Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

jefferyg

Now if you'd just learn how to take them! :P Just kidding! Actually I wanted to congratulate you on buying the only Land Rover I've ever seen that I would be proud to put in my garage. I've always thought they looked out of proportion (especially with the raised roof), but they seem to have gotten it right on the LR3. Did they lengthen the wheelbase some?

nippononly

what is the '64?

mark156

This is my 1964 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III... my baby.

Mark

mark156

Jeffery, Yes, I think the wheelbase was lengthened on the new LR3. My brother has a 2003 Land Rover Discovery and there were a whole lot of changes on the new LR3. He has had very good luck with his Discovery with 40,000 miles.

I have a cheap digital camera that I bought off of AOL on a special introductory offer a few years ago. I paid $19.95 plus shipping! The small camera works well; there is no viewing screen and the camera holds about 30 pictures. With the cheap price, it gave me a chance to try a digital camera and see what features I would like to have as this one has nothing. :P I noticed the picture was a little blurry.

Mark

guss

Mark

Is the '64 your winter beater?

That Rolls is almost as old as me and looks to be in alot better shape.

mark156

Well Guss, having a Rolls as a winter beater in the desert can't get any better!

I started first grade in 1964; my understanding is a 1964 Rolls had a MSRP of $18,000 way back then when a normal car ran about $2,200 (if anyone knows for sure I will stand corrected).

I call my old car a "20 footer" as it looks showroom fresh from 20 ft.... get a little closer and you can see the very small stress cracks at the "A" pillar and "C" pillar because the car is not "unibody". I get a lot of compliments when driving it so it makes it worth every penny when it needs something for repair. It's a lot of bang for the buck as a new Rolls Phantom is $350,000. :P

Mark

guss

And I bet you get alot of people straining their necks to see who you are driving around in the back seat.

A Rolls is a truly interesting second car.I bet you get asked to drive in alot of parades.

andre1969

Wow, Mark, beautiful car! FWIW, by 1964 I think something like a Chrysler Newport or Dodge Custom 880 would've probably base priced around $3000 for a 4-door sedan. And I'd guess an Impala would've based around $2500-2600? By that time, once you equipped them about the same, many low-line cars like Chevies and Fords ended up costing about the same as higher-priced marques like Dodge, Chrysler, and Buck. I doubt $2200 would've gotten you much of a car by then...maybe something like a stripper Biscayne? And probably various basic compacts and a few intermediates?

But then at the same time, my grandparents bought a new house in 1964, 3 bedroom/2 bath all-brick rambler with a full basement and a carport for around $23,000.

That car definitely looks like a lot of bang for the buck! How long have you had it?

mark156

Hey Andre, I have had the car for almost eight years. When I first got the car, I had the rear window motors replaced (only $75 each; GM part). Over the 7.5 years, I've replaced the radiator, water pump, belts/hoses, new set of Coker wide white-wall radials (what a difference!), rebuilt speedometer, new clock and recently a major tune-up and carburetor repair. The repairs probably have run about $5,000 and the new tires were $2,200. Even at that, I can still get all of my money back or close to it. The car gets "rarer" as everyday passes just like your collection!

Mark

fintail

I have a car from that same year too

It cost about $7000 new (as a higher line car) IIRC. It's going to get a set of factory style wide whites when the current tires wear or rot out (they are 7 years old now).

mark156

Fin, what are the "amenities" in the interior? Leather? Power windows/locks? Power seats, etc?

In the Rolls, I have:
-6.25 liter V8
-power steering
-power brakes
-power windows
-split front seat; manual movement, manual recline
-leather interior
-NO power locks
-factory air conditioning
-suspension switch which effects the dampers for spirited driving
-low fuel light
-oil level check (separate button when pushed, it uses the gas gauge to let you know the oil level) The "oil" readings are in red, the gas readings are in white.
-electric fuel door release
-wood picnic tables on the back of the front seats
-windscreen washers (not working)
-electric radio antenna
-fog lights
-interior map light

Also, the Rolls does not have "Park", the gear shift is on the column and starts with Neutral, then 4, 3, 2. Reverse is on the bottom. Reverse acts as Park when the engine is off. There is a huge yellow light on the dash so when you pull the emergency brake there is no question you are secure.

