This driveway off the alley is just three houses away from me. It’s owned by an elderly couple, but at least two of their kids have moved back in recently. To help out, or get a head start in living in their likely future home when the parents die? Anyway, the driveway has become quite eclectic as a result. Too bad the red Ford Festiva wasn’t there the day I shot these; but that may be because it’s the only one currently running.
The Honda looks like it’s in the process of some front end work. I haven’t seen the Subaru or VW bus move since their arrival, so maybe they’re the backups.
And the Chrysler convertible, which belongs to the parents, hasn’t moved in quite a while. That may be a reflection more on their health than the car’s, but I don’t really know.
I miss alleys. I have lived in a couple of places with them over the years.
It occurs to me that there are probably not a lot of convertibles in Oregon?
Well I can’t speak to OR but in W. WA also known for its rainy climate Convertibles are fairly popular. Get denied the sun for several months and you are likely to take every opportunity you have to get the most out of it. Plus since we typically have rather mild summers you have a lot of opportunities where it is nice to put the top down rather than it being so hot you need the top up and AC on.
My wife and I are moving up to WA in a couple of months. Bringing the convertible with us of course. I am looking forward to being able to drive it during the summer with the top down, It’s way too hot here in the summer to do it very long. I drove it the middle days of this week and the weather was perfect for it (70s & 80s).
P.S. My oldest daughter lives in Eugene so I suspect I’ll cruise down there and check up on Paul and the CCs at some point.
If I still had a true convertible that I could just throw a couple of latches and push a button I would have dropped the top today. Nice and sunnin and in the mid to upper 40’s in the late afternoon.
I assume you are moving to W. WA because in E. WA you’ll still have many days where it is too hot to drop the top in my opinion. Now in W. WA typical summer highs are in the upper 70’s to low/mid 80’s, perfect for dropping the top to me. Now on that week where are in the 90’s and even occasionally hitting 100 that just means dropping the top in the morn, putting it up in the late afternoon and dropping it again for the eve.
If you’d like any help in finding your new home let me know, whether you are looking to buy or rent.
I’m going to add to Eric’s comment by saying it’s actually a very good convertible climate. Obviously not during the rainy winters, but like California, we have a very long dry summer with little or no rain (half the year), and it’s not humid or hot (mostly). So the good half of the year is perfect for rag tops, and we have huge amounts of scenic roads with not much traffic on them to enjoy top down motoring.
To compound on that it is not that uncommon to see the hard core people put the top down on a sunny winter day. A couple of weekends ago it was a nice sunny 40 something degree day and coming the other way were 3 early Corvettes were out for a drive, all 3 were converts and two of them had the top down.
Back when I was much younger I would typically find at least one or two days of every month in the calendar where I put the top down. I’d leave the windows up and crank the heat all the way up on def/floor. Since my only driving topless vehicles right now are my Scouts that require unbolting the top I don’t go topless in the winter any more. On the other hand there have been a number of summers where I’ve left the top off for several weeks at a time.
If I could, I’d take the VW Camper, or the Subaru. Both have the boxer engine. The Subaru is awd, while the VW is rear-engined. 🙂
Yes
Typical scenario. The garage is probably used as a storage locker and you can’t get to it anyway so the Honda gets worked on out in the weather.
You are more charitable than me. I would simply call it an eyesore (to put it nicely).
What an eclectic collection indeed and of course the Dutch Brothers stickers adds to the atmosphere. If the Sebring works then they should renew the registration since it is not good for cars to sit, especially in Oregon.
that Sebring may not be operable…looks to be at least some front end damage as that appears to be the front bumper cover bowed out to the side. Also the windows appear to be at automatic drop level when the top is lowered… Can’t imagine they would be left at that stance in a damp climate if it was self motile…enough rain gets in, the water pools, and fries the amp under the drivers seat.
Good point about the windows and I just assumed there was a plastic trash can in front of it.
Looks like the tags have been expired for several years as well.
Only since 2016.
2017 stickers are White
2018 is Yellow
2019 is Fuschia
2020 is Green
2021 is Blue
2022 is Red
2023 is White.
The Civic looks great even in its sad derelict state. It’s crazy to think how low and sleek it is. It’s an economy car yet it is lower than many a sports car. Gorgeous.
We do have places looking like this, but they are outside “Nutbush City” limit.
Parents may need help with activities with daily living, but that is no reason to have derelict autos laying about. What a mess. This needs addressing, and pronto. I had an elderly neighbour come to my door and ask what was gonna happen to an old Pontiac I had laying in my back yard for months. Suggested I have it removed. I appreciated his point of view. I never really thought about it befor. I had it towed to the wrecker shortly thereafter. I later came to find out he could have easily called the bylaw office and then I might be also paying a fine for derelict vehicles on property. It’s a law that’s there to protect property values of neighbours. Who wants to try and sell a home with this mess next door? Anybody?