Used Car lot circa: 1980

[TripleBlackGator]

Check it out. A well known "performance" car lot in my area. Pictures we taken by me in the winter of 1980. If you look close you can see other Mopars in the background along with Chevelles, GTO's, Mustangs, Trans Am's, Torino's etc. I was going through some old photos and found these. I know I have some pictures from a North East Hemi meet from 1978. If and when I find them I will post them as well. Enjoy!

[TripleBlackGator]

Can only post 4 at a clip it seems. Here is another.

[DodgeChargerNeeded]

Very cool pictures. Looks like $100,000 AAR Cudas were a dime a dozen back then. Pick the color.

[tan top]

this is awesome stuff    ,  when i see pictures like this of years gone bye ,  i always wonder were the cars are now ( junk yard in the sky probably )  thanks for sharing them (TripelBlackGator ) 

[xs29j8Bullitt]

GREAT PICTURES!  Thanks for posting them... I hope you find more to post.

XS

[Shakey]

Coolest pics I've seen in a while.   

As a matter of fact, I think I'll right click and save those.  Thanks.

So, where was/is that place?

[TripleBlackGator]

this is awesome stuff    ,  when i see pictures like this of years gone bye ,  i always wonder were the cars are now ( junk yard in the sky probably )  thanks for sharing them (TripelBlackGator ) 

And some have the nerve to call me names! Go figure. 

[dads_69]

I remember seeing cars like that at car lots back in the early 80's. My dad and I went to this car lot here in town back then named Gold Rush auto sales. They had two chargers on the lot. Triple green '68 w/a 383 and a '69 SE 383, we bought both of them for less than 3 grand. Those were to days......Thanks for the photos.
Mark

[Charger1973]

Awesome pictures...   

[694spdRT]

Those are awesome pics! Thanks for sharing them. 

[Brock Samson]

stock wheels too,.. too cool! 
THANKS

[TripleBlackGator]

Ok I found the 1978 Northest Hemi Owners meet pictures. I need to scan them first though. There is a blown 1971 Cuda, a 1969 Blown Hemi Dart (owner installed of course) a first generation Charger and a few more Mopars. I will post them later tonight or tomorrow. LOOK FOR IT KIDS!    

[69bronzeT5]

Tap the red shoes three times and say "Theres no place like that car lot, theres no place like that car lot, theres no place like that car lot". 

[65post]

Great pics.The 80s were the best.Great music,great parties and Muscle cars were cheap and were built to each owners liking.I am not saying that I don`t like factory correct original cars but when I was growing up it was rare to see a stock muscle car.Every mopar had there fenderwells full of after market wheels and tires. Some with a supercharger sticking through the hood .Thats the way I remember the MUSCLE CAR.

[Brock Samson]

i agree it was really unusual to see stock rims on the performance cars.

[bull]

The black AAR looks killer. Nice find.

[HITMAN 149]

anybody have a TIME MACHINE we could borrow?!?!?!?!? 

[Mean 318]

Thanks!

[mopar1]

That made my day.

[41husk]

Can you imagine how much money is on that lot at todays prices.  Not BJ prices just your average decent sale price?

[Charger_Fan]

when I was growing up it was rare to see a stock muscle car.Every mopar had there fenderwells full of after market wheels and tires. Some with a supercharger sticking through the hood .Thats the way I remember the MUSCLE CAR.

At least 80% were modified in some way, usually at least wheels & tires.
In 1981, I found a really sweet Chally T/A on a small lot much like those in the pics. I took it for a burn around the block too...DAMN that was fun! At 17 though, I couldn't afford the payments. I think the asking price was $2,800. It may as well have been a million.


Thanks for sharing those, they are awesome!! 

[notstock71]

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought the AAR hoods didn't line up well with the fenders (look at the green car). Now look at the copper car, appears to fit nice.

I always understood the original AAR cars fit bad on the hood and collectors want to see the bad gaps.

Thoughts on this?

Lewis

[Charger_Fan]

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought the AAR hoods didn't line up well with the fenders (look at the green car). Now look at the copper car, appears to fit nice.

