# Most Trad Car of all time?



## MBG (Mar 19, 2009)

Would be interested to hear responses to this question.


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## 12345Michael54321 (Mar 6, 2008)

The 2013 Hyundai Sonata GLS, in Pacific Blue Pearl.

I mean, given how blatantly obvious the correct answer is, is it truly necessary to even ask?


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## Bjorn (May 2, 2010)

Volvo 142


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## Danny (Mar 24, 2005)

I'm pretty sure we have threads about this somewhere with some good discussion...but alas...

Since I have one I will say...Volvo 240 station wagon [1992 with manual transmission for me ].

Honorary mention to:

Jeep Grand Wagoneer [with wood paneling of course]
Mercedes 300TD wagon


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Danny said:


> I'm pretty sure we have threads about this somewhere with some good discussion...but alas...
> 
> Since I have one I will say...*Volvo 240 station wagon* [1992 with manual transmission for me ].
> 
> ...


Hear, hear! I've got a '93 with a slushbox. This same topic has been discussed before and the results are usually the same. Half the posters decry the very notion of Trad-anything that isn't clothes and the rest usually post some version of the above list with the Jeep Cherokee XJ thrown in as a slightly more modern option.


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## Bjorn (May 2, 2010)

How would a Toyota Landcruiser rank?


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Bjorn said:


> How would a Toyota Landcruiser rank?


I would say it's up there with the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Range Rover Classic but during the "good" years it wasn't really a luxury vehicle so, not quite in the same class. I'm a big fan of the 60 series.


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## boatshoe (Oct 30, 2008)

Silly thread. Pre 94 Saab 900.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

^ Another good one!


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## adoucett (Nov 16, 2012)

How about something the lines of a 1960 era MG or a Jaguar E-Type? 





Certainly a trad car must have a racing pedigree, and a certain degree of anglophilia.

The Sab 900 or Volvo 200 series are other obvious choices for the New England prep


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Ford F-150, 4WD, Crew Cab....Trad, perhaps; *******, absolutely; Hillbilly, depends on who you ask! LOL.


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## TradThrifter (Oct 22, 2012)

Lol! And you can't forget about the Chevy Tahoe, often referred to as the "Frathoe" .


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## Semper Jeep (Oct 11, 2011)

I'll throw another vote in for the wood paneled Grand Wagoneer.

But as a former owner (and hopefully future owner if I can find one to my liking, 1987 or 1988 preferably), maybe I am a bit biased.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

I vote for the Grand Wagoneer. Also, I associate big Buicks and the like with Trads, since my old-money preppy friends' parents--the ones who wore OCBDs and carried LL Bean canvas totes, etc.--didn't feel comfortable splashing around money. No Jags for them.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

tocqueville said:


> I associate big Buicks and the like with Trads, since my old-money preppy friends' parents--the ones who wore OCBDs and carried LL Bean canvas totes, etc.--didn't feel comfortable splashing around money. No Jags for them.


That's also been my experience. Not as much cache as some of the aforementioned vehicles but definitely classy in their own way: RWD, V8, roomy and fully appointed interiors -


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

I immediately thought of a '65 Ford station wagon, with the fake wood, driven for about 15-20 years. Can't seem to recall why, but I can just see it, and associate the owners with true, old-money trad


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## MaxBuck (Apr 4, 2013)

The Jaguar XK140 drophead coupe, ca. 1954.


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## efdll (Sep 11, 2008)

Certainly any Brit sports car 60s and earlier, though the Jaguar E's lines may be too aggressive. For true Anglophilia, Morgan. But this is America so I'm down with 150s or higher depending on how much you're hauling: true ******* trad. Old Cadillacs have their cachet. GTOs? I leave that call to better judges. Volvo is such a cliche, less so Saab, but still . . . Jeeps if they were actually better cars. Rovers ditto plus they're like playing at gentry. Affectation aside, a Honda Civic. What a Volvo used to be back in the day. In the spirit of wearing old clothes, I'd say whatever damn clunker or suave wheels you inherited. Though if someone is seized by anti-Italian born-again tradliness and has an Alfa to pass on for free, PM me.


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

The better question, perhaps, is what car is the antithesis? Reading through these examples, we're all over the map, and some (not naming names) make me say "Huh?" I vote for Smart Car.


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## blue suede shoes (Mar 22, 2010)

My candidates are the Volvo 240 series, Mercedes w123 or w124, BMW 1600/2002. For American made, the Dodge pickup because it is the overwhelming choice of farmers.


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## conductor (Mar 1, 2010)

Certainly not the Dodge Dart. We all know that darts are anathama to the trad aesthetic. :wink2:


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## adoucett (Nov 16, 2012)

32rollandrock said:


> The better question, perhaps, is what car is the antithesis? Reading through these examples, we're all over the map, and some (not naming names) make me say "Huh?" I vote for Smart Car.


Anything that screams *LOOK AT MEEEE
*
Sometimes this requires modifications... 
The flames on the side are de rigueur

But other vehicles such as the Hummer H1...H2... seem to do the job just the same.


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## efdll (Sep 11, 2008)

Lada, for socialist realism trad.


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## Corcovado (Nov 24, 2007)

The most trad car is the Volvo 240 that has been in the family since the dawn of time. It bears a faded Hampden Sydney decal on the back window, a testament to your older brother's college years. The dog hairs deeply imbedded in the cocomats in the floorboard actually belong to the great-grandsire of your current dog. In the cassette player there is a 90 minute cassette tape with the first B-52's album on side A and R.E.M.'s "Reckoning" on the other. The oily rag stashed in the trunk and used to check the oil every 10,000 miles whether it needs it or not actually began life as an LL Bean polo shirt.


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## blue suede shoes (Mar 22, 2010)

hardline_42 said:


> That's also been my experience. Not as much cache as some of the aforementioned vehicles but definitely classy in their own way: RWD, V8, roomy and fully appointed interiors -


Interesting, as that is the car that Steve Forbes was always seen driving. He must have driven it forever. I never associated big Buicks with trad because when I was growing up my friends fathers who were executives and did not come from old money drove big Buicks and traded them every couple of years. Back then I always associated British cars or Volkswagens with trad.


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## Corcovado (Nov 24, 2007)

hardline_42 said:


> That's also been my experience. Not as much cache as some of the aforementioned vehicles but definitely classy in their own way: RWD, V8, roomy and fully appointed interiors -


I have some neighbors that actually own two identical wagons just like that. I guess they know what they like.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

conductor said:


> Certainly not the Dodge Dart. We all know that darts are anathama to the trad aesthetic. :wink2:


Can't let this one slip by (both for the dig on darted jackets and the fact that "dart" is "trad" spelled backwards). Bravo!


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## Tempest (Aug 16, 2012)

blue suede shoes said:


> My candidates are the Volvo 240 series, Mercedes w123 or w124, BMW 1600/2002.


This. Volvo for the unassuming, Mercedes for the sophisticate, and BMW for the sportsman.


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## Dieu et les Dames (Jul 18, 2012)

Chevy Silverado; well maintained and well used. It is a pick-up truck after all.

3 Series convertible; driven 1,000 miles/year for the past twenty years and with a painstakingly detailed maintenance history.

I think the new impalas have a lot of potential.

How does everyone feel about the G-wagen?


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## adoucett (Nov 16, 2012)

For summer, a Jeep/Rover/etc 4-WD for those Nantucket cobblestones with about 10 years worth of beach-permit stickers on the bumper


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## Youthful Repp-robate (Sep 26, 2011)

32rollandrock said:


> The better question, perhaps, is what car is the antithesis? Reading through these examples, we're all over the map, and some (not naming names) make me say "Huh?" I vote for Smart Car.


This is a more interesting question. The unlamented Hummer H2 scores pretty high here -- tacky and wasteful, along with the cream metallic E or S series Mercedes (from one of the more recent iterations) -- the two-tone diamond marker Datejust of cars.

A Smart Car would make a lot of sense in a dense, urban environment without much mass transit (yeah, I've never been to one either, and LA has too many freeways), though a Fiat 500 would be better for a suburban _town_, rather than tract home, environment.

Sort of surprised nobody's mentioned various flavors of Subaru -- the come across like an heir to the Volvo 240 at times, though I've only ever ridden in either.

Dieu et les Dames, that 3-series description is spot on.


