Here’s your Question Of The Day: What vehicle do you know is bad for you but yet long to own? Something you’d have to be insane to take on in real life, but for which there’s still a big ol’ spot in your dream garage?
For me, two come to mind.
One would be full-size Jeeps. I know about the body build quality issues. I know how they like to rust. I know that many of them are mechanical nightmares now thirty years on – but yet I am drawn to them. Owning the two I did (COAL here and here) cured me of that to some extent; I dismiss any wrecks much more quickly, mostly because I can now size them up on the fly. But somehow, I know that if a nice one crosses my path again, and if the price is cheap enough, it’ll probably be going home with me.
If Jeeps are one, ’60s Chevy vans would be the other. I have a set of really fat 15″ ET slots sitting on my shelf, just waiting for the day they can be mounted on an early flat-nose GM van. They’ve been there for years, and will continue to wait there until that day finally comes.
That day came mighty close once. I knew a fellow in the semi-nearby town of Saint Cloud had been advertising such a van for weeks. After waiting until I was sure he’d be in a negotiating mood, I finally called him up and made an appointment.
The van turned out to be pretty much what I’d been wanting: 90″ wheelbase, factory two-barrel 307, manual gearbox (“three in the tree”), not rusted to hell and going cheap. It had windows in the side doors, but hey – beggars can’t be choosers. After a quick joyride we talked money; several minutes later I was heading home, $700 poorer, with the van in tow.
Cleaning out the van yielded some interesting time capsule pieces: a roughed-up Led Zeppelin sticker (stuck it on my toolbox), an eight-track of Nazareth’s ‘Hair Of The Dog’ (which somehow seemed to fit with my vision for the van) and a matching set of Cheech and Chong dashboard figurines (no comment).
After the requisite tune-up, I began formulating my plans for the van. The body damage was unfortunate (I still wonder what it hit, and/or what hit it), as was the previous owner’s decision to cut off the somewhat rusted rockers. Meantime, I decided to drive it as it was while hunting for body parts.
But as with so many ill-conceived plans, this one would end up backfiring. Months of scouring the countryside yielded almost no donor vans, and none whatsoever that could provide the sheet metal I so desperately needed. My hopes for restoration began to stall.
Eventually a friend of a friend came along who wanted to buy the van. I doubled my money on it (part of my original consideration when negotiating – I never like to pay more than 50% of what I think I can sell a given vehicle for). But with the ETs once again shelved, the itch had yet to be scratched. Someday…
So, how about you? What vehicle do you wish you owned, even though it might not be the best thing for you? Or – better still, was there a time when you gave in to temptation and said ‘yes’ to some jalopy you shouldn’t have?
I’ve always had an irrational desire to buy an Audi 5000/100 Avant (AWD is incidental). I know the Norton Rule of Ownership would apply (one hour of operation equals one hour of maintenance). I know none of the windows would ever operate properly. I know that the battery might explode. I know at least two of the door handles would snap off at an inopportune time. I know an opiate addiction would be cheaper in the long run.
And I know my wife would stare at me while I slept, wondering if she could muster up the strength and courage to snuff me out with a pillow, account the cost incurred by my Audi fetish.
But I still want one.
I purchased my first car in 1986, at the age of sixteen. It was a ’76 Capri with the 2.3, and though my father muttered under his breath to me while we were looking at it that it had a poor frontward weight bias, and we would never be able to get parts for it, I bought it.
Strange that he would say such things, and then oft as not insist that we switch cars for the day (he had an early Taurus) because he thought the Capri was “making an odd noise”.
But then, where is the joy in a mundane existence?
I once was graced with a Capri V6 M4 as a body shop car. The thing was almost undriveable because the throttle was so touchy. I think Ford/Mercury actually mis-spelled the name. (Hint: the r is moved to follow the C).
Bought it. Shouldn’t have. Sold it. Shouldn’t have. Miss it. Want it.
That’s a great looking Riv! ’65, right? (IIRC, that was the only year for that style of headlights.)
If I wasn’t so deep into GPs here, a Riviera would absolutely be on my list.
you are right, you shouldn’t have sold it. Very classy car.
Oh man, it’s got those hidden headlights with “amazing clamshell action”. (video here)
As illustrated by this tragic photo that image search offered up.
Yeah, it’s a shame you sold it. Easy for me to say.
Me too… *sigh*
Thanks for the compliments. It is a ’65. This is about 1983. My daily driver was a ’76 Cutlass Supreme Brougham. That is my parent’s one lane driveway in rather tight suburban lots. I was heading off to college, and the cost of my hobby, and the fact that the car was sitting in the street made hanging on to it impractical. If I had had access to cheap indoor storage, I’d have kept it. By 1991 I was in a position to have brought it back out and begin chipping away at some needed work. It was very rust free, original paint, very complete. Major options were high line interior / power windows, AC (working!) and wire wheel covers. The clamshells never worked during my ownership.
