Vintage Things That Have Disappeared In Your Lifetime?

[AtomicEraTom]

My dad was going to buy a Solstice at the Chevy Dealer here in town, and got snubbed, so he didn't buy one. I just went there to buy a new truck yesterday and got he same treatment.

Customer service, what happened to it?

Strange..I liked my 2007 Solstice GXP much better than my Wife's Miata. Both fun to drive..but the GXP performed much much better with the turbo. All around a much beefier sportscar. Sorry they discontinued it and Pontiac.
HD

 

[Gregg Axley]

Have you ever owned one of those mid size GMs Axley?
Over the years, they develop a certain 'loose' quality. Not the steering, the whole car! Worse if it has T-tops. They're really not built to well at all.

I had several.
But if someone is willing to GIVE me a GNX or even a Gran National, I'll deal with those issues.
I've owned 16 cars in my short time here, some sports cars, some just regular daily drivers.
The build quality in the 70's left a lot to be desired, but with some modifications each one turned out to be a good car.
One of my favorite cars from the whole bunch, was a mid 70's Corvette. It had faults, but it had incredible handling, went extremely fast (once I rebuilt the 180hp engine to 325hp), and got lots of thumbs up from many people. Unless you are 6ft tall or taller, you can't see over the cowl hood, again one of those faults. So I had to look between the high fender and the cowl induction. A bit of an odd view, but it worked.
I've been through many a GM door, when it developed that looseness when closing...the 70's cars were the worst about that. Just needed tightening up. But I can tell you now, I'd rather be hit in one of those, than something coming out of the factory today. I might be bounced around sans airbags but I'd walk away, or have enough left to throttle the driver that ruined my car!

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Better step up your game. I'm 22 and have had that many since I was 16

I've owned 16 cars in my short time here, some sports cars, some just regular daily drivers.

 

[Gregg Axley]

Better step up your game. I'm 22 and have had that many since I was 16

I ran out of funding.
Now if you count cars that were in the project stage, but not driveable, then my number is closer to 18-19.

Customer Service? I've got to look that one up! Sounds familiar though.
Yeah, it's funny how (with this economy) salesmen can snub you and still bring in an income.
I had that happen when I was looking for my last car. Subaru kinda wanted to deal with me, and one other company (forgot what we looked at) hem hawed around, but none of them wanted to make a definite deal without some sort of hocus pocus financing. Eventually I called a salesman at Saturn that I knew, and dealt only with him. There were some quality issues when I got the car, but that was all taken care of before I actually took delivery.
Tom it's your age, believe it or not. It doesn't matter what you are driving to the lot, or how you dress, IMHO it's the salesman thinking you can't afford that car, or be able to make the payments.
I went through this too at your age, until I made friends with a wholesale dealer. Then I could get almost anything, and cheaper too. He's the reason I bought the majority of my cars, and learned the tricks of the trade.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I thought that was the case, but what about my dad? He's 53.

Tom it's your age, believe it or not. It doesn't matter what you are driving to the lot, or how you dress, IMHO it's the salesman thinking you can't afford that car, or be able to make the payments.
I went through this too at your age, until I made friends with a wholesale dealer. Then I could get almost anything, and cheaper too. He's the reason I bought the majority of my cars, and learned the tricks of the trade.

 

[Gregg Axley]

I thought that was the case, but what about my dad? He's 53.

I thought about that.
What you have here is a stupid salesman.
A 53yr old, that has a good job AND owns his own business?
Not to mention if they did make him mad, he'd have a good chance of picking that car up and throwing it at them....
All these signs point to a stupid salesman for sure.
Is the car lot run by hippies? That would explain it for sure, they don't know how to conduct things in the real world.
BTW was the truck you looked at a black Silverado?
That's a nice one, but they want too much IMHO.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

It is stupid. Why would anybody want to not try to sell a vehicle?

It was a gold standard cab, long bed 2010 Silverado.

I thought about that.
What you have here is a stupid salesman.
A 53yr old, that has a good job AND owns his own business?
Not to mention if they did make him mad, he'd have a good chance of picking that car up and throwing it at them....
All these signs point to a stupid salesman for sure.
Is the car lot run by hippies? That would explain it for sure, they don't know how to conduct things in the real world.
BTW was the truck you looked at a black Silverado?
That's a nice one, but they want too much IMHO.

