Want to buy a Lark! Please help...

[MyStude_Baker]

I've been looking at quite a few Larks lately. Most are in good condition and the prices are fantastic. I've been trying to convince my wife that a Lark is the car we need to get, but she's not that committed yet. Can someone help me convince her about how truly great a Lark is to drive by giving me some of your experiences. Thanks in advance.

Glenn

1951 Commander Land cruiser

[HawkGT]

Glenn -- I had a '63 Cruiser for 6 years, drove it over 50,000 miles with only maintenance expenses; only significant repair was a valve job at about 90,000 miles. I'd still have it but for the accident that made it too hard to fix. My wife liked the car too after she got used to it, but she liked it better after I lowered the steering wheel and raised the front seat, since she is only 5' 1" tall. Good, dependable car!

Gene Nagle
1963 Hawk R1

[edpjr]

I had a '59 Lark 2 dr HT auto V-8 4bbl with dual exhausts from 1974 to 1981. It was a delightful car. I got it from a spinster school teacher who bought it brand new. It only had 50K miles when I bought it for $275. It ran well, was dependable and had alot of power. Since it was jet-black with a red interior, people complimented it frequently. I sold it to friend when I moved to a different town. He later got married and took his new bride on their honeymoon in the car. Now I have a '66 Commander 4-dr 6 cyl 3-spd and a '63 R2 Avanti. My only advice is to buy a Lark that's already in nice cosmetic and mechanical condition. Else it will cost a lot to fix it up the way you'll want it. For more info, see my post; "one man's saga of fixing up an Avanti." Good luck!

[maxpower1954]

I had a 1960 Lark VIII four-door Regal 259 auto I found abandoned in a barn since 1975 in 1990. 45,000 miles in amazing original condition, no rust to speak of.

I paid 600 bucks for it, dragged it home and had it running within two hours! Went thru everthing like brakes, ect. On the way home from a meet my wife lost control of it in an emergency stop while following me in the GT, left the road and hit a fence post - no one hurt but now I had to make a decision - sell or completely restore it! Short version - I completely re-did the car using NOS parts including much of the interior from Newman and Altman (SASCO now) and won a first place in the Lark class at the 1992 Nashville International. Sold it when I bought my Avanti
a few years later.

That's the only Studebaker I ever sold that I still miss...I'd buy it back in a heartbeart. I'm looking for another myself right now. Not to catch any flak, but the Lark is IMHO the finest car Studebaker ever built, from a reliability, drivieabilty and maintainance point of view. Find the nicest one you can, the 63 and 64s are the best of the breed but I love them all, including the 66 Cruiser I drove daily for 4-5 years. Russ Farris

[jimmijim8]

Great Cars. Best riding and most liked by me is the 63-64 Cruiser with PB and PS. Any Lark type for that matter with V8, PS, PB, and air would be nice. Buy a nice one cheaper than you can build one. You can buy a nice one for 3500$ and up. John Poulos knows of a nice one for 4000$. JDP is his forum name. jimmijim

[clonelark]

Your picking a great driver, no matter the body style 2 or 4 doors, and a wagon would be handy also.

[Warren Webb]

Even though my Lark is far from a show winner, every time I take it out on the road there are waves & smiles from others, so the satisfaction & pride are a real plus. It had a part in winning the heart of my wife & now she enjoys driving it almost as much as me. Easy to work on, parts are easy to get, dependable, other than rust, its a pretty indistructable car, & the rust issue can be handled easily now with modern coatings.

60 Lark convertible
61 Champ
62 Daytona convertible
63 G.T. R-2,4 speed
63 Avanti (2)
66 Daytona Sport Sedan

[studegary]

I have owned MANY Larks and Lark-types from 1959-1964 models and worked on many more.
I strongly recommend going with a V8 in an original V8 car.
How about the 1963 for sale in another topic on this same Forum section?

Gary L.
Wappinger, NY

SDC member since 1968
Studebaker enthusiast much longer

[studeclunker]

I'm not sure where California City is located, however there's a nice '63 Cruiser in Pasadena for a good price. You can access the thread here:

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=31548&SearchTerms=cruiser

the CraigsList ad has expired however, I'll look in my mailbox and see if I can get their phone number for you. The ShutterFly links are still working and the pictures are still available. It looks to be a nice car.

