Independent Observations - July Car Spotting

[Camino LS6]

Been seeing a Tesla or two lately, and this morning I spotted a Fisker Karma out for a cruise. Really a striking car in person, too bad about their situation.

[vonVeezelsnider]

I was surprised to see three Tesla Model S in the last couple of months in Calgary, but I have only ever seen one Fisker Karma on the road and that was in the sunbelt.

Edited July 1, 2013 by vonVeezelsnider

[G. David Felt]

Saw a Brand new XTS this morning on the way into work. was a pretty nice looking ride.

[pow]

Been seeing a Tesla or two lately, and this morning I spotted a Fisker Karma out for a cruise. Really a striking car in person, too bad about their situation.

In the first quarter of 2013, it was the best-selling car in its price range (i.e., base MSRP of over $60,000) outselling S-Class and 7-series, as well as all of Jaguar, Audi A8, A7, A6, A5, etc. Now that it's July, we'll soon know if that continues for the second quarter. Their stock is certainly doing well.

edit: I'm talking about Tesla, not Fisker. Two very different situations.

Edited July 2, 2013 by pow

[G. David Felt]

Today was an amazing day for some old beauties.

Can you spot the hidden beauty in one of the pics?

[ocnblu]

As a challenge to myself, I am holding my breath... turning purple trying to find it.

[Camino LS6]

You're Plum Crazy, Ocn.

[G. David Felt]

Purple People Eaters Rejoice, our lovely rides are out in their sunny Glory!

Gotta admit I was very excited to be taking the picture and after the fact realize what was in the background. It took off out of the parking lot in a thunder of glory.

[Robert Hall]

Very nice...looks like a '63 Fairlane and a '65 Plymouth Sport Fury ragtop w/ a '70 Charger in the background..

Anyhoo, haven't seen any interesting old cars on the road lately since this is the off season here...but did see a sharp white new Camaro ZL1 convertible (top up, of course) the other day...also saw what appeared to be an early '60s English Ford Corsair sitting a grubby fenced in lot yesterday.

[G. David Felt]

Was at the Home Depot this morning and ran into these two old Beauties. Have to admit, never heard or seen the red car that parked next to me. Anyone have any info on it?

[ZL-1]

Alfa Romeo Spider (the 159 / GM Epsilon based generation); BMW 6-Series convertible; Aston Martin DB7...

[Drew Dowdell]

Caught a Subaru Brat today which is remarkable in itself, but this one was actually doing work! It was delivering a box of tools to a construction site in downtown Pittsburgh.

[G. David Felt]

I am so shocked it could actually handle the weight. Usually those steel box's filled with tools are freakin heavy.

Pretty darn good shape for the area with all the road salt they put down. This just again confirms my belief that they need mini pickups back in the market for sale.

[Robert Hall]

Was at the Home Depot this morning and ran into these two old Beauties. Have to admit, never heard or seen the red car that parked next to me. Anyone have any info on it?

Red car is a '62-64 Studebaker GT Hawk. Has non-factory paint on hood and front trim.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studebaker_GT_Hawk

[Drew Dowdell]

The Hawks were ugggly. I prefer when they were called Champion.

[ocnblu]

A DeLorean. Being driven!

[caddycruiser]

This morning, a black 2012 Regal GS like mine with standard 19" wheels from out of state cruising along...but all the chrome and silver trim on the body also blacked out. All of it. Kind of odd. I understand this look, but it ends up looking a bit odd as well. Wheels were still silver. Nice to see how admirable another GS is still on the road.

[caddycruiser]

Driving this afternoon in Wilmington, DE, back towards Philly, a black Colorado crew cab with the factory "V8" emblem on the fender.

May be the first time I've seen one of these 5.3L mini's in person, or rolling.

[caddycruiser]

Oh, and an Encore from NY, earlier.

[pow]

Tons of new and interesting Buicks. Saw the facelifted LaCrosse (definitely an improvement), all sorts of Regals (some of them modified, including a de-chromed GS with BBS wheels), Park Avenues, Excelle GTs, and new GL8s. Yup, I'm in China.

GL8 is actually quite nice. It has the most luxurious minivan interior I've been in, though not as practical as Odyssey or Sienna. Seats don't fold into a cargo well. In many ways, it's more like Quest.

Edited July 15, 2013 by pow

[G. David Felt]

2014 Crew-cab CNG GM Truck, The GM Police Caprice, a wide variety of fleet trimmed auto's at the 2014 GM Fleet road show I attended last Thursday. Got some cool stuff to talk about once I finish my write up and review from the power on top. This includes some cool announcements from GM and a awesome Motorized seat that is available.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Any chance you can snag some Park Avenue brochures for your friends in the US? I know I'd like one

Tons of new and interesting Buicks. Saw the facelifted LaCrosse (definitely an improvement), all sorts of Regals (some of them modified, including a de-chromed GS with BBS wheels), Park Avenues, Excelle GTs, and new GL8s. Yup, I'm in China.

