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

Mr_Shiftright

82 Porsche SC -- his price is crazy. Car needs an easy $10,000 worth of work just LOOKING at it. It's been hit, the interior is trash and you aren't going to paint a Porsche for $2,000 unless someone spits paint on it or uses a broom. Lousy color, too. Actual Value? $5,000 bid, if genuine, is generous enough. Never, EVER buy a shabby 911 unless someone a) give it to you OR b) it's a 911S and has lots of potential value.

98 Boxster -- okay we need new leather seats, we need a new top, car is from rust belt New Jersey. I'm thinking you should just go buy a nice one ready to roll for $9995 and put this baby aside. Even $5K starting bid is pushing it. Maybe $5K....maybe....once it's inspected....maybe.

lemmer

The bottom dwellers would never let a Boxster go for that cheap. I've seen them with high miles, worn leather, bad carfax, dents and dings, srs and/or abs lights on, etc. go for the mid 8s. Of course, you can get a super nice, low mileage one for $12K or less, so I have no idea why anybody would do this. As far as I can tell, bottom dweller cars are always a bad deal. They must be happy driving these cars as is.

Mr_Shiftright

Yep, dealers are selling REALLY nice ones at around $11,500 asking price, even up to 1999 models, so I don't see why with a little shopping and some hard pre-Christmas bargaining, you couldn't get a very tasty private-party Boxster for $9995--even in the SF Bay Area. In Detriot or Buffalo, probably less than that.

What the bottom dweller is saying essentially is: "I deferred the maintenance, love and car, so you do it but don't penalize me".

Mr_Shiftright

Can you say "snowball's chance in hell"?

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/914828896.html

oregonboy

Well, the hardtop is worth, what, maybe $500? The rest is parts. :sick:

boomchek

Salvage title from a "ding in the tow yard" Right.

How come all of the salvage title cars we ever see for sale just magically get written off for "small dings" and so on. :sick:

It's good for parts depending on the condition of the interior, hard top, tires, and other maechanical bits and pieces.

Mr_Shiftright

Makes you realize that private parties are no more or less deceptive than car dealers.

boomchek

I've run into a few unscrupulous private sellers when helping my friends with private car purchases.

With a dealer though you have some recourse. With a private seller you're out of luck.

guss

Please dont call asking about parting out anything, i,ll just hang up on you.

I bet within a week he's checking his caller ID for the people he hung up on. I can get a running Miata with at least 4 more straight body panels than this cat has for $2K.

boomchek

Please dont call asking about parting out anything, i,ll just hang up on you

When I see ads with such snobbish disclaimers, I ignore them automatically. I bet most people do too.

lemmer

I love the eBay sellers that use the whole ad talking about who they won't do business with, what kinds of questions and behaviors they won't tolerate, etc.

I assume these people are impossible jerks and move on to the next ad. They usually want way too much money for a car in awful condition anyway.

qbrozen

'93 Miata, no reserve.
i'd really like to avoid Black, but I think this MAY go cheap (or should).

I'm sorry ... I thought I read $7995, but you obviously meant $799.50

qbrozen

Interesting

explorerx4

'just believe'.

Mr_Shiftright

Well that's one car that's never coming to a state with smog regulations.

texases

Given all the details, why's he just say '4 new tires'? This guy tell us the muffler brand, the CAI brand, the shocks, the roll cage, but not the tires?

oregonboy

Excellent point! I tried looking closely at the picture of the wheel (in full screen mode). You can't read the sidewall and it certainly doesn't look like a new tire. Maybe that picture was taken before the tire purchase?

In any case, if it's half as good as the seller makes out, and license-able in your state, it looks like a lot of fun for the money.

qbrozen

I saw that, too. But you can see in the pic the tires are basically crappy all-seasons. So the thing is built for racing ... but then they cheaped out on the tires. I think he threw them on there just to say "new tires."

But, really, I think the parts alone are worth the asking price, if done well enough.

qbrozen

nice color combo

very close to home... but I believe its a BHPH lot ... hmmm...

