Example: '04 Corolla S, 82K miles, 5 speed, 2 different brands of tires on the car, $11,995. This, for a car as common as air, that sold and sells for roughly $17K brand new.
I'm not surprised the asking price was so high. A new Corolla comes with ONLY one brand of tire.
High-performance driving is not the time to be guessing how tight the lugnuts are. Use the wrench.
I'm with bumpy. I bought a Husky torque wrench at Home Despot for $50. Most DIY mechanics need them for other things too.....heck even when I have wheels mounted at a shop I watch to see if they use a torque wrench.......
So much for the vaunted Mercedes resale value. Just curious: will what you get for the E430 Sport even pay for the sales tax on the new Rolls or Bentley or whatever?
And if you can afford a new Bentley, why not keep the E430 around as a spare, or for the servants to drive?
IMO the auto DOES suck the life out of the post-'00 Celica GTSs. It is a lousy 4-speed and that engine doesn't shift to the other cam until 6200 rpm, with the result that the auto drops it out of the powerband at every shift, and the thing just chugs while it gets the engine spinning again. I think it was about mid-model run that they just stopped offering the automatic in that model.
Don't know what I would pay for a 100K '01 Prelude, but $9K doesn't sound too far off, all things considered. I haven't checked what it books at yet. I am checking out this really nice 100K '94 Celica this afternoon. I'm not really seriously interested, but it is in gorgeous shape for the year, it's nearby, and I was always partial to that body style (the '94-'99s), but never owned one. Plus it has leather. The dealer just reduced the price to $6000. Still too high, IMO. The thing will be 14 years old this fall.
As for the Echo and its trade value, if you don't know Echos then you should be aware this model is the EPITOME of the term econobox. However, that makes it the ideal commute car, very low-cost in all aspects of its operation, and 40+ mpg all the time! :-)
You would think it would be an easy car for a dealership to resell in times of $4.50 gas.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
"If you really want a Civic, why not buy the brand new brand new '08 model for $18.3K"
I have bought at least one new car every year for the last 6 in a row. I was really trying to make this the year I didn't buy a new one! Hence the idle pursuit of used Civics, which officially ends now as the prices out there are just ridiculous.
Plus I am not sure which generation I prefer, the purity of the '01-'05s, or the "Space Age 2.0" current model.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
IMO the auto DOES suck the life out of the post-'00 Celica GTSs.
Yeah, the engine in that final-gen GTS was Toyota's answer to VTEC, and you really do need the stick to keep it happy. Seen any nice Corolla XRS's around?
I bought a Husky torque wrench at Home Despot for $50. Most DIY mechanics need them for other things too
Oh, don't worry. I have a torque wrench. I've just never used it for my wheels. Its a necessity for engine work, though. When it comes to my wheels, I'm one of those folks who just uses the airgun to zip them on, then I'll recheck by hand after dropping the car back to the ground.
What is proper torque specs on lugs anyway? If anything, I probably overtighten. Usually about 100+ lbs.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Wouldn't know on the last generation Celicas. My experience is with a 99 - the last year of the previous generation. I freely admit that a top that goes down covers a multitude of sins.
I would welcome the chance to compare it with the same car in a stick. Then I'd like to talk the guy with the stick into trading cars.
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
Varies depending on the model. I think the torque spec on my MINI was pretty low since they were little bitty tires and used lug bolts instead of nuts. It was probably around 75 or 80 ft/lbs. I hope you are using an air wrench and not an impact gun to to tighten the lugs. An impact gun usually has a much higher torque setting then most lugs require.
Somewhere between 70 and 140 ft/lbs is normal for regular passenger vehicles.
The issue with over-tightening is that it can lead to warped rotors or bearing issues down the line. You are squishing something tighter than its designed to be squished, and pulling too hard on the threads of the studs. Obviously, torque settings on wheels aren't as critical as connecting rod or head bolts, but you can still muck stuff up. I really don't like using an impact wrench to righten because you can also damage alloy/aluminum/magnesium wheels that way. If you think about it, when you went to what used to be called the "service station" they would use an air gun on stamped, pressed steel wheels. Not a lot you can do to hurt those.
