Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

tjc78

Ah...105 NEVER sounds good! You can have it!

+1 on that!

lemmer

It was 19 degrees here in Birmingham this morning. I covered up well and I was fine coming into work. On the other hand, when it is in the high 90s during the summer, I get to a point where I can't take off any more clothes.

Being naked is still too hot at 105 degrees. And you risk a nasty sunburn.

isellhondas

Yep, I can always bundle up and stay warm but when it's hot there isn't much a person can do except suffer.

Unless they live in Arizona where the heat doesn't matter because it's a "dry" heat and it only last's three months!

stever

The Boise heat bothered my SoCal wife more that me, but I grew up in Mississippi where the 80% humidity at 80 degrees would kill you.

All the more reason to car shop in ID or AZ or NV. You could probably take a Michigan car to Palm Desert for a year and bake the rust off.

isellhondas

Don't be tempted. That T-Bird isn't worth fixing up unless you have tons of money to throw at it.

breld

I really want this.

535 wagon

It strikes me as a pretty decent deal for what it is - but of course, it's still a big chunk of change, and it's far away (which is a good thing).

stever

Not me - I think we got off on this thread talking about shopping Craigslist. I don't like the way old cars drive. Almost took a flyer on an well used Miata a couple of years ago and it would have taken a lot of elbow grease to get it looking smurfy. That T-Bird has zero interest for me.

Old cars are like dogs and kids. Fun to play with for an hour or two so long as you aren't responsible for their care and feeding.:shades:

roadburner

To each his own; our 1975 '02 has been a blast. And when something does break, parts are very easy to get(thank you, BMW Classic). Better yet, I don't need several hundred dollars worth of diagnostic equipment to find and/or address the problem.

fintail

My fintail is great fun to drive too, reliable, not too thirsty, and is a lot cheaper to fix than moderns.

But that T-Bird might be annoying to some. It's going to have a 390 or 428, so single digit city mpg. They have a rep for eating up front suspension components. Low restored values make fixing one up a gamble. But, they are stylish and cruise along nicely on straight smooth roads.

breld

Well, the buyer for our 318ti flew in this morning from Nebraska. We met him at the airport and he is on his way back home on scenic I-70.

Very nice guy and definitely an enthusiast - so exactly the type of buyer we had been waiting for.

Nice to find a home for a car we were hardly driving.

stever

To each his own; our 1975 '02 has been a blast.

Point well taken, so I take all back.

Can't wait to find another '73 VW Bug like the one I drove to Alaska (or even better, a Karman Ghia). Fun little go karts, easy to fix, lots of parts.

I'm sure I can find one with the safety cage and stability control and air bags that are all still functional. :P

Plenty of newer cars are cheap to own and a blast to drive and offer modern safety features.

I always cringe when I read about someone driving a 60's Mustang with the Pinto gas tanks. Hopefully by now most everyone restoring those knows about the tank replacement solutions.

isellhondas

You called it right on that T-Bird. Few cars handled worse than they did and they ate front end parts. They were so front heavy.

They also had vacuum lines everywhere and electrical glitches even when they were new.

But, yes, they did have a certain allure to them and they would glide down the road in a classy manner. I prefer the 65's the best and actuallyu wouldn't mind having the right one.

isellhondas

Gas tank explosions were actually pretty rare with those Mustangs. I;ve seen several rear ended pretty hard and nothing happened.

Funny, how we didn't worry about safety in those days. I remember driving my VW bugs never even thinking about the fact they were death traps.

10 gallons of gas in your lap, no crumple zones, a lousy lap seat belt.

A strong side wind would put you in the next lane.

I'm knind surprised you would want a '73. By that time, the smog regs were closing in and they had those ugly 5 MPH bumpers.

Most VW "people" consider the 67's to be the very best year but I think I would rather have a 70-71. As long as it didn't have an Auto Stick!

stever

While living in Boise a guy my age tracked down an older Bug like he had driven in his twenties. Got in a low speed accident and died. :sick:

But I know what you mean - a HS classmate got a Bug for a graduation present in '70 and promptly wrecked it and died. I had three or four of my own Bugs after that, never occured to me that my number could be next.

The idea of getting one now is fun but the reality is something different.

While I'm thread crapping in here, this story from The Truth About Cars will make you think twice about window shopping on eBay:

eBay Escapades: How To Be A Small Time Car Flipping Crook

houdini1

But it's a dry heat.

tjc78

but I think I would rather have a 70-71. As long as it didn't have an Auto Stick!

