Let’s continue our drive by shootings with a real gem: a Winnebago LeSharo, which has a Renault Traffic FWD Van cab and its either 57hp 75 hp (non turbo/turbo) 2.1 L diesel drive train pulling Winnebago’s own low-profile rear two-thirds. At first glance I thought this might be the very same one I featured in a CC on this product of the second energy crisis. How many can there be left in town? But no, it’s not, as this one has the big roof mounted a/c unit.
This one is looking a bit worse for wear. Has the little Renault diesel petered out? Parts hard to come by? A fair number have been converted to American V6 drive trains. Eventually the LeSharo morphed into the Rialto, which swapped the Renault front end for a VW Eurovan (T4) front end. One of my tenants just bought one recently, a well used one, and sure enough, it broke down on a trip back east.
The next stop was another RV, this time an exceptionally long Silver Streak on one of those stretched Dodge van chassis. Is the house for sale, or is this the “house”?
Honda Accord wagon and another Veedub.
1968 or 1969.
A GMC pickup from the late ’60s or so resting serenely under its carport.
A Chevy pickup still hard at work. It’s far from the only one.
A gen2 Camry wagon and a lovely “Clinton” Continental.
Wow! This is a familiar face I haven’t seen in over a decade. I shot this awesome VW LT 4×4 Westfalia camper ages ago and wrote it up here. And I assumed it went off on a globe-trotting trip never to return. And here it is, hiding out. I wonder if it still gets out? This really is my ultimate dream camper van: big enough, but not too big, and with a very serious 4×4 chassis.
Looking a bit neglected, are we?
Now here’s a rare find: a 1960 Dodge pickup, its last year. Looks like a big V8 badge on its grille.
A couple of houses down, this Jeep Cherokee has a big “401 V8” home made sign on its tail.
A sweet little Civic sedan from the ’80s, and…whoa! What’s that big bus lurking back there?
It’s…a…GM PD-4102. One of the very few buses we’ve never covered at CC, yet. Well, we’re going to have to do something about that. It was essentially a suburban transit bus with a new front end, created by GM Coach for its non-Greyhound clients, as Greyhound had an exclusive on its PD-3751 “Silversides” coach. It was superseded by the almost identical PD-4103 in 1951-1952 before all of them were replaced by the legendary PD-4104. The only way I could tell whether it was a 4102 or 4103 is that the turn signal lights are a different shape. The rear ends of them are a bit more different, though. Trailways and other bus companies really wanted a GM highway coach, and this is what GM cobbled up for them. Looks like someone’s dream bus is languishing away.
The 1980’s never ended here.
Why did I even slow down for this?
And another VW, sporting patina from spending its life outside.
A “whale” Caprice. And an early one at that, with those quite nice alloys. As much as I struggle with these, I prefer this original version with the partially-covered rear wheels. A bit different, and it reminds me a wee bit of an old step-down Hudson.
1968 Chevy C10. Looks right at home.
Something about this pairing of a gen1 Prius and gen1 Saturn that spoke to me.
I liked this early 244 enough to stop. It was the wheels that did it.
Aha! I remember finding myself here some ten years ago, and the same cast of characters are still here. Why would they not be? Folks who keep old cars undoubtedly tend to stay in their old houses too.
I’ve posted this before, some years back. It’s still looking hale and hearty. This is a truck of a lifetime.
And pulling a Ford yard tractor. It’s looking a bit vintage to me too. But it really should have been an old Cub Cadet back there.
And the Rambler American is still here too. It’s about the only one of its kind left hereabouts. But was that old cornbinder truck here then? That may be a more recent addition.
Across the court was this somewhat mutated Jeep Land Cruiser. What’s under the hood?
I was curious enough to actually get out and look in there. Appears to be a Cummins 4BT diesel. Essentially two-thirds of the kind that’s commonly found in Dodge trucks. The 4BT typically finds itself in step vans and such, as well as industrial equipment. It’s a rather rough thing, not surprising for being a big (3.9L) four and with old school direct injection.
That ends Part 2.
Nice! You supply the Cub Cadet, and I will take the Ford. And that last rig is a FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser. This was nice to wake up to.
Doh! Of course.
Wow, such automotive diversity!
Here in my town pretty much everything is within 12-18 years old MAX and most are newer than that. Thanks, road salt!
My first thought, as well. Seems Eugene is CC nirvana and it makes me wonder about the characters who hang onto these old classics, the likes of which most people would consider boneyard candidates. Of course, a friendly climate is surely a significant contributor to the longevity of old cars.
Must be a certain mindset as well. Keep something as long as it keeps working. Depression-era ‘Make do and mend’. Emotion trumps cold rationality. Automotive lives matter.
