Generally speaking, dog show people are pretty crazy. That said, I’m intrigued by their ability to to pick winners from disparate breeds. Does a really awesome Boxer beat out a really awesome Schnauzer? (yes). As far as I know there’s no pan-fruit competition where they have to pick between apples and kiwi. Anyway, today we’re doing just that: comparing two similar but different long roofs that are among the best of their breeds.
In one corner, we’ve got Pure ’70s: an olive green Vista Cruiser with a 455ci V8. In the other is the Travelall that helped establish International Harvester’s reputation as a builder of no-nonsense SUVs.
“Best of Breed” is probably a stretch once you look closely at this Oldsmobile (for truly world-class wagons, see Jim’s post here). The (probably original) paint’s decent, but has a few problem areas. The AC doesn’t work and the pictures reveal a modern stereo in the dash. That said, it’s miles ahead of most older battlewagons that worked their way through a series of increasingly neglectful or modification-inclined owners. Drop a few bucks at your favorite local body shop and get the rust patches dealt with. Drop a few more and get the AC serviced as needed. Then take out a second mortgage and fill that tank with premium.
It’s sitting at $3,300 as of this writing with a few days to go: [sc:ebay itemid=”321062232712″ linktext=”1971 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser” ]
As a guy stung twice by my own stupidity nice looking overpriced 4x4s, this ’65 International Harvester Travelall has me intrigued…and terrified. The spec sheet is impressive: 3/4 ton chassis with a 304ci V8 and 4-speed transmission. However, it’s the condition that drives the nails in my budget’s coffin. This thing appears to be impeccable. The interior’s clean and well sorted, the paint is flawless, and the shots of the engine show no signs of leaks or half-ass workarounds.
The price is clearly up in new(ish) car alternative territory: Buy it Now is $17,500. Ouch. [sc:ebay itemid=”121057690212″ linktext=”1965 International Travelall” ]
Makes our first Hooniverse Marketplace listing seem a little more reasonable.
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