What is this thing worth?

hpmctorque

Yeah, Ike is generally (sorry, couldn't help myself) a well liked historical figure. MacArthur was associated with Packards, and Truman favored Chryslers. But I understand your point, that celebrities must be chosen carefully, and the great majority of them wouldn't qualify.

andre1969

Well, show 'em the hip, cool, young Elvis and a '56 Caddy in a tasteful color. Nobody's saying you have to have a bloated, sequinned Elvis paired up with a '74 Sedan DeVille in "Pharoah's Gold Firemist Poly". :shades:

Mr_Shiftright

Hey, doesn't Lindsay Lohan drive a Cadillac....oh wait......

euphonium

Imagine the photo of an American, Cadillac powered tank blowing the Panzer, Mercedes engined tank out of the battle. There's association advertising for the seniors.

omarman

The history of GM as a real world beater! I like that much better than the celeb connection. :shades:

There must be tons of great photos and film bits showing Cadillac-powered M5 light tanks and P-38 Lightning fighters with GM Allison engines.

Mr_Shiftright

I don't war is very marketable anymore except in video games.

fintail

The seniors are buying Caddy anyway. They aren't the target market.

Not to mention, MB could just make an ad showing its W116 and W126 blowing virtually every period Caddy out of the water :shades:

Some old time celebrity association could be good - and it could even be mafia linked rat packers. To a certain extent, there's no such thing as bad publicity. A lot of very bad people have owned MBs -and not just before 1945. In most movies involving "bad guys", they seem to drive MBs...and it doesn't hurt brand cachet one bit.

And for Europe, Caddy needs to redo its pricing strategy,severely undercutting the market owners. Unless it does so, it will fail. When an XLR is sold for the same price as an SL, who in their right mind would buy the former? Caddy has been trying to get into Europe for over a decade and has pretty much failed miserably. They are doing it wrong, likely via appointed cronyistic suits typical for NA style corporate leadership.

Mr_Shiftright

Europeans think Cadillacs are vulgar I suspect....snooty types I mean. Of course, as soon as most Europeans can escape the stern gaze of their peers by hopping on an airplane, they can be as vulgar as we are sometimes.... :P

fintail

Old Hollywood had enough chic that Europeans can identify with it, not to mention Americans. It might make for a cool ad campaign too. Much better than new Hollywood.

The brand also has to keep focused on interior and assembly quality, and handling.

Saabs are funny...tons of people will cry when rumors abound that the brand is going to die...but when it comes to these people stepping up and buying a new one, they all shy away.

fintail

When the most noticeable Caddy product to make it into Europe is the Escalade, I can see why they'd think so.

Give most people too much money than they can handle or they deserve, and they become vulgar :shades:

Mr_Shiftright

How true. Admirers of Saab are often like admirers of classic cars. They ooh and ahh about them, run up to you and say "Hey is that car for sale?" and when you calmly say "well of course", they start that procrastinator's dance "oh well, I have to sell my truck and once my brother in law pays me back, I'd be interested".

andre1969

Not to mention, MB could just make an ad showing its W116 and W126 blowing virtually every period Caddy out of the water

Actually, that makes me think of a stupid ad that Chevy ran back in the 1980's. I think it was for the Caprice Classic Brougham LS. This was the time period where all the big Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, and Buicks were gone, except for wagons, so Chevy basically tried to fill the shoes of everything from the old Impala on up to the old RWD Electra and Ninety-Eight.

I don't remember much about the ad, except that they were comparing the Caprice to a W126, and bragging about how the Caprice had more interior and trunk room. Which, honestly, is about all the Caprice had over a W126. Well, that and a lower price, and I'm sure cheaper operating and repair costs. But, that's not what a luxury car is all about.

It was almost as bad as those old "Which one is the Benz and which one is the Granada?" ads of the 70's, except I'll say the Caprice, at least, had a lot of redeeming qualities. It's just not something you compare to an S-class.

