[Silly Little Cars] looking at an 84 cushman and 97 interceptor (David Buergler)

Wed Feb 20 12:15:49 PST 2013

What issues do the Interceptor forks have? Also are the front forks similar to motorcycle forks that are filled with fork oil? I found a really good deal on an Interceptor that I'm probably gonna pick up this weekend.

-----Original Message-----
From: Alec Bennett <wrybread at gmail.com>
To: Silly Little Email List <silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com>
Sent: Wed, Feb 20, 2013 11:49 am
Subject: Re: [Silly Little Cars] looking at an 84 cushman and 97 interceptor (David Buergler)

I have both as well. There's things I like about each. Off the top of my head:

Cushman Pros

Awesomely simple
Cute as hell, and awesomely goofy looking
A bit shorter than the Interceptor, which is nice since you can park perpendicuar to the curb a bit easier. I park perpendicular with an Interceptor too, but sometimes not on narrow streets, and you have to be careful not to box anyone in.
Super cheap ($300 to $1000), and parts are cheap too, not that I've needed many.
Massive trunk.

Cushman Cons

Engine is under the seat so you always have a whiff of engine
That '84 is going to be air cooled (they switched to water cooled mid 1989) so you won't have much heat
No protection during an accident at all. 

Interceptor Pros

Comfy comfy comfy. Bucket seats.
Rock solid engine, fuel injected
Ultra powerful. You can go 80, not that its the best idea. But where I live (SF), it gives me the freedom to cross the bridges, which you can't do with a Cushman, at least not without a lot of planning and adrenaline.
Has a roll cage and shoulder strap seatbelt
Lots of heat.
Great area under the seat to mount a subwoofer and 6x9s for a thumping stereo...
Most Cushmans don't have the solid doors, but all Interceptors do.

Interceptor Cons

Longer than the Cush, so harder to park perpendicular
Pricey. Everything is more pricey on an Interceptor, including the purchase price ($1500 to $6k)
Looks like a prop from the Terminator (I guess this could be a pro too, but I like the look of the Cushmans more)
The engine is under the trunk so you have a relatively tiny trunk.
You don't have that nice area between the seats and the trunk for grocery bags. Actually I guess pre-97 had a little storage area back there, but they got rid of it on later ones.
The frickin fork can be an issue.

On Wed, Feb 20, 2013 at 10:47 AM, DanTuel <dantuel at frontiernet.net> wrote:

I have both & I like the Interceptors better but the Cushman is going to be easier to get parts for. Engine parts for the Interceptors are no problem because they use small 4 cylinder car motors and transmissions but anything other than that can get frustrating and expensive. God luck with whichever you buy.

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