[monochrome]

In younger days I used to enjoy washing and waxing my cars regularly.
I haven't had access to a driveway and garden hose since my parents died in the late 1990's.
After that I would occasionally pay to have it done at the car wash.

Now I drive an old jalopy, and work nights.
As we get older sometimes our priorities change...

Chris

My sis-in-law is in for a visit from Canton, NY and we’re sitting in the FR listening to old records and reliving our youth (I met my wife in 10th Grade and we sort of orbited each other for a decade before her sister told us one night, “Oh just do the deed or move on for heaven’s sake”). We had been laughing about our beater college cars and the girls recalled a guy who drove a hot black 69 Firebird in High School and could play Neil Young songs on the guitar - he was Cool McCool back then and to this day I don’t like him much - and they had a chuckle because now he wears a hat full-time to cover his baldness and drives a honking bigass Caddy and has it detailed monthly in the office garage.

And mrs monochrome commented that a black 4-door Accord is just fine for an old man or maybe a Forester for the inevitable baby seats, and a trip through the car wash makes it shine just fine.

No reflection on Jer - I love the cars and the posts - and if I was either younger or fully retired I’d get my hands on a nice 2002 or Morgan +4 or Sunbeam Tiger or 96 Carrera 4S and do the driveway thing. Kinda like using old film cameras I guess.

---

Last edited by monochrome; 07-19-2019 at 07:54 PM.

[lesmore49]

My sis-in-law is in for a visit from Canton, NY and we’re sitting in the FR listening to old records and reliving our youth (I met my wife in 10th Grade and we sort of orbited each other for a decade before her sister told us one night, “Oh just do the deed or move on for heaven’s sake”). We had been laughing about our beater college cars and the girls recalled a guy who drove a hot black 69 Firebird in High School and could play Neil Young songs on the guitar - he was Cool McCool back then and to this day I don’t like him much - and they had a chuckle because now he wears a hat full-time to cover his baldness and drives a honking bigass Caddy and has it detailed monthly in the office garage.

And mrs monochrome commented that a black 4-door Accord is just fine for an old man or maybe a Forester for the inevitable baby seats, and a trip through the car wash is good enough.

No reflection on Jer - I love the cars and the posts - and if I was either younger or fully retired I’d get my hands on a nice 2002 or Morgan +4 or Sunbeam Tiger and do the driveway thing. Kinda like using old film cameras I guess.

Reading your post, I do remember one afternoon..up here... in the late '60's, driving past a used car lot and seeing two English sports cars in the lot. Both were mid 1960's. One was a Sunbeam Tiger , the other an Austin-Healey 3000. Both had the same price...$ 1895.00 CAD on the windshield. I didn't have that kind of money then, but I've often thought about it and missed opportunities.

About 10 years later, in 1978 I had the opportunity to buy a '62 Corvette with the 327 V8, 4 speed for $ 5000.00 CAD and a bit later on in '78...a 1968 B.S.A. Spitfire 650cc motorcycle for $ 500.00 CAD.

I took both for a test drive/ride and both seemed in very good condition. I didn't get those either.

[monochrome]

Reading your post, I do remember one afternoon..up here... in the late '60's, driving past a used car lot and seeing two English sports cars in the lot. Both were mid 1960's. One was a Sunbeam Tiger , the other an Austin-Healey 3000. Both had the same price...$ 1895.00 CAD on the windshield. I didn't have that kind of money then, but I've often thought about it and missed opportunities.

About 10 years later, in 1978 I had the opportunity to buy a '62 Corvette with the 327 V8, 4 speed for $ 5000.00 CAD and a bit later on in '78...a 1968 B.S.A. Spitfire 650cc motorcycle for $ 500.00 CAD.

I took both for a test drive/ride and both seemed in very good condition. I didn't get those either.

