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

jlflemmons

Okay, I would like to think I know a thing or two about cars, but can someone tell me what the water bib gate valve is for on the VW engine picture???

:confuse:

texases

And what about the picture with 'dubs' - like this is some kind of hot rod?!?

bumpy

You could run some laps at VIR or Laguna Seca in it. The DOT has no jurisdiction over off-highway use.

bumpy

Pulsar GTiR is the sveetness, but I wouldn't even think of touching it unless the DOT and EPA certification paperwork is all in order.

bumpy

Pull the pin. I dare ya!

I just wanna look fast.

Edmunds should send this guy a kickback.

special edition, '80s style

Why?????

Why? x 2

the rims cost more than the car

and GM wants to revive this...

Mr_Shiftright

23 lbs of boost?? Geez, wear you helmet when you punch it....

qbrozen

WOW!! that guy needed to take remedial economics BEFORE venturing into the '80 Z28 frame-off restoration!!

just think, he probably could have actually SAVED money compared to this by buying a new Taurus at full MSRP and reselling it a year later.

Mr_Shiftright

He might get 15K--16K for it if it was magnificent.

texases

But would you pay that, or buy a newer one with a factory high output engine, instead of a crate motor? Weird combination of an OCD-level restoration with a new engine.

steine13

http://lansing.craigslist.org/car/343906901.html

Not really a project car, but think of the hours of fun you'll have after this bozo drives off with your wheels...

-Mathias

Mr_Shiftright

NOBODY can be *THAT* stupid and still find their way out of the house in the morning, could they?

andre1969

I dunno about stupid, but desperate, perhaps? When people are at their wit's end financially, they'll often resort to desperate measures and grasp at any chance, no matter how off-the-wall.

jlflemmons

I know people who would at least consider that offer.

Not smart people, but people I know. Just from what the guy has in the ad is enough to tell you that car is going to a chop shop so fast it would make your head spin. That, or disappear into Canada maybe???

stickguy

The only reason I could see anyone biting on this (other than being an idiot) is that they know it will disappear, so they can report it stolen? But from looking at the "deal", it looks like you sign the title over, so basically all you end up with is an unsecured loan to soemone you don't know.

Actually, I don't see how you could do this. I can't sell my car and keep a loan on it in my name, legally, can I? The car secures the note.

Mr_Shiftright

Basically all you are doing is co-signing a stranger's loan without their name appearing anywhere. The lending agency holds title in any case

What this scam is attempting to do is to get you to sell a car you don't own to someone you don't know, for some as yet unexplained advantage---getting out of your loan, supposedly. You certainly couldn't claim theft. That would be insurance fraud, compounded on loss of your money.

A total disaster for any sucker who bites.

fintail

A non-overpriced old snail diesel tank? No way

Some people like these

Mr_Shiftright

Stude--I had one of those. Pretty nice ride, good power, but typical pillowy, foul-handling, poor braking, early 60s car.

240D -- hmmm...at least the price is realistic...but one would have to be patient to drive it. Nice old city car however. You could start your own vintage cab service! 30 MPG? don't hold your breath. Maybe at 50 mph on a flat highway....

texases

Not to mention the Stude's basically a '52 underneath, isn't it?

lilengineerboy

~60 hp...even with a 4spd in something that heavy I don't know that I could deal with it.
Like shifty said, good city car though. Huge bumpers.

Mr_Shiftright

I remember reading one road test on the 240D. It said:

"Couldn't pull the skin off rice pudding".

andre1969

Was it that Tom McCahill dude who said that? I've heard it wording could be pretty umm, interesting.

Mr_Shiftright

Another road test I remember (or maybe a comment from a modern reviewer doing a vintage road test) was:

"couldn't peel rubber on a varnished concrete floor in a parking garage"

That's cruel

lilengineerboy

Yeah at least the 300TD you could smokescreen people while still going slow. The trick is to floor it right when the wastegate opens. My friend's parents had a MBZ 300TD wagon and I remember sitting in the back back seat watching people get smoked.

steine13

The lending agency holds title in any case

Not in Michigan.

