Guest Lisa-G Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 As I mill around the sections, I thought id post a pic of my 1962 Buick Skylark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Nice Skylark!! Welcome to our world. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lisa-G Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Maybe I should have gone further with this post. I got the car last October. The neighbor across the street was quickly falling into alheimezers diease. Shes in her late 80s. Her daughter whose my age had taken over her moms finances. Her mother bought the car new off the lot in 1961. As she was tossing away old furnatre, and boxes of junk, I noticed a flatbed truck pulling up to their driveway one morning. I called over there and asked whats going on .... and was told that she was going to donate the car to charity as a tax write off. As well as sell the house to help pay for her mom 24 hour care she needed. I asked of she was going to donate the car, could I keep it ? My 1985 Ford Escort was dying and I put alot of money into it anyways. So in the end, the guy had to lower it off the tow truck and I got the car. I was driven to school as a kid in it so it sort of had memories. The car spent most of its life in a garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lisa-G Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lisa-G Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Sorry for all the pics but the car is in good shape. I drive it everyday to work. The only drawback is the air conditioning dosent work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retirednow Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Excellent car-cool story since you were driven to school in it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Sorry for all the pics but the car is in good shape. I drive it everyday to work. The only drawback is the air conditioning dosent work.That car is in really nice shape. Sure glad you saved it from the donation pile. Meanwhile, it doesn't look like it is equiped with Airconditioning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackofalltrades70 Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 That car is in really nice shape. Sure glad you saved it from the donation pile. Meanwhile, it doesn't look like it is equiped with Airconditioning?JohnD1956, Look again at the engine compartment on the right hand side of the picture. It's there. hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rob McDonald Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 (edited) LISA-G, sweet story and sweet car. Several years ago in my neighbourhood, a nice house went up for sale because the widowed owner was moved into a nursing home. Wifey and I went over to have a look. The house was bigger than ours and, with three kids, we were feeling the pinch. I secretly knew it would never work, though, because the garage was smaller than the one I already had.The house was nice enough but not a clincher for either of us. To be polite to the realtor, we took the full tour and ended up at the inadequate garage. Inside was a pristine but very dusty '63 Comet sedan, 6 cylinder 3-speed, no radio, so homely it was cute. The old girl had bought it new, of course, but no one in the family wanted it - callous louts! Yes, it came with the house, if we wanted it. Otherwise, it would be donated to charity.I wonder how many LOL (Little Old Lady) gems like this end up a tax receipts. Anyway, we passed on both the house and the Merc-lette.SIMILAR TO ILLUSTRATION, SOME EQUIPMENT OPTIONAL AT EXTRA COST Edited April 16, 2011 by Rob McDonald (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lisa-G Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 (edited) Im no car mechanic , but right below the radio, next to the pull brake lever is the control for the AC. They told me the belt for the compressor was cut because it made noise. I have no idea when it actually went out. My brother says it cannot be fixed since Freon has been banned in Calfornia. Id have to change it over to 134-A , so im not going to be doing that anytime soon. its just too much money for me right now. The neighbor kids are telling me to lower it, add rims to it, but im not. These things are only original ..... Once. What amazed my brother was that theres almost no rust anywhere on it. Being in the San Francisco fog most of its life and all. I had to save this from the crusher since its too old to have any value put on it. Edited April 16, 2011 by Lisa-G spelling (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Nice score Lisa-G. I'd offer a swap for my '62 Special convertible, but that would cost me too much money and too many points with She Who Must Be Obeyed. It isn't often one can procure a one-owner car that is nearly 50 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Oh...and never ever apologize for posting photos here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dan Cook Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 What luck and just in the nick of time since it was already on the truck. You're right, they are only original once. Not having the air conditioner working shouldn't be too much of an inconvience in SF. Kind of like here.........nice to have for a couple of months of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Lisa, that car does have value! And changing to 134-a would not be too expensive,relative speaking. Check it out. And as for the neighborhood, stick to your guns! VERY NICE CAR. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lisa-G Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Thank you all , you are all very welcoming. The car needs a new vinyl top. I think the hail this year really did it in. It sat in a garage for years, now that I have it , today it sits outside on the street in front of my apartment. We had 3 days straight of a rain/hail mix. The vinyl roof is splitting now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick5563 Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 What a great story and a super-cute Skylark. It looks very well preserved. Time to find a place with a garage, or at least a carport. Ah, the hidden expenses of owning an old car. Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Nice little 62 Skylark, I had a 61 and they are still great cars that fit into the tight confines of todays motoring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lisa-G Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 You are right there. Its small for the era. The other cars were banana boats back then, ive been thumbing through the Owners booklet, warranty and Accessories books and the other cars for 62 were huge things. Plus this car runs way better then the 85 Ford Escort I was using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 When I would take longer trips in mine, I often pulled 21-23 mpg on the highway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lisa-G Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Funny thing, I had some guy come up and want to buy the old Yellow and Black license plates off the car. I guess the old california plates have a following. I didnt sell them. Hed buy the plates and pay me to have new modern ones issued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dan Cook Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Somewhere out in the wood shed there are a half dozen of the old black and yellow plates. Guess I should try and find them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redrob Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 What a nice car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Funny thing, I had some guy come up and want to buy the old Yellow and Black license plates off the car. I guess the old california plates have a following. I didnt sell them. Hed buy the plates and pay me to have new modern ones issued.Smart move hanging onto those plates Lisa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lisa-G Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 With gas costing $4.63 a gallon I won't be driving it a lot. Its gotton too expensive to go anywhere anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 If everything is working properly, it should get at least 20 mpg highway, probably mid-teens in the city. If it isn't getting that, you may want to check things like tire inflation and general tune condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest reatta1991 Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Just noticed your post and pictures...great looking car! Really good condition, too. Glad you were able to save it. My folks had one, bought new in Pittsburgh in '62 (black with red interior, no AC). But it developed some rust problems (translation: rust-through on front and rear quarter panels and panels under the front and rear bumpers by '66), so it became trade-in fodder. Kinda wish I had it now...cute and economical! (Though with all this heat, I guarantee I'd be looking for aftermarket air conditioning to install...)Enjoy your "new" car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lisa-G Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 (edited) Thank you for the post. Its been a while since I last put anything on the boards. I had taken a vacation last month across the country. I drove to a high school girlfriends place outside Chicago and spent a month there. I drove the Buick. the car made the trip perfectly. No problems knock on wood !I drove it on the old Route 66 which is now for the most part I-40 stsrting at highway 58 in Barstow, California. Driving the Skylark through New Mexico, Missouri , Texas, Oklaholma , Arkansas and so on, youd be surprized at how many people stopped and stared at the car , with the old yellow and black California license plates and all, every time I was buying gas and passing them on the freeway. I had gotton stopped once by a cop on the way back to San Francisco just east of Alma, Oklaholma , he asked about the car since hed never seen one before , instead of issuing me a ticket. I was scared I would get a ticket since the red and blue lights were flashing and the siren was going , he was a nice man after all. Edited July 24, 2011 by Lisa-G (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 GOOD FOR YOU. For not being afraid to drive across country, and in an "old" car. I would be proud to know you and shake your hand. Go, GO, GO! Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest reatta1991 Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Driving our cars is half the fun! Glad you had a safe and uneventful trip... Bet your little incident with the officer was a heart-stopper, though!My California GS gets driven to shows...most recently the Buick Nationals in Danvers. Made the 1200 mile round trip just fine - even in the heat. They were made to drive - my theory is they run better the more you drive them! On black plates: I still have Dad's original registration papers and the car's set of black plates (I got the car from him). It's good to keep them, even if, like me, you relocate to another state. I sold the pair from my other car a while back. But this car's plates are a permanent part of its history and they aren't going anywhere any time soon.I know what you mean about high gas cost...it really puts a crimp on driving. This year Danvers was the highlight, and at 14-15 MPG gas really put a dent in the old credit card. We can hope things will be better next year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Sounds like a great trip and a lot of fun. I'm glad it went well for you mechanically and fine-wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 (edited) Maybe next year you can take it to Charlotte North Carolina for the annual Buick Club Meet. If you were surprised by the reaction of the people you met on your chicago trip, you will be astounded by the people you meet in NC when they realize you drove the car all the way across country.BTW, did you get the A/C fixed for your trip? If so, how well did it work? Were you driving through the midwest States during the record breaking temperatures ? Did you figure out what the Miles per Gallon were? How did your girlfriend like the car too?I find it very interesting that your car has factory A/C and now POTHOOKIT on the POST WAR Forum has found a 61 with factory a/C too. http://forums.aaca.org/f162/61-buick-special-where-start-307557.html Edited July 26, 2011 by JohnD1956 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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