The Power Brakes work off the servo on the transmission, (I'm not a mechanic so I hope that I explain this correctly) so, I have power brakes most of the time. The only time that there is an issue, is when you press the brake and let off, then press again.. if the car has moved less than 3 feet, there are NO POWER BRAKES, which is scary. The servo on the transmission has to make a full revolution to "keep" power brakes. That's when parallel parking becomes fun! :P

In the manual, there is a diagram on how to load luggage in the "boot". Since the trunk lid is so slanted, it seems that it wouldn't hold much but if you follow the diagram, you can put a good bit back there.

And.... I have the flying lady hood ornament!

Happy Motoring!

fintail

Not many amenities here

Manual windows, manual locks (neither were even optional), no AC, vinyl interior (but its good vinyl), Becker AM-FM radio, gauges for oil pressure (with light), fuel (with light), amps, temp, vertical speedo, windscreen washer, manual seats with recline...MB wasn't lux then.

But it does have a 2.2l FI I-6 engine, disc brakes, 4 speed auto, power steering and brakes - so it drives like a normal car. I didn't know old Rolls like yours were so weird! I kinda like that.

corvette

Not having power brakes is scary. I would like to have a Land Rover Series I or II someday, but the lack of power brakes or steering is kind of a deal-breaker...

I forget what they called it, but does yours have the central lubrication system that "drips" oil throughout the chassis at a predetermined rate, or did that come on later models?

mark156

OH YES corvette, I have the complete lubrication system that ends up on the mat in the garage, you name it, I've got the color on the mat (red, yellow, brown, black)! It looks like a contemporary painting, LOL! Actually, when I had the new water pump put on, no yellowish green on the mat. The transmission leaks a "wee" bit as does the engine. I guess that's why the fluids are always fresh, "auto" change the old fashioned way!

The engine was made with weep holes that leak. I do have a small leak in the power steering gear box that I will live with. A replacement, if you can find one, is about $4,000 or so. :surprise: I've only put 4,900 miles on this car in almost 8 years... so, I keep the fluids topped off.

Mark

corvette

A replacement, if you can find one, is about $4,000 or so.

Ouch. I'm guessing there's no way to patch it!

Found a link with more info on the lubrication system, in case anyone else is interested:
http://www.boddice.co.uk/bmai101.htm

andre1969

Rolls Royce didn't go to GM for power steering pumps like they did with the power window motors...they're a dime a dozen! Well, relatively speaking!

One nice thing about having a car you don't drive alot is that you can sometimes let problems go. For instance, I've had my '67 Catalina almost 12 years and around 11,000 miles now, and have been nursing a leaky transmission the whole time. It actually doesn't leak too bad if the car gets driven regularly, but let it sit too long and there will be a pink puddle on the garage floor. I ended up "borrowing" one of those big plastic trays that the pizza dough comes in from when I used to work that job, and use it to catch the fluids.

anonymousposts

OK, the MDX was inspected today and the buyer should be wiring us the money tomorrow. That means we are down to the LS and Accord. So .... we are officially putting out an APB for a 06 Civic EX coupe manual tranny in silver or galaxy gray. C'mon people .. help your fellow CCB'ers out!

akangl

I got to go to the Houston Auto Show tonight!!! Talk about a kid in a candy store!!! I so got my (temporary) car fix!!! I think I'm going to trade the Titan for an Armada, I don't like the 07 Suburban, so that leaves the Durango (not a big fan) and the Armada on my list.

I saw so many awesome cars, I can't even begin to say how much fun I had!! I'm going to that EVERY year!!

woodyww

Congrats.....Actually, sort of on impulse, I sold a nice keyboard/guitar amp on feebay yesterday for my BIN price in 5 min.--was thinking I priced it too low, but I cleared about what I paid a year ago. (Only thing is, I'm now up at midnight breaking my back trying to pack the thing so UPS doesn't destroy it.) Sometimes, pricing something slightly low is worth it.....of course it helps if you got a great deal when you bought it.....

geo9

Johns Cars in Dallas? Tx. is known as "the home of the broken kitty"
They sell complete GM engine/trans. swap kits for Jags and Rollers..............

BTW: Didn't RR use GM AC/power steering/brakes/radios/electronics even auto trannies from the late 70s and up?

guss

we are on the topic of older cars.

I plan on looking at a 1991 BMW 325iC over the weekend.I know for some of you(Andre)this is not old , but around here that qualifies for classic tags.

I have never owned a BMW but have always loved this style,and does not seem overly complicated to work on.

