earl e rizer
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Posts posted by earl e rizer
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The Vauxhall models I can remember by name are Victor, Cresta,and Viva. That was a long time ago for me and they wern't cars I was fond of as a kid growing up in Ontario and Nova Scotia. We had a large number of English cars on the road in Nova Scotia back then. They didn't last long in that salty, moist Atlantic air. European cars did very little rust protection it seemed.
Even Mercedes Benz's were victim after a few years. Jaguar, Peugot, Lancia, even Borgward's were everyday common sites.
A lot of them came back with Canadian Armed Forces personell stationed overseas when they returned. The Vauxhalls were sold new in Halifax I do recall.
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If that's what it takes to get kids into old cars I'm all for it. BUT as most reality shows go there is NO REALITY involved.
What I hear from a few young people is how they want to "flip cars" to get rich. Nothing wrong with trying to get rich, but you still need to work long and hard for the most part.
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Not done to my tastes, but then again I love Avanti's.
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Yes Rusty I remember the parade as I guy I went to school with in Nova Scotia tried to get there, but his almost new Firenza broke down at least twice before making it! My mistake for calling them British-Leyland, I knew they were GM of England. Brain freeze on my part.
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There were many different models of Canadian Vauxhalls. That one looks like a UK model to me? Rusty, the Envoy was a slightly different model than the Vauxhall Viva. It was the Envoy Epic. The Firenza was possibly the worst car ever built by British-Leyland. There was a class action suit brought against them in Canada if I remember correctly??
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I live very close to Steve Plunkett here in London Ont. I've gone to the big show, Fleetwood Country Cruise-In many times. Have met and chatted with him at our local cruise ins and he's a very nice guy with a fantastic collection of cars indeed.
I'm not surprised he's down sizing the big show. It must take a lot of time, effort and money with very little return other than the pleasure of hosting such a large event. Which I'm sure must be very tiring and costly. A good friend of mine knows him quite well and told me he is very generous with his money, donating to different charities and causes.
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Cool car for sure. A Letter car with a 4 speed is very rare indeed! If it needs re-restoring and you got $15k it sounds fair.
They are expensive and difficult cars to restore as a lot of the parts needed are not reproduced and getting scarce.
I wish I had the money, room and ambition!
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I agree with all that these cars are not at all what they may appear to be.
At the same time I have to wonder/ask, did not Cuba maintain relations with Canada from 1959 on? If so, could not car parts be had from our neighbor to the north?
Yes to a point. A Canadian friend of mine has moved to Cuba. He did take some smaller parts with him on his many trips there in the past but most of the cars are so heavily modified and beat into the ground over and over again Original parts are of little use.
The Cuban mechanic is a very resourceful and adaptable person who knows how to make do with very little!
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Maybe you need to reach out to someone local who is familiar with Model A's so they can go over the troubleshooting with you watching and teach you some basic fundamentals of keeping it in running condition.
As most have stated they are a very basic car but do require maintenance. Fuel,ignition,compression and timing sound simple enough but can be very frustrating to a novice!!
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I seen that ad today. Very good buy!
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Why not get a part time job and start making payments to your Dad to show your "deserving"?
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"First, the layman seller typically has no clue"
then the layman seller shouldn't use a term he doesn't understand
What if he's selling an 87 Caprice Classic? Or as noted above a Rambler Classic. LOL The word is shaped, bent,misused and abused daily. No point in getting hot under the collar over it.
I've owned several Classic's. All Chev Caprices!!
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First of all ask yourself what do you want, a low odometer reading of questionable value on a basic, semi-desirable car?
You have heard from many members about the authenticity of odo's on old cars. I would trust them. A 72 Nova with a 250 bolt action 3 speed isn't a $20k car.
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Any chance a regular Cadillac 4.9 or 4.5 one would fit? I was able to find a few parts for my 88's and 90.5 that way. theres a few of those old DeVilles kicking around Ontario.