 

[Gregg Axley]

It is stupid. Why would anybody want to not try to sell a vehicle?

It was a gold standard cab, long bed 2010 Silverado.

That will be the vehicle the salesman drives away in, on the day of his retirement.
My guess is that they wanted to saddle someone with high payments for a long time, and they knew you wouldn't go for that.

 

[jamespowers]

That will be the vehicle the salesman drives away in, on the day of his retirement.
My guess is that they wanted to saddle someone with high payments for a long time, and they knew you wouldn't go for that.

In other words, he isn't a sucker.

 

[Gregg Axley]

In other words, he isn't a sucker.

Now let's not get ahead of ourselves, someone willingly bought a Dart recently.
But when it comes to buying a somewhat new car, I agree he's not a sucker.

In keeping with this, and to steer us back on track...white dress shoes.
You know, like the ones car dealers used to wear.
I saw some as late as 1987 on a coworker. :eeek:

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I almost doubled my money on that car.

Now let's not get ahead of ourselves, someone willingly bought a Dart recently.

 

[vitanola]

I almost doubled my money on that car.

Mayhap this is an example of the "greater fool" principal. We learn over and over again that the supply of these is sadly finite. When the music stops playing some are left without seats.

Now, a nice four cylinder Dodge, with the single unit Northeast starter/Generator combination is something else entirely...

 

[AtomicEraTom]

A Dart is not my taste, believe you me, but there's a shoe for every foot. Some people want a classic car, but they're on a budget. I sold the car to a 16 year old kid, it'll be his first car. He's really excited about it, as all his friends were getting new pickup trucks. He wanted something old-school and said this was the only vintage car he'd found in his price-range that wasn't a basket case.

Say what you will about that little ugly duckling of a car, but it's enough to make someone out there happy.

Mayhap this is an example of the "greater fool" principal. We learn over and over again that the supply of these is sadly finite. When the music stops playing some are left without seats.

Now, a nice four cylinder Dodge, with the single unit Northeast starter/Generator combination is something else entirely...

 

[Gregg Axley]

For a 16yr old that car is perfect.
Built solid, and made the take a bit of abuse, it will work out great.
Plus insurance is cheaper on an old car at that age, and if something goes wrong he can probably fix it cheap and quick.
At least when you raise the hood, or look under the dash, there aren't a million different wires.
My first car was close to the same year model this kid now has, but mine was an Impala.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

My first car was a 1960 Bel-Air Chevrolet, and the insurance was next to nothing and you could fix anything with a 9/16" wrench, and a screwdriver.

For a 16yr old that car is perfect.
Built solid, and made the take a bit of abuse, it will work out great.
Plus insurance is cheaper on an old car at that age, and if something goes wrong he can probably fix it cheap and quick.
At least when you raise the hood, or look under the dash, there aren't a million different wires.
My first car was close to the same year model this kid now has, but mine was an Impala.

 

[Zombie_61]

A day or two after I bought my first car in 1977, the next door neighbor came over and said, "I wish I'd known you were looking for a car, I would have sold you mine." Her car was a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback, all original and bone stock with a hair over 50,000 miles on it, and to say it was immaculate would be an understatement. And it could have been mine for $2,000. :eusa_doh: :Cry: :frusty:

 

[Dragon Soldier]

And it could have been mine for $2,000. :eusa_doh: :Cry: :frusty:

Look on the bright side, what are the chances you'd have lived to be a Lounger if you'd bought it then?

 

[jamespowers]

A day or two after I bought my first car in 1977, the next door neighbor came over and said, "I wish I'd known you were looking for a car, I would have sold you mine." Her car was a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback, all original and bone stock with a hair over 50,000 miles on it, and to say it was immaculate would be an understatement. And it could have been mine for $2,000. :eusa_doh: :Cry: :frusty:

I would have sold the heap I bought and bought that one for sure. Nothing would hold me back. My first car was and still is a 57 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe. I never will let that one go.

 

[jamespowers]

Now let's not get ahead of ourselves, someone willingly bought a Dart recently. :eeek:

:rofl: There is a blue heap Dart up the street from me. It has been for sale for a long, long , long time. Maybe I should pick it up for $50 and sell it to Tom for $100.

 

[jamespowers]

I almost doubled my money on that car.

Good man! Need another one? California car!