I was wondering if anyone has any advice on what to look for. This one has 125k miles,but from the pictures the exterior and interior are in great shape.

andre1969

used THM400 transmissions from General Motors, but I don't think that transmission came out until 1965. What kind of tranny would the 1964 have had? The shift quadrant with Reverse at the bottom sounds kinda like the older HydraMatic that had 4 speeds but no torque converter. I think ultimately they were forced to move the "R" because too many people would accidentally shift into Reverse when they were trying to downshift.

Hey, I always wondered...how did those old automatic emptying ashtrays work? Did they just suck out the butts and ashes and simply dump them out on the road?

andre1969

you're in PA, right? I didn't realize something that new would qualify for historic tags! I guess that explains the 80's Knight Rider Trans Am I saw with PA historic tags, though!

I've heard varying stories about older BMW's. Some people say they become a maintenance nightmare, but then others swear by them. I think it's mainly the bigger ones, like the 7-Series that tend to be the most troublesome though.

anonymousposts

Looks like you can lease a EX V6 6-speed NAV Accord Coupe for $350 per month + tax. That's CHEAP! The money factor works out to be 1.8% interest. I am trying to steer Gee in that direction instead of the Civic.

guss

I believe has classic tags at 15 years and historic at 25 years.

With the classic you get cheap auto insurance for about $250 per year. Historic comes with more restrictions.

guss

Come on now, you know you will never be happy with 2 manual transmission Accord EX's. You are going to need some variety in the stable.

I see that lasting about a month.

stickguy

that generation 3 series can be a decent car. Not really cheap to keep on the road, but relatively simple compared to the bigger and newer models. Just have it checked out real good, to make sure the problematic stuff is either new or in good shape. Getting a car owned by an anal person that did preventive maintenance is a good thing.

The Accord coupe is certainly a much different car than the Si. I think long term it would be a lot more enjoyable, unless you really want something small, with a barely adequate back seat, that is very high strung.

I'm too old to be winding a car over 6K just to get to the good stuff. The V6 6 speed combo is also very nice, just don't expect the same level of handling.

andre1969

Okay, then that's a little different from Maryland. Here, once it's 25 years old you can get historic tags, which have restrictions (can't be your only car or the car you regularly drive to work/school, intended mainly for shows, events, weekends, and occasional used to "stretch the car's legs")

stickguy

I thought it was a tongue in cheek dig on how often most people with CCB churn their stable. This, coming from someone who is on his third MY 2005 car (still have 2 of them!)

bumpy

I think ultimately they were forced to move the "R" because too many people would accidentally shift into Reverse when they were trying to downshift.

There was Federal mandate for the PRNDL arrangement sometime in the early-mid 60s.

andre1969

but when you add or drop a car from your insurance policy, would your insurance company be any more likely to pull your driving record? Or do they usually just do that when your policy is up for renewal? Or is it totally random?

kyfdx

The E30 is a nice car, but any older convertible like that is going to be prone to problems.. All of that twisting force on the chassis over the years, without the stability benefits of a hardtop, are going to take a toll..

I personally would avoid these convertibles... If you decide to go that way, shop around.. they made a ton of them... the same body style goes all the way to 1993 in the convertible.... A manual transmission (sort of rare in the 'vert) will be less problematic than the automatic..

regards,
kyfdx

geo9

ANDRE.....Most insurance companies use a CLUE report.
(Can't remember what the letters stand for)
It is just like a credit report and it will list ANY
insurance claims, driving record etc.............

Most insurance companies will pull one on a new policy.
Or at random on renewal, or if you have a claim etc...

mark156

geo9, I'm not sure when RR started or stopped using GM parts. My mechanic said RR had used GM window motors for many years, especially in the older ones.

Speaking of the N432R (transmission configuration). I have to be very careful if I have the car valeted. When I would go to the Ritz Carlton for lunch with friends, there was a valet there that understood how it worked. How scary it could be if a young valet jumped in and started to drive away and thought the car was in Park (really neutral) and pull down one gear thinking you are in Reverse when you are actually in Drive... not pretty!

Andre, I never heard of the ashtrays that you were referring to. The Silver Cloud III was made from 1963, 1964 and 1965. Before that they were called the Silver Cloud I and Silver Cloud ll. The Silver Cloud III came out with the dual headlamp configuration.