And for some reason, I remember an ad for the Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham where they were bragging it had "nearly five feet of shoulder room". That had me a bit perplexed though...as five feet is 60 inches, and I'd like to think a Brougham would have more than that? :confuse: FWIW, the Caprice of that era had something like 61.5", so I can't see how the Caddy would find a way to lose about two inches?

lemko

Ewwww! A '74 Sedan DeVille in "Pharoah's Gold Firemist Poly?" That color reminds me of the carrots in a cheap TV dinner! I'm still trying to cleanse the cones of my eyeballs of that hue!

andre1969

Wasn't that the official name of the garish color on that '74 Caddy that used to show up at Macungie every year?

fintail

That's another important thing...don't try to be something you aren't. A Caprice could be a very nice comfortable solid car, there's nothing wrong with a Caprice, but it's not an S-class.

They probably used a SWB 126 in that comparison, too.

fintail

I have a coworker like that...he'd lament the failing fortunes of Saab...but when I told him to go out and buy one before it's too late (if he's such a fan)...he balked.

Now he can't stop talking about how he likes the new model. He won't buy one though.

hpmctorque

Unfortunately for Saab, their depreciation makes them more appealing used than new. Not too used, though. One to three years old and under 30,000 miles is probably the sweet spot.

I guess the same can be said for the '07 A4 we bought last spring, with just under 37,000 miles on it. The emotions overruled rationality on that purchase, as it probably would with a Saab. My wife loved the exterior styling and the interior. I have to agree, and it's a joy to drive. So far, so good regarding reliability. We know of a couple of inde Audi garages for the inevitable repairs.

fintail

Just as I was able to buy a 4 year old E55 (admittedly late in the year) with 27K on it for a little more than 1/3 original MSRP...makes it hard for me to want to buy a new car. Of course, I bought a warranty and am thankful I did...got the bugs worked out now.

omarman

Maybe your coworker is waiting to buy the new Saab model when it's 4 years old with 27K miles and a third party warranty? Spyker cars might be finished with Saab by then but...I mean it's okay to admire pricey imports, but I don't expect anybody to fall on a sword just to "keep it real!"

Kaufen Sie das benutzte auto oder ich gehen bankrupt!

fintail

Nah, he's the worst kind of impulse buyer...bought a Jetta TDi in the middle of a Turbo S Beetle (caught flack for that) lease, meaning he rolled over the negative into the Jetta, was just barely able to get out of it by selling privately during the height of the diesel hype a couple years ago. Now he's way upside down in a Subaru. Buying a car to meet the optimum point of depreciation and age would be way too much for him.

lemko

Yeah! That's it! It looks MUCH WORSE in person! :sick:

bismarck

OT, but good call on the E55... Such a great car. With a warranty that is.

fintail

Warranty is up in a few months, I am going to have it inspected once more, and then just chance it. It's getting old and has had most problem areas addressed now.

hpmctorque

Did it pay off to purchase the after-market warranty? Not that you have to necessarily have to come out ahead, since peace of mind certainly has value.

I'm considering buying an extended warranty for our A4, but may just chance it and go the self-insured route. The factory warranty on our car expires in January '11, and will coincide closely with the mileage expiration. Based on a few past and current Audi owners I've spoken with, there's no consistency of opinion on the extended warranty issue.

euphonium

As with all Insurance, shop around. It is not a standardized industry when it comes to mechanical insurance on used cars. So far, it is very profitable to the dealer.

fintail

For me anyway, yes. Apart from increased peace of mind, the repairs done to the car have totaled more than $1000 more than I paid for the warranty. Not a bad investment.

hpmctorque

Oh, for sure. You also have to carefully note and compare what's covered.

hpmctorque

Good. I guess it's kind of a bitter sweet feeling to beat the odds with insurance.

fintail

I'm not complaining. For every car like mine there's a Lexus they sold a policy to that might have used 20% of the purchase price in claims.

garv214

Maybe the C3 corvettes aren't worth as much as I thought, but this seems to be a nice example that no one seems interested in. Granted, it is not a big block, but it seems to be a pretty nice car (matching # + 4 speed). Any thoughts on what the market should be on it?

