(first posted 10/1/2012) While out on a bike ride in a neighborhood I normally never ride through, an idea suddenly popped in my head: Why not photograph every car on the next five blocks and see how it comes out? Will there be many Curbside Classics, or will I embarrass myself? Is this worth doing?
A few disclaimers: I hadn’t driven or ridden these blocks in several years, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t purposely pick a neighborhood that I know is very CC-rich. But I did forget to shoot an opening pic to provide some perspective of where we’re going. A few days later I went back and took the shot you see at the top of this page, plus a few more I wasn’t able to get last time. On the first block was this newish blue Toyota 4Runner I’d forgotten to pickup, so consider it vehicle #1.
By the way, we’re heading north on Arthur Street, starting at W. 23rd Av. (this is the shot looking south). It’s a somewhat eclectic neighborhood of mixed demographics and incomes, and is fairly representative of a somewhat older, relatively close-in neighborhood southwest of the city center.
First up (and already quite representative of Eugene), there’s an old Civic out front; a more recent Volvo wagon in the driveway; and also a utility trailer, since there’s no old pickup.
On the left, a New Beetle. TDI, perhaps? Quite likely.
Another Civic hatch, this one not quite so old, with racks for the bikes.
Nice combo: An Impreza wagon and semi-vintage Ford pickup.
A short-wheelbase Caravan from 1994 or so.
A Ford Fusion isn’t exactly a common sight around here; then again it’s a Hybrid, which probably makes it a more likely find than a regular one.
A Corolla. Wanna guess it won’t be the only one? How many more do you think there will be?
But don’t stereotype this neighborhood yet. If I had to guess, they’re probably old-timers from the days when this neighborhood was itself a bit more old-school. Or maybe not. I should stop stereotyping GM drivers in Eugene.
A Camry and Focus here, another mid-sized Buick there. From the looks of the Buick’s home, I’d have to say another old-timer.
Here’s something a bit less boring: a ’69 or ’70 Chevy C10. There’s a wheelbarrow in back, no doubt to haul compost for a back-yard organic garden.
Right across the street from it sits another vintage GM(-ish) pickup of a quite different variety: It’s an Isuzu P’up, and a diesel at that. Got biodiesel?
Here’s a mighty new Accord coupe (update: visiting from CA, apparently) and a Mazda Protegé in the drive.
Another relatively recent one.
A slightly older Accord coupe and a Sentra, a combo similar to the other one.
The MK III Jetta is a fairly common car in these parts.
“Hi there! I’m with the Federal Automobile Census Bureau. Smile for Uncle Sam!”
Here we go, our first official Eugene-mobile! And a more recent one in the driveway; hardly official, though.
This is good: a Previa, hooked up to a nice big trailer with a roof top carrier attached. Creative!
This looks a bit more like a real tow rig.
A shy Mazda 626.
Looks like this Mazda MPV has been retired in favor of a 300.
Aha! Prius!; another official Eugene-mobile nabbed.
Big American trucks and little Japanese cars comprise a common theme in Eugene. As in my own household. Or is it car-hold?
Eureka! A Morris Minor–and one I’ve never seen before. It looks quite roadworthy.
Malibu Maxx. When I first read about the Opel Signum (on which it is based), I thought it was a cool idea: an extended-wheelbase hatchback with a sliding rear seat that could maximize either legroom or luggage space. Still, I had serious doubts that it would fly in the U.S. It should have been a Saturn, at the least. The Malibu name was mud back then, as were hatchbacks themselves. Another Bob Lutz strikeout.
Old Ford trucks and not-quite-as-old Toyota trucks: the official trucks of Eugene.
I have to catch all the cars on the street, including the only one that rolls by on this quiet Sunday afternoon: a Seville, no less. A future GM’s Greatest Hit, no doubt. Even in this part of town, a surprising number of these are still around; hand-me-downs from Grandpa or Great Uncle Larry, I suspect.
Here’s a dyed-in-the-silk Japanese car lover. I’m suddenly reminded that I did come down this street some years ago, when I shot the Vehicross. I didn’t get to its CC until some time later.
Next!
Another official Eugene-Mobile, a W123 Mercedes diesel. I was beginning to get a bit worried.
A very eclectic collection, including our first VW bus, another official Eugene-Mobile. Does that cover all of them? No Roaches of the Road™ yet.
