Car lot

[m408]

My first attempt at a diorama is coming along nicely (see previous posts).

Settled on the Fast Eddy used car lot facade from scale equipment. The lot has a couple of roadsters, coupes, a corvette, etc...All hot rods.

There is room for a "reserved parking" space for the manager. Using "Irv" as the manager. Old, bald, fat guy, like myself, with a big cigar in one hand, and outrages choices of clothing colors. Obviously a fast talking used car salesman.

Here is my question. What car should I build as Irvs' ride?

[MrObsessive]

Milt how 'bout a '59 Caddy?

If his choice of colors and style of clothes are as outrageous as you say they are..........what wilder car than a '59 Caddy?

[m408]

Milt how 'bout a '59 Caddy?

If his choice of colors and style of clothes are as outrageous as you say they are..........what wilder car than a '59 Caddy?

Great choice, one that I had considered. He is indeed outrageous. Purple sport coat, red tie, brown slacks, and black and white shoes ala Letterman. Was also thinking about one of the new merc releases, but he wouldn't have that much class.

[VW Dave]

By the wardrobe described above, I'm seeing an AMC Matador or Chrysler Cordoba.......how about a Pacer or Gremlin?

[Jairus]

When I was a snot nose kid... my 3rd all-time job was working at a car lot. I suppose the year was 1976 or so and the owner had me changing batteries, washing cars and warming them up each day. I even got the chance to drive most of them too.

The car he drove home each night was whatever the heck he wanted to drive because he had his pick of the fleet!

One day it would be a '72 Chevy Nova with a 3 speed and another day it might be a '70 Chrysler New Yorker.

We sold about a car a day and he seemed to manage to keep the lot full somehow....

I remember one day I was washing an AMC Matador and my Boss began mumbling about needing to run an errand or something.

Anyway, he jumped into a bright/light green 1971 Mustang coupe with hubcaps and no extras except a 351 Cleveland, air and auto. He then... promptly drove off the curb and burned rubber half way down the block!

So, if you had your chance to take any one of more than a dozen cars home each night.... what would you choose?

P.S. One day he showed up with a converted Volks Wagen van with a 70's ish Popular Mechanics inspired fiberglass body on it. He was sooooo proud and I could hardly keep from gagging....

P.P.S. The little green pine tree air freshener always brings me back to those days because the Boss (cannot remember his name) put them in nearly every car.

P.P.P.S. There was a '70 Datsun 4 door station wagon on that lot nearly the whole time I worked there.... I wonder if it's still there...

[Harry P.]

So, if you had your chance to take any one of more than a dozen cars home each night.... what would you choose?

Well, that depends on which dealership you're working for! Ferrari? Or Kia?

[Mike Whatshisname]

I agree...59 Caddy but it has got to be a beater!

[m408]

Great choice, one that I had considered. He is indeed outrageous. Purple sport coat, red tie, brown slacks, and black and white shoes ala Letterman. Was also thinking about one of the new merc releases, but he wouldn't have that much class.

Need a source for the Caddy kit.

[m408]

I agree...59 Caddy but it has got to be a beater!

Tried all three links. No Caddy beater. Got a pic?

[Jason Burdette]

My first job at a car lot was in the late 80's-early 90's. it was a Dodge and Honda dealer. The manager there always drove a black car regardless of make as long it was the top line car. Dodge Diplomat SE, Dynasty LE,or a Honda accord LXI. they had to be black and washed every day. I can see a black Caddy, Chrysler, Lincoln maybe.

Edited November 4, 2007 by Jason Burdette

[Mike Whatshisname]

Tried all three links. No Caddy beater. Got a pic?

Links?

Do a search on Google for beaters or junkers and you can get all kinds of ideas. They may not be Eldorados but you can translate the same idea to a kit.

Use semi-gloss paint, add some rust near the wheel wells, remove some chrome and add holes to where it would have been connected to the car. Use some rust-all for a dusty/rusty look. Sand down the tread on the tires. Use the rubber cement method for the chipped paint look. etc. etc.

