Really good article, I recently purchased a 1991 red on red L98, six speed with 176K miles here in SW Oklahoma for $4500.00! Needs paint and few other cosmetic issues, but runs great and is SOO much FUN to drive! I had a 1977 L82 white on saddle, 4 speed in the early 80's...not near as much fun to drive, not near as much power and nowhere near the torque, but it was a very COOL ride. I didn't think I "stole" my 1991 but considered it worth the money. My only question is simple? What in the world is 6th gear there for? AT 70 MPH, the RPM is on 1700. REALLY, I normally drive it in 5th and not worry about the hills! Love my "new to me" C4 Corvette! ... View more

My first car was a 1967 Olds 88 4-door hardtop with a 425/2 barrel. Back in that day (1976 when my parents gave me their car!) when a car got about 90,000 miles on it, my dad considered it "wore out!" I drove it several years, had almost no problems mechanically and it surprised several "street racers" that dared me between lights! Right after I graduated in 1977, I took a job 180 miles away and had to "grow up" and do things for myself. I never will forget that my aunt and uncle's next door neighbor had a black 1966 Toronado and as a 17 year old kid I was amazed at the barrel speedometer. I asked the owner if I could drive it and he said "NO!" Awesome car and one that is on my bucket list of cars to own...one of these days!! ... View more

I really do enjoy all of your articles, they are written for guys like me. I try to buy what I kinda like and fix them up some (usually tires, wipers, extensive cleaning, small items that need replaced, things that don't cost a ton of cash!) then try to make a little profit and move on. My latest adventure has me re-thinking this purchase, 1976 VW Beetle, no motor, but the rest of the car "isn't too bad!" I am quickly finding that since VW motors are also used for dune buggies and sand rails, they tend to be almost as expensive as the car! I may have a "barn find" VW to invest in just for the motor? It's been sitting outside, no barn in sight, for 30 years and the owner claims "it was running when we parked it here!" OK, the body is really straight, it has all the glass and it has a complete 1600 dual port motor. Can't seem to agree on a price with the owner (sentimental for his wife!) Wish me luck.... ... View more

Great story, I was 10 in 1969 and a car guy just like my dad! We didn't have the money to invest in any kind car except 4 door family cars (1967 Olds Delta 88 4 door hardtop, great car and my first one, too?) our family car, but dad drove about 25 miles one way to work every day, so he tried just about everything one could imagine as our 2nd car. He had a 1973 Datsun pickup, a 1955 Ford 4 door with a straight six and 3 on the tree, but my favorite 2 were a 1964 Corvair 110 with a 4 speed (not fast but my dad had the "cool car!") and he bought a 1974 Subaru, bright yellow and it was front wheel drive (unheard of back in 1976!) It was super fun to drive, had A/C and I drove that thing hard, even "drag raced" it a couple of times! I grew up in a small town in SW Oklahoma, we had one sheriff SO we teens would make sure we knew where he was and go out to the "Quarter" which was no more than about a 1/4 mile of asphalt a couple of miles out of town. Those were the days!! Miss a lot of our former cars and my COOL DAD! (in fact one of my bucket list items is to find a comparable '67 Olds 4 door hardtop with that sweet running 425! By the way, I drag raced that one a lot, too! ... View more

I just wanted to comment that my dad did indeed buy and drive several Oldsmobile cars over the course of my childhood. He told me when I was young, "I like the Oldsmobile because they are pretty fast, but have 4 doors!" I sure miss him, he passed away 10 years ago. Anyway, our family had several other brands in our driveway which included Rambler, VW, Chevy, and even an AMC Concorde right after I left for college. The two that I remember the most are a baby blue 1963 Olds Dynamic 88 4 door hardtop (don't remember the motor, but it was a V8?) He would open up that car on many occcasions and when you're 10 years old I thought it was REALLY FAST!! He replaced that '63 with a 1967 Olds Delta 88 4 door hardtop, light brown with black vinyl top and black vinyl interior, it had a Rocket 425 V8 two barrel. How do I remember that much about that car? It was my first car, they handed it down to me at 17. It was literally "my dad's Oldsmobile!!" ... View more