1969 Corvette

kyfdx

I don't know what it's worth, but it's a poorly planned auction.. He should have started the opening bid low (like $1000.00), to get the dreamers started in on it, and make it look like there was some action.. He could still have the reserve price to protect himself..

369 views of that page, so he has plenty of lookers...

Mr_Shiftright

Maybe $19K. Not having AC in a '69 coupe is a big minus, as it gets hotter 'n hell in there. Yes, you can take the tops off, but then the sun's beating on your head. Also has the "base" engine, and these cars are susceptible to leaks and rattles, especially rear window and t-tops-- the door panels warp and aren't that easy to replace---you know, the usual "stop raining on my classic car dream" kind of stuff. Quality control was better than the 68 however.

Since it's not particularly rare, maybe aftermarket AC would be a good idea, and then just reseal the tops, spiff it up a bit and drive it around and enjoy it. As is? No thanks, it's too uncomfortable, hard to see out of, white Corvettes need red interior.

The car just isn't optioned right.

garv214

Don't hold back now Shifty, I really need to know what you think about the car...LOL :P

Mr_Shiftright

I wasn't very nice, was I?

But it's all TRUE....it's not like I said "ugly" or anything like that.

Anyway, everybody knows that these cars can be fun--it's just that they are a bit cheesy in the build department. I mean, it is what it is.

I'm just thinkin' for $19,000 bucks you could buy yerrself like a 2002/2003 Corvette convertible.

Anyway, looks like even people who might put up MONEY to bid on this car didn't think all *that* much of it.

Still no bids on it.

garv214

That is what I find a bit surprising. It seems a decent purchase at the starting bid price, but no one is touching it...maybe the "loftiness" of the buy it now price is making potential bidders think "Why bother"...

You make a good point about a newer convertible (which will handle better, accelerate better, deliver better gas mileage, and provide a superior driving/ownership experience), but I guess I don't get as nostalgic about a 2002 vs a 1969. I guess I rode in the rear-facing rear seat of our 1970 chevy kingswood wagon a few too many times on I280 growing up...

Mr_Shiftright

The 68s/69s have always struggled to be popular and unless they are packing serious horsepower, they are going to pale in the face of the early Sting Rays and the later 1970 with the new LT1 engine (70 more HP!) , the ZR-1 racing package and the solid lifter small block. Also the '70 is lower production numbers---that counts, too. Then in 1971, we had the LAST of the big HP engines in the Vette for a while, and so it's all downhill for a decade or more for the Vette, starting in 1972 and lasting until the C4s and C5s.

There's a pecking order in Vettes and an uninformed buyer better know it or they'll make a mistake worth thousands.

Besides all that, buying a Vette "on the blind" is freaky-scary.

lemko

What's worse are the Corvettes from about 1974 through 1982. I didn't care much for early C4 'Vettes either.

qbrozen

That is what I find a bit surprising. It seems a decent purchase at the starting bid price, but no one is touching it...maybe the "loftiness" of the buy it now price is making potential bidders think "Why bother"...

That... and that it has a starting bid at $15,500 AND a reserve. it makes no sense.

andre1969

There's a pecking order in Vettes and an uninformed buyer better know it or they'll make a mistake worth thousands.

Yeah, I think one thing that a lot of people forget is that in those days, the Corvette spanned a wider range than it does today, and started at a lower price/performance point. Nowadays, it's the fastest, most expensive car Chevrolet builds, and comes very well equipped. And the base Corvette is quicker than any other car Chevy makes. Probably quicker than anything else that GM makes, period. Although I wonder if the Pontiac G8 GXP might have come close?