Here is a caddy I found but is a little too far gone for a daily ride:

Here's one I found on the Town of Newburgh model car club site:

It is all up to your own imagination. Most importantly, have fun building it. Junkers can be addicting...

[Ayatollah]

Junkers are a good break from the routine.

[mikemodeler]

When I was in high school I worked as a porter for a Mercedes Benz/ BMW /Alfa Romeo dealer that also had a Chrysler /Peugeot dealership next door to it. Talk about your gamut of vehicles to choose from!

All the new car salesmen got new cars to drive and most of them chose light colored vehicles as they were easier to clean.

The used car salesmen (just two) drove whatever was on the lot and switched off about every three or four days. These two hucksters always drove dark blue or black cars and insisted they always be cleaned daily "just in case someone comes in to buy it". That was bad enough but I honestly think they lived in them because the cars were trashed everyday! What should have been a 10-15 clean up was always 30-40 minutes because we were shampooing carpets, cleaning windows and deodorizing weird smells! The only upside was they were good about getting us 12 packs of beer on Friday nights as "payment" for a clean car.

I would say the owner of this used car lot would drive just about anything that was available and it might depend on what his evening activities consisted of. If it was "date night", I am sure it would be the nice Caddy or Lincoln that just came in on trade. If it was "helping a buddy move this weekend", it would probably be that van or pickup that has been sitting in the back row for a few months. If it was taking the kids to the drive-in movies, a station wagon would be in order.

Can't wait to see it!

Mike Scheve

[m408]

When I was in high school I worked as a porter for a Mercedes Benz/ BMW /Alfa Romeo dealer that also had a Chrysler /Peugeot dealership next door to it. Talk about your gamut of vehicles to choose from!

All the new car salesmen got new cars to drive and most of them chose light colored vehicles as they were easier to clean.

The used car salesmen (just two) drove whatever was on the lot and switched off about every three or four days. These two hucksters always drove dark blue or black cars and insisted they always be cleaned daily "just in case someone comes in to buy it". That was bad enough but I honestly think they lived in them because the cars were trashed everyday! What should have been a 10-15 clean up was always 30-40 minutes because we were shampooing carpets, cleaning windows and deodorizing weird smells! The only upside was they were good about getting us 12 packs of beer on Friday nights as "payment" for a clean car.

I would say the owner of this used car lot would drive just about anything that was available and it might depend on what his evening activities consisted of. If it was "date night", I am sure it would be the nice Caddy or Lincoln that just came in on trade. If it was "helping a buddy move this weekend", it would probably be that van or pickup that has been sitting in the back row for a few months. If it was taking the kids to the drive-in movies, a station wagon would be in order.

Can't wait to see it!

Mike Scheve

Thanks Mike, but none of the above would be on the lot. Just street rods.

Some have suggested a 59 Caddy so I'm looking for a kit. This guy is just a plain old huckster so he wouldn't be driving anything classy. I'm also thinking about an early, beat up, compact but can't seem to find anything that old.

[41CHEVY]

I worked for that guy!!! We sold Dusters, Demons, Chevelles,Camaros and Road Runners. All beat to death muscle cars. His daily ride was a Worn Red 63 Impala SS. Small dents and dings all over,torn seat,2/3's of dual exhaust and a permanent 4 sale sign. He liked the 63 because he could carry parts and tires in the big trunk and it was big enough to push the 'good' cars with. Paul

[Uncle Mike]

My first attempt at a diorama is coming along nicely (see previous posts).

Settled on the Fast Eddy used car lot facade from scale equipment. The lot has a couple of roadsters, coupes, a corvette, etc...All hot rods.

There is room for a "reserved parking" space for the manager. Using "Irv" as the manager. Old, bald, fat guy, like myself, with a big cigar in one hand, and outrages choices of clothing colors. Obviously a fast talking used car salesman.

Here is my question. What car should I build as Irvs' ride?

