Hammer Time: From Old Caddys to VW Crusher Fodder, Steve Lang's Best of 2015
Would you visit a hotel that rents its rooms by the hour to see a 36-year-old Cadillac with a wrench sticking straight out of the carb?
That old-school Caddy — a 1979 Cadillac Deville D’Elegance — had pretty much popped straight out of Craigslist while I was eating some hashbrowns at a nearby Waffle House. About an hour after I first saw it, I bought it for $500. TTAC compatriot W. Christian “Mental” Ward even helped me drive it off to my dealership.
It was pretty beat up, but the Caddy could still maybe, kinda, sorta play the part of a “Goodfellas” Cadillac if you were far enough away from it. Maybe 50 feet. Maybe 150 feet with a really old pair of eyeglasses.
Between seeing a nice thick solid line of fuel sputtering out of the Cadillac’s tailpipe off Highway 278 and watching its body bounce like a pinata at a kid’s birthday party, I decided to do something.
I decided to write for TTAC again.
A few days later, I was at a shoot for the hit show “ Halt And Catch Fire.” They needed an SUV that wasn’t white, red, or black. Picky, picky! But hey, my Jeep was gifted a ’90s-era forest green shade from the factory, so apparently that was the perfect Clinton-era color for them.
I parked the Jeep along with the Caddy, ate some free buffet food, and typed up my first article of 2015 while observing everyone casually ignore my two vehicles for 10 hours straight. The next day was more of the same, so I wrote the draft for “ Where Have All The Clinton Era Cars Gone?” while glancing at my wife who was already on her second Dean Koontz novel.
Over the last six months, there have been two tons of surprises beyond the old cars and the new industry trends, which I often get to see firsthand. My favorite article to write didn’t hit the clicks I’d expected it to, but nearly everything else I wrote did incredibly well. Since I have only written about 20 articles in 2015, I figure why not just post them below and let the readers decide. Besides, I’m sick at the present moment and can type about as well as I can tap dance.
I’ll give it a few themes to make your browsing easier.
At The Auction
Hammer Time: Can A 1994 Dodge Viper Bite You In The Ass?
The Front Lines
Hammer Time: Why Cheap Cars Don’t Sell
Why Would Anyone Ever Recommend The Dodge Journey
Is America’s Last $15,000 Midsize Sedan Worth It?
If you don’t want to go through that list, just click here and read away. I’ll even throw in a bonus. For one weekend only, I’ll actually have the time to read and respond to all the readers here. We’re in the thick of ‘tax season’ at the auctions and the prices are too high for me to do my usual rounds. So if you ever wanted to ask me, “Where’s the cheapest place I can buy a Suzuki Kizashi?” — this is your chance. The answer to that question can likely be found here.
All the best!
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The Chrysler 300 is perhaps the best big 3 made car. Fast even in v6 trip. solid. roomy good looking good value. REAR DRIVE !!!! LOVE. (Eeewwww. 2 inches of snow. I cant head out. I need AWD.)
Thank you, Steve for a great series of articles. Please keep them coming!