This is a somewhat distressing sight: It’s the first time I’ve seen a neglected W124–and a wagon, too. We have gobs of W124s up here and, to a Mann, all are well-kept. This looks like an ex-Forest-Service truck–a familiar sight hereabouts, despite a switch to white paint a few years back. Apparently, the old way not only cost them extra upfront, but even more when it came to resale value. I’m going to miss that shade.
Yes! Another official Car of Eugene, a Diesel Rabbit–and a very nice one at that. It’s amazing how many of these also are still around. The German-built ones were fundamentally very well constructed. The yellow hue provides a nice contrast to the blue Vue, a vehicle not-so-fundamentally well built.
Two genuine CCs nose-to-nose: On the street, the Rabbit keeps company with a neighbor’s very nice RX-7, a GSL model at that (four-wheel discs and LSD).
Another old Caravan. Yes, Eugenians like lots of plants in their yards, be they ornamental, edible or smokeable. Lawnmowers are going to become extinct before long.
Of course, there had to be another one.
Another couple of popular vehicles. Here, practicality is bigger than automotive status.
A study in contrasts, as is Eugene in general.
Looks like the Toyota pickup has hauled a winter’s supply of cord wood.
Toyota pickups everywhere.
Both the house and the car don’t look very Eugene-like.
VW bus number three. Is that enough?
With only one sighting, I’m surprised at the scarcity of old Camrys so far. Come back in 20 years, and this one will likely still be here.
When you don’t want to pay the ridiculous prices that old Toyota pickups fetch, you can pick up an old Nissan for a slightly less ridiculous price.
Somebody has to be a bit different…except for the truck, of course.
In this neighborhood, does parking a newish Buick on your sparse lawn make a statement of sorts?
The folks across the street have almost exactly the same trailer, its tow rig in view.
Now here’s a fine study in contrasts. The Suburban is almost as big as the house.
Some GM loyalists from the ’80s live here.
We’ve arrived at 18th Ave., the end of our trek. Perhaps a couple more American cars will help offset the balance of payments so far.
Now, what if I just sit here for a half-hour and shoot all the Curbside Classics that come by? Maybe another time.
Last time I checked, Isuzu trucks were made by ISUZU MOTORS LTD. not GM.
Which was 34% owned by GM at the time, and the two companies shared platforms and much technology. But strictly speaking, you’re right. How about we say “GM-ish”
Not only that, but the same truck was sold here with a Chevrolet badge as a LUV.
And that particular one has a LUV horizontal-slat grille (with bowtie removed).
Great idea for an article. I assume the low number of Camrys is partially due to the popularity of the Prius though we didn’t see a lot of those either. In WEsTern Wa the Prius actually is the best selling car, according to Toyota ads, for something like 4 years now.
That new white Accord has California plates…probably someone visiting. Saw one Texas plate too. Since the current variation of Oregon graphic plate has been issued since the early 1990’s I’m not surprised to see those on the great majority of cars. At least one of the pickups has blue on yellow plates, probably the original ones from new. Plate on the Morris Minor is pretty new, last year or maybe two.
That’s an interesting assortment of cars, and not distinctively different from what I’d expect to see here locally.
I Love it. A car guys view of the neighborhood, classic.
That’s often where my focus is also. If there are cars around, I can usually entertain myself.
That intersection idea is mighty good too.
The Seville’s from that 86-92 sure have survived in larger numbers than The other E’s . Here in LA I see far More of The Seville than even the Eldorado.
I still think they look better all the time, Funny You even more rarely See the Grand Ams, Calais or Somerset survivors .
As a kid I always was checking driveways out to make judgements on their loyalty , orderliness… CArs Cars c-a-r!
I saw a Calais sedan yesterday.
I haven’t seen a Somerset in years though.
Pet peeve of my 85 Grand Am ; That speedometer was a hockey stick with illegible numbers
The burgundy New Beetle appears to be the later restyled model (2006-2010), which was not available with the TDI, if I recall correctly.
I’m anxiously awaiting our local dealer to get a ’13 TDI so I can do a test drive comparison with my ’00 TDI…
Very, very nice.
Me? I wouldn’t pay top dollar for a Toyota or Nissan, especially when you can just buy a Chevy or Ford or Dodge and be done with it. In the midwest, those import trucks dissolved before an owner’s eyes, but up in your neck of the woods, Paul, they appear very well preserved!
Not a single “Cockroach of the Road”© Cavalier, either…
Quite an eclectic collection, regardless.
©Geozinger
I was struck by the practicality of that Malibu Maxx too, when it came out. I liked its new look too, for awhile anyway. Is this the start of the bowtied band across the front that’s so common now? Funny how GM would come up with original styling that fell flat in the market. I’m thinking of some Oldsmobiles that I quite liked but didn’t catch on.