I seem to recall a friend of mine bought a 1971 Plymouth Satellite, dark brown, white vinyl top, white interior with a bench seat even, but it had a 383 4 barrel carb. I always thought it was a cool ride, in an almost "cool granny car" kinda way! Let me assure you, it was no granny car, that car was seldom ever defeated in a "street 1/4 mile" race! I was with him on several occasions racing other than Mopar opponents and we almost always won by a good margin! It was quick off the line and pulled hard all the way to the end, plus it didn't sit there and spin the tires off the line. We never did really figure out why that car was so quick, but enjoyed that it was, until his dad offered to buy him a new 1977 280Z, and the Plymouth was quickly traded in!! ... View more

I looked through this article several times and would have to say I do like GM products, but am sure not close-minded enough to say they are the "only car for me!" Since this group includes almost all convertibles and Vettes....well, I live in SW Oklahoma where in the summer it gets 100+ degrees, plus a lot of our summer days have wonderful 20-25 mph winds, I am not nor will I ever be interested in any convertible. That said, I also don't really care for the later model Camaro or the 68 Chevelle, I am inclined to react this way! There are a lot of vehicles from lots of brands, it's hard to come up with any of these as my "favorite?" Also, when it's mentioned in an article that a motor of any kind, displacement or brand is worth 6 figures! I am out of that picture completely, I can't even pay that kind of money for a home, much less a motor for a hot rod! Sorry Haggerty this article was an interesting read, but too much money here for my income! I do hope the auction goes well and the owner of all these cars gets what he wants and also the new owners get what they want as well. ... View more

Being a mostly Chevy man, I would pick the Impala SS.  However, I don't really care for the "blacked out" theme either, so would want one in that dark grey-green, PLUS I would want the only year with bucket seats....1996, I think it was!? ... View more

  No words to songs that remind me that growing older is well, just inevitable and I'll take that over not being on earth anymore!  It was 6 years ago when I got my reminder "Hey idiot, don't stand on a metal step ladder when it misting rain and lose your balance!"  You guessed correctly, I have VIDID memories of falling in super slow motion toward the ground and that metal ladder laying on the ground just waiting to see what it could break on my 55 year old body!  I actually fell across the open part of that metal step ladder sort of like breaking a branch over your knee! Two ribs and my left ulna (pinky side of your arm) in the few seconds following that fall, that seemed like an eternity, I could hear "someone" screaming this sound like I have never heard before  and wondered to myself 'who is that screaming'....WELL, come to find out, it was ME!!  I have talked to several people that have broken ribs, they confess to me they too had a similar experience!?  Anyway, cast from armpit to hand, 11 weeks in a cast (old man bones don't heal very quick! Cute blonde doctor's words, not mine.) and countless hours of thinking to myself "Hey idiot, why, how did this happen!"  Here's what I tell people when I get a chance to relate this story as it would apply to their lives, I simply state "Don't EVER break any ribs at 55 years old, or any age actually!" ... View more

This is a good subject to cover for us "car guys."  I really don't currently own what I would say is a valid "car hauler" anything, and that might have to change!  I have a 1977 El Camino, 350, auto, nice ride, however, when you start loaded the rhino lined bed of that particular "truck?"  It reminds you pretty quick "Hey, I'm actually a car not a REAL truck just because I have a bed and a tailgate."  So, I don't put too much heavy stuff in the bed of it, PLUS I inherited it from my dad when he passed in 2010, SO I don't want to us it and risk any damage to it.  I turn to my only other semi-useful-for-hauling vehicle, a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder, it is useful enough, 4.0L V-6m auto, leather, sunroof, lots of the creature comforts, BUT I'm sure not going to place a greasy, dirty, muddy motor of any kind in the nicely carpeted cargo area!  Also, that "truck" probably doesn't need to be pulling say a 1964 Oldsmobile Jetstar 88 anywhere, much less almost 50 miles!  I am going to try and talk my wife into letting me trade the Nissan for a real truck of some kind, hence the comments and praise of these trucks in the above article give me some much needed information when asking the wifey!  Thanks for the good work. ... View more