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## Walter Denton (Sep 11, 2011)

> The most trad car is the Volvo 240 that has been in the family since the dawn of time. It bears a faded Hampten Sydney decal on the back window, a testament to your older brother's college years. The dog hairs deeply imbedded in the cocomats in the floorboard actually belong to the great-grandsire of your current dog. In the cassette player there is a 90 minute cassette tape with the first B-52's album on side A and R.E.M.'s "Reckoning" on the other. The oily rag stashed in the trunk and used to check the oil every 10,000 miles whether it needs it or not actually began life as an LL Bean polo shirt.


This is about right. The Volvo would preferably be a wagon like my old '85 240 DL. I think the new Volvo wagon is probably the Subaru Forester. They are very popular in snowy New England but not so much here in the south.


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## rwaldron (Jun 22, 2012)

https://www.complex.com/rides/2012/05/the-50-coolest-movie-cars-new/cruel-intentions-jaguar-xk140-roadster


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## Icosahedron (Feb 8, 2013)

For anti-trad, I'm surprised no one has mentioned any of the fine family of Soviet bloc cars. Here's an east German Trebant, characteristically motionless, but at least it's emitting fumes. The model is presumably post-reunification.


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## MaxBuck (Apr 4, 2013)

Anyone looking for a pictorial definition of the word "incongruous" would need to look no further than this.


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

Yeah, I hate cars that attract chicks like that...

Another anti: Anything made by Pontiac, including the GTO. A fine ride, but jarring to the aesthetic.



MaxBuck said:


> Anyone looking for a pictorial definition of the word "incongruous" would need to look no further than this.


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## Dieu et les Dames (Jul 18, 2012)

I drove a '68 Le Mans around for a couple months. Although far from trad, certainly fun.



32rollandrock said:


> Yeah, I hate cars that attract chicks like that...
> 
> Another anti: Anything made by Pontiac, including the GTO. A fine ride, but jarring to the aesthetic.


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## Icosahedron (Feb 8, 2013)

32rollandrock said:


> Another anti: Anything made by Pontiac


We have a winner.


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## Dieu et les Dames (Jul 18, 2012)

IMO, Audi's are fairly repulsive.


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## Danny (Mar 24, 2005)

Icosahedron said:


> We have a winner.


That Aztek was reviled almost from the get-go. I predict in 40 years they will be sought after classics.


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## Hitch (Apr 25, 2012)

'56 Chrysler New Yorker


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## Shoe City Thinker (Oct 8, 2012)

The Ford Crown Victoria! My father was a trad man and owned several in his life. 



The parents of the preppy kids in high school were dropped off in one of these.


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## Uncle Bill (May 4, 2010)

I guess my 12 year old silver VW Golf qualifies.


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## linklaw (Aug 1, 2007)

My vote goes to Morgan 4/4. Its been in continuous production since 1935. Second choice is the car parked next to the Jeep CJ in the picture showing the Nantucket beach passes. Its a Jeep Grand Wagoneer, the king of station wagons.


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## rl1856 (Jun 7, 2005)

Early 80's MB 300 TD Wagon. Currently driven by the grandchild of the original owner and recently converted to run on biodiesel. Bonnaroo window sticker optional. 

Best, Ross


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## drlivingston (Jun 21, 2012)

I am currently driving a company funded 2014 BMW M6... It has to be the most untrad vehicle of all time. If it were a suit, the sleeves would be 4 inches short of the wrist, the pants would be just a little longer than capris, and the jacket would not even begin to cover ones backside.


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## RM Bantista (May 30, 2009)

12345Michael54321 said:


> The 2013 Hyundai Sonata GLS, in Pacific Blue Pearl.
> 
> I mean, given how blatantly obvious the correct answer is, is it truly necessary to even ask?


Yes blatantly obvious. This came to mind...








Doesn't get much more trad than the classic American with a classic Packard.
Just popped to mind unbidden.
rudy


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## Youthful Repp-robate (Sep 26, 2011)

drlivingston said:


> I am currently driving a company funded 2014 BMW M6... It has to be the most untrad vehicle of all time. If it were a suit, the sleeves would be 4 inches short of the wrist, the pants would be just a little longer than capris, and the jacket would not even begin to cover ones backside.


My Schwinn has a reasonable trad pedigree...

I'll trade you.


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## drlivingston (Jun 21, 2012)

Youthful Repp-robate said:


> My Schwinn has a reasonable trad pedigree...
> 
> I'll trade you.


Since it is not my car, I would gladly trade. I actually miss driving my 5-speed 1996 Toyota Rav4.


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## Youthful Repp-robate (Sep 26, 2011)

drlivingston said:


> Since it is not my car, I would gladly trade. I actually miss driving my 5-speed 1996 Toyota Rav4.


Honestly, I'd rather be behind the wheel of the Rav4 most of the time, but that's because I tool around in a Hyundai Santa Fe, which is an example of that same genre. I'd rather have something a little more car-like, but I like having the space to carry around a bunch of stuff if need be.


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## katon (Dec 25, 2006)

The Trad ideal for most things is union-made in America of British source materials, mass-produced.


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## Tilton (Nov 27, 2011)

Dieu et les Dames said:


> IMO, Audi's are fairly repulsive.


And yet you ask about the G Wagon, the most ostentatious MB out there?

The clear winner for "trad summer car" is a Land Rover Defender, by the way.


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## nonartful dodger (Nov 24, 2011)

tocqueville said:


> I vote for the Grand Wagoneer. Also, I associate big Buicks and the like with Trads, since my old-money preppy friends' parents--the ones who wore OCBDs and carried LL Bean canvas totes, etc.--didn't feel comfortable splashing around money. No Jags for them.


I recall many of my friends' moms drove either '80's Buick Estate Wagons or the Olds counterparts, the Custom Cruiser. Both with vinyl wood slathered on the sides. The Custom Cruiser had a bamboo pattern vinyl if I remember correctly.

I'm partial to the BMW 2002tii, mainly because I have one patiently sitting in the garage needing some TLC. I've also always liked the Mercedes 300Ds and the Jeep Wagoneers.


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## Pentheos (Jun 30, 2008)

drlivingston said:


> I am currently driving a company funded 2014 BMW M6... It has to be the most untrad vehicle of all time. If it were a suit, the sleeves would be 4 inches short of the wrist, the pants would be just a little longer than capris, and the jacket would not even begin to cover ones backside.


A company-funded $110K car?

You must work for our government.


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## drlivingston (Jun 21, 2012)

Pentheos said:


> A company-funded $110K car?
> 
> You must work for our government.


Lol... not even close. Anywho, has anyone mentioned the 1980 Mercedes 300TD. My aunt drove one of these things and it had like a gazillion miles on it and was seemingly bulletproof. One of my cousins still drives this immortal vehicle.


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## Bjorn (May 2, 2010)

Volvo 940 is of course the spiritual successor to the 240, with the same longevity it seems. Not sure if it ever caught on over there. But they just keep running. 

The land rover defender would be the British equivalent of the pickup truck, I'm guessing.


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## Tilton (Nov 27, 2011)

Pentheos said:


> A company-funded $110K car?
> 
> You must work for our government.


Yes, good Doctor, please enlighten us on your trade. Apparently, I am definitely in the wrong field.


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## Semper Jeep (Oct 11, 2011)

drlivingston said:


> I am currently driving a company funded 2014 BMW M6... It has to be the most untrad vehicle of all time. If it were a suit, the sleeves would be 4 inches short of the wrist, the pants would be just a little longer than capris, and the jacket would not even begin to cover ones backside.





Pentheos said:


> A company-funded $110K car?
> 
> You must work for our government.





Tilton said:


> Yes, good Doctor, please enlighten us on your trade. Apparently, I am definitely in the wrong field.


I'm going to make a guess and say that he works for ZF which makes transmissions for the M6 and has a large plant in Tuscaloosa (although I don't think they make parts for the M6 there).


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## Corcovado (Nov 24, 2007)

linklaw said:


> My vote goes to Morgan 4/4. Its been in continuous production since 1935. Second choice is the car parked next to the Jeep CJ in the picture showing the Nantucket beach passes. I*ts a Jeep Grand Wagoneer, the king of station wagons*.


The Wagoneer is indeed a classic. Put the many summers' worth of parking permits from the CJ on the left onto the Wagoneer on the right and you've got a winner.

As an aside, what is with the random links that the forum software now attaches to key words here and there. Used to be if a post had a link in it, it was placed by the comment's author. Now it's more likely than not spam. Just curious.


