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

jlflemmons

Yes sir, '99 was when the problem started showing up in the full size Trucks/SUV, and both my '99 and '02 do it also. I filled up the '02 one time and when I turned on the car the gauge whipped around so fast it stuck! I had to turn the car back off and tap on the IP until it let go.

lemmer

It was a county auction of seized assets, so I think the amount reported was the actual price. A friend of mine attended. He said some of the boring cars were in awful shape, with badly peeling paint on the cheaper Suburban as an example.

Mr_Shiftright

there are commissions on county auctions---they hire professionals to do it. There might even be sales tax included.

The prices strike me as irrational, at least on paper. Either the people are foolish, the cars were spectacular, or ???.

fintail

Was there some kind of hallucinogenic substance piped into the air or something?

lemmer

Believe it or not, I think people added celebrity value to the cars. Scrushy was the probably the most "famous" business person in Alabama before his downfall. He had his own country band, hung out with Charles Barkley and Bo Jackson and all that kind of nonsense. The auction was also a big event in Birmingham with tons of people and not so many cars.

Personally, I think Scrushy is just a common thief and would only buy one of his cars at a nice discount.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah well in 6 months it'll be "Scrushy Who?" and a 33% discount on all cars.

fintail

That's some tenuous celebrity...but then again, it is Alabama, maybe not many famous people to buy cars from. I'd wager the modern cars especially were neglected.

He's not even a Madoff or Enron crook...as financial coward fame goes, he's b-list :shades:

qbrozen

Hahahahah. Uhhhh... yeah, I passed on this one. First sign of real trouble was when I opened the hood and saw the EGR zip tied to the valve cover, not actually attached to the exhaust pipe, allowing fumes to spew into the engine compartment.

Even with that, I went ahead with the test drive. I do believe at least one of the front rotors was warped, in fact. And anytime I turned the steering wheel, I could actually feel the motion of the rack in my feet. Just a few issues, I'd say.

Drove 2 other vehicles today and both were just as entertaining. An '02 Sentra and an '00 V40. I actually tried to cut a deal on the Sentra, but I just couldn't make the dealer understand that, even if I overlooked the car's accident history, knocking $500 off their price would not cover what I needed to fix on the car (one CV joint, missing airbox, missing dipstick). The V40 was nice to spend time in, but we had too many scares while driving. At first acceleration, the transmission freaked out, got caught between gears, and the engine started surging. Once it warmed up, that seemed to go away, but then smoke started pouring out from under the hood. Turned out that one of the plastic(!) coolant lines either burned through or wore through AND oil was pushing out through the dipstick tube.

Funny thing is, the dealer with the V40 had the nerve to tell me that "market ready" means something entirely different to a dealer than a buyer. Now, when he said it, it was in the context of claiming dealers have higher standards and they have to give low trade-in value. Without hesitation or reserve, I disagree. My standards are MUCH higher based on what I've seen today. Seems to me my problem is that my cars are TOO nice to be traded. I should stop servicing them for 15k miles leading up to trade time.

stickguy

You are shopping dealers to try and trade in the Volvo, right? IMO, tough way to do it, since many of the guys that carry the lower priced units aren't going to be good trade in material.

You try carsense/max? They just put a new store in Westhampton/Mt. Holly, so not too far from you. Might be easier to just unload the XC, and seperate the deals.

I find it much nicer to shop private sales for cheaper cars (with relatives being the best, which is how I got a good deal on my TL!). Not easier, since it can be more leg work, but I have never had good luck with low end dealers. Either the prices or cars were out of whack, you have no history, and some of them gave me the heebie jeebies to work with.

Nothing like a nice 1 owner from an expensive town to give you a nice warm feeling, especially if they have a big stack of dealer service records!

How about a Volvo wagon? JRL has a nice '98 T5 5 speed V70 for only 4K. He might even trade in the XC90!

qbrozen

I was actually JUST about to email JRL.
He doesn't seem to deal in 90s, though. We'll see.

