Project Cars--You Get to Vote on "Hold 'em or Fold 'em"

michaellno

These are "buy one, get one free" deals .. so you're looking at $500 each for these.

Think you could grind them down on the price?

qbrozen

If only I had $999 in my wallet, I'd probably go over there. Its Xmas, ya know, so its the time of year to give unwanted orphans a home.

Too bad I'd then be homeless when my wife boots me out.

It really does make one wonder, though. Just how does this guy have all of these cars? I mean, you wouldn't get things like this at auction, right? I would think the transport and all would put them right out of the ballpark. So how does this business work? Is this the guy that advertises in the paper, "will pay cash for your car"? Or is he picking through the salvage yards? If it runs, its a keeper.

fintail

Yeah, those W124 500Es have a menacing stance compared to a normal car. They are pretty cool, Porsche built and all, and fairly rare in decent shape. That one looks very nice, but isn't cheap, but not the most expensive I have seen either. In a way, MB tested the waters with those early 500Es (which were around 85K back then IIRC) to see if later AMG cars would succeed.

kapbot

WTR Saturns, my mother has a '94 SL1, 105,000 miles. The Saturn techs insist that the drivetrain is indestructable, given proper maintenence.

Anyway:
Too much money, but nice project, i think.
Off topic, but kinda funny.
I bet an engine is the least of the worries!
Don't know enough about these.
Been in a couple of finder benders.
Looks nice.
LMAO!

british_rover

Yeah those early 90's saturns never seem to die. It is actually a car I have considered for my beater rally car. Dirty cheap and tough with plastic body panels would could be better to toss around the woods.

explorerx4

'finder bender'? does that mean they go out looking for trouble?

kapbot

Took me way too long...
Funny!

andre1969

I thought you were being sarcastic at first about that '62 LeSabre, when you said it "Looks nice", because for some reason, initially the only picture that loaded up for me was the one of it under a car cover! :P

It does look like a nice car though, although I would ditch those wheels immediately, and maybe just put some of those old Buick Magnum style rally wheels on it.

qbrozen

hmmmm... if the lesabre is garaged in the winter, why is it outside under a cover in November? Maybe someone should tell him that falling leaves are way more damaging than snow.

That VW has WAAAAY too many problems for that price.

Maybe the guy with the Integra means he'll pay you $1100???

I really like that stang for maybe half the money. Depends on what he's done to it. The obviously wrong interior and pontiac blue paint on the engine worries me a bit.

au1994

shoot, I'd take the Blazer and the Jeep. If the 4x4 bits are working, they might be worth the price.

qbrozen

that's right. i forgot to comment on the jeep. if that's working, $999 (or $500, depending on how you look at it) is really cheap (at least here in NJ where you can't even get a busted CJ for under $2k).

british_rover

Yeah the Jeep is a good deal as long as the driveline is ok. Hell even if the driveline is questionable it is ok. Most of that stuff is going to be broken on your first season of trail riding not matter what anyway.

fintail

Good old fashioned diesel greed strikes again

bumpy

If it was a manual 2.5, I'd think about it even at that inflated price. Do you see many Japanese diesel cars brought in through Vancouver?

bumpy

Rocky's dream car, with typical GM needs.

"Battery not included but I do have one to show that it starts and runs."

insurance nightmare

more miles than dollars

"oil leak" = buy a new engine

british_rover's autocross beater

or maybe this one

Darsun?

E320 Cabriolet Convertible? Que l'enfer?

lilengineerboy

Oh man that is good stuff in there.
The Caddy needs a wheel bearing assembly because the ABS sensor is integrated into the assembly (I know the Intrigue was like that, pretty sure its the same deal).
Not toucing the truck.
The Integra has the wrong engine?? He took out the B18c and put in an LS block with a different head. That is the wrong direction unless he needed to lower the compression to run forced induction, in which case I probably wouldn't touch it.
BMW is a scam.
Mazda RX7 was thinking blew a main seal or just a pan gasket? If the compression is good (even bounces) the apex seals should be okay.
CRX HF- at least it was the super lightweight model. Throw in the B18C from the Integra above and you're golden. I cant believe how expensive those are for a basket case like that though.
Mazda-i know of one with a 2.5l V6 out of a Probe/MX6 that was one of the track cars back when I was doing such things in CA. Seemed like a lot of effort just to be different.
Datsun-Drop the RB26tt (I think that is the right engine) in there and make it scream. Or forget about the Datsun and go play with all the Saabs and E30s in the background

british_rover

Oh yeah either of those would work.

