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…
Wow that’s quite a bit to see in only 90 minutes. I appreciate that grey 142 Volvo, haven’t seen one in ages.
The white/gold Bonneville made me laugh, I used to work with a mechanical designer who was an older Greek guy. He was a notoriously aggressive driver, I remember several times when I was stuck in traffic on the highway his white/gold Bonneville would go flying past on the shoulder!
Lovely Corvette, not what I need at this time though.
Never warmed to that generation. Looked like a “Cutlass”, or “Gran Am”, with a swelling issue.
That’s a Supra, my friend, not just a Celica. And rather nice too, at least from the distance although perhaps the fallen off cover means it needs something to be put back in regular use. And the splendor in the grass Audi looks to be a 5000 CS Quattro, probably a 1987 and definitely a manual.
These are for whatever reason my favorite CC posts, just the walks or rides around town documenting whatever pops up with literally something for everyone to enjoy. Another great one with lots of treats.
Hard to tell if that’s a Celica or Supra without seeing the nose. The Celica GT-S of that gen was pretty much identical to the Supra from the firewall back, including the fender flares in back and front. If the rear bumper and hatch were black, that’d at least confirm it as an early second-gen Supra, but they changed those to body color just like the Celica from ’83-on.
Can confirm that Audi is a 5000CS quattro going by the size and style of the badging and the VW-style door handles, both of which changed for the 100/200 facelift.
Definitely a Supra. I think the upper spoiler was Supra-specific. Plus it says “SUPRA” across the back in faded letters
and you did this all riding around on a bike, stopping, and taking pictures with no one going “hey, what are you doing.” I stopped once while driving, on the opposite side of the rode to take a picture of a group of older cars in a front yard, and within 10 seconds a man was out the front door yelling at me. He clearly had excellent vision. So naturally walking around the neighborhood shooting cars with a camera makes me stand out as suspicious.
I’ve only been there a handful of times, but I’m going to wager that Eugene is not the sort of place where people commonly dash outside to yell at people taking pictures of their cars. More of a live and let live kind of thing.
That said, I definitely encounter some not so friendly folks when I stop to photograph cars. But it’s random. Most people I’ve found either don’t notice or let you be as long as you’re not physically on their property.
I’m very grateful I don’t live in your part of the world. Mince is mellow. I’ve never once in almost 20 years had an issue that I couldn’t defuse almost instantly as soon as I I explained what I was doing. On this particular bike ride, on a beautiful Saturday, it seems like nobody was home anyway. Too nice of a day.
What a treasure trove of old vehicles from every walk of life. That must have been fun.
Interesting that within the first group of vehicles were three American brands and all three were the “sport” (term used gently here) trim. That Pontiac being the most sporty, but that Mercury had the performance/touring package that gave you the nicer (fatter) alloy rims and dual exhaust. Then the Buick had the gran touring suspension package which didn’t give more power like the Mercury did, but it gave different shocks, fatter alloy rims with improved handling. And both those big American cars would have come standard with black wall tires with those packages.
Judging by the stickers on it (mainstream alternative bands such as the Ramones and Sublime, coupled with some punk bands, and what appears to be a music equipment supply store in Salt Lake City), the hearse may be a band’s gig mobile.
Old (but not too old) used hearses were very prized in the 1970’s into the 1980’s by starting-out bands because they had enough room for all the amps, guitars, and drum kit needed to set up at a show, and had rollers on the loading bed, to help with sliding caskets in and out. There isn’t much difference between loading an amp and a casket. Hearses also tended to get less mileage than a used van because they pretty much only go from the mortuary to the local cemeteries and back, at most 3 or 4 times a day. Plus, for business reasons, they were kept cosmetically pristine. If you didn’t have much money, a hearse was the primo band vehicle to buy.
This one looks more like a musician’s work vehicle than a camper to me.
You mustn’t be entirely kidding about the three-day lawn growth! I’ve never seen so much over-growth, of everything. Talk about lush. Suddenly strikes me Eugene must be my idea of hell in spring: an endless round of motor-mowers, and, then, inevitably, unavoidably, undesirably, a competing symphony from the machine literally invented by torturers, the leaf-blowers.