GL8 is actually quite nice. It has the most luxurious minivan interior I've been in, though not as practical as Odyssey or Sienna. Seats don't fold into a cargo well. In many ways, it's more like Quest.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Can't wait for your write-up and reviews!

2014 Crew-cab CNG GM Truck, The GM Police Caprice, a wide variety of fleet trimmed auto's at the 2014 GM Fleet road show I attended last Thursday. Got some cool stuff to talk about once I finish my write up and review from the power on top. This includes some cool announcements from GM and a awesome Motorized seat that is available.

[G. David Felt]

Can't wait for your write-up and reviews!

2014 Crew-cab CNG GM Truck, The GM Police Caprice, a wide variety of fleet trimmed auto's at the 2014 GM Fleet road show I attended last Thursday. Got some cool stuff to talk about once I finish my write up and review from the power on top. This includes some cool announcements from GM and a awesome Motorized seat that is available.

I will tell you this, you will like some of the changes GM has made to their ordering program.

[ocnblu]

White, first-gen Corvair sedan, full stock in nice condition, tooling around York PA today. Sweet, and cooler in the summer than a front engine car, for obvious reasons. And my first '14 Fiesta sighting... white SE hatch Enterprise rental.

[cletus8269]

Saw an immaculate 1995 brickyard monte carlo pace car today.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Yesterday I was in Point Pleasant Beach (NJ) for a work off-site meeting. Heading home on Route 34 I spotted my first owner driven 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab SLE in bright red and finally spotted my first NJ State Police Caprice PPV, a black 9C3 non-marked unit, in action on Route I-195 East. This is the first actual police Caprice PPV I've seen in NJ.

[balthazar]

Pair of '64 Coupe deVilles, one coming out of retirement (fresh black paint, pieces recently missing) and a solid parts car.

[G. David Felt]

Today at the Lynnwood Taco Time there was a huge car show, just about anything one could think of was there and I was without my camera or smartphone running an errand. Teaches me to never leave home without it.

[NeonLX]

It's for sale, too. Has 38K original miles. Red leather interior, looks to be in great shape. They want $9K for it, but I'll bet they'd come down. It's a 1979, by the way.

Edited July 22, 2013 by NeonLX

[GMTruckGuy74]

Friday night I attended a state fire police meeting held at one of the North Brunswick, NJ fire departments. Parked outside is their retired 1979 Chevrolet (Pierce equipped) K30 Custom Deluxe chasis/cab. It sees parade duty and local community events.

[Drew Dowdell]

It's for sale, too. Has 38K original miles. Red leather interior, looks to be in great shape. They want $9K for it, but I'll bet they'd come down. It's a 1979, by the way.

Least desirable year of that generation unfortunately... they'll have to come down in price, they've over valued it by 100%

[balthazar]

Hey Roger - you were just over a mile from my house- I know that firehouse well.

[NeonLX]

Why is the '79 the least desirable? I kinda lost track of Toronados after about 1973.

It's for sale, too. Has 38K original miles. Red leather interior, looks to be in great shape. They want $9K for it, but I'll bet they'd come down. It's a 1979, by the way.

Least desirable year of that generation unfortunately... they'll have to come down in price, they've over valued it by 100%

[G. David Felt]

Amazing how many 70's and 80's low mileage Eldorado's are on the market.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/searchresults.xhtml?endYear=1990&zip=98043&listingType=used&listingTypes=used&sellerTypes=b&mmt=[CAD[ELDO[]CADOTH[]][]]&Log=0&modelCode1=ELDO&makeCode2=CAD&modelCode2=CADOTH&makeCode1=CAD&startYear=1981&numRecords=25&searchRadius=0&showcaseOwnerId=100016026&captureSearch=true&Log=0

Have to say that this 1985 Eldorado black with red interior is a nice one.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=98043&endYear=1990&modelCode1=ELDO&modelCode2=CADOTH&makeCode2=CAD&showcaseOwnerId=100016026&startYear=1981&makeCode1=CAD&listingType=used&listingTypes=used&searchRadius=0&mmt=[CAD[ELDO[]CADOTH[]][]]&listingId=348289842&listingIndex=25&Log=0

I could have so much fun with older caddy's if cash was no problem.

[Drew Dowdell]

Why is the '79 the least desirable? I kinda lost track of Toronados after about 1973.

It's for sale, too. Has 38K original miles. Red leather interior, looks to be in great shape. They want $9K for it, but I'll bet they'd come down. It's a 1979, by the way.