I’ve often wondered about its fate. The buyer seemed like a bigger dreamer than I, and unlikely to have a lot of resources.
Hey, it’s fine, the current owners changed the wheels, but it’s well cared for 😉
This
I have an odd sickness for these too for some reason. Could it be that they seem so futuristic for 1978, almost like in a 2001: A Space Odyssey kinda way.
+2
This. ’64 Vista Cruiser.
Want it exactly in this brown hue. Needs to have a 3 speed column shifter. Don’t care about the engine as long as it has the obligatory vertical oil filler on the front cover and says Oldsmobile.
In “real-life” form: This translates into ‘hard to find’.
Already have the Johnny Lightning version (pictured, translates into even harder to find 🙂 ).
Oh well, I guess 1 out of 2 ain’t too bad…
TR-8
’nuff said.
GMC Crackerbox with a 238 Detroit and 10 speed Roadranger.
How original and how very cool! I never thought about trucks… I’d love to have any old GMC medium/heavy duty vehicle with a Detroit Diesel powerplant.
My truck guilty pleasure is an early Mack R Series. When I was a kid that’s what I thought all trucks should look like.
Corvair. Second generation. Yes, I want a stick, but will take an automatic if necessary. For that matter, I’ll take a first generation Corvair, too. Ideally, a Corsa coupe, however.
Porsche 928. Having driven one in the past, and having owned a 924S, I really want a 928 of my own. I’m holding out for a manual this time. Which is why I haven’t made the purchase yet. Everything I’ve found in good condition is automatic.
Fifties Hillman Minx. No, I have absolutely no rational reason to want one, but the one dad brought home for lunch on that summer’s day in 1961 has always stuck with me.
There are far worse things to own than second-generation Corvairs. They’re pretty, they get decent fuel economy as ’60s American goes, they’re not dreadful to work on if you’re inclined to that (although there are some running changes that aren’t noted in the shop manuals, which can be a headache in certain areas), parts — with certain exceptions — are not impossible to come by, and the cars aren’t so expensive or so rare that people want to revoke your enthusiast license if you don’t keep them showroom stock. The second-generation Corvair has its limitations, but it’s really not a terrible choice.
I hear these are a bit high maintenance, but this would be my choice — although the interior would have to be white. If I couldn’t go green, I’d love to have a silver with blue interior ’68-’73 big block 4-speed Corvette. I’ll take the turbine wheelcovers or rallies because I’m not picky.
+1
I too would love to have a late sixties Corvette with a 427/454 and a four speed. Unfortunately, as is often case, the examples I can afford are beyond my abilities to fix and the ones that don’t need fixing I can’t afford. The Corvette is on my long list of “lottery cars”, a group I don’t have time to list right now.
My cousin and his friend bought a ’68 427 4-speed Vette with the intention to fix it up and resell it for profit. So far, they haven’t gotten past fixing it up. It’s not for lack of trying, but because things break faster than they can be repaired on that car. These are fragile beasts.
A former neighbor had a 1971 Corvette with the 454/4 speed combo. His license plate was “MONEPIT”, which pretty much sums it up.
Never a truer statement. I had the ’71 454. I was 18 and stupid, I had to delay college to work myself out of this mess. Hard lesson
Had one, 1971… biggest auto-mistake of my life
Any Mercedes S-class coupe with a V12, like a W140 CL 600. Black, low and with fat rims from some obscure tuner.
Another one would be that my Land Cruiser diesel sounds like this:
Jaguars.
Lord, I love Jaguars. All of them. From the XJ220 to the X-type 2.5L. And I can afford the purchase price on so many of them and I have so many tools. But everyone tells me don’t do it.
+1 on Jaguars. There is a beautiful 94 XJ6 in British Racing Green for $2950 close to me that looks great in the online pictures that is very tempting. Sure Jaguars are unreliable but all cars have gotten so much better that even a fairly recent one should be ok, right? I mean see how hard I’m trying to rationalize this?
A few weeks ago I found a 91 Alfa 164 with 123,000 miles that also looked great in pictures one town over for $2300. Thank goodness when I got back home a few days later it had already been sold or else it would be leaking fluids all over my driveway as I type this.