In 1966, the Silver Shadow was introduced and ran until 1980, then came the Silver Spur (1981-1998) then the Silver Seraph (1999-2003) then the Phantom (2004-current). Also during those years, there were special versions called the Silver Wraith, Silver Ghost, etc.

I have a friend who bought a new Phantom and is having the top chopped off to make a four door convertible. It has been in it's "transformation" for over a year now. At this point, it will be the only Phantom that is a four door convertible. The whole interior was stripped to add strengthening bars and the whole trunk lid had to be redesigned as to have a boot for the top to go into. Also, all new glass had to be made because there is no "B" pillar and the glass needed to touch (like the suicide-door Lincolns). The inside of the doors had to be re-built to accomodate the larger glass. This job was ONE BIG undertaking and cost a fortune! :sick:

Mark

andre1969

I wonder if that's just a myth, then? I just just remember hearing years ago that Rolls Royces had self-emptying ashtrays. I always figured they had some kind of vacuum setup that would suck the ashtrays clean and either deposit in in a cannister somewhere for the chauffer to clean out later, or just dump them outside the car!

geo9

Pretty sure early Jag and Rollers used a troublesome Borg-Warner automatic tranny. Then they went to GM. The new Rollers use a BMW auto which I believe is a GM knockoff anyhoo!

I lived in WPB Fl. during the 80s. My cousin worked for a high end body shop unbending lots of expensive and exotic cars.
During this time the Brahman auto group in Miami and WPB closed their in house body shops and farmed out ALL their work to the high end indy shops..............

Once a week we would go to Miami and bring back the driveable "wrecks" or I would drive the rollback for
the really bad ones because I had a Fl. commercial DL at the time..............

I got to drive/touch/feel some nice expensive iron!
It was funny seeing a Delco/Bose Gold Series sound system in a Rolls! :shades:

corvette

And AFAIK it's one policy per vehicle. That's how I had a ten-year accident-free discount when I was 16 years old--I inherited it from my dad's policy.

fintail

MB also used a Borg Warner unit until it developed its own fluid coupling 4 speed auto ca. 1962.

woodyww

What are they asking? It's got big miles (well, average for a 15 y.o. car I guess). I'd ask for a quote on the RWTIV board if you get serious about it--I'm guessing it's worth $5000 absolute top, if it's totally perfect. And take it to an indie bmw shop for pre-purchase inspection--you could drop $2k or more on something like that in a heartbeat, if it needs, shocks, exhaust, brakes, or whatever.

guss

They are only asking $3,000, so I will be on the look out for what is wrong with it.A thorough mechanic's inspection will definitely be done.

Unfortunately we could not hook up this weekend.

I am not looking for a museum piece. My four criteria are something cheap(under $5k),rear wheel drive,manual transmission and a convertible. So this seems to fit the bill.

anonymousposts

The only dealer near Tampa with Si's wants $3000 over MSRP and that's discounted from $5000. There is only 1 EX Nav 5-speed coupe in the state of Florida and the other closest one is in Arkansas. Dealers want at least MSRP for these. When you try to order one they say that you can't order one from Honda and then they say well Honda doesn't make them because people don't want them and then they say that there aren't any because they are so popular. Just darn.

stickguy: The thought of a tC has crossed our mind. What's your opinion?

stickguy

I don't think Gee will fit too well. That, and you would find some things to complain about, an it wouldn't last.

Not Nav either, but at least it is pretty cheap, and still seems to be holding resale (at least by looking at dealers asking more for an '05 than you can get a new one for)!

Figure out what you really want and wait until you find it is always a good plan.

steine13

[..] and it wouldn't last.


Well...

Figure out what you really want and wait until you find it is always a good plan.

Not with these two.
What they really want is a new car every three weeks.

Since they buy smart and live in a tax-on-the-difference state, they come out OK... I mean it's not like it's fattening or anything...

-Mathias

sandman46

Why don't ya'll just wait a bit for the perfect car at a reaonable price? You've already got 3 rigs in the stable...so what's the hurry? I totally agree about the Civic, that's what I want for my next ride, a 4 door EX. A girl at work just got a black EX coupe and the car is awesome. But maybe you guys should just sit back and wait till the '07's come out when the supply will be better and the demand will have softened a bit.

Just a thought though.