Least desirable year of that generation unfortunately... they'll have to come down in price, they've over valued it by 100%

Styling mostly. Only 18 months with that engine setup. Sales really took off after the '80 update.

Amazing how many 70's and 80's low mileage Eldorado's are on the market.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/searchresults.xhtml?endYear=1990&zip=98043&listingType=used&listingTypes=used&sellerTypes=b&mmt=[CAD[ELDO[]CADOTH[]][]]&Log=0&modelCode1=ELDO&makeCode2=CAD&modelCode2=CADOTH&makeCode1=CAD&startYear=1981&numRecords=25&searchRadius=0&showcaseOwnerId=100016026&captureSearch=true&Log=0

Have to say that this 1985 Eldorado black with red interior is a nice one.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=98043&endYear=1990&modelCode1=ELDO&modelCode2=CADOTH&makeCode2=CAD&showcaseOwnerId=100016026&startYear=1981&makeCode1=CAD&listingType=used&listingTypes=used&searchRadius=0&mmt=[CAD[ELDO[]CADOTH[]][]]&listingId=348289842&listingIndex=25&Log=0

I could have so much fun with older caddy's if cash was no problem.

Ugg... get rid of those wide whites...

[G. David Felt]

True I never did care for those wide whites plus a pain in the ass to clean.

[NeonLX]

Did the '79 come with the Olds 350? I know some were diesels, but otherwise, was the gas engine an issue? (my folks had a '78 Ninety-Eight with the Olds 350 and it ran like a champ).

Edited July 23, 2013 by NeonLX

[Drew Dowdell]

Yes, they ran with the 350 Gasser as standard and the diesel 350 optional for '79

In '80, the 307 became standard with the 350 gasser optional for the first half of the year and the 350 diesel for the whole year.

'81 added the 4.1 V6 and officially dropped the 350 gasser and the rest of the run till '85 was made of up mostly 307 equipped cars with 350d equipped making up the rest.

[NeonLX]

Ah. Thanks for the history. I really lost track of most new cars starting in the late 1970s. My interest slowly came back in the mid-1980s.

[NeonLX]

Saw this yesterday:

[G. David Felt]

That is in amazing shape for an amphibian car. Totally rocks

[ocnblu]

I stopped at the local Chevy dealer (a former place of employment for me) and took the time to really look closely at a couple of '14 Silverados. Even though they are blocky and plenty trucky, the way the body is put together is amazing. It's nothing but glassy smooth, tightly sealed panels. Very nice.

And they had a Blue Ray '14 Impala LTZ with Jet Black/Mohave leather, like the one we saw in the promotional photos. Simply a gorgeous car, from every angle. Blows the '14 LaCrosse out of the water in styling (looks too Chinese), and, in my opinion, makes the XTS look unfinished. I think it's the best looking family sedan on the market, by a wide margin. NOW... about that $37k price tag...

[GMTruckGuy74]

Though technically not a true "spotting", I attended the 2013 Firehouse Expo in Baltimore on Friday and Chevy had a 2014 Silverado display there. Since crew cab 1500s are the only pickups currently available, that was all that was on display for people to sit in. However, there were numerous ads and photos posted around the display space, including this one of a regular cab pickup:

GM has not shown too much of the regular cab models yet. I was pleasantly surprised to see this photo

[ocnblu]

Hot!

[Drew Dowdell]

A Range Rover with a Benz grille, hatch mounted spare tire, and every piece of tack on plasti-chrome body add-on sold in the J.C. Whitney clearance bin.

[caddycruiser]

Another White Diamond fully decked out LTZ Impala last night on the road, red light. Looker.

[balthazar]

'56 Chevy Bel Air, 2-dr hardtop, black over white, 350/350, decent overall shape. My buddy's car, needed a new fuel pump to facilitate sale Thursday. Got the chance to hammer it up & down the road- moves well but needs lots of attention in too many areas for a regular driver.

'56 Chevy 210 2-dr sedan, light blu over dark blue, 454/700R4, very nice 'local show' shape, in driveway of acquaintance, up for sale soon.

'66 Pontiac Catalina convertible, blue over blue, 400/400, exc shape, parked outside it's tent garage.

'68 Pontiac Catalina 2-dr fastback, black over blue, exc shape. This one eluded my buddy & I earlier this year, when the 80-some yr old owner sold it suddenly after we talked to him. Spotted behind the fence in the local junkyard, no plates. SImply can't be slated for scrap: rust-free 2-dr, exc interior & undercarriage, no dents or damage, factory air. Investigating tomm morning.

[G. David Felt]

Saw a Shadow being driven. Could not believe that little beast was still on the road.

[NeonLX]

There are still quite a few Shadows/Sundances on the roads around here (and they're even running!).

I came close to buying a '94 Sundance Duster. Quick little car for the money.