A 90 Minute Bike Ride Yields Quite A Few Curbside Finds

Stephanie had a massage appointment in a part of town I don’t get too very often. It’s a typical post-war residential development area, with houses from the late ’40s through the ’60s. We rode there on our tandem bike, and while she had her 90 minute session, I decided to ride around this neighborhood and see what might be worth stopping for, or slowing down enough for a quick shot.

I’ll leave you to decide how worthy these finds were.

I’m going to post them in the order I found them, starting with this Rabbit Diesel. These used to be very prolific here, during the Greater Biodiesel Epoch, and there’s still a smattering about. These bunnies are hard to kill.

And a nice old Chevy Step van in that driveway.

I didn’t need to take a close look at the badge to know it was a diesel.

This looks to be a 1981 edition.

This gen2 Celica Liftback has seen better days and will likely never see them again. I’m a fan of these CALTY styled gen2s.

Around the corner sat this pristine 1990 Pontiac Bonneville SSE.

It’s got gold exterior trim.

The inside is equally pristine. What a time capsule.

As they become rarer and older, my appreciation for GM iron from this era is growing on me.

And back around the corner is another beautifully kept white big American car, in this case a late-stage Mercury Marquis.

It’s a 1995, to be more specific. But it would still be five more years before the end of the road for these.

The Panther lives! And it’s facing a fine old F150.

A very well kept truck, a 1987 with 4WD too. It’s got the 5.0 L V8 and not the 300 CID six, but I won’t hold that against it.

A somewhat unusual two-tone paint job, seems to me. Nice.

Speaking of old GM iron growing on me, that applies to this Buick LeSabre. I like the way the windshield, A pillar and front side windows are integrated with each other.

Its butt is a bit sunburned. And it looks like it hasn’t moved in a while.

A hardbody Nissan pickup. So many more Toyotas of this vintage than Nissans still around.

Eugenians are very big on outdoor recreation, so vans and Jeeps and such are a common sight. But these VW Eurovans are getting a bit scarce.

Smarts are getting rather rare too. Where did they all go to?

One of several old Toyota pickups. And a gen1 Lexus RX300. Two long life mobiles.

There’s a surprising number of these gen1 Honda CRVs still around, although this one seems not to be getting much use.

I saw at least two gen1 Priuses. The Energizer Bunny.

An old Camry and a slightly less old one in the driveway. I have some neighbors that went through numerous generations of these, all used. Cheap wheels.

Finally, something truly vintage: A Volvo 142.

I have always had a soft spot for this generation Honda Accord. It’s my favorite of all of them. Mike mine a 5-speed FI EX. Another old Toyota pickup in front of it.

And in my preferred color too.

Another old Volvo 142, just less than a block away. It’s not exactly original though.

A neo-510 Datsun. There’s another one of these around I’ve shot several times, but this is the first time for this one.

It was inevitable.

And just a couple of houses down there was another one. This looks to be a couple of years younger, a ’70, possibly a ’71.

I do love me an old hearse. reminds me of the late ’60s and early ’70s when these were an excellent alternative to a VW bus: lots of room in back, but with a bit more zip.

Lots of requisite bumper stickers.

All decked out for camping, except for the mattress.

Its proud maker.

This is what I call a proper station wagon, to take you to the next station in life.

Big tires and all ready to go explore the great unknown.

One of the official cars of Eugene; the city council has passed a resolution calling them a cultural and historical artifact and given them protected status.

Not exactly vintage, but I have a bit of a thing for these. Not sure I can put my finger on why, but some feelings don’t necessarily have to be explained or rationalized.

A little car and a big tree.

There has to be a VW Vanagon/T3; this one with a tall roof. Hope it’s not a diesel. Yes, the Subaru Outback is the official newer car of Eugene. There’s at least three on every block; that’s been mandated by the City Council too.

One of these is a turkey; the other not.

There’s a late ’60s Buick Electra hiding in the garage.

Ford Aerostars are also getting rather scarce. But not nearly as scarce as the Deathstar (Windstar).

An Audi…200? Turbo? resting in the grass. And yes, that’s how tall the grass gets here if it’s not mowed every third day at this time of year. There’s a reason the Willamette Valley produces the overwhelming bulk of grass seed for the world.

The official minivan of Eugene, once the official taxi cab of Eugene. There’s still a decent number. Unkillable.

