May Car Spotter

[G. David Felt]

 

Very Cool  

[Robert Hall]

Saw a couple older GM personal luxury coupes this afternoon--a very clean dark green mid 90s Cutlass Supreme in a driveway down the street, guy waxing it...hadn't seen it around, may have been hidden in his garage.   Also saw a very clean silver blue w/ white 1/4 top '76 Grand Prix for sale. 

[trinacriabob]

1 minute ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

 Also saw a very clean silver blue w/ white 1/4 top '76 Grand Prix for sale. 

Did you see how much they wanted for the GP?  Any details on trim level and wheels (rallys, honeycombs, etc.)?  I like it already.

[Robert Hall]

8 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Did you see how much they wanted for the GP?  Any details on trim level and wheels (rallys, honeycombs, etc.)?  I like it already.

Rally wheels. Didn't stop and look, it was up on a hill off of a sloped driveway on a very busy street at rush hour..  The same house had a sharp red w/ woodgrain '72 Caprice Estate wagon for sale last summer IIRC.

Edit: found it on Craigslist..i was wrong, it's a '77.  They want $8500. T-Tops.

https://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1977-pontiac-grand-prix-lj/6579214918.html

Edited May 14, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[balthazar]

^ velour = blorf.
- - - - -
Early ('61-62 I would guess) Lincoln Continental suicide door convert. Med blue, presentable outside, Walmart hubcaps, worn interior. Licensed, in buddy's shop for some sort of work.

[trinacriabob]

3 hours ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Rally wheels. Didn't stop and look, it was up on a hill off of a sloped driveway on a very busy street at rush hour..  The same house had a sharp red w/ woodgrain '72 Caprice Estate wagon for sale last summer IIRC.

Edit: found it on Craigslist..i was wrong, it's a '77.  They want $8500. T-Tops.

https://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1977-pontiac-grand-prix-lj/6579214918.html

Ok, I see.

That '77 LJ is a hoot.  The treatment of the rear lamps on the '77 is vastly inferior to those on the '76.  They only work for a luxury car and not one that could be sporty, i.e. the SJ.  They started out with a pale enough blue that year, but that one has seen the years and the fading.  It's got a console but, inside the round bezels, it's got idiot lights.  Idiotic!  The profile is unmistakable.  It's good and then it's sort of bad.  I maintain that if the Grand Prix of those years was proportioned like a Cutlass Supreme or Regal of the same years and less sculpted, they would have sold more of them.  Maybe it was a deliberate GM move.  They didn't want cannibalization.  Plus, Pontiac was running the LeMans at the same time.  I once found a '76 Grand Le Mans on eBay in LJ form and with the 260 V8 they got from Olds, but they wanted too much for it.  Maybe around $6,900.

In those years, there were 6 opera windowed coupes by B-O-P and Chevrolet, and that doesn't even count Rivs, Toros, and anything Cadillac had to offer.  Times sure have changed.

[Robert Hall]

I like the dip in the door upper edge on these.  I like the sculpting of the GP more than the MC, and the Buick coupes had a lot of sculpting until they smoothed them out in 76, the 73 -75 Buicks looked better IMO...always liked how the door, fender and hood met on these high style 70s cars.  I bet they were a challenge to the panel gaps consistent. 

Edited May 15, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Robert Hall]

The mid to late 70s were high times for personal luxury coupes...GM used the small quarter window on many midsize models in 76-77-Malibu, Monte Carlo, Grand LeMans, Grand Prix, Cutlass Salon and Supreme (not sure if the sloped nose S or 442 was available w it), Century Custom and Regal.  

[trinacriabob]

The Cutlass Salon, when it wasn't a Cutlass Calais, was the best of the lot.  There were fewer things more comfortable than those oversized bucket seats.

I forgot.  While getting a value breakfast burrito at BK this morning, I spotted a 2000 to 2004 genre Bonneville in the drive through in something close to purist form.  I actually like them without any spoiler at all, as found in some LEs.  I was invited to test drive one in 2000 at a horse track, I believe, and it was fairly agile for being such a hefty sled.  I also liked the dashboard and their simple front end that still said Pontiac clearly enough.  We also got to test drive the equivalent Chrysler product and the Pontiac was definitely more appealing, at least at that time.

[balthazar]

2 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

I maintain that if the Grand Prix of those years was proportioned like a Cutlass Supreme or Regal of the same years and less sculpted, they would have sold more of them.  Maybe it was a deliberate GM move.  They didn't want cannibalization.

PMD sold far more GPs in '76-78 (228K each year) by far than any other year '62-80. That edition sold like crazy.

[G. David Felt]

Saw this GMC Truck on the way home yesterday. In pretty decent shape for it's age, sad it has the door dent. Clearly still used as a daily driver.