My other guilty pleasure is Maseratis, including (and possibly especially Biturbos). Growing up in the 1980’s when other kids lusted for Ferrari 308’s my dream car was a Maserati Quattroporte, five thousand pounds of opulent Italian luxury powered by a race bred 300 hp (or at least very close to) V8 that moved it like a car half it’s size and whose fuel mileage would have made a 1970’s Lincoln owner wince. They stickered for $66,000 in 1984, now they can usually be bought for well under $10,000–what a bargain!
The Biturbo looked like a 2 door Quattroporte on a budget and had a similar opulent leather and suede lined interior and a half size engine–2.5 liter twin turbo V6–that put out 185 hp and screamed like its big brother. What could possibly go wrong other than everything? They eventually fitted it with Bosch fuel injection in 1987 that took care of a number of drivability issues but they were still essentially Italian cars built by old men in a shed so they never really became actual useable. But I’d still consider one if the the right car came along……
I’ve already warned my wife that when 2007 and newer Maserati Quattroportes can be bought for around the same money as a new Toyota Camry that she should expect to find one sitting in the garage next to her Chrysler minivan. Fortunately there will be a British Racing Green Jaguar leaking oil in the driveway for me to drive when the Maserati won’t start…..or when I run out of money to fix it….and then I’ll have to borrow my son’s 1995 Volvo…..if he’ll let me use it.
My “dream garage” is to HAVE a garage. My wife and I are likely going to spend upward of $100K expanding our house laterally in two different places, yet our lot size and shape (despite being 1/3 acre) doesn’t allow even a carport, much less a garage.
But if I had one, it would have to be large enough to accommodate the ’66 Bonneville convertible I owned from December 1974 through summer 1991. By that time I had lived in the Twin Cities for 10 years and was getting ready to move back east, and found a buyer who was going to take the car and its parts-car extra front fenders, etc., to a farm in Detroit Lakes, in far northwestern MN. For all I know it’s still there, with its frame rusted away by now.
I did briefly rent a garage in Minneapolis (Uptown) in 1986 when I replaced the convertible top with help from public library GM shop manuals. But the car (222 inches long) needed a body-off-frame restoration and I wasn’t going to be able to maintain it as a restored car afterward, even though it was well-equipped (factory air, partial-leather power bench seat, power windows, etc.) and would have been a good candidate. But yes, of course I’d want it back, or perhaps something smaller – a ’68 LeMans or GTO convertible, maybe.
The Bonneville in May 1975 at an Ohio Turnpike rest stop, being worshiped (appropriately so) by several of its passengers.
Love it! The rear quarters are just amazing for length, and probably for percentage of overall length. Even with a ragtop, the trunk capacity had to be several golf bags or bodies, depending on your needs.
There were five of us driving from Boston to Chicago, carrying an entire dorm room’s worth of stuff – that is, one of us was being driven home for the summer and the other four were headed back east afterward. Yes, plenty of room even with the top down. (Since it was the end of May, the top was often down with the side windows up and the a/c running; worked pretty well.)
That trip also yielded the best fuel mileage I ever recorded with that car: 16 mpg on the flat part of the turnpike, probably with a tailwind. (389 4-barrel and leaded premium fuel.)
’77 Pontiac Trans Am SE in black and gold ala Smokey and the Bandit.
Drinks gas like crazy. T tops prone to leak . Rust issues . Almost zero chance the A/C works. Probably just dogged to hell and back by some teenager. Broken door handles. But I still want one all of the above be damned.
With out a doubt my poison would be one of these 61 Lebarons. The problem is, is that I already have a 60 Imperial Custom and a 67 Crown Coupe. Which I don’t consider a problem, in the least but my wife would argue the point. I am lucid enough to realize any 61 Lebaron found in my price range would be a money pit of unbelievable porportions
I could not pick one, but if I could pick two: A DeLorean and a black 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Limo.
Honourable mention to that 1977 Wagoneer that sold on eBay recently. That thing was superb.
I have a thing for Eastern European cars. And British ones too. At least most of the Brits you can easily enough source parts for. Owned a few Lada Nivas but would like a rear engined Skoda.
I remember in the late 80s, when rear-engined Skodas were sold in Canada.
You’d see the occasional one, here in Southern Ontario.
Not as popular as say, the Hyundai Pony.
But I haven’t seen any since that time.
Nice to see a fan of Eastern European iron,I had an FSO 125p for 6 years,if youcan’t fix it yourself they’re worthless as a repair can easy cost more than th car’s value
A copy of the LincVolt, of course!
1959 Lincoln Continental convertible, with a 150 kW electric motor, a giant A123 Systems lithium-ion battery pack, and for backup, a 30 kW Capstone Microturbine.
They say a big electric convertible is the closest thing on earth to a flying carpet.
