Classic Cars Which Attract Attention

The Opel Kadett B was sold from 1966 to 1973, with two- and four-door saloons (the latter in notchback and, from 1967, also in fastback form), a three-door estate, and two coupés (regular and fastback, or Coupé F). There was a sporting Opel Kadett Rallye, with a 1.9 L engine. Additionally, the two-seat Opel GT was heavily based on Kadett B components, its body made by a French contractor, Brissonneau & Lotz. A "luxury" derivative of the Kadett B was sold as the Opel Olympia A.

The Kadett was sold in the United States through Buick dealers from 1967 till 1972 simply as the Opel. US models were later granted the front end and trim of the new Opel Olympia introduced in 1966 as an upmarket version of the Kadett. The car took part of the Trans-Am Series during its commercial live. Kadett A and B were technically simple cars whose task was to compete with the market leader, the Volkswagen Beetle. This lack of sophistication caused the USA car magazine Car and Driver to publish a highly critical test of the Kadett in 1968 featuring photos of the car in a junkyard. Reportedly, GM withdrew any ads from that magazine for several months as a consequence.

In 1953 the 1100 was completely redesigned as a compact 4-door sedan, with a modern monocoque bodywork and integrated front lights. The new model was called the 1100/103 after its project number, and was offered (as usual at that time) in two different versions: "economica" (cheaper) and "normale" (standard). The car became available in a sporty version, the 1100TV with a third light in the middle of the grille and in station-wagon version, with a fifth door.

Between 1956 and 1960 the new 1100 underwent several slight changes in fittings and details, e.g. newly designed grille, more rectangular profile, dual color dressing, and eventually small fintails with spear-shaped backlights. A special version, the 1100 Granluce (i.e. "Large light"), without suicide doors, launched in 1959, had both fintails and wider windows. As an option it could be fitted with a new powerful 1221 cc engine.

Retaining the exterior changes of this model, in 1962 Fiat introduced the 3rd generation 1100, called the 1100D. "D" stood for Delight. It was a sober yet comfortable 4-door sedan, very similar to the Granluce but with simpler sides and a new simpler rectangular mouth. The 1100D was a successful Italian standard in the early sixties and along with its own estate car version survived without any substantial alteration until 1966, when the introduction of the groundbreaking 124 model imposed a further change in styling.

The very last 1100 model, born that year, was the 1100R (R = Rinnovato). It had a longer, straighter and slimmer line, with a square back and a front-end look not so different from its bigger sister the Fiat 124. At the same time, the larger engine was withdrawn in order to avoid undue overlap with the 124. The 1100R was offered only with the older 1089 cc engine. The 1100R finally gave way in 1969 to the new middle-class Fiat 128. The Fiat 1100D was made in India from 1964 onwards. In 1973 (for that model year alone) it was named the Premier President. From 1974 onwards until it was finally discontinued in 2000, it was known as the Premier Padmini.

In North America the Hilux saw the use of four wheel drive. It had a solid front axle and leaf suspension. The body saw a redesign that included single round headlights and a less complex body. These trucks became known as first generation 4WDs. It became the first Hilux with automatic transmission.

For the North American market, the 1981 model year saw a vehicle development deal between Toyota and Winnebago Industries (primarily) and two other aftermarket customizers. Toyota was attempting to enter the SUV market. The vehicles which resulted from this collaboration were the Trekker (Winnebago), Wolverine, and the Trailblazer (Griffith). All three employed the Hilux 4×4 RV cab and chassis, and an all-fiberglass rear section (the Trailblazer had a steel bed with a fiberglass top).

There were at least 1,500 Trekkers, 400 Trailblazers (only 41 currently registered by the DMV), and an unknown number of Wolverines sold in North America. Research and development work on the Trekker lead to the development of the 4Runner, which was released in 1984. The 4Runner was sold in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia. The 4Runner was called the Hilux Surf in some other markets (e.g. Japan).

The BMW E30 model is the basis for the 1984 through 1991 BMW 3 Series entry-level luxury car / compact executive car. It was the successor of the BMW E21 in 1982 and was replaced by the BMW E36 in 1992. BMW continued to produce the cabriolet (convertible) E30 well into 1993. The Touring remained in production until 1994 when the E36 touring replaced it. The M3 cabriolet was never officially offered for sale in North America; it was offered only for the European market.

The BMW M3 was first introduced on the E30 platform. A widened version of the E30 front suspension and the drivetrain from the E30 325i were used in the BMW Z1 roadster. The E30 3-Series was produced in four body styles, a four door saloon, a two door saloon, a five door estate (marketed as the "touring"), and a two door convertible. A Baur cabrio was also available. The 325ix was produced from 1988 to 1991, and featured all-wheel drive. It was available as a two-door (saloon) or a four-door (sedan) and as touring. The BMW M3 utilised a widened and heavily redesigned and restyled variation of the 2 door body style. The M3 shares few parts with other E30 models.

