Yesterday we talked about the best dealer-derived special editions there have been, and today we want to look at the flip side of that coin, and ask what in your opinion has been the worst. There have been turbo Pangras (not that bad), Camaro Firebreathers (yeah, pretty bad), and… well, you tell us. What do you think is history’s worst dealer-created special edition?
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Hooniverse Asks: What's Been the Worst Dealer Special Edition Ever?
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30 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: What's Been the Worst Dealer Special Edition Ever?”
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Maybe not the worst, but I remember going to a Chevy dealership in the 80’s, when the square-body half ton trucks were still in production. They had a custom extended cab truck for sale. Keep in mind that Ford and Dodge had production extended cabs for sale at the time, but GM didn’t. A fully loaded truck from either of those brands was $20K, and that’s if you got the rustproofing and fabric protection and other dealer add-ons.
The stretched Chevy was $30K, starting with a $16K MSRP regular cab truck. Other than the stretch and a back seat, the extra $14K didn’t really get you anything else. Just a longer truck for someone who needed a bowtie. -
In the early 90’s the local Caddy dealer had one white Eldorado. I think it was that time when they were trying to be “euro” with the monochrome look. In any case, the dealer slapped a GT sticker from the 1989 Escort GT. Maybe $600 to the price? Yes, it was a “dealer edition” on the sticker.
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In the late 1980s/early 1990s before GM realized that they could charge $40k+ for a pickup truck Choo Choo Custom Silverados seemed to be everywhere. They are not aged well at all. It usually consisted of a cheap aero kit, a blended paint job, and crappy plywood accents on the interior.
http://images.mautofied.com/adphotos/10197314_2011111191645.jpg -
Any dealer that adds a fake convertible top to a car that doesn’t have chrome bumpers. Usually accompanied by whitewall tires too.
http://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/09/nissan-altima-2003.jpg-
Yes. Some men apparently just want to watch the world burn…
https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/p4WFKYGOh4b3ENpPVfFkzg–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9NjMwO2g9MzU0O2lsPXBsYW5l/http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/motoramic/cady2.jpg-
For the retired HipHopper in Hialeah, FL
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Cadillac should start taking back dealership licences.
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…marketed in Delray Beach, FL to Connecticut-native retirees.
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I was trying to recall yesterday (and now again this morning) but can’t seem to find a pic at all.
Anyways, back in the early 1990’s, around the Detroit Lakes, Fargo, Bemidji areas of MN/ND there were a few dealers offering a special “Z” GMC – possibly in connection with Zorbaz restaurants or We-Fest. They were nothing but base SLEs (4.3L, 2wd, steel wheels, no power anything) but they added these hideous, gaudy, Yellow and Red z stripes. All the trucks I can recall were either bright red or blue. Wish I could find a picture, but maybe for the good of humanity they’ve been completely purged from existence other than a stain in my own mind.-
Sounds like a fleet economy special, with some extra graphic flair so buyers wouldn’t feel like they owned a school district maintenance vehicle.
If you were enough of a cheapskate to buy one of these as a new vehicle, would you actually pony up a few extra bucks for film and processing to remember your “special” vehicle? -
I’m kind of glad I don’t remember those. The formula sounds like one the Fargo Ford dealer was doing when I moved to ND in 2004 – taking 2WD F-150 XL regular cabs, installing a few aftermarket items and adding a decal saying “Lakes Edition” or some such thing.
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Not sure if this was a dealer special but the Dodge dealer in Bellevue, WA had several of these on the lot in the late 70’s/early 80s…
This Six Wheel Dodge Pleasure Palace Could Be All Yours For Just $3,000!
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Back in the 90’s there was a used car dealer in Renton that had a Dodge van with the tandem axle set up. He had it in the front corner of the lot for years. On the one hand I thought it was a one off, but the full windows and lack of crazy graphics didn’t fit the mold of other tandem axle vans I’ve seen.
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Did they make those because Dodge didn’t make these?
http://bangshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/coach2.jpg-
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Yes, I’ve seen Larry Shinoda’s little masterpiece before. 🙂
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Utterly unremarkable once you remove the unavailable accessories.
http://bitcast-a.v1.sjc1.bitgravity.com/wapitltd/images2/590000/2000/100/592150.jpg
Oh I dunno…How about the Galpin Motors flying Pinto? All it did was kill you. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/82db485cabf4f2ed3752335d1e5b73a83c221641404b8ef51fbedeb2dc39b859.jpg
In December of ’83 my father was looking to buy a new 1984 BMW 733i. Braman in Lake Worth, FL had advertised a 733i with $15,000 off the sticker. If it sounds too good to be true… We called and it ended up being a dealer-created Gucci model that was priced close to $60K. The salesman on the phone described it as having a Gucci vinyl roof, Gucci upholstery and a few other unique touches (probably gold trim everywhere). Braman always had Gucci Cadillacs with those add-ons and they were hideous. Obviously they only converted one 733i and it never sold. We ended up buying a regular loaded 733i that had just arrived for a hair under $38K (sticker was $43K) at the same dealership the following week.
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