“Eureka! A Morris Minor. And one I’ve never seen before…” With fairly recent plates, it moved in around a year ago. We saw a nice Minor on the 101 Freeway near Santa Rosa on our trip, it was gamely running about 60 in the right lane, probably flat out.
“Both the house and the car don’t look very Eugene-like.” Kansas plates on that Pontiac.
I love your street-sweeper idea here. Kinda timely this season, going door-to-door.
> it was gamely running about 60 in the right lane, probably flat out.
Probably souped up (very common and easy). Even if the engine was upgraded, the gear ratios were too high. Only the later (Austin) OHV engines had enough power for sustained 60+ mph speeds. But then the U.S. models were probably different. Even then, the brakes were nothing special. I’m afraid to take my car to 40 mph in traffic.
To get the original Morris Minor 1000 up to 60 MPH without killing the three main bearing ‘A’ Series 900CC engine simply fit the carrier from a post 1964 MG Midget / Austin Healy Sprite ~ it’s a direct and easy bolt in affair .
Once you’re up dated the ‘A’ series engine to a 1275 you’re good to go as those are very rev happy .
Due diligence will net you the 3.72 final drive from a 1979 (one year only) MG Midget and make it a relaxed 60 ~ 65 MPH touring car .
The MGB engines don’t fit unless you modify them a bit .
This one is a ringer for my ’61 Morris Minor I gave away a while back .
-Nate
A nice change from the Grand Ams, Tauruses and Chevy pickups that pass for old cars in my midwestern area.
You can walk around a nonwealthy neighborhood without getting stabbed or shot or screamed at or attacked by a dog?
No wonder my sister likes Oregon.
Definitely not. Actually, more likely the other way around. You might be surprised at the varying professions and educational levels represented in this neighborhood. Eugene has lots of folks who chose to live here, and a bit simpler and at a lower income level than they might be able to earn in a big city. I’ve approached all sorts of houses, including some very rough ones, in order to shoot pictures. Especially once you explain, they’re almost always very accommodating.
I have many times wondered the same thing.
But, in mellow old Eugene I suppose there are not that many in the witness protection program
Incidentally, I used to live out on Donald Street in a really, really, tiny white house (no doubt “upgraded” several times since) that was so small that you could hardly see it when my Volvo station wagon was parked in front.
A possible route for your next bike ride.
Good collection if I do that you get way more Corrollas , Morris Minors and many diesel Nissan and Toyota utes old Isuzus wear Holden badges here though the new ones have reverted now the Rodeo has been renamed Colorado.
http://s188.photobucket.com/albums/z281/timmm55/CURB%20SIDE%20CLASSICS/
I did a similar thing, I did a walk around my Normal Heights San Diego neighborhood. it was in a 4 block area. A much more crowded community. So I didn’t shoot every car. Only 1990 and older mostly. 2 Cougars, 2 Impalas, 2 Rivieras, 1 each : Volvo, 60 Mercury, Mazda RX7 ‘vert, Dart, Aspen, Celica, Supra, Datsun 510, old VW Bug, Falcon Ranchero, Nova, P71, Escort, Mustang (under car cover)……….does the JFK Lincoln Limo count?
Photo is same El Cajon Blvd/Kansas St. area in 1940.
Looks a lot like the cars down here in Gainesville, FL……seems to be a few more Volvos in these parts though–must be a college kid favorite.
Gainesville and Eugene are probably very similar in many ways, Both are of similar population, and both are college towns, homes to University of Florida and University of Oregon, respectively.
Looks a lot like my neighborhood in Santa Cruz. West Coast college towns are pretty much Brougham-free (and not many J cars either) Though in a similar 5 block area here there might be more older (pre-68) domestic iron – and more Subaru’s.
A couple of weeks ago I went on a lengthy road trip. I decided to make a mental note of what kinds of cars I would see the most of while away. As many of you know, I live in Michigan, and drive a Ford Escape. There are dozens and dozens of Escapes on the road here. Once I got out of Ohio I hardly ever saw any Escapes. On the way to eastern Tennessee, the majority of cars I saw were Toyotas and Hyundais, followed by Hondas, and Domestic large trucks. From there I traveled up to Pennsylvania to visit my cousin in Allentown. She has a Ford Edge (she is from Michigan), but along with the Toyotas, Hyundais and Hondas, there LOTS of Mercedes, BMW’s Lexus’ and Volvo’s. Once we got to the Jersey Shore and into Staten Island and Brooklyn, NYC, the only domestic cars you saw were Trucks, vans and Panthers. It just blew my mind to see just how few domestic cars are purchased by the rest of the country. My little Escape was definitely the odd man out on the highway, until I got back to roughly northern Ohio.
