Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

Some of you might recall how I learned that the drones at the IRS can't read a 1099Q from my 2015 return:

It looks like I'm going to have to fight with the IRS- and it's their mistake. I received a letter stating that the 1099-Q form from my financial institution showed that it had disbursed $wxyz more dollars than I had reported. I pulled the 1099-Q and it had a column for the cost basis, a column for earnings(which were $wxyz), and a column for the gross distribution(which is simply the basis plus the earnings). I had reported the gross distribution, but some drone at the IRS apparently thinks I should have reported the earnings as well- even though they are clearly included in the gross distribution. GRRRRR....

My accountant wrote the idjits a letter and they relented. Well, yesterday I get another letter from the IRS. Same issue- this time for my 2015 return. Morons. The 1099Q is from American Funds and it could not be more simple to understand.
And then the imbeciles plead for more IRS funding. How about first teaching your current employees to read?

Any fight with the government can be frustrating because it combines the anger at the injustice combined with the fear that being right might not make a difference.


I think I mentioned when you first posted about that problem that I had a similar IRS problem regarding social security payments. They read the wrong column and tried to get an extra $2000 from me.

My wife heard me tearing around screaming to the walls and said "why don't you just pay it?" I told her that they had poked the bear and I would fight to my last breath.

Months later when the IRS relented, I danced about the room in front of her waving the Notice that said "Amount Due $0.00".

Didn't even matter if she thought I was nuts.

oldfarmer50

jmonroe said:

imidazol97 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Ok, just out of left field, when did the respective car companies fix the following problems on otherwise good engines. I include my impression but feel free to tell me why I'm wrong.
GM 3.8L intake manifold gaskets------around 2005-06 with the series III

These were fixed by 2000--that is the upper intake problems with seals. These were the seals around the coolant tubes that went to the intake area to warm the incoming air which flowed around the EGR gas tube sticking up out of the metal lower intake manifold. They actually were just routine maintenance items as some of the foreign brands would have claimed. LOL

The Lower intake manifold gaskets sometimes would seep and lose coolant at around 125K mi. where they were mated to the heads.
But the fix was relatively inexpensive--routine maintenance--IF it occurred helped.
Changing antifreeze, DexCool, about every 2 years was the key AND not contaminating it with any of the old style green coolants which might cause coagulation.

The Series III had an aluminum upper intake manifold instead of the ABS plastic/nylon manifold used from Series I through Series II.

The 2003 had a sturdier transmission in re the 4th gear connection drum IIRC. Most normal drivers would never abuse the trannie to know the difference. But some Bonneville owners found they could abuse one to where it lost its ability to lockup to 4th gear.

My '95 Bonneville had the plastic intake manifold problem with less than 50K miles on it. That and the paint shedding problem on that beast soon after that in addition to my '95 Monte Carlo intake manifold problem with less than 60K miles on it, turned off a lifelong GM customer.

The good part of the Bonneville repair is that it cost me only $400 dollars in 2002 with an indy shop.

In 2005 when the Monte Carlo had it's intake manifold problem the repair was going to cost me at least $1100 (same indy shop so I don't know why the price jumped like that), so I donated that car to Goodwill, who in turn sold it for $750. I know that because they sent me a statement so that I could claim $750 as a donation.

jmonroe

Was the Bonneville painted white? Had that on my 91' white Olds and my 2004 white Chevy. I've seen it on older white Chryslers too. Wonder why white?

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

pensfan83 said:

Received the paperwork outlining the end of lease process for the Audi. I wasn't aware a 3rd party inspection was required.

Had that happen with our VW Beetle lease, back in the day.

And, I suspect I'll go through the same process when the Jetta lease is up.

What do they actually inspect? Is it just cosmetic stuff like dent and scrapes or do they check if you ever changed the oil or used it as your track beater?

I haven't tracked the current tires on my TTS yet, but I could probably fool a tire inspector into thinking I had! Other then tires, or a scored metal on metal pad and rotor (from running it too long on the track), not sure how one would "tell" a car has been tracked.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

One more thing, why do something so ugly to a nice car?

graphicguy said:

fintail said:

Yep gotta be a wrap - definitely not factory, and I assume an actual paint job like that would cost a fortune if done to even modest quality.