Really enjoyed this article, I have a story of my own to add here.  My dad was almost killed in 1966 when a 1962 Impala hit his door at about 40 MPH, he was driving a 1962 VW bug. To add insult to injury (literally, 3 weeks in the hospital for my dad!) the young lady driving the Impala was the Police Chief's daughter!  Anyway, our family decided  to have us a bigger car, so dad bought a 1963 Rambler station wagon, 6 cylinder, auto, push button shifter on the left side of the steering wheel on the dash. As a 7 year old, I thought that was kinda COOL!  My dad also decided we needed a 2nd vehicle, he bought a 1957 Chevy two-door post, 283, 3 on the tree, with 2 4-barrels!  My dad and I spent lots of hours "tinkering" under the hood of that ratty, old '57 Chevy trying to help out on gas mileage with NO LUCK!  Purchase price, $175.00 and later sold it for $275.00 thinking he had made lots of money, keep in mind this was 1967!  Fast forward to 1990's sometime, my dad and I were walking through a swap meet and dad spotted a small block Chevy intake with 2 4-barrel set up.  Asking PRICE $1200.00!  He laughed and said "Might should have kept that old '57, huh??"  One of my "one that got away" stories! ... View more

Excellent article!  Being about the age we seem to be discussing here, 61, I very fondly remember my mom telling me many times...."That music you listen to is of the devil and you're gonna go deaf listening to it so loud!"  Did I turn it down, heck NO!  I have a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder with an all BOSE stereo system and crank it very often!  I do believe my sub"thumper" in the back is bad, gotta get me a new one of those.  Thank God I did not get caught up in a "religious" ritual of burning all of our "from the devil" albums!  I  still have a stack of about 100 songs on vinyl and also a Technics direct drive turntable. I am of like mind, most of the vehicles sold today all look almost exactly the same.  It has got to be true, Chevy took all the decals off of one of their Malibu cars and people thought it was a BMW, AUDI or TESLA!?!  REALLY,  come on now....I take pride in my '77 Chevy El Camino cause it only looked about the same 5 years, then in 1978 it changed! Keep writing the articles that get me to thinking about the "good old days!" I appreciate them deeply! ... View more

My third "first" car was a white with white interior 1973 Pontiac Grand Prix. It was like this article states "a luxury muscle car."  400 cu. in. 4-barrel carb, dual exhaust and at that time when nobody really checked "gas mileage" got a fairly respectable 18 MPG on a trip.  I absolutely loved this car and have missed it since I traded it on my then wife's 1980 Ford Fiesta!  OH trust me, I know, but it was the first new car we bought and she was sooo proud of it!  One of my bucket list cars is indeed a 1969 Grand Prix, heck, I'm not picky....a 400 cu. in. with a 2 barrel would work just fine for me!  I have looked for years for some of those bucket seats to put in a hot rod or my 1973 Scamp, no luck!  Really liked this article, keep up the good work!! ... View more

GREAT CAR!!  I owned a 1974 Ford Capri with 4 cylinder and 4 speed.  It was yellow with black factory interior.  No A/C, PS, or PB, but was sooo much fun to drive.  However, my then brother-in-law (who needed a car, SO I "loaned" it to him) wrecked it and my insurance company called it a total loss.  They let me keep the car and paid me a fraction of the cost I paid for it, $550.00!  Missed it ever since this happened. ... View more

Awesome story!  I have many cars in my past and my dad's past that I would absolutely LOVE to have back, mostly the 1957 Chevy Bel Air 2-door post with a 283 2X4 barrel carb and three-on-the-tree!  I did inherit my dad's last "pride and joy" 1977 Chevy El Camino when he passed in 2010.  Thank you for sharing stories like this one with me! ... View more