Yes - I’ve looked at many classics in my life and not pulled the trigger. I guess the most noteworthy was the 1957 Mercedes 190SL convertible a neighbor offered to sell me when I was 15. I dithered for a couple weeks and he took it in for a service and the service manager told him what he had. I honestly could have bought that car for $2,800. After I was married I drove a 62 Morgan and the next day my wife found out she was pregnant with our first child. Oh well. A fraternity brother had a restored Big Healey that I could have bought at graduation but I couldn’t figure out how to get it home. Oh well.

OTOH in a burst of nuttiness I bought a new MGB ($3,875) when I got home the next week and my first ‘date’ in that car was with the girl mentioned upthread who is now mrs monochrome. She claims she said yes when I asked her to the party so she could ride in the MG.

She drove the car when I got a sales job that came with a Chevy Citation, then we got tired of keeping it running. All the photos of the MG disappeared when my father cleaned out his house and beat feet for Florida.

[lesmore49]

Yes - I’ve looked at many classics in my life and not pulled the trigger. I guess the most noteworthy was the 1957 Mercedes 190SL convertible a neighbor offered to sell me when I was 15. I dithered for a couple weeks and he took it in for a service and the service manager told him what he had. I honestly could have bought that car for $2,800. After I was married I drove a 62 Morgan and the next day my wife found out she was pregnant with our first child. Oh well. A fraternity brother had a restored Big Healey that I could have bought at graduation but I couldn’t figure out how to get it home. Oh well.

OTOH in a burst of nuttiness I bought a new MGB ($3,875) when I got home the next week and my first ‘date’ in that car was with the girl mentioned upthread who is now mrs monochrome. She claims she said yes when I asked her to the party so she could ride in the MG.

She drove the car when I got a sales job that came with a Chevy Citation, then we got tired of keeping it running. All the photos of the MG disappeared when my father cleaned out his house and beat feet for Florida.

In my lifetime...so far...I bought three vehicles..that would probably meet classic criteria. One, a '67 Camaro coupe RS, with the 327 V8, 4 speed Muncie transmission. Then a '78 (first year of production, low serial # ) Yamaha SR 500 (big 4 stroke single cylinder) motorcycle and lastly, my '67 Matchless 750cc G 15 C.S. scrambler motorcycle or as they were known when new..Desert Sleds.

I don't have the Camaro, but still have the two motorcycles.

You have had, almost had some wonderful cars... Morgan, MGB, A-H, 190 SL. I recall in the 1980's in the area where my wife's parents lived, there was a 190 SL convertible. But that was the only example I've ever seen. My boss had an MGB and later a Mk. ll Jaguar 3.8 litre. I had the opportunity to drive both a few times.

The MG was a lot of fun to drive, but I've never driven a car that attracted so much attention, even from little old ladies waiting at the bus stop, as I did in that Jag Saloon. This was back in the late 1960's, shortly after I had graduated from HS.

[Just1MoreDave]

The SLK started complaining about service so we took it to the dealer on Friday. So they washed it. We lined up for service behind a 1971 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet, looking like it just rolled out the factory door. These go for well into six figures today, and were handbuilt luxury cars. My wife immediately decided she wanted one. I forgot that I owned a phone with a camera and had it with me, otherwise I'd show a photo.

The SLK is just short of 5 years old. We were offered all kinds of additional dealer profit items when we took delivery, but one good purchase was protective film for the front end. I don't know what brand they used but this stuff hasn't yellowed and is still in good shape. You can see a few rock marks in the film which don't get down to the paint.

[cooltouch]

Your mention of that 280SE reminds me of the keyboardist in a band I was in back in the early 70s. He owned a 280SL -- sort of a root beer brown color with ostrich leather interior. What a sexy car that was. He didn't keep up on the maintenance though, and a few years later the car was laid up with terminal engine problems. Sad. I remember being quite envious of that car; I was driving a VW squareback at the time.

[monochrome]

Your mention of that 280SE reminds me of the keyboardist in a band I was in back in the early 70s. He owned a 280SL -- sort of a root beer brown color with ostrich leather interior. What a sexy car that was. He didn't keep up on the maintenance though, and a few years later the car was laid up with terminal engine problems. Sad. I remember being quite envious of that car; I was driving a VW squareback at the time.

