trinacriabob

@balthazar Thank you for sharing. I mean it. So I didn't have to. I assumed everyone was in on the joke. The friend I had a good laugh with about this plate option was Mexican-American and went to college with me. I believe they actually released that plate "into the wild," and, then, when the DMV got more sophisticated or was apprised, they pulled it back in. I don't know if that's urban legend - L.A. style. Either way, that plate, in which the words translated into Spanish approximate biology, is definitely "not available."

We seem to like license plates and license plate frames here. I was looking for the California symbols that you can put on plates and found this first. So here is the CA specialty plate with 4 symbols you can put in, shown at the bottom right hand. I've already mentioned "(HAND) NOW GFY" a while back and I guess C&Gers didn't find that funny. I still laugh about visiting a college friend in SoCal in 2008, having coffee, checking out the DMV site and entering different license plates, and seeing that "BREAD 8" came up as "not available." We almost spit out our coffee. But, if someone lived in CA and loved C&G, they could get "WE (HEART) CARS." If it's not already spoken for. Score!

We think a lot alike. The main difference is that I would omit the Impala SS from my list and start with the Caprice Classic. The Impala SS was too flashy for my taste and wouldn't have suited me ... then or now. I also agree with you on the wagons, with the Olds rendition of the last full-size wagon easily winning that hand.

It looks like a cross between a Dodge Stratus and a Toyota Corolla. Especially the red one. I'm not convinced. But never say never. We all got used to a 4-door Pontiac Grand Prix. Some of us even bought them ... or planned to.

I had forgotten all about these engines. Mostly reserved for their big boulevardiers. Remember the Ford Elite? They could be had with different V8s: 351, 400, and 460! "Interesting," though not necessarily attractive ...

The last spotting yesterday, in the evening while refueling. A Buick Roadmaster sedan in very nice condition. The guy told me it was a 1992. I'm not a fan of the roof treatment. Maybe in Palm Beach ... It had the corporate GM 5.7 V8 that I believe was the Chevrolet design and not the Olds design. I prefer the '94 to '96 Chevrolet Caprices to this model if going the large RWD route.

I wasn't used to the stickers. They put on license plate frames when I was growing up ... and no sticker. Many people think dealership license plate frames are ugly, too. I'm sure they'd remove the sticker. Once I started seeing them, usually on out of state cars that had been brought into the state, I, too, hated that look.

I spotted a fair number of unusual cars yesterday. Here were some at the same place, which was closed by the time I drove by on a Saturday evening. Funkily modified Bel Air convertible A Cadillac Allante convertible - - - - - A Camaro Berlinetta - late '70s to early '80s ... Side view - wire wheel covers ? hard pass - in great shape For a wedding invitation? Yes. For a Camaro? No. Come to think of it, the Firebird Esprit of the same years also used cursive badging. This unit is not air conditioned. Crank windows! And, the dumbed down climate control is to the left of the driver. Under the hood must be a Saturday mechanic's dream. Camaro and Berlinetta inscriptions, along with some pinstriping If that's one tailpipe at the left, it could be a 250 in-line 6. If there's another one, it's probably a 305 V8. Because I'm not sure of the year, there could have been a 231 even firing V6 or the small Chevy 4.4 V8 at the very end of this model run. I got into this car because I had one of these, although not a Berlinetta, for a couple of years. It was fun to drive and it was a comfortable car up front. It was a second car I had alongside one of my Cutlasses.

Also spotted yesterday ... ^ As Nancy Reagan would have said, "Just say no." ^ Just say yes, except to the ridiculous hood ornament. This guy did a great job of keeping this old school Coupe de Ville true to form in all other aspects. Great old school black - red pinstriping - black vinyl top - burgundy interior combination. You should have seen how grand this car looked as it was pulling in to the service station.

Spotted yesterday, on the very last day of July 2021 ... It had @balthazar written all over it. I wasn't expecting this. I had to pull over. I am guessing it's after the "Bonnie and Clyde" days, but maybe not by much It already came this way.

@David ^ The above practice is far less common in the West than it is in the East, Midwest, and South. It is an obnoxious practice, it's free advertising, and it's irrelevant if you move out of that area, thereby blighting your vehicle. It's probably not as common in the West because distances are greater and density is lower. Just a thought.

