May Car Spottering Thread

[ocnblu]

5 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

Or he decided to ignore me....either way...asshat!

Did you unsheath your sword and avenge his transgression?

[G. David Felt]

11 hours ago, riviera74 said:

Can anyone explain to me why GM does not have a semi-affordable RWD sedan like the Chrysler 300/Dodge Charger twins?

Cadillac has the CT6 and more recently, the CT5 and CT4.  Why won't GM build (essentially) a Camaro sedan (again)?

Cheaper to build FWD or more profitable as they save money due to being focused on EVs is my guess!

[riviera74]

2 hours ago, dfelt said:

Cheaper to build FWD or more profitable as they save money due to being focused on EVs is my guess!

I know that FWD is cheaper, but that does not make it better.  Then again, the BEVs should make that obsolete via AWD.

[G. David Felt]

20 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

I know that FWD is cheaper, but that does not make it better.  Then again, the BEVs should make that obsolete via AWD.

Based on all the interviews with Marry Barra and her focus on EV's is to keep things static with tweak updates till the EV products hit the showroom. Very clear that their focus is on AWD / RWD  / FWD EVs I think.

https://thenewswheel.com/gm-predicts-ev-profitability-will-happen-within-the-next-decade/

[Robert Hall]

1 hour ago, riviera74 said:

I know that FWD is cheaper, but that does not make it better.   

I know, but GM drank the FWD Kool Aid 40 years ago and have been stuck w/ mass quantities of FWD transverse vehicles since then...

Edited May 29, 2019 by Robert Hall

[oldshurst442]

9 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Did you unsheath your sword and avenge his transgression?

I see what you did there...cutlass. A type of sword...

Transgression...his transgression of not acknowledging my friendliness towrds his car yet I am the one being truly rude by callingn him an asshat...

Very clever. Well done. Well played.

 

Phoque him!

One day... MY Oldsmobile Cutlass will be better than HIS!  One day....

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 29, 2019 by oldshurst442

[G. David Felt]

37 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

I see what you did there...cutlass. A type of sword...

Transgression...his transgression of not acknowledging my friendliness towrds his car yet I am the one being truly rude by callingn him an asshat...

Very clever. Well done. Well played.

 

Phoque him!

One day... MY Oldsmobile Cutlass will be better than HIS!  One day....

 

Here is a Cutlass for you for sale: https://cars.trovit.com/listing/1972-oldsmobile-cutlass.U1v1z1h1MI1v1D

Or you can go the 442 route: https://cars.trovit.com/listing/1968-oldsmobile-442.1NE1iVvg1HJ

 

[Drew Dowdell]

Not that Cutlass... but ooooooO.

https://www.grandprizeauto.net/VehicleSearchResults?search=used&minYear=1999&make=Oldsmobile&model=Aurora

 

[Robert Hall]

Not many Oldses came up for sale on Auto Trader around here, but this 95 Cutlass Supreme convertible looks clean, only 55k miles.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=510478981&zip=44131&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D44131%26sortBy%3Drelevance%26incremental%3Dall%26firstRecord%3D0%26marketExtension%3Don%26makeCodeList%3DOLDS%26searchRadius%3D50&numRecords=25&firstRecord=0&makeCodeList=OLDS&searchRadius=50&makeCode1=OLDS&modelCode1=CSUPR&clickType=listing

 

 

[Drew Dowdell]

OOoooo and it's a 3.4 DOHC in a '95.  That's the perfect combo!  Has the better interior and the last year for the 3.4 Twin-cam. 

 

You temptress you!

[G. David Felt]

2 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

OOoooo and it's a 3.4 DOHC in a '95.  That's the perfect combo!  Has the better interior and the last year for the 3.4 Twin-cam. 

 

You temptress you!

Perfect for you and your mate to go driving down the coast with the top down!  

[oldshurst442]

1 hour ago, dfelt said:

Here is a Cutlass for you for sale: https://cars.trovit.com/listing/1972-oldsmobile-cutlass.U1v1z1h1MI1v1D

Or you can go the 442 route: https://cars.trovit.com/listing/1968-oldsmobile-442.1NE1iVvg1HJ

 

Not quite yet ready for one just yet.

It will be a 442 clone. Either a 1969 Hurst/Olds Clone or 1970 442 clone. 

Or it will be a numbers matching 1970 442 W30. 