I drove a Squareback in the early 70’s and lusted after SL’s at the time. An SE was indeed a rare and beautiful vehicle. A friend’s mother owned a 1970 280SE 3.5 Sedan. I think only around 800 were built for the US market that year. It seems a bit odd to recall that he drove around in that car like it was just another Country Squire.

[Canada_Rockies]

Your mention of that 280SE reminds me of the keyboardist in a band I was in back in the early 70s. He owned a 280SL -- sort of a root beer brown color with ostrich leather interior. What a sexy car that was. He didn't keep up on the maintenance though, and a few years later the car was laid up with terminal engine problems. Sad. I remember being quite envious of that car; I was driving a VW squareback at the time.

My current 2002 Tundra just passed the mileage we put on our 1958 Mercedes 220S Ponton, with full length sun roof, that cost me a whole C$405 (DM 1500) in 1965 in W. Germany. I was heart broken when the aluminium head needed work, and would have cost me 6 months wages to fix at the time. 185,000 miles. We just passed 312,000 Km (193,000 mi). I see in Hemmings that in decent condition the Mere would be worth around US$15,000 these days. The Tundra is reliable, but doesn't have the cachet of the Merc.

[Sailor]

Reading your post, I do remember one afternoon..up here... in the late '60's, driving past a used car lot and seeing two English sports cars in the lot. Both were mid 1960's. One was a Sunbeam Tiger , the other an Austin-Healey 3000. Both had the same price...$ 1895.00 CAD on the windshield. I didn't have that kind of money then, but I've often thought about it and missed opportunities.

About 10 years later, in 1978 I had the opportunity to buy a '62 Corvette with the 327 V8, 4 speed for $ 5000.00 CAD and a bit later on in '78...a 1968 B.S.A. Spitfire 650cc motorcycle for $ 500.00 CAD.

I took both for a test drive/ride and both seemed in very good condition. I didn't get those either.

Yes - I’ve looked at many classics in my life and not pulled the trigger. I guess the most noteworthy was the 1957 Mercedes 190SL convertible a neighbor offered to sell me when I was 15. I dithered for a couple weeks and he took it in for a service and the service manager told him what he had. I honestly could have bought that car for $2,800. After I was married I drove a 62 Morgan and the next day my wife found out she was pregnant with our first child. Oh well. A fraternity brother had a restored Big Healey that I could have bought at graduation but I couldn’t figure out how to get it home. Oh well.

OTOH in a burst of nuttiness I bought a new MGB ($3,875) when I got home the next week and my first ‘date’ in that car was with the girl mentioned upthread who is now mrs monochrome. She claims she said yes when I asked her to the party so she could ride in the MG.

She drove the car when I got a sales job that came with a Chevy Citation, then we got tired of keeping it running. All the photos of the MG disappeared when my father cleaned out his house and beat feet for Florida.

You guys started me thinking of several cool cars (both new and used) that I could have comfortably afforded but decided in favor of more practical but much less interesting choices. In '85, we were shopping for a replacement for our dying '76 Vega (you can imagine the condition of a Vega after 9 years in Ohio and Michigan). We also were driving an '82, Gen 3 Camaro Z-28 which would also soon have to go since our two growing daughters would force the awful transition to a sedan (). Consequently, I toyed with the idea of replacing the fully oxidized Vega with a sporty car, and on the local Olds' dealers lot, I spotted a cherry, cheaply priced '78 (maybe a '79) Trans AM with only 26,000 miles. The car was a metallic brown with a tan interior (typical '70s colors) and - miraculously - equipped with the 220-HP Pontiac 400 and a 4-speed manual. Just as good, it was one the few TAs delivered without the big bird decal on hood, a design feature I detested. It was perfect, and . . . . . . . . I didn't buy it. Instead, I bought a basic Mazda GLC. I've regretted not getting that TA ever since.

A few years later, I made essentially same mistake. Bone weary of the GLC, I traded for a new '89 Ford Probe. Not a bad little car, but I really wanted (and could have easily afforded) a Fastback Mustang LX 5.0 5-speed. Another decision I've lamented all these years.