A carmax in Mt Holly??? REally?? Man, thanks for the tip! That might be just the ticket! (just checked ... its carsense)

And, yes, I know what you mean about the "type" of dealer. Its walking a thin line, that's for sure. I'd much rather buy private party. Gotta unload the 90, though.

stickguy

Pics are up of the '98. Has 124K on it, but it is a 5 speed, and does look pretty nice.

It is a carsense store. Brand new, and big, right on rt. 541 between exit 47 of 295, and woodlane road.

http://www.carsense.com/contact/

their oldest shown is a 2007, but you never know what they might want.

qbrozen

I just filled out the form on the carsense site.

stickguy

what is that, a 2005? How many miles?

too bad I am not in the market. Of course, I would also low ball your socks off.

stickguy

Does torchlight take trades? He actually often has some stuff on the cheaper side (maybe not cheap enough though!)

qbrozen

I heard torchlight looks for dogs at the auction, though, so he can pick them up cheap. He's not getting mine too cheap. Its just too nice. There are a couple of minor exterior things that I could take care of, but I'm taking it a step at a time. If I sell to a dealer now, I'll take low Galves. If I start fixing things, I'll want high Galves.

Its an '05 2.5T AWD with 51k miles. I just IM'd JRL. I'm pretty sure he doesn't deal in these, though. That T5 could be something to consider, although at the top of my pricerange. I'd really be pushing it (he says "in the $4k range, so its more like $4500, I'm sure). I'm trying to keep in at $3k, which just about eliminates Volvo. At $4k, I could swing a private party V/S40.

qbrozen

Now HERE's a Volvo I might be interested in.

Pending pics, of course.

Although, 220k is ALOT of miles, of course, even for a 240. But, hell, could part out the suspension and wheels for what he's asking.

stickguy

If it is close to as nice as represented, jump on that bad boy. You can even Auto X that one!

Who in their right mind spends that much to hot rod a 1990 240?

If the damned thing was a wagon, I would drive down to rockville myself tomorrow to buy it.

Then I will sell you my 2000 3.2TL for 3K. Just don't tell my son...

stickguy

Drives me nuts when people do up an ad, and don't bother to mention a price. Kind of important, no? Almost as bad as not posting pictures.

although it does sound like potentially a nice car, and a prime example of why I like 1 owner cars with records.

http://forums.swedespeed.com/zeropost?cmd=tshow&id=126706

hpmctorque

unless your '00 is miled up or has issues, it should be worth considerably more than $3,000.

My wife drives a '99 TL (119,000 miles). Our experience has been good, but not stellar. For example, we had to replace the catalytic converter at 98,000 miles. The transmission is original, but that may be because it's the older 4-speed (Acura began installing the problematic 5-speed automatic in the '00 model year).

What has been your experience with your TL?

stickguy

well, this one does have 149K on it. So you might consider that "miled up"

My sister owned it from new up to 146K when I bought it for my son to use. It has bee a very good car, never needing much. She also had the dealer do whatever they said it needed, so it has probably been over maintained if anything!

It will be needing tires at some point (one has a small sidewall bubble from an impact break), and one of the front struts is starting to leak a little (hey, they are original!) but nothing immediately pressing.

Not too bad that it is only on it's 2nd set of tires, and the brakes were only dne once and still have plenty of life left.

andre1969

If it's only had one set of brakes in 149,000 miles, I'd guess that it's been mostly highway-driven? I'd also like to know what the secret is to getting that much life out of the tires!

I had to replace my Intrepid's original tires at 30K miles. Then again at 76K. The next round was spotty, as one got stolen at 123K, another got popped at 126K, and I replaced the remaining two at 130K

michaellno

I'd also like to know what the secret is to getting that much life out of the tires!

Me, too!

I'm on my 3rd set of tires for the L300 in 88K. The original Firestones lasted around 35K, then the replacement Coopers made it to about 69K. The current BF Goodrich tires have about 18K on them and are starting to show some wear.