Kind of like the CRX better though.

Right now I am just keeping an eye out for FWD tradeins with manual trannys that aren't shot to hell.

Depending on the car I could pick one of those up for 25 bucks.

Mr_Shiftright

That MPG must be for the 6-quart gallon they are now using in Washington :P

How can someone post that with a straight face?

british_rover

Easy 40 mpg mercedes diesel...... :surprise:

Nope sorry couldn't do it.

But hey it comes with a full tank of biodiesel that makes it worth more.

I have a funny story about biodiesel...

A few weeks ago this woman calls wanting to know if we had any diesel powered Range Rovers and I told her no they never imported them.

She says well she is looking at an Ebay auction of one that can run on biodiesel and is thinking of buying it because she wants to, "do something good for the enviroment."

I bring up the auction and it is for a 1989 Range Rover with the diesel engine from some tractor stuffed into it.

Enviromentaly friendly it is not. I explain that to her and tell her that that diesel is probably so nasty you wouldn't want to use it on public roads even with the magical biodiesel. :P

Then I run its VIN through my system and it comes up as a 1994 Defender?????? :confuse:

I take another look at the VIN and decode it manualy and yes it is a Defender VIN. Very screwy business and so I told her to stay away from that car something weird going on.

She was upset and hung up the phone. It was about the strangest conversation I have ever had in sales.

qbrozen

supposedly, the 2.5 upgrade to the MX3 is a relatively popular engine swap.

Mr_Shiftright

No way 40 mpg----uh-uh....unless you are one of those "hypermilers" who coast down hills and drive 32 mph.

fintail

I haven't seen any grey market Japanese or Euro diesels, come to think of it. Either they are hard to bring in, or the orignal market wants them more.

oregonboy

I'm not familar with this model. Is it really worth $16k in this condition?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Alfa-Romeo-Spider-2600-FV-1964-ALFA-ROMEO-2600-SP- IDER_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ84154QQihZ019QQitemZ290058205118QQrdZ1QQsspagena- meZWDVW

james

Mr_Shiftright

money pit...car's a pig to drive, and notorious rust-buckets.

If they are pristine and well-restored you can get decent money for them, but this one has rust and a color change, so I see no upside to this car.

jlflemmons

Don't you just love it when someone comes to you for your professional opinion and when you give them a straight and honest answer (biodiesel Rover) they either argue with you or get mad at you because the truth you told them is not the answer they want to hear?

I get this all the time.

british_rover

Yup happens fairly often to me as well. Either with apraisals or when I used to do service work.

Mr_Shiftright

If you want a reputation for great wisdom in the auto business just figure out what people want to hear beforehand and then tell them that. :P

british_rover

haha Yeah I belive that.

There was some episode of star trek I watched a lont time ago that had a quote something like this...

Scotty the engineer said it.

"The key is to make people think you are a miracle worker. You have a problem that you know will take you three hours to fix but you tell the captain it will take six hours. When he asks for it in four hours but you deliver it in three you look like a miracle worker."

qbrozen

gorgeous car is about all its got going for it.

the seller is right, it seems like a good starting point for a restoration. But $16k does seem excessive, indeed. I'm guessing it would take around $25k to make it right. So now you are over $40k into a car that might be worth ... eh... i dunno. $25-$30k??

The money would be better spent on a completed car like:
This '61 Giulietta
or
A show-quality '64 Sprint

Good grief. I'm in love with that Sprint. whew!

british_rover

Fintails to tempt fintail with...

Seems like a nice coupe don't know about the rust though...

Also seems like a nice one.

Franken Benz

Nice white one...

Ok since I know noting about the market on these cars why are they, in general, so cheap.

