More cold, but more cars.
Continuing on with the trend of old service vehicles, here is a late '90s Chevy S-10 Blazer seen frequently around campus.
Another drive-by shot in reverse. This car was spotted along the same stretch of road that I saw the Reatta back in Fall of '21.
Nothing too special here, unless you consider how scarce P-71 Crown Vics are starting to become. Yes, you can usually find about 5 of them on CL or FB at a given time, they're usually modded or worn-out examples. In a few more years, there won't be too many of these old barges left. That's why I decided to photograph this one through the window of the Tiger Transit bus.
This was spotted at Union Station on my way back from Connecticut to school. It had started snowing out, so that snow you see is fresh. This is an EMD GP-40, a diesel engine with 16 cylinders producing 3000 horsepower! This is a 1971 GP40, and one of the last ones produced before EMD phased them out of production. This locomotive holds some history. It was originally in service by the New Haven railroad towards the very end of the NH railroads life, and kept in New haven colors until 2018 when it was repainted in the CT Rail colors you see here. The New Haven railroad merged with Penn Central railroad on the eve of 1969, as both railroads were a financial mess. In the '70s the New Haven corporate entity stuck around to receive payment from Penn Central for their assets. In the late '70s portions of the railroad were sold to Amtrak, and Conrail obtained power of the railroad in 1976, before going defunct in 1999 and becoming the CSX line. CTrail repainted the engines in the original black, white, and orange New Haven colors, and in 2018, they repainted them in the CTrail livery seen here.
To see the changes and read more about the history of this locomotive, visit this link: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locopicture.aspx?id=41884
Once again, we have a late model Saab 9-3 Aero. A 9-3 Aero spotting is always welcomed here on ONEC. I spotted this out getting Chic-Fil-A one Friday afternoon.
This car appeared one day on Nassau Street as I was taking a bike I'd repaired on a test ride. I caught the car out of the corner of my eye as I rode past and had to do a double-take. No, my eyes weren't fooling me. No, this wasn't a 2000s-era Beetle. This was the real deal. If this were 30-40 years ago, this little bug wouldn't be anything special (unless you're a fan of fog lights). Now, times have changed, and the once-ubiquitous People's Car has all but faded from the roads. Despite the euro plate, this is indeed an export left-hand drive car.
This old Volvo brick was spotted on the move in the Attleboro area on I-95 on a trip to Boston. We were looking at schools for my sister, while I would end up spending time walking around the city and going to music shops. This 240 seems to be in the condition we find most of them in on here: worn out but still working hard. The Volvo 240 will out live us all.
A street parked MGB! This was spotted on Boylston Ave in Boston, which is the area close to Fenway Park. It was parked at some apartments, it looks to be a daily driver given the season I found this in. I'm really glad to see this being kept alive.
One of the last great BMWs! The 7 Series BMWs were peak luxury in the 1990s. If you owned one of these, you caught everyone's attention as you rolled by. These often came standard with BMW V8 engines, like this one, but if you had the 750i, you got the V12. Many regard these as some of the best BMWs ever made.
This might be the cleanest 9-5 I've ever seen. I spotted this on a walk around campus, and wow, this was a nice Saab. I really wish I met the owner because I love this car. The 2004 to '05 9-5 Aeros are easily distinguishable from other 9-5s of this era. They came with the "shark tooth" front bumper you can see on this car and most of them came in the silver paint like this car. If you want to see a great example of an early 2000s Saab, look no further.
More K-Car amazingness! While technically not on campus, it was close by, and I was able to check it out. This has been parked in this spot since I started at URI, and hasn't moved. It clearly is a survivor car and I'm glad it lives to tell the tale. It looks to be pretty well maintained too. I hope to see it on the road.
Update: The K-Car has disappeared or moved!
I decided to include these extra photos of the front and rear of the car. I never see a K-Car as nice as this one, so I made sure to document the experience with as much photos as possible.
This is one beat up Saab. It's also a less common 9-3 wagon equipped with a 5 speed manual. It's no secret that I love the 9-3 wagon body style, but with manual, it makes it even better. Also, check out that Chevy Lumina still kicking in front of it. NICE!
I was so glad to see this in the staff lot. I have to say, this is definitely one of the nicer looking 300D's I've seen. Most of what I see are pretty worn out, but they do run forever. I think what makes this old diesel tank even better is the Bernie Sanders sticker on it. I'd expect a diesel powered car to be the last place I'd find one. Then again, I've never seen one on a lifted Dodge Ram, but as they say, there's a first for everything.
I would love to sit down and talk with the owner of this car. The Ford Probe is easily one of the most forgotten about cars of the '90s, and you often never see them. Despite this, I think they're one of the coolest looking cars the US ever built during this era. Unfortunately, its Japanese and European competitors overshadowed it, and the Probe didn't sell that great. I'm really glad to see this still running!
Above: (3/2/22) - 1996 Volvo 850 GLT Sportswagon on Flagg Rd. (David)
A cool boxy era Volvo. I've always liked these '90s Volvo wagons, except I can't really nail down exactly what it is I like about them, similar to the 240. I guess they're just visually appealing cars in some way.
YES! Another one!
This is a very early first gen Tacoma, and it is the definition of daily driver. It may look beat up, but it still never fails to start up and go. It's no secret that this truck is one of the best ever made.
Like the E34 touring model, the E39 is also pretty uncommon. The E39 was produced from 1995 to '04, with the estate/wagon entering production in '96. These are some of the most popular 5 series, with many BMW enthusiasts regarding them as one of the best models the brand ever put out. The E39 M5 is also regarded as one of the best performing and greatest sports sedans of all time. Although this E39 looks sloppy covered in road salt, it holds quite a legacy.
NICE! A Volvo 240 in the faculty lot! Someone knows the greatness of these old Swedish tanks!
I was quite excited to see a 9-5 wagon in the parking lot at URI. These 9-5 wagons are slightly less common to see on the road than their 9-3 relatives, making them pretty nice to see on the road on rare occasions.