I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)

andre1969

I'd kill for 12 mpg. I just filled my truck up today at lunch. 8 mpg. Of course, with my short-trip driving, a car that usually gets 12 mpg might only get 8 or 9 once I got ahold of it!

fintail

You would have had to be pretty loaded to own one of those new, going by that 19K sales receipt from 1973. Funny thing, I googled the original owner's name, and found she was 64 years old when the car was bought, and was the widow to a 4M+ estate a few years before buying the car. So I guess money was no issue.

fintail

I remember one in "Car Wash", too.

fintail

Oh well, drive it a thousand miles a year, no harm done. But I already have one old beast begging to bleed me dry, I don't need two.

As my old car is rushing up to 50 years old, I am thinking of buying it a few gifts for the date. Tires are sorely needed, maybe brakes, I suspect a few suspension things could stand replacement, and if finances permit, maybe even some valve adjustment/maintenance.

kyfdx

BMW 850i with V-12 and stickshift! Can't be many of those, although it seems that every 850i ever built is for sale..

manual shift 850

Mr_Shiftright

Price is totally crazy. If it were pristine, maybe $10K (more like $7500 if it is less than angelically perfect) and probably a deduct for manual transmission.

I wouldn't mind having it for about $6000 if it checks out perfectly--even with a couple small blemishes, that'd be okay. I think that's more than a fair market value.

It is not "collectible" however, unless you mean as in "collecting dust".

If it has original metric tires on it, those will cost a bundle to replace.

explorerx4

So, how did this person get access to your parking lot?
Does not sound legit.

explorerx4

Shifty, I thought you were a 'Pro'?
It's a COLLECTABLE, not a mere 'collectible'.

fintail

I never trust sellers who conveniently fail to divulge the year of their car.

au1994

Nice! I looked at an 83 380SL this weekend. Wanted 4k for it, but it wandered all over the road and the brake pedal went almost to the floor. Ran and shifted ok, electrics worked, even had the old Becker cassette player in the trunk. I'm still scared though. By my estimation it needed about 1k in work just to get it to the point I'd be comfortable driving it around on the weekends.

Man do I love that body style on the 380-560SL's though!

andre1969

So, how did this person get access to your parking lot?
Does not sound legit.

She works in the building. Probably just having her morning smoke before going inside, and my truck happened to catch her eye. I don't know her, as she's in a different wing of the building as me.

andre1969

You would have had to be pretty loaded to own one of those new, going by that 19K sales receipt from 1973.

Wow. Just for comparison, my old condo sold for something like $14-16,000 when it was brand-new, back in 1973! Actually, that might have been 1974, as I remember there was a date of 12/73 written on the circuit breaker box.

And, with the way the housing burst has hit, prices on those condos might be back down into Mercedes-Benz territory. I just checked the other day, out of curiosity, and found a couple units similar to my old 3br/2ba asking $130-150K, and one 2br/1ba for only $92,900. They had peaked, in 2007, as high as $250K or so.

A $4M estate way back in 1973 must have really been something special.

lemmer

If you see $1K worth of work needed, there is probably another $5K hiding. Maybe more.

jrosasmc

I found a couple of cars for you:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1990-Volvo-760-TURBO-74k-Original-MILES-auto-NO-R- eserve-/120869581527?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item1c246372d7

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Very-rare-1985-5-PininfarinaSpider-Azzurra-/12087- 0522921?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item1c2471d029

I could definitely see you in the Fiat Spider - it doesn't look as if it has a lot of needs. What are the advantages, if any, to owning one of the last years, besides the fuel-injected engines?

au1994

If you see $1K worth of work needed, there is probably another $5K hiding. Maybe more.

I know, I know.

The cosmetic stuff I could deal with, but the cost of making a MB right scares me off. Despite all of the sage advice here I am still halfway tempted to make a lowball offer of $2500 and see if it sticks.

Mr_Shiftright

Well people are not exactly breaking down the doors to bid on the Volvo are they....I'd buy it for the opening bid but not much more.

Fiat -- shoot, for a $9500 opening bid (do people NOT UNDERSTAND the principle of the "auction"?) I could buy me a whupaz Alfa Romeo Spider and have money left over for a trip to Cozumel for two.