I am sure parts are avaliable but very expensive and labor on this is probably fairly expensive too if you don't have the right expertise.

qbrozen

I don't know anything about these either, but that last one is the ONLY one I would even consider (although i would prefer a coupe). The rest scare the hell out of me. I think the first has more severe rust problems than he claims. On the 2nd one ... well, rockers and floors are something I'd rather never mess with again for the rest of my life, if I can help it. And, obviously, the franken benz is utterly worthless IMHO.

jlflemmons

is if I had access to a beautifully styled auto with a total pos drivetrain. But you have to accept going in that the result will be yours forever as most folks aren't going to understand.

Mr_Shiftright

Well most old Benzes are cheap because they are rather...well...shall we say....sedate drivers to say the least, old-fashioned to the modern eye and very spartan inside, and repair costs are horrendous should you have to repair any major item. So when you have say an engine replacement or engine work exceeding the value of the entire car, that really kills resale. At least with an Alfa Sprint you have $5,000 engine in a $20,000 car. In an old Benz coupe, you have a $6,000---$8,000 engine in a $5,000 car.

The coupes are the worst of the lot....heavy, slow, vicious rusters, and the manual gearshift is the most annoying I have ever driven...like shifting an oar in a barrel... the fintails at least are easy to drive, kind of pleasant, not so ponderous as the coupes. The coupes are more attractive though, which is really all they have going for them--how they look....same as the early 60s/late 50s "ponton" cars...they just look better, and so they get a higher price. And yet a 220SE fintail is the best car of all of them, and sells for the least. Go figure.

An automatic V8 coupe (early 70s 280 3.5) are a lot better...they can maintain highway speeds easily without engine stress, and you don't have to shift them. They also aren't as rust prone---hence, you pay considerably more for a 3.5 coupe. And for a 280 3.5 "low grille" version of the 3.5, you pay even more....

Interesting, isn't it, how all these subtleties translate into dollars and cents?

andre1969

The coupes are the worst of the lot....heavy, slow, vicious rusters, and the manual gearshift is the most annoying I have ever driven...like shifting an oar in a barrel... the fintails at least are easy to drive, kind of pleasant, not so ponderous as the coupes.

That's one thing I don't understand about Benz, why a similar body style would end up being so vastly different. I could understand a hardtop coupe being more rust-prone than a 4-door sedan in any body style, and they tend to be a bit heavier since they have to beef up for the lack of a B-pillar, but is it enough to make THAT much of a difference?

I guess I'm just looking at it from an American car perspective. A 1968 Dodge Dart 4-door, for example, isn't going to perform or drive any different (at least not enough for most people to notice) than my 2-door hardtop. I'm sure the hardtop would have a slightly lower center of gravity, and might weigh about 100 pounds more, but that wouldn't be enough for most people to notice, provided they were both similarly equipped when it comes to drivetrains, wheels, tires, etc.

Or is the coupe actually a larger, heavier car overall than the fintail? I always thought they were the same car.

Did they ever offer fins on the hardtop, or were they always rounded off, like on that white one? Did they ever offer a 2-door sedan version of the fintail?

andre1969

for for these, probably because my Granddad bought one when I was a kid in the 70's, and as soon as I got close to driving age, I really had my eye on it.

The 4-door actually doesn't look bad at a quick glance, although I hate that awful yellow two-toning that's on it. I think at the most, back then they'd let you get a roof contrast, but that yellow on the lower quarter panel can't be right! The "important" parts of that 2-door sedan, from the cowl back, actually look pretty solid, as the rusty scale doesn't look too deep. Still, I imagine that once you started sanding down, you'd put a hole in it somewhere! And that part on the roof where it's been pounded back out disturbs me. Plus, I'm sure once you started sanding on the hood and front fenders, you wouldn't have much left!

The 2-door sedan looks like it's the same color of one in the junkyard that Granddad raided for parts for his '53, which was a light sea green color. He got it all together, but never did bother to paint it, and then lost interest, and eventually sold it. I wonder if the dark greenish blue on the sedan is actually what that color should look like, when it's new?

But still, shouldn't $7-8K buy you about the nicest '53 DeSoto sedan in the world? What would be a decent price for this bundle? Maybe $3K? Or is even that too generous?

