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

Mr_Shiftright

Sure you could make a 350 quiet as a mouse, with the right type of exhaust AND intake. A GM V-8 is a GM V-8, they all sound the same unless they are top cammers or totally radical internally.

bumpy

Hey, they slammed together 80s Cadillac engines just like they slammed together 350 crate engines.

Sure, but you could get that by putting leather seats in a copcar Caprice. The idea is to give the Cadillac the sort of treatment it should have received at the factory.

fintail

All the old MB diesel greed, and along comes one with a reasonable price. Scary

Not many of these around...kind of got a little heavy handed by this time

qbrozen

boy, somebody better grab that benz fast. they could turn around and sell it on ebay for at least $6k and make a quick buck.

oregonboy

My brother-inlaw had a Fairlane GT back in the 70s. His was a 390 4-spd in dark green. It couldn't have cost him much at the time, as he was in high school was a part-time grocery checker.

Now he's a radiologist and drives a Z-06.

akangl

Not many of these around...kind of got a little heavy handed by this time

I better not show that to hubby, he'll be on a plane tonight. He's always wanted another one after his '65 was totalled by the crazy lady crossing 5 lanes of traffic to the exit ramp on an LA freeway. Poor car!

fintail

Not seen every day

qbrozen

I'm sure someone here can explain this to me.

I mean, what exactly was going on and why is it bad? All I could think was that they are taking wrecked 6-cyl stangs and making them into shelbys? But isn't that what a resto-mod is anyway??

stevedebi

"I mean, what exactly was going on and why is it bad? All I could think was that they are taking wrecked 6-cyl stangs and making them into shelbys? But isn't that what a resto-mod is anyway??"

There is no problem taking a totaled or wrecked car and repairing it, replacing it with a new engine, and upgrading the parts, etc.

There is a BIG problem in changing the VIN number - that is fraud, because the customer thinks that their "restored" vehicle is actually a rare(er) model, based on the VIN.

But in any case it is against the law to modify a VIN. That number is supposed to remain (unchanged) with the chassis forever.

qbrozen

is that what they are doing though? saying "its a real shelby"? Cause, somehow, I don't think that was the case.

stevedebi

"is that what they are doing though? saying "its a real shelby"? Cause, somehow, I don't think that was the case."

I'm not familiar with the company, but it is always illegal to change VINs. Even if the company doesn't advertise as "genuine Shelby" or whatever, a VIN lookup will lead the buyer to believe that the car is actually a more valuable car than is the reality.

texases

So happens Autoweek has a couple of articles on the problems at Unique Performance (but not including 'title washing')
Article 1
Article2

fintail

Could be the last one of these on the road...I don't know about "classic" however

Mr_Shiftright

Probably worth the price just as a car, forget the classic part--that'll never happen. Buy it, use it up.

hpmctorque

The styling, from the side, at least, looks like a junior '68-'74 generation Chevy Nova 4 door. Those Novas have a folowing, but that's probably mostly due to the fact that they're relatively easy and inexpensive to convert into muscle cars.

Mr_Shiftright

Exactly---those Novas aren't valuable but people MAKE them valuable. No sense doing that to an old Corona.

qbrozen

for some reason, i feel like we've seen that here before. I was going to say "ugh, its an automatic" when that deja vu feeling hit me. hmmm....

hpmctorque

I know $3,000 isn't a lot of scratch (especially in terms of euros, Canadian dollars, and British pounds), but just what are you getting for the money here? It's not an exciting collectible, and in terms of a daily driver to use up, I think there are better choices out there, even for that modest sum. It would be worth maybe $2,000 to me, which means the buyer would refuse my offer. Someone will buy it for something north of the midpoint between $2,000 and the asking price.

Mr_Shiftright

I was presuming it runs as good as it looks. You can't really get a clean reliable used car in the US for $2,000. It would need things. Even $3,000 is pushing it.

These old Toyotas were very very reliable, which is why they practically destroyed the bottom end of the Big Three's market, who were throwing Pintos and Vegas at buyers.

Sure, dull, ugly and all that, but it'll get you to work for the next ten years.

andre1969

I kinda like that Corona, if only for the fact that it's offbeat and something you rarely see. I don't think I've ever seen one of that generation. Just out of curiosity, what would something like that have priced out at back in '75? I know it would've been a lot more than your typical Corolla/210/Civic class of car...probably more on par with some of the pricier domestic compacts, or even some of the more baseline midsizers.

I imagine something like that Corona was a bit of a hard sell back when it was new. While the Japanese were doing quite well going up against Pintos and Vegas and such, the Corona was sort of a market that really wasn't developed in the United States yet. The idea of an upscale compact....compact by Japanese standards, not domestic. Most Americans in 1975 associated "upscale compact" with cars like the Granada, Monarch, Dart S/E, Valiant Brougham, Luxury Nova, etc. Most buyers probably just lumped that Corona in with the cheaper subcompacts, and therefore looked at it as way overpriced for what you got. Probably a good car though, if you could tolerate the acceleration and keep the rust off of it.

But then by 1975, even the acceleration might not have been that much of an issue. :sick:

hpmctorque

"...it'll get you to work for the next ten years."

