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

stickguy

well, I would take it for free, just so I could park it in the garage and go out to sit in it and make Vroom Vroom noises. Starting it might be asking for trouble, although for free, can't lose as long as you junk it at the first repair.

Mr_Shiftright

I'd like to know whose paws have been inside that engine and what all they did in there during their visit.

bumpy

For that price, we can do better than a pair of front 3/4 exterior shots.

an actual project, and the best kind: finished

jrosasmc

This '75 BMW:

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ctd/2120332244.html

Do you think it's a feasible project? I can't even remember the last time I saw one of these, let alone in running condition. Those "thermal reactor" things scare me.

Mr_Shiftright

75 BMW: Seems okay for the money. Buy it, drive it just like it is, and when something big breaks, just unscrew the license plates and call Ace Auto Wrecking. What you don't want to do is put thousands of dollars into it and expose yourself to abuse on Craigslist when you list it for $10,000.

Mr_Shiftright

Mercedes Diesel Wagon --- price is tinfoil-hat-nuts. Is 175K suddenly the new "low mileage" in Internet-Speak? An unspoken rule with these cars seems to be never to blaspheme--to utter the words that cylinder heads like to crack on these cars and that they eat oil as they age is subject to severe penalties from the Church of Diesel. So anyway----- If it's really nice, $5K is more than fair for it IMO. I wouldn't mind having one, but not at that price. I saw a very decent, though not cherry one, just sell for $3500, with fewer miles. All it really needed was a professional buffing, one seat repaired, a few trim pieces. Ran very well.

Toyota Hot Rod Pickup----nice truck, nice job, fair price. I hope the brakes are good!

texases

IIRC, the 530i had thermal reactors that were problematic. The 528i that came right after was much better, once termed the 'best buy used BMW' by a BMW nut in C&D. Friend's dad had a new one, I loved driving it. Thought about buying a used 528i, but the one I found was a total mess.

gsemike

More cheese please It's not a GTO but with some de-cheesing it could be OK

Primered but original

and one more

ummmmm no

Mr_Shiftright

nasty ad on that 69 GTO shell. Basically he is outright saying "buy the title, put it on a tempest, and defraud someone".

gsemike

Is he saying that or is he saying that it is a Tempest? Either way, not worth nuttin

Mr_Shiftright

Oh well yeah, maybe he's saying it's a GTO clone? At any rate, a quick read of the VIN # will settle this question.

Not sure what makes him think this hulk is worth $50, much less $650. Maybe he's selling the title. I can't imagine anyone building this car up again.

gsemike

This guy's prices are a little all over the place, but he has a number of cars that look good.

Harwell

Thanks everyone for getting me through a few occasional quieter days at work this year. Everyone be safe tomorrow

Mr_Shiftright

His prices seems pretty reasonable actually---but who knows what the cars *really* are like.

I'd love to have that 49 Chevy Pickup Rat Rod but not for that kind of money. There's "rat" and then there's RAT.

That Studebaker coupe would make a nice rod, or pro tourer w/ Chevy crate motor and TH with overdrive.

The 39 Ford doesn't look too bad for the money.

The Challenger needs an engine upgrade and plenty of TLC to be anything.

andre1969

Is $15,900 reasonable for that '70 Challenger? For some reason, I kinda like the car as it sits, although not necessarily at that price. Main thing I don't like about it is those door panels, which look like they were re-dyed poorly, or spray-painted or something.

And, I wonder what that 318-4bbl came out of? Wonder if someone just took a 318-2bbl and built it up, or if they used one of the later Lean Burn models from mid/late 70's, and just ditched the Lean Burn computer?

I really didn't like the '70-74 Challenger/Barracuda when I was younger, because they just seemed like a delayed reaction to the '67-69 Camaro, but I find I like 'em more as I grow older. One thing I like about them is that they were derived from an intermediate platform rather than a compact like your typical "pony car", so they were bigger, roomier, and more rugged (if not more reliable)

gsemike

Given the current state of mopar mania in these parts, the price doesn't seem bad for the Challenger. Someone on Craigs wants 30k for a 318 2 barrel 70 Charger.

Either way I am all about the van

stickguy

lets see, solid shaft steering column, metal dashboard, your legs are the crumple zone, and no seatbelts. Sounds safe to me!

Mr_Shiftright

That Challenger looks to be an awful mess. You know, without the big block engines, these are really minor collectibles at best.

omarman

Here's a better challenger for Andre. Well, it's actually a Chevelle SS 396 and located near Baltimore. The paint/interior/engine all look good and it's optioned with 4-speed, A/C and gauge pkg.