Or a Citroen DS Cabriolet, in these colors please. In Paris. With a pied-à-terre above the garage. Thank you.
My family had one way back in the late Sixties, tho it was silver with a red leather interior. What a car!
Oh my, it depends on what day you ask me. This week is is a strippo 64 Studebaker Commander sedan with a 6, 3 speed and OD. I saw one on eBay this week. I know that the 6 has head-cracking issues. I know that these rust like no tomorrow. I know that there is positively nothing that would be harder to re-sell. Oh well, it will be something else next week.
As for your short-lived van, I am not sure there is a harder old van to find than one of these. I have seen exactly one of these out on the street in recent years, but it is always on the move and I have not been able to catch it in pixels. I have seen Corvans, old Econolines, A-100s, and almost everything else, but never these.
I just saw a ’64 Commander two-door with the six and automatic about two weeks ago. It was sweet, but as I was taking a car off a trailer at the time, no pictures. Sigh.
Chevy Vega or Dodge Omni…No, not the Cosworth or GLH…just the plain ol’ base models…Am I nuts? Probably…
I have a largely irrational fascination with the idea of a Mk3 Ford Capri V-6. There’s no really sensible reason for this — there’s nothing about it my (modern) car can’t do better, the Capri’s brakes were never great, it’s squirrely in the wet, and on this side of the Atlantic parts would be a headache — but still.
Others would be the Alfa 164, whose issues we recently talked about here, and the Mazda FD RX-7 (the 1992-2001 generation). I know the FD’s reputation (finicky, occasionally fragile, generally high-strung, quite thirsty, and very stiff), but man.
Bug-eyed Sprite. Or else a Citroen 2CV
The car that got away was a ’72 Karmann-Ghia. It was in great condition and had just 60k on the clock. I couldn’t make the money appear.
This right here. It would be my mobile sanctuary. Anywhere at anytime could I just got inside and close the doors and relax in peace. Mobile man cave.
I would like a 1966 Fleetwood Brougham. I want the big land-yacht experience, floating down the interstate. I know; the fuel mileage would be absolutely dismal, and finding a place to park such a big car is a challenge these days. I could go, too, for a 1977 or 1978 Cadillac; I rode in one once many years ago, and it was the most eerily quiet car I had ever been in, and still big and roomy. That’s what I crave: silence on the road, shutting out the sound of big diesel trucks, unmuffled Harleys, hopped-up Hondas sounding like Bronx cheers as they roll down the road. Plush silence, floating down the road as Mahler plays on the stereo….
In 1989 I bought a 1966 Fleetwood Brougham for $200. This was no concourse contender but it was original. The engine was a very smooth runner but there was lots of rust in the trunk and under the vinyl top. I kept the car for a few years until the neighborhood association started to complain that the car didn’t move from my driveway. On the day that I was going to move it into a storage lot the transmission finally let go. I had it towed to a transmission shop where they removed totally disassembled the “Switch Pitch” Hydromatic before calling me with a quote. The quote they gave me was rather high so I told the shop to put the transmission in the trunk and then I called the Salvation Army and asked them to pick up the Caddy.
I guess I have some unresolved issues with ’66 FBs and wouldn’t mind having another one or better yet a ’66 Eldorado.
Already got it, I love it… but I give it up for a ’63-’65 Riviera
Is that color 40 Seamist Green? For some reason I’m finding myself drawn to green late 70’s American luxury cars.
It’s called Pastel Green, exciting, huh? I call it seafoam. I got the car in Miami, it is a good color for there
That’s definitely a Miami color, I remember seeing lots of pastel Colonial Yellow on yellow on yellow Sevilles and Eldorados down here too.
I was actually looking for a Seville in that yellow when I came across this green. Having never seen a Seville in this color I was smitten
Is the inside green too? 🙂
Yes, emerald green leather, with the matching vinyl roof. The interior is beautiful.
This isn’t my car, but it’s this interior…
Ohhhh: That’s the most beautiful part! That is perfect, just perfect.
Nice car!
I had a neighbor growing up that had one exactly like that, and it was diesel!
Loved that car. Very classy looking.
He later replaced the diesel with a gas engine.
Sometime after that he traded it in on a beautiful 88 Sedan Deville in an unusually classy looking light tan on light tan without any kind of vinyl roof treatment.
Yet another big old Chrysler.
My dad has basically given up on his ’66 Windsor sedan, and I’m very tempted to ask him if I can have it before it rots away entirely. The body is in very rough shape; I once cut up a parts car that was in much better condition.
But the fact is it’s the car that got me addicted to big old Chryslers in the first place. I’d probably get sentimental and pay to store it somewhere till I could restore it instead of parting it out.