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Probably code R4 red. That would be a close match at least
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The hobby has been very adaptable during the 50 years or so I have been involved. And there have always been collector deals like that Mustang. A problem is the other hobbyist "experts" when they take on the mission of being 400 point judges and value appraisers. If you see that 16 year old at a cruise in don't sit on your pompus ass and ignore he exists (you know the ones who do it) or point out every flaw in the car while you ask "Are you going to fix this?"
Beat the kid up bad enough and he will think the dealer shafted him; and that happens a lot.
I am not a dealer. I do sell cars fairly often and I don't like to sell nice stuff. Nice stuff not only has to satisfy the buyer, but continue to meet the scrutiny of everyone near it, either by ignoring it or picking it apart. The season is starting and you will soon see that row of unapproachable sour faces, sitting on folding chairs with their arms crossed. They are usually so sour they don't even talk to themselves. You will see them. Remember they are also ambassadors of the hobby. Wondering where the hobby went? Don't sit with them.
Bernie
A very interesting comment, sadly true! I see very few old guys engaging young'uns at car shows or cruise nights. Sour puss faces are too common. I enjoy when people ask me about what ever car I take to a cruise/show. Some of the questions seem silly to me, but at least someone is interested enough to ask so I try to answer.
I've been on both sides of the buyer/ seller, private/dealer fence over the last 45 years since I started buying cars and then selling. Worked for a dealer for a few years on and off and sold a lot of my own cars privately. My own stuff I usually lost money on, but got to drive something different so I'm ok with that for the most part.
Working for a dealer was much easier as I had none of my money or more importantly to me no personal attachment to the vehicles. I still hate selling an old car that I've spent my time and money on. It's a personal thing that I tend to take offense to a lowball offer or rude comments from a buyer hoping to get a better price. That's when I start seeing red and end the conversation, or worse tell them to get stuffed, and slam doors in face.
So I trade to a few dealers that I know and justify the lower price I receive in my mind by not having the stress of dealing with the public. Yes the dealers I sell to always seem to make money but they have thicker skins than I do. The other thing I don't understand is why a person who is looking at a 30+ yr old car and expects a warranty! This even after they have beaten you down to a minimum price.
I hope to go back to work part time selling when I can semi retire, but only as long as its someone else's inventory.
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You either get Top Gear or you don't. Most of the people I've turned on to it hate it until they've seen 4-5 episodes, then they become passionate fans--it's probably an acquired taste. None of it is intended to be serious. It is the most beautifully filmed car show (or any show, for that matter), it goes to exotic locations, and then does really stupid things with motorized vehicles. Their multi-part specials like the Borneo adventure or their motorcycle trip through Thailand are some of the best things ever put to film. James May driving a truck up the side of an erupting volcano is awesome. Trying to build a Caterham Super 7 in the garage in the same amount of time it took the Stig to drive from the Caterham factory to the set was howlingly funny. Turning a farm combine into a snowplow with a flamethrower on it was fantastic. Burning down a camper trailer, and the one next to it, was hysterical. Attending an Alfa-Romeo meet with clapped-out Alfas held together with duct tape and pulled in on a rope was brilliant.
And if you have not seen their trip through the southern US with "NASCAR sucks" and "Hillary for President" and "Country music is rubbish" painted on the sides of their vehicles, you have not lived.
Or you don't get it. Whatever.
You don't have to understand it. People howl with laughter at Monty Python, but I don't. However, I don't hate Michael Palin because of it, I just realize that some people find it funny while I don't and move on with my life. It harms me naught if they find humor in things I don't.
As I said earlier, firing Clarkson was the right choice and I applaud the decision to kill the golden goose to prove the point that nobody is above the rules. However, as a Top Gear fan, I can also be saddened that it is ending, because it really was the best show involving cars ever made. It won't teach you anything about cars, you won't learn how to spray paint or weld bodywork, but you'll laugh yourself silly and see some awesome cars running at their limits and watch the most amazing camera work and travel to some of the most spectacular places...
...in the world!
/goodnight, my friends, you will be missed
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Well put, Thank you!