The Sandman (who lives vicariously thru all you chronic car buyers)

anonymousposts

We pretty much decided to just wait on the Civic. We can buy disposable cars until he's able to get the Civic he wants. The one story that's pretty much consistent between all of the dealers is that the EX NAV 5-speeds won't be built again until April. The Civic hits both of our hot buttons so we will not-so-patiently wait. In the meantime maybe we can find a nice 93-95 Civic or Accord for my daily commute so Gee and little Gee can drive the Accord around while I work.

Sandman: Actually we are down to 2 cars. The LS400 and the Accord.

And it is a good thing that CCB'ing isn't fattening or Gee and I would be on Maury unable to leave our beds and riding around in the back of a conversion van.

kyfdx

Maury would love to get hold of you guys... no matter your weight..

Had a long talk with the wife (over 5 minutes!) about her new car.. She really doesn't like it.. It looks like we will try getting someone to assume the lease..

I sort of like driving it, but for this kind of money, I would have picked something else... Now.. to decide whether to keep it and get some top-down enjoyment until about June... or, try to ditch it now.. The lease assumption process takes at least 30 days..

And to think.. I used to secretly laugh at the addicts on this board... :surprise:

corvette

...but for this kind of money, I would have picked something else...

An M3 Coupe? :P

kyfdx

I couldn't touch that for what I'm leasing this one for.. Only $500/mo. + tax..

I probably couldn't even get a new '06 330i for that kind of money.. Of course.. the relatively low payment on this car will make a lease assumption much easier..

For $500/mo., I'd be more likely to spend $25K on a used manual shift 325i... Or, a new Civic sedan... Or.. just keep driving my Honda CR-V..

But... what will probably happen... If we go this route.. the lease gets assumed around the first of April.. and, I start looking for killer lease deals for the wife.. Maybe an A4 Quattro... or an X3, if the lease deals get better.. Or..maybe buy a TSX... I came within hours of doing that a couple of years ago, before we got the '03 325i..

Or..the wife drives the CR-V, and I shop for a used car... maybe an '02 Protege5 or Protege ES.. with a stick-shift..

racer63

Some of y'all may have seen my whining in Smart Shopper in the "Any Questions for a Car Dealer" thread. Guess I had it coming to me trying to decide between things as varied as a used Boxster S or Z06 to a used 4-door mid/full size domestic, to something in between.

Spent a gloomy Saturday out kicking tires on the practical-to-slightly upscale front, starting off at the GM dealer that I bought the 2500HD Crew Cab from. They had two things intriguing. An '05 Grand Prix with 13,000 miles, and a Certified '03 CTS with 35,000. Grand Prix was advertised at 16,995; the CTS at 22,995. The grand Prix was a pleasant suprise, and the CTS was a disappointment, which wasn't all that unexpected, having ridden in one about year ago and getting out not impressed. All sorts of ride harshness and crashes through the suspension. My 100k mile Celica with Koni shocks rides better. I also had to jack the seat all the way to the floor, with the cushion totally flat, to get my head out of the sunfoof. The net of the adjustment was it felt like a wooden church pew with somebody patting my head. The Poncho was offered to me at $15,500 right off the bat. I imagine there is about another $500 of play in the price if I pushed. If I went with that "plain" a cat though, I think I'd want something down in the thirteen range.

Then on to the Lincoln Mercury dealer right next door, which had a bunch of LS's lined up. The best color combo I liked was no-sale dark blue with a gray interior. 2003 V8 with 14,000 miles; asking price of $22,995. Supposedly has never left the dealership, but was titled and used by the owner or Mrs. owner since the 4/04 in service date. Wow, lotta car and bling for that price, considering the $40k+ sticker new. As someone who learned to drive in a '72 Vega with metal and plastic interior and a 3 speed manual on the floor (in 1980!), having heated and cooled front and rear seats, power tilt/telescope wheel, power seats that go back in their tracks when the car is shut off (wife was like what the heck?) this ride was shweet. My problem is that I don't necessarily need all those buttons to push, and I'm sure some of them might break over time too.

:confuse:

So, on to the Philadelphia Auto Show next weekend, to try to keep figuring out what to do.

woodyww

I wasn't sure why you sold your previous bmw (a fairly nice E46 you sold in the low $20K's, is that right?) to lease this one? But that's probably a dumb question here.....

I remember my ex-& I drooling over every 3-series E30 convert. we saw in the late '80's. But no way we could afford one then.

BTW, what about a nice used E36 M3? That would probably do it for me.