Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stickguy

too bad it is in Colorado!

I do like it. even the color is interesting (though not what I would pick).

I would prefer to have without all the suspension mods and 18" wheels, but as stock, perfectly equipped.

Seems a bit pricey for the year/miles, but does seem like a nice one

tjc78

As cars get older, sometimes I think you can "throw the book away" no matter what the model.

When you have somethingo old that is in perfect shape, the right person will pay for it.

I've told this before but back in 05 when I sold my 89 Town Car I priced it $1000 over the highest book value out there. A few people said I was asking too much and basically I told them to go find one as nice with 70K on the clock (it was as close to new as a 70k mile 16 year old car could be). One of those guys came back two days later and bought it for a few hundred under what I was asking. I probably could have stood firm, but he came "cash in hand"

qbrozen

mmmm... RWD, sport, stick, tan guts. Quite perfect, really.

Given the damage to the windshield and driver's seat, it is not as perfect as the seller believes. Overpriced.

kyfdx

Yes, definitely too high... and, most people don't like the gray-green color, though I happen to like it.. Where I live, no deductible on glass breakage, so you can get a windshield fixed for free.. As nice as the car is, and as much as he wants for it, you'd think he would have fixed it.

I think he says he has the stock wheels, as well.. Since it has the sport package, they should be 17 X 8, which would look good. I'd probably sell those 18" wheels.. not right for a wagon..

It's really rare to find one that isn't AWD (in Colorado!), and to have Sport, Premium and Cold weather package.... with a stick? Unreal..

qbrozen

I just can't believe these seats look like this with 300k miles!!

ateixeira

That sure is nice, but...

$1450 above retail?

Someone send him the memo that says you don't get your money back on mods.

Heck, it could even scare some buyers away.

He should list that on an enthusiast site, he's really gotta target his buyer.

stickguy

volvo cloth lasts way better than leather.

ateixeira

339k miles, wow.

I'd be afraid to take that more than walking distance from home.

Could be a good car for a teenager if you don't want them to venture too far from home!

kyfdx

He should list that on an enthusiast site, he's really gotta target his buyer.

That's where I found the link..

isellhondas

I love it when they say 339,000 miles but there a lot left to go.

Ah..really? How would you know that?

Oh, they are ALL freeway miles? Well, that's different. I'm not worried now!

kyfdx

Even though they look bone stock, I have to believe they've been recovered...

Couple of things I noticed here, in comparison to the wagon...

1) I really like the alloys on the wagon

2) I'd rather have the plastic/see-through headrests than the padded leather ones in the wagon..

ateixeira

All good, then. I couldn't tell because it's hosted on his comcast site.

qbrozen

oh, didn't you get the memo, isell? Those cars go 500k no problem! it is a well known fact, so no supporting evidence needed. My sister's husband's former roommate said so.

andres3

A honda dealer in San Diego once placed an old Honda Prelude with 779,000 miles in the interior ShowROOM of all places! I knew it had that many miles way before I got close to the car because there was a big sign hanging from the ceiling that said "779,000 miles, and still going strong!"

I did verify the odometer matched! Car was in pretty good condition too.

ateixeira

My favorite is "I saw this one on Ebay with half a million miles on it!"

stever

That's ok, so long as they are original miles.

Still haven't figured out what an unoriginal mile is.

ateixeira

Old odometer with only 5 digits perhaps? So when it goes over 100,000, it's back to zero again?

stever

Showing your age. That's gotta be it. I remember those "old-fashioned" odometers too.

ateixeira

Friend of mine had a Mustang LX-5.0 back in the day...he rolled it over and got back to 86k (really 186k). Traded it in and the dealer didn't know any better!

isellhondas

"the dealer didn't know any better"

This is why they have odometer statements now that must be signed under penalty of perjury.

It's a known fact that back in the "old days" that almost all of the dealers would "clock" their used cars. The mentality was that if the other stores did it, I better too.

At the time, it wasn't against the law.

fintail

Yeah, it was that way with my 89 W126. I got the itch for a faster car and I knew trade in would be nil at 200K miles, so I sold it myself. I was the second owner, all records going back to the window sticker, best color combo, not a ding or a dent in it, everything worked, always garaged - it looked like a car with 30K miles on it. It had two minor needs - brakes and tires would need replacing within 10K miles, and rear main seal was just starting to seep. I priced it at like 2K over book - double trade in, had a slew of lowball lookie loos, finally sold it for $500 less than my price to someone who couldn't live without it.

fezo

Of course even my old 69 Volvo had an odometer that had a hundred thousands reading. They used to use that in their advertising - what? Other companies don't expect their cars to go more than 100K?

That one went to 144K before decision time to put some money in it or punt. At the time that was pretty good mileage. I've put a couple of car past 167K now and that Accord is over 220K now. I have to look in sometime. Now that my daughter drives it I don't see the inside so much.

qbrozen

Showing your age. That's gotta be it. I remember those "old-fashioned" odometers too.

