Monday, February 19, 2024

End of the Road: 1991 Mercury Colony Park

The American station wagon is gone. Some European brands will sell you one, as will Subaru, if those cars are really station wagons rather than "5-door hatchback SUVs" or something.
* This was the last full-size wagon from Ford. GM would offer them through 1996. Chrysler last offered a full-size wagon in 1977.
* The biggest Mercury wagon had been called "Colony Park" since 1957.
* Washington state "collector vehicle" license plates are a good deal if you just like driving something old. Anything 30-plus years old qualifies, and they're around $100 and considered to be a "permanent registration". After you buy them you don't have to pay for new tabs every year.
















Monday, January 8, 2024

1959 Chevrolet Parkwood and friends

The 1959 Chevy is a car that collectors either love or hate, with its distinctive "eyebrows" over the headlights and teardrop taillights. Personally, I think it's the ugliest car Chevy ever made. Few wagons of this era survived, especially as daily drivers like this one.

This car's owner also has a 1951 Chevy which may or may not be drivable. Next door to these cars is a very smart-looking 1961 Chevy C10 pickup that also appears to be an unrestored survivor. And just a couple of doors down is a GMC, possibly also a 1961. Too bad it's wrecked; the frame is probably too messed up for restoration.






















Friday, January 5, 2024

Hard to Kill: 1971 Dodge Charger

There are some old cars that were built in quantity that you never see on the road. Sometimes that's because they weren't very durable. The Jaguar XKE comes to mind. Then there are cars like the third and last generation of the original Dodge Charger. You never see them because every guy who owned one drove it like Mad Max.