[Robert Hall]

Neat..those old trucks have a lot of charm...'64-66 looks like.  May have a V6.

[Robert Hall]

Saw this 1st gen Corvair convertible at the tire store earlier today..

[§carlet §wordfish]

This was a couple months ago but I just wanted to share this brave insect that I saw still buzzing around.

[Robert Hall]

Spent the morning down in Kent, wandering around my old school campus and the downtown...a lot has changed in the 25-30 years since I was a student there.   Campus looks great, lots of new buildings and ongoing construction.    Saw a few interesting cars---a new Regal Tour X at a gas station in a dark red,  a bright red Solstice w/ top down, a black w/ black wheels C7 Z06 w/ personalized license plate 'CTHULHU' (great HP Lovecraft reference for an evil looking Vette). 

The most interesting car sighting, though was while I was walking downtown..very quiet on a Friday morning in a college town between semesters--no one around...so I hear this very loud rumble coming down a street to my right--a noise bouncing off the old brick buildings--sounded like a freaking Pro Stock drag car idling---a loud, raucous rumble w/ crackling...what can it be....when appears a very clean black mid '90s Buick Roadmaster...looked stock, though had big rear tires and deep black steel wheels with tiny chrome center caps.   I wonder what was under the hood...seemed very unseemly and out of place for a grandpa car..

[balthazar]

Restored to perfection Model T touring car, 4 aboard, motoring along between the traffic lane & the shoulder on a busy 2-lane during rush hour. I think the Model T can only go about 30 MPH.

[Robert Hall]

On the way to dinner, saw a sharp dark green '69 Camaro Z-28 w/ white stripes and a black vinyl top. 

On the way home, saw a turquoise '66 Pontiac full size nose peeking out between a hedge and van in a driveway...that's all could see from the road; bumper/grille and front fender and hood looked nice and shiny...

Got home, walking in the back yard w/ my dogs and see my next door neighbor in his backyard applying bondo to the rear quarter panel of his daughter's wrecked Jeep Compass with a trowel... hope it dries fast, looks like rain..

Edited May 18, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Robert Hall]

Was sitting in a restaurant at lunch today and there was a very rusty blue '90s Olds Ciera parked across the street.   Guy gets in it, and I saw the floor under the driver's seat sag..    

Also saw one of the '19 Ford Rangers out on the freeway...silver 4dr, w/ a Michigan plate.  Good looking pickup.  

Edited May 19, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[trinacriabob]

Saw a '71 or '72 Chevy Malibu coupe.  In perfect condition.  Olive green metallic and black vinyl roof (full, not landau).  The wheels were sporty, though possibly not stock, so I'm assuming it was a 350.  I couldn't see the badge.  I doubt there were all that many 454s.

[balthazar]

Not my pics, but I did see these exact cars today~

in addition to a '63 Impala 409 coupe, '65 Bonneville convert, '59 Merc Park Lane convert, '59 Olds 88 2-dr hardtop, '59 Olds 98 convert, '59 Bonneville 2-dr hardtop - all incredible survivors or nut & bolt restorations in one guy's collection. Fun day.

[Robert Hall]

Sweet.. I saw a Buick today w/ a New Jersey plate...a dark blue current gen LaCrosse in my neighborhood. 

[trinacriabob]

I'm posting now because I uploaded and cropped the photo.  I saw this yesterday.  It drove down two major (perpendicular) major thoroughfares near me.

It's a 1970 Cutlass Supreme convertible, obviously in red with a white top and a white interior.  I don't know if color keyed Olds rally wheels were around that far back.  Our family had the color keyed rally wheels on a mid 70s Cutlass Supreme and on a mid 80s Cutlass Supreme.

I was able to ask them if it had a 350 or a 455.  The exhaust noise was more raucous than expected.  It had the 350 V8.

I appreciate this model for being better than the other quadruplets, though only a tad better than Pontiac's LeMans.  It was actually better looking than the 71 or 72 Cutlass, owing to the more vertical rear taillamps.

I still much prefer the 76-77 and 81-87(partial 88) Supreme coupes.

Edited May 22, 2018 by trinacriabob

[ocnblu]

2-door Wranglers have hit the lots.  A Rubicon was among the fresh drops at my favorite Mopar store yesterday morning as I drove to work.  I would hate to see the price though.

[G. David Felt]

3 hours ago, ocnblu said:

2-door Wranglers have hit the lots.  A Rubicon was among the fresh drops at my favorite Mopar store yesterday morning as I drove to work.  I would hate to see the price though.

So just checked the web site, $3,500 difference between the 4 door and 2 door starting price.

$40,995 4 Door

$37,495 2 Door

$1,000 to upgrade from V6 to Turbo 4, from 285HP to 368HP. You loose the 6sp manual and must have the $2,000 8sp auto. So $3,000 price increase.