But in those days, a Corvette came pretty basic, and you had to add options to it just like any other car. And they had a wider array of engines. That 300 hp 350 is probably pretty quick, but that's really not high power. I wonder how quick it would've been in 0-60 and quarter mile? I found the stats for a '68 Corvette 327 at 0-60 in 7.7 seconds and 1/4 mile in 15.6. I guess this '69 would be similar? Back in those days, there were Novas, Chevelles, Camaros, and probably an Impala or two that would beat those times. The Corvette wasn't quite the king of the hill those days, unless you ordered the right one!

Mr_Shiftright

It really gets bad around 1977, with 0-60 in the 8.7 range. A Scion xA could probably beat you---that's sad.

garv214

It really gets bad around 1977, with 0-60 in the 8.7 range. A Scion xA could probably beat you---that's sad

Followed closely by my brother and his family in their Toyota Minivan...with the kids pointing and giggling at you as they blew on past... :sick:

Mr_Shiftright

I don't think I've ever seen a late 70s Vette that didn't look like it had been beaten by a length of chain.

andre1969

Wow, I just looked up some spec in my old car book. Looks like the big-block went away completely after 1974, when it still put out a healthy 270 gross hp. For 1975 all they offered was a 350 with 165 or 205 hp.

Meanwhile, in 1975, you could still get a 235 hp 454 in a Chevelle/Malibu, Monte Carlo, or any full-sized Chevy.

Oh, and I found a 0-60 time for the '75 Corvette. 9.5 seconds.

One of my former co-workers had a 1982 Corvette for a few months. It was low-mileage, and looked good at a quick glance, but still felt like it was beat on. He swapped it for a 1974 or so Benz 450SL roadster that had something like 185,000 miles, but felt rock solid in comparison.

kyfdx

A friend of mine had one of those doggy '75s with the 165 hp engine... convertible.. with a slushbox.. shewwww....

But, on the plus side... she also owned a liquor store.. :surprise:

explorerx4

Up the road, someone has been trying to sell a late 70's/early 80's Vette for well over a year.
It sat on the side of the road for months, then went away. This summer it showed up again. It is still for sale.
Last weekend I saw a couple who had gotten off their motorcycle to take a look at it.
I wanted to shout out my window as I was driving by, 'Buy the damn thing, I am sick of looking at it'.
It does look pretty nice for what it is.

parm

A dealer in St. Louis has two cars for sale that would satisfy my sweet tooth for both an early to mid 1960's parade float convertible and a big 'ol Cadillac Coupe Deville from the 1950's. Here they are:

1964 Olds 98 convertible listed at $32,900

1955 Coupe Deville listed at $36,900

They've had the Cadillac in their inventory for maybe a year. Don't think they've had the Olds too terribly long. Maybe a couple of months?

Hard to believe they'd ask less for a convertible than a hardtop especially since 1954-1956 Coupe Devilles (pretty much the same styling-wise) are pretty common. I see these for sale all the time. But, a '64 Olds 98 convertible is more rare - especially with those "sport disc" wheels. True, you'll find a few on the market at any given time, but they're generally not as nice as this white one.

So, whad-da-ya think these are worth? If someone (preferably me) walked into this dealer and laid $50,000 cash on the table, do you think that would be enough to buy both of these at one time in a package deal?

fintail

I'm not the pricing expert, but I think 50K would be a fair offer. The Olds looks excellent and I like the rare wheels too (but would those have often been on a luxoboat 98?), and the Caddy albeit common looks like a nice preservation class car, maybe not one for frequent driving. 25K apiece seems good to me.

parm

Actually, the sport disc wheels are more rare than you think. They usually showed up on the sportier models like the Starfire. A nice set today would bring around $1,000, so I'm told.

Mr_Shiftright

Well the Olds is not a Starfire so I'm thinkin' around $27500 is plenty for this baby.

fintail

Oh yeah, I know they are rare...I don't know if I have actually seen a set in person before. I was questioning whether they'd have often been ordered on a 98.