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I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today!

29581 messages,  Last post on May 18, 2013 at 2:25 PM

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What is this discussion about? Classic Cars

Messages Page 2812 of 2959

#28106 of 29581 Re: Sad Day For Studebakers [Mr_Shiftright] by uplanderguy

Feb 15, 2013 (4:57 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 15, 2013 2:02 pm)
I'd heard about that a week or so ago...very sad. Supposedly the guy is well-known in that area of SC and a nice guy, per people who know him. I've never met him nor spoken to him.

#28107 of 29581 Re: Cimarron [imidazol97] by hpmctorque

Feb 15, 2013 (5:38 pm)

Replying to: imidazol97 (Feb 15, 2013 4:52 pm)
Regarding your first paragraph, the fact that there are so few Cimarrons remaining just makes it a more interesting item at car shows.
 
Well, I can't disagree with your second paragraph. However, Cadillac's biggest mistake wasn't to use the J-body for an entry level model, but, rather, to not differentiate the Cimarron more from the Js in GM's lower level divisions. For example, if the Cimarron had had more differentiated styling, with more Cadillac cues, a plusher interior and a more powerful engine from the get go it could have justified its higher price. In other words, the problem wasn't in the concept, it was in the execution.

#28108 of 29581 Re: Sad Day For Studebakers [Mr_Shiftright] by lemko

Feb 15, 2013 (6:12 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 15, 2013 2:02 pm)
Insurance or not, I'd be on the brink of suicide if I lost my 1989 Cadillac Brougham in a fire. Sure, I could get another one like it, but it won't be my car!

#28109 of 29581 Re: Cimarron [tjc78] by boomchek

Feb 15, 2013 (6:59 pm)

Replying to: tjc78 (Feb 15, 2013 4:44 pm)
The Cimarron would have done better if it didn't look so much like a Cavalier.
 
I guess in the 80s it might have been hard to redo all of the body panels and the dashboard as they were cookie cutter square.
 
These days you can add or remove a few different swoops from the body and the car will look totally different. I mean look at the Lexus ES series and the Camry. Both identical cars under the skin but they look different enough that people are willing to pay a 25-30% premium for the Lexus badge.
 
EDIT: Just saw hpmctorque's post about the styling, I wrote mine before I read his, exactly my point.

#28110 of 29581 No-Go? by stickguy

Feb 15, 2013 (8:03 pm)

Or Nova. On 295, a mid-later 70's Nova 4 door. Burgendy, with a vinyl roof. Looked to be listing a bit to port, but was moving at highway speeds.

#28111 of 29581 Re: Cimarron [boomchek] by hpmctorque

Feb 15, 2013 (8:06 pm)

Replying to: boomchek (Feb 15, 2013 6:59 pm)
In addition to the suggestions I made, Cadillac could have increased the wheelbase of its J-car by 2", thereby differentiating it in terms of interior space and rear seat legroom, as GM used to do to differentiate the Olds 88 and 98. The slightly longer Cimarron would have still been a compact, and fuel economy would have been only minimally affected. This way, buyers would have gotten more car for the higher price. Another precedent for this differentiation was the Nova and Seville.

#28112 of 29581 . by fintail

Feb 15, 2013 (8:22 pm)

Few oddballs today - Plymouth Prowler, 60s vintage Land Rover, horrible looking C6 Corvette on oversized body color wheels almost donk style.

#28113 of 29581 Re: spotted in NYC [andre1969] by uplanderguy

Feb 16, 2013 (4:44 am)

Replying to: andre1969 (Feb 15, 2013 8:43 am)
I liked the Beretta and Corsica when they first came out. Styling looked good, I thought. But the interiors were horrible. And when the Cavalier was redesigned and improved for 1995, I think it put some pressure on them.
 
My '89 GT had nice seating, I always thought. It was a very light beige ribbed corduroy. First car I owned with a split folding rear-seat back, and it actually had a center armrest in the back, although the rear seat was kids-only IMHO.
 
I liked the rear end styling of the Beretta, if you didn't get a spoiler. Still, it was the smallest car I'd owned up 'til that time and really, for me, too small to be an only car.

#28114 of 29581 Re: Cimarron [imidazol97] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Feb 16, 2013 (8:22 am)

Replying to: imidazol97 (Feb 15, 2013 4:52 pm)
It's not the car that deserves abuse--that's true--it's Cadillac that deserves the abuse for trying to charge a Cadillac price for a Chevrolet with more sound-deadening material stuffed into it. That's what got everyone in a snit, and the car was, in a sense, an innocent victim of corporate greed.
 
I think people felt insulted that Cadillac would think them so naive.

#28115 of 29581 Re: Cimarron [Mr_Shiftright] by andys120

Feb 16, 2013 (8:31 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 16, 2013 8:22 am)
I think you've summed it up correctly, Shifty. There was nothing inherently wrong with the concept of a small luxury sedan. BMW proved one could sell well if it was built to high standard.
 
Their 3-Series has dominated the category to this day.

Messages Page 2812 of 2959

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