Llife After Death: Northwestern Edition: Part V: American Ride(s)

In honor of Toby Kieth's latest hit (just kidding!), I bring to you American cars, that have taken their last ride. While I did spend much more time in the foreign section, I didn't overlook the American section. Divided into Ford, GM, Chrysler, and their respective trucks, the American section made up about half the yard. While most of the American cars did absolutely nothing for me (it was mainly comprised of later model (1989 to present) econoboxes in various states of wreckage), I did find a few that were interesting.

I usually would put Ford Rancheros in with the trucks, but I found it mixed in with the cars; this black and silver GT looked to be pretty intact. Granted it did have some crash damage, the trim looked pretty good. The GT decals and stripes were intact, too, suggesting that this example was pretty well taken care of, and not used as a truck. It's a shame to see such a decent example of a not often seen vehicle end up on death row.

Surprisingly, for the number of Fox body Mustangs built, there were only a scant few in the yard; this one was the only non-obliterated example to be found. Finished in maroon with velour interior and "luxury" wheelcovers, the buyer of this particular ponycar obviously was a more-mature type who preferred luxury over speed. Being a 1979 model, this car was a first-year model, meaning it could've suffered from first year problems. Knowing Idaho, though, it maybe overheated or something. This example, powered probably by a V6, shows. It showed none of the boy-racer wear and tear. It lacked any tasteless mods, and it was free of aftermarket parts in general. Now, I wouldn't feel so bad if this was a cookie-cutter '87-'93 model, but I don't see many early foxes. I honestly felt kinda bad for this poor Mustang. Like with many cars, I imagine what I'd do with them modification wise. With this one, however, I'd leave it stock as a rock, and try to keep it in decent condition.

This spotting was priceless. Not only is a Contour one of my least favorite Fords (except in SVT trim), it was riced-and primered. Might this tightness suggest someone was in the process of building a Contour "showcar"? Really? Of all the cars one could rice out, why a Contour? They weren't exactly fast, they definitely weren't in any way, shape or form, a sports sedan, and they certainly weren't known for their reliability. I didn't peek inside, so I can't verify if it had any "tight mods" inside, but I did notice whoever owned this once-tight ride made a vain attempt at installing mesh in the grille. However, even if it is residing in a automotive graveyard, it's one of those things you have to chuckle at.



In the midst of all the torn up Fords and Mercurys sat Lincoln row. I counted maybe 50 or 60 Lincoln of all various models and sizes, from these '70s vintages to a burned out 1993 or so Town Car. These big '70s Lincolns are my favorite bodystyle for Lincolns, period. While I love them in four-door guise, the seldom seen two-doors are that much cooler. These four-doors were basking in the Idaho sun for the last time, interior rotting and all. The two-door coupe likely suffered the same fate as its four-door cousin; off to the crusher it goes. Meanwhile, this '60s Continental was one of thankfully 3 or 4 '60s vintage Lincolns; at least those are being kept on the road long enough to avoid the crusher--for now.

Over in the GM side of the yard, most of the vehicles in stock were of the Corsica/Beretta and W body variety, with a side order of Grand Am Quad 4; again, nothing too special. The GM section did hold a few more surprises than the Ford section though. This '62 Buick sat amongst a plethora of boring, non-interesting GM crapboxes. Hiding between an '80s Century and a similar vintage W-Body Regal, this old fella captured my attention quickly. Like the majority of classics in the yard, this Buick sported tons of rust. Being a dry climate, the rust was only caked on the body. This thing is easily restorable. Granted, most Buick collectors will whine that it isn't a GSX or even a GS, it still could've been saved. Such a sad sight to see the "normal" classics disappearing.

Now I know what you're thinking; a J Body, why would you post this? Well, I like the first and second generation Js. With the fliplights, I think these notches look pretty cool. I don't really see any Sunbirds here in my neck of the woods, but I did see quite a few out in Idaho. This one with the new body and fliplight front end would be about a 1990 model. While it is 20 years old, it still looks relatively modern. Something that can't be said about the Lumina next to it, or that Cutlass Calais behind it. If this Sunbird was a GT, chances are it would've possibly had a Quad 4. Could that be the reason this once sporty Pontiac landed here?

Speaking of Cutlass Calais, I found one worthy of photographing; this model was a quite-rare International model, that probably came fully loaded when new. Unlike it's Pontiac Grand Am cousin, these compact Oldsmobiles were never very popular. Even when I was little, I saw way more Grand Ams than Cutlass Calais. However, I have always sort of liked these cars, particularly in two-door guise. I have no idea why though; they weren't sporty, they weren't fast, they weren't very luxurious, and they weren't really a standout car when new. I guess I'm just weird like that.

Lastly, we have this Geo Storm wagon. Quite the gas-miser, the Storm was introduced by Chevy's new Geo brand in 1989 as a 1990 model. In 1991, however, the Storm wagon was introduced. With only two years of production, the wagons are considerably more rare than a normal Geo Storm would be. Not selling as well as its stablemates, Prism and Tracker, any Storm is hard to find now, especially a wagon. I can only recall seeing one or two wagons here in Minnesota. Surprisingly, even in Kansas I don't think I've seen any. This one in the Idaho junkyard is the only one I've seen recently. It probably got sent off to die by now, which sucks cuz that means there's one less good-condition wagon.