Somebody already beat me to saying it but mine would also be the FD Rx7.
Tbere are several candidates. Definitely a Lotus Europa, preferably a twin cam, with JPS livery (though blue would be fine too). Not horribly expensive to buy, but probably a lot more work (and parts $) than I am willing to afford. (As I’ve probably said before, my favorite Matchbox car.)
Slightly older, and opposite end of the handling spectrum, would be a 67 or so F100, red, with a camper. Makes me think of awesome family vacations in Maine as a kid. (Except we were in a 2 stroke Saab wagon.) Somewhere in the middle would be a green 67 Cougar. (A favorite Hot Wheels car.) Finally, a 60s Jeepster. A family we met while camping at Assateague MD when I was 7 or 8 had one. It fascinated me no end (and was easy to draw)..
Another ’75 Ford Thunderbird. It was like driving a 5000 lb Lazy-Boy recliner. My first choice would be the Copper Luxury Group; the second would be the Whipped Cream and Cashew Luxury Group – with or without engine venting option.
A 95 Voyager to replace the one that was in the family for 18 years. Either that or a 87 Caprice Estate.
I’ve always had a thing for Suzuki X-90’s. I’d love to restore one to new condition and use it to haul a teardrop trailer. Smaller is better…Less is sometimes more.
With me, it’s anything that I can rationalize as being “practical,” like a secretary-special Mustang. You know what I mean: “Hey, it just has a straight six in it. It’ll be easy to work on.” And since it’s over 40 years old, I’ll be easily working on it all the time…
A couple of people have already mentioned it, but a manual 928 would be one of my choices. Love them but I’m well aware of the undertaking a later model can be.
A 930 Turbo simply cause its probably mayhem to drive. Otherwise, I’d consider it a rational desire.
But probably my biggest guilty pleasure is a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. Been obsessed with it since I was a kid. Probably due to the wings, but it’s just a beautiful car overall.
Since I was a kid I also had an obsession for the 90s Suburbans and Yukons and the Ram too.
There’s a lot of vehicles I’d like to own that are totally irrational. But for this question I think my long desire to own a Saab 9000 CS is a fitting answer. Besides their rarity and expensive cost of ownership, finding parts these days would be a nightmare.
Here’s a picture of a 9000 CS Aero I see on a daily basis
Oooooh! I would really like a 9000 CSE Aero in BRG (preferably with BBS alloys, a 5-speed stick, fully loaded, a new head unit, LSD, heated seats, a Toppola camper (guilty pleasure for my inner cheapskate), an “emergency kit”, and with snow chains). That would make one hell of a first car for me (If I can find any at all, I wouldn’t mind the lack of the Toppola).
1971 Plymouth Cricket, my first new car, a Christmas present, traded it in on a new 1973 Camaro type LT ( I now had a job) The Cricket was the worst car I ever bought, the Camaro one of the best. However now I find myself wanting to get another one of them. I would prefer the Camaro but a Cricket would be fun.
that would be an interesting car…..apparently they have dropped of the face of the earth, one of the car magazines did an article on them….couldn’t find a single one for sale
Since the Americans, British, French, and Germans all seem to have been covered, I’ll go with the Italians. Just about any Fiat, Alfa Romeo, or (gasp) Ferrari will do. Even Lamborghinis and Maseratis are pretty sweet. When they’re running properly, any of them are as good as (and usually much better) than anyone else (and they always look good, too).
But maybe the most guilty might be a Maserati Biturbo convertible, with a Fiat 124 Spider being the ‘least’ guilty.
I’m 100% with you on the Biturbo convertible and Fiat Spiders are actually quite usable by older Italian car standards with the only downside being that their prices have been increasing recently.
The first thing to understand about owning an older Italian car is that it will always have problems at all times. Period. None of them have ever been 100% sorted out (and even if they have it doesn’t stay that way). The second thing is that some problems can be overlooked so as long as your problem list is under a dozen and the car starts, stops and steers you should drive it and enjoy.
No doubt about it for me, it would definitely be a ’93 – ’96 Fleetwood Brougham, especially one made from ’94 on with the Corvette engine. This generation was introduced while I was still in high school; I coveted them when new and still do now. While all my classmates wanted common as dirt Camaros and Mustangs I wanted a Cadillac, and in particular a Fleetwood Brougham. Comfy, reliable, you could stretch out in them and not feel cramped, and they’re cars you didn’t see all over the place like lesser vehicles. These were (and still are) substantial and meaningful cars in a sea full of common as hell and plain boring appliances. If the right one came along for the right price I would be severely tempted…good luck though trying to find one that is in nice original shape, hasn’t had the original stereo ripped out and some crappy aftermarket one put in, put on hydraulics or painted in some gawdawful non factory original color (or any combination of the three!)…let alone for a reasonable price!