You know, I think Toyota sold about 5000 of those things nationwide the entire three years they had them available. Anyway, they are impossible to find in the used market. I did a couple of searches and did actually find one, again on AutoTrader, but it's almost 200 miles away and it is silver. I am SO BORED with silver.
If there were one nearby, and it WASN'T silver or black, I would take a look, only because I know how nice that Celica GTS powertrain was, and that it was plunked straight down in the Corolla XRS without any changes (except minor smog updates that reduced horsepower by about 10).
However, given the choice between that and a last-gen Civic SI, I would take the Civic no question.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
... took me to a Dodge / Chrysler / Jeep dealer on Friday night. Was hoping to take a closer look at the Sebring convertible, but they had none in stock.
However, on the showroom floor was a brand new Crossfire roadster. A 2006 model year.
Had a $39K sticker on it. Kicked around prices with the salesman (who admits that Edmunds is his favorite automobile website) - he thought they could take about $10K off the price.
I then asked him what he thought his UCM would offer for a 2006 Crossfire roadster with 5K miles. We thought maybe $18K, so figure they might ask $22-23K retail as a used car. Long way from $29K, don't you think?
Yeah, there is still probably some sort of warranty available on it, but c'mon!
Oh, they also had an orange Challenger in the showroom. No sticker price on it, naturally. And a Viper - sticker was just over $91K.
Lots and lots of trucks, minivans and Jeeps. Salesguy told me that they were recently offering $15K off any Ram in stock.
I'm sticking with my Saturn(s). For now.
Wife saw a Hyundai Accent 3-door on the road yesterday and commented favorably on its looks. This was the SE model, with larger wheels and tires.
That's a crazy-high price on the Crossfire, although, if that's their first offer, maybe there's more wiggle room. My local GMC dealer still has a 2007 Envoy on the lot. Maybe someone in the business can chime in--at some point, don't all the manufacturer incentives lapse, and the dealer has to, at some point, bite the bullet and sell the car at a loss?
And if you can afford a new Bentley, why not keep the E430 around as a spare, or for the servants to drive?
My thoughts exaclty!!! I certainly don't need to sell the E430 but maybe I'll try Craig's list or something. I have a few friends that might be interested. My house keeper (at one house) just bought a new Kia Optima, so she's good.... my house keeper in California just bought a new Nissan truck... so, she's good...... my other house keeper drives a van and is not looking.... But, my niece says she'll take the Mercedes off my hands with no problem. I'm afraid if I give it to her, the car will need a repair of some type and I'll feel bad about it.
She has her own small business that requires a small SUV so my car wouldn't help much. I just might use it as a door stop!!! It looks SO good and has the coldest air conditioner of any car I have.
Off on a month long motorhome trip on Tuesday so I'll worry about the car when I get back. I need to order the new one as they told me it might take 6 months to get it.
Looked at the new 2009 Mercedes SL 550's today... nice restyle on the front-ends. My dealer has an '08 SL600 for $15,000 off but it's dark purple, Yuk! I have never seen so many Mercedes at this dealership.... business must be slow!
M156
2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
I'll be your best friend and sell your E430 for you if you buy me a C63...
Funny your car has such good air...my E55 has only mediocre ac...strangely enough, the ac in my old W126 was fantastic, and those usually get marked down for poor interior cooling.
My local Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealer always had numerous brand new, never-titled cars from past model years, some that had been on the lot well over two years. And yes, even with GM the incentives do expire after that long, and the dealer is stuck with a car they have to sell at a huge loss. Maybe they could send them to auction? I dunno. They should have a deal with GM where they go back to the mother ship if they are unsaleable after 12 months.