You keep the title, but the lien information is printed on it.

You can't register the car that way, but I don't think the scammer cares...

This is the worst craigslist ad I've ever seen.

-Mathias

Mr_Shiftright

Really? How can that be? if you have title, you can sell it, right? Is it the "real" title or just a substitute?

boomchek

This smells of a lame scam:

I am a private individual that does not want to get traditional auto financing in my name at this time due to undesirable terms.

So you mean to say you have bad credit, can't get a loan from anyone, or you just like helping people with their car loans.

Additionally my attorney will be reviewing all paperwork prior to signature.

You don't have money or credit for your own financing but you have an attorney?

Like that mechanic (played by Billy Bob Throton) in U-Turn told Sean Penn when his Mustang broke down:

"You don't have a credit card but you have a lawyer?"

Yeah, you put your credit history and your car in the hands of a strnager, and never see him or her again. :surprise:

fintail

This looks like a decent survivor

This doesn't look like a horrible old thing either

andre1969

I kinda like that Caballero. I always thought it would've been cool if GMC would've used a Pontiac front clip and interior for the Caballero instead of just slapping some GMC badges on an El Camino.

That '77 Chevelle looks like a decent cheap hauler.

oregonboy

They both look like relative bargains if they match your needs. Lousy MPG though. I wouldn't want to fuel them for long miles, but for occasional short jaunts, they could be handy.

james

Mr_Shiftright

Yes but then you have to go to parties and say "I drive a Caballero". :P

andre1969

if they put a quicker rear end in the midsized wagons back then to compensate for the added weight? My '76 LeMans is stuck with something stupid-tall like a 2.41:1 or so. And I think those wagons back then were about 400 pounds heavier than the coupes.

qbrozen

so we finally got the 325 home yesterday (had to make 3 trips: first for deposit and leave information for the paperwork; 2nd to pay remainder, sign papers, get keys and title; and 3rd to take the car). I gotta say, as I was driving behind my wife, I realized what a pretty little car it is. just a real classy design, IMHO.

So it ran like a champ. She says the temp needle got a little high at one long traffic light ... but I don't know what high means or if it is a cause for concern. She is also complaining how tough it is to operate the top. Oh well, ya just can't please them all the time, ya know? she'll get used to it.

It wasn't until it was under the lights of the garage that I realized it had more dents than I had noticed previously. How much is paintless dent removal? cheap, right? I might have to see what we could do for the old girl.

So the main priority right now is a full tune-up and timing belt (which would also prompt the tensioner, water pump, thermostat, and cam seal ... from what I've read).

Mr_Shiftright

Paintless dent removal isn't too expensive. Have them look it over and get a quote and then you can adjust the deal with him....something like "okay, if we do dents 1, 3 and 4 and skip 2, how much now?"

Anything's cheaper than a body shop. You can't touch a dent under $600 in a regular body shop.

Top operation is typical. You could lube it up but NEVER force that lid down (the arm bends).

stickguy

I have had quite a bit of paintless done for less than $100. Just have to find the right guy. DO that, and a solid detail, and it will look 15 years newer!

Now, with all the work you mentioned (unless you are doing it all yourself), you will certainly be ramping up your sunk cost!

You sure it needs the belt? I would have thought a chain in those days, but who knows. Maybe better safe than sorry, but if it was me, I might nt bother if it wasn't going to get too much use.

But, since you DIY this kind of stuff, what the heck. If nothing else, but the time you rip it apart and put it back together, you should have a real good idea what you got!

Oh, why not throw in a tranny fluid change too just to be safe?

au1994

Love the Caballero. I have always had a facination (sick facination according to my wife) with the El Camino and Caballero.

If I had the room, I'd pick one up and use it for my home Depot runs etc and ditch my Ram. Then I could get a daily driver thats easier on MPG.

qbrozen

which arm bends? are you talking about the plastic cover after the top is down?

oh, one thing that I'm not sure about. Once you have the top down, you need to lift it up a bit and push the 2nd bow into the folds. If you know what I'm referring to, is this normal? Or should it tuck in there itself and something is missing?

qbrozen

Oh, of course its all DIY. So just the cost of parts (around wholesale through my father).