Sounds like me!
Fun tour. I love that IH Crew Cab. The early ones ofthis issue had rust problems. So, seeing it in good condition is great.
C-10, patina-Bug, or Cherokee for me, please. Another delightful sampler, thanks!
I”m pretty sure that the green Jeep is a Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser.
I noted window units in several of the houses. My guess is the neighborhood was built in the late ’50s (a few mid-century features) or early ’60s (hint of Brady Bunch). This was before central air and heat became the norm.
While living in the NY Hudson Valley, I would come across an early MacMansion with window units in the front windows only to dissappear come winter.
Nobody had central air here in Eugene until much more recent years, because the summers historically were so mild. But they’ve gotten hotter, and each time we have a heat wave more window a/c units sprout.
For that matter, probable very few of these houses from the ’40s – ’60s have central heating. Because electricity from the Bonneville Power Administration was so cheap, they almost invariably had electric heat, and quite commonly ceiling heat (heating coils embedded in the ceiling) or baseboard units. Gas came very late to Eugene. It still wasn’t available in many parts when we moved here in the ’90s. Now the big thing is to switch to mini-split heat pump/ac units. Much more efficient. I’ve converted several of my rentals, and need to do the rest of them.
In the Seattle area we also had cheap electricity which led to advertising new homes as “all-electric” up until the 70’s. Someone even went so far as to have “All Electric Home” badges cast in brass that were attached near the front door. They are mostly long gone but when looking for my current home I ran across one with the badge still in place. Of course in the intervening time the house gained a propane tank out back and no longer had electric heat.
That’s a 92 Caprice. You can tell by the body colored b pillars. As well as the wheel skirts and tail lights. The 91s had black b pillars.
I’m loving that black beetle. Slotted mags always do it for me. It should have all 4, but it still looks so right, even as-is.
Those mags brought me right back to the 60’s, when so many Beetles sported a full set.
I’m loving that Civic, from what I consider Peak Honda days.
I had an 88 base Civic, same creme color, 4 speed manual, no p/s, no p/b, roll up windows, no radio. It was the epitome of basic transportation, great for a motorcycle guy… a really well built and well thought out car.,
I had a red ’86 Civic Si hatchback. I still think that was the all-around best car I ever owned, and I’ve owned a BMW, an Audi and a Mercedes.
That’s my kind of neighborhood, the houses and the cars. TNKS
Looks like the Pontiac Fiero (orange plates) has been sitting longer than the Mercedes (light colored plates) . Same thing for the Winnebago with orange plates.
In my community, such vehicles would be declared a hazard and hit with a bring orange notice on the windshield. The vehicle would need to be towed within a certain number of days or show cause to keep the vehicle in its current shape. Enforcement would be a lot sooner if parked on the street.
I’m starting to believe the “box” Chevy C-10 may be one of the best vehicles ever made. So much parts availability that they’re effectively infinitely rebuildable. Modern enough suspension and brakes for a good ride, etc. and yet simple and workable as a truck is intended to be. I COAL’d one, and I’d love to have another one someday.
I would love to visit Oregon one day, not just for the great scenery, but to see all the CC’s!
I tried to find a nice Cherokee like the one pictured back around the year 2000, but the salt here in the midwest took a toll on them. All the ones I looked at around here were pretty bad and I ended up giving up after a year.
One thing I’ve always wondered about these cars is how many miles do they have on them? Do these cars have relatively low mileage (~100k) or are some of these raking up hundreds of thousands of miles over the course of their lifetimes?
Many folks in Eugene espouse what is commonly referred to as an “alternative lifestyle”. That includes a decided anti-consumerist bent, and not getting caught up in the “rat-race”. Meaning finding ways to support oneself without the demands of more typical jobs, and finding ways to support themselves with alternative work. And there’s a very strong environmental element.
These kind of folks are thrifty, buy up cheap little old houses, and don’t spend money on trying to keep up with the neighbors, as they’re doing the same thing.
All that means not commuting, and not driving much in general. So older cars are often kept for decades, but typically don’t rack up a lot of miles.
I suppose my own reality fits the picture: my 2005 xB has 104k miles, and most of those were put on in the early years. I only drive it on very short local errands, or to hiking trail heads. My work has been home-based since moving here in 1993, vowing never to have a “job” again.
Does that help?
Yes! It sounds like a place I’d enjoy if the cost of living wasn’t so high. I can’t wait for part 3.
I went back and read the initial CC on the VW LT, and, from the comments, it seems it’s found a new owner- still in Eugene. Perhaps this relocation is what let you find it again.