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Not my call on that one since eventually we do plan to sell this Rover putting a ton of money into it is not in the cards.
I think that's a great color combo though, needs nothing but Euro lights. Too bad it's not an 89-91 with the freshened interior.
A BMW equivalent, more reasonable price...I kinda like it too
It's getting harder and harder to find these type of cars in nice condition...of course, hardly anyone cares.
A money pit, just for you
Was that checked cloth offered on US models? At least it's a manual.
water pump: $1,600
Clutch $2,000
radiator $1,200
That's timing belt, water pump and clutch. Unfortunately, each of these items is inherently short-lived. So with the clutch (a twin-disk setup) you'll be in there for something every 10,000 miles. Water pump and timing belt, maybe 30,000 if you are lucky.
The rest is mostly electrical glitches. Engine itself is indestructible, body integrity, etc, is strong.
R&T did an "affordable exotics" article in the late 80's early 90's and they mentioned the 928 as a great Grand Touring vehicle but they actually suggested getting the MBZ 3speed automatic version for that reason.
How are the automatics? Most I see are autos.
The best 928s are the newest ones--they got rid of the twin-disk clutch and improved the timing belt---but on the downside they went to a twin-cam motor, so MORE complexity if you DO have to do anything in there. Also the later 928s are way, way faster.
They are amazing cars for the money...fabulous GT cars, even by today's standards, but you have to be prepared to keep an exotic running.
Low mileage, newest year possible---that's the way to go with a 928.
'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
That should go in Hemmings if they actually excpect to get something near that for it, or allpar or something.
I had one of these in my youth (a '75 IIRC, 6 cyl 3 speed X model). I'm sure though if I sat in one know it would be too uncomfortable to drive!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I remember the seat being kinda low too, and unsupportive. And I don't mean unsupportive in your typical 70's car fashion...I've owned and driven/ridden in enough 70's cars to know this was bad even for the era! Since these things were basically compact Hornet 2-doors from the B-pillar forward though, I guess I'd still find the Gremlin more comfy than a "genuine" subcompact like a Vega or a Pinto...this thing was kinda like a compact front seat mated to a subcompact backseat.
It might be kinda fun though, with the V-8, which I'm sure the seller meant to say 304, not 302.
The Gremlin was a sorry substitute for the American.
i had the SAME thing happen to me in my Jeep with the 258 and 3-speed stick. It was icing rain, however. And, of course, I did not have 4wd engaged.
'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
In my opinion it is the cleanest example of any series Rover I have ever seen that has not had a frame replacment.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
They also had a black '75 or '76 Coupe DeVille, and a gold/champagne colored '62 Bel Air 4-door sedan. In their little showroom they had an early 80's Rolls Royce...I forget the model, but the one that constantly gets held up as the poster child for automotive money pits. They also had a '69 Camaro SS, which they wanted $29K for. And a '64 Impala SS 2-door hardtop with a 300 hp 327 that they wanted $26K for, and a '77-78 Trans Am. It didn't have a price on it though.
I asked about the Bel Air outside, and they said they were asking $5,000. What would realistically be a fair price for something like this? It was just a plain 4-door sedan with a 283-2bbl, automatic tranny. The seats looked okay but it needed new carpet, new sun visors, and the headliner was stained around the C-pillar area. It also had that typical "old car" smell. And I noticed evidence of a water leak in the passenger-side footwell up front. The outside looked okay. It had some minor rust coming through on the lower edges of both rear quarter panels. I'm guessing it had been bondo'ed at some point. I figured it might make a nice driver for about $1000-2000, but I know $5K has to be out-there.
My Dad kinda liked the '64, although he'd much prefer a 409 and a 4-speed. This '64 did look nice at first, but looking underneath, it looked like someone had jacked it up in the wrong spot, right ahead of the rear wheel on each side. Most modern unitized cars can be jacked up here, as can most cars with perimeter frames, but these things had X-frames, so there was nothing really supportive there to put a jack under. The sharp ridge/seam where the lower part of the body and the underside comes together was smashed, and had some rust on it too. It also needed rechroming, although it looked good from a distance. Window seals were also rotted, and there was a crack in the dash. It was pretty well-equipped though, with air conditioning, power windows, an AM/FM radio, power steering/brakes, a wooden steering wheel, and even cruise control! The original window sticker read something like $3995 with shipping. It also looked like it had been repainted, and was riding on 225/70/R15 radials and what looked like late 60's Chevy rally wheels. Any ideas on what a decent ballpark price would be for something like this?
The 75-76 DeVilles are nothing cars, ditto the 78 Trans Am and the 80s Rolls. Beaters all. Sell them for whatever you can get.
