The holidays saw the Kleins visiting the in-laws in Orange County, California once again, although this time the climate was curiously rather the same as here in Northern Colorado, i.e. daytime temperatures in the low 60s. Nevertheless, we braved the elements for a lunch on the pier in San Clemente, a lovely beachfront community about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego.
I scored a quasi-legal parking spot just one block or so up from the beach and was delighted to find across the street from me somebody’s parking area stocked full with an assortment of interesting metal. Lest you get the idea from your first impression that this was a bad part of California, no, not quite, Zillow tells me that it values the sub-900 square foot 1-bedroom, 2 bath dwelling that this lot belongs to (behind the cars, not in frame) at just under $1.5 million. No wonder this aristocrat owner has four cars, who knows what may be parked on the other side! Let’s walk down this short boulevard of fine cars and see just what we have, surely everyone can find at least one that speaks to them…
Yes, contrary to popular opinion, California does love pickup trucks as well, especially the inland areas all up and down the state, and like the rest of the country, the Ford F-series is a common sight. This is an F-250 from the early to mid 1980s, and like most of these four vehicles looks like it was run hard, put away wet, and then left in place, perhaps to restore another day while it develops some fine patina.
Ooh, maybe it’s been in the patina oven a skosh too long now, eh? At least we can see it’s a multi-layer hood rapidly devolving into a fine lace-like structure. And while Eugene may manage to grow a little moss on its cars, I here present to you a mass of fine vines feeding on this one. Still, a white F-250 hood can’t be hard to source; add four bolts, a tetanus shot or two, and Bob’s your uncle. Or maybe that’s Jesse? And look, another truck in the background! A slightly newer one with a bit of a lift, dark wheels, and a paint color that guarantees it was never abused and barely driven by its without doubt elderly original owner.
Apologies for the poor lighting/angle/composition of this shot, however the truck is a lovely shade of blue inside, one of the four options (gray, tan, red, blue, but never green even though if it was spiffed up it’d be money today). It’s all blue; seats, door panels, dash, visors, etc. It also looks like someone parked it one day, got out, and just never came back. This one’s even got those nowadays old-timey rollup windows and while I suppose I see the potential for electric window failure otherwise, having a rollup one what seems like twelve feet away from the driver might as well be a broken electric one for the usefulness of it. Let’s move on though, I’m feeling clammy.
Here we go, a fine Autobahn-burner that perfectly represents the ethos of 1980s Southern California, a circa 1983 BMW 633CSi if I am not mistaken. BMW’s big coupe was always popular, somewhat on the rare side, and certainly had “the look”, although this one looks a lot more bedraggled than most. I believe the wheels are from a turn of the millennium 5-series as opposed to the stock “bottlecap” style, so at some point an owner was into the car enough to care how it looked. Hair gel, a jacket with shoulder pads, Sperry Top-Siders, and a BMW key is what it took to be part of the in-crowd.
While this one is white as opposed to silver, this angle on these will forever remind me of the movie “The Breakfast Club” at the early point in the movie when Claire is being dropped off at Saturday detention (“I can’t believe you can’t get me out of this, Daddy. It’s so absurd, I have to be here on a Saturday!). Well, this was a Saturday too but the only thing in detention today is this poor car and its three friends. As if the rust spots (due to the proximity of the ocean) aren’t enough, this one has also suffered the indignity of something or somebody having smashed its windshield.
Hey, a 5-speed! Not something always in evidence in these, but another sign of an erstwhile enthusiast. Less so the tatty seat covers and the gray plastic cupholder. Drinks are for the stopping time, not the driving time, Herr Fahrer! Another slightly flubbed shot, but ignoring the aforementioned indignities that dashboard is just so ahead of its time; along with the door panel and steering wheel it obviously wants someone to partake of its Ultimate Driving Machine credentials. Sadly it may never be so, resurrecting in body and spirit a flagship German denizen of the 1980s is not for the faint of heart (or wallet).
A RAV4, you say? Ah, not so quick, welcome to the Silicon Valley Toyota, a third generation EV version sold between late 2012 and 2014 (yes, alongside the new fourth generation regular RAV4s) in California only. It was engineered and built as a collaboration between Toyota and Tesla in its early days. A compliance car, this one hails from when Toyota still owned a chunk of Tesla, and while Toyota also used to own Tesla’s first factory (the old NUMMI plant in Fremont, CA), these were actually assembled in Canada but with drivetrains supplied by Tesla and Panasonic.
These were “compliance cars” and had a range of around 100 miles on a good day, yet a number of them are still on the road, and in fact a bunch have been exported well outside of California; I spied one on the highway here in Colorado last year although using one as a local runabout would seem to make the most sense.