If it will be a clone, it will NOT have an Olds 455 under the hood.  But a modern powerplant. But it will not be a ubiquitous LS/LT engine swap.  It will be a custom engine job.  kinda like a SD 455 cubic inch Trans Am depot engine based on the GM's LT engine series. Or a Hellephant 426 cubic inch engine based on Mopar's Hellcat/Demon/Redeye  Hemi.

Yes...if I was ready NOW, and I had the necessary 100 000 dollar plus budget for buying a number's matching 442 or building a quality show room clone 442, Id SERIOUSLY consider putting a 426 inch Hellephant engine in it.  Or even the Red Eye version Hemi.  

YES!  Id MOPAR my Oldsmobile!!! 

And yes!  Id consider putting "426" on the front of the car instead of "442"  and Id consider doing hockey stick graphics like the Hemi cars of old, instead of the Oldsmobile Hurst  graphics, which kinda look like MOPAR hockey stick graphics AND...Id have a logo that says HEMI/OLDS instead of HURST/OLDS on the side front fenders...

Yes...I dream a lot...but THAT is what keeps my dreams alive for owning a 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass one day.

Id even consider making the Cutlass an EV 442 clone...as of now...using Tesla Model S or Model 3 skate platform and putting the Cutlass body shell over the Tesla skate platform some how...

Id NEVER spend 100 000 dollars on a car.  But if my other retirement plans do not go through, this option is open for me.

If the other plans go through, then maybe Ill never own a 1970s Cutlass. 

If Im lucky enough to have my cake and eat it too, then Ill get to live my life with my wife in paradise and not worry about money at all when we are both old and grey, and my kids are living their lives without having to worry about money, and I still get to have my dream car....

If none of my plans go through...at least Ive had a nice dream to dream about all these years of hard work...

But...in the meantime. We save money for the future. My future, my wife's future and my kid's future and we see what happens...

[G. David Felt]

8 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Not quite yet ready for one just yet.

It will be a 442 clone. Either a 1969 Hurst/Olds Clone or 1970 442 clone. 

Or it will be a numbers matching 1970 442 W30. 

If it will be a clone, it will NOT have an Olds 455 under the hood.  But a modern powerplant. But it will not be a ubiquitous LS/LT engine swap.  It will be a custom engine job.  kinda like a SD 455 cubic inch Trans Am depot engine based on the GM's LT engine series. Or a Hellephant 426 cubic inch engine based on Mopar's Hellcat/Demon/Redeye  Hemi.

Yes...if I was ready NOW, and I had the necessary 100 000 dollar plus budget for buying a number's matching 442 or building a quality show room clone 442, Id SERIOUSLY consider putting a 426 inch Hellephant engine in it.  Or even the Red Eye version Hemi.  

YES!  Id MOPAR my Oldsmobile!!! 

And yes!  Id consider putting "426" on the front of the car instead of "442"  and Id consider doing hockey stick graphics like the Hemi cars of old, instead of the Oldsmobile Hurst  graphics, which kinda look like MOPAR hockey stick graphics AND...Id have a logo that says HEMI/OLDS instead of HURST/OLDS on the side front fenders...

Yes...I dream a lot...but THAT is what keeps my dreams alive for owning a 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass one day.

Id even consider making the Cutlass an EV 442 clone...as of now...using Tesla Model S or Model 3 skate platform and putting the Cutlass body shell over the Tesla skate platform some how...

Id NEVER spend 100 000 dollars on a car.  But if my other retirement plans do not go through, this option is open for me.

If the other plans go through, then maybe Ill never own a 1970s Cutlass. 

If Im lucky enough to have my cake and eat it too, then Ill get to live my life with my wife in paradise and not worry about money at all when we are both old and grey, and my kids are living their lives without having to worry about money, and I still get to have my dream car....

If none of my plans go through...at least Ive had a nice dream to dream about all these years of hard work...

But...in the meantime. We save money for the future. My future, my wife's future and my kid's future and we see what happens...

Ya need to go with the 502 Ramjet with the T56 manual! ?

[oldshurst442]

44 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

OOoooo and it's a 3.4 DOHC in a '95.  That's the perfect combo!  Has the better interior and the last year for the 3.4 Twin-cam. 

 

You temptress you!

I didn't like the newer interiors.

I preferred the original. Because it resembled the classic Cutlass interiors also...I preferred the fact that those interiors were also optioned with the digital readout.

1970

1980s G-Body Olds Cutlass

 

W-Body Cutlass Supreme

And digital version

 

Minus the digital screen where a that is clearly a modern upgrade where a plethora of buttons used to be. 