I’m a bit fascinated by the streetscape. I grew up in a post-war ’50’s/’60’s working-class suburb, and the block sizes, the housing stock (and condition), the dead cars, the unkempt lawns and garden beds (of busy workers back then), it’s all very reminiscent of my outer ‘burb as it was. Even the greenery in spring. No-one with any much money to spare: not exactly poor, but far, far from rich. My ancient dad’s still there, but alas, when visiting now, it’s all torn down and three or four brick uglies to a block, and not much gardens left. The houses are worth a lot (as all housing in this country is). It’s pretty interesting that Eugene still has what looks like a sizeable pocket of folk who don’t seem to be that well-off.
Oh, there were cars, that’s right! That beautifully-kept Bonneville is arrestingly awful amongst all the green, amatuerish beyond reason. No wonder it was so hard to take US cars seriously for so long.
The 142 Volvo for me, to my surprise. Looks really decent.
Very cool collection, a living outdoor museum. I especially like the ’87 F-150.
Thank you for sharing all these!
Paul, BUY THE CORVETTE!
A wide variety that can only be seen in the countryside. They’re all so striking that I can’t choose one in particular.
Had one of those Bonnevilles as a company car. It was a pretty nice highway cruiser well suited for its role as a traveling salesman’s mount. I didn’t want to turn it in when it was due for replacement. Luckily the Dodge Caravan that replaced it proved just as well suited for the role.
But that IH Metro – hoo boy would I like to own a nice one. Absolutely no idea of what I’d do with it or even where I’d park it. But they have to rank (IMO) as one of the neatest pieces of Americana’s transportation history ever to roll off an assembly line.
You saw more classics in 90 minutes than I see in a year outside of car shows. The joy of living in Massachusetts.
I hope the guy with the C2 “knows what he has”.
Besides that I would take the Bonneville or one of the Beetles. Or the Metro.
A five old Volvo post! Wow. And all look to be in decent shape; except for the red 142 which sadly has the look of a car being tortured by someone under the age of 25 and probably the poor thing’s next stop will be the junkyard. I can forgive rattle can paint. But painting the grille is kind of inexcusable.
Love the green and white Metro van. That would absolutely be my choice for a van and/or something to vehicle-camp in. I definitely would NOT camp in a hearse. No matter how much interior retrofitting had been done or exterior bumper stickers had been applied. Hard pass on that.
Wow! Just wow.
I loved that era of Honda Accord, and my 2nd car, after an 88 Prelude Si 5sp in barbados yellow was a 1990 Honda Accord EX sedan, 5-speed, silver with burgundy interior. The wheels on the Accord are from a ’98 or ’99 EX sedan – I know this because my daily driver is a 1999 Honda Accord EX sedan, sadly with automatic. The car is intersting though as it belonged to my best friend’s parents. I made an off hand comment to them 20 years ago that I wanted first right of refusal when it came time to sell. Last spring, that time came and now it’s mine…$500, 90k miles, amazing condition. They wanted to get rid of it because it was leaking oil – I replaced the oil pan gasket and it’s no longer leaking. I recently relocated from Chicago to Palms Springs and drove it back in April.I also did the timing belt, water pump, pads and rotors, lots of little things for a DIY guty like me.
The Bonneville is spectacular – I always liked these, and it may have something to do with my brother’s very sexy friend in highshool circa 1996 owning one in Black with the same color interior and gold trim. It’s probably in some way related to my coming out story shortly thereafter – yes a Bonneville SSE drew me out of the closet.
Thanks for the great reads Paul & Posters. I’ve been a devoted reader and rare commentor since 2015.
The “ole Prius”, looked good from that vantage point.
The g2 Celica is a ’79, distinguished from the ’78 by its badging. ’78s have a trim-level callout on the grille (ST or GT); ’79s just say Toyota. Also, ’78 hatchbacks have a “Liftback” badge at the bottom of the fat B pillar; for ’79 they realized it was obvious what body style it is so the badge was changed to “Celica”. I’ve forgotten many entire chunks of my life by now, but I still remember trivial differences between ’78 and ’79 Celicas.
Pontiac in the ’90s had a knack for taking attractive shapes, like the ’90 Bonneville here, and ruining them with tacky ground-effects extensions, spoilers, and gold badging and wheels. The inside is cluttered-up too with overdone seats and too many buttons, although Pontiac’s dash was nicer than Olds or Buick’s H-body variants. OTOH, having to navigate two layers of menus through a touchscreen on recent cars makes me appreciate having buttons for everything. The LeSabre is my pick from the next generation H body sedans; I too like how the windshield neatly transitions to the side windows. This was a feature of the ’71-76 generation of GM big cars but was lost in the ’77 downsize.