Well, okay, I can't disagree with you on that, assuming the mileage, which isn't mentioned, isn't much higher than the appearance would lead one to believe. Also, -and this is one big ALSO - that you could maintain your sanity while driving it for 3,650 days. Anyone who could that would be a candidate for sainthood.

hpmctorque

"...compact by Japanese standards..."

I think the Corona would have been a midsize in Japan, where the size spectrum included micro cars (volume sellers then and now). The Corollas/210s/Civics/Subies were the compacts, and something like the Toyota Crown, about the size of our Nova/Granada/Dart, if even that big, was a large, luxury car. Those large Toyotas were very well appointed, and often chauffeur driven.

andre1969

Wouldn't something like that Corona be pretty hard to get parts for nowadays? Or is it one of those cases where mechanical parts are easy to find, but specific stuff like body and trim parts are near impossible?

I dunno if I could drive ANY car for 3650 days straight! That's probably one reason why I have several cars...I can rotate through the cars, and that keeps me from getting too bored with any single one.

I guess something like that Corona would be neat to have for the oddball factor, in the same vein of somebody buying a lovingly preserved AMC Hornet or Gremlin, or a Pinto, etc.

A few years back, when I lived in my condo, I would occasionally see this well-preserved Cressida in the neighborhood. Not sure of the year, but it had single round headlights, and was of this vintage. Kind of a gaudy, pretentious looking thing, but still nice to see one so well preserved.

Wow, looking at that ad, I see that Toyota had a 4-speed AOD tranny way back in 1978! Ford wouldn't have one until 1980, and then only on their biggest cars. GM wouldn't have one until 1981, and again, at first only on their larger cars. I don't think Chrysler would have one until 1989!

Also had a base price of $7389, which was a lot of money back in 1978. The value was probably there, but I imagine that a lot of potential buyers just didn't notice it. $7389 could still get you an awful lot of domestic car in 1978, if you were measuring value by the pound!

210delray

My first VW Rabbit in 1975 cost just over $4,000 new. I had a hard time with the fact that my mother's '73 Monte Carlo (at least twice the weight) cost about $3,500 (sticker) in the fall of '72. She paid less than sticker though. Although that Monte's back seat wasn't much bigger than the Rabbit's except for width.

Then my second Rabbit (don't ask!) cost about $5,600 new in late 1978. I could have gotten a nice Malibu or Cutlass for that price.

And those VW dealers were arrogant back then too (like today!); no negotiation off list price.

210delray

You can't really get a clean reliable used car in the US for $2,000. It would need things. Even $3,000 is pushing it.

I sold my '90 Sable in 2000 at 135K miles for $1800. It was clean with no rust, and I could honestly say everything was working as it should (the transmission had been replaced at 93K miles, the a/c was fully functional, and I didn't have the infamous 3.8L V6). Has bottom feeder used car inflation been that bad over the past 7 years?

Then again, you did say "reliable." Somehow, I have a feeling that car isn't on the road anymore.

andre1969

About the only reference points I have for that timeframe with my family's cars are:

1975 Dodge Dart Swinger: ~$5000
1975 Pontiac LeMans coupe: ~$5000 (found out later that it was actually a demonstrator...I always thought Mom bought it brand-new)
1976 GMC 3/4 ton crew cab: ~$8000
1980 Malibu coupe: ~$6500

Although that Monte's back seat wasn't much bigger than the Rabbit's except for width.

I've tried squeezing into the back seat of my '76 LeMans, which would be similar to a Monte. It's a pretty inhosbitable place. The seat itself is actually pretty comfy (I've heard that Pontiac actually put more effort into their seats back then than other GM brand, but dunno if that's true or not), and headroom and shoulder room is good. Legroom is non-existent, though. But I also have a power front seat, which lets it get into more contorted positions than the regular bench seat did.

Funny, but I don't remember the back seat of Mom's '75 LeMans coupe being all that small...but then again, I was 5 years old when she bought it, and 9 when she traded it! :P And I doubt that Mom put the seat all the way back.

Mr_Shiftright

Body and trim parts would be nearly impossible, so if you cracked up a '75 Corona, that might be the end of her.

Oh no, the Corona was quite popular and not a hard car to sell (as long as you weren't a WW II veteran). I can testify to this because I helped a friend who was ill by taking over his sales job in a Toyota store in Denver. I sold 3 cars in three days!!! How? I just literally told the customers to drive a Pinto or Vega and then come back.

It worked. :P

Hey, Chevrolet is using this very technique today as a sales pitch, by having the competition's cars right in the showroom.

oregonboy

I would guess that they are very selective about which competitors cars they provide for comparison.

"Harrumph!!! No, we really don't compete with Japanese automobiles."

james

andre1969

I can testify to this because I helped a friend who was ill by taking over his sales job in a Toyota store in Denver. I sold 3 cars in three days!!! How? I just literally told the customers to drive a Pinto or Vega and then come back.

So you sold three Coronas in three days, or three Toyotas total? I've never even seen a Corona, except for the style they had from around 1979-82, the one that prefaced the Camry. There used to be a brown 4-door sedan that I'd see pretty regularly, still chugging along.