Agree....!

One more thing, why do something so ugly to a nice car?

Well it was an AMG so.....

Speaking of ugly things. I noticed a small paint bubble on the leading edge of my Mustang the other day and in researching this I find that it's been a known defect in Aluminium hoods for years. Disappointing to see that on a car with 9700 miles.

Talked to the dealer and his body guy was familiar with the issue and said they've repainted a ton of hoods. Shouldn't be a problem as it's under warranty. Taking it in on Monday.

I didn't even know my car had Aluminium hood and fenders.

Any other Ford owners experience this and is it likely to reoccur? I always thought Aluminium was tough to properly paint. Is this a big deal?

Here's a picture. The blemish is those sparkly dots just above the light reflection.





Audi's been using a lot of aluminum for a long time now, and I've never heard of any paint issues aside from body shop repair work.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

Some of you might recall how I learned that the drones at the IRS can't read a 1099Q from my 2015 return:

It looks like I'm going to have to fight with the IRS- and it's their mistake. I received a letter stating that the 1099-Q form from my financial institution showed that it had disbursed $wxyz more dollars than I had reported. I pulled the 1099-Q and it had a column for the cost basis, a column for earnings(which were $wxyz), and a column for the gross distribution(which is simply the basis plus the earnings). I had reported the gross distribution, but some drone at the IRS apparently thinks I should have reported the earnings as well- even though they are clearly included in the gross distribution. GRRRRR....

My accountant wrote the idjits a letter and they relented. Well, yesterday I get another letter from the IRS. Same issue- this time for my 2015 return. Morons. The 1099Q is from American Funds and it could not be more simple to understand.
And then the imbeciles plead for more IRS funding. How about first teaching your current employees to read?

Any fight with the government can be frustrating because it combines the anger at the injustice combined with the fear that being right might not make a difference.


I think I mentioned when you first posted about that problem that I had a similar IRS problem regarding social security payments. They read the wrong column and tried to get an extra $2000 from me.

My wife heard me tearing around screaming to the walls and said "why don't you just pay it?" I told her that they had poked the bear and I would fight to my last breath.

Months later when the IRS relented, I danced about the room in front of her waving the Notice that said "Amount Due $0.00".

Didn't even matter if she thought I was nuts.

The issue with the paint is surprising. All of the Mustangs I looked at were screwed together very well and had really nice paint finishes. Lots of cars have aluminum body panels these days and I'm surprised that Dearborn hasn't figured out how to paint them.

andres3

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Your store doesn't care if the car was tracked? How about driven to work on railroad tracks. Or beaten like a rental car? At some point you must care about how hard use will impact the next owner. Or do you just send everythg to to the auction?

I use an iPad linked to BMWFS; it has a checklist that I go by. I'd suspect constant use for short trips where the oil never reaches operating temperature does far more harm to a BMW than track use. In 29 years of tracking BMWs-ranging from an E3 Bavaria to an E24 M6 to my E36/5 Club Sport-I have never had a track related mechanical failure. Just another reason I'm a bit reluctant to leave the BMW fold. Their cars can take it.

Someone at some point has suggested the reason why German cars might be more tolerant of, shall we say "high-end use" and that American cars fall apart if they are not kept under 2,000 RPM, is that the German cars are designed to run 155 MPH all day long on the Autobahn, while the American cars were designed to the national 55 MPH speed limit threshold.

Perhaps there is some truth to this?

imidazol97

The 2000+ leSabre and Bonnevilles had aluminum hoods. Some of the Bonnie owners had small blisters and were repainted. I never saw any problem with my leSabre. I never checked to see if the hood on my 98 leSabre was aluminum or not.

I suspect the problem is from flaws in the aluminum base, oxidation maybe, that isn't properly stopped by the primer system used.

I recall my 1989 Century was repainted from the hip up (light silver) due to paint coming off in small spots. It looked like repainted panels where the silicone wax wasn't properly stripped. The problem was the paint company had sold GM a new system which probably met EPA requirements to "lower pollution" and went from a 3-part process to a 2-step process if I remember what my dealer paint guy explained. The 3-step process had aprimer, then a layer to let the primer bond to the finish coat. Well the primer didn't bond well to the finish coat in the 2-step method. The paint company paid for the repainting.

imidazol97

.

roadburner

andres3 said:

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Your store doesn't care if the car was tracked? How about driven to work on railroad tracks. Or beaten like a rental car? At some point you must care about how hard use will impact the next owner. Or do you just send everythg to to the auction?

