Well, it seems like we lost a few of you after the last segment of our neighborhood walk. Petered out, or just losing interest after the 14th Prius? Ok, so you’ve had a chance to rest up a couple of days and we can continue. And we’ll start where there’s a curious cluster of VW buses. Not that they aren’t common enough in the whole ‘hood, but here’s the highest density within a few houses of each other.
There used to be two blue T2s here, but one must have been sold off or something.
This house is just down the street and around the corner from us, and they’ve had a white xB for about as long as I have. And there used to be a second one. The pairing with the Rendezvous (wince) is a curious one.
That’s a Saab wagon taking off for work in the morning.
Let’s huddle and discuss what we saw. Got your notes?
A pressure washing business would make a killing in that neighborhood.
Spotted a Saab wagon at my local grocery store last week. I briefly spoke with owner, an elderly woman and complimented her on it. She said it was one of 4 in the family. Would have been 5 but they lost one last year. Her tone was that of someone who lost a close relative.
As a Prius owner, it always warms my heart to see a 1st-generation model still (presumably) in daily use. The 1G Prius was very much a “guinea pig” car, both for the technology as well as the marketing. Seeing one still in use (and I still see several around here occasionally) means they are a long-term serviceable vehicle, despite initial fears to the contrary.
My brother and his spouse had a 1st G Prius for almost 18 years. They just bought a Honda Clarity a little over a year ago to replace it.
Never officially solf in the UK, but I’ve seen quite a few over the years. A while since the last though.
“The pairing with the Rendezvous (wince) is a curious one.”
My father owned Buick’s version of the Aztek, and still waxes lyrically about it.
Every time I rode in it I thought to myself, “This pre-production prototype really shows some promise, once they sand off the rough edges”
When the Rendezvous was big around here, I was a) way too broke to buy any kind of car and b) if I wasn’t that sure as hell wasnt the kind of car I was going to buy. But a couple of friends’ parents had them and they all loved them. I suppose it’s the unloved U body’s last laugh.
Looking back, I can understand, past the half-baked actual product as you said. Minivan space utilization minus the looks. And if you hadn’t driven the foreign competition it was probably pretty darn good.
Wow, that Jag sure looks small behind the Volvo wagon and in front of the Ford pickup.
And its not just the camera angle.
Or, is it?
Two things: 1) The Toyota Previa- always loved them for their weirdness:: (odd shape, mid-engine, “Star Trek” dash layout), and 2) The palm tree and Corolla. It may not be well known that you can grow palm trees in western Oregon, and even up here where I am, as long as you plant the right kind.
Palm trees can be pretty hardy, they grow up the west coast of the UK too
Around here, you have to plant Chinese Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei). They sell Mexican Fan Palms at local nurseries, but I’ve never seen one that survived one of our very occasional winters where the temperature drops below 20 degrees F. I know of about 5 Windmill Palms right here in town and I’ve seen them planted as far north as Vancouver Island.
I like those two Vanagons. The tintop looks far too nice to be a parts van for the Westy. I guess someone just really likes them. But he’s also wise enough to have a Tacoma for when both VWs are out of order.
Not an ostentatious car in the bunch, although the Jag would have been one 25 years ago.
I guess the Lambo driving international students live elsewhere?
Unpretentious cars in an unpretentious neighborhood. It looks a lot like Oshawa, Ontario, but with green grass instead of snow.
I’d feel right at home there. My neighborhood is jammed with brand new expensive cars that I suspect are mostly leased. I’m the only one driving old cars that one neighbor charitably described as “charmingly retro “.
“Charmingly retro” is a nice/BS way of saying they are better than you.
Tell them to take their skinny jeans and UGG boots and go away.
I’m a people person! 😀
The owners of that gray 2005 Volvo XC90 T6 (the one in front of the 2-car garage) really ought to consider getting rid of that thing before the fragile GM transmission blows up.
The Dodge Club Cab would be the girl at the dance that I would ask first.
Totally agree on the Dodge. Nice truck.
Had a ’93 one ton dually (automatic) with a Cummins diesel for a short time. Dad bought it from its original owner at his assisted living home. It was as loaded as you could get in ’93, would have kept had I not had a much newer truck. Had about 240k miles on it, the transmission failed a couple of months after its new owner bought it from me, unfortunately for him.
Some housees lack either the will or the way, to rake up their leaves, although I have read that it is good to leave them on the lawn over the winter to protect from interlopers. Maybe it’s a choice.
Really falling for the T3 shape lately, but the Previa reminds me it’s still one of the nicest ever shapes for a one-box. Torn between the XJ40 and 265 as my take-home, Volvo wins because it works better with quad headlamps.
Is it just me, or have things shifted upwards to around 15-20 years newer since you started this gig? There are a few old V-dubs and the odd 80’s iron, but a large percentage seem to be hanging out around the year 2000 or so. Still in all, our average neighbourhood here is around 2012
Don’t forget that 2000 was twenty years ago! That’s pushing the envelope for a non car enthusiast owner. After 20 years it can be quite a chore keeping an old car on the road. Does that Jag get driven much?