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## adoucett (Nov 16, 2012)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the auto-linking is software installed on the forums to generate ad-revenue (to help run the site!)

Usually only appears on product or brand names. Maybe we can A_sk Andy_ to be sure. I don't think it's malicious code however...just a little sneaky.


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## Youthful Repp-robate (Sep 26, 2011)

adoucett said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the auto-linking is software installed on the forums to generate ad-revenue (to help run the site!)
> 
> Usually only appears on product or brand names. Maybe we can A_sk Andy_ to be sure. I don't think it's malicious code however...just a little sneaky.


If you hover over them, they say "Link added by VigLink" if the software is adding them.


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## Deegs (Jun 19, 2013)

I'm partial to the E39 chassis BMW's. They're simply classic. My 1999 540i has close to 200,000 miles and still runs like a dream.


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## Dieu et les Dames (Jul 18, 2012)

The g wagon clearly extends the middle finger. The audi hides its middle fingers behind performance evaluation print outs.

I say go full d-bag if you're going to go at all. Similarly, why buy madras if it isn't patchwork?



Tilton said:


> And yet you ask about the G Wagon, the most ostentatious MB out there?
> 
> The clear winner for "trad summer car" is a Land Rover Defender, by the way.


I guess I could drive a D90 if I _had_ to.


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## ashcroft99 (Dec 12, 2008)

1966 Pontiac Catalina Station Wagon, just like the kind Steve Douglas drove in "My Three Sons"


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## Ματθαῖος (Jun 17, 2011)

Deegs said:


> I'm partial to the E39 chassis BMW's. They're simply classic. My 1999 540i has close to 200,000 miles and still runs like a dream.


If your dream is to have pixel issues with your odometer! (I kid, I had the same year and model with a manual transmission for ten years.)

My trad sports car:


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Is it? I don't know! I don't care! It's (one of) my favorite traditional cars of all time.


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## Kingstonian (Dec 23, 2007)

Corcovado said:


> The most trad car is the Volvo 240 that has been in the family since the dawn of time. It bears a faded Hampten Sydney decal on the back window, a testament to your older brother's college years. The dog hairs deeply imbedded in the cocomats in the floorboard actually belong to the great-grandsire of your current dog. In the cassette player there is a 90 minute cassette tape with the first B-52's album on side A and R.E.M.'s "Reckoning" on the other. The oily rag stashed in the trunk and used to check the oil every 10,000 miles whether it needs it or not actually began life as an LL Bean polo shirt.


Very trad. Goes with the black clothes, hat, dreadlocks and string belt. You can get loads of kids into it and its not German.

https://ifyoutickleus.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/a-stamford-hill-retrospective-volvo-city.html


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Kingstonian said:


> Very trad. Goes with the black clothes, hat, dreadlocks and string belt. You can get loads of kids into it and its not German.
> 
> https://ifyoutickleus.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/a-stamford-hill-retrospective-volvo-city.html


I think they're called "sidelocks." Also, not exactly a very sensitive comment.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

hardline_42 said:


> I think they're called "sidelocks." Also, not exactly a very sensitive comment.


Not string belts either, but ok. And the documentary's not bad, although I didn't watch it all the way through. Interesting. It puts a new twist on the idea of a volvo being a "Trad" car (Cue "Fiddler" soundtrack, Tradition!). I wasn't familiar with Anglo Jewry's fondness for big Volvo wagons. Makes sense given the options in the UK (i.e. no big Chevy wagons).


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## blacksby (Jan 17, 2013)

1983-85 Mercedes 300SD ...diesel, the safest chassis, huge, understated, and very flippable(as in on ebay or at a thrift shop!)


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

These days, anything with a manual transmission.


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## tuckspub (Jan 18, 2013)

Silver Shadow Rolls Royce, end of story.


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

Walter Denton said:


> This is about right. The Volvo would preferably be a wagon like my old '85 240 DL. I think the new Volvo wagon is probably the Subaru Forester. They are very popular in snowy New England but not so much here in the south.


Very big in Charlotte. Only brand that I bought new, twice (Outbacks) If they made a convertible, I'd have one now.


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## Deegs (Jun 19, 2013)

Ματθαῖος said:


> If your dream is to have pixel issues with your odometer! (I kid, I had the same year and model with a manual transmission for ten years.)


Haven't had any problems with that quite yet. I suspect the amount of miles keeps the odometer exercised. Did you have any issues with the oil filter gasket? Mine was a real pain for some time...


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## xcubbies (Jul 31, 2005)

Cable Car Clothiers.


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## Acme (Oct 5, 2011)

Why is it that every time this topic reappears I end up spotting a Jeep Grand Wagoneer in the wild? I saw one just yesterday. It's spooky entanglement!

Also, has anyone else noticed that


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## littgeo (Jul 31, 2012)

It's obvious. Otter's camaro in Animal House.


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## chilton (Jul 16, 2008)

littgeo said:


> It's obvious. Otter's camaro in Animal House.


it was a corvette


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## SCsailor (Jul 2, 2008)

I had a Grand Wagoneer. Sometimes I still miss it. That's her in my picture. Traded her in for a land rover discovery which was an unmitigated disaster. I've since moved on to German cars.


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## Natsoi (Mar 20, 2013)

Series III in British Racing Green:


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## Youthful Repp-robate (Sep 26, 2011)

Acme said:


> Why is it that every time this topic reappears I end up spotting a Jeep Grand Wagoneer in the wild? I saw one just yesterday. It's spooky entanglement!
> 
> Also, has anyone else noticed that


Super weird that I walked past one on the street today...


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## sydney710 (Jun 15, 2013)

Great car!

_______________________________
Made by Dockers


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Let's get with the programme you guys! We are seeking the most Trad car of all time, are we not?


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## FiscalDean (Dec 10, 2011)

tuckspub said:


> Silver Shadow Rolls Royce, end of story.


I can't believe there haven't been more mentions of Rolls Royce. I'd go with the Silver I or the Silver Cloud II or maybe even a Silver Cloud III drophead.


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## Sese (Oct 13, 2008)

_Citroën DS. Pure elegance and style.

_


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Looking back, I vaguely recall an old Army Jeep, purchased from a now defunct Army/Navy Surplus store in the early 1960's. It was more rust colored than anything else, but with some OD green paint and a couple of paint brushes (yes, I typed brushes) we covered most of the rust, covered the hole in the floorboard with sheet metal and (think genuine miracle status here fellows) got the engine to run (according to our perverted definition of the term...run!:crazy. While we admittedly spent far more time fixing it than driving it, the beast was a classic "all american" and hence, Trad. Funny thing thoughicon_scratch, we never were able to pick up any girls cruising the strip in it.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

eagle2250 said:


> Looking back, I vaguely recall an old Army Jeep, purchased from a now defunct Army/Navy Surplus store in the early 1960's. It was more rust colored than anything else, but with some OD green paint and a couple of paint brushes (yes, I typed brushes) we covered most of the rust, covered the hole in the floorboard with sheet metal and (think genuine miracle status here fellows) got the engine to run (according to our perverted definition of the term...run!:crazy. While we admittedly spent far more time fixing it than driving it, the beast was a classic "all american" and hence, Trad. Funny thing thoughicon_scratch, we never were able to pick up any girls cruising the strip in it.


Those things are great fun but difficult to drive! I nearly rolled one once, thundering down an extremely bumpy dirt track.


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## drlivingston (Jun 21, 2012)

AMC Pacer :crazy: My grandmother had one that was painted sun yellow. When she pulled it into the garage, it was like watching a solar eclipse.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

I like this one! :icon_cheers:









Not trad? Oh, well . . . .


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## Acme (Oct 5, 2011)

drlivingston said:


> AMC Pacer :crazy: My grandmother had one that was painted sun yellow. When she pulled it into the garage, it was like watching a solar eclipse.


My best friend in college had one of those. It was so beat up, he had to keep a basketball wedged behind the drivers seat so that it wouldn't fall down. The shifter yoke was broken, so you couldn't slot it into gear, you had to guess where the gear you wanted was, put the stick there, and hope it engaged properly.

He lent it to me one night to drive home from a party, and when I got up the next morning to return it to him, I spent twenty minutes trying to find reverse so I could pull out of the parking space. I couldn't do it; in the end I just drove over the curb and across the grass. Good times... :cool2:


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## benjclark (Mar 14, 2012)

Personally, I have one practical vehicle and one toy. I leave it to you to decide which is which 









My Chrysler 300C AWD (Hemi, bells, whistles, etc.) -- The one bona fide Trad I know (Retired MD, Yale iirc, Class of early '50s) also drives one.









