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#308 of 309 Re: Cup Half Empty vs. Half Full [hpmctorque] by andre1969

Jul 08, 2008 (6:50 pm)

Replying to: hpmctorque (Jul 08, 2008 5:20 am)

My colleague suggested that I put that aside, and focus, instead, on what the car needed. Duh! While I hadn't ignored the needs, I realized I was being seduced by how much the current owner had spent on the car. A thorough evaluation of the cars needs prompted me to walk away.
 
I went through a similar situation a few years ago, with a 1980 Chrysler Cordoba. It had originally been a slant six car, but the driveline had been replaced by a built-up 318 out of a '75 Dart, torqueflite 727 out of a smallblock '68 Charger, and an 8 3/4 rear end, also out of the Charger, with relatively quick 3.23 or 3.55 gears. It was a sweet looking car...in the pictures, at least. In person, not so sweet. Plus, the brakes went out on it.
 
Most of the sheetmetal was actually pretty good, but the plastic rear fender caps were broken, and a lot of the structure underneath was rusting...and these were unit-bodied cars! The interior was a bit moldly, and smelled of dampness.
 
But man, did that thing sound sweet when it fired up! I was definitely tempted! Luckily, I came to my senses. The seller wanted $1900 for this thing. And on the bright side, he offered to tow it to my house.
 
I really am glad I passed on the thing, in retrospect, because less than a year later, I found my '76 Grand LeMans on eBay, and bought it. It's not a perfect car, but was good enough to make the 500 mile trip back from Ohio, and has consistently made it back and forth to four GM shows in Carlisle. And it would need a lot less to make it perfect than that Cordoba would have!
 
Had I bought the Cordoba, I have a feeling I never would have gotten the LeMans, so sometimes things have a way of working out.
 
One thing that I find funny about the two, is that while they're both the same basic class of car, an intermediate coupe, the LeMans is actually the smaller of the two. Despite the LeMans being an old school, pre-downsized intermediate and the Cordoba being "downsized", and actually based on the Aspen/Volare, which were considered compacts! The LeMans is 208" long, on a 112" wb, while the Cordoba was about 210", on a 112.7" wb. Not a huge difference, to be sure, but I guess that shows one reason why Chryslers weren't selling. GM comes out with a downsized intermediate, and they seem downright tiny (for the time). Chrysler comes out with a downsized intermediate, and it's about the size of a Caprice.
 
Gotta admit though, I still have a thing for those Cordobas, and especially the Mirada. I just want one that's in better shape than that thing I saw four years ago.

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• fintail (Jul 08, 2008 7:21 pm)

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#309 of 309 Re: Cup Half Empty vs. Half Full [andre1969] by fintail

Jul 08, 2008 (7:21 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Jul 08, 2008 6:50 pm)