 

[Robert Hall]

A convertible for summer Saturdays along Ohio’s North Coast would be perfect.   Just saw a blue ‘00s Thunderbird w a black top. 

[oldshurst442]

Also...that dash design goes further than 1970...

A 1966 Olds Cutlass dash to beat a dead horse...completely...dead...

[Robert Hall]

Just saw a beautiful gold 69 Mustang Mach 1 at a light.  

[oldshurst442]

15 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

A convertible for summer Saturdays along Ohio’s North Coast would be perfect.   Just saw a blue ‘00s Thunderbird w a black top. 

Those are gorgeous too.

I dont get why the automotive world wanted bigger horsepower figures on that model. It was a cruiser. Not meant to be a bruiser. 

I guess the world then was thirsty for horsepower and torque.  But clearly didnt want Camaro or Trans Ams....

I get the concern for the lack of V8 and horsepower for the Plymouth Prowler, I just didnt understand it when some folk whined about that too for the Thunderbird. 

[Robert Hall]

I had a red Thunderbird for a long weekend rental in San Jose back in 04.  It was plenty powerful.  I enjoyed top down drives among the redwoods on Skyline Drive, around San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge and down to coast to Santa Cruz.  It was a sweet cruiser.  

[ocnblu]

Coincidentally I got passed yesterday evening (in my buggy) by a white, late model W-body Cutlass Supreme coupe.  Humming along at about 75.

[Drew Dowdell]

2 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

I didn't like the newer interiors.

I preferred the original. Because it resembled the classic Cutlass interiors also...I preferred the fact that those interiors were also optioned with the digital readout.

W-Body Cutlass Supreme

And digital version

 

1

That's the dash I had in mine.  While it looked fine, the plastic was very brittle and things easily fell apart.  I like the '95 because the interior is a bit more sturdy if slightly plainer. 

[oldshurst442]

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

That's the dash I had in mine.  While it looked fine, the plastic was very brittle and things easily fell apart.  I like the '95 because the interior is a bit more sturdy if slightly plainer. 

I gotcha! 

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by oldshurst442

[oldshurst442]

3 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

I had a red Thunderbird for a long weekend rental in San Jose back in 04.  It was plenty powerful.  I enjoyed top down drives among the redwoods on Skyline Drive, around San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge and down to coast to Santa Cruz.  It was a sweet cruiser.  

THAT must have been a very enjoyable drive.  Im feeling envy right about now. 

 

[Robert Hall]

51 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

THAT must have been a very enjoyable drive.  Im feeling envy right about now. 

 

It was a lot of fun.  It was April and the weather was quite nice.  That weekend ended with a twist.  After dropping the car off at Hertz and heading back to the San Jose airport on Sunday afternoon, I find out my flight home to Denver had been cancelled—-a blizzard in Colorado.  They said I wouldn’t be able to get on a flight out until Wednesday.   I checked w/ Hertz and Avis about a one-way rental to Denver.  Hertz wanted like $200 extra.  So at Avis I rented an Impala—no extra charge—and drove up to Reno for the night.  Then on Monday drove over 1000 miles from Reno to Denver via Salt Lake City and Wyoming.   Very scenic drive..

[balthazar]

I found this digging thru some old boxes. I used to be a 'Cadillac man' (and I still love some of the '50s era classics) but once I was able to start buying/working on cars of my own, they were too expensive for my budget, so I went with my other iron soulmate : Pontiac. This is my crudely whittled version of a tubbed '77-79 Cadillac. I probably made this in my mid-teens. 

[trinacriabob]

6 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

W-Body Cutlass Supreme

And digital version

 

Minus the digital screen where a that is clearly a modern upgrade where a plethora of buttons used to be. 

 

I'm guessing all of these are W-body Cutlasses?  Toward 1995, wasn't there a more rounded looking dashboard?  I once took one of those, a rental coupe (!) with a 3.1 V6, up to Vancouver, Canada.  It was white with alloys and plump black bucket seats.  It was comfortable and handled well, with good gas mileage to boot, but I only sort of liked it. I don't know what the terminology is or was, but Olds chose to give their W-bodied Cutlasses a blacked out C-pillar treatment that, IMO, looked terrible.  It took the Cutlass Supreme from being the best looking of the G-bodies to the worst looking of the W-bodies.  The design possibilities with a body colored C-pillar were there and the car could have still looked different enough to distinguish it from its W-body siblings.  The Cutlass Supreme is what enabled Olds to rocket upward in its heyday but was sadly a big contributor to its demise when they couldn't reinvent it properly.