The Fiat Spider to have would be the early 80s Turbo model.

fintail

Not the best engine for the car. If I wanted an open 107, I would go after a very early (small bumper) 350-450SL, or a late 560SL. Either might cost more than a 380, but IMO it's worth it, more powerful.

To think, that body was made from 1972-89 with amusingly few changes of any kind - not many cars can claim such a lifespan.

fintail

Must have been at the beginning of the fall of the dollar. Around a decade before that, 20K or so bought my grandparents a spacious new 3 bedroom rambler in suburban Seattle. Today, condos here have performed about as well as there, which makes me wanting to spend money on a car more than on "property" - no cars I like have $300+ HOA fees :shades:

4M estate in 1970 no less. Apparently the late husband of the SLCs original owner (I assume in the ad, "one owner" means family) was a trucking magnate. I google earth'd the home address - nice but typical 1920s-30s brick tudor, so they didn't live extravagantly like their 2012 counterpart would.

au1994

The 560SL is the one to have. One of those is waaay out of my price range for a hobby/weekender/fun in the sun car.

I haven't seen too many 450's for sale and only happened on the 380SL while doing a CL search for convertible's under 6k. Never thought an SL would fall into my price range. And in the grand scheme of things I don't think this one would stay in my range long!!

Originally was in pursuit of a Saab 'vert. Am I a glutton for punishment or what??

fintail

Yeah I bet it has hidden needs. Always buy the most expensive (nicest) MB you can afford - deferred maintenance can and will be much more expensive than additional purchase price. Very nice 107s are under 15K now, but seem to find enough demand to not plunge below 10K.

Mr_Shiftright

Problem with the old SLs is that parts are pricey and the car is a real pain to work on. Also these 107s never seem to appreciate in value and so your investment in rehab-ing the car will probably be lost. If you could end up with a very sharp looking, good running 380SL for a total investment of say $8000, you'd be okay.

A low miles 560SL can bring decent money and has been, by far, the most stable of the 107s in terms of value. It's faster, gets better MPG, and is more reliable than older models.

Here's a case of collector cars in REVERSE--for a W107, the newer it is, the more it's worth.

so this tells you that W107s are acting like used cars, not collectible cars.

au1994

Thanks. I like that $8k number. I just don't know that it would be achieveable!

Problem is with this one, I'd have to buy it for $2-2500. It will need paint and seat covers eventually. Add that to the aforementioned brake and suspension work needed and $8k rolls around awfully quick.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh I thought it was nicer than that---forget it then. Just save up and buy a cherry one for $8K---mo' bettah.

lemko

...bought a 2004 Jaguar X-Type with AWD. Turns out the transfer case is busted and it's going to cost about $2,300 to replace and take several weeks to complete the repair. He figured that since Jaguar was owned by Ford at that time, the part would be common to other Fords. Uh-uh. The part is peculiar to Jaguar and has to be sent over from the UK, hence the cost and long lead time to repair.

fintail

It does indeed share many bits with a Ford - a Ford Mondeo, which wasn't sold here in the same spec as an X-Type - and 4x4 Mondeo was only made for a short time. Our Contour was Mondeo derived.

Apparently, the XJ is actually the best bet from that era.

Mr_Shiftright

That's too bad---1/3 the entire value of the car, just like that.

texases

...but I hadn't seen one in years before yesterday:

tjc78

They were pretty cool cars, can't tell you the last time I've seen one either. I never understood the window design.

Mr_Shiftright

Subaru SVX...was looking to buy one some years ago (to go along with my Outback) and told my friend Jim Askim, a Subaru specialist in San Rafael California, and he threatened to banish me from his shop if I did. I guess he knows something I don't.... :P

stickguy

I got to drive one of those when they first came out (my neighbor worked for Subaru at the time). Nice driving, and quick (for the day)> Probably the fastest thing I had ever driven, outside of a 5.0 Mustang I test drove in the late 80s!.

explorerx4

There was one for sale in the background of one of the pictures of that red Firebird (cell phone case), a few days ago.

Mr_Shiftright

yeah, for the time, not bad. Now a minivan will cream it, but that was then, and this is now...it's probably about an 8 second car.

fintail

Today - BMW E21 in a period orange, MB W126 300SE I see now and then that I fear is being driven to its grave, and a 64 Galaxie 2 door HT.

hpmctorque

I passed one on I-270 just this week, the first one I'd seen in many months.

garv214

The Subaru SVX is a funny car... I think it holds the distinction for being the most popular car that no one bought...

