Classic boat hauler...

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Corvair Tow Car

Jerry -

I think maybe your car ended up in Anchorage, in the Rent-a-Wreck fleet. I once rented a Corvair from Rent-a-Wreck, and every time you turned left the horn would honk...and keep honking until you completely straightened out the wheel. (It was okay, except when you'd approach an intersection where pedestrians were using the crosswalk. You'd start making the turn and they'd assume you were honking like a lunatic at them--which led to a few interesting salutes and verbal exchanges.)

Good thing I didn't try towing a boat with the beast.

- Marty

[Lootas1]

Suppose they barged it up? Can't imagine it was driven that far!

[Tim McCrain]

Funny thing is ...

GM was going to kill the Corvair due to poor sales but when Nader started in on it they continued production so it wouldn't look like they caved in to him. Ironic, isn't it? The long public fight insured that everyone thinks it was removed from the market because of Nader, but it would have gone away on its own if he had never said a word about it.

Other fun Corvair facts - The Corvair was originally conceived as an alternate body style for the Corvatte, but the team that developed it lobbied management to launch it as its own model. That's why it looks like there was supposed to be a radiator grill in that blank body space in the front, there was!

Also, has anyone ever seen the station wagon and fastback versions of the Corvair? The fastback was pretty cool.

Tim

[westerner]

Chuck-
You should have bought that coupe from your sister, it was a deal. I paid $99 in 1958 when making about $1.00 an hr. at Arts plaza in Ballard after school.
Marty-
Yeah, I used to park my coupe at Zesto's during school when I could snag a spot. What ever happened to the 19 cent Pinkie burger? Not the same old Zesto's as when Chuck Pattock owned it. Diane and I stop by there too when in Ballard and find we can't get out of there for much less than $20 (total) anymore. I haven't come very far either, still prefering old boats over new and dreaming about the great old cars I wish I had back.
You know the old saying "you spend the first half of your life trying to get away, and the second half trying to get back!"
Too funny about the Corvair you rented!
Jerry-
Almost bought a new Corvair in '65 when I got back from a service tour with all my saved up pay. Bought a new Mustang fastback instead. Coudn't pass up that 289 V-8. My friends that bought those (Corvairs) regretted it later as it turned out. Sure were good lookers at the time though.

[Skagitguy]

Kent, I had a 1962 Corvair ( Black ) coupe after trading in my 1960 Valiant. Then in May 1964 went to a Chevy Impala SS. Got married and end up with a 1967 Falcon SW for transporting our first son around. Many more cars as the years went by. In 1964 we lived by Arts Food Plaza till 1967 and then moved to Queen Anne until moving where we live now! We went to Zesto about 5-7 years ago and the food was really bad.

Jerry, I had a hitch on my Corvair to pull a boat that was about as light as a G-3. Looked real cool pulling it.


Chuck

[Tim McCrain]

Ya see, this is why some of us tease the older guys, we're just jealous!

That's right, all we could lay our hands on in high school were '65 Impalas, (white, of course, with turqouise interiors) while you guys were buying '40 Ford coupes for 5 bucks, cruising around burning 5 cent gas and eating 9 cent burgers that had actual beef in them. And you had cool boats, and pre-Vegas Elvis. And hair.

Some of us were just born too late.

[Mark_Denis]

the good "old" days...

5 cent gas??? Man, I thought 99 cents was cheap when I was in high school...
I remember way back when...

McDonalds cheeseburgers went on special for 39 cents each. I lived off those things for a few years. That was a long time ago, early 90's if I remember right.

My "cool" car was a 1989 ford escort.

Can't wait to see your super cool boat hauler in person Marty. What a great score!

[Helmar]

99 Cents...
I used to by a Pack of Camels for 25 cents which was the same as a gallon of gas..........
Its disgusting what they have done to us with the cost of fuel now.
Just disgusting...:computers1:

[Tim McCrain]

My "cool" car was a 1989 ford escort.

Mark, I'm so, so sorry. I had no idea.

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Good Old Days

Tim -

I really don't remember burgers or gas quite that cheap, but I bought my first car at age 14 with $15 in paper-route earnings. It was a 1930 Ford roadster that I could only maneuver up and down our driveway, since I didn't yet have a driver's license. Sold it for $25 so I could (naturally) buy an old boat and motor.

- Marty

[Helmar]

Tim -

I really don't remember burgers or gas quite that cheap, but I bought my first car at age 14 with $15 in paper-route earnings. It was a 1930 Ford roadster that I could only maneuver up and down our driveway, since I didn't yet have a driver's license. Sold it for $25 so I could (naturally) buy an old boat and motor.

- Marty

Why am I not surprised, At All

[Tim McCrain]

Tim -

I really don't remember burgers or gas quite that cheap, but I bought my first car at age 14 with $15 in paper-route earnings. It was a 1930 Ford roadster that I could only maneuver up and down our driveway, since I didn't yet have a driver's license. Sold it for $25 so I could (naturally) buy an old boat and motor.

- Marty

See?!? This is what I mean! A '30 roadster for $15.00. Go ahead, rub it in!

Hmmm ... I wonder if this is how Slo-mo feels when I talk about buying a '59 Chev for $75 bucks or filling its huge tank for 8 bucks ... :BigHappy1:

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

1930 Roadster

The 1930 roadster was pretty rough for $15, with lots of rust, dents and non-original parts--some older kid's crude attempt at building a hot rod. I should have offered him $10.

The greatest thing was that my folks let me buy it, warts and all, and it was my dream car for several months....until I found an old boat for the extravagant sum of $25, with motor.

- Marty


-

[westerner]

The 1930 roadster was pretty rough for $15, with lots of rust, dents and non-original parts--some older kid's crude attempt at building a hot rod. I should have offered him $10.

The greatest thing was that my folks let me buy it, warts and all, and it was my dream car for several months....until I found an old boat for the extravagant sum of $25, with motor.

- Marty


-

Right about that same time ( I was 14 I think) my friend and I went partners on a '32 Plymouth roadster for $15 apiece. We used to drive around Olympic manor in Ballard with no licenses giving kids a ride on the running boards for a quarter to cover gas. We sanded down the rust and sprayed it with rattle can primer. Looked terrible, but in our eyes it was a sight to behold. It had a fuel line leak under the hood that we never could quite fix so we carried around a bucket of sand to throw on it when the line caught fire, and it eventually always did. It had a flathead four as I recall. I had a paper route also (Olympic Manor) and used the old roadster to deliver on occasion. Ah, the good old days!

[Tim McCrain]

Kent,

It's no wonder you run a new Honda on Sweet Sixteen now, you've probably had enough of vintage motors and it would be a pain to carry around bags of sand in the boat!