In my local dealer's case, it finally killed them. They went out of business a couple of months back, and the neighboring Toyota dealer promptly expanded into their space.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Typically on left over model year cars you get what is called a final pay. If the car doesn't sell after a certain date the manufacturer pays the dealer whatever the last remaining incentive was on the car so that they can buy down their invoice cost and reduce the floorplan slightly. This also makes the accounting easier for the manufacturer as they can just write all those expenses down on a single month.
The catch is sometimes those last incentives are much less then the incentives available earlier in the model year. We typically only have one car eligible for a final pay and so far have lucked out in that they haven't reduced the incentives for any of the vehicles we had left over. We still usually take a loss on those cars though but sometimes you break even.
I put my BMW on eBay. They were running a special where you only pay $1 to list the car, and no more if it doesn't sell. I figured I'd go fishing and I put the opening bid as the minimum I'd take for it. Of course, my old Porsche is not currently running, so I am going to have a long walk to work (with my 8 year on my shoulders to drop off on the way) if it actually sells. I can't access eBay at work, but if anyone wants to see what it looks like, it is a 1998 323ic black, black top, tan interior. Once I cleaned it up really well yesterday, I really started thinking maybe I should keep it anyway. However, I haven't bought a car in over a year and I am starting to get a little shaky.
By the way, I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get paragraphs in my ad.
I took the BMW in for new brakes and an oil change just to make sure it is in tip-top shape. $880! and I didn't even go the dealer. Ouch. A friend took his X5 to the dealer and said just the brake job was a touch under $1300, so it could be worse I suppose.
Yup. That's what we used to do at my dad's station. Just zip them on. But this was back when alloy wheels weren't very common. On that rare occassion, he warned us against using the gun.
My airgun at home (BR ... I believe it technically is an impact gun) isn't very powerful. Or, I should say, my compressor isn't very powerful. I can crank them all the way down with the gun and still be able to tighten them more by hand. My compressor is probably about 25 years old by now. Maybe older. I'll have to ask my dad, as it was a hand-me-down (as are about 50% of my tools).
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I've never ever been interested in bikes, but the past week or so I've been thinking its a great way to save on gas. I mentioned it to my wife the other day and her response was "go for it!"
So who are the motorcycle-heads around here?
I probably won't do it this year. Maybe next spring. I dunno. I'm not even sure what the licensing steps are in my state. I believe you test and get a permit, then road-test later. Much like the car license. Kind of scary, when you think about it. Folks out there driving bikes with only a permit. I've never driven one myself. Had a little automatic bike when I was a kid and I've driven quads and trikes since then, but only a couple of times. Driving a bike on public roads scares the hell out of me, but my commute is about 75% rural, so I think I could manage.
I've always been partial to QUIET and simple cruisers. My father had a '74 Yamaha that I kinda dug way back when. Seemed HUGE to me at the time, though. I wonder what it would look like in person nowadays. But definitely no hogs or crotch rockets. Also want to spend very little. Any suggestions?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I got bit by the bike bug, man look at that alliteration, again a couple of months back and have been looking for something ever since. I haven't ridden in 10 years though so I have to retake the test and I want to do a MSF safety course too.
There are a whole lot of good standard style bikes out in the market place now and if you wanted something a little sportier a naked bike would be good too. You don't sit up as straight as a standard or cruiser bike but you aren't leaning over killing your back like a crotch rocket. I like just about all of the Triumphs currently available.
Something like a Bonneville or Thruxton might be good for you.
Bonneville
Those are both good standard retroish plus while they are plenty fast when compared to a car they are only about average speed for a bike.
If you are looking for something a little sportier and maybe Italian to match the Alfa how about a Ducati Monster?
They are in the process of releasing the new model Monster with several improvements. The Monster is the entry level Ducati but being a Ducati entry level is still pretty freaking fast.
Another good naked choice is the Suzuki SV650.
That is the fully naked model but they also have a half fairing and full fairing version.
That is the half fairing model.
My favorite naked bike is the Triumph Speed Triple or the smaller Street Triple 675 but those are also very fast bikes that are probably a little much for a beginner.