Of course once I got back into Michigan I blended back into the crowd on the road.
I have no problem with owning a foreign car, in fact I have had a couple of Toyota’s in my day. The problem is having to live with the comments and disapproval from family and friends, no doubt it would be quite the opposite elsewhere!
Great idea Paul 🙂
Interesting … here in Northern California where American passenger cars are very scarce, American pickups, SUVs and crossovers are still very popular. I’d say the Escape (including the now discontinued Hybrid) is very common, amidst the Vanagons, Eurovans, old Toyota pickups, F250 Diesels, BMW 3-series and Priuses that clog the roads here.
Nice!
Loved the various cars you caught. Loved that blue Burban with the large, donkish wheels on it.
That said, some great finds. I’ve always loved those old German Rabbits for their looks have never, in my estimation grown dated. Their basic design has held up really well all these years later, and STILL look great, especially when kept up nicely too.
Those Nissan Hardbody trucks/SUV’s were great. Best friend’s oldest brother bought a blue 87 Hardbody Pathfinder, loaded with AC, sunroof, 5spd manual, and 4WD, and I forget what else, but he had it until a couple of years or so ago, when he finally sold it with over 200K, I think somewhere in the 250K range. The original clutch was replaced at some point around 220K, if I recall right.
Sold it to someone he knows who needed a vehicle, I think.
Fortunately, in the Puget Sound area, cars here don’t rust so, like Eugene, you can get quite an assortment of cars.
Back in March of ’09, I did my own version of Down on the Streets that Muralee Martin did over on Jolapnik and found all kinds of interesting cars, like him, stopped around 1992, and these cars were all found along the west slope of Capitol Hill, within 5 blocks of my apartment.
http://ciddyguy.livejournal.com/1655073.html
Pimping aint easy in Eugene, which explains the small Seville….
Does the LSD reffer to the RX-7 or the owners of the house with a giant peace sign on it?
Eugene and Oregon in general are interesting places, first time I was there I was intrigued by the number of older cars on the road.
It’s funny you posted the picture of hte mold Mazda MPV, I saw one last week, first one I had seen in while, it was in good shape, I kinda stared at it for a few minutes, they were pretty hot for a while when they came out, a curious vehicle, its a mini-van-a-wagon, no sliding door on the right, instead a regular door like a sedan, but with a 3rd row, almost like mini-version of a 60’s Suburban, hard to see in these pics, but these cars also had a big glassy greenhouse too.
And the MPV was rwd too; as well as AWD. They were popular here, and there’s a fair number still on the road. I’ll have to write one up sometime. Rugged little beasts.
I may be trading our trusty 2000 Astro for a 97 MPV. The Astro while seemingly indestructible is too much of a beast around our tight, hilly, twisty neighborhood streets and feels like a boat. I took the MPV for a spin and it felt like a car, imagine that. Plus I gain 2 real doors instead of a 1-ton sliding door that my kids and their friends have trouble closing when parked on a hill.
The MPV would fit in better next to our two Protegés anyway.
Paul: You don’t get the Toyota Innova there? Its the very definition of RWD MPV here, and the vehicle of choice for long-haul taxi operators (to Toyota’s consternation). The second best-seller in the same category is, unsurprisingly, Chevrolet (Daewoo) Tavera. Family buyers view MPVs as low-prestige vehicles (despite Toyota’s valiant and continuous marketing efforts) and are more inclined to buy cars or SUVs.
Amazing to see a Mark I Rabbit in that condition! I had one in the same color, a first-year 1975 model 2-door sedan, built in Germany (before the diesels engines were installed). Mine was bought new, but after just 3 years, the steel wheels were starting to rust and the fronts blackened by brake dust.
Does anyone in that neighborhood own a lawnmower? I really did like the ’73-’75 F-100 (maybe a F-150); used, but not abused.
I’ll have to look around when we head to Tampa/N. Reddington Beach on Thursday to see what I can see and hopefully shoot. Perhaps the person in Tampa that comments on here will drive by our hotel in one of his CC’s!
