March Car Spotting

[Robert Hall]

Photos from the Cleveland Auto Show today.  New cars and old cars.

 

[G. David Felt]

Over the weekend, went skiing and on my way home exiting the freeway, this beauty popped up, could not get my phone out fast enough to get a full pic as I honestly did not know what brand, but it was a pretty car.

[Robert Hall]

Nice...'56 Plymouth I think...

[G. David Felt]

28 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Nice...'56 Plymouth I think...

Was in lovely shape. Person really cares for their car.

[balthazar]

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

Nice...'56 Plymouth I think...

 

[Drew Dowdell]

I spotted a very well kept '89ish Dodge Dakota convertible. 

One of these, but in blue with a white top

[A Horse With No Name]

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I spotted a very well kept '89ish Dodge Dakota convertible. 

One of these, but in blue with a white top

I saw one in red with a white top...ratty...think it might have been the Shelby version....but very clapped out. On the same trip to Michigan where I saw the 58 Ranchero.

[ocnblu]

Early Dodge Aspen, tan sedan, tattered daily driver.  Old man heading to the grocery store.

[G. David Felt]

Beautiful Mach 1 Mustang. Looked all original. Some one loves their car as much as we do @ C&G.

[Drew Dowdell]

[G. David Felt]

Walking home from the bus after work and saw someone had this skylark sadly stored. ?

[Robert Hall]

Saw a clean Chevy Tahoe Hybrid in black on the freeway earlier.  Don't see those very often.  Also saw a sharp red Ferrari 458 Italia coupe..good weather to have a sports car out. 

Edited March 13, 2019 by Robert Hall

[Robert Hall]

At a light this afternoon saw a very clean 58 Chevy Apache stepside pickup.  A dark teal w red steel wheels.  Had a 1958 Ohio license plate. 

[A Horse With No Name]

4 different oddities....

#1. 1960s era Falcoln based Ranchero on a car carrier headed north on Ohio 315. Could not get a good look at it to determine exact year.

#2. On a load of crushed cars...sadly...what looked like a 1950s era finned Mopar. 4 doors...but was on back stack of cars...could not get a look at the front. Looked like it had either been restored at one point or extremely well kept original.

Not sure if wrecked or stripped for parts or...?

#3. Eighties era Rolls Royce...just out cruising.

#4. New Jetta R...in an Orange color. Looked good...could see myself buying one.

[trinacriabob]

Some spotting

1 - over the weekend - getting on at the ramp on the other side of the freeway was a 1975 or 1976 Cadillac Eldorado coupe.  The body was intact but the metal bumpers and fins were not in the best shape.  It was silver with a silver landau top, which was reserved for the upscale GM cars.  The lower divisions didn't have gray interiors to go along with this combo but Cadillac (and Buick (Electra/Park Avenue) and Olds(98 Regency)) did.  As far as I could see, this one was burgundy inside.  I couldn't believe its length.  Sort of like landing a great white that snags a record for its size.  This car weighs over 4,800 pounds and cruises with a 500 c.i. V8 ... or 8.2 liters ... or 8200 cc.

2 - over the weekend - a studious looking high school kid is parked next to me at the store playing on his phone with his girlfriend in an immaculate last gen 2003 Pontiac Bonneville LE in purist form.  What a relief.  No cladding, no spoiler, wheel covers.  I asked him if he'd sell it.  He said that he just got it from his grandmother with about 25,000 miles.  I told him he was lucky to own one and wished him well. Of those bigger cars, the Bonnie was the only one I liked, and in purist form, except for adding the base alloy wheels.  This kid's car was the metallic bronze color and it was beautiful.

3- on Tuesday, a Pontiac Sunbird sedan of 1988 to 1994 vintage is sailing past me on the freeway at about 70 mph.  This car was clean.  It looked like a Cavalier.  It had the red appliques from some optional package.  I don't know much about the 1.8 and 2.0 4 cylinders of that day but apparently this one has held up for 25 to 30 years and was maneuvering like a whipper snapper.  I don't know if it had Eco-Tec technology in its 4 cylinder engines that early.  It's rare to see a Cavalier or a Sunbird these days, let alone a Cobalt.

Dud sighting - a Camry under 5 years old is going down a major boulevard at about 10 mph below the speed limit.  It was nighttime.  The streets were uncrowded.  There was not much lighting because it is a wooded area.  As I get next to the car, it's a 30-something dude who, based on the glow coming from his phone, is texting away.  I guess that justifies going 10 mph below the speed limit ?!?  Ass hole.  There are many deer that cross the area he was driving through.

Edited March 15, 2019 by trinacriabob

[G. David Felt]

I wish I had been able to take a picture, but driving back home with my lunch in heavy traffic I had a Sprinter van pull in front of me. Specifically it was

Sprinter AMG on Left door.