Hey Milt! When I lived in Santa Clara, CA in '60, there was a used car lot on 10th & East Santa Clara St., San Jose. Large sign said, "SMILIN' IRISHMAN" In smaller print underneath, it said: "HOT RODS".

There was always an abundance of '40 Ford Coupes, with flatheads, Chrysler, Dodge Red Ram, and DeSoto hemis, saw examples of them all. There were fendered and non-roadsters, but the '32-'34s got put inside the building at night. The latest model I ever saw in there was a '51 Merc, and it got wholesaled away! There were '46-'48 Fords/Mercs too.

I traded him a '54 Corvette with a Buick engine straight across for a white '34 Ford Roadster with a Buick in IT! He drove the Corvette, never had it on the lot...Corvette was white, '57 Vette hubcaps.

He always dressed in slacks and black dress shirt, white tie. 35 or so, he looked like a cheap torpedo in expensive shoes, with a pencil-thin moustache!

[Curt]

He always dressed in slacks and black dress shirt, white tie. 35 or so, he looked like a cheap torpedo in expensive shoes, with a pencil-thin moustache!

Hey Uncle Mike, does this figure look like your smilin' Irishman?

[Robert81]

IMO this guy thinks he is a big shot, but dated. So he should drive something that was classy 20 years before your desired time period. It should look like it has no been cared for since new (read beater). Something odd that you would not see every day.

[bigphoto]

Do the Caddy man!!!! but you gotta have a set of steer horns on the front!!

[Uncle Mike]

Hey Uncle Mike, does this figure look like your smilin' Irishman?

Curt, you nailed him! Hair was a little thinner & darker, (but he COULD wear a toupee for those hard sales...) He was actually a nice guy, but 'sinister', like "muscle" in a '40s Film Noir...

Boy, I wish I had the foresight to have taken pics of the sign, and the lot...There were a couple of "Hot Rod" lots in the L.A. area, and this one was a knockoff of those.

We just didn't know a good thing when we had it! The Irishman wholesaled a channelled '32 Roadster to a bud of mine, it had a '52 Caddy in it, needed to be wired. Nick Morgado bought it for $300! I wired it.

Yes, it's being modeled as we speak, Monogram '32 Rdstr body, Art Anderson Resin frame...just like it was when Nick bought it, NOT flashy paint or new chrome.

I'm doing the "front row" of the car lot...some light poles, the 3/8" chain draped across, right in front of the '40 Coupes and all...

[Curt]

Curt, you nailed him! Hair was a little thinner & darker, (but he COULD wear a toupee for those hard sales...) He was actually a nice guy, but 'sinister', like "muscle" in a '40s Film Noir...

Boy, I wish I had the foresight to have taken pics of the sign, and the lot...There were a couple of "Hot Rod" lots in the L.A. area, and this one was a knockoff of those.

We just didn't know a good thing when we had it! The Irishman wholesaled a channelled '32 Roadster to a bud of mine, it had a '52 Caddy in it, needed to be wired. Nick Morgado bought it for $300! I wired it.

Yes, it's being modeled as we speak, Monogram '32 Rdstr body, Art Anderson Resin frame...just like it was when Nick bought it, NOT flashy paint or new chrome.

I'm doing the "front row" of the car lot...some light poles, the 3/8" chain draped across, right in front of the '40 Coupes and all...

You will have to post some pictures when you finish the front row of that lot. Gotta see that roadster...

[evilone]

HERES AN IDEA GO ALL OUT ON THE 59 CAD

A BLOWIN 454,CHOP TOP,MATT PAINT,HUGE SLICKS,ROLL CAGE ,AND A LOW LOW LOW LOW STANCE

HELL IT DOES'NT JUST BREAK THE NORM IT SHATTERS IT

[m408]

Sorry guys, got the used car lot done without the managers car. Pics in the diorama section. However, since all cars are movable, I could still add some obnoxious ride if I could find and build one.

[lorider]

Kind of a late reply...but how about an Edsel in pink and black?