The winner of the most stereotypical Eugene driveway award. The Prius is out on an errand just now.

Ooh! Something a bit different from the usual old Corolla.

This is from the third generation, which arrived in 1974. I had a lot of seat time in one of those, and managed to hit an indicated 100 at night on the way to Death Valley.

A former official car of Eugene. Not protected by decree, but the city gives out a small annual $7.42 stipend to anyone who keeps these in running condition and parked at the curb. It’s called the curbside classic subsidy.

Got to show that tailgate. It reminds many of an ATM machine, but it’s a monkey’s butt in my eyes.

Another old Accord. I know they still make new Accords but I sure don’t see many on the streets anymore. They’ve become almost exotic.

A J60 Toyota Land Cruiser. It has a “diesel” badge on the front, but I’m quite sure they never offered that in the US. So it’s either a private import or an imposter.

A very familiar face. This 1962 “unibody” Ford F100 has been here for decades, ever since the first time I ever went down this street. But it looks to run and get driven, given the lack of road growth underneath it. And yes, grass will eventually grow on the pavement here after enough years.

Looks like it still gets used to haul stuff, just like mine does. Keep on truckin’!

A Prius and a rather heavy trailer. I couldn’t resist.

Suzuki Samurai!  Gawd, these were everywhere once upon a time.

A former CC. Nice butch Scout.

And a jacked up Cherokee across the street. I suspect that’s not a coincidence.

And another Cherokee just a couple houses over. This one’s an ex-Forest Service number.

A couple of bumpside Ford pickups.

A Jetta Mk2 lover lives here.

The 2-door sedans were not that common.

And down and across the street we have VW Beetle #3, this one a ’68 or ’69.

A gen3 Mercury Tracer.

And a gen3 Celica Liftback.

A car lover(s) lives here.

This swb Toyota 4×4 pickup is sprouting both a slide in camper and a large luggage tray in front. Maybe to balance each other out?

Still my beating heart. An early Fiero 2M4. And a Mercedes W210. Not my favorite cars, but a bit sad to see them in this condition.

It was the El Camino that stopped me. But then I saw what was inside the garage.

A very nice ’66 Corvette coupe. The elderly owner was there and we struck up a conversation. He asked me if I knew anyone looking to buy one of these, as after 25 years of ownership, it was time to say goodbye to his baby. He does not have a smart phone or even the internet in his house, a real exception these days. He doesn’t want to advertise it; he’s just hoping to find someone who might want it. I did, like mad when I was ten and eleven, and even later in life,  and I mulled it over briefly, but it’s just not the thing for me right now. But if any of you is interested, let me know.

It’s got the sweet 327, the 300 hp version I assume, as it has factory air even. And a four speed. It’s been repainted but it’s supposedly the original color. It’s not exactly concours condition, but looks quite nice.

Now if someone was offering this to me…It’s my favorite van ever, an International Metro.

Another protected cultural artifact.

See what I said about the grass growing in the street? But it’s not because this 1996 DeVille isn’t getting driven; it clearly is.

It too is in very good shape.

The leather is showing a bit of wear, but I actually like it like this. Makes it look like an old leather living room chair.

No, these do not qualify for any historical or cultural subsidies from the City of Eugene.

A late ’40s Chevy in the garage. With dual exhausts, although quite small ones. It could still have its six.

Speaking of sixes, this GMC pickup caught my eye. Always been a fan of these, especially their big sixes.

This badge caught my eye: Hydramatic. I’d like to have that badge.

Given the later model steering column, I very much doubt it still has the original Hydramatic or the six. More likely a THM350 behind a Chevy 350. Oh well.

I would love to have one of these and put in the bigger displacement 302 inch Jimmy six.

This is not the only Winnebago LeSharo in town, bit it is the worst one, in terms of its condition. I’m guessing its Renault gas or diesel four banger might have given up its fantôme.

Chevy Cobalts are now shockingly rare. The anti-Corolla.

At first I thought this Grand Caravan was sporting a body kit. But then I saw the IMS sticker on back; it’s been modified for the disabled but seems to be riding a bit low.

A Ford lover lives here: a gen1 Escort (GT?), a fox Mustang and a venerable pickup.

I checked the time and it was time to go back and get Stephanie, so this is the end of this little sojourn on the streets of Eugene. You never know what you’re going to find, obviously. That’s why I keep doing this…