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With a recent paint job... Looked pretty darn good.. Most of these are long gone..
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Do you know this guy?
Another show on HDT is called "Wheeler Dealer", where a couple of blokes in the UK buy and flip an interesting car.
They recently did an episode on the Gen I MR2. Bought it for 500 pounds (about $750) and invested another 700 quid in repairs - they put in a new generator, left front fender (from a junkyard) and windshield. They also refurbished the alloy wheels and replaced the trunk and ignition locks and gave it a service.
They ended up selling it for 1900 pounds ($2850), so about $1K in profit.
I wouldn't disagree with you. One episode showed him paying $68K for a very early (first 1000) Porsche 911 that was being stored in a garage in CA. He shipped it to Connecticut, where he is based, gave it a polish and stored it for a few months before selling it on Ebay with a reserve of $100K. With one day left in the bidding he lowered the reserve to $75K, but the best bid was only $60K.
Win some, lose some, apparently.
But, that same episode showed a gorgeous Ferrari 375MM - apparently, one of only 14 made.
Unload a project car on someone else in March 2009? good luck with that :sick:
Plus, I bet there were 5 Fieros sold for every MR-2...
I loved that car, though.. almost got the salesman to barf on the test drive... :P
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looks pretty good in the photos.
low miles, needs a bit of "touch-up"
high mile, aftermarket wheels and 20% tint
I'd take Gen II, given a choice, though...
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(I prefer the G-II model as well)
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Interesting what a budget limit will do .. apparently, the different seasons of the show had different spending limits:
Season 1 - 1000 pounds (Capri, MB 230E, Mini)
Season 2 - 2000 pounds (MR2)
Seasons 3+ - 3000 pounds
One other show on HDT is "Auto Trader" - same hosts as the ones who flip cars. The part I find interesting is when they take the car that can't be sold, fix some minor issues and increase the value or make is salable.
Recently, there was an episode where a person had a Fiat Brava (4 door hatch) that wasn't worth anything to the dealer as trade. They invested 200 pounds on a new side mirror, door handle and wheel covers, plus a good cleaning, and the same dealer then offered 500 quid. The host refused the offer and told the owner that they could probably get 750 for in if sold privately.
Not a bad ROI.
Well, an MR2 comes along, about to make that same left. However, the driver was paying attention to the oncoming traffic and not the dumptruck backing up, so he guns it to get across the road, and almost into the back of the truck! Thankfully, the driver was quick enough to cut it to the left, and there was just still enough room to get out of oncoming traffic.
yellow IS 300. mint early 80's escort with the original dealer sticker on it (i have bought several cars there). bmw 633 with a clueless driver.
Just a little silly
"Zagato"
Aah the 80s
Priciest one of these around
Good use of a malaise Vette
The first one was sure different from the last
Another Shifty-mobile
Expensive chrome
Cool car, bad color scheme
Motorhome for the diesel nuts
Those were some hard miles
Aah the 70s
Yeah, so "Macho"
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I'd never heard of these, but I got a tour of a local collection.. He has a special interest in "brass era" cars... but, he's got one... In a sort of ugly gold color...
I don't see it myself, but I guess they are somewhat collectible..
It's really weird to see it in this guy's collection, though... Other than his "domestic only" rule, he has nothing else that would fall into the same genre...
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aah the 80's- $6k for an 80's woody. Are these bidders out of their minds. I kinda like them for their takiness and ability to offend the neighbors. But for a lot less money I'll get a Caprice wagon and put some wood shelf contact paper on it.
And it will look better!
Count me in with the crowd that likes that Mercedes RV. I could live with that.
Luckily, the MR2 didn't come anywhere near me when he had to make that emergency maneuver, so the thought that I could've gotten hit never occurred to me. I was making a right turn, and there was a car next to me, ready to make a left when the light changed. Probably gave that guy a good little scare!
Another thing I don't like about that woodgrain, is how it covers the whole lower part of the car, and only comes up to the fattest part of the car, accentuating it. If instead, the woodgrain was higher up, allowing for some body color to show through at the bottom, it would be nice. I also don't like the area just behind the front bumper, where that flexible part is. The way it cuts into the woodgrain gives the car a poorly thought-out look.
Looking at the GVWR sticker, I'd say that car's a bit of a wuss, only rated at 5790 lb. IIRC, the downsized '77 full-sized wagons were rated around 5500-5600, and had a slightly lower curb weight, so they'd have a slightly higher payload.
However, I have seen some of those '73-77 intermediates rated over 6000 lb, so I guess it all depends on how they're equipped.
Shoot for $27K you can get a late model VW Westphalia, converted to Jetta turbo diesel power AND restored to boot.
I can't imagine the defeaning clatter of that diesel, rebounding inside that wooden box, as it runs like bats in hell up a long hill. You'd need earplugs and patience.
This vehicle might be, like many of the old cars we love, better as a concept than as reality.