The primary distinctive feature of the BMW E30 models produced for the North American market in 1984-1987 are the elongated front/rear aluminum bumpers. These bumpers are commonly known as "diving boards." In 1988, the anodized aluminum bumpers were shortened by revising the cover/fillers and shortening the shocks. In 1989 the aluminum bumpers were replaced with shorter body-color plastic bumpers. The cars were powered by a range of inline 4 cylinder (BMW M10 , BMW M40, & BMW M42) and inline 6 cylinder (BMW M20 and BMW M21) engines, with both petrol and diesel power. Power output for the engines ranges from 140 N·m (100 lb·ft) torque for the 1.8 L (1766 cc) 4 cylinder engine, to 230 N·m (170 lb·ft) torque from the 2.7 L (2693 cc) 6 cylinder petrol engine. The E30 BMW M3 was fitted with a high-revving 4-cylinder engine (BMW S14) which produced 235 bhp (175 kW; 238 PS) in its final European-only iteration

The Mercedes-Benz W114 (and similar W115) are smaller sedans and coupes first introduced within the 1968 Mercedes-Benz model line up. The 1968 W114/W115, the S-Class cars, and the 280SL were all marketed as the 'New Generation Models'. In fact the W114/W115 were the only truly new cars in the 'New Generation' lineup. The W108 chassis models (280S, 280SE and 280SEL) and the long wheel-base W109 chassis models (the 300SEL) having been first introduced in 1965 .The W113 280SL was also an ealier design, which in 230SL form dated from 1963. Even though most of the 1968 New Generation models were not new, all bore the 'Stroke-8' "/8? suffix on their ID plates. However Stroke-8 (/8) is often used as shorthand for the W114/W115 models.

Manufacturers of every kind of product try to build each generation of the product with better engineering that requires less maintenance and human interference. Even so, when routine maintenance does get carried out, the costs can be high. How do you save money on your car care costs? No, you don't need to learn how to fashion car parts out of trash or take an engine apart with your own two greasy hands. You just need to understand your car's maintenance needs better.

How often do you really need to change the oil? Your parents might recommend changing it every 3000 miles and may have a long-lived car to show for it. But oils aren't the same as they were back in the day. Pay attention, and you find that even the car maintenance companies like Jiffy Lubes don't really recommend that you follow such a strict regimen anymore. You just need to follow whatever your manual says and forget anything anyone else comes up with.

Remember how the servicing and maintenance of a car used to be something you would only trust to a special mechanic you had special trust in? People just go from shop to shop based on the brand name of a chain or something. They don't really believe in the skills of that one professional anymore. A far better deal would be finding a mechanic who really knows this job, showing him the that you trust him and that you will give him your regular business if he treats you well and then keeping up that relationship. For a car care situation, there's quite nothing better than a well-adjusted professional taking good conscientious care of your car for years. Trust that your car will be better off for it for far less money.

Most people look at their hybrid car and they don't see a 12 V battery in there. They just see those heavy-duty ones there that drive the motor. So when they try to start the car one day and it doesn't do anything, they just assume that there is something seriously wrong with it. As with any other conventional car, it's usually just the battery that's been drained by someone who left the lights or radio on the whole night or something. Hybrid cars can be jumpstarted just the same as any other. Crack the manual to find out how it's done and you'll save a bundle on costs.

Car buyers are forever worried about moving away from the dealer's service shop to an independent shop. They try to scare you into thinking that if you do that, you void your warranty having unauthorized hands rove all over your car. The truth is, your dealer's service deal is far more expensive than what independent shops offer you. The warranty scare's bogus. The law, in the shape of the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, is on your side. Feel free to go to any qualified car care center.

Should you even look at Old Cars when you go Hybrid?

Hybrid cars haven't been around for that long - the Prius only showed up in the year 1997. There isn't much that the general public knows about how they age and what they do when bought used. People know that they are dependable for years when they first buy them. But what happens when the first owner uses it really well and then hands it off in the old cars market? With time, the used car lots are bound to fill up with hybrids more and more. Conventional gasoline driven cars have been on the market for long enough that you know by feel and intuition how to judge a few things about them. If you were to buy a used hybrid, would you know how to judge one for quality?

Now while a hybrid happens to not be all that different from a regular car, there are some important differences. For instance, a hybrid car happens to be a lot more sensitive to poor maintenance than a regular car. When you buy a used hybrid you need to pay extra attention to how the car has been maintained. You need to really look closely at the service logbook so that you find out if all the maintenance was properly done. And of course, as you would do with any car, you need to bring up a Carfax vehicle history report to see if there is anything amiss. If you're buying in California, sellers of old cars are required by law to provide vehicle inspection reports they give you a real thorough picture of what shaped the cars and. You might not go this deep when it comes to a regular car; with hybrids though, you need to be really alert.

The gasoline engine happens to be only one part of what makes a hybrid car what it is. How about the other part - that happens to be electrically driven? Even if hybrid technology happens to be relatively new, it's been around for more than 10 years and the news for how the electrical part of the system survives the long haul has been quite reassuring. There are cars on the used market that have done 100,000 miles without having the battery system fail. You might get electrical problems to do with the wiring; but the battery itself usually doesn't fail or deteriorate significantly.

So there you are at the used car dealership closely looking at a Prius trying to size it up. If it were a regular car unit open the hood and fiddle with things to check for corrosion and the like. You can't do that with a hybrid though without serious risk of getting electrocuted by the 330 volt system in the engine bay. Anyway, everything's completely covered in there these days that you couldn't see the critical components right away if you opened the hood. Think you could tell something about the car if you took a test drive? Well, problems with a hybrid car don't come with the same symptoms as problems with a conventional car. You either have to have a trained technician along for the ride or you have to be pretty clued in on the things hybrid cars do.
With hybrids, buying old cars isn't what it used to be with conventional cars. With hybrid cars, you get huge tax breaks, factory rebates, dealer incentives and whatnot when you buy new. And you get special financing offers as well. You need to look really closely at that used hybrid before you put any money down for it. Sometimes, when it comes to hybrids, old cars actually work out to be more expensive than new cars.