Heck, its not all that old in some cases. I know, for instance, Ford didn't get on board with 6-digit odometers till around the '90s.

fezo

I only have one car (the 99 Celica) that still has a plain old rolling odometer as opposed to an LCD screen.

akangl

Heck, its not all that old in some cases. I know, for instance, Ford didn't get on board with 6-digit odometers till around the '90s.

My son's 95 escort has a 6 digit odo. It currently reads 155xxx and through carfax and dealership records I've verified it as correct. Even with over 155k on the clock I'd jump in that car and drive it to the lower 48 without hesitation. It's every bit as reliable as hubby's civic.

qbrozen

Yeah, it was definitely early '90s or maybe even '89 or so. I know the Crown Vic/Grand Marquis had 5-digit up to late '80s. As the case with the Mustang above, my father-in-law had an '87-'88 Marquis that he turned over to something like 135k and traded it back in as if it had 35k.

ateixeira

My 1991 Ford Escort GT had 6 digits on the odo. I took it to 107k miles but then it was totalled.

houdini1

I bought a new 4-door Accord the first year it came out, not sure if it was designated a '78 or '79. You could have red or silver. I got the red. It was a great car. I had to sell it after a year because I got a company car. I think I got about what I paid for it. It remains one of my all time favorite cars, especially for its time.

fintail

My mom had a 93 Taurus that I swear had a 5 digit odo. I remember our old 85 Tempo had that too - nobody could believe it was at ~190K and not just 90K when it was sold.

Even back in the day, MB used a 5 digit - my fintail has it. Won't be able to fool anyone thanks to the worn down brake pedal.

ateixeira

IIRC my friend bought new rubber covers for his pedals! Funny!

stever

I remember that trick too. Pedals don't seem to wear like they used to. Maybe a clutch pedal.

tjc78

My mom had a 93 Taurus that I swear had a 5 digit odo

I seem to remember my 93 Taurus being only 5 digit too.

akangl

I seem to remember my 93 Taurus being only 5 digit too.

The 93 Explorer that we traded in on the 95 F-250 had a 5 digit odo. I think it had 135k or something like that on it, but only read 35k, we knew the correct mileage and the title stated the correct mileage.

fezo

I thought 80 was the first year for the four door Accord. I had one in that green they loved to do back then. Bought it used in 82. Great car. One of my absolute favorites

michaellno

Yes, folks, it's time again for TDOTW - Test Drive of the Week.

Today we have for your reading pleasure my thoughts on a test drive of a 2012 Ford Mustang GT. Black with black leather, 6 speed manual with Sync & Ford MyTouch. MSRP of around $38K.

Really, it's gonna be a short review - LORDY, IT'S FAST!

I now get what everybody has been saying about the 4.6L vs. the 5.0L. No comparison whatsoever. It's so fast it's scary. License threatening fast. Salesman had it up to probably 70-80 on the road next to the dealer - I was pinned in the passenger seat.

When it was my turn to drive, I gave the throttle a good shove and was amazed by how quickly it gathered speed. I think one would need a racetrack to fully explore everything it has to offer - regular roads would become boring after a while, though the sound of the exhaust in 2nd and 3rd gears would never get old.

Talked for a long while with the salesman - he'd offer invoice for pretty much any Mustang he could get, just to get my business. 8-10 weeks to custom order one.

Out in front of the dealer was an '06 Corvette with only 15K on it. Black with tan leather, manual transmission. Asking $35K for it.

akangl

I now get what everybody has been saying about the 4.6L vs. the 5.0L.

I have the 5.0L in my truck and its crazy fast......license threatening fast!

I've driven a 2011 Mustang GT and LOVED it, but its not very practical for me to own in Alaska for a daily driver. I'll happily take my truck with the 5.0L V8, just the exhaust note makes it worth it, love that rumble.

My son now understands why I love my truck so much after I turned him loose with it a couple days ago. His sister went along to make sure he didn't scratch it.

fintail

I think those are even worse than a worn pedal, as an observant person can see the wear doesn't line up with the rest of the car.

Mine has some area worn down to the metal base, you don't see stuff like that anymore.

michaellno

I've driven a 2011 Mustang GT and LOVED it, but its not very practical for me to own in Alaska for a daily driver.

I understand. As I continue my thought process about my "fun" or "mid life crisis" car, I do think about RWD here in Colorado. Granted, we don't get quite the same amount of snow or cold weather that you do, but it's enough to give one pause.

I'll happily take my truck with the 5.0L V8, just the exhaust note makes it worth it, love that rumble.

Exactly. There was some construction work on one of the roads near the dealership which reduced it to a one lane road. There were road workers posted at either end of the one lane stretch coordinating the traffic. We were first in line while waiting, and the salesman suggested that I goose the throttle. Road worker snapped his head around so fast, it made us both giggle.

ateixeira

That's OK, the Dodge dealer sold him a Dakota and the black paint was peeling off his bumper in no time.