My other wheels. A stock appearing 1973 Jeep Wagoneer with a decidedly nontrad monster under the hood. Only 9 mpg, either at idle or 90 mph. At least it's consistent.


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## Hayek (Jun 20, 2006)

Don't really see how anyone can say anything other than a 15+ year old Volvo, SAAB, or Mercedes wagon.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Shaver said:


> Let's get with the programme you guys! We are seeking the most Trad car of all time, are we not?


That is one classic car. When I first read this trad car thread, this wouldn't have been the first one to come to mind - but now that you put it there, it fits well. From the suicide doors, to the sheer insanity of its size (and being a super-huge four-door convertible) and its classic white / red color combo, I can picture a man wearing a BB #1 suit, fedora and skinny rep tie looking at home behind the wheel. All that said, an original woody wagon or any late 40s "upside down bathtub" looking car is what first comes to mind when I think trad car.


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## Billax (Sep 26, 2011)

Here's my set up: In 1951,when the General Partner in charge of Municipal Bonds at Brown Brothers, Harriman was preparing to summer at his cottage on the shore at Kennebunkport, Maine, he and his wife motored from Manhattan, stopped in New Haven to pick up their older Son, continued on to Andover, where they gathered up the younger boy. After completing that long trek, they all arrived at the family "cottage" on the Atlantic:

What was he driving? No doubt, a 1948 Chrysler _Town and Country_ "woody" convertible! No automobile model name even comes close to _Town and Country_ as a signifier of the Ivy League tradition! Chrysler's advertisement from 1948 reads, "There"s an air about this glorious convertible - a whisper of country clubs and moonlight rides - There"s poise in every dashing line - a car that"s at ease in any company."










Anyhow, this is my choice for most trad automobile of all time.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Fading Fast said:


> That is one classic car. When I first read this trad car thread, this wouldn't have been the first one to come to mind - but now that you put it there, it fits well. From the suicide doors, to the sheer insanity of its size (and being a super-huge four-door convertible) and its classic white / red color combo, I can picture a man wearing a BB #1 suit, fedora and skinny rep tie looking at home behind the wheel. *All that said, an original woody wagon or any late 40s "upside down bathtub" looking car is what first comes to mind when I think trad car.*


Yeah I'll buy that.

Billax makes a compelling case too, above. As far as I'm concerned we have a winner. :icon_cheers:


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## VictorRomeo (Sep 11, 2009)

Shaver said:


> Yeah I'll buy that.
> 
> Billax makes a compelling case too, above. As far as I'm concerned we have a winner. :icon_cheers:


Yep - and being from this part of the world, it's one of these that spring to mind.... My Mother had one of these before she went all continental in the mid-seventies and started buying Volvo!


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Shaver said:


> Yeah I'll buy that.
> 
> Billax makes a compelling case too, above. As far as I'm concerned we have a winner. :icon_cheers:


I have to agree too - he found a car that combined the woody and the upside bathtub look.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

tocqueville said:


> I vote for the Grand Wagoneer. Also, I associate big Buicks and the like with Trads, since my old-money preppy friends' parents--the ones who wore OCBDs and carried LL Bean canvas totes, etc.--didn't feel comfortable splashing around money. No Jags for them.


My freind's 'rents famously drove K-cars!!

I'd like to get an 80s BMW or Volvo just because at the height of the Yuppie craze they were the shiznet.

But when I finally got a nice car for myself, I settled on a Mercedes E350 sedan. I should drive it until I retire.


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## Busterdog (Jan 1, 2010)

VictorRomeo said:


> Yep - and being from this part of the world, it's one of these that spring to mind.... My Mother had one of these before she went all continental in the mid-seventies and started buying Volvo!


Yes! I had a girlfriend back in the early '80s - elegant willowy blonde from the Blackdown Hills in Somerset - who wouldn't part with her 1960s Morris Minor convertible - wonderful car - wonderful girl!


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

Billax said:


> Here's my set up: In 1951,when the General Partner in charge of Municipal Bonds at Brown Brothers, Harriman was preparing to summer at his cottage on the shore at Kennebunkport, Maine, he and his wife motored from Manhattan, stopped in New Haven to pick up their older Son, continued on to Andover, where they gathered up the younger boy. After completing that long trek, they all arrived at the family "cottage" on the Atlantic:
> 
> What was he driving? No doubt, a 1948 Chrysler _Town and Country_ "woody" convertible! No automobile model name even comes close to _Town and Country_ as a signifier of the Ivy League tradition! Chrysler's advertisement from 1948 reads, "There"s an air about this glorious convertible - a whisper of country clubs and moonlight rides - There"s poise in every dashing line - a car that"s at ease in any company."
> 
> ...


I'm not much of a "car guy", but if I win the lottery, I'm going hunting for one of those!


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## smujd (Mar 18, 2008)

The most trad "car" is clearly a Jeep.


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## boatshoe (Oct 30, 2008)

https://ebay-stories.com/?_trkparms=clkid=8933899669662505023

JFK's Jaguar Mark 1 is on ebay.


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## Corcovado (Nov 24, 2007)

It seems there are at least two camps here, one suggesting flashier vehicles like Rolls Royce or Jaguar, and the other suggesting more modest vehicles like Jeep, Volvo or Subaru.


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## ds23pallas (Aug 22, 2006)

These are my three cars. Don't care if they're trad but all have been owned by one family member or another since new. I drive all three year-round but only the Mercedes ever sees snow.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

^^^

Trifecta!!

Which also reminds me...

Most Trad Car of all time?

Paid for!!


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## tinytim (Jun 13, 2008)

tocqueville said:


> I vote for the Grand Wagoneer. Also, I associate big Buicks and the like with Trads, since my old-money preppy friends' parents--the ones who wore OCBDs and carried LL Bean canvas totes, etc.--didn't feel comfortable splashing around money. No Jags for them.


+ 1 on the Buicks. My parents bought a new Buick Electra in 1971. My mother always said Cadillac's screamed new money.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

WouldaShoulda said:


> ^^^
> 
> Trifecta!!
> 
> ...


LOL...and preferably, the day they first roll out of the dealership! Buy only what we can pay for, outright...now that's my kind of Trad! :thumbs-up:


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## Red Tractors (Jan 9, 2011)

For those who idolize the Volvo 240, find one that has been well maintained or make sure Mom and Dad had a good mechanic. Then bookmark this website.

https://www.fcpgroton.com/ Value them, they will be your best friend.

The more I battle my beloved 240, the more I like my old Jeep.

I'll suggest a Two-tone Chevrolet Beauville window van if you are a Midwesterner. Conversion vans are tacky, but the Beauville had an understated sort of class.


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## Bjorn (May 2, 2010)

Red Tractors said:


> For those who idolize the Volvo 240, find one that has been well maintained or make sure Mom and Dad had a good mechanic. Then bookmark this website.
> 
> https://www.fcpgroton.com/ Value them, they will be your best friend.
> 
> ...


Are parts not readily available for the 240 over there. As you can imagine, not a problem in Sweden 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2


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## chilton (Jul 16, 2008)

On loan from my girlfriend's father for the day


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## Red Tractors (Jan 9, 2011)

There are several good vendors who keep us on the road, I don't buy much through Volvo themselves due to the cost. (Usually triple what the same part costs elsewhere.) Several years ago junkyard parts were still easy to get, but many of the yards have scrapped out their older stock.



Bjorn said:


> Are parts not readily available for the 240 over there. As you can imagine, not a problem in Sweden
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Bjorn said:


> Are parts not readily available for the 240 over there. As you can imagine, not a problem in Sweden
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2


Parts from Volvo are very expensive and I only buy genuine OEM on items that require it (engine mounts, suspension bushings, engine coolant) and go with OEM suppliers for the rest (Bosch, Lemforder). FCP has the best prices and very fast shipping (if you're in the Northeast) but IPD has good quality parts and certain items and tools that are exclusive to them. With those two retailers and plenty of junkyard and ebay parts available, it's not much more expensive to keep a 240 on the road than it would be for any domestic vehicle.

I just changed the oil on my 245 over the weekend and it cost just under $20 for everything. It would have been less but I was out of $4 OEM Mann oil filters (not available in any stores) so I had to splurge on a NAPA Gold filter for $7.


