Aug. 23 Weekly Open Thread - Heartwarming Feel-Good Edition
Time once again to gather in the back room of the Car Lust garage for a cup of coffee and pleasant conversation on whatever topic strikes your fancy.
We have a couple of stories from the past week to share with you. The first appeared in the comments thread to Chris Hafner's post on the Dodge Mirada, and it comes from reader and frequent commenter "Yankee":
"Well, you guys have done it... after reading this article it's actually made me want to start looking for one. I remarked earlier that I'd love to find a mint-condition low mileage 83 model... well guess what I found? A one-owner 83 with 79K original miles on it with a price that (in my opinion) isn't too far out of line - the biggest pisser is that it's all the way in Connecticut and I'm in Louisiana.
"So, hope you're happy. I'm actually seriously considering this car now when I have no business to do so, I really don't have the $ to spend on something this frivilous... and yet it's still calling my name...."
Influential blogger Glenn Reynolds, better known as "The Instapundit," links to dozens of articles every day, and has seen fit to mention Car Lust from time to time. One of his readers wrote in to thank him for one posting...
…which linked to a Car Lust post celebrating the Mercury Grand Marquis. It prompted me to do some research, and I’m now the proud owner of a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis. I’m 31, and the Grand Marquis is a grandpa car, but all of my young friends are believers after riding in my living room on wheels.
Stories like that, with a happy ending, they get you right *here*, don't they?
Anyone else out there who's found the car of their dreams (obsessions?) by way of Car Lust? If so, let us know below.
--Cookie the Dog's Owner
Chris Hafner on August 23, 2010 at 09:09 AM
This might be too obvious to mention, but Car Lust inspired me to buy my Audi. I had been in a pattern of buying practical cars and lusting after interesting cars from afar, but the blog and the people who participate helped push me towards actually buying a car that I like.
Chris Hafner on August 23, 2010 at 09:12 AM
By the way, speaking of Audi Coupe GTs, the 7,000-mile CGT that was on eBay just sold for $15,000. It's a gorgeous car - it would have been fun to use that as a parts car for my considerably more ratty example.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130421290784&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT
That Car Guy on August 23, 2010 at 10:08 AM
Thanks to a kind commenter, I have some good links to the Transalp I've wanted for 25 years. Maybe something will happen yet!
Jim on August 23, 2010 at 06:27 PM
I've been (mostly) lurking here for the past couple of years, enjoying the scenic drives down memory lane and the frequently hilarious detours into the automotive equivalents of "the world's largest ball of string." Some of the stories reminded me of younger days tearing up northern NM back roads with my buddies in a succession of late 70's VW Sciroccos & Rabbits.
After a post on the original VW Scirocco I, and a later ode to the 16V variant, I caught the bug and began looking for a nice 16V that was close enough to drive back home to TX.
Well, this March I found the one I'd been looking for in Denver. After a couple weeks of emails, a quick plane flight and a thoroughly enjoyable visit with the 3rd owner, I found myself motoring back home in a vintage 1987 silver 16V 'rocco with 170K on the clock. Runs just as wonderfully as I'd imagined (all the VW's I owned back in the day were 8V models). Thanks to everyone who contributes to this superb blog for the entertaimment and the inspiration.
Educatordan on August 23, 2010 at 06:39 PM
Well between this blog and The Truth About Cars, I'm pretty well convinced that I should "go out on a limb" and get something that I really want. I'm 33, don't have any kids yet, I'm with a wonderful woman who will support me whatever I want to do... I'm gonna buy something kind of cool, for me that probably means a giant luxury barge built between 1970 and the mid 1990s. I know that's a huge range but before I started reading these kinds of blogs I would have only rolled the dice on a used car a couple of years old.
Whatever it ends up being, it will be a daily driver (relating to the earlier posts) and I've got back up transportation so I'm not worried.
Bob on August 24, 2010 at 11:51 AM
Not the car of my dreams, but I always thought the late 80's Toyota's were not bad. I'm now the proud owner of an '89 4-cyl Camry with 75k miles. Not a bad little driver. Needs a new radio so I can see the channel. Bought it to replace the '96 Cavalier (180k + miles) my favorite No. 4 child is driving. She likes the Cavalier better and it is still running, so Dad gets to squeeze himself into the Camry while waiting for the Chevy to self-distruct.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on August 24, 2010 at 05:15 PM
Rare car sighting of the week: a DeLorean inbound to downtown Akron as I was outbound.
Shawn on August 24, 2010 at 06:38 PM
While getting a safety inspection for my car today at a local garage I spotted my rare car sighting of the week sitting on the lot. A 1984-era ASC/McLaren Mercury Capri convertible in appropriately garish 80's accessorized form. Was just reading up on these here, they are a pretty rare find: http://www.ascmclaren.com/
Bill T. on August 24, 2010 at 07:15 PM
One of my all-time favorites is the '60 or '61 Chrysler 300 letter series with the ram-induction system - two four barrels that fed opposing cylinder banks. The grille had a slightly forward tilt, which almost made it look predatory. I knew one person who had one, and he had the ram-induction system removed because it was too hard on gas. He went to a single four-barrel carb. I came across a Chrysler website written by a man whose family owned a Chrysler Corp. dealership in the '50's and '60's. One of the options on that specific 300 was a four-speed manual. He mentioned that only 7 or 9 were ever ordered, and of those, all but two are in private hands. If one were to turn up, it would be a rarity.
CJinSD on August 25, 2010 at 10:38 PM
Bill T.,
Based on your mention of the 4-speeds, I think you're talking about the 1960 Chrysler 300F. The easy way to determine if you're recalling a 300F is that it combined the crossbar grill with horizontal qual headlights. The 1961 300G had diagonally oriented headlights. A friend of mine has a pristine 300G, and considers it the last of the great Virgil Exner forward look cars because the fins were clipped the following year. The 4-speed manual transmissions wer made in France, and I believe the Pont-A-Mousson transmissions were available because of Chrysler's position as engine supplier for Dual Ghias at the time.
CJinSD on August 26, 2010 at 09:44 AM
A correction of what I posted above, it was Chrysler's supplier relationship with Facel Vega rather than Dual Ghia that put them onto the Pont-A-Mousson 4-speed manual transmissions used in a few 1960 300Fs.
kenny heggem on September 24, 2010 at 01:07 PM
Jim: Congrats on the 16v Scirocco. Bump it up to a 2 liter, add a Techtonics exhaust, and K&N... if it does not already have some mods as it is :)
Love the 16v motor... my fave V Dub engine