I always understood the original AAR cars fit bad on the hood and collectors want to see the bad gaps.

Thoughts on this?

Lewis

The push from the hood springs on the hinges usually bows the hood, that copper car may have it's springs removed from the hinges. That's sure what I would have done back then, I wouldn't want my hood bowing in the middle.

[MichaelRW]

Thanks for the memories when the now extremely expensive cars were just used cars.

[hotrod98]

When I graduated high school in 1974, these cars were everywhere. In 1972, I bought a low mileage 69 Chevelle SS396 for $1600 that looked brand new. Between me and my brother we must have owned a million dollars worth of cars at today's prices. We were always buying a different musclecar to drive. Didn't realize how lucky we were at the time. Our feeling was that the cars would just keep going down in value until they were scrapped out or crushed. We just couldn't grasp the concept of these cars ever being valuable. Just like everyone else, we would take the stock parts off and either sell them or throw them in the dumpster. When the gas embargo occurred and prices shot throught the roof in 1979 and you couldn't even get gas sometimes, we quit driving the gas guzzlers altogether. We weren't sure if gas would ever be available in premium grades again so the big motored cars were being bought by only the die-hard car guys as collectibles. In the early 80's, I couldn't buy premium gas for my 69 Camaro SS RS 396 car or my 1964 Corvette 427 convertible so they sat around until people would ask if I wanted to sell them. I was glad to get rid of the hassle of maintaining and insuring them. Old habits die hard I guess because even today I drive my small block cars a lot more than my big block cars.

[TruckDriver]

Cool pictures!!! 

[chargermick]

Thanks Gator, those pics bring back some good memories.

[Lowprofile]

Great pics bro! That Green AAR Cuda is Tough!

[RT]

I'm speechless. Great pictures. Where were those pictures taken?

I sure miss my AAR. I used to be the owner of the Plum Crazy AAR that is currently for sale at legendarymotorcar.com     


Ralph

[superblu72]

Car Village in Lebanon, Pa. I remember visiting back around 1980. I was in muscle car heaven! Car Village is still there but it sells 4X4s now. They advertised in the Auto Locator: hemis, sixpacks, ls6s... There was in article in Muscle Car magazine about them back in the day. Then "POOF" they were gone. Don't know exactly the reason why, but I don't think it was a good a good one.

[dkn1997]

And some have the nerve to call me names! Go figure. 

Hey, I take back almost every bad name I ever called you...  

amazing pics, thanks

[TripleBlackGator]

Car Village in Lebanon, Pa. I remember visiting back around 1980. I was in muscle car heaven! Car Village is still there but it sells 4X4s now. They advertised in the Auto Locator: hemis, sixpacks, ls6s... There was in article in Muscle Car magazine about them back in the day. Then "POOF" they were gone. Don't know exactly the reason why, but I don't think it was a good a good one.

That's them. Yes they are still there but no more muscle cars to be sure. They went through phases selling just about anything on four wheels. Alas poor Car Village I knew thee well. 

[41husk]

I think there was a used car dealer in every other town in the early 80s.  A bunch of muscle, most of it had been modified and beefed up and most had already been driven hard.  The cost were real good even for the time.  In my case it wasn't the price of the muscle car that kept it out of my driveway, but the price to insure a muscle car in the eighties and gas shortage is what led me to the K car

[TripleBlackGator]

And some have the nerve to call me names! Go figure. 

Hey, I take back almost every bad name I ever called you...  

amazing pics, thanks

Almost?

[dkn1997]

ok...I take it all back!!!

[71 RT]

Wow, that is too cool. Thanks for sharing.  If we only knew then what we know today!

[73cudaproject]

Thanks for posting.  Reminds me of when I went to the big city in '75 and took a '70 'cuda 440-6 for a test drive.

[6670charger]

It's funny today to look back and recall that back when these pictures were taken, these cars had the same status as a used 95-96 Monte Carlo does today.  They were just regular cars that nobody wanted anymore due to rising fuel and insurance costs.