The wife's OEM Bridgestone Dueler's have almost 30K on them, and will probably need to be replaced next year - or sooner, depending on how they handle the upcoming winter weather.

The daughter's ION has $27K and the Goodyears on them seem to be in decent shape.

qbrozen

well, now that you see the color combo, I think you can understand why he left it off. ;b

lemko

My girlfriend wife replaced the tires on her Buick LaCrosse after 46K miles.

texases

You GOTTA keep those two straight! :P

gsemike

I don't think that I've ever seen tires designed to go 75. That can't be safe. I replaced the OEM Bridgestones on my Altima at about 43k. The new BFG traction TAs were a serious upgrade traction wise but hurt the ride. At 10k, they still look very good.

stickguy

pretty simple. start with OEM michelins that stink for grip, but are designed for good mileage (so hard compound), then let the dealer rotate and align whenever they say it's time, and do a lot of highway mileage. Bingo, 91K before you have to replace them (still within the 5/6 year lifespan too I think).

The current set (put on by the dealer) are wearing perfectly, and currently have !59K on them, and still have at least 4/32s of tread (might be more, can't quite recall).

british_rover

I got about 60,000 out of the michelins on my Jeep before I swapped them out for a set of nearly brand new General Grabber tires when a similar jeep came in on trade. They still had plenty of tread even with almost no rotation but the sidewalls were cracking from dry rot and the beads on three of the tires were leaking air.

Never had any general tires but they seem pretty good so far and free is well free.

jlflemmons

Way back in college I worked in a parts house that bought tires through Exxon. I believe the namebrand on the tire was Atlas.

I lived right outside Houston, TX, and the tires were made by General Tire at the Waco Tx plant. Actually, pretty decent tires.

texases

I sold Atlas tires for several years at a Sohio station in Cincinnati, back before radials. They seemed like decent tires. We had few complaints and lots of repeat business.

fintail

This baby is loaded....not just bulletproof glass, but AMG tires!

explorerx4

um, is that a recent status change?

texases

Wonder if he'll let someone test out that 'bulletproof glass' :surprise:

xwesx

Partly it is a matter of age versus mileage. Goodyear makes multiple tires that have a 70,000+ treadwear rating. I put 76,000 miles on a set of Allegras, and at 28,000 miles the set of Tripletreds I had on it last were barely worn. It took me three years to put the miles on the Allegras, and about 13 months for the Tripletreds. Once you get over 3-4 years of age on a tire after the date of manufacture, the rubber compound begins to harden and its ability to shed heat decreases. That is when blowouts are more likely.

As long as there is decent tread on the tire, the mileage is really of little importance.

One of the regular posters here, ruking1, gets amazing mileage out of his tires!

explorerx4

speaking of tires, i finally bought some new ones for my 91 mustang this year.
replaced the original goodyear gatorbacks (34K) with some new eagle gt's.
my preference would have been to replace them with the same tire, but i would have had to upgrade to 17 inch rims.
my explorer has 53k on it's 4 year old michelin cross terrains(rated for 70k). plenty of thread left.
the 04 escape has 51k on 3 1/2 year old goodyear tripletreads(rated for 60 or 65k).
these also have plenty of life left.
i check tire pressure on a regulare basis and rotate every 5k.

explorerx4

lemko's slumming car (not a BOP)

320 hp is better than 500 in the same car?

name is morann or moron?

faux merc

nice but boring

don't forget to mention the 43 cents

when pickups could still be basic

when mini's were mini

i am seeing more and more of these for sale

andre1969

I like the '84 Caprice and '63 Olds...but agree, that Olds is a bit dull. For $13K I'd want a more exciting car. Plus, 280 hp sounds kinda weak for a 394...although Buick choked its 401 down to 265 hp, and Pontiac would choke its 389 down to 215 hp if you so desired.

Chevy dropped its tiny 267 V-8 after 1983, so if that '84 Caprice is a V-8, it would be the 150 hp 305. Not exactly a screamer, but it was a good balance of performance and economy for the time.

jlflemmons

I think that Olds owner got his HP and torque specs off Wiki, and I don't think they are right. For one, 2BBL Olds engines were usually lower compression, and I find it a bit hard to believe that the low compression 2BBL 394 developed 430ftlbs of torque.