Half the price, and it shows.

guss

The black '93 on E-bay is a nice garden variety Miata. Unless he has receipts for the timing belt it should need one at 100k miles. I would not go over $3500 on it.

The red '94 I would stay away from . With 185K and replaced fenders that don't match he is a bit touched asking $4200. It's a $1200 [arts car at best.

The 94M is the best one for the asking price. M's while not rare are the most valueble. They have some nice options like head rest speaker, leather and ABS. The downside is they are the heaviest model. If this one has all the maintenance done is the one I would go after. I sold my '97M in June for $5500 and it had 80k miles on it.

fintail

Looking at those heaps for 2K and that M which could probably be had for 4K, I can't see why one wouldn't spend a little more to get something much nicer.

qbrozen

the color and miles are appealing, but as guss said, the M is the heaviest Miata, so not the ideal choice for an autoX toy.

guss - I actually think $4200 is fairly reasonable. Problem is, you have to WANT everything he's done to the car. I do. Just not sure I want it from an unknown source. But, all in all, I gotta think the engine cost him a pretty penny, maybe even the asking price of the car. Add to that the $1000 shocks and several more hundred for the rollcage and seats, and you figure he's probably losing his shirt. Seems that he's used it quite a bit though, with 30k on the new engine, so he got some enjoyment for his $$.

But... for my money, would I want a nicer newer car? Yeah, I think so. So the M does appeal to me, too.

explorerx4

i think i would have skipped the prop

has old ct plate

barn muck

is this an mgb?

unfinished project?

lil blue wagon

interesting lights in the hood

tr6 parent?

which picture doesn't match?

fintail

Funny stuff.

That 41 Pontiac is a nice looking old beast, but bad prop choice indeed.

The T-Bird is a rat, hopeless.

That's a MG Midget.

The old time moving van is cool, not more than a couple of those in existence I am sure.

Hilarious lights on that malaise Trans Am.

I can't see how people upload the wrong pics...you have to approve it before the ad is posted. And he's seen 73 Caddys bring 30K? I call BS

Mr_Shiftright

Mr_Shiftright

57 former T-Bird -- Acme Auto Wrecking. You can buy nice ones for $25,000, so where are you going with this piece of crap?

Oh, a rubber-bumper MG Midget, top speed of 72 mph and exhaust manifolds that glow in the dark. What's not to like? Hard Sell. Take what you can get. I like that "no scammers, please"---what's a scammer going to say: "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize...."

32 International Van -- very cool, but how would you like to have to flat sand THOSE panels? Maybe a museum would want it? Maybe a Hollywood celeb could transport their live lions between summer homes?

Triumph GT6 -- no, not a TR6 relative, but rather a Triumph Spitfire relative with a different 6 cylinder engine from the TR6. I'd say Acme Auto Wrecking for this baby. Let it die, so that others might live.

73 Coupe de Ville -- more like $12,000 restored if you hit a home run. This car? $3K seems a tad optimistic given a) not running b) rust c) other issues. I'd say nifty parts car for a better dinosaur.

53 Dodge PU resto-rod -- fair enough

lokki

That 1980 Trans Am pretty well sums up everything I hated about the 80's. Ugly outside, Ugly and rubbery inside. Lots of flash, but nuthin' happenin' under the hood. Did I say that it's ugly? Particularly to those who remember the 2nd Gen Trans Am.

http://www.musclecardrive.com/images/specs_pics/1970TransAmFirebird.jpg

Lokking at that 1980 is sort of like rediscovering your College girl-friend 10 years later... after she's finished rehab, but hasn't lost the weight yet.... oh, and she's wearing funny glasses.

I'd already written off GM by that time, but those slapped together pseudo performance cars still left a bitter taste in my mouth.

andre1969

I had a supervisor back in the '90's who had one of those Turbo Trans Ams. Can't remember now if it was an '80 or an '81. He knew I was into old cars, and tried to get me to buy it. He seemed a bit offended that I wasn't interested, and actually had the nerve to get miffed when I bought my '67 Catalina convertible! I guess in his mind, all old cars were alike, so why shouldn't I have bought his? :P I remember him telling me I was going to be sorry, buying something that old, because there were going to be laws coming out that would ban cars like that...