Thats a speed Triple there and it has a 1050CC three cylinder that makes over 100 hp.
The Street triple uses the smaller 675 CC three cylinder from the Daytona 675 sport bike and makes around 100 hp.
i was thinking Triumph. But figured they'd be too expensive. I definitely don't want/need anything new. But what I'm seeing on Ebay still isn't promising. Like this one that looks real rough for $2200.
What's out there in the $1500 or less category? Anything good at all? A buddy of mine bought one in Boston a couple of years back for ~$800. It was an older honda, IIRC.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
The ad looks great, the only thing I could see wrong is the pictures look like they were from early spring. If I were bidding on it I would thing you have been trying to sell it for awhile.
If it sells too quickly I see you have the Schwinn already to go.
I took the pictures about a month ago. My camera died about a week ago, so I had to go with what I had. Thanks for the comment. That had not even occurred to me.
Ehh I would be very hesitant to buy a 70s triumph unless it was for an occasional ride. They weren't very reliable at all as the company was only a few years from Bankruptcy at the time. The modern Triumphs are great and every bit as reliable as the Japanese bikes.
For under 1,500 you can find a 70s Honda CB model that needs a little cosmetic work. If you go up to 2,000 dollars you should be able to find any CB that is good condition.
My bike was a 1978 Honda CB750 that I bought with a locked up motor for a 100 bucks then put it back together. All the trouble that I went through putting it back together then getting the engine I bought out of a wrecked bike running turned me off riding for 10 years.
Spend between 1,500 and 2,000 dollars on a decent CB750 or CB400 and you will be set.
This is one of the EBay searches I have set up for me now I also keep an eye on Craig's list for bikes. Sometimes people will just be giving away a bike on Craig's list because they don't want it in the garage anymore. You have to be very fast to catch those deals though.
Here is a CB400 in kind of rough shape Probably going to have to rebuild the carbs again and clean a lot of rust on it. I doubt I would pay more then 750 for it.
Here is another CB750 That one looks in pretty good shape and is actually the twin to my old bike even the same color. The mufflers rusted out in the exact same place too. If you can sync up the carbs on your Alfa getting that engine to stop running rich shouldn't be a problem.
one more Civic that was on my way yesterday, so I figured I would check it out. For $12K asking price, it was a 47K mile '02 SI, silver, two different brands of tires on the car and it had been on the lot so long that the pair of cheapos on the front were 3/4 flat. When we went to start it up, the battery was dead. I felt like the tires and battery were signs, and called it quits right there. $12K?? Now the Civic hunt is DEFINITELY over. :sick:
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The key is finding something just as good as an Si that people haven't recognized as such. I am not sure what that would be.
There are a few cars out there that defy logic in that nobody wanted to them new, but used they command high prices. Some examples are TT Supras, TT RX-7s, the final Preludes, MR2 Turbos, and now I guess we need to include the hatchback Si.
Although I wonder if all the odds are calculated out there somewhere. Meaning, are the odds truly greater of getting killed on a bike than in a car? And how much greater?
Of course, the driver's stupidity weights heavily, too. I've done stupid things in cars that I would never dream of doing on a bike, for instance. So that probably increases my personal odds of killing myself in a car over a bike. Ya know?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Oh the NHTSA publishes the fatality rates for all vehicles on a scare of X miles traveled and X vehicles registered. I think it is fatalities over one million miles driven and per 100,000 registered vehicles.
The fatality rate for cars and trucks has dropped steadily over the years as cars have gotten safer and more people are using seat belts to the point that it is approaching 1 fatality per X miles driven and X registered vehicles. Passenger cars have a slightly lower fatality rate then light trucks. The fatality rate for motorcycles has gone up and down over the years as it is much more tied into the popularity of motorcycles. Currently the fatality rate on a motorcycle is almost 40 times that of a passenger car.