I seem to recall (waaayyyy back in the day) that Consumer Reports did a comparison of Sports Cars (e.g. Corvette, 300ZX, Supra, and the SVX if memory serves...). They had determined that the SVX was more of a Grand Tourer vs a hard core sports car...

Mr_Shiftright

you couldn't really say "sports car" and "Subaru" in the same breath until the awesome STi came out some years later.

yes, precisely---the Subaru SVX is the Japanese version of a traditional GT car --a gentleman's express---comfy, fast enough, yet roomy and luxurious. It's not a car to take squealing around corners.

fintail

Another old car pic from the family - my dad's old Horizon. He was never huge on keeping a car clean, so this was probably taken the day before he traded it in - I know the pic can't be newer than 1985. Looks like the bumper is a little crooked, I don't remember any incidents...probably from his snow excursions

explorerx4

But, now he will remembered by the rest of the world for cleaning his car!

fintail

I don't have any memory of him ever washing a car...an occasional trip through a car wash maybe. Funny that I came out of it and am OCD about keeping my cars clean.

dieselone

I don't have any memory of him ever washing a car...an occasional trip through a car wash maybe. Funny that I came out of it and am OCD about keeping my cars clean.

It is funny how that works. My dad has always kept his cars as clean as possible, same with my brother. As for me, that's what rain is for;)

Actually I kept my cars clean, but once I started driving vehicles the size of elephants, I lost the desire and energy to perform a full detail. Now it's an auto car wash, a quick vacuum, and a rag over the dash once in a while. Oh, and the occasional window cleaning to remove dog nose prints;)

That's another reason I don't want to drop 40+ large on a new pickup or SUV, I wouldn't be so willing to let an 80 lb dog to run around in it or the kids and their mess. Sometimes it's much easier to drive something I have little pride in.

berri

You know, when I've spent the cash, I never really felt any of those more expensive vehicles were really worth the incremental cost. I also think you're wise to steer clear of the first few years of turbos and direct injection. Ford powertrains seem to generally be mediocre.

fintail

My siblings and my mother are pretty much like my dad. I'm the only neat freak.

Sometimes it does sound appealing to have a car where you don't care to obsess about condition, lease a normal box with no attachment, just don't destroy it, and turn in the keys when the contract is up.

tjc78

I lease my cars but still am pretty much OCD about how they look. I also try and prevent dings, scratches, etc. Its just the way I am. I do like to get out of the lease early at timea, and being in perfect shape certainly helps that.

When I sold the Genesis (to get out of the lease) the dealer said that they could put it on their lot as I gave it to them. It was put up on their website on a Friday and gone by Monday.

lemko

I'm so OCD about cars. I clean and detail any rentals I get! The rental agencies are really happy when they get a car returned from me!

fintail

I would try to keep dings and scratches away, anything that can be a problem when the term is up. Maybe I should lease a car and see if I can retrain myself. I bet I won't be able to :shades:

The last time I traded a car, I had the same experience - dealer said it was ready to sell, didn't need "reconditioning", and I know you can use that to your advantage for the best price, too.

I'm also like lemko, I will clean a rental like it's my own car, just feels better that way. I can't remember the last time I rented a car and didn't clean it, especially the windows and dash area.

dieselone

I'm so OCD about cars. I clean and detail any rentals I get! The rental agencies are really happy when they get a car returned from me!

To bad you live so far away, I'd let you borrow the Expedition for free if you needed a vehicle to haul or tow something;)

lemko

...customized black 1969 Chevelle two-door hardtop on Oxford Avenue near Martins Mill Road in NE Philly.

explorerx4

I'm the same way. Usually wash and vacuum the car when I get it home.
Definitely check the tire pressures.
Also, in the last week or so, saw 3 RX-8's, a white Stealth, red 3000GT, and a green Spitfire with matching hardtop.

dieselone

Nice, I saw 2 late 90's Ford contours within 10 minutes of each other. Does that count for anything

For Lemko, a 2008 lucerne super with 18k miles for $21k is listed in my local paper classifieds.

lemko

Cool! Too bad it's all the way out there! It would make a nice replacement for my aging Grand Marquis. The even rarer LaCrosse Super would also be a nice choice and we've done well with my wife's 2005 LaCrosse. Monday marked its 7th anniversary with us.