Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

stever

You're a braver man that me. Even if I had any talent with a wrench, I think I'd try to find a full time mechanic or speciality shop to sell it to. But if you enjoy that sort of thing, more power to you.

isellhondas

It is highly unlikely that any shop would loan those tools. That's a real no no in the auto industry. The rental places won't buy something that doesn't rent everyday.

I would look on Ebay. Sometimes guys who have left the auto trade will dump their tools there.

qbrozen

I don't know if I'd say I "enjoy" it. Its kind of a necessary evil. I'd rather not pay someone else to do it. And, I guess after all of the cursing and busted knuckles, there is a sense of satisfaction.

I wouldn't need ALL of those specialty tools because I'd have no intention of replacing the chains or mucking with the timing.

stever

You really freaked a bunch of us out (me anyway) with that repair nightmare on the other BMW. I liked the warning not to touch the knurled nut upon pain of royally messing up the steering. Compared to that, you have a cakewalk.

corvette

Mine has hydraulic tensioners, too, but when reassembling everything, you have to rotate the tensioner using a 17mm socket until it hits a "stop," which required a lot of force. When I did it the first time, I didn't get it all the way there and the belt was too loose. Still not sure it's 100% but it's better than it was.

qbrozen

hmmm... maybe that's to the belt I haven't taken off yet (AC belt). The tensioner I took off for the alternator belt is fixed in position with 2 bolts.

Well, no real response to my query over on the bimmerfest if changing the guides at this point is smart or silly. Guess, to be safe, I'll drop the oil pan and look for any scraps of plastic.

roadburner

I don't know what it is with the V8s and cooling systems. Some people think that the V8 motor mounts allow too much movement and that engine movement stresses the hoses and radiator/expansion tank fittings. I got almost 9 years and 130K miles out of the radiator on my E39 528i; even then, it only broke while we were removing it to R&R the water pump. My 1995 ti and 2004 X3 each have over 132K miles on them and they still have their original water pumps, radiators, expansion tanks, and hoses. In fact, both cars have recently been to the dealer for an Inspection I service and my service advisor told me that everything looked good- and that the cooling systems shouldn't need anything but coolant changes for at least another 40K-50K miles.

roadburner

Either that or something really screwy is going on...

2004 M3 SMG with 26K miles- asking $4550.00

Even the most putrid color combination in the known universe and the SMG transmission shouldn't slam the price that much...

fintail

Zero feedback seller, generic email address, pics show no license plate and sure don't look like Kentucky to me = scam

roadburner

Exactly.

michaellno

No ad anymore ... no surprise

stever

Some prince in Nigeria snapped it up.

roadburner

Like this.

qbrozen

mmm... yes... very stealthy. Cops won't even notice you.

stickguy

well, you can take the graphics off, and leave it as burn your retinas orange.

ateixeira

$200.

Reserve not met. LOL

I should go bid $201. Those are fun. Dated a girl once, her dad had one.

I think I stayed with her longer than I normally would have just to check out that car.

fintail

I'd drive that.

If I had a pile of money to burn (as you'd never get any of it back), I'd find a needy old W109 and make it into this:



Or maybe make a fintail rally car:

jayrider

When I lived in Chicago in the early 70's, I saw a car at Maywood Park Race Track that I'll never forget. It was a red Vega covered with stick-on metallic letters and pinup decals. I remember "Here's the Beef" "Girl's, call Vinnie at xxx-xxxx --the meat man knows." --- stuff like that all over the car !!!. Inside plush white seat covers and and fake fur around the ignition. Little statues of hula girls on the dash. Almost waited in the lot to see who this guy was. Instead, went in and lost $25 at the track. It was still there when I left. If only I'd remembered the cell phone camera.

ateixeira

Old School Rally car = hotness.

Check out the studded tires. :shades:

roadburner

Very cool. Here's one I've considered building a replica of- the Ford Galaxy BTCC car:

fintail

I agree, those tires are cool but might not be street legal :shades:

Fintails had an amazingly successful rallying and road racing career, here's a little slideshow from a Brazilian fintail fan.

fintail

Very cool, subtle too, and you aren't butchering a rare car.

