Every morning and afternoon I passed it sitting in it’s spot in their driveway. I didn’t take much notice from the bus window, but once in a while I would see it there. It was the spring of 1970. I was 16 years old and driving the old family station wagon to work. Borrowing the car from my Dad for any reason other than work or dropping off or picking up my younger brothers or sister – no way.
I had saved $250 to buy a car. I really wanted a ‘57 Chevy, but couldn’t find one that was running and in decent condition at that price. During the last week of school, I was telling my friend Jimmy about my problem when he told that that ‘55 Buick Special I passed twice a day on the bus was for sale for $50. I went to see Jimmy’s uncle who owned the car and after a 10 minute test drive, was the proud new owner of the “Special.”
Now, I’ve owned a lot of cars; Chevys including that ‘57 I wanted so much, Fords, Toyotas, a Saab 900 Turbo, an Isuzu Trooper, a Porsche 911, Triumps, Volkswagens, an Audi and a few Mercedes. All told, I’ve owned 35 different cars that I can remember. There’s probably a few missing. But, you always remember the first one.
The 1995 Buick Special was built like a tank. Now, you may have heard that before, but a story will drive it home. I was driving down Main Street in our small town when a VW Beetle pulled out from a side street and hit the Special in the driver’s door. I got out to see if the Bug driver was OK and he was. Then I surveyed the damaged. First I looked at my car and there was a dent in the door. A dent; nothing more. The door opened and closed with no problem.
I then went to check out the damage to the Bug. The right front side of the VW was completely crushed. It wouldn’t roll. Four of us picked up the front end and dragged it out of the road.
The car itself had an amazingly smooth ride. I didn’t own anything that drove that smoothly again until the 90s. It had a powerful engine and a really smooth shifting transmission. Six of my friends could fit in this car with no problem and we cruised the town many nights.
After the Bug bite, I took the insurance money, a big $75 check, and traded the Special and $200 for a ‘57 Chevy Belair with a blown engine. I bought a modified 283 small block engine for $125 and had a pretty hot car for a few years, but that’s another story.
The 1995 Buick Special is not the best car I’ve ever owned, but it brings back great memories. It was my first and I probably washed it more times than any car or truck since. I loved that car, but the lure of that Chevy…
Model? Rendering? Nope, it’s real. The long sweeping curves say speed and style. I can see myself in this car on long winding road or driving slowing down the beach in Daytona Beach.
It was a different time. Designers loved sweeping curves. When I was a kid, cars with curves and fins were everywhere. I owned a 1957 Chevy Belair when I was in high school and my Mother had a 1958 Chevy Impala. Somewhere in the early sixties, car styles change.
Buick and GM did not create this car. Mr. Norman Timbs built the car. He designed and built the car in the late 40s. It is powered by a Buick V8 and reached speeds of 120 MPH. My favorite is still the 1932 Duesenberg SJ, but this is a close second.
Check out lots more photos of the 1948 Buick Streamliner at Coolist*.
Tune-ups are obsolete and outdated, but old habits die hard. Many people still think their engine still needs a tune-up. What they actually need is preventive maintenance. Or, if their Check Engine Light is on, what they need is a diagnostic scan to find what is causing the fault . The same is true if their engine is hard to start, stalls, runs rough, gets poor fuel mileage, doesn’t run right, or is experiencing any other kind of driveability or emissions problem.
When buying used cars in Daytona Beach, or anywhere else for that matter, the dealer will probably give at least a quick tune-up so that the car runs its best when people take a test drive. Private owners don’t always do that. As always, we recommend an inspection of the used car by an independent trusted mechanic before you buy. Check out our video below for more on how to do just that.
The only engines that still need a tune-up today are old ones from the 1970s and older with carburetors and distributors. These engines don’t have computers that automatically make adjustments to timing and so forth.
No Definition for a Tune-Up
There’s no common definition of what precisely a tune-up should include, but most would agree that it involves replacing the spark plugs and performing other adjustments to maintain or restore like-new engine performance. The problem is there is almost nothing that can adjusted or “tuned” under the hood on late model engines with computerized engine controls. Ignition timing is fixed and controlled by the engine computer, as is idle speed and the fuel mixture. In the past your average home mechanics had all the tools needed in their tool boxes, but now this isn’t the case. Base timing can be checked with a scan tool, but cannot be adjusted on most engines. The same goes for idle speed and various emission functions. A scan tool can reveal if the systems are functioning normally, but in most cases no adjustments are possible because the adjustments are programmed into the computer.
A simple maintenance type tune-up (a new set of plugs) may make an engine easier to start, improve fuel economy, lower emissions, restore lost pep and power if the spark plugs are worn or fouled. But if the problem is due to something else, a new set of plugs alone won’t help. A tune-up under these circumstances would be a waste of time and money. The engine needs to be diagnosed to find out what is wrong.