Still a lot of that goes to the fact that too many people still don't wear helmets or proper protective gear and too many people don't take a MSF safety course.
as it is much more tied into the popularity of motorcycles
Well, that shouldn't really be the case, though. That's the reason for boiling it down to x fatalities per x miles driven. By doing so, you eliminate the difference in the numbers of vehicles. In other words, regardless of your sample size, the value of x should not vary significantly.
40 times, though, huh? that's ... not promising.
Its odd. We have a very high population of bike riders where I live. Every summer a couple manage to get themselves killed on these roads. Most often, it is tied to a popular biker bar near me. However, all in all, I still believe there are more car-based fatalities. But I guess, again, it comes down to the percentages game. 4 times as many cars and only twice as many deaths gives a lower percentage.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Ahh but with the rise in popularity you get a large influx of new inexperienced riders who often times buy a bike out of their skill level and don't have the proper protective gear.
These riders are called squids and a lot of the injuries and fatalities come from them. As the popularity of motorcycles wanes and/or many of the squids get better or just quit then the fatality rate comes back down.
What I see around here are immature sportbikers and mature-only-in-age Harley riders both who don't know how to ride with any degree of care. Nearly all of the at-fault deaths here are from those groups.
I too would love to have a bike...maybe a Ural/CJ sidecar rig retrofitted with a BMW engine, or an old German bike. But I'm still too chicken to take the plunge with the way people drive cars around here.
"Some examples are TT Supras, TT RX-7s, the final Preludes, MR2 Turbos, and now I guess we need to include the hatchback Si."
I think the reason they defy logic in used market pricing is that none are available any more. I would also say that in all the specific examples you named, they had looks heavily in their favor too (last-gen TT RX-7? Yummmmm!), in a way that NO current Japanese models do, except maybe the Z car. So now they become a unique item arguably without a modern substitute, although in the case of the Civic SI, I would say the new SI sedan or coupe are worlds better cars for just a few grand more. But if you are stuck on having a hatchback (my favorite body style, but I'm not stuck on it), then the '02-'05 is the only acceptable SI for you.
One nice thing about the '02-'05s is that because they were unpopular they haven't been modded and raced to death. Just try finding a '99-'00 SI coupe in stock condition, or even just in good condition. It's a tough search. I'm sure the same thing will happen now to the '06+ SI coupes.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
are the odds truly greater of getting killed on a bike than in a car?
YES. Or getting horrifically injured. I think (?) quite a few motorcyclists wind up losing a foot or lower leg. Hell, even bicycles are dangerous, when riding amongst cars.
And you're also against using a torque wrench on your lug nuts? What about mountain climbing? I hear that's really fun, & hardly anything ever goes wrong.....
Comments
I'm not surprised the asking price was so high. A new Corolla comes with ONLY one brand of tire.
OH ... I know a place like that.
www.enterprise.com
;P
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Infiniti G35X
Mercedes E430
Celica convertible
Etc, etc..
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Use the wrench.
I'm with bumpy. I bought a Husky torque wrench at Home Despot for $50. Most DIY mechanics need them for other things too.....heck even when I have wheels mounted at a shop I watch to see if they use a torque wrench.......
P1 Supercar Club doesn't even hint what the membership fee is, which is never a good sign for us mere mortals.
Supercar Timeshares: How to Rationalize Driving a Ferrari (Forbes)
I think we'll have to start collecting membership fees..
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when I went to trade in the Echo, which gets more than 40 mpg ....
I don't know Echos, but this must be a great candidate for private sale now?
And if you can afford a new Bentley, why not keep the E430 around as a spare, or for the servants to drive?
Don't know what I would pay for a 100K '01 Prelude, but $9K doesn't sound too far off, all things considered. I haven't checked what it books at yet. I am checking out this really nice 100K '94 Celica this afternoon. I'm not really seriously interested, but it is in gorgeous shape for the year, it's nearby, and I was always partial to that body style (the '94-'99s), but never owned one. Plus it has leather. The dealer just reduced the price to $6000. Still too high, IMO. The thing will be 14 years old this fall.
