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Detroit, 3:58 PM
Fri Dec 11
28 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of KillerBRacer KillerBRacer
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    @ 3:30, there looks to be an IH Pickup. Brings back memories with the alligator clips hooked to the boom box on I-80. Good times.

    Man, I miss seeing cars and trucks with wing windows. Heck, I miss cars and trucks. Everything is an SUV or a Caddy with a bed these days.

    Save the wing windows.
     Reply
    KillerBRacer was starred KillerBRacer was unstarred
    Image of If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    Oh my God, it's the voice of Murilee!

    You know, I think the best part of this is that, aside from the newer cars outside, there's no way you'd know this wasn't from the early '70s...the Nova, the Dead on tape, the whole Richard Manuel look that Murilee's got going and his hippie buddy's Chuck Taylors...all very not 1991. I dig it.

    Oh, by the way Murilee when are we going to get a complete list of all the cool beaters you've had over the years? Your automotive history seems to be pure gold and you've been teasing us for ages.
     Reply
    If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was starred If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was unstarred
    Image of that ain't the way to have fun, son that ain't the way to have fun, son
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    Murilee, I'm not laughing at you, but the restart required after enganging reverse is perfect!

    Also, it's nice to hear real car door noises on film.
     Reply
    that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
    Image of LTDScott LTDScott
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    This must have been late '91 as I saw a 1992 Taurus in the video.
     Reply
    LTDScott was starred LTDScott was unstarred
    Image of LTDScott LTDScott
    12/06/09

    @LTDScott: And it's funny to think that a car of the same age today would be a 1994 model. I think there was a big difference between reliability of 1976 and 1991 cars, but not so much between 1994 and 2009 cars.
     Reply
    LTDScott was starred LTDScott was unstarred
    Image of Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    Duffel bag full of cassette tapes - now that is a memory. Bravo to the auto-auteur.
     Reply
    Novaload promoted this comment Lorem Ipsum was starred Lorem Ipsum was unstarred
    Image of discontinuuity is tentatively testing the waters of Murlopnik Weekend before plunging again into the fridgid waters that are Jalopnik proper discontinuuity is tentatively testing the waters of Murlopnik Weekend before plunging again into the fridgid waters that are Jalopnik proper
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    GM Dustbuster minivan? What were my grandparents doing in Reno in 1991?
     Reply
    discontinuuity is tentatively testing the waters of Murlopnik Weekend before plunging again into the fridgid waters that are Jalopnik proper was starred discontinuuity is tentatively testing the waters of Murlopnik Weekend before plunging again into the fridgid waters that are Jalopnik proper was unstarred
    Image of Novaload Novaload
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    Does Beercheck know about this Nova?

    Also at 2:16, what is that light blue metallic car? At first I thought it was a 60 Merc, but then maybe 64 Bonneville?
     Reply
    Novaload was starred Novaload was unstarred
    Image of Number_Six Number_Six
    12/06/09

    @Novaload: 65 Galaxie coupe?
     Reply
    Number_Six was starred Number_Six was unstarred
    Image of Smells_Homeless Smells_Homeless
    12/06/09

    @Novaload: Definitely 63-64 Pontiac. Hard to tell which model, but it seems GP-ish.
     Reply
    Novaload promoted this comment Smells_Homeless was starred Smells_Homeless was unstarred
    Image of DoctorNine DoctorNine
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    California is the edge of an American desert, in both literal and figurative terms, that is poised breathlessly above the largest ocean on the planet. The Pacific looms, cold and welcoming, after the miles of parched redness to the east. It sits placid, Pacific; inviting the final plunge, which sooner or later will quench the desert's dusty longing. It is Hope: the promise of release, the end of many journeys, the seeding of driest emptiness, with myriad primordial fecundity.

    This is why it beckons.

    Beyond the mountains, Nevada sits. A way station on the path to the promised land, it collects cast-off bits of flotsam; animate and inanimate, which failed of their destination, or finding it, were cast back into the desert, like a wave picks up a log and hurls it back into the sand along the beach.

    Finding a vehicle, in both literal and figurative terms, the journey back from California to Nevada, reflects one's original trek. Like recursive dreams that fold back into distorted remembrance of the day, we open the door, push back the seat, and fold ourselves into the past. The Chevy. The Nova.