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## oysterchamp (Sep 20, 2012)

My vote goes to the Land Rover Discovery/LR3. British made with 14MPG(premium gas) secures its spot in the Trad car lineup.


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## oxford cloth button down (Jan 1, 2012)

ds23pallas said:


> These are my three cars. Don't care if they're trad but all have been owned by one family member or another since new. I drive all three year-round but only the Mercedes ever sees snow.


That is the pic I was waiting for. Ds23pallas, is one cool cat.


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## Pale_Male (May 20, 2013)

Corcovado said:


> It seems there are at least two camps here, one suggesting flashier vehicles like Rolls Royce or Jaguar, and the other suggesting more modest vehicles like Jeep, Volvo or Subaru.


Both are correct, if "Trad" here is used as substitute for "Upper Class." But the "flashier vehicles" are older, not new. Mercedes and BMW models before the brands became popular in the US also qualify. Volvo might be "newish" because it's "safe". And the third category is something 20+ years old with a few hundred thousand miles and nearly falling apart.


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## charlie500 (Aug 22, 2008)

smujd said:


> The most trad "car" is clearly a Jeep.


Yep. Grand Wagoneer, I mean come on, it comes in dark pewter, hunter green or spinnaker blue, has basically maintained the same style since the sixties and epitomizes Yankee thrift.

The heavy wool tartan beach blanket your grandmother left you folded in the back, and the Cape Cod National Seashore/Nantucket/MV Oversand Permit on the front bumper.


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## Corcovado (Nov 24, 2007)

Pale_Male said:


> Both are correct, *if "Trad" here is used as substitute for "Upper Class." *But the "flashier vehicles" are older, not new. Mercedes and BMW models before the brands became popular in the US also qualify. Volvo might be "newish" because it's "safe". And the third category is something 20+ years old with a few hundred thousand miles and nearly falling apart.


I don't myself. *charlie500*'s mention of "Yankee thrift" is more along my way of looking at the question.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Hang on, if Trad is an all American style of dressing then to be true to that style an American car would be the most trad. I can't see how a European or Asian car fits into the image of Trad.


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## Odradek (Sep 1, 2011)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> Hang on, if Trad is an all American style of dressing then to be true to that style an American car would be the most trad. I can't see how a European or Asian car fits into the image of Trad.


I haven't been there since the late 90's, but if you spend any time in the trad "heartland" of New England, you'll see certain European cars are the vehicles of choice for the Ivy League. Volvo 240, Mercedes W123 and maybe the odd Saab, were all on hand when I lived in Rhode Island. Subaru was making huge inroads back then however.

Still, if someone else was paying for the fuel, a Jeep Grand Wagoneer would be my choice today. For some reason they're really popular in the Netherlands, mostly with LPG conversion.


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## Mediumtwist (Nov 14, 2007)

If by Trad you mean "old money WASP" then the best choices include well-weathered Jeep Wagoneers and Ford LTDs w/wood trim. Volvo 142s were for professor types, tweedy but foreign. *(For some reason Citroens were considered more acceptable.) The kids might have a BMW 2002, a Saab or maybe an Alfa Romeo (GTV6 or spider Veloce). If the dad character was a bit racy in his youth he'd have an always-broken-down English sports car in the garage. Usually a cheaper one but sometimes an E-Type Jag. Which never ran). 

True story: Ralph Lauren sent his "man" to Plitt Ford in East Hampton sometime in the early 90s to buy one of the last full-size station wagons. About a month later it comes in for its first service and the paint is all sanded down. Weathered, you might say. He'd taken a brand new car and made it look the part. RL built an empire copying old money WASP-ness after all.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> Hang on, if Trad is an all American style of dressing then to be true to that style an American car would be the most trad. I can't see how a European or Asian car fits into the image of Trad.


Many classic trad items are of non-American provenance: Norwegian sweaters, Indian madras, Shetland wool, Harris tweed etc. In it's heyday, plenty of European cars were perfectly suited to the trad aesthetic with excellent build quality, reliability and classic design. Over the decades since, lots of Asian manufacturers have been stepping up to the plate. I would say that the old Toyota Landcruiser is on equal footing with the Grand Wag and the Range Rover Classic. And modern Subaru wagons are on equal footing with Volvo wagons.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

hardline_42 said:


> Many classic trad items are of non-American provenance.


Yep, good point.

In which case then, for me it has to be a late 50s/early 60s Volvo PV 544 (preferably green as in the photo) https://bytabil.net/wp-content/upload...lvo-pv-544.jpg

The 544 had 4 gears, its earlier incarnation the 444 only had 3 gears.


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## jackizod (Dec 10, 2011)

Growing up around Ann Arbor, during late 90's and early 00's when Lexus and BMW'S were all the craze....my Dad carted us around in his aging triple-black 1990 Chrysler Lebaron Sedan! I can recall being somewhat annoyed with his refusal to keep up with the latest in automotive technology, but he assured me his car was up to snuff. Lol, perhaps because I shamed his "cool-factor", he would tell me he drove the same thing as the 60's Green Hornet, and Bruce Wayne. Looking back, I think he enjoyed driving a conservative, & efficient American auto....and now see his point .


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## Youthful Repp-robate (Sep 26, 2011)

I almost drove into a Volvo 240 station wagon in the parking garage today -- turned out to be one of my professors.


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## bd79cc (Dec 20, 2006)

Ten-year-old Buick LeSabre. Holds 6 people, gets 30 mpg, has an ultra-reliable drivetrain, is cheap to buy and insure, and is so understated in appearance that it's hard to spot. Perfect Trad vehicle!


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

hardline_42 said:


> ... And modern Subaru wagons are on equal footing with Volvo wagons.


Never!!


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

I drove a 97 Ford Taurus in college, the "mid-life crisis-mobile" as my friends called it lol


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## Walter Denton (Sep 11, 2011)

I think some foreign cars were popular in New England during the prime Ivy style years largely because they were not as flashy as American vehicles of the time. Some, like Volvo, were considered safer and more durable than American vehicles. All these were pretty Trad qualities. Some probably also had an appeal because they were a bit eccentric compared to American cars. And they weren't necessarily expensive. Even as late as the early 70's new Mercedes diesels were selling for around $4,000 - in the same price range as a Pontiac. I don't think there is one most Trad car but I think the Volvo 240 wagon would be high on the list, along with SAAB. 

As as a college student in New York in the late 60's I drove a 1965 Saab 96 - 4 speed on the column, 3 cylinder, 2 stroke, 841cc engine, 40hp, with free wheeling and front wheel drive. I thought it was the coolest car ever.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Walter Denton said:


> I think some foreign cars were popular in New England during the prime Ivy style years largely because they were not as flashy as American vehicles of the time. Some, like Volvo, were considered safer and more durable than American vehicles. All these were pretty Trad qualities. Some probably also had an appeal because they were a bit eccentric compared to American cars. And they weren't necessarily expensive. Even as late as the early 70's new Mercedes diesels were selling for around $4,000 - in the same price range as a Pontiac. I don't think there is one most Trad car but I think the Volvo 240 wagon would be high on the list, along with SAAB.
> 
> As as a college student in New York in the late 60's I drove a 1965 Saab 96 - 4 speed on the column, 3 cylinder, 2 stroke, 841cc engine, 40hp, with free wheeling and front wheel drive. I thought it was the coolest car ever.


There's some small amount of irony that our most Trad cars seem to be foreign.

The most Trad kid in my high school in the '70s pulled every dollar together he could to buy an old MG as it fit his Trad image.


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## universitystripe (Jul 13, 2013)

It seems there is a plethora of now classic (or nearing that) cars which constitute a "trad" vehicle. However, am I correct in saying that if a gentleman wished to purchase a new car his options would be limited to a Jeep, Subaru, or Volvo?


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

universitystripe said:


> ...am I correct in saying that if a gentleman wished to purchase a new car his options would be limited to a Jeep, Subaru, or Volvo?


I think there are arguments to be made for other "non-trad" marques. Toyota's truck-based SUVs, for example. The Land Cruiser is just as iconic as any Jeep vehicle and loaded with heritage, not to mention reliability and capability. Styling is a bit bland, but definitely understated. 








In the same vein (capable, reliable, body-on-frame, luxury SUVs), the Nissan Patrol (only available in the US as the Infiniti QX80, unfortunately) is a good contender as well. So much so that it's a United Nations "company car."