As for the Echo and its trade value, if you don't know Echos then you should be aware this model is the EPITOME of the term econobox. However, that makes it the ideal commute car, very low-cost in all aspects of its operation, and 40+ mpg all the time! :-)
You would think it would be an easy car for a dealership to resell in times of $4.50 gas.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I have bought at least one new car every year for the last 6 in a row. I was really trying to make this the year I didn't buy a new one! Hence the idle pursuit of used Civics, which officially ends now as the prices out there are just ridiculous.
Plus I am not sure which generation I prefer, the purity of the '01-'05s, or the "Space Age 2.0" current model.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Yeah, the engine in that final-gen GTS was Toyota's answer to VTEC, and you really do need the stick to keep it happy. Seen any nice Corolla XRS's around?
Oh, don't worry. I have a torque wrench. I've just never used it for my wheels. Its a necessity for engine work, though. When it comes to my wheels, I'm one of those folks who just uses the airgun to zip them on, then I'll recheck by hand after dropping the car back to the ground.
What is proper torque specs on lugs anyway? If anything, I probably overtighten. Usually about 100+ lbs.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I would welcome the chance to compare it with the same car in a stick. Then I'd like to talk the guy with the stick into trading cars.
Somewhere between 70 and 140 ft/lbs is normal for regular passenger vehicles.
Obviously, torque settings on wheels aren't as critical as connecting rod or head bolts, but you can still muck stuff up. I really don't like using an impact wrench to righten because you can also damage alloy/aluminum/magnesium wheels that way. If you think about it, when you went to what used to be called the "service station" they would use an air gun on stamped, pressed steel wheels. Not a lot you can do to hurt those.
You know, I think Toyota sold about 5000 of those things nationwide the entire three years they had them available. Anyway, they are impossible to find in the used market. I did a couple of searches and did actually find one, again on AutoTrader, but it's almost 200 miles away and it is silver. I am SO BORED with silver.
If there were one nearby, and it WASN'T silver or black, I would take a look, only because I know how nice that Celica GTS powertrain was, and that it was plunked straight down in the Corolla XRS without any changes (except minor smog updates that reduced horsepower by about 10).
However, given the choice between that and a last-gen Civic SI, I would take the Civic no question.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
However, on the showroom floor was a brand new Crossfire roadster. A 2006 model year.
Had a $39K sticker on it. Kicked around prices with the salesman (who admits that Edmunds is his favorite automobile website) - he thought they could take about $10K off the price.
I then asked him what he thought his UCM would offer for a 2006 Crossfire roadster with 5K miles. We thought maybe $18K, so figure they might ask $22-23K retail as a used car. Long way from $29K, don't you think?
Yeah, there is still probably some sort of warranty available on it, but c'mon!
Oh, they also had an orange Challenger in the showroom. No sticker price on it, naturally. And a Viper - sticker was just over $91K.
Lots and lots of trucks, minivans and Jeeps. Salesguy told me that they were recently offering $15K off any Ram in stock.
I'm sticking with my Saturn(s). For now.
Wife saw a Hyundai Accent 3-door on the road yesterday and commented favorably on its looks. This was the SE model, with larger wheels and tires.
My thoughts exaclty!!! I certainly don't need to sell the E430 but maybe I'll try Craig's list or something. I have a few friends that might be interested. My house keeper (at one house) just bought a new Kia Optima, so she's good.... my house keeper in California just bought a new Nissan truck... so, she's good...... my other house keeper drives a van and is not looking.... But, my niece says she'll take the Mercedes off my hands with no problem. I'm afraid if I give it to her, the car will need a repair of some type and I'll feel bad about it.
She has her own small business that requires a small SUV so my car wouldn't help much. I just might use it as a door stop!!! It looks SO good and has the coldest air conditioner of any car I have.
Off on a month long motorhome trip on Tuesday so I'll worry about the car when I get back. I need to order the new one as they told me it might take 6 months to get it.