I always thought my car, a 2008, was worth about $4,000, plus or minus. In looking at the ads, they are asking $5,000 to $6,000 for them. Whether they get it is another story. But it incentivizes me to take good care of the car. After a little over 100,000 miles, it got its FIRST tune-up a few months ago. Yesterday, I took it on a small one day road trip. Almost all flat, freeway, negligible traffic, cruise at 63 mph the whole way. 31.5 mpg on the outbound, with A/C on, and 34.3 mpg on the return, with no A/C and cooler outside. (I could be 1/2 a MPG off, but close.) That's phenomenal for a 3800 V6 and a 4 speed automatic, and tells me it's real tight. Makes me wonder if I can, and should, keep putting off the purchase ...

Wow. I didn't realize that. It's the "reboot" of an older interior, and a very good job of it. Like that dome light on the side of the console. I think I see a manual window crank. If so, that's wild.

Yes. I also remember how nice the sweep of the dash is, and I liked the circular gauges and how they lean back. The last Riv's exterior was a little strange from some angles, but, from the inside, I think I would have liked being its pilot.

This was definitely random. I was looking at photos in the review of the new Kia K5 and saw photos of the last Riv in another link. I miss interiors and cabins like this. A lot.

Spotted on July 23 at a gas station: Beautiful 1987 Caprice Classic. The front fender badge indicates a 4.3 liter (Vortec) V6 with TBI. Its driver told me that he had recently purchased it and had less than 45,000 miles! Interesting color combo. Not one most people would think of. Many power accessories. And a really nice, up-level interior (compared to the more staid standard seats that probably came with this model) to keep you comfortable on a long road trip. I took these photos while my car was being fueled. I couldn't pass on this one. Wow.

Some Euro-pop - - - - - British: Criticize it or the genre all you want, but its success says something. - - - - - German: Somewhat otherworldly. - - - - - It's weird how they don't sound too, too foreign (to a North American ear) when they are singing, but they do when they speak.

Spotted on July 14 while doing some errands. I didn't see many of these, even when new. In excellent shape.

I was there. I marked it on my calendar. Easily on the Top 10 list of the coolest things I've seen in my life. And thousands of people lining both sides of the bay (in summer clothing on this February day) watching and cheering seemed to agree with me. This was almost 15 years ago ...

Heard this song while getting coffee ... ... it has something retro about it; it almost hearkens to something by Alphaville.

I had to take one anyway I could photograph one. This one also had a horrible aftermarket hood ornament. I just thought it was timely since we had been discussing Sevilles within the last few days. I looked at the first-gens on line and it confirmed how much I liked them. I just wish I knew photoshop to play with the roofline, the rear taillamps, and a few minor things. I thought the first-gen dashboard was interesting. It was a mixture of clean and a little too driver focused at the expense of the front seat passenger. The climate controls are to the left of the steering wheel. Other controls are not centered and favor the driver. Still, I liked the zoned, blockier volumes of Cadillac dashboards in those years and that they were starting to inset warning lamps and gauges into the upper part of the cowl. What a success story and how quickly the consuming public bought into the "baby Cadillac," as it was called. Really nice seating set-up for a Cadillac of those years. Maybe switch out the leather for cloth. I'd be perfectly happy to have this as a daily driver.

Seen in a supermarket parking lot over the weekend ...

@balthazar Speaking of the devil, I hadn't seen one of these in a long time. These sure were different.

I saw a Mercury Milan in the supermarket parking lot - silver, 4 cylinder (no V6 badge), no noticeable weathering from the elements. The guy told me it was a 2008. And that it had 150,000 miles. Original and original powertrain. I remember how much I liked those when I was car shopping - dignified looking with good road manners. How interesting that, for some of us, we've seen the transition from disposable 4 cylinders to borderline heirloom 4 cylinders.

Today marks 65 years since the sinking of the "Andrea Doria" after the "Stockholm" plowed into her the night before she was due to arrive at her New York pier. https://www.history.com/news/the-sinking-of-andrea-doria Most of the survivors are probably not around anymore, but some who were children and teens who were rescued from the sinking ship still might be. What a life changing experience. The Swedes sank Italy's first post-war passenger flagship. Remind me not to ever consider buying a Volvo.