I use an iPad linked to BMWFS; it has a checklist that I go by. I'd suspect constant use for short trips where the oil never reaches operating temperature does far more harm to a BMW than track use. In 29 years of tracking BMWs-ranging from an E3 Bavaria to an E24 M6 to my E36/5 Club Sport-I have never had a track related mechanical failure. Just another reason I'm a bit reluctant to leave the BMW fold. Their cars can take it.

Someone at some point has suggested the reason why German cars might be more tolerant of, shall we say "high-end use" and that American cars fall apart if they are not kept under 2,000 RPM, is that the German cars are designed to run 155 MPH all day long on the Autobahn, while the American cars were designed to the national 55 MPH speed limit threshold.

Perhaps there is some truth to this?

I don't believe that is necessarily true of American cars any longer, but I know that BMWs are built to be driven at least a bit enthusiastically.

sb55

roadburner said:

Some of you might recall how I learned that the drones at the IRS can't read a 1099Q from my 2015 return: It looks like I'm going to have to fight with the IRS- and it's their mistake. I received a letter stating that the 1099-Q form from my financial institution showed that it had disbursed $wxyz more dollars than I had reported. I pulled the 1099-Q and it had a column for the cost basis, a column for earnings(which were $wxyz), and a column for the gross distribution(which is simply the basis plus the earnings). I had reported the gross distribution, but some drone at the IRS apparently thinks I should have reported the earnings as well- even though they are clearly included in the gross distribution. GRRRRR.... My accountant wrote the idjits a letter and they relented. Well, yesterday I get another letter from the IRS. Same issue- this time for my 2015 return. Morons. The 1099Q is from American Funds and it could not be more simple to understand. And then the imbeciles plead for more IRS funding. How about first teaching your current employees to read?

Any fight with the government can be frustrating because it combines the anger at the injustice combined with the fear that being right might not make a difference. I think I mentioned when you first posted about that problem that I had a similar IRS problem regarding social security payments. They read the wrong column and tried to get an extra $2000 from me. My wife heard me tearing around screaming to the walls and said "why don't you just pay it?" I told her that they had poked the bear and I would fight to my last breath. Months later when the IRS relented, I danced about the room in front of her waving the Notice that said "Amount Due $0.00". Didn't even matter if she thought I was nuts.

The issue with the paint is surprising. All of the Mustangs I looked at were screwed together very well and had really nice paint finishes. Lots of cars have aluminum body panels these days and I'm surprised that Dearborn hasn't figured out how to paint them.

Ford should know how to paint aluminum. That's what their F150's are made of. 

roadburner

I do remember during the days of the moronic 55 mph speed limit that dealers of all stripes used it as an excuse to ignore problems with late model cars. If a customer complained about a savage vibration at 60 mph the response would be, "I'm sorry Mr. Customer, but we are unable to troubleshoot this issue as we don't want our techs breaking the law." And cars designed not to exceed that absurdly low speed were miserable vehicles by design.

qbrozen

Enthusiastic driving ...
My 540 and 135 hated enthusiastic driving. My Vsport loved it.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

One more thing, why do something so ugly to a nice car?

graphicguy said:

fintail said:

Yep gotta be a wrap - definitely not factory, and I assume an actual paint job like that would cost a fortune if done to even modest quality.

Agree....!

One more thing, why do something so ugly to a nice car?

Well it was an AMG so.....

Speaking of ugly things. I noticed a small paint bubble on the leading edge of my Mustang the other day and in researching this I find that it's been a known defect in Aluminium hoods for years. Disappointing to see that on a car with 9700 miles.

Talked to the dealer and his body guy was familiar with the issue and said they've repainted a ton of hoods. Shouldn't be a problem as it's under warranty. Taking it in on Monday.

I didn't even know my car had Aluminium hood and fenders.