My Mom had a Beetle with Auto-stick and factory A/C. She always talked about how much she loved that car.

michaellno

I drove a Beetle in HS .. ours was a '65 with the ubiquitous (for CA) "Baja" kit. Hated that car. Left me stranded several times, usually far from home.

After I graduated, it was handed down to my sister. Miraculously, my dad, uncle and cousin found the time to upgrade it from 6-volt to 12-volt and she never had a problem with it.

Sheesh.

qbrozen

Long but interesting story.

Amazing he went through all of that. Probably cost him more in time, effort, and driving than it was worth.

corvette

Since it's a fairly loaded 2010 model, I would expect to have Comfort Access, and I don't think that one does. A ton of money for a three year old car, but the miles are low. Love the color, too.

fezo

My girlfriend in high school's parents had a VW bug and a Karmann Ghia. Loved those. I remember riding down to the shore (where I live now - then a 2 hour drive) in the back seat of that Beetle. I don't kow that I'd want my daughter in the back seat of a Beetle even if I was driving but I suppose...

Years later I was carpooling with a woman that had a 63 bug with the giant sunroof. The sunroof was great but that was the slowest car I've ever driven!

isellhondas

The worst used car I ever sold was a very nice (Millenia) that I sold to our next door neighbor. Our shop had declared the car to be in great condition, and it was! Thankfully, he bought en extended warranty. That car did one thing after another including a transmission failure.

Buing a car through Ebay is risky and it's kinda hard to feel sorry for someone who paid thousands of dollars less than the market value.

Car Fax can be a total joke. They constantly report possible odometer fraud and "accidents" that were nothing more than a key scratch.

Yet, they often miss this big things.

isellhondas

An Auto Stick AND A/C??

What a gutless wonder THAT car must have been!

No sch thing as "factory" A/C in those. All were dealer installed.

These took a tremendous toll on those little engines and should have never been allowed. I had a '69 with A/C and it was terrible!

tjc78

Didn't know that about the A/C she always mentioned it "came that way".

I've only driven a Beetle (not hers) one time and that was enough. I think the one I drove was a 70 and it was manual.

isellhondas

I'm sure that VW did "come that way" but all of those a/C units were dealer installed.

Hanging a A/C unit on that already overstressed little air cooled engine was a horrible thing to do. On the freeway when the compressor cycled, the car would slow down by at least 5 MPH. The old German mechanics would just shake their heads in disgust.

Actually, I liked driving old beetles. You had to be paying attention and you had to be in touch with the car.

They were crude, simple and they had a certain feel and charm that is hard to describe.

lemmer

For some reason, Beetles are one of the few older cars that really appeal to me. I like the simplicity and the size.

stickguy

Supposed to meet the buyer for my Accord in a couple of hours to swap title for money. Took a few days for her insurance settlement to arrive. So with any luck I should have my garage spot back (man, I hate parking outside in the winter).

of course, we all know what that means. Time to shop for the spare car that I will need in December! It will give me something to do over the summer, looking for that special toy/oddball/"what the heck did you just buy" that only I could love!

Actually, even though the Volvo is nice, and will be perfect for my duaghter, I really, really want a BMW for myself, but now I cna keep an eye out for a stick.

michaellno

Time to shop for the spare car that I will need in December! It will give me something to do over the summer, looking for that special toy/oddball/"what the heck did you just buy" that only I could love!

So, what are your parameters?

Manual transmission - obviously
2 seats or 4?
Droptop, coupe or sedan?
Budget?

Is there a short list of cars you are interested in?

You just know that your friends here in CCBA will be kibbitzing every step of the way.

nyccarguy

Didnt know until it was too late, but my dentist called me asking about Q5s & X3s. He's got an '02 A4 3.0 Quattro w/ Automatic. Only 40,000 miles. Never had one single issue with it. Back seat never been sat it. Pampered & babied. He sold it for $7500.

slorenzen

Her's something that will stick out, and, it's a BMW...

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/bmw/isetta/

:shades:

stickguy

pretty broad at this point. I am tempted by a 2 seater (logically a convertible) but will probably go with 4 seats, even if the rears are nominal.

Stick most likely, but depending on what it is an AT can be in play.

age is flexible, but I can't see going too old, so figure most likey 2000+? Though something late 90s will still get a sniff.

