During the pandemic I’ve been working from home. I put about 4,000 miles on my car in 2020, as opposed to the 18,000 miles I put on it in 2019. So I’m that much less likely to pull up behind an older car at a light right now. Yet I’ve managed to come upon 14 such cars since my last installment of this series in August of 2019 – eight before lockdown and six after. I came upon this Camaro on my way to work shortly after my 2019 post went live.
I followed this 1972 Impala convertible most of the way down I-65 to my office in Downtown Indianapolis one morning. A brief stop thanks to road construction gave me the chance to make this quick photo. I’m not a fan of the fender skirts, but at least this car has escaped enormous blingy wheels.
It dawned on me late in 2019 that the second-gen Ford Taurus is becoming less common. So I decided to start photographing them when I come upon them. At this point, they’re last-resort used cars and are mostly in rough shape.
This sixth-generation Buick Riviera is my favorite find of all of these cars. My high-school civics teacher drove one. He was also a city councilman, and he used to take our class on mini field trips to all these places he had access to because of his position. He did it all very casually: we all had to figure out how to get ourselves to and from these places. I didn’t drive, and even if I did I didn’t have access to a car, so he always gave me a lift in his Riv. It was a cush ride, and that hood seemed to go on for a mile.
My second favorite find was this Squarebird. But that’s only because I haven’t seen one on the road since I was a kid in the 70s. I have always thought these things were ugly as sin. I know they have their fans, but I’m not among them. Yet I respect its owner for keeping it road-worthy.
I am, however, a fan of the Mitsubishi 3000GT. A college buddy of mine got one after we graduated and we had a lot of fun burning up the pavement in it. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one in this salmon-y color.
Oh look, another Taurus. Gotta document cars like this before they all go to that big junkyard in the sky.
Stopped at a light I spotted this little Honda CRX parked at a gas station. I zoomed my iPhone to the max to get this shot, which accounts for the mottled and blurry image.
Where have all the Dodge Stratuses gone? They must not have been very hardy. I test drove one when they were new and my family was looking to upgrade my coupe to a car more family friendly. I very much liked it: adequate power, decent handling, comfortable seats, plenty of rear seat leg room. But we had three kids, and in the end I realized I needed something with a third row of seats.
It’s one of those things your kids aren’t sure they believe when you tell them, that Olds Cutlasses like this used to be as common as Toyota RAV4s.
This Accord was such a terrific sedan in its day: crisp handling, good power, commanding visibility. You can easily get sedans with good handling and even more power today – but they all have worse visibility.
It’s not a Spotted While Driving post without at leas one old Corolla. Heretofore it has not been a Spotted While Driving post without at least one Volvo 240, but I never came across one and it is thus a new era in Spotted While Driving posts.
This generation of Golf/Jetta wasn’t very popular here in middle America, and especially not in wagon form. Yet here this one was, exiting my subdivision onto the main road.
Finally, I came upon this ’67 Dodge Dart GT on the north side of Indianapolis, stuck behind that bus. It looks good and original, just the way we like ‘em hereabouts.
I love that Impala…that would be my first pick, but I’d get rid of those wheels and install some original hubcaps. I think I’d go for the Riv next, just because I love Rivieras and that was such a successful design, especially for its period. I think I’d go for the Dart next and finally the T-Bird. Nice to see them out on the road!
I also saw a CRX recently, and was able to get a picture of it (below). I like the picture because the CRX seemed absolutely dwarfed by the Corolla next to it, never mind the Suburban et al. surrounding it on other sides.
Great looking Riviera. Amusing that you associate this with your high-school civics teacher, because my high-school civics teacher drove a similar-era Regal. He was also fond of field trips where kids and parents were expected to arrange for their own transportation. I would always try to ride with him, in part of course, to get a ride in the Regal. He’s one of the few high school teachers whose cars I remember now (the other two being my English teacher who drove a Mustang GT and my Russian/History teacher who drove an two-tone ’84 Camry).
I saw a third gen Prelude in traffic last week, I forgot just how crazy wide/low the proportions were on that car, and how low it was relative to traffic, even sedans made since the 2000s, as you note.