Any other Ford owners experience this and is it likely to reoccur? I always thought Aluminium was tough to properly paint. Is this a big deal?

Here's a picture. The blemish is those sparkly dots just above the light reflection.





Audi's been using a lot of aluminum for a long time now, and I've never heard of any paint issues aside from body shop repair work.

roadburner said:

andres3 said:

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Your store doesn't care if the car was tracked? How about driven to work on railroad tracks. Or beaten like a rental car? At some point you must care about how hard use will impact the next owner. Or do you just send everythg to to the auction?

I use an iPad linked to BMWFS; it has a checklist that I go by. I'd suspect constant use for short trips where the oil never reaches operating temperature does far more harm to a BMW than track use. In 29 years of tracking BMWs-ranging from an E3 Bavaria to an E24 M6 to my E36/5 Club Sport-I have never had a track related mechanical failure. Just another reason I'm a bit reluctant to leave the BMW fold. Their cars can take it.

Someone at some point has suggested the reason why German cars might be more tolerant of, shall we say "high-end use" and that American cars fall apart if they are not kept under 2,000 RPM, is that the German cars are designed to run 155 MPH all day long on the Autobahn, while the American cars were designed to the national 55 MPH speed limit threshold.

Perhaps there is some truth to this?

I don't believe that is necessarily true of American cars any longer, but I know that BMWs are built to be driven at least a bit enthusiastically.

Well, the 55 MPH speed limit was finally overthrown somewhere in the 90's. Such a bad idea to begin with, and it still took a long time to get it overturned.

tbirdmarco

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=82bntA3nju0

oldfarmer50

I guess the paint problems on Aluminium hoods has been an issue for some time. Ford won a couple lawsuits on technicalities but has been telling dealers to give a repaint if still within warranty. At least that's what I'm hoping.

Some of the problems were pretty extensive.

sda

During the gas crisis in '73 the max speed limit was initially reduced to 50 mph and then increased to 55!

ab348

Wow, that's pretty bad. I wonder if Ford is secretly terrified that those hundreds of thousands of military-grade aluminum F-150s will all need paint repair over the next few years.

abacomike

ab348 said:

Wow, that's pretty bad. I wonder if Ford is secretly terrified that those hundreds of thousands of military-grade aluminum F-150s will all need paint repair over the next few years.

Painting on aluminum needs special techniques in order for the paint to properly adhere to the surface.  From my research the metal has to be electrically charged to create a magnetic field as the primer, paint and clear coat is applied.  I believe the hoods on most BMW's are aluminum.  I've seen videos on how paint must be applied to aluminum surfaces.  

oldfarmer50

d

ab348 said:

Wow, that's pretty bad. I wonder if Ford is secretly terrified that those hundreds of thousands of military-grade aluminum F-150s will all need paint repair over the next few years.

The problem only occurs where the metal is folded over on the underside front of the hood. Depending on what source you read it's either iron particles or poor cleaning prep of the aluminum causing a poor paint bond. Don't know if there are the same folds on a truck bed.

ab348

Paint has not been Ford's strong suit in recent years. I've seen some pretty bad orange peel on new Fords I've looked at on dealer lots.

fintail

Heck, even grandfatherly MBs are built to be driven hard at least from time to time. My fintail doesn't blink twice when I drive it with verve.

MBs are good at crashing and driving, too - built like a vault, the W221

roadburner said:

I don't believe that is necessarily true of American cars any longer, but I know that BMWs are built to be driven at least a bit enthusiastically.

qbrozen

abacomike said:

ab348 said:

Wow, that's pretty bad. I wonder if Ford is secretly terrified that those hundreds of thousands of military-grade aluminum F-150s will all need paint repair over the next few years.

Painting on aluminum needs special techniques in order for the paint to properly adhere to the surface.  From my research the metal has to be electrically charged to create a magnetic field as the primer, paint and clear coat is applied.  I believe the hoods on most BMW's are aluminum.  I've seen videos on how paint must be applied to aluminum surfaces.  

Eh, Land Rover had only been doing it for 70 years, and Ford owned them for a while, so it is understandable that Ford can't do it right. 

driver100

Our 56 Hillman and my 59 Volkswagon needed to be driven hard....to blow out some carbon!

bwia

Ah, Hillman Hunter. That's a name I haven't heard in years, weren't they right hand drive vehicles?

ab348

You had a Hillman, @driver100 ? A fine product of the Rootes Group, well-suited for Canadian winters no doubt, and expertly serviced by the trained technicians at your local Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge dealer. Must have been a fine ownership experience.

driver100

ab348 said:

You had a Hillman, @driver100 ? A fine product of the Rootes Group, well-suited for Canadian winters no doubt, and expertly serviced by the trained technicians at your local Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge dealer. Must have been a fine ownership experience.

It was actually my mother's car...a Hillman Californian. It looked almost the same as in the picture, yellow and black. Did 0 to 60 in.....well, barely got to 60 (probably about 2 minutes).


Ours was used. definitely left hand drive. But, bwia, I believe, the manual gear shift pattern was the opposite pattern, an H started from the right side I think....probably that was because of left hand drive transmissions.

graphicguy

For a while, my Dad was on a Chryco kick (before settling on Lincoln as his brand of choice). I was just a wee thing, but have pics of him in what looks like a late '60s Chrysler Imperial (which replaced a Chrysler New Yorker). It was truly a lang yacht.

We would hit the interstate, and Dad would "kick it down" much to the chagrin of my Mother. Dad would respond he did it to "blow the soot out of the carburetor". I never knew what that meant.

Certain cars just beg to be driven hard. My 3 series (all 3 of them) were like that. So was my RX8 (loved hitting the 9K redline). My Acuras are like that, too.

houdini1

graphicguy said:

For a while, my Dad was on a Chryco kick (before settling on Lincoln as his brand of choice). I was just a wee thing, but have pics of him in what looks like a late '60s Chrysler Imperial (which replaced a Chrysler New Yorker). It was truly a lang yacht.

We would hit the interstate, and Dad would "kick it down" much to the chagrin of my Mother. Dad would respond he did it to "blow the soot out of the carburetor". I never knew what that meant.

Certain cars just beg to be driven hard. My 3 series (all 3 of them) were like that. So was my RX8 (loved hitting the 9K redline). My Acuras are like that, too.

Wasn't Imperial an entirely separate make within Chrysler?

houdini1

houdini1 said:

graphicguy said:

For a while, my Dad was on a Chryco kick (before settling on Lincoln as his brand of choice). I was just a wee thing, but have pics of him in what looks like a late '60s Chrysler Imperial (which replaced a Chrysler New Yorker). It was truly a lang yacht.

We would hit the interstate, and Dad would "kick it down" much to the chagrin of my Mother. Dad would respond he did it to "blow the soot out of the carburetor". I never knew what that meant.

Certain cars just beg to be driven hard. My 3 series (all 3 of them) were like that. So was my RX8 (loved hitting the 9K redline). My Acuras are like that, too.

Wasn't Imperial an entirely separate make within Chrysler? I believe it was like Cadillac is to GM. Top of the
Chrysler line.

tjc78

Being that we are all "car guys" here at heart.... let's get this sorted right now and here:

All cars are meant to be driven hard!  I have two of the most boring sedate and limp vehicles yet I will whenever I feel the need beat the snot out of them!! 

Carry on

bwia

driver100 said:

ab348 said:

You had a Hillman, @driver100 ? A fine product of the Rootes Group, well-suited for Canadian winters no doubt, and expertly serviced by the trained technicians at your local Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge dealer. Must have been a fine ownership experience.

It was actually my mother's car...a Hillman Californian. It looked almost the same as in the picture, yellow and black. Did 0 to 60 in.....well, barely got to 60 (probably about 2 minutes).


Ours was used. definitely left hand drive. But, bwia, I believe, the manual gear shift pattern was the opposite pattern, an H started from the right side I think....probably that was because of left hand drive transmissions.

@driver100, the above little yellow car is indeed a right-hand drive model. I believe they were made for the UK and Australian market.

houdini1

I really like the styling on that Hillman. Would love to see the top companies start building a few models with a retro look.

ab348

houdini1 said:

I really like the styling on that Hillman. Would love to see the top companies start building a few models with a retro look.