My most guilty vehicular pleasure? That’s easy… a ’69 Checker Marathon just like the one my dad ordered new back in the fall of ’68. Tan (yea, I know…), dark brown interior, and for whatever reason (my dad was frug…, er… a cheapskate) a 4bbl 350 with a Turbo 400 and a/c, p/w, and an AM/FM stereo. Gawd I miss that car.
Very simple: another Goldwood Yellow 1964 Impala SS convertible! Why? I’ve told that story several times…
OR a 1966 Impala – sports sedan only, please.
Wifey would be watching very carefully…
Jaguar XJ sedan built anytime between 1968 and 2009. I’m a sucker for that particular body style in all its various styling incarnations over the decades. I know that their ether electrical or mechanical nightmares or possibly both but damn it I have a weakness for the leaping cat. (The new ones leave me cold.)
A proper Jaguar, unlike the newer ones, has a Leaper mounted proudly on the hood.
A Jaguar tempted me twice but I lost my nerve and bought “safe” cars I could maintain myself, a 70 Vauxhall Cresta PC & a 78 Ford Granada 2.8GL Mk2.A contributer here said the purchase price of a Jaguar is only the deposit!
I have the same feelings for a 70’s XJS for some reason, probably because I have a bizarre desire to own something with 12 cylinders, and the XJS is the cheapest way to make that happen.
Dan, good taste. Those are some sexy looking cars.
Now why haven’t you bought one and put a LS1 in it yet? I’d put money on it being an under $5000.00 gross cost.
My guilty pleasures, in terms of cars I will NEVER own because of the horrific maintenance and reliability and trying to get them fixed here in Atlanta, would be a Citroen XM and a Lotus Esprit, a later model 8. Some mechanic would be rich beyond his wildest dreams. I, however, am not rich beyond my wildest dreams so . . . I’ll stick with the Grand National as my actual fun car.
Like ottomobill I already have it. I’ve had it for years but haven’t driven it for about five years. Gas prices went up and it went down. Now that I’m retired I keep kicking myself for not having tackled it. Fear of fixing it and having it stolen are recurrent so it just waits patiently. When you are over 50 that gets easier as I recall. 283/powerglide/57-210.
Will try the image again
Two that I’d like, and not for nostalgia’s sake, because I never owned or drove one, would be a 1992 Buick Skylark coupe, in period teal, with whatever V6 was offered at the time (3.1-liter)? Too bad the car had those awful GM passive seat belts instead of proper airbags!
For the other, I’d go back to a 1968 or 1969 Buick Skylark coupe with a V8 in bright blue metallic without a vinyl roof. I did ride in a couple of these back in the day.
Both of these car have unusual styling that somehow appeals to me.
+1 on the ’68 – ’69 Skylark. I will probably throw caution to the wind and buy one if the non-gold/yellow/brown/primer opportunity presents itself. I’d even go for a 4-door Special if it was straight enough. I very much like the swoopy lines of these.
I’ve always thought the major benefit of having a beard, which I do, or a tattoo, which I do not, is that they offend the right people. Actually, I’m pretty close to the apex of contrarian car choice already with my wife’s Pontiac Aztek. My dream car would have to push that envelope. Nash Metropolitan maybe….yea, that’s the ticket. Or Columbo’s 504 convertable.
This Columbo fan says it’s a Peugeot 403, not a 504. If I could have a 504, however, it would be a stick-shift diesel wagon, maybe a 1972.
I defer to better recollection. My error.
This is easy for me – Volvo 780 Bertone. Especially ones with the PRV V-6.
This. A 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora with the Northstar V8. I was only a kid when we had it but I really loved the thing. It however started sucking oil at around 90,000 miles. Not too long after that, my parents sold it for a Ford Focus. That really hurt
Some cars that are my guilty pleasures may surprise you.
One, the Nash Metropolitan, that’s for danged sure, they are just cool beyond means, even if they aren’t practical.
The others have a more practical side, though still different.
A Yugo GV plus, which was the final iteration of the Yugoslav variant of the Fiat 127, or 128 as it combines the various trims with the sporty GVX and got the more traditional slide/fold front bucket seats, the larger, and bit quicker 1.3L mill, and the 5spd if I’m not mistaken, but in the more prosaic hatchback that also includes fuel injection towards the end.
The Chevette (yes, I know, not all that, but still, it’s a decent enough small car from GM for what it was, a modified Vaxhaul/Opal design). Just make mine the sporty trim with the red accents and black painted steel wheels with trim rings, though pref in the 2 door.