The 560SL is a nice ride. The Camaro SS value depends entirely on which motor and which transmission. Values can vary widely between a 350 automatic and a 396 with 350 HP and a 396 with 375HP. Also of course authenticity must be proven.
The Trans Am this guy had was actually in really nice shape, except for an aftermarket stereo system with speakers in the doors that destroyed the panels. I dunno what engine it had though. If it had a 400/403, wouldn't it have said "6.6" on it? Now that I think back on it, it didn't have the screaming chicken on the hood, so it may have just been a Firebird. It had a hood scoop that looked like it had lights in it!
The Rolls had issues as well...rust on one rear wheel opening, a cracked leather interior, looked like it had water damage around the C-pillar area, and the rear window was cracked. The more I looked at it, the more I thought a '79 Granada was probably a wiser choice!
80s Rolls are beaters---they should all be recycled back into English teapots.
The Trans Am and the Firebird for 1978 have different values entirely. I'd guess a clean decent '78 Trans Am should go for about $10,000; a Firebird coupe maybe $4,000.
You know, when it comes to cars that have values under $10,000, it depends entirely on the condition....the gap between "clean and decent" and "needs stuff" is enormous with these "third-tier" collectibles, because restoration costs today say one thing and one thing only: "If it's not a really nice survivor, it's not worth restoring at all".
One might say "Yes, but maybe in the future it would be worth more!"
Not really, because let's face it, if a car hasn't gone up in value for the last 30 years, it's not likely to anymore. In 1995, a '65 Mustang K code fastback WAS worth something; and in 1994 a '64 Impala 409 was worth something. But gee, a 30 year old firebird barely breaking $4,000? Obviously, not until a glacier wipes out every older Firebird will this one be worth much.
The Rolls has such punishing maintenance costs vs. value that...literally...a brake job, 4 tires and hubcaps and a small dent in the fender and the car is totalled.
All old Rolls sedans are poster children for money pits...no upside in almost any postwar owner/driver sedan. In 1981 Rolls went from the old Silver Shadow to the Silver Spirit/Spur. You probably saw a Shadow, those are the ones you can pick up for a few grand. I've seen worn Spirits/Spurs, but never a rusted one.
There's a great 'Top Gear' clip where Jeremy Clarkson byus a neglected old Shadow for something like £2000, then drives it into a swimming pool.
Ah, here's the clip
Now it's a decent car again, praise the lord (of the manor?)
I think Rolls' undoing was two-fold. The lousy V8 they introduced and their chronic problems with undercapitalization, requiring the most bizarre improvisations in engineering.
It's amazing how Rolls has come back from the brink. What people will do to save a name.
Yep, this is where we gather to dis the sellers of garbage and their drug induced hallucinations of value.
That, and the true pearls that are sometimes found.
Jim
Civic
Also has potential
Our VW, Subaru and Volvo stores took in a couple of really cheap cars over the weekend. A couple of Escorts including one they own for ONE DOLLAR, an older 740 volvo and a few others.
Going to check them out tomorrow.
I've taken apart Japanese engines and they aren't cheap inside...of course I don't know about the metallurgy, but still the machining is beautiful.
anyway ... i'm not sure i even shared this much ... but she failed inspection a couple of weeks back. The big factor was "visible smoke" from the tailpipe. Ouch. Not a huge surprise since my father said that might happen. And, really, i went there specifically to fail so that I could be legal on the road in order to drive it to my father's house, etc. The check engine light was on, so I thought that was an auto-fail. Turns out that's only true on '96 and up. So they inspected it otherwise, which is where the smoke came in (and the brakes were not balanced - not a big deal).
Let me give some background on the smoke situation. It clears up when driving, then burns clean for about the first 5 minutes of idling, then starts pouring out. So we're thinking vacuum problem, which means head problem.
I've recently replaced the o2 sensor and cleaned the EGR, in addition to the obligatory full tune-up. Check engine light is now out.
Well, finally got around to doing a compression check and it was amazingly strong and consistent. OK. So that indicates the rings should be good. Again pointing to the head (valve guide seals).
So I went and pulled the head off yesterday. I delivered it to my father and he is going to pull some strings and see if he can work out a deal for a rebuild job with a vendor of his.
I'm into the truck so far for about $1350. If I can get it to pass inspection and not have to put any more into it, I'll consider it money well spent. If not ... I made a big mistake.
'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
Yep, it does sound like valve stem seals or guides.
If it weren't for the wife nagging, it would be worth it.
I actually think of this as a refresher course. Its bringing me back to the weekend I spent home from college replacing the head gasket on my 4runner. 20 hours in a 48-hour period to get it done and back to monday morning class.
its amazing how those things can stick with you. The experience I gained all those years ago helped me actually made fairly quick work of the mazda.
'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