My homeroom teacher had a second-gen Civic. She drove me home in it a couple times. I wasn’t quite fully grown yet, maybe only 5’10”, and I remember the front seat being incredibly tight for me. That was the only other teacher car I remember riding in.
Probably the teacher car I remember best was a second-grade teacher who drove an early ’70s Plymouth Barracuda, which stood out for two reasons: (1) it was the first car my 7 year old body didn’t have enough legroom in the rear seat, and (2) it felt incredibly cheap and plastic-y inside.
Very nice photo-essay, it’s cool to see familiar spots and familiar cars in Indy. I saw an absolutely immaculate red 3000GT (same car maybe?) cruising down 465 on the east side a back in October, older black gent behind the wheel.
I agree on the Tauri, the OG “bubble” ones have been thinning out rapidly as rust and transmissions do them in. I find myself snapping my neck when I happen to see a clean one. IMO their styling is finally coming into its own. I wouldn’t hate a high-trim DOHC motored one with a mauve or green or saddle interior with the sharp 5 spoke alloys.
IMO the Cloud cars aren’t too inherently crappy/unreliable, they’re just very susceptible to death by abject neglect, in the same way that much newer Sebrings/Avengers/200s find their way to the junkyard at rather early age, covered in dents, rolling on space saver spares.
Right there with you on a bubble Taurus. If I found the proverbial granny example for sale I’d be hard pressed to pass it by.
When I see these bubble Tauruses, I’m often reminded about a boss of mine, who had one as her “work car.”
I used to work for a City here in Virginia, and the City hired a new Planning Director, who I wound up working for. She moved here from California, and in her recruitment package, had negotiated for the City to provide her a car to use. She insisted that it not have any City seal or other identifying graphics, quite obviously so she could drive it for personal use without anyone knowing any better. However, she didn’t specify what kind of car she wanted. The City gave her a new 1999 bubble Taurus.
She was furious. She was a rather snooty woman who had a rabid scorn for people she felt were beneath her, and this Taurus, in her words, reeked of “low class stupidity.” She called it a “big beast”, and scowled that it didn’t fit her elevated position in the City. She told me she didn’t feel like a college-educated planning director when driving it, but rather a plumbing inspector. But regardless of her whining about her free car, the City wouldn’t budge and buy her another car. (Incidentally, she told me that the City she worked for in in California gave her a lease allowance, and she leased an Acura with it.)
She hated that Taurus so much she would intentionally bump it into walls in the City parking garage, and ride up on curbs in front of City Hall. She told me that if it got beat up enough, the City would replace it for her. One time I had to go to a meeting with her, and she asked me to drive “her” Taurus, and of course complained about the car in the process, and told me about her plans to run it into the ground. I jokingly told her that her plans wouldn’t work because these cars lasted forever, and she laughed and said she’d try her best anyway.
I left that job in 2003, and she left shortly afterwards, and moved back to California. I’m sure she negotiated a “more appropriate” in her next job.
My Bubble Taurus association is a secretary who came to work at her office. Her husband’s family owned a Ford dealership so they always had late model Fords. That Bubble Taurus was the first one I saw up close, a beautiful deep cobalt blue in a very high state of trim. She was a very nice lady and appreciated having it. Quite the contrast to your Taurus memory. 🙂
Speaking of the bubble Taurus in fleets, in my county the ones in pool duty were shunned by drivers, who would only pick it over a Neon.
I remember one auction where there were 5 or 6 Taurus that were being retired due to age/mileage. There was a 1999 aging out with only ~60k on it next to a 2000 that was mileing out at ~105k (they order new cars with the existing one hits 100k). When the hammer fell on the 2000 it brought more than the low mile bubble.
Based on miles/age at retirement the 2000+ Taurus was near the top of the keys most grabbed. Malibu and Focus were also more desirable than average. In the middle were the Prius vehicles. The Cloud cars, and bubble Taurus had their keys grabbed less than average. The Neon was the choice of last resort. Heck the last auction I went to before the Pandemic had what had the last of the Neons in the fleet and yeah they had 50-60k on them.