A Fiat 128, but make mine the Familiar, the 3 door wagon
A Fiat 850 spider, nuff said.
A Citroen 2CV.
A Vega Kamback wagon, but make mine a ’76, or the same year Monza 2+2 fastback, or better yet, the clip or front from said Monza 2+2, and place it on the Vega wagon, add turbine rims, painted to match, and make the entire thing a pretty shade of brown, with a supergraphic design on its side, similar to what Ford did with the Shaggin’ wagon Pinto.
Or I’d restore to stock, a ’64 Dodge 330 station wagon with the slant 6 and push button torqueflite tranny in robin’s egg blue
Yes, most of these are eccentric vehicles, but so be it. 🙂
Keith,
You posed two questions:
1-What vehicle(s) do you wish you owned, even though it might not be the best thing for you?
Ferrari 410, Lamborghini Espada, Lamborghini Urraco, Mercedes 300SEL 6.3, and Mercedes 450SEL 6.9
2-Or – better still, was there a time when you gave in to temptation and said ‘yes’ to some jalopy you shouldn’t have?
My two Lincoln Versailles – truly a guilty pleasure.
Lottery megawinnings will result in the purchases of:
1970 Mercury Marauder X-100
1971 Datsun 240Z
1967 VW Karmann Ghia with Judson supercharger
1968 Chevy Nova with 230 Six
1966 Chevy Caprice SS 396
1970 Triumph TR-6
1970 Chevy Camaro Z-28
2005 Toyota Celica GT-S
1969 Volvo P1800S
and a professional mechanic on staff to keep all these moneypits running!
“and a professional mechanic on staff to keep all these moneypits running!”
🙂
I’m not going to acknowledge that my ’65 Chrysler answers the question all too well, 😉 so I’d say ’62 Imperial or a ’73 Buick (Estate Wagon, Electra 2dr, or Centurion convertible please 🙂 )
given unlimited money…70 Fury GT with 440 Six Pack and a 59 Fleetwood Limousine for formal occasions. Fisk this! as a bumper sticker on the limo: ) and of course, an exact replica of the 55 Chevy in Two Lane Blacktop as my DD.
Very cool list IMO. That 55 Chevy would get old real fast as a DD though. The gearing set up for the quarter mile would not be well suited for highway driving. Notice that everybody was passing them when they were on the road.
I wish I owned a Jag 420G . And to make things more interesting reliability-wise, it’d need the factory p/w, sunroof and a/c. Of course it wouldn’t fit in my single-car garage… *sighs and looks wistfully at internet auction sites*
I’ve mentioned on CC before, I did give in and bought my late Grandfather’s 1936 Dodge Touring Sedan from his estate in 1994…when I was a student. It hadn’t been on the road since 1960 and needed full restoration which was well beyond my abilities (physical and financial!). Sold it in 1999 when I needed a house deposit. Of course it’s now stripped for restoration and lives only a few km from me, so I could give in and buy it back again…
1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 convertible- completely impractical to try and find space to park it, sucks down fuel like it owns shares in Shell, and quite frankly these were not great cars when new. But… a little part of my heart beats faster every time I see one for sale! Failing that a Porsche 928. I know way to much about what fails and the terrifying cost to repair and maintain these fabulous beasts…..
OH YEAH on the 1973 Delta 88 convertible. Hopefully you will find a decent one & go for the gusto. These cars are super-reliable and will run forever given reasonable care. The top mechanisms are a bit delicate & a witch to repair when they screw up though.
Plenty of vehicles I’d like that would be bad for me.A 59 Buick Electra coupe in red,I don’t care about it’s horrendous thirst,feeble brakes,poor handling it was the first car I ever wanted.
An Edsel woody see above
A 70 big block SuperBee/Coronet preferably in Panther Pink/Moulin Rouge.It would probably have had a very hard life and be badly restored/maintained when it came into my hands and be far too thirsty.
Do motorcycles count?If so I would like a Silk 700, a 70s water cooled 2 stroke twin based on the Scott.Less than 200 were made,they were never fully sorted and had boiling radiators etc,a reserve fuel tap you had to take the side panel off to get at and you had to put 2 stroke oil in the petrol like a BSA Bantam which just isn’t on with a bike that cost BMW money.No dealers,a factory that closed over 30 years ago and there’s going to be lots of frustration and swearing to come.
An Equus Bass
Jaguar E-type, coupe or convertible. I’ve wanted one since I was about 11 years old and started reading “Road & Track”. They’re magic. Sure, they’re completely irrational for me because I can’t afford one, I don’t fit in them, and I can’t work on one. Still, what are dreams for? Make mine red.