[oldshurst442]

11 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

I'm guessing all of these are W-body Cutlasses?  Toward 1995, wasn't there a more rounded looking dashboard?  I once took one of those, a rental coupe (!) with a 3.1 V6, up to Vancouver, Canada.  It was white with alloys and plump black bucket seats.  It was comfortable and handled well, with good gas mileage to boot, but I only sort of liked it. I don't know what the terminology is or was, but Olds chose to give their W-bodied Cutlasses a blacked out C-pillar treatment that, IMO, looked terrible.  It took the Cutlass Supreme from being the best looking of the G-bodies to the worst looking of the W-bodies.  The design possibilities with a body colored C-pillar were there and the car could have still looked different enough to distinguish it from its W-body siblings.  The Cutlass Supreme is what enabled Olds to rocket upward in its heyday but was sadly a big contributor to its demise when they couldn't reinvent it properly.

Yup...all W-Body.

You would be correct on the rounded dashboard. This would be the last interior  of the W-Body Cutlass Supreme. 

 

I didnt like this dash. 

 

 

 

 

[ocnblu]

Two massively sad photos, especially after all the glorious 1960's and even the G-body Cutlass dash photos posted in herr.

[Robert Hall]

7 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

Yup...all W-Body.

You would be correct on the rounded dashboard. This would be the last interior  of the W-Body Cutlass Supreme. 

 

I didnt like this dash. 

 

Those have a lumpy, melted blobs of plastic look..cheap generic 90s looks...the despair gray on the second pic doesn't help either.  I like the sharper edges and well-defined openings of the older dash.

Edited May 30, 2019 by Robert Hall

[riviera74]

Those W-body dashboards reminds me a LOT of the dashboard in a '98 Intrigue I owned some years back.  Logo aside, there are very few differences between a '98 Intrigue and a '96 Cutlass Supreme inside.

[trinacriabob]

12 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

Yup...all W-Body.

You would be correct on the rounded dashboard. This would be the last interior  of the W-Body Cutlass Supreme. 

 

I didnt like this dash. 

 

I disagree on this one.  I like this dash more.  For one thing, it parallels what the Regal did at the end of its similar cycle as a coupe.  It went from the "ravine dash" to one similar to this.  In the case of the Buick, I prefer the old "ravine dash" because it had curved edges and the nice cowl across the top.  In the case of the Cutlass, I preferred this dash.  It's way better when there is a console. It was easier to work with, it had contrasting horizontal and vertical A/C vents, the glove box was large, and it was similar to the forthcoming Intrigue's dash.  I remember that the illumination was blue and that's my preferred dash illumination color when driving at night.

Edited May 30, 2019 by trinacriabob

[frogger]

Intrigue dash.. I had one of these too

[G. David Felt]

31 minutes ago, frogger said:

Intrigue dash.. I had one of these too

Such simple times compared to the Dashes of today!  

[trinacriabob]

For some reason, it works better on the Intrigue ... possibly, it's the smaller pods for different functions under the A/C vents rather than one big plastic one that reaches up that high. The glove box appears to be smaller but the big ARS lid is visible atop the dash on the passenger side.  The in-dash ignition switch is a big plus.  I prefer it over there.

I will always have a soft spot for this W-body and still see 20 year old Intrigues on the road!

[riviera74]

6 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

For some reason, it works better on the Intrigue ... possibly, it's the smaller pods for different functions under the A/C vents rather than one big plastic one that reaches up that high. The glove box appears to be smaller but the big ARS lid is visible atop the dash on the passenger side.  The in-dash ignition switch is a big plus.  I prefer it over there.

I will always have a soft spot for this W-body and still see 20 year old Intrigues on the road!

Same here.  I must admit I miss the G-bodies that preceded the W-bodies 22 years ago, mostly because of RWD.  (Years ago, before the Intrigue I had an '84 Cutlass Supreme.)  But I would say that the Intrigue was probably the best W-body built by GM.  As for the FWD G-bodies that replaced the RWD B-bodies, my '08 Lucerne is pretty good but I think I might want to trade it in one day for something more modern (although not the XTS, maybe the 2nd-gen LaCrosse).  Otherwise, I may have to consider shifting to a CUV.

