Quite a few of us at CC have done posts with outtakes from a particular neighborhood, and it’s pretty much a site staple by now. In my case, I haven’t done many such entries, but I think I can compensate for that with a different take on the theme. After all, I live in a city that still has enough vintage cars that every so often, one comes to my street. So instead of me finding the cars, the cars find me.
Knowing this, I often step away from my desk, walk to the front door, and check out what’s parked outside. Not that today’s crop is that extraordinary, but they may make a semi-interesting bunch all together. A good sampling of what could be found around San Salvador.
Of all my visitors, this CJ-3 has been the most interesting. Oddly, it was the main feature in one of my previous neighborhood outtake posts. However, that one time the Jeep was in a different neighborhood, and I had doubts as to whether it was in working condition or not. Well, seeing it coming on its own power to my home dissuades those doubts. This old Jeep, rides!
Let’s move to the ’90s with this purplish Plymouth Voyager parked next to my driveway. It’s been a while since one of these appeared at CC. Have they mostly died or is there little love for these vans from the 1990s?
Now, in this purple hue, this van truly screams 1990s! I can picture myself listening to some No Doubt on my Disc Player while riding in this van. All while on my way to watch Independence Day.
This one won’t be known to many of you, but it’s my favorite mostly because of: colors! What you’re looking at is a ’77-’80 Toyota Dyna, in the kind of color scheme that can only work in the tropics.
The Dyna is one of Toyota’s most popular trucks around the globe. From Asia, to Latin America, to Africa, these light to medium-duty trucks are well known. This particular find belongs to the ’77-’84 line, the nameplate’s third generation. Nothing exotic about its hardware, as it’s a straightforward cab over design in 2-3 ton and 1-1.5 ton designations. As it happens with many Toyotas, a Daihatsu version also exists that goes by the Delta name.
Assembly of third-gen Dynas ceased in Japan in ’85, but in Indonesia, an updated version remained in production as the Dyna Rino from 1985 to 2002.
These images are somewhat older, from a time when a car repair shop used to park their junk cars near us. This was before San Salvador’s city hall went on a spree to remove abandoned vehicles from our roads. There was some ruckus about the whole matter, with talk of tow trucks and such going around the city to remove any old heap from the streets.
As usual, most of it panned out differently than intended. The abandoned cars did disappear… for a while. Most were just moved around, and I saw this Toyota Supra not long after hidden on a nearby soccer field… and eventually returned to the repair shop. Meanwhile, new abandoned cars have appeared around the city again.
And if you wonder about that 4WD Subaru Sumo in this image, I did take more photos of that one. It should get its own post eventually.
Back to visiting cars, here’s one I’m sure everyone will know. These Sentras are the most common of vintage cars around here, and culturally speaking, the equivalent of a Falcon or an Impala. As in; everyone and their mother owned one at some point. Throw a rock into the air around here, and there’s a good chance it will land on an old Sentra or Corolla.
Let’s close with a CC favorite, a mid-80s 4WD Toyota Tercel wagon. One vehicle I seriously considered purchasing before choosing my current ’96 Golf. Why the Golf rather than the Tercel? Well, the junky condition of most of the surviving Tercels, a point this one makes all too clear. But junky or not, these old Toyotas just keep going and going.
This one is a neighborhood stalwart, always parked next to the ice cream shop around the corner. And in this image, a nice view of the Tercel’s plasticky ATM-like license plate holder. Also in this image, a mix of the grey and soulless structures that make up this city, plus the colorful splashes that give it life. And that pretty much sums up the city’s spirit.
That’s one of the rare CJ3Bs, with the front clip clumsily heightened to clear the new F-head engine. The CJ5 reshaped the front more gracefully.
I didn’t wonder about the Subaru 4WD in the image of the “temporarily” immobile Supra but I did wonder about the Alfa Romeo! Is that a…155? I suppose the advantage of a city such as yours where survivors keep on surviving is that at some point it doesn’t really matter what the vehicle is, an Alfa won’t be any more complex to fix than a Tercel or Sentra…
BTW, isn’t the Subaru a Sambar? Our Justy anyway was a small hatchback. Although I suppose the Sambar has a hatch as well and is just about as small…
I wonder when purple (and teal for that matter) will make a comeback in our automotive market. I’m having a hard time imagining a Chrysler Pacifica in either hue.
Whoa! I got my Subarus mixed up! The little 4WD was sold as the Sumo over here. It wasn’t that common back then, with the regular 2WD being the better seller (IIRC, going by another name).
And yeap, that’s an Alfa 155. I can’t recall why I didn’t take more photos of that one… Probably the security guard (behind that white gate) telling me to shoo away.
Unquestionably, a great-looking class-leading minivan design, when introduced in 1996. I still see the occasional Caravan or Voyager from this era, here in salty Ottawa. Typically, very well-maintained of course. As expected, for an auto of this age.
Unfortunately, Chrysler was still using generic-looking grey or black bumper cover plastics and bodyside trim, at this time. Full paint colour trim, would have served the looks of these better. Reminded of the failed appearance of the late ’70’s Simca 1308GT, and their unsightly light grey factory bumpers. Appearing like collision replacement parts, on a new car.
Speaking of No Doubt, we had a very popular new wave duo here in Ottawa back in the early and mid ’80s, named One to One. Lead singer Louise Reny was said to be a performance and vocal influence on No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani. A full decade earlier.
Look and listen, and be the judge.
Chrysler vans from that generation have essentially disappeared here in Rustopia (central Indiana). I see box minivans sometimes though.
I see them very rarely. They are either one flat tire away from the scrapper or in like-new condition, driven by someone quite old.
When I was a kid I could not figure out that awkwardly raised hood on the CJ-3B. Why?
But eventually I tumbled to it, the taller F-head version of the four.