? This I do not get, you have to pay now $1,295 for the steel bumpers otherwise you get plastic bumpers over aluminum stops.  What idiot would not have metal bumpers for a serious off road auto.

Like that they now offer a Hard Top Headliner insulation package. $495

2018 Wrangler Rubicon 4x4 2-Door in Mojito color $53,310 ?

 

[balthazar]

Wrangler prices are nuts.

That is all.

[Robert Hall]

My local Jeep store has 23 new '18 Wranglers in stock..

Sport S trim ranges from 34,8xx to 44,4xxx. 

Sahara trim ranges from $41,2xxx to 46,5xxx.

All 4drs, no Rubicons. 

[trinacriabob]

What is it with the nicer weather and Cutlass convertibles?

Today I saw a 1972 Olds Cutlass 442 convertible in white, with color keyed rally wheels, a black interior, and buckets but the automatic shifter on the column.  The guy was real nice, as he was parked and not moving with traffic.  He told me it had the 350 V8.  The car looked good in white.

This guy also told me he had a 1985 Regal Grand National, also a coupe.

Then, I saw a 2000+ last-gen Pontiac Bonneville in black and in perfect condition.  It had wheel covers and a spoiler.  I'd prefer alloy wheels and no spoiler.

Edited May 26, 2018 by trinacriabob

[Robert Hall]

Saw a dark blue C7 Z06 at the grocery this afternoon, white haired fellow who appeared to be north of 70 loading groceries into it.   Also saw the usual assortment of Buicks, along with Pontiacs--a bright red 2nd gen Vibe (I forgot about those--rather clean w/ no cladding), a black Grand GT 4dr w/ scooped hood in good condition, a dark gray G8, and a black last generation Grand Prix.  

[G. David Felt]

Saw this today walking around Mountlake Terrace. Sad that they let such a car just rot away.

[Robert Hall]

There is one of those in my neighborhood, same color.  In good condition, see it driven occasionally. 

[trinacriabob]

2 hours ago, dfelt said:

Saw this today walking around Mountlake Terrace. Sad that they let such a car just rot away.

You have to give Buick some credit on this one.  This was definitely one polarizing car.  The Riv has gone up and down like a yo yo in terms of being polarizing.  This car had some great angles and some not so great angles.  The coolest thing about it was the dash, which sloped away from the driver and stayed under a wrap-around ridged cowl, had all the gauges, and had some nice wood appliques, even though they were probably fake.

[Robert Hall]

The dash in these I think was a homage to the '63-65.   I liked the tapered rear on these, looked like the longest rear deck in the 90s. 

[balthazar]

15 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

You have to give Buick some credit on this one.  This was definitely one polarizing car.  The Riv has gone up and down like a yo yo in terms of being polarizing.  This car had some great angles and some not so great angles.  The coolest thing about it was the dash, which sloped away from the driver and stayed under a wrap-around ridged cowl, had all the gauges, and had some nice wood appliques, even though they were probably fake.

While in general Bill Porter (the Riv's designer) is a bright spot in this era, I always had some solid reservations on details of the final Riv's design. The 'rear chin spoiler' & the pinched front & rear fascias that undermine the car's dimensions. I think it's 85% of the way there and the general envelope is inspired and fresh, but it needed some more 'bake time' on the details.

[trinacriabob]

The seating position in that Riv was a little low.  There was a lot of hood and a lot of trunk on that one.  I think it would have looked better as a slightly shorter car.

Move over, Cutlass convertibles.  Today, a late 60s/early 70s Pontiac GTO convertible coupe went whizzing by.  The top was up.  I thought it was a 70.  Someone opined it was a 69, or maybe a 68.  I wondered what the engine might be.  I was told it was unlikely it would be a 350.  And that it was most likely a 400.  The color was a lighter metallic green.  The convertible top was white.  I couldn't see the interior and am not sure as to the wheels.  I'm hoping they were the PMD rally wheels.  The honeycombs were great ... but on later cars.

[balthazar]

'68-69 GTOs were all 400 CI. It gained the 455 in '70 (that motor's first year). No GTO 350 until either '73 or the 350-only '74.

[trinacriabob]

So, I'm assuming they didn't "force" '70 to '72 buyers into the 455, meaning the 400 would continue as the base engine ...

[Robert Hall]

Random thought of car sightings...after almost a year full time in NE Ohio, I've seen a few of the 80s CBOP PLUX coupes out and about (Monte Carlo, Regal, Cutlass, GP), but exactly zero '80s-90s Cougars or T-Birds, which is surprising considering they were built here...

Edited May 29, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[balthazar]

^ Interesting observation. I have a 'visual filter' that mostly precludes me noticing '80s and up vehicles, but I would concur on that here; can't recall the last Cougarbird of that era I've noticed.