While it uses the third generation bodyshell, a number of trim bits are different when comparing them, and the total number produced was about 2,500. They stickered for a hair under $50,000 (in 2013) before incentives. Southern California would be a generally very hospitable environment for these and while who knows what if anything is wrong with this one, it might actually be the easiest of these four to get back on the road. Or the hardest. At least there’s no visible rust!
The interior surprisingly looks quite clean compared to the others. That’s mostly stock 3rd gen RAV4, except for the larger center screen, HVAC controls, drive selector/lower console, and seat fabric. Having owned a gasoline powered 2011 RAV4 I can attest it was a comfortable place to be and a practical vehicle. Would buy again is my three-word verdict for my gasser, but these days the RAV4 EV is an artifact of a time and place, there are far better options available for far less money. Did you know there was also a first generation RAV4 EV but not a second generation and none since this one?
And of course it wouldn’t be California without a VW Bus/Camper! Whether filling it with smoke in Humboldt, cruising the Haight, starring on Sunset in Hollywood, or catching some surf in Huntington, these were (and still are) an indelible part of the fabric of the state. I’m guessing this a post ’74 or so Westfalia version, but if not exactly that someone will know fer sure…
This one even has freckles and a sunburned face!
Aw, little guy, you just wanna run, don’t you? Yeah, that’s a good boy, your owner will be back soon. Well, or maybe not.
Yeah, the big fan on the dash is a must-have accessory, especially in conjunction with a spray bottle of water. Just don’t confuse that with the piss-bottle when going for long distances across the desert with rolling driver changes and no stops for nothin’…But that’s alright, those sheepskin covers will soak it all up and keep you cozy no matter what, even while you’re holding that 3-foot stick down and to the right so it doesn’t pop out of gear, ask me how I know, yo! (uh, I mean I know about the popping out of gear thing in our ’68 Bus, not bottle confusion…)
Good times, good times! Well, that’s it for our five-minute tour, but oh wait, one more thing! (edit: Ok, two more things!)
Check it out, just down the street on the way to the pier you have to cross the tracks. And those tracks are used by the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train! There’s clinging, and clanging, and flashing of lights, then the bars go down and then the train rushes by whether or not you noticed all the commotion and got out of the way. Backwards this one comes, I might add, which always freaks me out somewhat. How does the driver see? Backup camera?
The Cafe car, my favorite. This train runs from San Diego up to San Luis Obispo (which leaves quite a lot of “Pacific Surf” on the table, to be frank, I mean more than two-thirds of this state and all of two more!), but any passenger train is a good train in my book. We need more trains… Maybe the owner of the four cars decided to give up cars and take public transit, who knows.
And there’s the locomotive itself, moving backwards at a rapid clip. Does it go backwards all the way up to SLO? I have no idea. In any case, five minutes of half-assed internet research shows that this is one of this line’s fleet of 14 Siemens Charger locomotives, powered by a 4,400 hp 16-cylinder Cummins diesel engine built in Seymour, Indiana. Apparently it is able to travel at 125mph, however the highest speed on this route is 90mph. It’s also one of the cleanest diesel-electric locomotives in operation, which may be a tallest dwarf simile, given that much of the rest of the modern world is mostly full electric for passenger trains. Still, it’s progress and far better than the old locomotives!
Oh, and what did we drive? I for once somehow got exactly what I wanted and reserved from the rental company (Alamo via Costco), a 2025 Toyota Camry Hybrid (in SE trim) with 9,000 miles on it. I could have done without the Darth Vader motiv, but other than that it was surprisingly fast, superbly quiet (FAR quieter than two tire-howling and apparently no rear sound deadening Chevy Malibus I rented back to back last month), very comfortable for four and perfectly manageable for five, huge luggage capacity (five roller bags, five backpacks in the trunk without issue or resorting to my mad Tetris skillz), and stuck like glue on the freeway cloverleaf grand prix while passing around the outside.
With every Camry in 2025 being a Hybrid (there is no longer a choice of I-4 or V-6 or Hybrid 4, it’s all Hybrid 2.5liter I-4 in every trim), the cherry on top was the 43.5 mpg it recorded over 200 miles in five days of SoCal freeways and traffic with a full load. And apparently that figure is held back due to the 18″ wheels and tires on the SE, supposedly 50+ is readily achievable in the LE version with 16s.