    "No va, senor..." But, surprisingly, it starts, it moves. And compels us to ride. Into the past. Into the desert.

    There, its mysterious inner mechanical workings, born of another hope and dream, in a more temperate and greener childhood, in both literal and figurative terms, slowly play out. Time, time, time. With enough inertia, it keeps rolling. The car. The desert. The dreams...
     Reply
    DoctorNine was starred DoctorNine was unstarred
    Image of skitter skitter
    12/06/09

    @DoctorNine: COTD.
     Reply
    skitter was starred skitter was unstarred
    Image of geschmidtt geschmidtt
    12/06/09

    Spoken in a far clearer and deeper voice then William S. Burroughs, who plunged through and out the primordial wastes and detritus of the American frontier. Absolutely COTD!
     Reply
    Murilee Martin promoted this comment geschmidtt was starred geschmidtt was unstarred
    Image of Murilee Martin Murilee Martin
    12/06/09

    @geschmidtt: It's pretty easy to speak in a clearer voice than that old literary hustler, Burroughs; in my opinion, the only works of his worth reading are the crypto-memoirs Junky and Queer.
     Reply
    Murilee Martin was starred Murilee Martin was unstarred
    Image of DoctorNine DoctorNine
    12/06/09

    @Murilee Martin: I rather liked Naked Lunch. But Burroughs was indeed a hustler. The whole of the Beat Generation was over-hyped generally. Although, I think they just viewed the literary success as comedy, pulling The Man's leg. Inside humor and scat.
     Reply
    DoctorNine was starred DoctorNine was unstarred
    Image of Murilee Martin Murilee Martin
    12/07/09

    @DoctorNine: Don't get me started on the fucking Beats. American literature will take centuries to recover from the damage.
     Reply
    Murilee Martin was starred Murilee Martin was unstarred
    Image of Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est
    12/07/09

    @DoctorNine: @Murilee Martin: I a very glad to know I'm not the only person who finds the Beats overly ballyhooed. Hustlers indeed.
     Reply
    Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est was starred Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est was unstarred
    Image of Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
    12/07/09

    @Murilee Martin: Ol' WSB was a distant relation, and we never met, probably I'm all the better for it. I don't think he was much of a car guy.

    His work was very uneven, but even in some of the worse stuff there are nuggets to be found. I don't think he was really a long-form artist, aside from his life and persona. Some things, like his shotgun paintings are just awful, but you have to admire his enthusiasm to experiment and shock.

    Much of his work sits better taken as comedy and in small doses. That way, when you get to his really pithy stuff, it rings clearer.
     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was starred Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was unstarred
    Image of Murilee Martin Murilee Martin
    12/07/09

    @Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet: Check out this book to see where Burroughs got his early inspiration.

    I agree that you can find good stuff in WSB's more self-indulgent works (e.g., Naked Lunch, The Last Words Of Dutch Schultz, The Ticket That Exploded), but for the most part he was doing a schtick that got tedious in a hurry.
     Reply
    Murilee Martin was starred Murilee Martin was unstarred
    Image of MushyHeirloom MushyHeirloom
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    "We don't have much in the way of brakes right now"?

    Well, it was a Nova.
     Reply
    MushyHeirloom was starred MushyHeirloom was unstarred
    Image of jcd302 jcd302
    12/06/09

    @MushyHeirloom: Looks like not much in the way of shocks either.
     Reply
    Murilee Martin promoted this comment jcd302 was starred jcd302 was unstarred
    Image of Murilee Martin Murilee Martin
    12/06/09

    @jcd302: 100 bucks! Whaddya want, safety and comfort at that price?
     Reply
    Murilee Martin was starred Murilee Martin was unstarred
    Image of that ain't the way to have fun, son that ain't the way to have fun, son
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    Dude, well done!

    I have to admit, the few times I've been to Reno, it's never struck me as having aged well...like most of those who live there.
     Reply
    that ain't the way to have fun, son was starred that ain't the way to have fun, son was unstarred
    Image of Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    If you get close to your monitor, squint, and look extra hard, you can see me standing on my chair, whooping and hollering and clapping my hands over my head. Bravo, you, sir, are an auteur. The vacuity of existence, the doleur and ennui of a world where the day is drained of coleur, the mise en kaleidoscope that exposes la deranger de l'existence universale et mondain. L'etranger c'est moi, c'est ci tout!