The owner's name is Jim and here's his number:

(626) 578-9096 (work)
(909) 538-1102 (cell)



Home of the famous Mr. Ed!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith
Where the heck is Lewiston, CA?

[StudeDave57]

California City is located to the northeast of Mojave, CA.
(maybe 60 miles or so north of LA)


StudeDave '57 [8D]

[studegary]

I should have looked where he is located before posting. With him in California, I would not recommend the '63 or the '66 currently for sale in New York State on this part of the Forum.

Gary L.
Wappinger, NY

SDC member since 1968
Studebaker enthusiast much longer

[tutone63]

I have a question...Has she seen a Lark in person, up close? I have a small story here, and I can't say that my results will resemble yours. But when I heard that a friend of mine had a Lark for sale, I told my wife about it. She looked at me and said "What's a Studebaker?" I told her she would just have to see it for herself. Well, she did, and her first response was "oh! Its so cute!" We test drove it, and she told me that, even though she wasn't that into classic cars, she saw how much I lit up around it, and since it was a "really, really cute car" she gave me her blessing on the purchase. We have been driving it for about three years now. She is currently waiting brake pad replacement and some suspension work, but that is regular stuff with any old car. Ours has 98,000 miles on the original drivetrain and that engine still runs like a top! Very stout, good riding, fun driving cars. I would recommend them to anyone considering a compact classic car (decent mileage, too) I would DEFINETLY recommend a Lark over a Corvair, Valiant, or Falcon.

One of my favorite things in our Lark is the headroom and legroom. Even in the back seat. I am 6'2" and driving that car is a breeze for me, and my wife is 5'2" and she has no problem driving it either! (obviously once the seat is moved up!) I have packed 6 people comfortably in it for short road trips, and on long road trips it is one of the few cars with a seat comfortable enough not to give me lower back pain. All in all, great cars!

Another word of praise for my lark. VISABILITY! (the ability to see around you as you are driving, I had to clarify because most people are going to see a Lark driving around whether you notice them or not!) Even though she is a 63 (I have heard the earlier models have even better visability) It has better visability than any car I have yet driven. It is especially noticable when I go from my mother in laws 2009 Hyundai to the Lark. It is like someone opened the windows!

Okay, I think I am done...whew!




1963 Lark, 259 V8, two-tone paint, Twin Traction. Driven often, always noticed!

[Steve T]

Second that, bigtime, on the visibility from a Lark. Compared to any of the modern stuff I've driven, my Lark (a '62 2dr post) is like driving something with a bubble canopy...or maybe a convertible with the top down! I'm constantly amazed with the view to the rear. Car design has gone full speed astern in the decades since, from that standpoint anyway.

Whether you want to hold out for a V8 or can settle for a six would depend on the sort of driving you'll mainly be doing. Around town to cruises and the like, a six (mine's a 169ci OHV auto) is just fine, and quite good on gas to boot; however I don't often take my Lark on expressways, she just isn't really happy above 60mph. (She'll go those speeds, but doesn't seem to enjoy it...)

But what I call "the fun quotient" is just incredibly high with the Lark...plenty of "silly grins per dollar" might be one way of measuring it. If I were entering this field over again, would I still pick a Lark? Yep. Absolutely. Not only do you get a cost-effective, practical, and unusual classic...you also end up falling in with this sterling community. Taken together, that's one well-iced cake...

Keep us posted (photographically and otherwise) on your Lark hunt!

Cheers

S.

[rockne10]

I drove Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, Fords and Plymouths. I got my Grandfather's Lark when he passed away. When it suffered an unfortunate end, I went looking for another Lark. When the rust belt salt took its toll on that one I landed a '63 Cruiser. It makes no sense to put yourself through the suffering required to own anything but a Lark.

[studeclunker]

Now, now, Brad. My Bess might not like that last comment.[B)] Though the Daytona twins might get smug about it and offend Bess even more.

I too like the Larks. However, I'm a touch over 6'2" and the Lark is a bit small. Not uncomfortably so, however, I get the feeling of sitting on the floor in their seats. They have a no-nonsense quality about them that's really... well, it kinda reels you in. Know what I mean? I really like the more upright seating position of the fifties and older cars though. The upholstry is deeper and more supportive. I can't wait to drive Bess again!

Oh, thanks, Dave. Yeah, MapQuest shows him to be not too very far from Pasadena. Certainly not next door, still, close enough.


Home of the famous Mr. Ed!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith
Where the heck is Lewiston, CA?