Mid 50s Lincolns, which were road raced a bit, are sometimes made into period racers too:

fintail

I would have been curious to see how the guy was dressed...

ateixeira

Driving in in the 1960s in South America pretty much was like rallying, dirt roads and all.

jayrider

My guess on clothes -- sleeveless t, jeans, gold chains, haircut from "Grease" and pointed black shoes. Maywood drew a lot from Melrose Park --- Chicago's version of Jersey Shore.

stickguy

am about to have a temptation to overcome. As many know, we recently did a lot of house upgrades. Which were financed on a HELOC. now that we are done, we refinanced to roll that into a 1st mortgage (3.25% for 10 years was hard to turn down). Just had closing, and because it is with the same bank, the line stays open. So, they are cutting us a check for the refi cash out.

the temptation is, we are responsible for paying down the line, so until we do, there will be extra money in the checking account. Mentioned to the wife that we could wander by the BMW dealer instead, but not seriously.

stickguy

still looking at options for the wife, but having discussions about my needs at year end. We did agree that if my current situation (mostly work from home, with occasional 3 mile commutes) stays the same, I really don't need anything new. But, depending on cash on hand and other competing demands for it, she might have to put off getting something new (doesn't seem too bent out of shape though).

I need to start shopping soon, because this really could take me 6 months to A) figure out what I want, and find it. Maybe longer, because I usually deciding on something that doesn't actually exist, but only if I can get it at my price!

stever

A reporter would like to speak to anyone between the age of 20 and 30 who needed financial help from a parent to buy a new car. If you fit this description – or if you are a parent who has helped a 20-something son or daughter buy a new car - and you’d like to share your story, please send your daytime contact information to PR@edmunds.com no later than 3 p.m. Pacific/6 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, May 3, 2012.

laurasdada

Enjoy the journey. I think I enjoy car shopping more than actually buying/owning! I'm obsessing over the possibility of a winter beater, scouring cars.com and the grocery store flyers! Saturns and Subarus and Infinitis, oh my!

Of course, I did also swing by the BMW and MB dealers over the weekend, with Audi on deck...

andre1969

...is telling me HELL no, but what do y'all think of this 2008 Lucerne CSX? It has the V-8, leather, sunroof, 70K miles, $14,991.

It must be car buying season, because I am feeling a tug...

tjc78

I've driven the Lucerne V8. Nice car. The black interior is a dealbreaker for me, but price seems OK and its loaded up.

I think by 08 most of the quirks were gone from the Northstar.

andre1969

I think by 08 most of the quirks were gone from the Northstar.

I don't know all the specifics, but I've heard that the version of the Northstar that was used in the Lucerne was a bit more durable than the one used in the Cadillacs. Something about it being less powerful, but a bit more beefed up, or something like that?

ateixeira

That is a lot of car for the money, no doubt. Thing is, do you like big, cushy cars?

That's the kind of car I'd recommend to Aunt Edna.

fintail

That's the "super" then, right? Colors do nothing for me, seems a little miled up, but it's really loaded.

tjc78

Something about it being less powerful, but a bit more beefed up, or something like that?

I don't recall. I do know that it was slightly detuned for Buick. I'm not really sure why. The Lucerne and DTS pretty much share the same running gear.

I think Buick did get the slightly more powerful NS for the Lucerne Super.

tjc78

That's the "super" then, right?

No, the Super came later. In the beginning the Lucerne had the 3800 and the NS was optional.

Later on it got the 3.9 from the Impala. The NS was dropped from all but the Super and it got slightly more power than before.

fintail

Oh, if it's not a Super I wouldn't get excited - I'd want something rare.

andre1969

That is a lot of car for the money, no doubt. Thing is, do you like big, cushy cars?

Umm, you do remember who you're talking to, right? :P


As for Aunt Edna, tie her to the roof!

I'm sorta torn, because there's a side of me that wants to go practical and more economical. But, I really don't drive a whole lot, not enough to really benefit from high fuel economy, so when I see something like this, I use that as a justification!

I'm really not crazy about the color either. Don't hate it, but don't love it. It sort of blends in. But then, so does my 2000 Park Ave, which is sort of a sandstone/driftwood color.

Oh, going off on a totally different tangent, I was on the Dodge website last night checking out the Dart. They have a really good looking light blue that really catches my eye. I still think the car looks a bit awkward in some angles, mainly around the C-pillar and rear area (although I do like the taillight treatment), but it is growing on me.

stickguy

I can't wait to see the dart too. I won't actually be in the market for something like that (conceptually fine, but not new!), but if I was, it really sounds like it hits the sweet spot. Sizewise, actaully sounds like it might be about the size of the early 90s 626 and Accord, which to me were just about perfect.

ateixeira

Right - my bad. Totally. LOL

Buy it, you'll love it.

tjc78

I'm sorta torn, because there's a side of me that wants to go practical and more economical

When I was looking at the LaCrosse I had a brief (very brief) moment where I almost considered the E-assist. Threw that out the window and ended up with the decked out V6. Only live once!