I love that Riviera. I’ve only seen one in the last 5 years or so around here. Wish I still had my dad’s ’85, but it was just too far gone to restore, and I didn’t have the space, time, or money, so it had to go.
In Chicago, that MkIV generation was Peak Jetta- it was known as the car of choice for the recent female college grad. They seemed to be everywhere, and a few years later they were gone. Not sure if it was due to reliability, or due to falling out of fashion, or what, but it was this weird blip in the early 2000s.
Combination of death by a million cuts and some big problems (premature t-belt failure on the 1.8Ts that bends valves, bad automatics). They’re rather resilient to rust however, and a basic 2.0L+5spd car can go the distance.
I have a friend with a diesel/5spd with 300kmi on it. If taken care of, they’re pretty darn good.
Nice finds!
I always thought the squarebirds were ugly as sin too. It looked like one of those deep sea creatures in a book, with that mouth ad protuberances.
An eclectic collection. I wish I had the aptitude and reflexes for capturing more photo’s from behind the wheel. Although I’m spending much less time behind the wheel these days. Out here in coastal California, the Mk IV Jetta is still quite common and perhaps half are wagons, often diesel though rarely brown. And I still remember my high school Civics teacher’s car, a beater ‘66 Mustang, just 5 or 6 years old, probably a six, from an era when even outside the rust belt a car of that age was already past its prime. And aside from that particular example, the original Mustang also seemed dated by then (if not a fastback or convertible, or at least a 289 4 speed) with the huge TBird-esque Mustangs then in their last year on the market.
I’ve got a similar Corolla, inherited from my mother. It’s in great shape and getting rare to see these days in any condition. That one looks good too.
It’s nice to see a Riviera without a vinyl roof. They were very common with them. My father ordered a Toronado specifically without a vinyl roof as he was not a fan. On 60s cars they look fine, but they evolved into a puffy roof which to me doesn’t add anything to the car.
I am a fan of the 3000GT – I worked at a Mitsu dealer when these were new, as a car porter. One reason I got the job was that I could drive a stick – many of these were manuals, along with Eclipses, Mirages, and even some Galants too. Nice cars. While everyone likes the VR4, I personally thought the base model with a manual was a nice package, and a lot cheaper. It was a little hard to get into though, and I doubt many of the Japanese designers had US size 13 feet either!
That Cutlass could be a Hurst Olds edition, or someone trying to make a replica version. That black with gold accents and those wheels seem to indicate a Hurst/Olds.
Where have all the Dodge Stratuses gone? I was in Guadalajara back in February (pre-Pandemic) and that is where the Stratuses went. Older 90s era Chrysler products were everywhere. My guess is they were snapped up in the U.S. as less desirable used cars at rock bottom prices and shipped south.
Yup. I saw a ton of 90s domestic south of the border down there for work in 2015. Mostly 2nd gen Explorers and ZJ Grand Cherokees, but really a smattering of everything. Escapees from C4C and rust.
Some nice finds! 1972 was the first year I really took a deep dive into new cars, and I vividly recall the 72 Chevy. I happen to love the fender skirts on these cars. The convertibles were quite uncommon even then.
I used to think the Squarebirds were really attractive cars, but you all here have done a job on me so that I now see things I didn’t used to see on them. But I’m amazed you saw one on the road.
A neighbor owns a really clean Riviera of this generation, also a slick roof and with the two tone paint treatment. These never sent me into a swoon but this is a nice one.
And just when I thought we were slouching toward an unmemorable end, you came through with the best of the bunch in that Dart GT. These early GTs are the most appealing of the bunch to me, and you cannot go wrong with that Turbine Bronze paint.
That Dart speaks the most to me, that 67-69 body is as good looking to me as any B body of the same era and much more manageable in size. The black steelies and dog dishes are just icing on the cake.
The 3000GT(and Dodge stealth) is one of my favorite 90s sports car designs, which had stiff competition.
I’m with you, Chris C., and others on liking the Riv. I was never a fan of the bolt upright rear window, but it just looks right on these cars. I wouldn’t change a thing on that one. It looks terrific with the slicktop and wire wheel covers. A shame it wasn’t a true hardtop with retractable rear windows.
Great finds.