Every time we’ve been down there, a treasure trove of older, luxo-barges cruise around and get in my way…
I’m guessing that comment was meant for me. Welcome to st Pete, when you get here. Perhaps a local car show might be in order? Email me at [email protected]. Biff Burger and Quaker Steak and Lube in town have weekly shows, Fridays and Thursday’s. Google them! Both VERY close to Reddington Beach. Mark.
I wish I could convert my memories into photographs. My walk to school from K through 3rd grade took me past a few interesting cars. Close to my house was a shiny black 1936 Ford coupe, a daily driver in perfect shape. I would later pass a split-window VW Beetle, also black, and parked next to it, an early ’50s black Ford Prefect. Not very common to see such vehicles in Lowell, MA in the mid ’50s.
A quick trip on Google Maps also indicates a very straight 1962-63 Ford Fairlane 4dr on the NW corner of W 20th and Arthur.
Another curbside and parking lot habit I have when I’m out walking or biking, is looking for and listening for manual transmissions. I’m always surprised at the number of elderly people driving older stick shift CRV’s or Camrys, and young people driving automatic turbo Subarus or M3’s.
One of the nice things about the west coast is you can find out how reliable a car is, long term. Out in the midwest most cars rust away before they mechanically fail, leaving you to wonder how long it would have gone before something major bit the dust.
To me, the streets and houses of Eugene look very nice embellished with that fabulous mix of cars from all over the world. And only 5 random blocks! What if it was the whole city?
Might have to sneak over to that area and see what is there these days. I doubt it has changed much.
I was thinking the same thing, would be cool to see an update.
Every time someone posts photos of cars from the northwest I’m amazed at the lack of rust. Even the older cars aren’t afflicted with the tin worm; here, where they spread tons of salt on the streets if they even think it might snow, it is rare to see an older vehicle without copious amounts of rust. The green and white C10 near the top of the article would have dissolved into a pile of iron oxide by now, unless someone threw a lot of money at restoration. Especially since I no longer have to get out in the snow to go to work I would be perfectly happy if they quit salting the roads here altogether and just waited for the sun to do its work.
Very interesting article Paul. It looks like your neighbourhood is quite a large residential area.
My Dad had an ’89 Seville, pearlescent white with a red leather interior. Total POS. The other thing that caught my eye was that Chrysler 300 early on, those wheels look pretty wide to be factory stock. I wonder what the story is there.
My money is on the RX7.
Based on the pictures, looks like the area was developed in early 50’s thru the mid 60’s considering most of the houses have been added onto at least once. Lots of baby boomers grew up in this neighborhood.
I would estimate that Morris Minor to be one from the 1952-56 vintage. Does the fact that Austin took over Morris and the company became known as BMC allow us to call it an “Austin Morris Minor’? Not sure, but that little car caught my eye.
Time for another bike ride!
The Morris Minor is definitely a Series III which means it’s 1956 – 71. It has a one-piece windscreen (earlier versions are known as split screen) and the large rear window
And an early SIII at that, by having the windscreen wipers still set up the same as for the split screen and the small indicator lamps. I owned a 1958 which looked the same. It had real leather seats which was surprising for such a small, cheap car at the time.
I was looking at a “new beetle” and wondering if any of the first generation ones with Diesel engines were still around .
Now you find one in pretty red .
-Nate
I still see NBs frequently, although as VW applied no TDI badging, there’s no way to know if they’re diesels or not.
My son told me a couple years ago that my former ’00 NB TDI (“Herbie”) finally died. He works for the same company as the young man to whom I sold the car back in 2013, and I regularly saw the car in the Peoria area for years afterwards. It must have had around 400K miles on it by the time it gave up.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake/curbside-outtake-passed-on-the-left-by-my-former-herbie/
I liked this collection of pictures and the comments that people have made. I concur that car preferences changes when you travel to different parts of the country. Maybe you can declare/challenge all the readers to do a photoshoot of their own neighborhood’s cars on a specific day and send them to you. You can review them by separating them into different regions and pull up a common denominator or theme of automotive choice? It’s not scientific, but it would be fun to observe! EVs vs. ICE cars, Imports vs. domestics, SUVs vs. cars, and so forth…What’s your thoughts?
Bayonne, NJ is a good place for an experiment like this. Even though it’s right in the NYC area there is a lower income population that doesn’t leave town much. You would still see a decent amount of Roadmasters until 10 years ago and A Body Centuries were pretty common until very recently. As demographics change the old Toyotas now dominate but you will still see stuff like a Chevette or 1st gen Sentra here and there. Overall I would not be surprised if the average Bayonne car is over 15 years old.