V6 Bluetec on Right door.

? If a Performance cargo van is considered Luxury, then MB truly has lost the crown of uber luxury and is now as many here have stated just another Toyota / Chevrolet / Ford, etc. Automaker with some seriously overpriced auto's.

SPRINTER AMG Vans? ?

[Robert Hall]

I don't think their has been an official AMG version of the Sprinter...I saw a few Sprinters in Phoenix/Scottsdale w/ AMG badging, but I assume someone added the badges.

Googling Sprinter AMG I found this from 2005..

https://www.motor1.com/news/54360/mercedes-amg-sprinter-63-s-unveiled-with-503-bhp/

[ocnblu]

Lovely little early Beetle Cabriolet in a shamrock green with mint white top, ahead of me in traffic on this Saint Patrick's Day.  Beautifully restored.

[trinacriabob]

I wonder if going onto a dealership's lot constitutes "spotting."  It's deliberate and not random.

At any rate, I was looking at some Chevy new car inventory.  While there, I saw some Sparks.  Yes, Sparks ...  $15K before discounts!  I opened up the base model doors and it had MANUAL WINDOWS, one of few production cars to offer those.  You should have seen some of the wild colors on some  - "Passion Fruit" and "Toasted Marshmallow."  The amount of sheetmetal beyond the rear wheels is "disturbing," and the trunk is very small.  There's not much more than what's on a Smart car.  These Sparks are small.  I'd bet Chevy offers them in Europe.

Big demerit:  No temperature gauge on this car.  Just an idiot light.  Perhaps you can scroll the D.I.C. options and get the coolant temp. displayed.  

As far as Chevy trimming their line up, the Spark stays while the Sonic bows out, am I right?

[Robert Hall]

At one time the Spark, Sonic, Trax, and Cruise were sold in Europe as Chevys...back before GM quit Europe.   Not sure if the Spark and Sonic are staying in NA, don't recall hearing anything about them. 

Edited March 19, 2019 by Robert Hall

[Drew Dowdell]

It's like early 80s Benz month here in Pittsburgh. I don't know where they all came from all of the sudden. 

[trinacriabob]

I saw one of the last Pontiac Grand Prix GT coupes turning in front of me yesterday to get on the freeway.  It was probably a 2002 or 2003.  It was in a metallic dark bronze color and was in near perfect condition.  God, I miss good old fashioned mid size GM coupes.

About a week ago, I saw a late 90s (97,98,99?) base Grand Prix sedan in what I call the Schwinn bicycle metallic blue in the library parking lot.  It was beat to hell.  The badge indicated it had a 3800 V6.  I was surprised to see a beehive lady get in it and drive off.

[trinacriabob]

15 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

It's like early 80s Benz month here in Pittsburgh. I don't know where they all came from all of the sudden. 

A friend of mine in SoCal once said of his small 190 sedan that it was a "throw away car."  Come to think of it, I don't see that many around.  The idea of bringing a Benz to (more) people with slimmer wallets was a good idea.  Too bad it wasn't an heirloom Benz as they all should be.

[Robert Hall]

Dreary gray day outside that still looks like winter, but saw a couple sweet newish Mopies out rumbling around...a green Charger SRT and a black Challenger SRT, one behind the other going down a frost-heaved potholed major street near mea..

[trinacriabob]

I forgot this one.  It was about a week ago.

I saw a 1994/5/6 Thunderbird coupe in the dark metallic green.  It was badged with a V8.  This meant it had the 4.6 SOHC V8.  The best part is that it had the contraption sitting on top of the roof that said it was being used as a delivery car for Jimmy John's!  I remember that these cars were sold loaded with the power options included and were sensibly priced - about $16K to $18K back in the '90s.

Basically it was like this, but with the small V8 badge, though not in as good shape:

 

I was once given one of these Thunderbird coupes out West as a rental car and took it over the border to Vancouver.  I was fairly impressed with how quiet it was and how it had enough power.  Not too thirsty at highway speeds.  Little did I know this would become an heirloom engine that would power both the Grand Marquis and many Lincolns.

[Drew Dowdell]

Spotted @Robert Hall in Columbus today. He's nutz.

[Robert Hall]

Lol..close, that's the pre-facelift 11-13 GC..and an Overland. 

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

Lol..close, that's the pre-facelift 11-13 GC..and an Overland. 

The license plate gives it away 

[Robert Hall]

Clever plate...I've thought of getting 'NO CUBE'.   A lot of people wouldn't get understand it, though. 

[Drew Dowdell]

47 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Clever plate...I've thought of getting 'NO CUBE'.   A lot of people wouldn't get understand it, though. 

it's not for them anyway.... my first thought was...

[trinacriabob]

Here's two more.