Sometimes I get tempted to hunt down Granddad's old '53 Firedome and see if the guy wants to sell it. I know where it's at. Only problem is, it's been sitting in a field at the edge of a forest for over 20 years now, and right before it got pushed back there, the guy fried it trying to jump start it with a 12 volt car. It was rust free when Granddad got rid of it, and the interior was even in nice shape, but God only knows what the past 20 years have done to it.

lilengineerboy

The Giulietta, I dunno, 50s and 60s Alfa Romeo convertibles are just so beautiful to me. Every pre-boatail spider is just like a work of art to me, the way the lines flow...like they are beautiful but friendly. The more modern ones are more cheeky-cute.

qbrozen

'76 grand prix divorce sale

lilengineerboy

You would think if he sold it they wouldn't have to get divorced anymore. :P

fintail

Shifty puts it pretty correctly.

Out of all you posted, I would want that red fintail the most. It looks sound and not horribly overpriced - it sold, too. However, restoration will be a money pit. A concours fintail might bring 10K to the right nutty enthusiast. It would take at least twice that to bring that car up to snuff.

The coupes are pretty, but you pay for it. King of the hill is a 280SE 3.5, but everyone knows what those are, so you won't find one for $1500. Coupe restoration is very expensive, and it can be bank-breaking to get these things set right...and a 6 cyl coupe isn't worth a fortune even when finished.

Sad about the frankenbenz...the 300SE engine is interesting.

The 250S is a lowline carb car...as a rule, the FI cars are 10x superior in ease of operation. The old mechanical FI is very sturdy and reliable. A 220SE fintail is indeed a great all around choice...cheap, more distinctive than a W108, seldom seen in good condition, and capable of driving in modern traffic. That's what my fintail is, by the way. 5K should be enough to find one with few needs.

fintail

The coupes are on the same platform and share many structural components, but the body is different from the doors back.

Nope, no fins on a coupe, no finned 2 door cars, unless you count those rounded off nubs as seen in the links. MB has never offered many body choices...back then you could choose from a roadster, a fintail, a coupe, or a limo.

fintail

This hilarious mess is back...I like the spelling

boomchek

Thanks for the posting. I couldn't find any listing for the motor though. Besides, it will probably cost an arm and a leg to ship it over from new jersey.

My folks have given up, looks like their 300D is going to be up for grabs soon. :sick:

fintail

I know a guy down near Bellingham who might take it off their hands if the price is right.

boomchek

I'm trying to convince them that they're going to have trouble getting anything over $1k for it with the bad motor, even though the car is invery good shape otherwise, so I'll let you know once they decide what they want to ask for it.

I'll get them to take some pics, and I'll put it on craiglist after the holidays.

fintail

Yes, a mint car with a bad powertrain is only worth about that much, and it would have to be genuinely nice. The guy I know likes to make biodiesel/greasel cars, and is often looking for good bodies. He actually might have an engine too, but of course the whole job won't be cheap.

He's probably 10 miles south of the Aldergrove crossing...I can give you more info if you'd like.

boomchek

Thanks fintail. Lemme talk to my folks first, and I'll let you know.

british_rover

Odd ball Audi...

Audi

Always liked these...

stickguy

If you run into my wife, duck. She is now mad at you!

It must be kismet, but I got a bee in my bonnet about those Volvo 1800ES wagons. A guy I work with has one (and a same vintage coupe) and I was looking at his pictures and chatting about them just the other day. He got me wanting one, and now the perfect one shows up! It isn't my first choice in color, but I actually kinda like that orange.

If nothing else, I bet the color keeps down the bids.

TOo bad my wife saw me looking at the posting. For some reason, she doesn't think we need it (really not sure why..) At least if it was closer, I could sneak around and have it follow me home!

With the Audi, I like that style, but am more interested in the red car behind it in one of the shots. Is it a TVR? Maybe a Bitter? Some real boxy looking thing, probably British.

texases

The Audi was a good one for the day, decent handling and mileage, good styling, only had to deal with Audi reliability. Sold as a poor man's Quattro...

fintail

In the background of the Audi I see a Lotus Esprit, earlier MB R107 SL, and a hardtop for a late model Porsche.

Amazing preservation on that Audi, shame it's not a Quattro. Those Volvos are pretty cool too.