Thread: American Car Enthusiasts
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21st April 2012, 10:59 #11
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BTW a 1966 hardtop Pontiac GTO's list price was $2,800
May the forza be with you
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23rd April 2012, 16:46 #12Originally Posted by Dr Giacomo Rappaccini
Maybe everyone in California was rich at the time. It kind of looked nice on CHiPs. As you said I wasn't there.
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23rd April 2012, 17:13 #13
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Originally Posted by Gregor-y
At that time the economy was very robust in Southern California. It wasn't until the mid 80's that it tanked for a little while. There was a culture of muscle cars in Southern Cal, and you really did see a lot of Challenger, Chargers, GTO's, and etc. Corvettes were a whole different story, by the late 60's they were already very pricey. I think you make a good point about your experience, but that was not the case in Southern California.
Chips lol, that’s funny! They were always chasing someone in a muscle, or pony car
Peace my manMay the forza be with you
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23rd April 2012, 17:56 #14
No worries; I was more grumpy about the state of things today than passing judgement on the past. I've met plenty of people in Chicago with family histories of drag and street racing both here and around Detroit. Pittsburgh was a pretty confining place. And if I find a decent job on the California coast I'll still move there in a heartbeat.
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23rd April 2012, 19:58 #15
I was shooting the bull with some guys around my age at a facility I go to about once a month. I was telling them how my dream car when I was a teenager (late 70's/early 80's) was a Dodge Challenger or a Plymouth 'Cuda. A guy near where I lived had a Challenger with a 340, a 4 speed and a triple-deuce setup. But he wanted $800 for it! Way too much money for me. So I ended up with a Plymouth Roadrunner (the rounded "boat"/early 70's model, not the square bodied late 60's model that I liked). It had a 383 Magnum and an auto transmission, and even came with an extra 383 engine - all for $500. I snapped that one up, but sold it not too long after I got it together. My problem was paying for the insurance. That's what kept most of the younger guys I knew out of muscle cars back then. And really, when we talk about how you could get this or that car for a couple grand, you also have to remember that a couple grand was a lot of money for a teen/early 20's guy when minimum wage was $3/hour.
What I can't figure out these days are the kids who can afford WRX's, STI's and Evos... in high school! I mean, a $30K+ car is bad enough. But how do they afford the insurance?! I let my girl's nephew drive my XK8 to his prom a couple of years back. He begged and I felt like he'd earned a break. But to ease my mind, his aunt and I swung through the parking lot, just to make sure there was no drinking or foolishness going on during the event, and that place was loaded with jazzed up sport tuners. Nice ones too! Not just tarty Civics, with wings and giant fart can mufflers (although there were some of those too). The next day I asked him if the other kids had also borrowed some of the cars I saw to go to prom? Nope. He named off the guys who had the WRX's, STI's, Evos, BMW's and even a Porsche Boxster as daily drivers. And since he said they weren't "rich kids"... I'd really like to know just how these kids can afford these things - and the insurance!
If one of those kids would share the secrets of his success with me, maybe I could afford to buy a '63 Corvette split window... without postponing my retirement until age 93."Every generation's memory is exactly as long as its own experience." --John Kenneth Galbraith
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23rd April 2012, 20:41 #16
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^^^^Yes I don't understand how young people can pay for insurance for any car that is financed these days. The answer is simple though their parents pay for it.
The last two vehicles I've purchased (slightly used Tundra, and a new Aprilia 750) I paid for with cash. I carry the absolute minimum on the Aprilia, and on the Tundra minimum with extended liability. If I do more than the minimum in a wreck on my Cycle I probably wouldn't be alive to pay it. Auto insurance is the biggest con going IMO.
I'm extremely careful when I'm driving.May the forza be with you
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24th April 2012, 16:36 #17
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I once was told something I will take to the grave with me !
There are only two kinds of car freaks
!. Those who have Ferraris
2. Those who want Ferraris
So far in my life this is the truth. As far as I am concerned our old sh!t is just good for making fence wire.Obama to Biden - "Let the Welfare checks rain upon the Earth - I am going to a barbecue"
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24th April 2012, 20:31 #18
Way too fiddly. I want a well preserved Volvo 240 that I can own for the rest of my life.
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24th April 2012, 21:50 #19
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Originally Posted by Gregor-y
I had a 1972 Volvo 164 in the early 90's. It was in excellent condition and really was a joy to drive. The straight six power-plant in that rig was a perfect balance of fuel economy and power. It was a real shame that a woman T-boned me and totaled it. Great cars those old Volvos
Way off topic now Gregor-y, I was driving from Colombia MD to Alameda CA. It was raining on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I was getting a little low on gas so I pulled off at an exit that said Beaver Falls. I decided to refuel there just so I could be on the tierra firma where Joe "Willie" Namath grew up. As soon as I stepped out of the car a bolt of lightning struck the ground about 150 yards away, scared the crap out of me. I filled up poste haste, and got the hell out of there. At least I stopped in Broadway Joe's hometown. I loved it when he and the Jets would come to SD to play The Charges. I worked the games so I saw them all. A typical game between them usually ended with both teams scoring in the 40's or higher. Regardless of the outcome Joe would always be quoted as saying John Hadl was the best QB in the league. I realized after some time much later he probably said the same thing about Lenny Dawson in KC, Daryl "The Mad Bomber" Lamonica when in Oakland, and Bob Griese in Miami. Namath was unmatched in the late 60's and 70's. I'm going to stretch my luck by posting a video. He does mention a car he asked for as a signing bonus so it has some pertanence to the thread subject.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrUgB55lLM4May the forza be with you
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24th April 2012, 23:37 #20
Dear God, not Football. You couldn't get away from it in Pittsburgh. My father had two TVs next to each other with one showing to the Pittsburgh game and another set to a Youngstown, Ohio station that was covering the Cleveland Browns. The sound on both was turned off on both since the radio was tuned to Myron Cope providing better local commentary.
Of course the only thing that mattered was this:
Immaculate Reception - original broadcast - YouTube
Congratulations on surviving the PA Turnpike. It was one of the first true highways in the US built in the late 30s but it didn't have any of the design features that make most modern roads relaxing.
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