    Now, who do I have to screw to get on the guest list for your retrospective screening?

    Amazing that GM never did figure out how to keep those plastic rub strips glued onto the side of the car. You absolutely could not kill those Novas. I know, we tried.
     Reply
    Edited by Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet at 12/06/09 3:46 PM Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was starred Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was unstarred
    Image of Murilee Martin Murilee Martin
    12/06/09

    @Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet: The subsequent history of this Nova gets pretty entertaining. I'll have to write it up in a future post.
     Reply
    Murilee Martin was starred Murilee Martin was unstarred
    Image of BRAWNDO_POWERED BRAWNDO_POWERED
    12/06/09

    @Murilee Martin: Could you post it tomorrow? I'd much rather read about that than the three-day unveiling of some new crossover.
     Reply
    Murilee Martin promoted this comment BRAWNDO_POWERED was starred BRAWNDO_POWERED was unstarred
    Image of Murilee Martin Murilee Martin
    12/06/09

    @BRAWNDO_POWERED: Hey, we need to cover the 2009 car industry in addition to this stuff!
     Reply
    Murilee Martin was starred Murilee Martin was unstarred
    Image of BRAWNDO_POWERED BRAWNDO_POWERED
    12/06/09

    @Murilee Martin: Of course, but can't we just tone some of them down a bit? I remember we had 5 POSTS on a single day about the Toyota Prius, then another 5 about the Camaro. It would be like the old nightly news, 15 minutes of the days events.
     Reply
    BRAWNDO_POWERED was starred BRAWNDO_POWERED was unstarred
    Image of Murilee Martin Murilee Martin
    12/06/09

    @BRAWNDO_POWERED: I don't envy the weekday guys the job of trying to keep up with the breaking news. Someone's gotta do it, though.
     Reply
    Murilee Martin was starred Murilee Martin was unstarred
    Image of Murilee Martin Murilee Martin
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    Note the crucial-for-any-road-trip transferring of cassettes from back seat to center console at 1:10.
     Reply
    Edited by Murilee Martin at 12/06/09 3:40 PM Murilee Martin was starred Murilee Martin was unstarred
    Image of MushyHeirloom MushyHeirloom
    12/06/09

    @Murilee Martin: A sound I know well - we still haven't owned a car with a CD player.
     Reply
    MushyHeirloom was starred MushyHeirloom was unstarred
    Image of Number_Six Number_Six
    12/06/09

    @Murilee Martin: For me that was by far the most evocative moment.

    Overall I got a feeling of MST3000, directed by Wim Wenders.
     Reply
    Number_Six was starred Number_Six was unstarred
    Image of DoctorNine DoctorNine
    12/06/09

    @Number_Six: Well, if it isn't 'Kings of the Road', at least it's 'Jacks of the Parking Garage'.
     Reply
    DoctorNine was starred DoctorNine was unstarred
    Image of Paul Y. can't get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp Paul Y. can't get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    Murilee, you never cease to amaze me with the life you've led.
     Reply
    Paul Y. can't get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp was starred Paul Y. can't get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp was unstarred
    Image of dwegmull comments for the purpose of obscurity dwegmull comments for the purpose of obscurity
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    Fear and Loathing in Reno.
     Reply
    dwegmull comments for the purpose of obscurity was starred dwegmull comments for the purpose of obscurity was unstarred
    Image of Maxichamp Maxichamp
    12/06/09

    In reply to Relive The Joys Of '76 Chevy Nova Beater Ownership, 1991 Reno Parking Garage Style!
    It's hard to imagine that people actually bought some of those cars, new.

    QOTD: What car-related item would you bury in a time capsule?
     Reply
    Maxichamp was starred Maxichamp was unstarred
    Image of dead_elvis dead_elvis
    12/06/09

    @Maxichamp: Dead hookers, of course!
     Reply
    Maxichamp promoted this comment dead_elvis was starred dead_elvis was unstarred
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