On the I-can-only-afford-one-in-my-dreams end of the spectrum, there is the Mercedes G-class. It's a high end Jeep and LR Defender rolled into one. Classic lines, good build quality, capable on and off-road, etc. Unfortunately, it's recently gotten a bit of a negative image (at least here in the States, IMO) and doesn't exactly fly under the radar.

In reality though, a "gentleman" will purchase whatever vehicle fits his needs and budget. No sense in trying to buy a "lifestyle" vehicle if it doesn't work in your real life, not the one you aspire to.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

New Mercedes and Land Rover are popular around here.


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## Roycru (Apr 13, 2011)

Maybe a Nissan Cube is the most Trad car of all time........


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## universitystripe (Jul 13, 2013)

I like the the appearance of the Land Cruiser, but ~$80,000 for a Toyota seems outrageous. 

As for the others, they seem like standard (and astronomically priced) modern SUVs. Very Jersey Shore.

I'm finding myself leaning more towards a Jeep of some sort.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

universitystripe said:


> I like the the appearance of the Land Cruiser, but ~$80,000 for a Toyota seems outrageous.
> 
> As for the others, they seem like standard (and astronomically priced) modern SUVs. Very Jersey Shore.
> 
> I'm finding myself leaning more towards a Jeep of some sort.


My wife drove an 04 Grand Cherokee in college. With all the mechanical issues we had with it, I have no interest in owning another Jeep product.

of course, now her parents drive it and haven't had a single issue, so maybe it just hated us...


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

Roycru said:


> Maybe a Nissan Cube is the most Trad car of all time........


I can't stand the way they look, but good heavens do they have space inside the cabin. We used to rent those out when I worked for a large rental car company, the headroom in the Cube is absolutely unreal.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

I considered a tastefully appointed Jeep Wrangler 4 door.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

universitystripe said:


> I like the the appearance of the Land Cruiser, but ~$80,000 for a Toyota seems outrageous.


Agreed. Unfortunately, the Land Cruiser has come a long way from it's Spartan roots and and is now squarely in the luxury SUV class. It's starting MSRP is nearly twice the price of the Sequoia, Toyota's biggest SUV offering. Still, it remains a very capable vehicle and is the choice of NATO agencies for the kind of punishment they put their vehicles through. It's a lot like Jeep's Grand Wagoneer in that it was a capable off-roader wrapped in wood-veneer bling. And the Land Cruisers have shown to be a pretty decent investments. The 80 and 100 series ('90-'97 and '98-'07) still fetch a premium on the used market and are barely broken in at 150k miles.

I think it has more to do with North American car-buying tastes than anything else. Most people who buy SUVs here will never go farther off-road than the gravel parking lot at the soccer field, so the focus has shifted to technology and plush appointments. In contrast, in Japan, you can get a brand new 70 series Land Cruiser with a solid front axle and hand-crank windows if you want:


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

With the expense of keeping ourselves in trad clothing a given priority, Mrs D and I decided that we needed to cut down on gas expenses. Our trad car, therefore, is a Toyota Prius that will get close to 50mpg on the open road.


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## Reuben (Aug 28, 2013)

I'd say my girlfriend's diesel ford duelie is pretty dang trad considering she got it to haul six-horse trailers.


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

Of course, we also have a vintage 1985 Mercedes. I'm not sure if it's trad, but it's what we drive when we want to look cool.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

orange fury said:


> .of course, now her parents drive it and haven't had a single issue, so maybe it just hated us...


Normally cars flow the other way in families, but at least they've enjoyed it.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

Fading Fast said:


> Normally cars flow the other way in families, but at least they've enjoyed it.


Haha yeah, they bought it for her (very) used when she went to college. When she was nearing graduation, a friend of ours offered to sell her his Hyundai Veracruz for dirt cheap, compared to what the resale value was. The Jeep was having multiple $1,000+ issues, so we bought the Veracruz and let her parents have the Jeep back. It's convoluted lol.


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## Dmontez (Dec 6, 2012)

Duvel said:


> Of course, we also have a vintage 1985 Mercedes. I'm not sure if it's trad, but it's what we drive when we want to look cool.


That is what I would want to drive to look cool in also, I've been in the market for a 85-87 SDL, but they are not easy to come by. My wife is very particular about what she likes and would prefer I find the 300D Wagon with rear facing 3rd row. If I find that I have the go ahead to purchase on the spot as long as it's in good condition at a reasonable price, but if I find the SDL she wants to see it so she can tell me in a whole bunch of different ways that she really likes the rear facing 3rd row in the wagon.


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

My wife wisely nabbed two models back in her younger days for very little money (she was poor). She refurbished them both, sold the lesser of the two, and we proudly own the other. Its drawback is that maintenance is sometimes costly, but it's not our primary vehicle, so it's not critical when something breaks down--and generally it holds up very well.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Duvel said:


> My wife wisely nabbed two models back in her younger days for very little money (she was poor). She refurbished them both, sold the lesser of the two, and we proudly own the other. Its drawback is that maintenance is sometimes costly, but it's not our primary vehicle, so it's not critical when something breaks down--and generally it holds up very well.


Your wife sounds very cool.


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## Quetzal (Jul 25, 2014)

A TRAD car?? I don't know what it would be in relation to the "Ivy" Look; perhaps a sporty car, like the original Corvettes before the Stingray (alas, there is no current American model that really has that youthful appeal; EVERY manufacturer attempts to put that into their products). Or perhaps it's a Ford Taurus.

In terms of what I call an AMERICAN TRADITIONAL car, it's got to be a Full-Size, Body-On-Frame model with a big engine (Straight-8, V-6, the classic V-8, or, my favorite, the Straight-6) with a front Bench (and COMFORTABLY seat six; the Crown Vic cannot seat a sixth person unless if they have stumpy legs) and lots of space. The configurations would include a sedan, a wagon (yes, with rear-facing seats), a panel delivery, a coupe, and my favorite, a convertible. It must also have "classic" excess, such as plush seats, a big design, fancy wheels (not those dumb rims, rather, whitewalls and hubcaps), and the like in the inside. Something that people would want to drive, at least before the 1980s. Nearly every American car made from the 1930s to the 1970s were made like this (even Ramblers and Larks were comfortable, despite their smaller yet still fairly powerful engines), but during the 1980s, these types of cars were only made by GM and Ford (Chrysler continued to make one model I think, not very sure, and naturally they killed off the independents back in the 1950s), GM turning their B-Body plant into a truck plant (I despise seeing trucks in urban areas or areas that do not require heavy hauling) in the mid-1990s and Ford rolling their last Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis/Town Car a few years ago.

Now THAT's an American car.

-Quetzal


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

She's cool, and hot.  Seriously, she's much cooler than I am. She keeps me young and from getting too serious about myself.



Fading Fast said:


> Your wife sounds very cool.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

Quetzal said:


> (I despise seeing trucks in urban areas or areas that do not require heavy hauling)


...and then there's Texas, where "ubiquitous" doesn't even begin to describe it lol.


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## Billax (Sep 26, 2011)

Quetzal said:


> In terms of what I call an AMERICAN TRADITIONAL car, it's got to be a Full-Size, Body-On-Frame model with a big engine (Straight-8, V-6, the classic V-8, or, my favorite, the Straight-6) with a front Bench (and COMFORTABLY seat six; the Crown Vic cannot seat a sixth person unless if they have stumpy legs) and lots of space. The configurations would include a sedan, a wagon (yes, with rear-facing seats), a panel delivery, a coupe, and my favorite, a convertible. It must also have "classic" excess, such as plush seats, a big design, fancy wheels (not those dumb rims, rather, whitewalls and hubcaps), and the like in the inside. .... Nearly every American car made from the 1930s to the 1970s were made like this....
> Now THAT's an American car.
> 
> -Quetzal


Time for me to renominate my favorite, this time in a Greater Milwaukee context for Quetzal:

Imagine it's a Friday in July, 1948, and you've just finished lunch at the Milwaukee Athletic Club with your fellow executives at Robert W. Baird.

After deeming all facets of the company to be in good order, the meeting ends. The valet at the club gets your car,

You're going to pick up the wife and kids in Elm Grove, then head off to the country place on Pine Lake. When you get there, you notice that your co-CEO at Baird has just arrived at Pine Lake in his car:










Both of you wanted the fabulous Chrysler Town & Country in Navy, but you won the coin flip. He's not at all unhappy with his Red one!

