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| photo source: dreamstime.com I'd better up the ante, two large ain't going to buy much! |
Why am I even looking?
I'm always looking! Everyday I check Craig's List to look for any interesting cars that are for sale. I'm always looking to replace the cars in my stable. Last week I kind of hinted that I'm getting tired of messing with finicky cars like my Jags. My trusty old Fords have been a lot less headaches.
It's not that I don't like the cars that I presently have it's just that are still many cars that I would still like to own.
I've been deeply involved with cars forever, since I was a little kid. I've been involved with vehicles as a driver and owner for fifty years! That's a long time and there has been growth and change in my preferences over the years.
In my youth I was only interested in the Big Iron: Cadillacs.
I've had a string of 1950s, 1960s and 1970s models over the years. A couple were even my "dream cars". The '56 Sedan de Ville was the first car that I ever dreamed about owning. It's funny that it turned out to be the last Cadillac that I've owned. Cadillac got my interest when they introduced the original 1975 Seville. I knew that Cadillac was on to something. When they unveiled the 1977 DeVille series I was totally jazzed, these were cars that could satisfy the traditional Cadillac lover, and the real automotive driving enthusiast! I couldn't wait until I could get my hands on one. It lived up to all of my expectations. Then my interest in Cadillacs waned for a few years until the '92 Seville came on the scene. It was a quantum leap over that undersized little lump of a brougham that preceded it. With the addition of the NorthStar engine it was the whole package. I managed to acquire a three year old '94 STS and another Dream Car was attained. That was year's ago.
Could it be time to revisit my Cadillac roots?
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| I've always wanted a Sixty Special, a real one, with the extended wheelbase. |
Even though certain older Cadillacs still hold some appeal to me, a '63 Sedan de Ville or Sixty Special comes to mind. I think that I no longer want such a big car with such poor fuel economy. Also, these cars drive like old cars and I don't think that they would satisfy me.
How about another '77 Coupe de Ville?
This was one of my dreams that I actually owned during what was probably the best time of my life. If I was going to try to recapture this youthful period, maybe one of these would be a good idea. There's only a couple of problems with that. First of all, I don't believe that you can recapture the past by merely acquiring relics from that time. Second, I think that we should grow from our past and move onto new experiences.
As special as my '77 Cadillac was to me then, there's no point looking back.
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| 3,800 dollars. |
Now that I'm a Ford guy, I can consider the Mark VII. It was the car that sat at the top of the Ford status ladder. I remember seeing the prototype of this car in Car and Driver at the New York Auto Show. It was called the Concept 90. At the time I thought that it was the next step in evolution of the American Luxury coupe. While I was mulling it over, Cadillac introduced the 300 hp. NorthStar engine. It made the 225 hp. 5.0 H.O. engine in the LSC (Lincoln Sports Coupe) look pretty weak. Many referred to the LSC engine as the Mustang GT engine. But the heavier LSC was always going to be slower than the comparable Mustang.
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| 1990 2,200 bucks. The color combo is right, White with a tan interior. |
My '96 Explorer has the same 5.0 engine. It's considered a classic among blue oval performance fans. I had a new '94 Mercury Cougar, and while it is quite similar in size and concept to the Mark, the Lincoln is clearly a couple of levels above that car. The Mark VII is still a very strong possibility.
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| 1992 El Dorado 1,900.00 |
Here's an Eldo that I might consider. Since I've had my experience with the NorthStar engine I've been looking for an example with the older 4.9 OHV engine. The NorthStar was an impressive performer with 50% more power, but it had certain reliability and service problems. I had test driven a 4.9 model and it had more than adequate performance with it's 200 hp. It also has a very good reliability history. When I bought my Seville my buddy Rick bought a pearl white Eldo, and that was one nice car.
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| 1972 Mustang coupe 3,500 bucks |
Why do I keep coming back to these cars? Maybe I just like to help the under dog. These models have been lambasted by classic Mustang fans for years. They are too big, porky pretenders to the Mustang lineage. Speaking from the perspective of someone who has actually owned a 1966 and 1970 model Mustang I have a somewhat different opinion.
They are actually not that much bigger than the 1970 models but they were styled to look much larger. They do have more room inside and more importantly to some, under the hood. Even more importantly they incorporate some important safety improvements They have a collapsible steering column, split circuit braking, and a fuel tank housed outside of the trunk compartment. They are also more likely to come equipped with a V8 motor, disc brakes, power steering and a/c. They require a lot less updating to build into a safe, comfortable cruiser. And the kicker is, they are the lowest priced Classic Mustangs. I still think that I can do something with one.
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| 1992 4,700 |
Oh, the classic second gen Acura Legend Coupe. I will openly admit to loving these cars. They have an elegant look that somehow manages to reference the Nissan GTR of the time. Yes, they are FWD, but so was the excellent Honda Prelude. A Type 2 with the six speed manual is the Holy Grail. Old Guys like me believe that Acura lost their way after producing this car. This is a nice one. There aren't many out there for sale. Most were pretty thrashed by now. It won't get any easier or cheaper to find one in the future.
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| 1993 SC300 5 speed! 3,500 |
Along with the Acura Coupe is the Lexus SC series. You've got the choice of two engines! A smooth V8 or an equally smooth in line six that was shared with the legendary Toyota Supra. The six is available with a manual five speed transmission. Not only the engine but the chassis was shared with the Supra. These are cleanly styled and very well built, they are Lexus after all. The SC 300 is a bit harder to find but many are in the process of being thrashed as we speak.
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| 2000 XK8. Coupes are for Chickens. Cluck! Cluck! 6,500.00 |
Will I actually make a move on any of these cars? Maybe. But I've got another plan in action.
I've been trying to make contact with the seller of a 2000 Jaguar XK8. It's been two weeks. I started a week before the Labor Day holiday and my e-mails have gone unanswered. This is a particularly nice example and it has had the problem areas addressed,and it's a coupe! Yeah, It's gonna cost me a lot more than two grand!
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