I forgot that, one day, I saw a Hyundai Elantra going down the freeway.  It was the popular metallic dark gray color.  It was probably the penultimate model, so newer than 2010.  It had 2 doors ... a COUPE ... within the same silhouette as the sedan. I didn't know they even sold those as coupes this late in the game.

Yesterday, I saw a Ford Fusion.  Nothing interesting about that.  Late 2000s.  Not badged as a V6, thus a 4 banger.  What made it "interesting" is that it was filling up the street with blue smoke.   Taken care of, those 4 bangers in those cars went the distance.  All the other ones I see run clean.

[G. David Felt]

21 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Clever plate...I've thought of getting 'NO CUBE'.   A lot of people wouldn't get understand it, though. 

I so totally get this!  

[G. David Felt]

My daughters 1999 Dodge Durango decided to not start as she went to get herself dinner at Panda Express last night. Went, checked out the plugs, cables, distributor cap, rotor and fuses plus battery. Everything worked fine, turns over just fine. Yet no fuel so making me think fuel pump. Electricity seems to work but does not fire up. So went back this morning to the parking lot, checked everything again in daylight. Still turns over and no fire.

So I had it towed to the dodge dealership and while there, saw two troubling things.

One, the amount of Ram trucks and Dodge cars being towed in was disturbing, they actually had more of them in service than Chrysler or jeeps as this is a complete family lot. The other thing that I wish I had taken a picture of was a Ford Powerstroke Tow Truck towing in a Ram Tow Truck.

Sad observation, dodge Hellcat, sitting in the back lot where they dropped off my Durango, passenger side tires shredded and rims trashed, body damage and still had the sticker in the window. Megan the service rep told me it was stolen off the delivery truck and the local police uses strips to get it to stop. Guess that delivery driver is going to hear it from his boss about keys in the cars. ? 

[trinacriabob]

On 3/27/2019 at 8:03 PM, Robert Hall said:

Clever plate...I've thought of getting 'NO CUBE'.   A lot of people wouldn't get understand it, though. 

I think more people might get it than some might think.  So many people work inside cubes and the worst thing is that they are often the exact same color and shade ... from sea to shining sea!   I am sure plenty of industrial psychologists have weighed in on how demoralizing they can be.

I did the personalized plate thing once ... and only once.  And it was on a Camaro that I once kept as a second "hobby" car ... the only car I've owned that wasn't bought new by either my parents (and then handed down) or myself.  It had the 305 V8 and it was a P.O.S.  Though only lightly used, I don't think it was broken in right. 

I've heard them called personalized plates and I've heard them called vanity plates.  It must be regional, sort of like soda, pop, and soft drink.

[ocnblu]

Orange Aztek this morning at the gasoline filling station!  In beautiful condition.

[Drew Dowdell]

20 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Orange Aztek this morning at the gasoline filling station!  In beautiful condition.

Were they ever in beautiful condition or did you just mean a fine state of repair?

[ocnblu]

Pulled in to Hondru Ford in Manheim and what do I see... a Ranger XL Super Cab 4X4 with chrome package, bedliner and locking diff, in white.  Was stoked and possibly would have had a moment of weakness... but alas, it was a sold unit.  This was the first XL I've seen with chrome package, it looks really good.  I like how Ford has trimmed the Ranger similar to the F-series... base XL  being available with Sport or Chrome dress-up packages.

Salesdude talked me into driving an XLT SuperCrew 4X4, my first time behind the wheel... VERY COMFORTABLE SEAT AND RIDE.  I was very pleased with the quiet, smooth ride.  The power seems fine, as it should with 310 pounds of torque.  Hmmmm....

 

EDIT:  odd thing, the "sold unit" in question had alloys, but Ford's Build & Price site states alloys are not available as part of the XL Chrome package... even as an additional upgrade... only XL to get alloys is the STX...

Edited March 31, 2019 by ocnblu

[Robert Hall]

On 3/27/2019 at 6:13 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

Spotted @Robert Hall in Columbus today. He's nutz.

 

 

A pic of my Jeep in a parking garage in Athens, Oh about 5 hours ago.  Drove 8 hrs round trip though lousy weather for a concert Sat evening.   3 1/2 hrs of rain driving down there, 60 degrees and damp on the OU campus, then 4 1/2 hrs in torrential rain then snow on the way back.  Wierd, going north on I-71 and I-77 all the snow plows were headed south.  Parts of the freeways were barely one lane clear, driving at 25-30 mph w poor visibility.   Jeep performed great, first real winter driving I’ve done since living in Colorado 11 years ago...

On the way down, in a lull in the rain saw a red C6 Z06 and a yellow C7 running together on I-270...on the way back, saw many vehicles off the road, incl a dark color C7 sideways in a ditch off I-71...

End of March and snow...ugh  

 

 

Edited March 31, 2019 by Robert Hall