The “Hydra-matic” badge on the GMC looks almost handmade.
A local repair shop near my last home had a sign listing costs for common maintenance procedures; it noted the price for a radiator flush had a more than 2x surcharge for Previas. Must be really hard to access or something.
My ranking of bands mentioned on the hearse: Ramones > Stooges > Misfits > Cramps >> Sublime.
The Grand Marquis lasted to 2011, although it was barely differentiated from the Crown Victoria by then.
Fun fact with them is the 95-97s switched to modern clear headlights and they just so happen to nearly drop right into 91-95 Cougars, just have to rewire for 9005/9006 bulbs.
Great finds I see most of these on a semi-regular basis in the Tampa Bay Area – except for the Previa for some reason. They are extinct there even without having to worry about road salt. I see more Eurovans.
Such diversity I love it. If I could talk with any of the owners it would be the owner of this Mercedes and Lexus combo. So many questions come to mind.
Nice post and a great selection, not all familiar over here of course.
Seeing the Golf Mk 1 with the US spec bumpers makes it look even more like an Omnirizon, or vice-versa to be fair.
Corvette is tempting…
Wow. I saw my 20’s sitting in one driveway! I believe that’s an ’85 mercury lynx, the escorts sister, and I know the F-100 in front of it is a ’69. I had an ’83 escort and a ’72 F-100 back when. I’d let someone pull my fingernails out with pliers for the ’71 F-250 camper special.
I would never be able to live in Eugene with all of the amazing cars available. I think my order of preference would be
1. The International Metro (being an IH guy, naturally). This one looks like it’s in excellent shape.
2. The FJ40 Land Cruiser. I’ve always loved these, and if I didn’t have a Scout I’d probably have one of these.
3. The blue Toyota SR5 ATM wagon. I always wanted one of these, ever since high school
4. Either of the air-cooled bugs, which look to be in very good shape. Rare here on the East Coast these days.
5. The bumpside Ford pickups, followed by the bullnose ’87 Ford pickup. I love simple, honest vehicles, and these check the boxes.
6. The red Scout 800. Honestly, it’s too clean for me to imagine driving it regularly. I’d be worried about scuffing that beautiful paint.
Since I don’t have to live with it I _LOVE_ your endless greenery .
That Diesel Rabbit is an American made Westmoreland, Pa. one .
I sort of understand why they’re cult cars now but when new Diesel Rabbits are engines at 60,000 miles like clockwork .
I stopped seeing them in junkyards years back . still the occasional Rag Top .
If I were near I’d go bang on the door and try to purchase and resurrect both of those old Beetles, it’s not very hard .
The hearse is nice too, I hope my old S&S Victoria doesn’t wind up scrapped .
Nice to see old ‘Bricks’ here and there too, they’re almost all gone in Los Angeles .
The two door 142 looks sharper than my 1970 144S ever did .
I don’t know what’s the weak point in Smart Cars but they regularly crop up in my local self – service junkyards sans any visible damage, nice and clean, good seats etc. they get stripped of crash parts in a week .
Sad to see the mighty Mercedes W123 (I bet it’s a Diesel) languishing, I need to find someone to take over my ’82 240D one of these days .
Lovely Ford Unibody pickup, I missed my chance to buy one, still kicking my self 40 years later .
The Samurai Kamikaze was a serious flash in the pan, turns out they were in fact pretty good if basic little cars . now mostly owned my cultists or old folks as draggers behind motor homes bigger than my house .
Wow ~ JETTAS ! . long time no see here .
Nice ’66 ‘Vette ! that DELCO R6 AC compressor should easily cool the cabin down to 40* F .
Like you, I lusted for a Corvette but no longer want one, more’s the pity .
THANK YOU for sharing all these great oldies ! .
-Nate
I find almost all of my CC’s (the ones that are actually curbside or at least curb-adjacent) on bike rides or dog walks. I enjoyed the tour of Eugene without having to drive there 😀. I will note that I see about the same number of Aerostars as Windstars where I live, just a handful of each. Not too many Previas left either; Eurovans and especially T3’s far outnumber them all combined.