Looked at the new 2009 Mercedes SL 550's today... nice restyle on the front-ends. My dealer has an '08 SL600 for $15,000 off but it's dark purple, Yuk! I have never seen so many Mercedes at this dealership.... business must be slow!
M156
Funny your car has such good air...my E55 has only mediocre ac...strangely enough, the ac in my old W126 was fantastic, and those usually get marked down for poor interior cooling.
In my local dealer's case, it finally killed them. They went out of business a couple of months back, and the neighboring Toyota dealer promptly expanded into their space.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The catch is sometimes those last incentives are much less then the incentives available earlier in the model year. We typically only have one car eligible for a final pay and so far have lucked out in that they haven't reduced the incentives for any of the vehicles we had left over. We still usually take a loss on those cars though but sometimes you break even.
By the way, I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get paragraphs in my ad.
My airgun at home (BR ... I believe it technically is an impact gun) isn't very powerful. Or, I should say, my compressor isn't very powerful. I can crank them all the way down with the gun and still be able to tighten them more by hand. My compressor is probably about 25 years old by now. Maybe older. I'll have to ask my dad, as it was a hand-me-down (as are about 50% of my tools).
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
So who are the motorcycle-heads around here?
I probably won't do it this year. Maybe next spring. I dunno. I'm not even sure what the licensing steps are in my state. I believe you test and get a permit, then road-test later. Much like the car license. Kind of scary, when you think about it. Folks out there driving bikes with only a permit. I've never driven one myself. Had a little automatic bike when I was a kid and I've driven quads and trikes since then, but only a couple of times. Driving a bike on public roads scares the hell out of me, but my commute is about 75% rural, so I think I could manage.
I've always been partial to QUIET and simple cruisers. My father had a '74 Yamaha that I kinda dug way back when. Seemed HUGE to me at the time, though. I wonder what it would look like in person nowadays. But definitely no hogs or crotch rockets. Also want to spend very little. Any suggestions?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
There are a whole lot of good standard style bikes out in the market place now and if you wanted something a little sportier a naked bike would be good too. You don't sit up as straight as a standard or cruiser bike but you aren't leaning over killing your back like a crotch rocket. I like just about all of the Triumphs currently available.
Something like a Bonneville or Thruxton might be good for you.
Bonneville
Those are both good standard retroish plus while they are plenty fast when compared to a car they are only about average speed for a bike.
link title
If you are looking for something a little sportier and maybe Italian to match the Alfa how about a Ducati Monster?
They are in the process of releasing the new model Monster with several improvements. The Monster is the entry level Ducati but being a Ducati entry level is still pretty freaking fast.
Another good naked choice is the Suzuki SV650.
That is the fully naked model but they also have a half fairing and full fairing version.
That is the half fairing model.
My favorite naked bike is the Triumph Speed Triple or the smaller Street Triple 675 but those are also very fast bikes that are probably a little much for a beginner.
Thats a speed Triple there and it has a 1050CC three cylinder that makes over 100 hp.
The Street triple uses the smaller 675 CC three cylinder from the Daytona 675 sport bike and makes around 100 hp.
I definitely don't want/need anything new. But what I'm seeing on Ebay still isn't promising.
Like this one that looks real rough for $2200.
What's out there in the $1500 or less category? Anything good at all?
A buddy of mine bought one in Boston a couple of years back for ~$800. It was an older honda, IIRC.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
If it sells too quickly I see you have the Schwinn already to go.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Now... what kind of mileage can you expect with such a bike?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
For under 1,500 you can find a 70s Honda CB model that needs a little cosmetic work. If you go up to 2,000 dollars you should be able to find any CB that is good condition.
My bike was a 1978 Honda CB750 that I bought with a locked up motor for a 100 bucks then put it back together. All the trouble that I went through putting it back together then getting the engine I bought out of a wrecked bike running turned me off riding for 10 years.
Spend between 1,500 and 2,000 dollars on a decent CB750 or CB400 and you will be set.