It's kinda weird though, to think that all of a sudden, a 1980 car is almost 30 years old! When my supervisor was trying to sell me his Trans Am, it would've only been 13-14. Time marches on too danged fast! Sometimes I think of something like my '57 DeSoto as a 30 year old car, probably because they were about 30 years old when I started wanting one. But all of a sudden, that's a 50+ year old car, and that late 70's crap I go for, which still seems pretty recent to me, is now 30 years old or more.

Mr_Shiftright

You forgot to mention "ugly".

But there is a butt for every seat as they say, and this car does have a small following. Personally I don't see it worth a dime over $12,000, but some price guides are giddy at $20,000. They might be confusing it with the 1979 W72 10th anniversary coupe, which is also ugly but brings more money (more rare, and more substance).

explorerx4

not the same one as i originally, posted, but is this the same car?

started here?

to here?

jlflemmons

I agree that looks like a Midget, but I don't remember my 67 having three wipers. Was that something that came along later?

andre1969

For the first time in over 19 years, I am officially Dart-less!! :P Okay, so the thing is still sitting in my driveway, but the guy who's been wanting to buy it finally came by and finished paying for it, so I gave him the keys and the title to it. So as far as I'm concerned, it's gone! :shades:

I was starting to worry. He had paid for half of it, but I'd always told him that if he changed his mind, I'd understand, and give him his money back.

I got $400 for it. I guess I could have held out for more if I really wanted to, but I figure hey...the thing has 338,000 miles on it. It has two virgin body panels...the passenger side door and the trunk. The rear quarters are rusted, both front fenders are damaged. The driver's door has a dent. And the hood has some rust in the bracing. And the roof is sunroof-inflicted.

Anyway, the guy who's buying it actually wants to fix it up, which I think is cool. There was someone else who stopped by who was interested in it, but mainly for parts. I did take down his name and contact info, and passed it on to this guy, just in case he gets fed up with the car and decides he's in over his head.

It feels kinda nice, being down to seven cars now.

lemmer

Are you feeling a void? Will you be shopping again soon?

michaellno

Congratulations on selling the Dart. Would I be wrong in assuming that the $400 will help with the "refreshing" of the Catalina? How is that project going, by the way?

I got a nibble on the Jeepster .. an email from a guy who wanted to know:

1) how much would I take for it
2) did I have any pictures of the engine compartment, interior and underneath

Responded with:

1) MIL holds ownership, so she would be the one to decide the final price
2) I sent him a picture of the interior and of the rear taillight, where there is some rust; no pix of the engine or underneath

We'll see where this leads us; if he is still interested, I'll give my MIL his phone number and they can figure out the next step.

andre1969

Are you feeling a void?

I am feeling a little bit of a tug at my heart, I guess. I've had that Dart since April 3, 1992...got it the day after my birthday. And my Dart before that, a '69 GT with a slant six, I had since September 1989. There are pieces of that first Dart in the second one, such as the gas tank, driver's side door, and some interior trim. It's hard to have something that long and NOT feel a bit of sadness when it goes, I guess.

But at the same time, I'm happy that it's going to someone who's going to try and rescue it. And even if he gives up on it, I'm sure it'll get parted out and help other Darts and Valiants to carry on. So it'll have a better life than just sitting in the

I don't really feel a void though, probably because of the other cars I've taken on since the Dart. I got my '79 5th Ave just a few months before the Dart stopped running (maybe it got jealous). And then I got the pickup, and the '76 LeMans, and then the other '79 NYer, so I still have enough to keep me occupied.

And even if I did feel a void, right now my retirement plan is feeling an even bigger one, so that might just keep my driveway a bit emptier in the near future.

andre1969

Congratulations on selling the Dart. Would I be wrong in assuming that the $400 will help with the "refreshing" of the Catalina? How is that project going, by the way?

Thanks, Michael. Yeah, that $400 will help out with the Catalina. A little bit, at least. The last time I talked to the mechanic, he said it was almost done. He got the hydraulics working on the top, so it goes up and down like it should. The top fabric itself was on back-order, and that held things up, but at this point I'm guessing it shouldn't be more than a couple weeks.