Seriously, that number looks more like what the Starfire version produced, with the bigger valves, high compression, and 4BBL. But I guess if it's on Wikipedia, it must be true.

Starfire
Engine Specifications:

Type -- Ultra-High-Compression V-8
Horsepower -- 345 @ 4600 R.P.M.
Torque -- 440 lb.-ft. @ 2800 R.P.M.
Displacement -- 394 cubic inches
Bore -- 4 1/8"
Stroke -- 3 11/16"
Compression Ratio -- 10.5 to 1
Fuel -- Premium
Carburetion -- Multi-Jet 4-Barrel
Valve Lifters - Hydraulic

andre1969

I just googled around and found this site, which lists a bunch of 60's Olds V-8's. I'm don't know where the info came from, but the way it's listed reminds me of the big old blue Motor's Repair Manuals that are out in my grandparents' garage.

It actually does list a high-compression 394-2bbl with 280 hp and 430 ft-lb of torque. There was also a low-compression 394-2bbl with 260 hp and 410 ft-lb. Just out of curiosity, is there any good reason to offer a high-compression engine with a 2-bbl carb? Or would you just be better off going with low-compression and a 4-bbl?

Mr_Shiftright

'51 Packard --- pretty nasty looking Chevy engine in there for the price he's asking.

70 Mini -- how did a 980cc Mini get fuel-injected?

944 Porsche -- buying it is the least expensive part. Great handling car, though, and good bang for the buck...until something goes bang and then the buck doesn't stop there.

lemko

I got married three weeks ago today.

lemko

Wouldn't a 1951 Packard have a straight 8?

texases

Yep, '51 Packards had the flathead straight eight, my brother just bought one (car with the engine, that is).

lokki

Congratulations Lemko!

She must be a Cadillac of a girl!

Mr_Shiftright

Yep straight-8. Big heavy wood stove of an engine, but lots of torque. You can pull a house down with a '51 Packard I-8. Very unglamorous but quality American engineering.

british_rover

I assume the 70 mini is a VIN swap car as that is how lot of under 25 year old minis get in the US. They swap the VIN from a more then 25 year old car and put them on the newer model that has air bags and Fuel injection then it slips through customs most of the time.

Either that or someone did an engine swap for the newer FI motor. That I think would be more unusual for a mini in the states.

I know a guy in Mass who brings in defenders the same way sometimes. Gets a newer mid to late 90s defender and slips them in with different VINs. He gets a clear mass title for the car but the title always says it is the wrong year.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh that's possible...but the frame would have to be correct for the VIN---the engine, etc, could be different. Slapping a VIN plate from a '70 onto a '90 car and then bringing it into the US would be totally illegal and you'd probably get caught and the car would be destroyed. That's fraud.

But I've seen plenty of those Citroen 2CVs imported, which are actually old frames and old VIN plates with newer bodies and engines bolted to them. This seems perfectly legal.

ghulet

Congratulations, Lemko!!!

british_rover

I don't actually know which way they do it on the minis. I mean a 1970s mini frame and a 1990s mini frame are pretty much the same right?

Back in 2005 to the beginning of 2007 when things were really hopping here and I had a lot of cash coming in I toyed with buying a vintage mini to match my 2004 MCS.

Same red with a black top just a twin to have as a fun car. I struck up email convos with a couple of guys who imported minis from mainland europe. They never said directly but it was implied that yes there was 25 year old or older donor mini and that car just became the newer one. Didn't seem like they were swapping frames to me but they were never very specific about that.

I ended up buying a house instead of the classic mini.

gsemike

66 Mustang

Beetle convertible

Classic Sharp Car This guy looks like a real junk dealer

Same guy This one has an extra 0 in the price, maybe an extra 9

1,500 miles per year

Looks decent but I don't know anything about these cars