After exchanging a few joking words about tomorrow's golf game at Chenequa Country Club, you head off to your respective Lake cottages. Here's yours:










I hope that's TRAD enough for you!


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## WillBarrett (Feb 18, 2012)

Reuben said:


> I'd say my girlfriend's *diesel ford duelie* is pretty dang trad considering she got it to haul six-horse trailers.


Sure she's not a Clemson grad? :icon_jokercolor:


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## Reuben (Aug 28, 2013)

WillBarrett said:


> Sure she's not a Clemson grad? :icon_jokercolor:


That's her sister.


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## Quetzal (Jul 25, 2014)

Billax said:


> Time for me to renominate my favorite, this time in a Greater Milwaukee context for Quetzal:
> 
> Imagine it's a Friday in July, 1948, and you've just finished lunch at the Milwaukee Athletic Club with your fellow executives at Robert W. Baird.
> 
> ...


I got a kick out of your whole post, Billax! Sometimes people make up and tell me similar scenarios that I would perfectly fit into. But actually, I would prefer to live in a Chicago Bungalow (although I live in Wisconsin, I consider myself more of a Chicagoan for many reasons) rather than that house (it is VERY nice, however). I drive by the Athletic Club many times (Milwaukee is one of the few U.S. cities to still retain many of their beautiful old buildings). You've even got the car right; I've always loved the bulbous, excessive proportions of Immediate Postwar Autos (about 1946-1951). There's something about that cartoonish look that's appealing; granted, they are VERY slow when taking off (I've even driven a 1948 Chrysler Town & Country, but that one was in a deep shade of green). That era in dress is what I even call AMERICAN Traditional; everything was wide and excessive, including coat shoulders, hat brims, trouser legs, suspenders, shirt collars, cufflinks/tie bars/collar clips, and, my personal favorite (which I wear on occasion), those wide, wild, painted, (scenic) printed rayon ties. The whole excessive thing in both dress and cars seemed to also be common in the 1970s, but with polyester and much more powerful engines, respectively.

-Quetzal


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## frydeswide (Nov 7, 2008)

Duvel, My first Benz was an 85 380SE. It was a beautiful deep blue car that I named Elizabeth.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Billax, you tell stories with the same skill, detail and smart nuance that you put into your outfits - I enjoyed the vignette you created. And that Chrysler Town and Country is crazy beautiful in a, as Quetzal said, post-war muscular American way. I think I like the red better - but both are gorgeous.


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## 6thFairway (Jul 24, 2012)

Volvo station wagon.


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## Beresford (Mar 30, 2006)

You want to see trad cars? Check this out:

https://www.muffyaldrich.com/2014/09/an-all-british-motor-car-show.html


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^Indeed...a whole lot of Trad, parked in one field...perchance this is what is meant by the phrase, "Field of Dreams?"


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## Beresford (Mar 30, 2006)

Build it and they will come!


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## Nobleprofessor (Jul 18, 2014)

Duvel said:


> Of course, we also have a vintage 1985 Mercedes. I'm not sure if it's trad, but it's what we drive when we want to look cool.


Many older Mercedes are very cool and very trad cars. I'm sort of a car nut and I have a very serious affliction known as car fever. It comes at me when I least expect it. It's like a recurring case of malaria. Sometimes it can be all consuming. Rather than permit it to control me completely I have placed limits on the car fever. I only buy cars with cash. I'm not talking about new cars. I buy cars and keep them for six months maybe a year and I sell them and get another. It's a good way to manage the car fever. I'm 41 years old and the last time I updated my list I think I was at 40 cars I have owned. Since then I have been through 3 more. The list has included quite a few Mercedes, a few BMW's, a handful of other models and lots of GM cars.

But, of the 40-43 cars I have only lost money on one. It was a 1990 Mercedes 300SEL. I also had a Mercedes longer than any other car and it had 475,000 miles on it when I sold it to a friend. He clicked over 500,000 miles and then he was t-boned by a RV.


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## herfitup (Mar 4, 2012)

Beresford said:


> You want to see trad cars? Check this out:
> 
> https://www.muffyaldrich.com/2014/09/an-all-british-motor-car-show.html


But if you buy a British car you need a Swedish or German car to drive on the days it is in the shop. I keep passing a MGB for sale but I know what it will cost me to keep it running.

Still today in New England it is mostly Volvos and Mercedes with a few Saabs thrown in. And the odd Jaguar for people that still won't buy German cars. I'm hoping my 1999 E55 will be the last car I buy but I might last longer than the car even though it only has 178,000 miles on it.


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## Nobleprofessor (Jul 18, 2014)

Dmontez said:


> That is what I would want to drive to look cool in also, I've been in the market for a 85-87 SDL, but they are not easy to come by. My wife is very particular about what she likes and would prefer I find the 300D Wagon with rear facing 3rd row. If I find that I have the go ahead to purchase on the spot as long as it's in good condition at a reasonable price, but if I find the SDL she wants to see it so she can tell me in a whole bunch of different ways that she really likes the rear facing 3rd row in the wagon.


I had an 87 SDL. They are great cars! BUT, I you really want one you should look for a 1990 or 1991 SDL. Technically, the were called 350SDL in those years because the 603 engine was increased to 3.5 L. If you know about SDL's then you are thinking what is he crazy? The 3.5 603 is a rodbender! AND, that is true, but if you find a running 3.5 then the rods have probably already been changed. OR, find one that has documented history of the rods being changed. The 603 3.5 once it is repaired is an amazing engine. And the 90-91 126 Chassis had all the end of the model options and luxury goodies.


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## rl1856 (Jun 7, 2005)

hardline_42 said:


> Agreed. Unfortunately, the Land Cruiser has come a long way from it's Spartan roots and and is now squarely in the luxury SUV class. It's starting MSRP is nearly twice the price of the Sequoia, Toyota's biggest SUV offering. Still, it remains a very capable vehicle and is the choice of NATO agencies for the kind of punishment they put their vehicles through. It's a lot like Jeep's Grand Wagoneer in that it was a capable off-roader wrapped in wood-veneer bling. And the Land Cruisers have shown to be a pretty decent investments. The 80 and 100 series ('90-'97 and '98-'07) still fetch a premium on the used market and are barely broken in at 150k miles.


The Lexus GX series is derived from the LC 80/100 series. A Lexus dealer has told me that one of the critieria for the design is 200k miles with just regualr maintenance...all major components- power train, electrical system, AC etc are built to have a working lifespan of 200k+ miles. They just don't break. And yes they command a premium on the used market as a result.

I would also nominate the Chevy Tahoe/ GMC Yukon. A US design that will easily travel 200k without difficulty, and hold value very well over time.

Best,

Ross


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

rl1856 said:


> The Lexus GX series is derived from the LC 80/100 series. A Lexus dealer has told me that one of the critieria for the design is 200k miles with just regualr maintenance...all major components- power train, electrical system, AC etc are built to have a working lifespan of 200k+ miles. They just don't break. And yes they command a premium on the used market as a result.


One minor quibble: The Lexus LX is based on the Land Crusier platform. The GX is based on the Toyota Prado, which is sadly also unavailable to us lowly North Americans. Regardless, either marque will go for hundreds of thousands of miles, trouble free.


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## lord root of the matter (Mar 31, 2014)

How about Volvo P1800?


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## wh1 (Sep 19, 2009)

1980 Triumph Spitfire
Had one in college we could get up to 8 guys in it with the top down and it was definitely the best on fall football Saturdays with the right girl.
Great fuel economy too


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## 69firebird (Jul 28, 2014)

Early 90's Buick road master woody wagon...

And the ford wagon Clark Grideald drive under the lumber truck in Xmas vacation.


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## Nobleprofessor (Jul 18, 2014)

69firebird said:


> Early 90's Buick road master woody wagon...
> 
> And the ford wagon Clark Grideald drive under the lumber truck in Xmas vacation.


The CHRISTMAS VACATION wagon was a Ford Taurus Wagon -- perhaps one of the most boring cars of all time.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

lord root of the matter said:


> How about Volvo P1800?


This is a very beautiful car and, IMHO, very Trad as it is a small foreign "sports" car and also, it is not an insanely expensive one (Trad is about understatement).


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

The Lincoln itself?? No.

A hired Lincoln to the airport?? YES!!