This is one of the EBay searches I have set up for me now I also keep an eye on Craig's list for bikes. Sometimes people will just be giving away a bike on Craig's list because they don't want it in the garage anymore. You have to be very fast to catch those deals though.
A nighthawk is another good choice
Here is a CB400 in kind of rough shape Probably going to have to rebuild the carbs again and clean a lot of rust on it. I doubt I would pay more then 750 for it.
Here is another CB750 That one looks in pretty good shape and is actually the twin to my old bike even the same color. The mufflers rusted out in the exact same place too. If you can sync up the carbs on your Alfa getting that engine to stop running rich shouldn't be a problem.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
From what I recall, those hatchback SIs were being firesaled at like $14k new.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
There are a few cars out there that defy logic in that nobody wanted to them new, but used they command high prices. Some examples are TT Supras, TT RX-7s, the final Preludes, MR2 Turbos, and now I guess we need to include the hatchback Si.
Although I wonder if all the odds are calculated out there somewhere. Meaning, are the odds truly greater of getting killed on a bike than in a car? And how much greater?
Of course, the driver's stupidity weights heavily, too. I've done stupid things in cars that I would never dream of doing on a bike, for instance. So that probably increases my personal odds of killing myself in a car over a bike. Ya know?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
The fatality rate for cars and trucks has dropped steadily over the years as cars have gotten safer and more people are using seat belts to the point that it is approaching 1 fatality per X miles driven and X registered vehicles. Passenger cars have a slightly lower fatality rate then light trucks. The fatality rate for motorcycles has gone up and down over the years as it is much more tied into the popularity of motorcycles. Currently the fatality rate on a motorcycle is almost 40 times that of a passenger car.
Still a lot of that goes to the fact that too many people still don't wear helmets or proper protective gear and too many people don't take a MSF safety course.
Well, that shouldn't really be the case, though. That's the reason for boiling it down to x fatalities per x miles driven. By doing so, you eliminate the difference in the numbers of vehicles. In other words, regardless of your sample size, the value of x should not vary significantly.
40 times, though, huh? that's ... not promising.
Its odd. We have a very high population of bike riders where I live. Every summer a couple manage to get themselves killed on these roads. Most often, it is tied to a popular biker bar near me. However, all in all, I still believe there are more car-based fatalities. But I guess, again, it comes down to the percentages game. 4 times as many cars and only twice as many deaths gives a lower percentage.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
These riders are called squids and a lot of the injuries and fatalities come from them. As the popularity of motorcycles wanes and/or many of the squids get better or just quit then the fatality rate comes back down.
I too would love to have a bike...maybe a Ural/CJ sidecar rig retrofitted with a BMW engine, or an old German bike. But I'm still too chicken to take the plunge with the way people drive cars around here.
Do worry about being paralysed from the neck down. Then you are just a liability to yourself and your family. Sounds harsh? It's supposed to.
I think the reason they defy logic in used market pricing is that none are available any more. I would also say that in all the specific examples you named, they had looks heavily in their favor too (last-gen TT RX-7? Yummmmm!), in a way that NO current Japanese models do, except maybe the Z car. So now they become a unique item arguably without a modern substitute, although in the case of the Civic SI, I would say the new SI sedan or coupe are worlds better cars for just a few grand more. But if you are stuck on having a hatchback (my favorite body style, but I'm not stuck on it), then the '02-'05 is the only acceptable SI for you.
One nice thing about the '02-'05s is that because they were unpopular they haven't been modded and raced to death. Just try finding a '99-'00 SI coupe in stock condition, or even just in good condition. It's a tough search. I'm sure the same thing will happen now to the '06+ SI coupes.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
YES. Or getting horrifically injured. I think (?) quite a few motorcyclists wind up losing a foot or lower leg. Hell, even bicycles are dangerous, when riding amongst cars.
And you're also against using a torque wrench on your lug nuts? What about mountain climbing? I hear that's really fun, & hardly anything ever goes wrong.....