Archive for January, 2014

A Capella – 1982 Mazda 626

January 11, 2014

Back in the early 1980s, Honda and Toyota were making forgettable family sedans (which are now probably the size of their modern-day compacts). The Accord had not yet been built in the US, and what did Toyota even make before the Camry came out? Cressida? Crown? Corona? Carina? Datsun was also still finding its way with cars like the 610, 710, and 810. Mazda wasn’t much more successful, and in fact, they’re still one of the smaller Japanese manufacturers, but by late 1970s/early 1980s standards, they had one of the best looking offerings, the 626, or Capella as it was known in its home market. The 626 coupe even recalled the BMW 6-series a little, if you really squinted your eyes. Find this 1982 Mazda 626 sedan for sale in Renton, WA for $3600.

1982 Mazda 626 for sale left front

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American Hustle, Part 2 – 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass

January 10, 2014

Continuing our 2-part miniseries where we look at some of the cars from the era represented in American Hustle, here’s a car that would have been seen in the background, or was perhaps driven by one of the secondary characters. In 1976, this car was as mundane as a Camry is today, but with 38 years of hindsight, this wheezing behemoth is a neat relic of the era. Will we be able to say the same about the Camry in 2052? You can find this 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass for sale in Kirkland, WA for $3000. How close is that to the original sale price of this car?

1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass left side

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American Hustle, Part 1 – 1978 Cadillac Eldorado (plus bonus ’71 convertible!)

January 10, 2014

Today, we’re going to look at a couple of cars inspired by the film, American Hustle. One of the great things about older cars is they not only represent the period in which they were built, but also their country of origin. It’s nothing that hasn’t been said before, but with globalization of the automotive industry, cars have lost their national characters, such that you could hide the badges on Lexus, Mercedes, and Cadillacs and couldn’t definitively tell each sport-luxury sedan’s nationality, even if they have distinctive brand styling attributes. You can find an exemplary expression of 1970s America in this 1978 Cadillac Eldorado for sale in Everett, WA for $4000.

1978 Cadillac Eldorado for sale left front

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