Muscle cars are an important piece of American automotive history, although the era was short lived. Many think of a muscle car as any car that is fast, but the true definition of a muscle car is an intermediate sized car with a large V8 engine, built between 1965 and 1973. Before 1965, most auto manufacturers mandated that a 330 ci or larger V8 engine could only be put into full size automobiles, but the Pontiac GTO in 1965 broke that rule, sort of. GM management decided to create a “GTO” performance package on the mid sized Pontiac Tempest which included a 389 ci V8, and this was not seen by upper mgmt until it was being sold by the dealers. With over 32,000 Pontiac Tempest GTO’s selling that first year, well above the planned 5,000, and the muscle car era was on.
Muscle cars for sale after the Pontiac GTO included the Buick GS, Chevrolet Chevelle, and a new wave of cars categorized as Pony Cars. The definition of a pony car is a small sized model with very large engine. The term pony comes from the most successful pony car ever built, the Ford Mustang. Many believe the Mustang was the first pony car, but that title goes to the Plymouth Barracuda. By the late 1960’s, muscle cars had become heavier and more expensive so a new wave of muscle cars were being sold, stripped down models. These included the Dodge Super Bee and Plymouth Road Runner, models with few options which appealed to younger drivers due to the prices.
After the first few years of the muscle car, signs were pointing to the demise of this trend. Insurance companies were raising the premiums out of reach for many muscle car owners, and new environmental and emission regulations was hurting performance. The last factor that ended the muscle car was the 1973 oil embargo. With fuel shortages across America, a gas guzzling V8 could not be sold well anymore.
The terms hot rod and street rod are used interchangeably by many, but there is a subtle difference between the two. To understand the difference, we need to go back to the beginning of the history of the hot rod. The hot rod began in the 1920’s when the automobile was first being sold by the millions due to new assembly line techniques. Younger California drivers wanted to race their cars, so they got together in the salt flats and raced. These first cars built and sold in the 1920’s were mostly model T’s, and the engines only produced around 20 horsepower. To raise the acceleration and top speed, car owners removed all non essential components including running boards, panels, hoods, and ornaments. These first cars were not yet called hot rods, they were called gow Jobs.
By the early 1930’s, the Model A was available with the new flathead V8 engine producing around 80 horsepower. Drivers quickly learned they could double the horsepower by adding more carburetors, straightening and shortening the exhaust, and removing the muffler. Hot rodding did not expand until after World War II when it took off all over the United States, made popular by returning servicemen with newfound mechanical abilities, extra time and money, and the craving for speed and adrenaline. By the early 1950’s technology had made the engine such a potent machine that it was getting too dangerous to drive these on the roads, or race them as many did.
Hot rods were getting bad press at this time, so the NHRA was created and in 1953 there was the first official hot rod racing. The idea was to move racing off the street and require stricter safety regulations. The NHRA became a wild success, and within a few short years the hot rod had taken a few paths. The term hot rod was now being used for racing cars, and street rods deemed a model driven on the street and not in sanctioned races.
As people switch from buying new cars to buying more affordable used cars, you need to become more aware of servicing your car. When I bought a used cars after driving new cars for two decades, I needed to take servicing and maintenance into my own hands again. Not actually doing the service work, but checking and scheduling the work.
The Basics of Servicing Your Car
There are a few real basic items, that if ignored, will cause you problems – no an if, but a when. Here’s the short list:
Fluids
Belts
Tires
Warning Lights
Hey, I said it was a short list.
Fluids
The simple way to check fluids is to get an oil change every 3,000 miles or so. When you take it in, they will check all the fluids as part of the service. In Daytona Beach, getting an oil change is inexpensive. So put it on you calendar and get it done.
Belts
If it’s frayed, if it’s cracked, if it look wrong in any way, replace it or have it replaced. When you have the oil changed, they will check the belt too. We’ve been going to the same place for 10 years and we trust them, but I still look when they tell me something needs to be replaced.
Tires
Rotation and air pressure – that’s all you need to know. Check your air pressure on an easy schedule; maybe the first Sunday of every month. I also visually check my tires a few times a week. If a tire is losing air, you could see it before it it goes flat; saving you a dangerous tire change on a busy road.
Rotate at the rate suggested by the tire manufacturer or every 5,000 miles. It can save you money from buying tires early. The tires will not wear evenly in all locations. Front tires and back tires wear differently and rotating them evens out the wear. Don’t forget the spare if it’s the same as the other tires.