It is a belt and it is an interference engine, so there's no way I'm NOT doing it. Wish I had confirmation of when it was done last, but if the person was a typical mainstream owner, its probably way past due.

So, i dunno, $200 in parts, $200 in dent removal, $100 detail. Oh, and yes, I had thought of the tranny. I just gotta figure out WHERE to take it for that. Guess I could see what the dealer wants just for fun. Ya never know. Then again, its not like I want to hear a pitch on how I need X, Y, and Z done, too. ANYHOO... all in all, not bad, I think. Maintenance is all part of the game, right?

lilengineerboy

Boosted Accord

It needs the piddly stuff still, but I could be fun until it goes BOOM. I still would rather have an H22 Vtec motor I think, and that way it stays Honda.

british_rover

Transmission flush and then a pan and gasket on that car shouldn't be too bad. I have done them before as that was before the germans went all stupid with their sealed transmissions.

gsemike

A replica isn't worth close to 425k, is it?

This car is so reliable that I put 2500 into it this year He says that the price is 100% negotiable. Does that mean that he will come down 100%?

Not a 90 If it's a scam ad, who would bother with a Cutlass Ciera. By 90, they went to the composite headlights

Who cares if it's rare Not always a good thing.

Is that a Pacifica or a depreciatica?

fintail

Poor old thing

Here's a diesel

jlflemmons

The '78 and '79 Chev 305 with a 4bbl was notorious for fouling the #8 plug. PITA to get to on some of these cars, and you could almost set the odometer to 5K when it would happen. Had something to do with the intake and head design as it would carbon/fuel foul. Saw this on several, and heard of even more.

boomchek

Pretty cheap if you think how much money was put into it to Turbo it. If it was done properly.

andre1969

I wonder if there was just something about the #8 cylinder in general on a V-8 that makes it run hotter or something? On Mopar smallblocks at least, it would tend to run a bit hotter. And on top of this, there was a run of bad camshafts in 1989, that would wear out their #8 lobe prematurely.

My '89 Gran Fury had originally had this problem, and that was what prompted the Richmond VA police to retire it. The place I bought it from had thrown in a 1988 318.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah the arm that works the cover.

COBRA REPLICA -- the seller is a lunatic. Must be a typo.

Mercedes 560SEL -- GEEZ, just the used air conditioner control module would be worth $800--LOL! (if it works haha).

BENZ 170D -- very cool little car but be prepared for 0-60 in about 35 seconds....if ever....not a car you can drive on a modern freeway. Price seems fair enough if it isn't a horrifying rust bucket.

qbrozen

The Pacificas do depreciate pretty harshly, but not as bad as it seems at first. Don't forget that employee pricing and big rebates made them pretty cheap. We got ours about $10k off sticker.

We can turn ours back in after about another 13-14 months, though.
It is POSSIBLE we'd keep it if they negotiate the buyout to a more realistic level (currently, the car's trade-in value is about what the buyout will be over a year from now ... meaning the value at lease end will probably be a good $4k-$5k below the buyout).

Oh, and ours is an '05 like that listing ... BUT ours is loaded and only has 25k miles ... trade-in is roughly $16k.

boomchek

I always liked the Pacificas. Nice styling, decent amount of room. Sorta like a minivan without the minivan stigma.

stickguy

77K on an '05 will do that to your value.

qbrozen

we really like it alot. its very comfy and very quiet. Although I really dislike getting 19 mpg.

The big question is long-term reliability. How is that darn 4-speed auto tranny gonna hold up? That's what really worries me and will probably drive me to give it back.

andre1969

I always liked the style of them. I think the main thing I didn't like about them was the 2+2+2 seating arrangement that for all intents and purposes made it a 4-seater. Didn't they start offering a model that had a bench middle seat though?