Budget is up in the air, but figure on "low".

things I like? BMW 3 series obviously. And the Z3/Z4. outside of Bimmers, I am wide open. A Celica? Mazda? Subaru? maybe an RSX (Acura). a Civic Si bread van.

whatever it is, not too large.

roadburner

I had a chance to buy an immaculate Isetta back in 1979, but I thought $1,000 was a bit high- and passed on it...

roadburner

EMWs were Postwar BMWs built at the Eisenach plant in East Germany; they wear red and black emblems:

slorenzen

Those prices to seem a bit....um.... apart from reality?

:surprise:

nyccarguy

I did a quick autotrader search of all coupes & convertibles with manual transmission within a 200 mile radius of my house in Stamford, CT. Price cap I used was $12,000.

We have this 2000 Honda S2000

This 2003 Audi TT Roadster

A 1997 E36 328i Sport Package Drop Top

A 2003 Z4 Sport Pkg Grey w/ red leather

nyccarguy

2000 Black/Black Z3 2.8

Blue 2000 BMW Z3

Supposedly these Porsche 944 Cabriolets run forever and a day. AT least the coupes do.

2001 Z3 3.0i

1987 Porsche 944 TURBO

Spending other people's money is lots of fun!

The black/Black Z3 is a private seller in NJ, not sure how far from you, but that might be a damn good car.

qbrozen

There is an E30 convertible stick in Roundel that seems like a nice one. Is that something that might interest you?

roadburner

Those prices to seem a bit....um.... apart from reality?

Not really; good Isettas will bring $30,000 or more all day long.

au1994

The TT gets a knock as a 'hair dresser's car', to borrow from Top Gear, but I have always liked them. Tough to go wrong with a Z4 though...

stickguy

I was looking at thhe BMWCA classifieds at one point. Some nice stuff in there.

Not sure I would want to go all the way back to an E30. A 36 maybe.

And NY, summit is the opposite end of the state, but it looks like a nice one. Very wealthy area, so good place to go for a private sale on a toy like that!

stickguy

the Audi TT never did anything for me. But for the right price...

Budget will probably be more in the 6 range, but that depends on whether I can snake my wife's "upgrade" and keep her in the minivan a while longer!

If I play my cards right, I might be able to finagle my way into a late E46 while she keeps the van another 6-12 months.

fezo

Dang! When I hit the link for the Isetta there was an ad for the Atlantic City Classic Car Show......

roadburner

But I have always wanted one of these.

Way kewl, and an expert 'troon repair/restoration shop is only an hour away from my house.

fintail

Very cool, but you'd want to willing to spend spend spend to keep it going. French-Italian hybrid will like lots of care.

roadburner

Oh I know that; this car did have a lot of the pricey work covered over the past few years- the nitrogen spheres and the timing chains, to name two. And it doesn't have a slushbox- a BIG plus. Satch Carlson once told me he'd still have his SM if it hadn't had "that $@#$$ automatic transmission." :P

tifighter

Nearing a week with this Miata already. Its been sunny and in the 60's most of the week here in Oakland, so the hard top has been down a lot already. Really fun to drive; it just feels more agile than the Z3 I had. Plenty of power. I sense the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

fintail

So it won't need those again for a good 5000 miles or so :shades:

That gearchange looks very interesting.

tommister2

The GM of the local Toyoya dealer is moving in across the street from me. My wife has already been commenting about all of the different cars he has been driving. She knows this will be tough for me. In 2008 I commited to my family that I would buy 0 cars, and I made it! For 2009, 2010 and 2011 I have managed to only buy 1 car per year. My neighbors are pretty boring car wise, so that has helped. This guy is really going to test me...I've already had the itch this year.

stickguy

buyer for my Accord finally got the money in hand and came bu tonight to take it away. So, back down to 2 at the house (I don't count the Acura since my son has that away at school, so I don't even consider it mine anymore!)

at least I can get the Volvo in the garage again. I hate parking outside overnight.

still getting used to the new wheels. Has a nice stereo (front and rear equalizers, center channel with surround sound). Have to play with all that one of these days.

Got gas so had first MPG check. Mostly putting around town, with a short highway run. Calculated 23.3 (trip computer said 22.6, so close). Though the gas gauge seems to be about 3 gallons pessimistic (though unlikely will ever run out of fuel!).

but, already getting that urge to look again. Volvo is a nice little car. will be perfect for my daughter, but not likely to cause me any angst when it comes time to hand it down!

qbrozen

I hate to tempt you so early, stick, and I know its a bit more than you were intending to spend, BUT....

stickguy

looks nice. Pretty sure I couldn't bring myself to do the red though!

perfectly equipped, but man, that thing is overpriced.