One of the car shows in the UK is called something like “Show for the unexceptional”. Folks owning older econoboxes, otherwise unexceptional cars, shine them up & proudly display their cars for all to see. Would this type of car show be successful in the USA? Or are only shows about specialty cars and concourse restorations viable in USA? The only car show in this area I’m aware of that’s similar is an air-cooled VW Beetle show. But no older Corollas & Civics there.
Forget the car shows! Visit your local Cars and Coffee. No trophys, no classes, just car people hanging out looking at cars.
You will see a wide range of cars from econo boxes to supercars and any and everything in between.
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There’s Radwood for 80’s and 90’s cars in the U.S.
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Agree, I’m an avid C&C goer. It’s not everywhere where you can see a clapped out 1993 civic parked next to $450k+ Ford GT or Lexus LFA.
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I don’t go car shows to see grocery getters .
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I went to the one at Amelia Island last March. Interesting group of questionable collectables and malaise era cars.
Right next to it was Concours deLemons. More interesting stuff in there! An air cooled VW powered Rabbit and a Betty White themed Honda.
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Last year’s Radwood for the PNw held in Tacoma had such a mix of cars and trucks that you’d see a survivor Plymouth Colt or Geo Prizm hatchback, I know someone who brought his Isuzu Stylus to the event and had a great time.
Concours deLemons is another great show for ordinary cars as long as you have a sense of humor about the whole thing,
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When I moved from Hartford Ct. to northern Maine I wondered where the gaping holes went.
You’ve piqued my interest, for sure. This is exactly the kind of car I want to see more of: 1980s to mid 1990s Toyota Corolla and Toyota Camry, Dodge Shadow and Dodge Spirit, Chevrolet Beretta/Corsica/Lumina, early-90s Cavalier, Ford Tempo/Escort/Probe, etc. And of course, the Honda and Nissan products from the same timeframe.
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We had two 1980s Cavaliers and one Corsica after that. My wife’s Cavalier was a coupe with the 1.8L and an auto trans and it was a pig. Mine was better since it has the 2L and 5 speed manual. I also bought the Corsica because it had the 5 speed manual. Still, I’m not at all interested in seeing them again.
@Barkydog that truck is LeMons GOLD! Would be a perfect display at Concours de Lemons.
There was a Dodge Dart at Amelia that had caught fire so badly it blackened the windshield! The owner got it for free off Facebook Marketplace and decided to get it running for the show… with a slant 6, of course!
Not really an econobox, but my local GM dealership has a 2002 Chrysler Prowler for sale. I always liked how they looked because they didn’t look like anything else on the road
That is a unique car. Unfortunately, that 3.5L engine uses a rubber timing belt, and is interference, and it looks like it would be downright impossible to change with the motor in the car. Any guess as to whether this one was ever changed?
With as low as the miles on the car are, who knows if they even changed the oil based on time rather than distance. And for the $30k price tag, I don’t want to take that gamble.
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I have always liked the late-1980’s to mid-1990’s Cavalier and Corsica, and I think the design has aged well. In fact, there’s a 1990 Corsica on the Phoenix Craigslist right now, which has been posted for about a year…$3,000 and the car doesn’t even run. While I might take a chance at $600 or perhaps even $1,000, an asking price of $3k is just a bridge too far.
Note: I am not going to post a link to the car, because I don’t want to be accused of “spam”, although I am definitely NOT connected or affiliated with this car or seller in any way, shape, or form. In fact, I don’t even live in Phoenix, I live about 120 miles to the south.
They were not that pleasing to look at new plus they were not really good vehicles .
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That little 2 door Cavalier 3.1L V6 5 speed was pretty fast for the time and to be an N/A engine… The Saturn SC2 5 speed was fast also, again for the time being N/A…
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Neighbor bought a '82 Cavalier wagon, AT, hoping for good mpgs. He wasn’t happy with the 16 mpg he got. And it was slow.
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He should have bought the mechanically-identical Caddy Cimarron, instead!
It had the same lousy gas mileage, and was just as slow, but he could have gazed at the upscale upholstery, and taken pride (??) in the fact that he paid twice as much as he would have paid for a Cavalier.
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