Nissan and some of the other Japanese manufacturers did that a lot in the '90s. The Nissan Figaro is perhaps the best-known example.

houdini1

Nice. Was it ever sold in U.S. ?

imidazol97

Now that is one homely puppy.

graphicguy

houdini1 said:

graphicguy said:

For a while, my Dad was on a Chryco kick (before settling on Lincoln as his brand of choice). I was just a wee thing, but have pics of him in what looks like a late '60s Chrysler Imperial (which replaced a Chrysler New Yorker). It was truly a lang yacht.

We would hit the interstate, and Dad would "kick it down" much to the chagrin of my Mother. Dad would respond he did it to "blow the soot out of the carburetor". I never knew what that meant.

Certain cars just beg to be driven hard. My 3 series (all 3 of them) were like that. So was my RX8 (loved hitting the 9K redline). My Acuras are like that, too.

Wasn't Imperial an entirely separate make within Chrysler?

May have been. I don't know enough about Chryslers of that era to comment. The only ones I have an interest in are Chargers, Barracudas, Challengers and Road Runners. Chryslers (or Imperials), not so much!

ab348

houdini1 said:

Nice. Was it ever sold in U.S. ?

Not from new but many were imported later. Bring a Trailer seems to have one on auction every week or so. The one pictured visited my neighbors last summer.

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

ab348 said:

You had a Hillman, @driver100 ? A fine product of the Rootes Group, well-suited for Canadian winters no doubt, and expertly serviced by the trained technicians at your local Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge dealer. Must have been a fine ownership experience.

It was actually my mother's car...a Hillman Californian. It looked almost the same as in the picture, yellow and black. Did 0 to 60 in.....well, barely got to 60 (probably about 2 minutes).


Ours was used. definitely left hand drive. But, bwia, I believe, the manual gear shift pattern was the opposite pattern, an H started from the right side I think....probably that was because of left hand drive transmissions.

Quite a chick magnet.....I mean real chickens of course. They could live comfortably in there.

dino001

OK, guys - putting my 2012 328i wagon for sale. The Spartanburg delivery is set for Friday in 3 weeks, so it's time to see the market. Just paid for an Autotrader ad and also placed a Roundel (BMW CCA) ad on line.

Starting with relatively high asking price (not crazy high, but certainly high vs. so-called comparable cars), to see if there is any manual tranny and sports package enthusiast out there. There are no truly comparable cars out there - most other wagons have automatic tranny and those dreary flat regular seats. I'm sure there may be some sedans with similar configuration, need to look them up, though. At this point, if somebody thinks, this car is no different than those, I let them have the other ones. Will see in three weeks. I also need to go to my dealer and perhaps Carmax to get a real trade-in offer, just to get a baseline. Will do that in a week or two.

Last time I was selling my Subaru STI, I did not have many bites, which was OK. Most frustrating part were the trolls. Some guy kept texting me "offers" 4-5 grand below my asking price (without seeing it). I hated that part. I ended up speaking to four prospects, showing it to two and the second one bought it after I lowered my price a bit. I was already worn out at the time from the trolls and waiting. Ended up getting around $500 more than a dealer offer, certainly not worth my time. This time may be a bit different, as the spread is likely bigger. STIs were in short supply even at dealerships and the car was much newer (3 years, less than 40k miles). My 328 is nearly twice as old and twice the mileage (72k). Dealers will not likely be as interested in a vehicle this age, especially without purchase transaction attached. So they may make an offer, but not likely as good as one if I were buying something. Anyway, good luck to me.

driver100

houdini1 said:

houdini1 said:

graphicguy said:

For a while, my Dad was on a Chryco kick (before settling on Lincoln as his brand of choice). I was just a wee thing, but have pics of him in what looks like a late '60s Chrysler Imperial (which replaced a Chrysler New Yorker). It was truly a lang yacht.

We would hit the interstate, and Dad would "kick it down" much to the chagrin of my Mother. Dad would respond he did it to "blow the soot out of the carburetor". I never knew what that meant.

Certain cars just beg to be driven hard. My 3 series (all 3 of them) were like that. So was my RX8 (loved hitting the 9K redline). My Acuras are like that, too.

Wasn't Imperial an entirely separate make within Chrysler? I believe it was like Cadillac is to GM. Top of the
Chrysler line.