Back to the Lucerne. The early V8 models (2006-08) really are a lot of bang for the buck. Fully loaded up you basically have a DTS. Yes, the Caddy does have more options available but its not often you see them loaded much beyond a topped out Lucerne.

I wonder (performance wise and MPG) the V8 would compare to your Ultra. I bet the Lucerne would be a touch quicker at the expense of MPG. The 3800 (supercharged or not) does well on the highway with that tall 4th gear.

andre1969

I wonder (performance wise and MPG) the V8 would compare to your Ultra. I bet the Lucerne would be a touch quicker at the expense of MPG. The 3800 (supercharged or not) does well on the highway with that tall 4th gear.

I've occasionally wondered that myself, how the Northstar would compare to the SC3800. I guess one of these days, Lemko and I could try drag racing on the PA turnpike and see who wins? :P

I think I've seen 0-60 times for both engines of around 7.5 seconds or so, so I think they might be close in that regard. Dunno about 1/4 mile or top speed, though. The SC3800 in my Park Ave has 240 hp, and I think 280 ft-lb of torque, while I think the Northstar has 275-300 hp, and around 300 ft-lb.

Fuel economy wise, I think the Northstar is rated around 15/22 or 15/23 by today's standards, while my Park Ave is 16/25 (18/27 by the old 1985-2007 methodology).

On my last fill up, I averaged something like 25.2 mpg, which I'm a bit disappointed in. It was mostly highway. I filled up in PA on the way to Carlisle on Saturday morning, and then filled up again Sunday evening in VA on my way back from Kings Dominion. I should confess though, that I wasn't exactly babying it. I got up into the 90's a few times, and punched it on a few occasions to get around some left-lane campers.

I'm also kinda curious how a lesser model Lucerne, with the 3.9, would compared with the non SC 3.8. The regular 3.8 has a good blend of power and torque, but the heft of the Lucerne was probably the threshold for it. I think I've seen 0-60 times of around 9.5 seconds for a Lucerne with the 3.8. Which is about what my old Intrepid would do, so IMO it's tolerable, at least.

Every once in awhile I'll see a 3.9 Luceren pop up, and it'll catch my eye. But, with a car like this, at the bare minimum I want a sunroof! And with domestic cars, even higher-end models, unfortunately sunroofs are comparatively rare.

stever

Love the white, not so wild about the black interior.

remember who you're talking to, right?

If we didn't have a minivan in the stable, I think my wife would have a lot in common with Mrs. Lemko. :-)

She did one of those drive a car deals in college and delivered an LTD or something like that from Santa Cruz to the Chicago area. Loved the big floaty ride after growing up with VW Type 3s. She doesn't really covet her step-mom's '02 LeSabre here too much. Not big enough I guess.

fezo

I think lemko and I will be disappointed if you don't land in a Dart.

Hey, guys. Just checking in. Recovering well but not back home until July.

kyfdx

'03 325i wagon with stick and RWD. $10K asking

tjc78

Looks so much better with the factory wheels. I can't tell if it has a sunroof. I believe Stick likes the hole in the roof.

kyfdx

Yeah... if those factory wheels are original, then the car has the Sport package, which is another bonus...

I can't tell if it has a roof, either... I would say odds are it has one... but, the car was definitely a special order (sport and stick), so it's possible that it doesn't, which would be a shame..

RWD 3-series wagons are rare enough... almost all of them are AWD..

nyccarguy

Nice ride! I dig the black RWD stick wagon

stickguy

I do like those. We have someone that lives in Birmingham, and knows BMWs, floating around here someplace. Get them over to check it out!

And yes, no hole in the roof, no sale, for me.

those black wheels are hideous IMO. With the stock ones (those are the 17s, right?) I like it.

there is at least one goof in the ad (list as a 6MT, instead of 5). Assume that is a typo, otherwise it is really a one off!

with the wheels, miles, etc. this is one that would need a really thurough professional inspection (well, they should all have that). And 10K for for an '03 with 100k+ on the clock doesn't really scream bargain, does it?

but overall, a RWD 3iT stick would be perfect for me.

kyfdx

Farther down the thread he corrects it to 5-speed.. Those style 96s are the stock 17" wheel on the 3-series Sport package that year.. He really needs some interior shots...

In another thread, he's found an '04 Audi S4 Avant that he wants.. which requires the quick sale of this one.... the ad says he is willing to negotiate... that $10K is just a starting point..

lemmer is in Alabama, I think... saw him in Mystery Pix, this AM..