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

jrosasmc

I think you'll like these two:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181252982184

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181252333727

I myself would have sprung for the BMW.

explorerx4

If you were in Hartford yesterday, I'm sure you saw the building with the blue onion dome. I work right next to that.

Mr_Shiftright

Sorry, not into old Mercedes 500 whales at all.

The BMW 633CSi 5 speed is an interesting car, but given what was just done to the car and given what still needs to be done, I'd say this car was treated rather shabbily by the former owner.

he's asking #2 money for a marginally #3 car.

Here, let me translate:

Front end alignment --- replace lots of front end stuff
New muffler -- new muffler, header pipe, catalytic?? and tailpipe and hangers
New tires -- metric tires, good luck finding those--you'll need new wheels
AC service -- so why didn't you do it?
New rear speaker pods -- that's not going to happen
Repair driver seat leather --that ain't cheap
Replace speedo gear -- you mean the whole unit
Dye interior all back to deep rich Pacific Blue --just a snap o' the fingers, eh?
Buff and wax --buff and wax your checkbook

I think we're looking at another $5K here. Maybe if you cheap out on everything, scrounge used, you could get it down some.

This car is worth $2500 to my mind.

stickguy

the rare Series 1. A MY 1999. Silver. at a used car place where I was looking at BMWs. Saw it on their web site at the low low price of $99,900!. Wanted to check it out closer but it was sitting in the garage there.

http://www.delawarevalleymotors.com/inventorymanager.php?action=view&Id=509351

robr2

No I didn't see the onion dome. I was making sales calls all over the area from Hartford proper, West Hartford, Avon, Marlboro, Berlin, Rocky Hill.

Question for you - is Avon a $$$$ town?

explorerx4

Avon is one of the area towns that is considered to be a $$$$ town.
However, they don't have this

tjc78

What a coincidence.... I'm looking to buy just that house, just worried its a little small.

stickguy

no, too far away. Besides, I have the perfect place for you. Really.

tjc78

Ha ha, man you want out of Jersey bad!

robr2

Avon is one of the area towns that is considered to be a $$$$ town.
However, they don't have this...

Oh I knew Farmington was wealthy. I wasn't sure about Avon. With their quaint downtown, I expected as much.

explorerx4

Avon is smaller and less diversified than Farmington.
'Quaint downtown' sounds like Simsbury which runs along Route 10, next town north of Avon.

explorerx4

Frazer

uplanderguy

Aware of Cheshire, CT? The Mom who along with her two daughters were murdered in the home invasion there that was big national news in late 2007, was in my high school class in little Greenville, PA. She was a beautiful gal and an 'achiever'. Still horrified by that whole story.

Mr_Shiftright

Frazer: Kinda sad that you restore a car and only get $7000 for it. If it's really nice, the man should ask a bit more for it. But the buyer base is very very small.

Seller calls it a "4 door hardtop" but of course it's just a sedan.

However, a Frazer Manhattan convertible is worth some big bucks. Well, big-ish bucks.

explorerx4

Yes, that was horrific event. Our high school rowing team and the school her oldest daughter went to, share a boat house.
Her husband gave up his medical practice and does fund raising for their charitable foundation.

robr2

Avon is smaller and less diversified than Farmington.
'Quaint downtown' sounds like Simsbury which runs along Route 10, next town north of Avon.

Well it was the most quaint place I saw all day.

I came down Avon Mountain Road into the center and then up Simsbury Rd - Rt 10/202.

fintail

2 days in LA so far, a few old cars spotted. Early Alfa Spider, a few later ones, black 280SL on the highway, beautiful light blue SLC at a repair shop, a gorgeous new looking W123 and a battered W123 that looked like it had been an African taxi for 20 years, 67 Fairlane 2 door post, ~ 69 Cutlass 2 door HT, restored higher line 1936 Buick, 46-48 Chevy sedan delivery, 77-79 Fleetwood sedan, and at a repair shop in Burbank, a handful of odd 70s-80s Alfas, and maybe my first sighting in the wild of a Siata Spring.

Michaell

Fin - not a bad list, and I'm sure you weren't even trying too hard.

On Saturday, I saw the alpha and the omega of British motoring. Within 5 minutes, I spotted what looked to be an MG TC and the new Rolls convertible - the one with the backward opening door.

fintail

Another day in LA - no surprise, lots of old Beetles and Mustangs around. Saw an early VW microbus with a sunroof, MB 114/115, ~72 big Olds convertible in nice shape parked on the street with the top down, clean original ~79 Cutlass coupe flying down the highway with other traffic, immaculate 78-80 Malibu sedan crawling along at 10 under the limit in Glendale, and a 240Z.

And I happened upon this, when looking for something else. You see an 80s Eldo convertible needing TLC, an early Eldo needing TLC n the background, and my rental at right. The building on the right is a Burger King. This is the site where Doc Brown's 1985 garage residence was located.