Which one is the better choice: the GMC Terrain (SLT/Denali) or the Buick Envision (Premium I/II)?  Or should I save up for an XT5?

[Robert Hall]

Last day of the month, nice warm weather...out and about and saw a variety of interesting vehicles...a late 60s-early 70s GMC shortbed fleet side pickup in silver, a mint silver '65 Cadillac de Ville convertible w/ black top, a black CTS wagon (non-V), a very clean dark red early 90s Cadillac Sedan de Ville w/ padded top, a white '14-15 Camaro Z-28, an F8 green '19 Challenger Hellcat Redeye wide body....

[balthazar]

Silver C2 corvette convert, top down, mint stocker, hauling ass on highway.

[trinacriabob]

On 5/28/2019 at 11:25 PM, oldshurst442 said:

Gave him a thumbs up from a looooong distance, the phoquer either didnt see me (how could you not see me?  Two lane road, one going one way and the other going the other way...) Or he decided to ignore me....either way...asshat!

The world needs an icon for an asshat (great term) ... a clean one that everyone could use ... the question is whether the hat would vertical or horizontal in said icon.  Then there's a question of what the hat itself would be like ... a top hat, a sombrero, etc.?

Edited June 1, 2019 by trinacriabob

[trinacriabob]

On 5/30/2019 at 4:23 PM, riviera74 said:

Same here.  I must admit I miss the G-bodies that preceded the W-bodies 22 years ago, mostly because of RWD.  (Years ago, before the Intrigue I had an '84 Cutlass Supreme.)  But I would say that the Intrigue was probably the best W-body built by GM.  As for the FWD G-bodies that replaced the RWD B-bodies, my '08 Lucerne is pretty good but I think I might want to trade it in one day for something more modern (although not the XTS, maybe the 2nd-gen LaCrosse).  Otherwise, I may have to consider shifting to a CUV.

Which one is the better choice: the GMC Terrain (SLT/Denali) or the Buick Envision (Premium I/II)?  Or should I save up for an XT5?

I had a '84 Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe.  It was the most comfortable car I've ever owned.  (It was a hand me down.) I never did buy a new Intrigue, though I very badly wanted to.

I was in a Buick showroom just recently and test sat in the E triplets ... the Envision looks glassy enough from the outside but has a whole different view from the inside out, meaning the exterior is deceiving.  I also saw what the sticker looks like and was surprised it was that high on the one on the floor.  The Encore, as you know, is small.  The Enclave is the only one that, to me, has a conventional and generous enough greenhouse from both outside and inside, but it's a heavier vehicle and costs more money.

Personally, I would be indifferent between Buick and GMC for CUV-SUV products just as long as the visibility factor from the inside is good and the vehicle is equipped with a naturally aspirated 3.6 V6.  I also prefer cloth seats, especially in hot or cold climates.

[oldshurst442]

18 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

The world needs an icon for an asshat (great term) ... a clean one that everyone could use ... the question is whether the hat would vertical or horizontal in said icon.  Then there's a question of what the hat itself would be like ... a top hat, a sombrero, etc.?

In light with everything that is going on in politics today...

 

[Robert Hall]

1 minute ago, oldshurst442 said:

In light with everything that is going on in politics today...

 

Yummm...makes me think of tacos..quesadillas...burritos...tortas...nachos...chiles rellenos...

[oldshurst442]

11 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Yummm...makes me think of tacos..quesadillas...burritos...tortas...nachos...chiles rellenos...

Me too. But not for Mexican.

I want pizza I think!

[Robert Hall]

Saw a sharp 73 Grand Prix. Rolling on Cragar SS mags.  Custom purple-blue paint.  Nice rumble. 

[trinacriabob]

On 6/1/2019 at 4:29 PM, oldshurst442 said:

In light with everything that is going on in politics today...

 

I can see how one would think of (American) politics but this was often in the logos of Mexican restaurants in California.  I like Mexican food but I don't love it.

- - - - -

Interesting car spotting ... sort of ...

Yesterday, I saw an Alero coupe.  I like those and am happy to see them motoring about.  However, it was an interesting dark blue-turquoise color I don't recall.  It looked sharp on the coupe.  Then, earlier today, I saw an Alero sedan in the exact same color.  Both were in respectable condition.

That little coupe would have been a nice car to putt around in ... throw in a beige cloth interior, buckets, console, and a sunroof.

- - - - -

My apologies - we're in June now.

Edited June 3, 2019 by trinacriabob