For a car that stickers in the VERY low $30k range in SE trim (and $28k for the LE with AWD being an option in every trim level), it seems to be a magnificent value. I understand why others are getting out of the midsize sedan market, they likely just can’t compete which must be awkward…
As much as I enjoyed looking at the four cars above, if I had to choose a daily ride (even if all of the above ones were restored), it’d be this Camry which is not something I could have ever imagined myself saying not even ten years ago. Well, actually I’d probably choose an LE with AWD and the Convenience and Cold Weather packages for the heated seats and steering wheel, at just over $33k including destination charges it seems superb. I only wish there was a wagon version, as the new Crown Signia wagon is just too dear…
Now it’s January and back to the grind like Eric Nies. Catch you all on the flipside…
I`d take the BMW and the Kombi.
Excellent pieces to restore.
Love the RAV4 EV sighting. I’m sure that’s something of a unicorn, particularly since they use the rather unorthodox, early charge connector paddles, which makes sense since that’s what Tesla used at first, too. I would venture to guess that this one still has the old connectors which is the primary reason it was sidelined years ago. Probably not much of an ordeal to switch to the J1772 standard that went into effect around the same time Toyota was winding down the RAV4 EV experiment. But, still…
And then there’s the whole Costco EV station fiasco. Costco jumped on the EV bandwagon early, putting in stations at some stores (most of which were in the SoCal area). And they used the RAV4 paddles.
Unfortunately, given the low number of RAV4 EVs built, the Costco stations got little use. Eventually, instead of switching to the new J1772 plugs (which California would actually pay to do), Costco simply yanked all the stations, en masse. Now, over a decade later, Costco is returning to the EV fray with new stations.
But I get the feeling that the whole RAV4 EV experiment left a bad taste in Toyota corporate’s mouth because it wasn’t long after they quit the whole plug-in thing and jumped headlong into hydrogen fuel with the 2015 Mirai, and that one has turned out to be a massively expensive boondoggle to which Toyota is clinging to this day, even with the Kia Nexo and new, 2025 Honda CR-V e:FCEV, the latter of which Honda wisely duals with an electric powertrain.
These Camrys are all over Melbourne, albeit with a different nose cone. 99% seem to be CPV (rideshare).
Speaking of, loving the bullnose F-250. They lost the magic when they upgraded that generation’s front clip to a squarer look. A bit too perforated, but.
Good Lord! These all seem to be DOWN and OUT and definitely NOT in Beverly Hills.
Thanks for the socal vehicle tour.. Enjoyed it while I had breakfast today in 27 degree NY state… Come on spring. Damn that sea air is tough on.
the oldies.. Looking at rims today for my 93 525 like the ones on the shark. .Anyway, I’m off to a chilly cars and coffee in north Salem ny. home of David letterman. Cheers
I thought Letterman lived in Connecticut next to Martha Stewart.
Both Dave and Martha live in Westchester County, NY. Martha lives in South Salem (technically Katonah) which is a village in Bedford. Dave is said to live in North Salem (which is actually a different town than South Salem aka Katonah aka Bedford).
To paraphrase Monty Python, NY is a silly place (so far as how it incorporates its towns).
It’s doubtful that they actually live “next” to each other…although perhaps just a short drive apart. Rumor has it that Dave at least can drive fast. 🙂
Great finds, and commentary. Certainly eclectic tastes, for one owner.
Ford hit a grand slam with the introduction of their 1980 era full-sized pickups. The basic design lasting sixteen model years. A testament to their solid engineering, and strong styling. I thought these were among the most masculine-appearing factory pickups you could buy, between the 1970’s and 1990’s. Their masculine styling certainly helping boost Ranger and Bronco II sales. The early print and TV ads were everywhere, during the ‘Built Ford Tough’ era. Motor Trend regularly featuring double page full-colour spreads, from late 1979 through 1981. Ford like Dodge, and Chevrolet to a lessor degree, going heavy with print ads featuring their trucks at 20 degree angles. Suggesting hill-climbing prowess, and abundant torque. I would have enjoyed seeing more, of the rare dually versions.
Speaking of masculinity, Camry styling has come a long way. Though the nose design, still appears adolescent.
Through my lifetime, a number of the VW buses I spot here in Ontario, will have British Columbia plates. Over 2,000kms away.
Great selections! With land values there, that’s some expensive storage for those derelicts. Still, some nice finds.
We typically leave Iowa for San Diego around spring break but won’t this year. The car spotting is fun there but fewer oldies than expected and more exotics.
So much for California no-rust cars, that ocean’ll get you every time. Same thing in Florida. Fun selection of junkers here, what a wide range of rides, something for everyone!