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So... if that producer, or anyone else on the show had a long, trying day dealing with an arrogant, prima donna jerk and finally, because his dinner was late, punched the guy in the nose, do you suppose for a minute he'd still have his job? This isn't about cars. Its about civilized behavior and the apparent fact that the rules of civilized behavior don't apply equally and, sadly enough, there are plenty of people here who are prepared to excuse this sort of thing if they find it "entertaining." I've seen this show a few times in the UK and always changed the channel after ten minutes or so...
He was treated equally, he was FIRED! It's very apparent that you don't like the man or the show, so what would you have done to him? Public hanging?
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I hope it's available in Canada!
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Wow! It's just a TV show guys, chill out! I enjoyed it many times, but it can't be taken seriously as its just comedy, British style.
As far as Clarkson goes from what I read about the incident just lost his temper after a long drawn out day and got into it with the producer. He apologized for his stupid actions to guy, and they both seem to have put it behind them. Everyone else hasn't. Pity.
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eeluddy,
Over the years, I have collected mostly prewar cars, specifically Model A Fords. At the moment, I own 3 Buicks.
I will have to disagree with you a little. I do love my 1937 Buick but I also really enjoy my 1984 Riviera. I specifically bought a 1989 Buick Park Avenue for touring. I owned Rivieras when I was younger and still love the body style. I never owned a 1989 Park Avenue when I was young, but admired them. I love having a newer antique that is comfortable for driving across the country for touring.
There may be some people in the hobby that don't like the newer antiques but I am very happy with both of my 1980s HPOF certified Buicks.
I'm with you as I love both of those model Buicks. Modern antiques are great for long distance or short jogs. The 79-85 Riv's are a real favorite. I had an 83 Indy 500 Replica convertible that I loved. I ended up replacing it with an Allante' and still feel it was a mistake! But at the time I was in love with the Allante (both used). Also I had a Model A but it was a fake. A Shay replica that sure fooled a lot of people and with the Pinto motor and disc brakes hidden behind the fake front drums it was ok to drive in traffic. Case in point. That Shay is now 35 years plus old. As far I know it's still running and driving to shows just fine, but a few still turn their nose up at them.
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General rule on this planet is that nothing remains static. Society,countries, population, climate, and yes even car clubs. They are evolving daily. Majority on this web forum are pro pre-war cars with a sprinkling of love for 50's iron, some liking 60's, still a bit of fondness for early 70's by a minority, and a general loathing for everything built after that. Irregardless of the fact that a car built in 1980 is now 35 years old they are shown nothing but scorn.
When I started driving in 1970-71 cars from the late 40's to early 60's were considered junk. That was fine by me as that was all I could afford. Mid 50's Ford products were my favorite. 35 year old cars (1935-36) were very hard to find, and were respected by all old car lovers.
A lot has changed since then including the amount of 35 yr old cars still functioning and able to be driven daily. Thats progress. Unfortunately our hobby has a serious hardening of the arteries and snobbery has set in.
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Have you tried internet want ad sites such as craigslist, AACA,Hemmings yet? Dodge Brothers club forum? Maybe a long shot, but a google search is where I always start now.
A decent pair of used could do you for now and let you keep your originals to practice doing all the prep work needed before sending out for re-chrome. A friend of mine uses Cambridge Chrome in Cambridge Ontario Canada and he is very happy with the quality of their work. He has both show cars and restored drivers. I'm in Ontario and they have a great reputation, but not cheap.
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The cars are going to a museum in China. They are not going to another planet. No one in Canada or elsewhere stepped up to the plate to pay what he wanted for the cars so obviously someone thought they were worth his price and paid. End of story. I have no problem with people in China getting to see and admire the vehicles we once built and owned here. It may give them a better understanding of us and our culture. Face facts, we have NO shortage of old cars, just buyers!!
Looked at some cars today most haven't run in years How to value/make offer?
in General Discussion
Posted
The 59 Olds hardtop would make a decent driver IF it were at say$4000. The heirs have probably been watching or hearing of B-J Auctions and think they are in jackpot mode. Probably best to let someone else burst their bubble.