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## Porrick (Feb 13, 2013)

I have a 1992 BMW 325i that I think is fairly trad, though I would submit an '80s Beemer 2002 is more trad by far.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Porrick said:


> I have a 1992 BMW 325i that I think is fairly trad, though I would submit an '80s Beemer 2002 is more trad by far.


Pretty sure the 2002 ended in 1977. Regardless, I think both are pretty good.


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## pleasehelp (Sep 8, 2005)

^I assume you either mean a '70s 2002 or an '80s 3-series.


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## Nobleprofessor (Jul 18, 2014)

I was thinking about one of my dream cars today. Sometimes on rainy or boring days my mind will wander into thinking about cars I would buy if I won the lottery. I'm pretty sure I would need a 15 car garage. But, I digress. In College there was a music professor that was so trad, he must be friends with Billax. He was always dressed so well. He had a beautiful car that I have always wanted. 

It was an early 80's Mercedes Diesel COUPE. The model is 300CD. I have had 3 of the old 300Ds. They were great cars. But, the 300CD is so much sleeker.


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## Danny (Mar 24, 2005)

As the owner of one, I have to go with my 1992 Volvo 240 wagon [manual transmission]! 



That said, I also have a jonesing for a mid 80s Mercedes 300TD wagon, that is one sweet looking station wagon. Like this one:


I think what era you grew up in certainly influences your answer to the premise of this thread. Fun to read through everyone's answers.


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## Nobleprofessor (Jul 18, 2014)

Danny said:


> As the owner of one, I have to go with my 1992 Volvo 240 wagon [manual transmission]!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Both great choices! I had a Volvo 240, but not a wagon. Great car. Bought it for $1200 drove it 3 months and sold it for $2500.

I have always wanted a 123 Chassis 300TD (the Mercedes wagon you pictured). I had the chance a few years ago, but the hydraulic suspension was shot and they can be a huge PITA to fix. I still want one and the color choice you pictured is my favorite!


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## Fenster (Jun 25, 2013)

SLK


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## wacolo (Jul 21, 2006)

Seen heading out of the Ace. The fishing rod you can just make out in the back is a nice touch.


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## FLMike (Sep 17, 2008)

^I drove one of those for a while in college. When it ran....


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## SplurgeFrugal1 (Apr 23, 2018)

\

1968 Dodge Dart, Green 'Brocade' interior, Slant Six engine, bias-ply tires. 
The perfect family car for the 'company man.'


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

When a trad buys a car he or she doesn’t think it’s trad. They just like it. It resonates with them. It isn’t until many years later when it is moving into being iconoclastic that it has become traditional. At least that was how is worked for us when I got the 1971 BMW 2002, the 1979 Spitfire, and my current driver, the 2008 Mini convertible and when my wife got the Volvo 245 DL. In a decade I am guessing her current ride, a BMW X3, will have become trad. Somehow the minivans, big American sedans, and pricey Italian rockets never lit us up. I will confess regret at not having bought a 356 cabriolet when they were affordable.


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

How about this one?


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## London380sl (Apr 17, 2009)

David J. Cooper said:


> How about this one?


You beat me to it! I was going to nominate that car. So I will second it.

The infamous Mercedes model W107 - more commonly known as the 450Sl ( 1972-1980), the 380sl ( 1981-1985) and the final version - the 560sl (1986-1989) was the car that in the 70's and 80's that told your country club neighbors "You've made it".

Even today they still get a lot of respect. It's a rare day that I don't get at least one compliment on my car when I'm driving it.


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

Very nice. I love the red. Mine is a 1979 450sl. I assume yours is a mid 80s 380sl.

I wasn't really sure I would like the car, but ended up with it when my Mother got sick. Her and my father bought it on an impulse when they were wintering in Palm Springs. I was shocked at how nice the car was aesthetically. 

I have spent a fair bit of money making her drivable. I replaced the gas tank and lines as well as the rarely used but past dated tires. So I'm keeping it. It is surprisingly fun to drive. It also doesn't make me appear to be having a late life image change.


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

Well, of course cars can't be trad, since that's a clothing fashion, and neither can "a trad" buy a car (since "trad" describes a clothing style, not a kind of person), BUT - I can imagine the sorts of cars someone interested in trad clothes might decide to buy to accessorize their look.

My vote would be any of a number of little British roadsters from the 50s or 60s.

In college (when I was just preppy - who knew the style would arise, Lazarus-like, as an Internet-driven fashion thirty years later?), I restored - and drove, sometimes, when it was cooperative - an Austin Healey 3000 2+2. It was just an impossibly preppy car, and in conjunction with my dress habits got me a reputation as a rich kid on campus (I was not, to say the least). I'd bought it for maybe $500 in a state of ruin as a high school senior and restored it (well, it existed in a perpetual state of restoration). Mine was more of a cream color than the attached picture.

Somehow, defying physics and safety, I used to motor around with three passengers in the thing. Usually a male friend shotgun, and a couple of girls in the back seat (if they were tall and leggy, sitting actually on the car itself, parade-style, rather than in the seats, if we were just driving around campus).

So if we're going to have a "trad" car, I think that's it: something sporty and impossibly finicky, requiring mechanical expertise on the owner's part, and piled high with preppy youths. Visit the "trad girlfriend" thread for ideas there.









DH


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## London380sl (Apr 17, 2009)

David J. Cooper said:


> Very nice. I love the red. Mine is a 1979 450sl. I assume yours is a mid 80s 380sl.
> 
> So I'm keeping it. It is surprisingly fun to drive. It also doesn't make me appear to be having a late life image change.


My car is a 1984 model. Once you get caught up on the deferred maintenance they are pretty bulletproof cars. And they are built like tanks! My car is 33 years old and there's not a rattle or squeak in that car. I've had mine for 12 years now and have had very few problems with it.

It's best to think of these cars as a very very competent German version of a 55 Tbird than as sports car. One road test I read called it (tongue in cheek) the best 2 seat sedan in the world which sort of sums the car up - its comfortable, the front seats are roomy, you have a lot of luggage space for a convertible, and its great for boulevard or long distance cruising!

It may not be most trad car suggested here but its definitely a classic.


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## London380sl (Apr 17, 2009)

Many, many, years ago I had a friend who owned a Healey 3000. The thing I remember most of that car was the lack of road clearance. Anything higher than a pack of cigarettes on its side threatened to rip the muffler off.


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

London380sl said:


> Many, many, years ago I had a friend who owned a Healey 3000. The thing I remember most of that car was the lack of road clearance. Anything higher than a pack of cigarettes on its side threatened to rip the muffler off.


It was wildly impractical, smelled like a lawnmower, and required tools and oil at hand at all times.

Naturally, it's the car I most fondly remember.

DH


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## challer (Sep 4, 2008)

Then -2002
Now - Mercedes ML/GLE


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## London380sl (Apr 17, 2009)

Dhaller said:


> It was wildly impractical, smelled like a lawnmower, and required tools and oil at hand at all times.
> 
> Naturally, it's the car I most fondly remember.
> 
> DH


You know what they say:

"Bad decisions make great stories."


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

London380sl said:


> You know what they say:
> 
> "Bad decisions make great stories."


It could have been a worse decision: when I bought the Healey, I was also looking at a "needs work" Jaguar XK120.

That particular Jag was about as pretty as cars can get, but I would have needed two for any kind of assurance of having a working car on any given day.

DH


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## derum (Dec 29, 2008)

Dhaller said:


> It could have been a worse decision: when I bought the Healey, I was also looking at a "needs work" Jaguar XK120.
> 
> That particular Jag was about as pretty as cars can get, but I would have needed two for any kind of assurance of having a working car on any given day.
> 
> DH


Ah! the car that inspired Harvey Earl. Both the Jag and the Austin were very pretty cars ruined by bureaucracy.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

derum said:


> Ah! the car that inspired Harvey Earl. Both the Jag and the Austin were very pretty cars ruined by bureaucracy.


Harvey Earl.

Sometime life hands you the name that perfectly fits your career, your personal zeitgeist.


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## smmrfld (May 22, 2007)

Fading Fast said:


> Harvey Earl


That would be *Harley *Earl, not Harvey.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

smmrfld said:


> That would be *Harley *Earl, not Harvey.


Oh God yes (maybe spell check - or maybe I'm an idiot, but I did know that) as Harley is part of the perfectness of that name.


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## New Old Stock (Nov 11, 2017)

Easy... the bar car.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Thought this book might be of interest to some here:








https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062289070/fins/


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