Slantnose Gemballa - I used to see so many for sale when I bought my first duPont Registry in the late 80s when I was a kid. Sir Mix A Lot had one too, but a convertible. I like the Slantnose but don't like the huge whale tail.
Supra is a nice car but 0 interest in it. Nothing really special about it other t han it's condition.
Buick Limited - Wow, that trunk is huge. If you take off the trunk lid, you'll have a pickup bed comparable to many compact trucks today.
I like the Benz camper too. The front looks like a pug face, like someone squished it in, but it's got character.
Olds Wagon - I always liked that generation of GM sedans. I don't know what it is about them, but I like them.
Macho - so 70s and 80s. Funny but no interest at that price either.
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There are many things that I look at and I wish someone I knew had them though not necessarily me....
I remember wanting a Westphalia in about 1971...
I looked at the bidding list to see who would give $6000.00. There's something odd in the bidding -- isn't there usually on EBay with the bidding. A person bid from $2900 to $6000 against himself. AFter 5 days he raised his bid. Odd he would do that rather than using hidden bidding as offered by EBay. Like I've said, EBay is like Las Vegas.
The Cutlass is Odd.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Nicccce SSSSpelling
El Camino
I't sbeen for sale a for a few months now
Old Caddy
Might be a fun beater
Old Brit
I like this for some reason
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The Datsun might be a good hobby car for $500 or so. There's no upside, but it's very rare anymore. And when was the last time you saw those old style plates? The current BC style came out around 1985 or so I think....I can't even remember the old ones being current.
If the BMW runs right with no smoke plumes or tranny slips, it's worth a gamble, just junk it or part it when it craps out.
6 grand seems a bit steep, the car isn't concours. Something could be up.
Even though I bust on 'em for having those stationary rear door windows, I wouldn't mind having one of those 80's GM intermediate sedans, as long as it had the right engine, like a 305 or 307. There was a really nice burgundy Cutlass Supreme sedan at Carlisle about a year or so ago...unfortunately it had the 231 V-6. And I think it was an '84, so that would mean it would have the weaker block.
Merseddes-- might be phonic--that's how an eastern European would say it.
Datsun 411 -- I like these cars---they are very solid and well made, unlike the tinnier ones to come later. They even made an "SSS" model with dual carbs. Motor is a simple pushrod affair, you could fix it on a picnic table with a hammer and pliers (please don't though). Given it needs engine work, it's about double retail price. If it were around the corner from me and priced at $800 I'd probably buy it. I really like these cars.
64 Caddy 4-door --- parts car
BMW 528e -- a porker, with all the fun engineered out of it, but gee, price is more than fair.
Austin A55 --- V6 automatic --- no thanks. Frankencar.
76 Malibu --- ho hum. Low miles though, might be a decent salt car for you easterners.
I like that '76 Malibu, too. Like you, I've always liked the style of those '73-77 4-door intermediates. The passenger cabins are open and airy, with plenty of glass area. Actually pretty futuristic by 1970's standards. When you think about it, that's essentially the same roofline as a 1986 Taurus.
There's a '77 Grand LeMans sedan that I've seen at the GM show in Carlisle the past two years. It's sort of a caramel color, and looks to be in pretty decent shape. I'm almost tempted to give the guy my contact info and look me up if he ever wants to sell it. Here's a pic I took of it last year. You'd think one LeMans in my stable would be enough, but I kinda like this car. The only downside to it is that it has the Pontiac 301, which can be troublesome. That '76 Malibu probably has a 305 or 350 under the hood. I think Canadian LeManses tended to have Chevy engines, so they might have been spared the 301.
My favourite I think is either an early Malibu, or a 73 Olds sedan with the single round headlights, and the double grille thats wraps underneath the front end behind the bumper.
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I'd probably buy one of these every 6 months, drive it sell it, and get something else.
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I had my finger on the trigger for that one, but he who hesitates is lost--it was one of those "buy it on the spot" kind of deals and really, as nice as it looked, I wanted to lift the car and play with it for an hour---no dice. I would have flipped it of course for $8500.
Guy down the block has a '96 Harley 883 Sportster that needs a good spiff but he'd take $1500 for it. I don't like Harleys so not for me. You can buy really clean ones for $3500 right now. or less next week.
People are getting hard up.
Personally, I despise the whole Harley LOUD look-at-me movement.
I remember a particularly hilarious comment you made regarding routing the exhaust through the helmet. :P
Funny part is all this "American motorcycle" nonsense. If you look a Harley over you'll find a large number of components with suspiciously foreign names affixed to them.
You never see old Harleys around. Some of the 50s bikes were kinda cool looking, not like now.
Here's a bike I'm thinking about buying. Same year as the Harley but look how much less clunky it is---and with shaft drive, too
Your talking about a 20 year old German luxury car.
The number of people who feel like they can support such a vehicle has shrunk enormously in the last few months. There must be an abundance of bargains available now. (and more to come)...