Houdini, are you starting to answer your own emails?

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

Now that is one homely puppy.

Imid, remember, it is "retro" so it's supposed to look a bit like an ugly puppy. I happen to like the look - reminds me of cars in the 50's.

abacomike

dino001 said:

OK, guys - putting my 2012 328i wagon for sale. The Spartanburg delivery is set for Friday in 3 weeks, so it's time to see the market. Just paid for an Autotrader ad and also placed a Roundel (BMW CCA) ad on line.

Starting with relatively high asking price (not crazy high, but certainly high vs. so-called comparable cars), to see if there is any manual tranny and sports package enthusiast out there. There are no truly comparable cars out there - most other wagons have automatic tranny and those dreary flat regular seats. I'm sure there may be some sedans with similar configuration, need to look them up, though. At this point, if somebody thinks, this car is no different than those, I let them have the other ones. Will see in three weeks. I also need to go to my dealer and perhaps Carmax to get a real trade-in offer, just to get a baseline. Will do that in a week or two.

Last time I was selling my Subaru STI, I did not have many bites, which was OK. Most frustrating part were the trolls. Some guy kept texting me "offers" 4-5 grand below my asking price (without seeing it). I hated that part. I ended up speaking to four prospects, showing it to two and the second one bought it after I lowered my price a bit. I was already worn out at the time from the trolls and waiting. Ended up getting around $500 more than a dealer offer, certainly not worth my time. This time may be a bit different, as the spread is likely bigger. STIs were in short supply even at dealerships and the car was much newer (3 years, less than 40k miles). My 328 is nearly twice as old and twice the mileage (72k). Dealers will not likely be as interested in a vehicle this age, especially without purchase transaction attached. So they may make an offer, but not likely as good as one if I were buying something. Anyway, good luck to me.

New floor mats and new rubber on the foot pedals would make a big difference - also an interior detail of the leather and the trim. Couldn't cost you more than $300.00 but would add a bunch to a good selling price.

driver100

bwia said:

driver100 said:

ab348 said:

You had a Hillman, @driver100 ? A fine product of the Rootes Group, well-suited for Canadian winters no doubt, and expertly serviced by the trained technicians at your local Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge dealer. Must have been a fine ownership experience.

It was actually my mother's car...a Hillman Californian. It looked almost the same as in the picture, yellow and black. Did 0 to 60 in.....well, barely got to 60 (probably about 2 minutes).


Ours was used. definitely left hand drive. But, bwia, I believe, the manual gear shift pattern was the opposite pattern, an H started from the right side I think....probably that was because of left hand drive transmissions.

@driver100, the above little yellow car is indeed a right-hand drive model. I believe they were made for the UK and Australian market.

Bwia, that just happens to be one I copied from the internet, our was the same but it was made for the Canadian market, steering wheel on the left. It could be that Hillman's were introduced into Canada before the USA, because of the British-Canadian connection.

My Dad loved cars and he bought one of the first Morris Oxfords in Canada....a 1952;


Not sure if those were sold in the USA or in what year if they were.

driver100

ab348 said:

houdini1 said:

I really like the styling on that Hillman. Would love to see the top companies start building a few models with a retro look.

Nissan and some of the other Japanese manufacturers did that a lot in the '90s. The Nissan Figaro is perhaps the best-known example.

Still quite a few of those around in Europe....they are kind of a status symbol these days. I guess if you can afford to keep it on the road, it shows you got bucks.

driver100

graphicguy said:

houdini1 said:

graphicguy said:

For a while, my Dad was on a Chryco kick (before settling on Lincoln as his brand of choice). I was just a wee thing, but have pics of him in what looks like a late '60s Chrysler Imperial (which replaced a Chrysler New Yorker). It was truly a lang yacht.

We would hit the interstate, and Dad would "kick it down" much to the chagrin of my Mother. Dad would respond he did it to "blow the soot out of the carburetor". I never knew what that meant.

Certain cars just beg to be driven hard. My 3 series (all 3 of them) were like that. So was my RX8 (loved hitting the 9K redline). My Acuras are like that, too.

Wasn't Imperial an entirely separate make within Chrysler?

