Posted on 05/10/2006 4:48:01 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Jabari Bryant didn't go to a car dealership to buy his new car last fall. The 28-year-old went to a retirement community in Tybee Island, Ga., where for $2,000 he bought a navy blue 1988 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Brougham from a man who was "at least 83."
The seller said "his eyesight was going and he had no use for the car," recalls Mr. Bryant, an automobile glass installer from Savannah.
Young people today don't want their father's Oldsmobile -- they want their grandfather's. Some of the hippest wheels for under-30 drivers today are models commonly identified with seniors: Oldsmobiles, Buicks, Chevrolets and Cadillacs from the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s.
From Collins Ave. in Miami Beach's South Beach neighborhood to International Blvd. in Oakland, Calif., teens and young adults are cruising in "grandpa" and "grandma" cars that they have painted bright colors like lime green, outfitted with fancy sound systems and propped up on monster-truck-style wheels. They're sweet-talking their grandparents into giving up old cars and offering to buy them on the spot from strangers.
Television shows, such as MTV's "Pimp My Ride," and rappers, including Snoop Dogg, are helping to drive the craze. There's even a new magazine, Donk, Box & Bubble, dedicated to the tricked-out-oldie-car culture.
For U.S. car makers, struggling to lift sales, it's a painful irony that the models striking a chord with young buyers aren't those rolling off the assembly lines today but rather ones made decades ago. Detroit's marketers are trying to figure out how to ride the trend without ruining it.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I had a 76' Landcruiser. It was a freakin' tank and I loved it.
With all the $$ you save buying an old "land yacht" car and on the price of the repairs/parts, you can afford to buy gasoline!
If the block was thorougly cleaned and the rocker shafts and stands wire brushed using cleaning wires in the oil passages, the engine won't develop this problem with modern oils and frequent changes; as soon as the break-in period is over, switch to Mobil-1 pure synthetic 10-30 or equivalent (Amsoil is great, too but very hard to find)and you won't likely have this happen.
I was doing some work for an elderly lady back in the 70's and happened to take a look in her garage. There sat a 1947 Packard Clipper on blocks. I bought it from her for $500, changed the oil, put in some gas and a battery and drove it away. What a tank!
That's why they built the top-loader four speed; darned near bullet proof.
Yep, a 427 side oiler and a top loader wold be hard to beat.
They are rare as hen's teeth, and worth a bunch of $$.
Yep... the "350" refers to the estimated distance in feet between Shelby's office and the production facility... or something like that. I believe I read that in Shelby's Wildlife: the Cobras and the Mustangs.
BTW, if you've not seen it, check out the specs on Carroll's recent "remanufactured" vehicle, the GT-350SR.
Then there's *this* interesting bit of work (see www.SN65.com for the project journal). Amazing...
Thanks! I'm putting this one in the national MG show, which comes along every 5 years. I've been told by some of the concours judges that it has a chance to win the whole thing.
Of course, it'll only be pristine for that show, and then it'll start deteriorating, as I plan on driving it, and not just parking it under a car cover.
This time it's in Gatlinburg, TN., not too far for me to haul the wife and five kids and a car from Katrina-land. ;)
That looks very nice! And I know where you're coming from. I'm a 37 year old guy, and I still can't stand the factory sound systems. With the new Corvette, they ding you and extra $3500 for the 'premium sound' system. It sounds like crap. So, I dropped the same amount on a complete JL system with a custom fit sub-box and it's amazing.
Makes me wonder why the automakers will not offer a TRUE audiophile quality sound system as a factory option. I know the real reason (to make more money for nothing), but I'm just asking the question rhetorically. ;)
Of course, my wife says Im too old to be spending money on car audio systems. Says that you can tell that when someone starts to listen to Barry Manilow, but plays it very loud! ;)
Are there any specs on this car floating around yet? Like HP, torque, top speed, and PRICE?
And do you have any more pics? It looks great!
It is the "enhanced sound package" and I wouldn't have gone for it but it didn't look like the dash would be very receptive to third party parts.
In addition to the sound and only because once I started it was easy to do I added video for both DVD, over the air TV and a rear view where the camera is mounted on the top of the cab. I've never used the DVD and the TV only to check weather but I have used the behind camera when I'm hauling a trailer.
My wife swears I'm entering my fifth childhood. I can't disagree....
My first car as a 14-year old Texas licensed driver was a '53 Chevy six-banger. Second car was the '56 Ford that I posted earlier.
Muleteam1
That is a nice car.
I do like the '57 Chevy. If I did try to find one I think I would try to find a 2-door hardtop or a convertible. Then I would go back to original, down to the turquoise and white paint and hubcaps. Big bucks!
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