An Aston Martin DB7. I don’t really care if it’s the I6 or the V12, either way I’d be happy. A convertible would be even better. If that’s too dreamy and not guilty enough, I’d have to say an AMC musclecar, probably a Javelin because I’m a family man and the two seats would be a great place to punish my babies. I’d like that because it’s a little weird and unique, it would be nice to have something that no one else has. You can find Chevelles and vintage Mustangs and GTOs and all those, but an AMC? Not really. That’s what makes it cool.
So a DB7 or a Javelin.
Here’s a few:
280ZX with t-tops
Saab 900 Turbo
Early 80’s Corvette with the glass hatch.
AMC Javelin or AMX
For me this is an easy question to answer. In addition to the money sinkhole Buick wagon I currently own, I would like to have a De Tomaso Mangusta, and a Jaguar XJS. I would use the Jaguar to run and get parts for the Mangusta, or it could be the other way around.
As a little boy I would collect and play with matchbox cars with “special” cars that were my dream cars. Through the years those cars slipped though my fingers and into fond memories (just like the real ones). The only constant dream car and truck that I always loved is the Camaro and the first generation K5 Blazer! In the 38 years of driving, I have had the pleasure to have owned 3 second generation Camaros (including my first car a 6 cyl. 1971 Camaro). Today I remember the those cars well but unfortunately I never did acquired that Blazer with the removable roof!
Presently, I love “borrowing” my son’s 1995 Camaro convertible on a sunny day and taking an adventurous drives in the countryside.
Hey I found your van:
http://www.oldparkedcars.com/2013/11/1965-chevy-van.html
1997 Lexus LS400
1999 Audi A6 Wagon Manual Trans
2002 Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon Manual Trans
All in black of course
Any Acura NSX
1959 Cadillac Coupe Deville and a 1958 Buick Limited. Two dream classics.
Hmm, stock factory vehicle? Corvair Greenbrier. I don’t care if I’m part of the crumplezone, I always loved those.
Real guilty pleasure would be a 60s gasser style 55-56 Ford with a big 385 series under the hood. High center of gravity, solid axles, ludicrous power and terrible driveability, yet I adore the simple purposeful nature of them.
My favorite cars are big four-door hardtops, so pretty much any car I’m interested in qualifies purely on fuel economy and safety, but there are two cars, both of which I’d be able to buy for very little money, that really worry me.
The first is pretty much any Japanese four-door hardtop from the late 1980s or early 1990s. I love hardtops, I love jellybean aerodynamics, so a Nissan Cedric Cima or Mazda Persona would be perfect for me. On the other hand, importing a car from another country is risky enough, but none of the JDM hardtops were closely related to anything sold in the USA, so if it ever broke down I could be looking at a repair bill higher than the cost of another car.
But everyone knows how reliable ’80s Japanese cars are. The one I am genuinely terrified of, because no matter how many times I repeat that it would be a horrible idea to buy one I just know I will get one as soon as I have $10,000 lying around, is a BMW 8 series. It’s by far the most beautiful BMW of all time (from an era when they couldn’t make a bad looking car if they tried), and one of the most beautiful cars of all time. A hardtop coupe with insanely huge windows, a V12 engine, two of the best paint jobs ever offered (the dark red and dark green metallic options, still no idea which I would choose), and those ridiculously cool pop-up headlights. But it’s a BMW, and if they weren’t already way too unreliable and expensive to work on, a top-of-the-top-of-the-line luxury car that someone is trying to get rid of for $8,000 has likely had an extremely rough life and wouldn’t even be trustworthy as a third or fourth backup car. I will still own one, though. Even if I have to go against everything I stand for and keep it locked in a garage like an animal, I will own one.
My first ‘car’. My granddaddys’ 1984 Chevy pick up, passed down to a 1984 model idiot with more enthusiasm then brains. My parents figured I’d be relatively safe in two tons of malaise-y truck steel. They snuck a mechanic a bill or two to stick a restrictor plate in during a carb rebuild while I wasn’t looking. They underestimated my ability to wring speed and excitement out of just about anything.
But they had a surefire plan to kill my driving excitement, they bought a new Dodge intrepid, and gave me thier old dodge dynasty! Ah ha! Stick that boy in a granny mobile. Lets see how much fun he can have in a dolled out 90s K-Car! Plenty actually. Did you know that with a long stretch of two lane country highway, and the right kind of fool behind the gas pedal, a 1990 dodge dynasty with the 3.3 litre V6 can kiss a hundred and twenty miles per hour? I’m truly surprised I survived my youth.