker ... 'In A Little While'

[2005 EquinoxLS]

You see a rust hole/flake/bubble/spot anywhere on that '62 Special?

There's plenty of solid cars out there... just gotta make the effort &

find one, nothing in this life that;s worthwhile is free/effortless!

How long would it have stayed that way through winter salt. I share molters view on this subject.

[Sixty8panther]

WMJ has the right idea.

Aaaaaaaaand that's why I'm rockin' a '77 Coupe deVille!

The cheaper insurance, lack of a new car payment, availability

of cheap parts (NOS/aftermarket & used) comfort, reliability &

safety of these big boats is why they make more sense than a

new car, esp. some of the newer crap that is way overpriced.

I can't believe what people pay for a typical stupid mid-size

sedan days. $30,000 for a FWD $h!box that's constructed like

a piece of Japanese ore gamy? NO THANKS!

But here's the REAL reason why I'd rather drive an older car

than a new one.... because for $2000 or $3000 I can find/buy

a clean, solid used RWD semi-"classic" that gives me MORE

enjoyment than any other car, new or used for TEN times that!

Other than possibly a new $55,000 Mercedes Benz CLK550

(V8) hardtop or perhaps a CTS-V for $50,000 I can't think of

a cooler car than the Banana Boat or even more so, my B-59.

[A Horse With No Name]

Even those of us here who lust after say, a GTI Volkswagen or a MINI lust after the bananna boat.

Just wish I could still find these cars in any kind of shape here in the midwest. Usually the resemble the Titanic when you go to check them out in person.

I'm impressed with your ability to car shop, and also your desire to remain debt free.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

*nods*

Yep ... my '87 MC LS is solid ... and, apparently, according to daves87rs' description of his newer Cobalt in his "when a beater gets beat" thread, more reliable than a car 20 years younger.....

*shrugs*

Plus ... I don't have a car payment .

Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve&pacemaker

WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"Something is wrong here" ... Uncle Cracker ... 'In A Little While'

Same as the Bananna boat, wish there were more of these cars around...

Chris

[Sixty8panther]

66:

There's plenty of rust-buckets out here trust me.

BTW: If there's someone here with an insatiable desire to own

a nice semi-classic Fleetwood Brougham with a white leather

interior & baby-blue exterior stay tunned, I'm going to take a

look at a possible candidate today. The car just materialized in

town at a local car lot the other day... no details yet.

[A Horse With No Name]

Keep us posted. There is a nice dark blue mid 80's Cadillac 4 door near me that seems really clean, but I don't like the color.

[Intrepidation]

How about the `84 Triple burgundy Fleetwood Brougham that runs and looks like it drives with little or no urst, and just needs trim pieces just wasting away?

[Sixty8panther]

THAT F.B. wasting away in the junkyard is a crime against the Automotive world.

[A Horse With No Name]

When I was a kid there was an entire large (400+) car junkyard in my home town all filled with 50's cars. One day my dad and I drove by (think I was 8 or nine so this would be like about 1972) and they had all been crushed, every single one of them.

When I was in high school and getting parts for my Chevelle, I counted 9 (yes nine!) SS396 Chevelles in various states of disrepair. I also bought parts from a guy who took a 67 SS396 and put it on a Blazer frame and made a 4WD out of it.

The colector cars of tomorrow are indeed in danger today. sadly, this is why I believe tales told to me of Packards, Cadillacs, and dusenbergs rotting in salvage yards in the 30's, 40's and 50's.

Chris

[Sixty8panther]

Here's a quick, crappy video I took of that Fleetwood Brougham DF just mentioned.

66: yes, it's absolutely true... I remember when I was a kid and a '69 Camaro was

just some old $h!box. I was laughed at when I used to go on and on about how

awesome '50s, '60s & '70s cars were. It's funny to think of the Banana Boat as a

"classic", when I was a kid in the '80s a '77 something American car like the

Banana would have been just some old $h!box winter beater to most people, now

I'm driving one through the winter and I feel like a jerk for doing so but I can't

afford to register/store/insure a fourth car right now.

That being said I detest and despise the jerks & loosers that junk a car like that

'87 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham...

[vonVeezelsnider]

Neat Car!

I hope that's not Fly's Aurora in the background