Mr_Shiftright

1968 Porsche 911 "S" Targa---very rare car as they were not imported into the USA that year. Super nice condition....pricey I'm sure. In the shop being worked on.

Mercedes 280E---not sure what year but very tidy looking. Old guy driving it.

Tesla/Lotus roadster, dark blue, at (where else?) Whole Foods parking lot...home of the $9 cantaloupe.

fintail

I was going to say, I don't recall seeing any S targas locally. Early 911s sure have gone through the roof.

280E would be a later W114 or a W123, uncommon either way. Good old man car.

Oh, I saw a W140 600SEL today, must be fun to keep running, and a kid in an old E12 5er - car looked decent but he was driving a little jerky.

uplanderguy

I like the styling of the '79-85 Eldos--I think it mimics, to a point, the '67-70--but ugh, I hate mock tops!

We vacationed in LA (mostly Hollywood) in 2012. After early Mustangs, we saw more "Kennedy Lincolns" than any other old car on the streets. I do like those; timeless IMHO.

We'd never been to CA before, but after a week there, we all agreed...been there, done that.

berri

Fin, what in the heck are you doing in that back parking lot - going through the dumpster for breakfast? You do see some neat old cars in LA, but I actually think you see more of them on the road in places like San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest. I think LA driver's may be more image conscious. Don't know where you are in LA, but if you're near the Reagan Library and Museum and like those Seattle Boeing planes, you can walk through the old B707 Air Force One. Speaking of breakfast, don't forget Winchell's donuts :-)

Mr_Shiftright

It's quite amazing. You can pick up nice 80s and 90s Benz sedans for dirt cheap in California.

imidazol97

>walk through the old B707 Air Force One.

The Air Force One 707 on which Kennedy's body was returned from Dallas is in the Air Force Museum in Dayton. It's in an auxiliary hanger on the Wright Patterson base available for tours only on certain days.

lemko

...a very ratty yellow 1978 Cadillac Sedan DeVille with a white vinyl top driven by an elderly woman. I wouldn't be surprlsed if she was the original owner.

berri

Yeah, the USAF always has several identical aircraft on hand. The one the president is on is AF 01 at that moment in time. BTW there is also a smaller jet available for the president when needed (short runway, incognito, etc.). If he's on it, then it's AF 01.

My favorite aircraft in that hangar is Eisenhower's Connie. Any aviation (or history) fan should really check that annex out. Each presidential plane is preserved to what it was like at that point in time. Unfortunately, many don't realize it's there.

uplanderguy

I'd like to see that plane. I've long been interested in the JFK assassination, as I have some cloudy memories of that weekend (I was in kindergarten that day), and I always thought it was quite a mystery. If you've ever been down to Dealey Plaza, something like that couldn't have happened in a 'better' (excuse the term) place. The wooden picket fence at the top of the knoll went up to my neck, and foliage came down to my forehead--for half a block, right in front of where the assasination occurred.

I recently saw a photo of Oswald's widow on the NY Post site (copied from a British site). I can't imagine having that association for fifty years. She's remarried and a good neighbor by all accounts. Of course, since you can leave blog comments under the article, someone (on the British paper site) said, "Ruby did Oswald a favor". Sheesh! LOL

explorerx4

There is a restaurant 'Millwrights' that used to be a grist mill built maybe 300 years ago, just before you get into the main area of town.
Take a left just before the big white church and it's on the left.
Basement has a bar with a fireplace and you can look out at the waterfall from several locations.
If the weather is good an outside patio.
I think the building is great. The dinner portions are not big, but well prepared.
The classics I'll be seeing for a while are old plow trucks.
Had some flurries yesterday.

ab348

I didn't know about that museum. I would love to see Ike's Connie.

imidazol97

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/exhibits/presidential/

This page has planes listed. You can click each on for picture and description.

I don't recall Eisenhower's plane from my last visit years ago. I do recall Roosevelt's plane with the hoist for the wheelchair. Note that the gallery is only open certain days of the week, except now it's open because of Kennedy's death having occurred this month. Note ID is required because you will be entering an active air force base. And you sign for the shuttle in the main museum, first come, first serve as I read. The times when I went, we drove onto the base in our own car: times have changed.

fintail

I don't know how nice they really might be. Maybe better in SF. I've seen many on the road around LA now, and most are looking a little rough. Maybe the good ones have been sold out of the area (or country). Haven't seen anything older than a 113, no fintails, nothing older, I don't recall seeing a 108 yet either.

fintail

I spent some time in Hollywood today - not going back on this trip anyway. Dirty, touristy - I'd never done the Chinese theater before, now I have, and that's it.

I did see restored looking. red and white Metropolitan convertible in Hollywood today, along with a pretty light yellow 65 Mustang convertible, a decent big 70 or so Buick 2 door HT, an unrestored looking 230SL, a 914 with an 80s looking bodykit, on the highway spotted a maybe 69-70 Beetle (late run black plates) flying down the highway, must have an engine upgrade, a 62 or so Comet 2 door post, and a driver quality 65 Malibu SS HT.