[GOTWING]

As some of you already know the orange superbird pictured here in these car village pictures is ours, this is where the cars history comes to a compete dead stop. We got it from the gentleman that purchased it from there but never really did anything more with it. I wish I could track down more history and vintage pictures of the car etc. from 1980 to 2004 he owned it..

[billfury]

Wow.That itself is cool. 

[rave_12000]

i was 4 then.  my dad would have liked seeing that. 

[chargerboy69]

Wow. . old thread with some old members who haven't been on here for years.

[TripleBlackGator]

I haven't been looking or posting in this forum for years. Much to the delight of some I'm sure. It was an e-mail from the orange Superbird owner from Car Village that brought me back. This was posted in 2007. HOLY S&%T BATMAN! Can't believe it has been that long. And yes I'm still a fan of BOLD text as you can plainly see.

[Patronus]

Like everyone, thanks for posting. Makes me wonder though.. not too sure how this can continue. Prices have increased so much with no real end in sight I'm just wondering how it can continue. Progress in this country/world never stops. Will my children's children be spending wheel barrows of worthless cash on something like an old car? My grandparents would have a heart attack I'm sure... sic pics tho, thanks again..

[hemihead]

Thanks for the post ! Reminds me of the good old days when only the true car guys who knew how to work on cars
owned them . I remember a tiny car lot near me who had a real 68 Hemi Dart for sale for $1795 and it sat for months .
Then a guy a couple towns over had a 66 Hemi Coronet for $1200 and another guy had a hell of a time getting rid of
his 440 6 bbl Superbird at $2400 . Non car people had no interest in these cars . Just us gear heads .

[GOTWING]

 

[Tom Q]

IIIIIIthaca NY
cc 1977
J Cards dad owned the lot and the  car back then
Wanted lot's of money for it

[C_stripes]

I'm glad this got revived. Surprised it has less than two pages. Thanks for the pics gator.

[brigond]

Holy smokes! I love old pictures. Thiese  are awsome photos. It's hard to imagine that a used lot today would have the same affect on future car fans. Im really not sure that it will .

Then again, people may have walked by that car lot in the 80s and thought ( look at all those boring, run of the mill cars). It's hard to believe .

Man! All I need is a DeLorean  to take me back to that car lot and buy all the desired cars .  I would store them in a  hidden warehouse and comeback to 2013 .  Marty!  Are we back yet? 

[myk]

Wow, a wing car with a trailer hitch!

[ws23rt]

I stopped at many car lots in those days that were like that one.  But a memory always comes up when thinking about them.

I was looking at a few cars on a used car lot with the need to buy.  A salesman approached and asked what I wanted?
Well I am looking for a car.  He asked if I had any money?----I am shopping and don't have money with me.----I tell you what he said.  Go home get some money, cut your hair and when you come back we may talk.

One of many life lessons learned about salesmanship and how to be a jackass.  I had to pass on a nice GTX that day

[sanders7981]

GREAT pics OP.      I was just a year old in 1980, but I am sure that I had visited a few carlots like this with my grandfather. Could you imagine getting a loan for $30k and going back in time to save these beauties!?  This lot is practically a gold mine! 

[wingcar]

This thread brings back memories of a "used car lot" on Whittier Blvd. in California called "Stick City".   Those of us who cruised the Blvd. would usually stop by to see with was new on the lot.   He was the local hot rod dealer and he never failed to have something on the lot of interest.  On the back lot you could usually find several unfinished hot rods or project cars for sale.  It seemed as if a lot of movie cars passed through his lot at one time or another as well.  Including the "Aloha Bobby and Rose" Camaro with its Tasco small block, the cars from the TV movie "Rage" including the custom Ranchero, and he even had the Corvette Stingray used in the crash scene for the TV movie "Jan and Dean".  
I put money down on a 71 340 Demon that had a 426 Hemi transplanted into...a real sleeper as it looked to all the world to be a 340 car.  Before I could work out the details of the sale, the car was stolen off the lot.  It was recovered but the thieves had cut out the mounts...sad.  It seems as if this was just one of several Hemi cars he lost and as he said, it was bad enough that they took the engine, but did they have to cut out the mounts.  Anyway a lot of interesting cars passed through at one time or another......