There are a few other examples, but I'll not go into those - no use picking a scab.

Jer

[lesmore49]

You guys started me thinking of several cool cars (both new and used) that I could have comfortably afforded but decided in favor of more practical but much less interesting choices. In '85, we were shopping for a replacement for our dying '76 Vega (you can imagine the condition of a Vega after 9 years in Ohio and Michigan). We also were driving an '82, Gen 3 Camaro Z-28 which would also soon have to go since our two growing daughters would force the awful transition to a sedan (). Consequently, I toyed with the idea of replacing the fully oxidized Vega with a sporty car, and on the local Olds' dealers lot, I spotted a cherry, cheaply priced '78 (maybe a '79) Trans AM with only 26,000 miles. The car was a metallic brown with a tan interior (typical '70s colors) and - miraculously - equipped with the 220-HP Pontiac 400 and a 4-speed manual. Just as good, it was one the few TAs delivered without the big bird decal on hood, a design feature I detested. It was perfect, and . . . . . . . . I didn't buy it. Instead, I bought a basic Mazda GLC. I've regretted not getting that TA ever since.

A few years later, I made essentially same mistake. Bone weary of the GLC, I traded for a new '89 Ford Probe. Not a bad little car, but I really wanted (and could have easily afforded) a Fastback Mustang LX 5.0 5-speed. Another decision I've lamented all these years.

There are a few other examples, but I'll not go into those - no use picking a scab.

Jer

A number of years ago... back in the mid '80's ...just before we had children...my wife wanted a Trans Am and I wanted a Mazda Miata. We didn't get either, but in the 1990's while in Calgary...I saw the perfect compromise...a Mazda Miata with a 5 liter Ford Mustang V8 and 5 speed manual Ford transmission, transplant.

We didn't get that either, I think it would of cost a bundle in tires and brake linings.

Les

[Sailor]

A number of years ago... back in the mid '80's ...just before we had children...my wife wanted a Trans Am and I wanted a Mazda Miata. We didn't get either, but in the 1990's while in Calgary...I saw the perfect compromise...a Mazda Miata with a 5 liter Ford Mustang V8 and 5 speed manual Ford transmission, transplant.

We didn't get that either, I think it would of cost a bundle in tires and brake linings.

Les

And speeding tickets!

Jer

[lesmore49]

And speeding tickets!

Jer

I agree, completely. I think speeding tickets would be inadvertent with a Miata powered by a 5 liter Ford V8.

On another subject, I was reading some old online Hemmings articles from Sports & Exotic magazine and came across this history, which you may find of interest. If i recall your family had one of these in the 1950's.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/article/1949-61-morris-minor/

Les

[Sailor]

I agree, completely. I think speeding tickets would be inadvertent with a Miata powered by a 5 liter Ford V8.

On another subject, I was reading some old online Hemmings articles from Sports & Exotic magazine and came across this history, which you may find of interest. If i recall your family had one of these in the 1950's.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/article/1949-61-morris-minor/

Les

Thanks much, Les, for the link - yeah, we had an open tourer (i.e. convertible), and you may recall that I learned to drive in it. So, these things are close to my heart and I appreciate reading the Hemmings article.

Jer

[Roaming]

Well,
Finally decided to dust off the camera & get into photography, i am the little a in amateur so a way to go, have booked into some lessons this weekend and read the theory, but a way to go of course.
My vehicle - the Defender, i usually chicken out before it does
An older mode of transport, smaller than what i remember, maybe because they have small coaches in remote desert areas ?
And of course the King of the Road, if in doubt get out of the way, lots of fun when oncoming in the dirt. (53 meters long)
An even older mode of transport, but they can move !

[ivanvernon]

Here is my own little car, the small Prius, not an exciting car to many folks I am sure, but as a superannuated university professor I am in an excellent position to appreciate its fine gasoline mileage, often around 50-60 mpg around our little town--and the luggage compartment is large enough to carry the Pentax 645 Z and an immense complement of P67 and P645 lenses.