Monday, April 26, 2010

Treasure Haulers

So, occasionally we get glimpses of the treasure haulin' vehicles of other bloggers, such as Mick's Lincoln (seen here) and Maria's Escape (seen here).  I'm of the opinion that a good vintage treasure huntin' person has to have a nice large treasure hauler.  After all, how are you going to get that beautiful piece of Heywood Wakefield, that Kroehler Chair, or that piece of Broyhill Brasilia home without something large to accommodate it?  So, in that spirit, today I am sharing my treasure haulin' kids.


First, you really need a nice big truck to get those big things.  Here's my 1992 Ford F150.  Like most of my possessions, this one was a bargain.  I have had it 2 years now, I had to put a new transmission in it, and I've put about four thousand miles on it.  He's also had new tires and motor work (it was a cheap truck after all) and it needs a little more work, but it runs pretty well, and since it's an extended cab, I can put all the big stuff in the bed and all the fragile stuff in the back seat.  I've had it pretty full before!

Now, my other treasure hauler, my car.  I kind of outgrew this a couple of years ago and so I got the truck.  No more calling Dad to come with the truck to pick stuff up.  Still, a nice big car is great for out of town trips and filling up with finds at that flea market that you just happen to come across on a trip somewhere.  My treasure haulin' car is...


...a 1996 Buick LeSabre.  She's got 52,000 original miles on her.  She's my daily commuting car, and for such a large car, gets amazing gas mileage.  I can take her out on the highway and get 29 to 30 miles per gallon out of it, and my usual combined mileage for city and commute driving is in the 25 miles per gallon range.  My little Grand Am's didn't do any better than that, and they were smaller with 4 cylinder motors.  I've always been a fan of the big, full size car.  I prefer rear wheel drive, actually, but the LeSabre is a front driver.  Incredibly comfortable, she floats down the road, having that classic boulevard ride that was once a signature of American cars, you barely feel a bump in the road.  Add an interior that is about the same as two sofas, and you have a great road trip car.  A good thing, too, as it's going to Texas and Colorado this summer!  My great aunt and uncle bought this new in 1996 and when I bought it from my great aunt when she went in to assisted living 2 years ago, it has 26,000 miles on it.  An average of just over 2,000 miles per year up to that point!

So, what's your treasure hauler?

6 comments:

  1. Had two Buick Le Sabres, best cars I ever had! I fit all kinds of finds in the back seat, the trunk, draped over front to back and reclining in the passenger seat lol... That's how I got my 1950's B&W TV home with me...

    Saw an older fellow driving an original 1950's Rambler the other day. I was sooo tempted to ask him if he would trade cars with me ha! I need a 1950's car to go with my 1950's house. =)

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  2. Hi. We have a 2001 Ford Ranger with a topper on the back. The topper is great for keeping things dry. Some things are too tall or big to fit inside the topper, of course, so, we just make it a point to shop for things that will fit!

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  3. You'd be surprised what you can fit in a 1984 Lincolin Towncar... My record to date is a fridge, a full size be (box springs, matress and frame) and a wing chair. 1 trip nothing strapped to the roof... Iv also carried 4 saw horses and a 1948 coke box at the same time haha and countless lawn chairs!

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  4. Thanks for the idea Michael- I posted about our treasure hauler over on Practice in Time. Gotta give some love to the Chevy!

    http://practiceintime.blogspot.com/

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  5. My treasure hauler was *sniff, sniff* an 85' Chevy Scottsdale. I got it for $500 with a rebuilt transmission and all new brakes, and that thing could tow and haul ANYTHING. I say was because this past weekend she passed on to the big junkyard in the sky (during the Shasta trip I just posted about)... All I can say is in the week since she's left me, I've boughten a fridge and a huge TV, and sorely miss her!!

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  6. I picked up my F150 in June 2008 for $675, supposedly had a bod motor. Motor wasn't bad, just had a lifter rattling. Got that fixed, and the tranny went out. $400 for a used E4OD, another $500 for the beautiful BF Goodrich Radial TA tires (the original TA style - I just had to have them for some reason) - by the time everything was done, I've got about $2000 invested in her. She's gonna need a set of ball joints before too long and an alignment though, so she's just used around town mostly until I get that done.

    Having the truck sure makes life a lot easier! Much of the furniture in my living room and the 1968 RCA console stereo in my dining room have made their way to the Shack in this truck.

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