[trinacriabob]

I get a grace period.  It's actually June, but I spotted this one in May, on the 18th to be exact.  It belongs to someone I know.  It is a 1994 Impala SS (same as the 1994-1996 Caprice) and is equipped with a 5.7 V8.  It is a hobby car for this individual and not a daily driver.  It has the buckets and a non-operating console, so the shifter is located on the column.  It was explained to me that the shifter was on the console in 1996 ... where it should be.

Familiar shape (Caprice) but different execution (Impala SS):

 

This bas relief applique on the rear fender came standard:

 

Old school - turned the "right" way, with the transmission behind it and lots of room.  Identical to the 4.3 "baby" V8 of the same years in appearance.  The placard is the only way to distinguish them.  Don't be scraping off the placard:

 

Look at the clearance between the radiator/fans and the engine.  Also, note the pulley diagram.  It's a weird one ... all the stuff is on the left:

 

Nice ... only the speedometer is digital (along with the odometer) but everything else is analog.  Presumably less to go wrong:

 

Old school center stack, with a cassette player, and a huge glove box bin.  Buckets, in leather, but the shifter is not on the console:

[G. David Felt]

3 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

I get a grace period.  It's actually June, but I spotted this one in May, on the 18th to be exact.  It belongs to someone I know.  It is a 1994 Impala SS (same as the 1994-1996 Caprice) and is equipped with a 5.7 V8.  It is a hobby car for this individual and not a daily driver.  It has the buckets and a non-operating console, so the shifter is located on the column.  It was explained to me that the shifter was on the console in 1996 ... where it should be.

Familiar shape (Caprice) but different execution (Impala SS):

 

This bas relief applique on the rear fender came standard:

 

Old school - turned the "right" way, with the transmission behind it and lots of room.  Identical to the 4.3 "baby" V8 of the same years in appearance.  The placard is the only way to distinguish them.  Don't be scraping off the placard:

 

Look at the clearance between the radiator/fans and the engine.  Also, note the pulley diagram.  It's a weird one ... all the stuff is on the left:

 

Nice ... only the speedometer is digital (along with the odometer) but everything else is analog.  Presumably less to go wrong:

 

Old school center stack, with a cassette player, and a huge glove box bin.  Buckets, in leather, but the shifter is not on the console:

Loved the Impala SS, One car I really wanted to own, but just was never financially able too when they were being built and sold. Loved it in the Maroon color they had.

[trinacriabob]

On 6/1/2018 at 8:28 AM, dfelt said:

Loved the Impala SS, One car I really wanted to own, but just was never financially able too when they were being built and sold. Loved it in the Maroon color they had.

Maroons are funny - they can be too "candy apple" or be deeper and uptown.  In the SS, that would have looked sharp with beige buckets.  In Caprice form, it would have looked great with a corresponding maroon interior.

[G. David Felt]

13 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Maroons are funny - they can be too "candy apple" or be deeper and uptown.  In the SS, that would have looked sharp with beige buckets.  In Caprice form, it would have looked great with a corresponding maroon interior.

Yup it was sharp.

Pictures never did the color justice IMHO.

This was a nice Full Size sedan.

Would have loved it if they had offered this interior on the Impala SS Maroon.

[Robert Hall]

Was the '94-96 Impala SS only available w/ a gray interior?  That seems to be the only color I've seen them in (gray is my least favorite car interior color).  

 

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Was the '94-96 Impala SS only available w/ a gray interior?  That seems to be the only color I've seen them in (gray is my least favorite car interior color).  

 

They had 3 colors, Grey, Black and Tan.Most of the ones around here are tan or black, yet I saw many Grey in Texas when I lived in that hell hole for a year. Weird 

[Robert Hall]

The ones I saw in Co and Az always seemed to be gray if I could see the interior.  Lots of dark window tint in the desert. 

[trinacriabob]

19 hours ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

The ones I saw in Co and Az always seemed to be gray if I could see the interior.  Lots of dark window tint in the desert. 

Definitely not my favorite interior color at all.  However, that's what I've got now.  I sure would have liked the metallic glacier blue (offered in the previous M.Y.) with a dark blue interior (never offered in the LaX). 

It's weird when people tint windows in places that aren't sunny.  Each state seems to have a saturation ratio or percentage of what they will allow.  It's needed in the Sunbelt.  Not many things worse while motoring than a blistering hot dash and steering wheel.

On 6/5/2018 at 12:39 PM, dfelt said:

Would have loved it if they had offered this interior on the Impala SS Maroon.

In my book, this is great stuff.  People below a certain age may never experience this.  And I don't think it's ever coming back.  Had they put it in a SS, they would have had to set it up in 40:40 buckets and put an operating console in it.