Karma, I guess.

houdini1

I only remember that we bought it in the Spring of '79...and it was one of the first in K.C. I guess they could have called it an '80...but there was no green color available, just red or silver.

Just checked on Wikepedia. First 4-door accord was in 1979, and get this, which I had completely forgotten. In the 4-door they upped the power to a whopping 72 HP.

js06gv

Are you sure that car had My Ford Touch or was it just touch screen navigation? My 2011 GT didn't have My Ford Touch available as an option and I didn't think that changed for 2012. I have, however, seen it on Edge, MKX etc.

fezo

OK. I remember those red and silver ones. That must have been the 79 choices.

My brother had a beige 81 for a while but had a bit of a mishap with a deer. He was OK but the deer and the car didn't fare so well.

Yeah. 72 HP. It was light though. Not a rocket by any means but a fun car.

andre1969

I might be renewing my CCB membership soon. I just got in from messing around with my '85 Silverado. It started leaking coolant, and overheated the other day. I didn't have time to really look at it until yesterday. I poured some water in the radiator, and then noticed it looked like it was dripping off the bottom of the lower radiator hose.

So, today on my lunch break, I went and bought a new hose, but had a gut feeling that with my luck, it would be something more expensive like the water pump. Well, I just poured some more water in, climbed up under, and sure enough, it looks like it's coming from the water pump, or somewhere else buried up in there, and then running down the side of the hose, and then dripping off the bottom part.

Also, while I was under there, I saw just how rusty the suspension and a lot of other parts were getting. I'm guessing a water pump, by itself, wouldn't be too big of a deal. But after seeing all the suspension work it looks like it needs, plus other issues the truck has, I'm starting to think this might be the final nail in the coffin, and it's just not worthwhile to throw any more money into it.

I'm going to call the mechanic on Monday, have him look at it and give me a second opinion. But, I'm really starting to think it's time to lay this thing to rest. :sick:

Now, the big question is, what to replace it with? I know most people replace a full-sized truck with another full-sized truck, but I've come to terms some time ago that I don't NEED a full-sized truck. Although just yesterday, when out running errands, I noticed a late 90's/early 00's F-250 or 350 sitting for sale in someone's front yard, with a snow plow on the front. That could be fun! :P

fintail

I remember a lot of those being beige too. The sedans are pretty uncommon - short run I guess, but I still see a first gen hatch around here and there.

72hp and it looks like it weighs like 2100 lbs...today you get a 4 banger with like 180hp but it looks like it weighs 4000lbs.

fintail

Buy it! It'll pay for itself! :shades:

andre1969

One of my friends in college had a 1980 Accord hatchback, in sort of a copper/rust color. It was a total dog...we timed it from 0-60 with a stopwatch once. With three people on board, the best we ever managed was something like 26 seconds! :surprise: It had an automatic and a/c, though. When CR used to test these things, they'd get around 15 seconds, with a stick and, I believe, no a/c. And sadly, 15 seconds wasn't that horrible of a time back in 1979 or 80! Especially from CR, who tended to be more conservative in their times than the buff rags like MT or C&D.

Oh, as for that green color, every once in awhile, I've seen a green sedan show up at that car show I go to in Macungie, PA, in August. It wasn't there this year, though. It looked like it was showroom new, nice and shiny, not a spec of rust.

ab348

A "rust" color for an '80 Accord is appropriate in so many ways...

andre1969

A "rust" color for an '80 Accord is appropriate in so many ways...

oh, and it was. Let's just be nice and say it was "two-toned". Copper and rust! :shades:

One thing that did impress me about it though, is that even though it was 8-9 years old by this time, the paint was still shiny. It looked like it had some kind of clearcoat on it too...would Honda have really gotten that classy back then?!

I guess it's highly possible it could have been repainted. It looked really odd, seeing the rust blossom through the still-shiny paint. In contrast, my 1980 Malibu coupe simply got more and more faded as time went by and finally, when it was about 10 years old, the first slight suggestion of rust started to show itself in the left lower quarter panel, a tiny spot about the size of a nickel. In contrast, that Accord never made it to 10. It was on its second engine and second transmission, and when tranny #2 blew, his old man made him junk it and got him an '86 T-bird.

akangl

We were first in line while waiting, and the salesman suggested that I goose the throttle. Road worker snapped his head around so fast, it made us both giggle.

I get that a lot with my truck, if I goose it everyone notices. I've only been beaten once and I followed the guy to shake his hand. I think if I had shut off my traction control I would have had him all day long. He agreed, he saw me hesitate and knew why.

*Sigh* I miss driving my truck, hubby just doesn't drive it like I do. :sick:

andre1969

Unused home equity, a 30-pack of Milwaukee's finest, and an itchy trigger finger can make for a dangerous combination!

Updates will be posted as they occur! :shades: