When was the last time you saw a Dodge 400? Mike Hayes found this one. If you need a refresher, it was Dodge’s version of the Chrysler LeBaron. These two were the first move upscale of the lowly Chrysler K-Car. As usual, we have the full story of the 400 in our vast archives. It’s worth 400 seconds of your time.
This generation of Mazda 626s has largely disappeared from the streets in the US due to the very weak Ford CD4E automatic, which for some reason has an even higher failure rate in the 626. This one was found by Roshake and given its location in Europe is undoubtedly a manual.
There’s never too many 2002s to spend a moment in veneration. Or just appreciation. It could well be the perfect polar opposite of the typical modern car, in terms of its shape and greenhouse. This one was shot by Foden Alpha.
Mike Hayes also found and shot this gen1 Monte Carlo. Graft a long nose on a Chevelle coupe and create a huge winner. Who says length isn’t important?
Trabantino found something quite different on the streets of Paris, a Rosengart Super traction LR539.
Once everywhere, now increasingly a genuine find: the GM-10 Buick Regal coupe, caught by chrisjcieslak. The GM-10 program may well have been GM’s deadliest sin in terms of dollars lost.
Trabantino also found this Renault 6 TL FASA, built in Spain in 1976.
Someone loves their Saab 900 Turbo Convertible. And why not? It looks like it’s wearing a scarf. Shot by J.C.
Something a bit more utilitarian, a Hyundai H-100 van. Shot by Roshake in Budapest.
The little limousine, or the poor man’s Seville: a 1984-1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme sedan, shot by hyperpack.
Something a bit more contemporary, a BYD Seal, shot by Nathan Williams. It’s roughly comparable to the Tesla M3.
These Nissan Stanza Wagons (Prairie) used to be so common in Eugene. Now they’re all gone, but canadiancatgreen found this one in Canada. They were one of the key pioneers of the minivan-MPV segment. Full story on these here.
Last but most certainly not least is this fine veteran 1964 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Holiday hardtop sedan. I just recently did a story on the ’63 Ninety Eight Luxury Sedan in case you missed it.
That’s it for today, but there’s a lot more at the CC Cohort. Check it out yourself or come back for the next gallery.
I had a 1991 Regal sedan as my 1st car. It was pretty nice for the times, the interior was very well put together and plush with acres of burgandy velour. A LOT nicer inside than the junky looking Pontiac Grand Prix or Lumina.
Its amazing how bad the GM-10 cars flopped after how well the 1980s Regal/Cutlass Supreme/Monte Carlo sold. One thing GM really screwed up on was introducing the sedans 2-3 years later than the coupes(the 1991 Regal sedan was the first year, available in the fall of 1990) The sedan versions sold pretty well, a lot better than the coupes. Surely though GM could have seen that baby boomers were starting families in the 1980s and trading in their personal luxury coupes for sedans, wagons and minivans. And it wasnt like the 1950s/60s where coupes were family cars, kids were buckled into car seats. Which was a major PITA in a 2 door and led to the death of that segment IMO
I still see a few Mazda 626 automatics between 1994-2000 not that I would ever touch one of them. What I do find interesting is that I have never seen a manual for sale.
As for the 400 I just saw an 1989 Aires with the turbo four for sale. Body and interior in great condition. Hmm. Ran the plates through the BAR and found last registered and smog tested in 2021. So I sent a message asking about that since BAR updates every night. The reply back was asking me if I am some smart ass for even asking. What the heck. Is this the new way to sell cars on Craigslist and Marketplace? Shut up and just pay me?
It is interesting seeing the Dodge 400 K-car. The rear windows don’t roll down. GM got tons of criticism for making the rear windows fixed on their A bodies, but it was never mentioned for other brands.
The original 1981 Reliant and Aries, had fixed rear side windows on sedans. Same as GM’s 1978 intermediates. According to Popular Science at the time, Chrysler engineers noted, “the vent window assembly is 20 percent more expensive. And costs more to install.”
Not that unusual for a 2-door to have fixed rear quarter windows, but pretty odd for the back door windows on a 4-door. The K-cars did eventually get roll-down windows for ’83-on.
As for the rationale, I gather (as you say) it wasn’t so much a matter of cost but, rather, maximizing hip room for backseat passengers in a downsized body. Fixed windows allowed them to eliminate armrests extending from the inner door skin into the cabin, and instead make elbow room with a cove recessed into the door cavity where the window would otherwise roll down.
The recessed rear armrests on the back doors of the GM A/G bodies were incredibly cumbersome to use as armrests. The recessed area was to far forward to easily nest your arm into, with your elbow getting poked by the non-recessed portion behind it needed to clear the doorjamb.
The white, “Olds Cutlass” looks like it’s sitting in any of a thousand western PA, locations.
Thanks for posting these pictures!
I kept seeing that Olds Holiday Hardtop around town, but your article motivated me to hunt it down, it was still in the last location I had seen it.
The GM10 cars were blandly styled, especially the early ones, but had excellent space utilization and had good reliability IIRC, which is why it seems so many are still lurking.
That Rosengart Super traction LR539 looks so cool, seems to have some Ford styling influence. Or maybe it was the other way around.
I remember those Nissan Stanza Wagons, they were fairly common in parts of SoCal, along with the Dodge Colt Vista. Haven’t seen either in ages, I assume because the automatic transmissions don’t last, and I betcha most were ordered that way.
Growing up I always thought of a BMW 2002 as a normal sized car, but when I see one in modern traffic I am always surprised at how small it looks. I think the E30 was actuallya better looking car and still small and light. When the BMW 1 series came out I was appalled by the 3,000 lb curb weight.
K cars are never seem here except on CC, nobody sent any as Chrysler was then extinct here and Mitsubishi who took over the mess had their own cars to sell, better? maybe, maybe not,
Hyundai H100 and its derivatives are very popular here early efforts that are mostly a Mitsubishi L 300 in disguise are getting rarer but the later models are everywhere doing van things.
BYD have arrived here not sire when they first showed up but theres a lot of them on the roads suddenly on several shapes n sizes, they arent the only Chinese made EV on the road but they sure are popular and fueling places for EVs are proliferating rapidly so I expect to see more of them.
So many nice survivors here .
I’m accustomed to survivors being all beat up, these look decent .
The Renault 6 beckons me .
Even the So. Cal. junkyards are empty of K – Cars now =8-( .
-Nate
The first three generations of Mazda 626 were terrific and full of neat features; everything after that was painfully dull.
The Canadian Nissan shown was sold as the Multi there. Despite the name used in the US, it was based on the Sentra/Sunny platform, not the Stanza.