I thought the BMW 633CSi was a good-looking premium coupe, at the time. But felt the Bitter SC was in a whole different league, as German-designed sport coupes went. The Bitter was a favourite. While the BMW spoke late ’70’s design. The SC managing to merge familiar Germanic styling cues, with what Toyota was perfecting in sleek looks.
The Pacific Surfliner trains are the only ones that run through Los Angeles Union Station. It is a terminal station… to run through, trains must go in and then reverse out. None of the three railroads fhat built it had any through trains so it was not a problem in 1939.
Through trains only began when the services to the north were merged with those to the south.
The Surfliner equipment is bidirectional push-pull, with locomotive at one end and a cab-equipped coach on the other.
The Surfliner service is under local control by a Joint Powers Board that is comprised of the Los Angeles and San Diego commuter rail agencies. The board sets service levels and amenities. Amtrak is the operating contractor and takes orders from LOSSAN which could hire another contractor or run the trains themselves, but probably won’t.
Only in California. Can’t think of a more perfect selection of four cars to represent the Golden State.
Not sure if you were being facetious or not, but there’s a driver’s compartment up there in the end of that last coach car in the train. The Bay Area peninsula Cal Train had the same arrangement until very recently when it switched to electric and got new bi-directional trainsets.
No, I actually didn’t know although that makes perfect sense and I’m familiar with that in other trains/rail systems. I didn’t put too much thought into it here, adding the train as a complete afterthought “while I was in there”… It’s weird to think though that going one way (forward) the driver is in the seat behind a sleek and aerodynamic front end with what I in my mind imagine to be an earthbound 737 cockpit (I know it’s not but you know what I mean) but going backwards he/she’s sitting in something more akin to an outhouse. It’s humorous how they mention the aerodynamics of the thing when it spends half its time backwards, presumably in less aerodynamic fashion. I’m now curious to see the efficiency difference.
I saw that about the CalTrain! I used to be a semi-regular on it when we lived in Belmont and I worked in the The City. Apparently the old trains are being sold to Peru for use there and there’s a kerfuffle about how we are just exporting our pollution to a different point of the globe, although of course it’s a net upgrade for Peru.
Given the actual average speed of this train I doubt the difference in efficiency is even close to significant.
The horns on those new Cal Train trains are really intense; I could hear them at night at my SIL’s place in San Mateo. I hear folks are complaining about them being louder than the old ones. But it’s a substantial upgrade in every way though. Ridership is up.
Great finds Jim. I’ve always thought those shark-nose 6 series coupes were sharp cars…but only if one had managed to find one 20+ years ago and had kept it in good shape. At this point, for this one, run away….fast. Still, it’s sad to see one that’s fallen so far.
I had no idea about those Toyota-Teslas. That’s going to inspire some background reading.
And finally, yes, that Camry is a fantastic deal. I can only imagine that the price is so low due to the general lack of desirability the market places upon anything that’s not a crossover SUV kind of thing. For those of us who’d still rather have a car, I couldn’t imagine a better vehicle for the money than a new Camry hybrid.
I still carry a small torch for the BMW 6 series coupe. The manual makes the torch burn brighter. But the likely cost to refurb this one quenches whatever fire may have been there.
The Toyota looks like it would be fun to check out.
I found the spot on GMaps, so that’s what leaving your car a block from the beach will do, yikes! Despite the value of the lot it’s still not terrible compared to Ontario waterfront.
Could you take a beach rusted VW van, saw it in half and transplant the bottom half under a salt rusted eastern van?
Yes.
When it comes to VW buses of this vintage, you can do pretty much anything and probably still realize a profit.
At least for a few more years until all Boomers have had their keys taken away by the grandkids.
A mate of mine has an ex California VW van it has the Westphalia conversion without the poptop it hass eaten an engine and transmission since he bought it, gawd know what it did in the US but it was well worn and the gearbox had been bodged nice van though and zero rust.
A shame about the F250, those were indeed nice trucks .
The Kombi / camper doesn’t look too badly rusted .
I find your rental interesting ~ if they hold up like the first generation Prius’ did, one of these used should make a fine family car .
I just saw another first generation Prius ex taxi being driven by an old man with his old lady riding shotgun .
It’s January, I was working in the dash (HVAC fiddles) on my driveway apron yesterday and heard the first ice cream truck coming down the block .
Lord I love living here .
-Nate
A few of those RAV4 EVs are still on the road here in the San Gabriel Valley. They all seem to have been white or silver in color; the front grille (or lack thereof) is the most distinctive feature. And once in a blue moon I spot a Gen 1 EV, not necessarily being driven.
Mentally I categorize them with the hydrogen Honda Civics, a few of which are still in motion here too.