I'm looking forward to it, although it probably won't be until spring that I get to actually take it out and enjoy it, topless.

lemmer

If this old BMW 530i had 100K less miles on it, I'd be all over it.

However with 242K on it, I keep hearing Shifty's "old man on life support" commentary in the back of my head when I look at the ad.

urnews

It feels kinda nice, being down to seven cars now.

So, what's left in the stable? I forget. - Boz

texases

Yes, at 242k all sorts of stuff could be on the verge - $2000 might be OK for a few month's fun. And that 'new block' was probably put in 10 years ago...wonder how the clutch is holding up?

andre1969

Once the Dart goes, that leaves me with a '57 DeSoto Firedome, '67 Catalina convertible, '76 Pontiac Grand LeMans, two '79 New Yorkers, '85 Silverado, and '00 Intrepid. I decided to finally make use of that CarSpace web page, and upload some pics. Hopefully this works!

Mr_Shiftright

So my $12,000 market price guess wasn't too far off the $14K asking price. So it might have gone down for $12K, given the low mileage and that most of these types of TAs/Firebirds/Camaros are so totally trashed you wouldn't even want to open the door.

andre1969

So my $12,000 market price guess wasn't too far off the $14K asking price. So it might have gone down for $12K, given the low mileage and that most of these types of TAs/Firebirds/Camaros are so totally trashed you wouldn't even want to open the door.

I think $12K is about what my old supervisor paid for his turbo Trans Am when it was new. Heck of an investment, eh? :P I think when he finally sold it, he got around $2500-3000 for his, back in the mid 1990's. As I recall, it was getting a bit rough around the edges at that point.

Mr_Shiftright

I guess $4,200 isn't outrageous for the 530i if you like that sort of car. I really don't like large 4-door stickshift cars myself unless they are a) sports cars b) motorcycles, or c) AWD utility vehicles. Shifting a large luxury sedan is unseemly to me. It reminds of having an automatic Miata (the reverse perversion) or a Harley with a CVT or a stick shift Lincoln Town Car. What IS the point? I understand the *appeal* but I think that appeal soon wanes.

242K....hmmm....scary.... I mean, one major component failure on that puppy and you're totalled. On old bimmers, mostly I fear the spastic German electronics and of course, the classic BMW bugaboo----overheating due to a lame cooling system.

I have bought high mileage BMWs successfully and squared them away into very reliable cars, but I bought 'em cheap....real cheap...and that turned out to be necessary to come out whole on the other end.

lemmer

It isn't a huge car - probably smaller than a new 3 series. The car has been for sale forever with no change in price. Maybe he'd take a little over $3K and I could throw it away if something breaks.

I've been trying to talk myself into a mid 90s Lexus, but they are so boring, even the coupe models.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah sure you could do that. It hasn't sold because people are shy of it, obviously.

It's a pretty big car, and it feels like it, too. This is no sports car you know. :P You fling it around and you're going to sweat doing it.

boomchek

I like your cars, but especially the Desoto. Cool looking ride.

lemmer

Well, the 911 and 944 are pretty flingable but I sure do get a lot of negative comments from my coworkers on the back seat space.

What does that leave for a 90s model slightly upscale car that is fun to drive and can hold an adult or two in the back? An Audi A4 and hope to avoid the sludge? A 3-series that is tight in the front? Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, Volvo, Saab, Mercedes that are too boring and/or FWD and/or unreliable?

Mr_Shiftright

Sports cars don't have back seats. :P Or if they do, they are vestigial, like human tail bones or appendix.

Well I suppose you could buy an M3 coupe, or a Nissan G35.

boomchek

How about a late 90s CLK 320 or 430? I think they're a bit roomier than the 3 series.

Acura Legend coupe maybe? If you can find one that's unmolested and reasonably priced.

guss

What does that leave for a 90s model slightly upscale car that is fun to drive and can hold an adult or two in the back?

Early 90's Nissan 300zx 2+2's are fun and slightly upscale and fun to drive. I dare you to find one that is unmolested, especially the turbos.