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Also if I hear Craig Jackson interupt a bid again and tell me "This is the opportunity of a lifetime" or Steve Davis tell me this car is "the best of the best" I'll scream.
The cars are nice though. The stuff earlier in the week is reasonably affordable, drivers and not trailer queens or cars so over restored there is no upside to them.
2021 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4xe Granite Crystal over Saddle
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha
Yeah, the aerodynamics of an SUV is brink like compared to any car. Every SUV I've owned has been very sensitive to wind direction. A head wind easily means 14mpg on the hwy where as a good tail wind makes 20+ easy. I've driven in head winds were my Expedition won't stay in 6th gear at 70 mph. For comparison, on a calm day, I can tow our 25' 6,000lb boat in o/d in 6th at that speed. Towing at 65mph I can usually get 11-12 mpg. Not terrible considering a combined weight of over 12k lbs.
Wind is definitely a powerful force. I have a 12' flat bed utility trailer with a 4' grated ramp that doesn't fold, so it just sticks straight up off the back of the trailer. The trailer can't weigh 800lbs empty, yet I can only get 12 mph towing it empty or loaded. The amount of air the ramp grabs is unbelievable. At 65 mph, the truck is laboring nearly as much as towing the boat, despite the towed load being an 1/8th has heavy.
Pretty amazing IMHO.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-Other-GT-Rare-1976-Chevrolet-Vega-GT-Al- l-Original-Near-Mint-5-Speed-Only-35K-No-Reserve-/261153767684?pt=US_Cars_Trucks- &hash=item3ccdfa4104
Use it in any way and the value will drop by half in no time.
It's not really museum worthy, either. So now what? :confuse:
Funny details you may remember about mom or dad's old ride! I recall that my mom really liked the wagon but had 2 accidents within 5 years. She was never satisfied with the dealership body work and could spot flaws that I really couldn't. My dad then took the car to an independent shop for a complete repaint and that really upset her. She spotted something different about the trim after the work was finished and that was the last straw. Dad sold the wagon after that and took mom new car shopping. Life is too short to bicker over matching paint and body trim. I remember that within a month after selling the wagon to a friend, my dad said that the new owner had totaled the car in a freeway accident. Nobody hurt though-except the car. :sick:
I agree. Just taking delivery of that car for that price might cost the new owner 50% depreciation if he tries to sell it the next day! :shades:
Funny things. To this day I can tell a 92 from a 93 from a 94 Taurus, or an 84 from an 85 (86 is easy) Tempo, or different years of Ciera etc. And reading books partly at the behest of my dad is how I learned the details of older cars.
I could see it falling into the hands of someone who, for whatever reason, really wanted a nice, low mileage example, and intends to keep it forever. So he might drive it on nice, sunny days, take it to a car show here and there, and might put 1000-2000 miles per year on it.
It also has a rebuilt engine, so it loses some points there for being all pristine-original.
I have a friend who bought a '78 Mark V Diamond Jubilee a few years back. 2005, I think? I forget how many miles it had on it, but it was pretty low, between 10-20,000. And it looked like a brand new car. He drives is pretty regularly to car shows, although the furthest he probably goes is Carlisle, Hershey, or Rehoboth Beach. By now he might have put 10,000 miles on it, which would put it at 20-30K miles. He didn't buy it to preserve it, necessarily. He just wanted to buy as "new" of a 1978 Mark V as he could find, and then enjoy it. He has no intention of getting rid of it, so he's not looking to flip it to make a quick buck, and probably isn't all that concerned about it appreciating in value.
My best man bought a Cosworth with 13K miles that had been within 15 miles of his hometown its whole life, and in fact had been sold new at our hometown dealer (I rode in it when I was 17 years old). Very clean in and out, and ran well. He paid somewhere just slightly north of $4K--although that was about 15 years ago, at a Chevy dealer.
Oh a Gremlin X w/ 304 V8 could easily top $8500 if it was a really nice one. As high as $11.5K. A 6 cyl Gremlin could probably hit $9.5K if pristine.
But not a Pinto
A Cogsworth Vega maximum potential would be about $14K.
Actually, given the condition of that '76 Vega, I would say it actually underperformed for its class and type at $8500.
But, in 1976 I doubt if you could even get a stripper Vega, let alone a GT, for that little. Although it doesn't have a/c, only has an AM radio. I can't tell from the pics whether it has power steering or brakes. So, other than the GT package, I guess it IS a stripper.