That Eldo sure looked like an actual convertible conversion rather than a faux top, I am pretty sure it was.

fintail

I'm a movie filming location geek, and that's an important site, the parking lot of a Burger King in Burbank.

There does seem to be as many in Seattle as LA, maybe even more - I think the traffic, roads, and sun here harms any old cars that aren't sheltered. Not so much a worry in SF or especially the PNW. I think an old car is considered cool here, but this is also the epicenter of the cheapo lease base model 3/C/5/E, so that has to have an impact too.

Last thing I need is another donut , but where I am staying in the Burbank/Glendale metropolis has plenty of decent eateries, a pleasant surprise. I think I was out near the Reagan library (Simi Valley?) the other day, but I was stalking another location and didn't think about it.

Imagine a 58 Plymouth or an early 70s Volvo parked here:

Mr_Shiftright

NICE nice. Lots of nice old Benzes in the Bay Area. Some are miled up, but you can buy them same price as a Corolla if you look carefully. Even clean 450SLs are in the $5K-6K range and 80s and 90s sedans around $3,500 are possible.

I think the days of big, needy, gas-hungry used foreign and domestic cars are numbered.

Get 'em while you can.

stickguy

I give up. what movie is that from? Unless it is Christine?

fintail

I might be too picky. I want cars with sound mechanicals and excellent cosmetics. I see a lot of cars in LA with body and paint issues - too expensive to put right. I can see why malaise 450SLs would be cheap, they can be a little finicky, and they are thirsty. A good Sunday driver, especially for an older person, maybe.

There does seem to be a growing 126 cult out there I think once the survival rate falls, nice examples will have some demand, much more than 116s . Oh, I did see a nice W123 300D Turbo, with blue plates, so I guess around 1983.

fintail

Yep, Arnies house.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh I really think you can find old Benzes very tidy, clean, clean in the $3500==$4000 range right now. E320s especially. For 126s, I'd guess even cheaper. But yes, they'd be miled up a bit. Not shabby though.

fintail

4K is the price for a really nice 124 in Seattle too - and there the paint and interior might be less aged. A truly mint 560SEL/SEC will bring more, really low mileage cars are becoming kind of special interest already.

uplanderguy

Upon a re-look, I think, too, that that's a real Eldo convertible. In '79 the hardtop's roofline was a new-for-the-time look, but 'ick' to the convertible top!

lemko

And sometimes a 1974 Cadillac Coupe DeVille parked across the street.

Mr_Shiftright

that's interesting, I mean, regional price differences. Here in the Bay Area, you can't hardly give away a 560SEL if it's not sharp and you can get a beauty for $4K all day long. They are quite abundant, too, so I suspect this is a buyer's market type of car. You can get a very clean 420SEL for $3K. And those are asking prices.

My sense is that the only way these cars are going is down, except for those few low mileage old gent hardly driven pristine examples. And even those are a hard hard sell if you want good money.

bhill2

You can get a very clean 420SEL for $3K. And those are asking prices.

Yeah, that reminds me of the foolishness of getting attached to a car. We just put considerably more than that into repainting our trusty beloved '85 380SE. Oh well, it sure looks purty.

Mr_Shiftright

Hey, if you really get a kick out of a car, then money isn't the point when you indulge yourself. It's only when you're buying or selling it that you have to be aware of market forces.

fintail

I think "beauty" might be subjective. Here's what I am talking about - pristine cars with say 50-75K miles on them, excellent original paint and spotless interiors, lots of paperwork and provable ownership numbers, no deferred maintenance, no dumb mods, no glaring defects.

If you can find me an 89-91 car in diamond blue or similar color (a nice light to medium grey or even a green could be nice), preferably with a creme or beige interior, meeting that condition, for 4K, I'll buy it.

Nice 126s bring good money in Germany anyway, and I know of some US cars that have been exported there.

fintail

Ah that's right, I forgot about Darnell's car.

I didn't drive much today, did see a nice 67 Chevelle SS 2 door HT and a decent looking Alfa Milano. One old MB, a W126 300SD, nothing else other than a first gen Camry. I thought LA would be infested with fintails, maybe that was 25 years ago.

Oh, I saw a 59 Ford today, too:

bhill2

Hey, if you really get a kick out of a car, then money isn't the point when you indulge yourself.

You're right, Shifty. That car is the best car we have owned by so much that there is no point in comparison. It is a four-wheeled bank vault that has reliably taken us everywhere and brought us back safe and dry. It is now like a favorite pair of old shoes that fits with perfect comfort. OK, that's my justification for spending the money, and I like it.

fintail

IMO, new MBs are disposable objects as much as many cars. 126s and cars of that era are more like industrial machines or instruments that can last for generations.

fintail

Definitely needs the top to be down to be palatable. I like 79-85 Eldos and also bustleback Sevilles, if properly optioned.