To determine when it’s time to replace a tire, use the penny/quarter coin check. Find the lowest part of the tread and insert the coin with the top of the president’s head down. If you can see a gap, the tire is still good; no gap means time to replace. When I was a kid, the penny was the standard. The quarter has seemed to have worked it’s way into the check these days. I don’t know where it came from – maybe the tire manufacturers? I still use the penny. If the tire is frayed, cut or otherwise seriously damaged, it needs to be replaced. When it’s time to replace, check out what different tire codes mean. It could save you some money based on how you drive.
Warning Lights
Each car model is different, but if a big red light comes on while you’re driving, something is wrong. You need to get it to a shop as soon as possible. I always advise having a trusted mechanic or shop before you need them. This is one of those cases where you need it. The light could mean a major or just a minor problem. Please be sure you trust the person or shop telling you what the light means.
Beyond the Basics
We all know that there are a lot of other things that could need servicing beyond the basics. An annual inspection by your trusted mechanic should reveal what’s wearing and what needs replacement. It’s up to you, but I would rather know than not.
I expected a complicated process or expensive cleaner would be needed, but the answer was almost too simple. Hey, it works!
When I was leaving the repair shop last week after my over-heating problem was repaired (See: The Downside of Buying a Used Car), I asked for the best way to clean the soft windows in my Jeep soft top. The answer, short and sweet – Pledge. Yes, the furniture polish. Spray it on, rub it off and you’re done.
I was cautioned not to use Windex or other glass cleaners. I won’t.
Now these guys are the best in the area and have owned and worked on Jeeps for decades. I trust what they tell me, but, the only way to know is to try. Sure enough, I tried and it worked. Who knew?
Look at it. Can you imagine driving on the open road in this magnificent automobile? I can. This is my favorite automobile of all time. It’s the 1932 Duesenberg SJ Convertible built by the Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company of Des Moines, Iowa.
It looks great, fantastic – pick your superlative, but it’ also an engineering marvel. In 1932, when most cars struggled to reach a top speed of 100 MPH, the SJ reach that speed in second gear! The speed of this production car topped out at about 130 MPH. The engine was a supercharged 320 HP, straight 8 with dual cams and 32 valves.
There were reportedly somewhere around 35 of the supercharged SJs built. This make the car a rare and expensive gem. I don’t think you can touch one for under $1,000,000 and it would probably be closer to $2,000,000.
This is my ultimate used car. I’ve never seen a Duesenberg driving in Daytona Beach. Used Cars like this are rarely driven on the road. Check out the video below on Jay Leno’s 1932 Duesenberg SJ Murphy body. He says at the end of the video that when he talks to other Duesenberg drivers, they say they don’t drive the cars. They are too valuable and expensive.
I’ve talked about Mustangs and Corvettes as American classics during the past week, but I think they are dwarfed by the magnificent Duesey.
Jay Leno’s 1932 Duesenberg SJ Murphy Body
This is the second of a two part series, but the first part is summarized in the part two. There’s a 30 second commercial before the under six minute video. Ignore the commercial, but watch the video to see a rare classic in action. Check it out!
Go ahead try to do this. The next time a classic Corvette passes you on the street – ignore it. Don’t look. Good luck with that. Along with classic Thunderbirds, the Corvette is an American icon. These great cars ignite a flame in me. Start talking about one at a party and observe the look that comes over people’s faces.
There are some things you need to know about buying a used Corvette, and Christine Breen offers some very good advice in the following article. Finding one of these used cars in Daytona Beach at a good price would tempt me quite a bit.
Advice For Buying a Used Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette has been a dream car for many ever since it was first produced. Used Corvettes don’t decrease in value either, they go up. Why is this car so fascinating to so many people?
The older Corvettes, those produced before 1984, show classic car looks and muscle. The newer models have muscle but fantastic handling and sporty looks. So you have a two seater car that can appeal to a wide range of people. There are always those looking for the unique two seat car. [click to continue…]
It was 1966. Time were simpler, especially for a 12 year old boy. That summer, my Mother came home one night with a brand new Ford Mustang. It was a six-cylinder kelly green beauty. She loved that car and so did I. It was a sad day when my Father took it one day a few years later and traded in for a Dodge pick-up truck. My Mother didn’t talk to him for weeks.
I’m sure there’s a few of the old gems of these cars out there among Daytona Beach Used Cars. Wally Koster has written a nice article on the introduction of the Mustang. Enjoy it below.
Ford Motor Company introduced the Mustang on what was then the world’s largest stage. Only the 1964 New York World’s Fair had enough scale and drama worthy of the Mustang. Held in conjunction with the city of New York’s 300th anniversary, it featured 140 pavilions over 646 acres.
The Ford Company Pavilion was the Fair’s largest attraction, nearly the size of three football fields. Guests entered while riding a “Magic Skyway,” specially designed by The Walt Disney Company.