The only real price reference points I have for that timeframe is 1975, when my Mom bought a new LeMans coupe, and my grandparents bought a new Dart Swinger, and both were about $5,000.
I guess very few classic cars ever get back up to their original MSRP, when you adjust for inflation.
I don't know if he ever tried to insure/register it or not.
l23 Years in Storage
Totally off the cuff, my guess is that that Vega was probably right around $4K on the sticker. Cosworths were $6K and up (sticker). I was looking at new Vegas at that time and that's a fairly educated guess (not to sound 'vain'!).
The 5-speed trans was also optional, as was AM radio, as you noted, plus whatever the destination charge was back then. Can't remember if it has power steering or not, which would have been optional. Swing-out quarter windows were optional. I'll have to look back at the ad to see what all the car has.
I never look for Gremlins or Pintos on eBay, honestly, but whenever a clean Vega non-Cosworth like this one comes up (rarely, trust me), there always seems to be a good bit of bidding interest on it...unlike Cosworths and general Vega mongrels which are always on eBay.
"FOR SALE 1967 VOLVO 122 4 DOOR, GREAT SHAPE, A LITTLE RUST BUT ALL THE CROME AND DECALS ALL ON CAR. HAS A RAG TOP VERY RARE ,THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. IT WILL START RIGHT UP BUT NEEDS NEW BATTERY AND NEW ENGINE SEALS IT LEAKS OIL BAD, I WAS GOING TO FIX IT BUT HAVE NO TIME . YT FATHER STARTED WORKING ON IT BUT NEVER FINSHED THE JOB SO THE TRANNY IS OUT BUT I HAVE IT AND ALL THE OTHER PARTS HE REMOVED. ITS A BEAUTIFUL CAR JUST NEEDS TLC . IF YOUR INTERESTED CONTACT ME AT XXXXXX"
and is he implying that a 120 series has a fabric top?
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I couldn't even find any Cosworth Vegas that sold under 'completed sales'.
http://media.collectorcarpricetracker.com/auction_data/2012/10/29/121007490104/1- 21007490104.pdf
Funny ad, reminds me of the Ghostbusters car scene.
One of them had a beater Gremlin.
The passenger side window was always open a bit due to the piece of rope tied around the frame to hold the door closed.
I can't remember what we attached it to inside the car.
...and look like a high back tennis shoe - no offense Converse! Come to think about it, maybe it started a styling trend. Later on the Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz kind of looked like a tennis shoe that someone had stepped on.
not a very attractive car, but it was fun to see. I'd never seen one in the flesh before....
Sunk costs are, true enough, water over the dam, but with cars you can also have prospective costs.
Say you own a Ferrari F40. It's fun, it's great--you're out tracking it and you miss a shift----oops, you just spent $75,000 for an engine.
Unless you own a very VERY blue chip and rare car that everyone lusts after, your "investment" of $8500 can evaporate in the snap of the fingers.
That's the weird thing about classic cars---North Korea invades South Korea and your Camaro is suddenly worth half. Very bizarre.
I guess "toys" are very vulnerable to economic conditions.
Other than a missing left front wheel cover and being covered with salt, looked to be in pretty good shape.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Regards:
Oldbearcat
Regards:
Oldbearcat
That's probably the last Lincoln I've liked. I always thought those were pretty cool in their day. A bit of class and attitude.
I agree. They definitely felt roomier inside. I think the K-cars were a bit wider inside (but had paper-thin doors), but the X-bodies had better legroom, while still being wide enough.
Now, I always thought the Citation looked pretty cheap inside, at least in base form...much more plasticky than a Reliant or Aries. But, the Phoenix, Omega, and Skylark versions, when equipped the right way, could be downright luxurious inside.
I developed a new-found respect for the K-car though, when I drove my cousin's Dodge 600 one day. Okay, technically, it was an E-car, but it was still the K with a 3 inch stretch in wheelbase. It seemed roomy and comfy enough, and a good alternative to the Chevy Celebrity, Ford LTD, or even the Taurus. However, I didn't like the fact that they were depending on turbo 4's for added power, instead of a good old fashioned V-6. But, my cousin's 600 was a turbo, and decently quick for the time.
The Tempo and Topaz never seemed like much more than cheap, basic transportation to me.
The Buick GN wasn't afflicted with torque steer, of course, since it was RWD.