Wasn't Imperial an entirely separate make within Chrysler?
May have been. I don't know enough about Chryslers of that era to comment. The only ones I have an interest in are Chargers, Barracudas, Challengers and Road Runners. Chryslers (or Imperials), not so much!

The Imperial was like a Cadillac or a Lincoln, within the GM or Ford line....so yes, a separate nameplate.

driver100

Dino, car is beautiful. Is there anything on it that dealers in USA might have trouble with....say replacing something not in stock? If I was in the market and lived close by I would be very interested.....I think you are right to ask high because it might be perfect for the right person.

driver100

abacomike said:

imidazol97 said:

Now that is one homely puppy.

Imid, remember, it is "retro" so it's supposed to look a bit like an ugly puppy. I happen to like the look - reminds me of cars in the 50's.

I like it too....think PT Cruiser, Beetle, it has a real 50s nostalgia look to it, and is as cute as a bug in a rug (whoever made that stupid saying - bugs in rugs aren't cute!)

abacomike

Starting to get a bit excited about the upcoming visit of my son and grandson. They arrive Thursday evening at 6:00 PM 'ish on Southwest Airlines into FLL Just bought two new comforters and sheets so they will have fresh linens and nice covers. Trying to get info from my son about what they want in the house to eat, but he seems very non-committal. I will take them food shopping Friday morning and let them pick out what they want. I was thinking of making a nice brisket one night with potatoes, veggies, etc., and chicken parmesan one night. I just emailed them to tell me if that is acceptable.

I haven't cooked in two years - and I am a pretty good cook. I used to cook every night for my Dad and me, but cooking for one person is really very difficult. I depend on microwavable frozen stuff (veggies, dinners, etc), so it's going to be a nice change to finally cook for someone. I'm taking them out for dinner the first night they arrive as I am sure they will be starved. They are flying out of Ontario, CA and have a 3 hour layover in Phoenix for their flight to Ft..Lauderdale. And Southwest doesn't serve much in the way of food. So I'll drive them right to a restaurant for a nice meal.

Can't wait - it's been a long time (4 years) since I saw my grandson and 2 years since I saw my son. Going to be great uplifting experience.

driver100

abacomike said:

dino001 said:

OK, guys - putting my 2012 328i wagon for sale. The Spartanburg delivery is set for Friday in 3 weeks, so it's time to see the market. Just paid for an Autotrader ad and also placed a Roundel (BMW CCA) ad on line.

Starting with relatively high asking price (not crazy high, but certainly high vs. so-called comparable cars), to see if there is any manual tranny and sports package enthusiast out there. There are no truly comparable cars out there - most other wagons have automatic tranny and those dreary flat regular seats. I'm sure there may be some sedans with similar configuration, need to look them up, though. At this point, if somebody thinks, this car is no different than those, I let them have the other ones. Will see in three weeks. I also need to go to my dealer and perhaps Carmax to get a real trade-in offer, just to get a baseline. Will do that in a week or two.

Last time I was selling my Subaru STI, I did not have many bites, which was OK. Most frustrating part were the trolls. Some guy kept texting me "offers" 4-5 grand below my asking price (without seeing it). I hated that part. I ended up speaking to four prospects, showing it to two and the second one bought it after I lowered my price a bit. I was already worn out at the time from the trolls and waiting. Ended up getting around $500 more than a dealer offer, certainly not worth my time. This time may be a bit different, as the spread is likely bigger. STIs were in short supply even at dealerships and the car was much newer (3 years, less than 40k miles). My 328 is nearly twice as old and twice the mileage (72k). Dealers will not likely be as interested in a vehicle this age, especially without purchase transaction attached. So they may make an offer, but not likely as good as one if I were buying something. Anyway, good luck to me.

New floor mats and new rubber on the foot pedals would make a big difference - also an interior detail of the leather and the trim. Couldn't cost you more than $300.00 but would add a bunch to a good selling price.

Put seats forward more to hide seat tracks and remove wire going from console to .......the floor?
My wife hates electric cords....in the house they MUST be hidden.

dino001

Oh, the wire was my iPhone connector to the center vent console attachment. My bad. I will make a second shoot to replace some pictures.