Mr_Shiftright

3 total. Remember this was right after the gas shortage, too.

qbrozen

v8 Alfa anyone?

alltorque

Why oh why would anyone butcher one of these little classics with a V8 lump ? I'm guessing that it now handles like a 3-legged pig. Fine for endless highways, (memories of Arizona), but then; "OMG; a corner - we're gonna die !!"

Then again; why not ? You own it, you do whatever you like with it. At least it's still alive and not scrapped.

qbrozen

while I'm not really against an engine swap in these ... a chevy V8 is not the way I would go. I'm shocked, really, that it fits. Folks seem to have a tough enough time putting the alfa V6 in there.

bumpy

looks good, but don't even think about going over 45 in it

not so rare and not so powerful

a few too many zeros

details help sell cars

truth in advertising

buy my parts and get a free car

"The car hits the road like it did in 1970." :sick:

a hot-dog car for Andre

guss

Why would you make it an automatic? That really kills the what soul this Alfa had left.

guss

I will only sell to U.S. citizens - From the Z ad.

Is that even legal ? I can see it now...

"Sir, I know you have $6500 cash, but I still need to see your social security card and passport."

qbrozen

Why would you make it an automatic?

because apparently the v8 isn't heavy enough. More weight! ;b

andre1969

Sometimes I can appreciate a cheap, basic compact, like say a stripper Dart, Valiant, or Nova. They have a sort of unpretentious, honest, sort of aura to them. Something like a '68 Dart 2-door sedan, '69 Valiant 2-door sedan, or Nova from that era. But that Falcon, to me, just seems like it would be a punishment to own and drive.

But then, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would say the same thing about some of my cars!

Mr_Shiftright

Some of these people need to take a seriously look at price guides, or throw away the calculator they're using that shifts the decimal point. But I guess a quiet phone, an empty e-mail box, or "0" bids will tell them all they need to know. It's not my job.

andre1969

Yeah, but sometimes these people just don't get a clue. For example, way back in August 2002, Grbeck and I went to a car show in PA, and saw this awful greenish/goldish '74 Cadillac for sale. The picture actually makes the color seem nicer than it is in person. I forget how much the seller wanted for it back in 2002...maybe $5K? Anyway, wanna guess when I took this pic? August 2007! :surprise: That's right, 5 years later and this thing is still showing up for sale. We saw it in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, with an increase in price every year, didn't see it in 2006, then saw it again in 2007, with a reduced, but still high price...$6250.

It's actually in pretty good shape, but just an awful color. Lemko first saw it in 2004 I think, and he noticed that it was deteriorating a bit. So I guess from here on out it's all downhill. :sick:

Mr_Shiftright

That's why I always point to ads like that and say: "Don't bother. That car is really not for sale".

Surely a man advertising a '50 Cadillac 4-door sedan in beat-up condition for $20,000 has no intention of moving it out of his driveway until after his death, when the wrecker hauls it off to a charity--where, in all likelihood, it will find its real price point among bargain hunters or parts locators. I'd guess $2,500--$3,500 is all the money in the world, for the few buyers who want one.

oregonboy

Dang! man, you really should post a warning: "This color may cause you to lose your breakfast." :P

james

guss

Harvest gold was a big seller...... in refrigerators.

andre1969

Well if you think that color was bad, here's a pic that shows a bit of the interior!

And that's not me in there trying to strike a yo-boy pose...I'm trying to crouch down so I'm not seen in such an ugly color of a car! :P

It's funny how color back then really could make or break a car. Now if this car was a nice, icy blue or a soothing green, I'd be all over it. And even if it was a dark blue or green, red/burgundy, or even basic black or white, I still would find it attractive. But some colors were just not intended to go on cars. :sick:

This is also probably a rare case where a vinyl roof, if it was a contrast, would have helped out immensely. For instance, a black roof, and a black interior, or even a white roof and a white interior would help break up that main color.

lemmer

Porsche 914

I know the 1.7s are really slow and don't shift particularly well, but what do you think otherwise?

oregonboy

Here's a 2.0 for you. It's a little more money though.

Red 914 2.0

james

Mr_Shiftright

The 2.0 is a lot more appealing on many levels but if $3,900 is all you got, that's not a bad price at all. These are neat little cars, and while not fast, they are ferocious handlers and great autocrossers or SCCA racers (f built up).

Things to check for include corrosion under the battery box (very bad), broken torsion bars on trunk lid (very bad) and the usual VW engine bugaboos. Remember, a rebuild, including R&R and clutch, will cost as much as the car did, and this is just a VW engine, not a Porsche engine. Big difference---the difference between 60,000 miles between rebuilds and 225,000 miles between rebuilds.

Targa top is nice and stores in the front truck, leaving you with the back trunk. Pretty neat, huh?

fintail

Andre-mobile....hard to judge the condition

qbrozen

how is the price on that 2.0, though?

lemko

My cousin Bob who worked at the local supermarket had a yellow 1976 Corona. Back then, it was unusual to see a Japanese car.