Seller calls it dark green which is what GM called Fathom Green. Seller is even offering for sale at "half" price! Which means it's not badly over-priced now. Yay!

It may not be Mopar muscle Andre but it's a better "bargain" than the $15k Challenger. Wouldn't that green Chevelle make a great stablemate to the LeMans convertible? :shades:

andre1969

Oh wow, that place is like a quarter mile up the road from where my buddy bought his 2006 Xterra! I never even knew about it.

That is a nice Chevelle. I'm not that good with a stick shift, but for a car like that, I'd learn!

My stepdad's first car was a 1969 Chevelle SS with a 396. Not sure of the transmission, though. Probably the only cool car he ever had. His second car, which he had when Mom met him, was a 1981 or 82 Escort. :sick:

stickguy

that car, I like. If I was going to spend the money on a muscle car, it would be like this one. Not that I am going to spend it!

Actually, I would probably spend 1/2 as much and get a less popular version, like a Buick GS or an olds cutlass.

who I am kidding. I would get some oddball like an AMC.

qbrozen

For 8900 bucks, I'm loving that AMC he has.

stickguy

I would be right there with you if it was a 4 speed.

makes me nostalgic for my younger days (when I went through cheap cars quickly!) and I had 2 different AMCs. a gremlin X ('74 I think, had big bumper at least in front) and a Hornet hatch (same vintage). So this looks real familiar! Door handles, steering wheel, been there done that.

lemmer

I sold the 944 yesterday for $2500. I am not convinced I wanted to sell it but a guy was waving $100 bills in my face and my wife wanted to free up some space.

The summary - I drove it for four years and less than 10K miles. I originally paid $2500 for it. I spent $120 on repairs and probably another $100 on DIY oil changes and an air filter. Oh, and I spent $65 on seat covers. A window regulator broke and I didn’t fix it. Both side mirrors had the glass fall out and I simple put in self stick walmart mirrors for $1.50 each. I found out the heater valve was leaking Saturday night. I simply bypassed it (and disclosed this, of course). The cheapie respray was starting to show its age. The new owner said he suspected the paint was lightly spider webbing because of all the bondo underneath. It was leaking a little bit of oil from a couple of spots. The air conditioner and the interior fan were non-functional. Interior pieces seemed to be falling off at a regular rate. Pretty much the entire interior looked good but was starting to show its age. The shifter was starting to feel really loose. It probably needed some front shocks…and probably some other stuff once you start taking it apart.

I disclosed all the issues from the outset. The guy who bought it was a mechanic who already has two 944 parts cars, but no current runners. He bought it for his 18 year old son (who looked to be in heaven). After listing all this out, I feel pretty good about it. I probably set a record for the lowest cost of ownership ever for a 944.

texases

Sounds like you hit a home run (and avoided many $$$ repairs). THAT's the way to own an older car, if you want to 'get it out of your system'.

srs_49

Sounds like the story of my '87 325E :P . Except in my case, I probably couldn't give it away as it would need ~$2K worth of work just to get it to pass inspection.

lemmer

Yeah, well my "home run" was dumb luck really. Over the weekend, when antifreeze was leaking from the heater valve, my first thought was that the water pump was bad and my $2500 car just became a $500 car. It is hard to enjoy a car when you know certain maintenance items can approach the value of the car.

Mr_Shiftright

Actually if you brought the car in to have all the repairs done that you listed, the repair bill would have been about 2X the value of the car.

texases

I guess instead of 'hit a home run' I should have said 'dodged a bullet'.

"It is hard to enjoy a car when you know certain maintenance items can approach the value of the car. "

Well, at $2500 you're talking depreciation on just about anything newer than 2000, so once you got a year out of it I'd consider you were money ahead, and could just sell it for parts from that point on.

Mr_Shiftright

repair costs on a 944 can be staggering once the car 'gets away from you'. It's no less expensive to repair than a brand-new porsche in many respects.

lemmer

You have to be the kind of person who decides they are fine with a broken a/c or a window that doesn't go down or dents or paint damage. Fixing this stuff on a old unloved car might get you 20 cents on a dollar in resale value.

I've decided I am just not that kind of person. My experience with used European cars is that the electrical stuff that does work is always iffy. I don't like jiggling a switch to get the wipers to come on or beating on the dashboard to get the dash lights to all come on.

I don't know what is next. My wife really wants a Mercedes CLK or BMW 3 convertible from the early 2000s. I guess of the two, the BMW would be slightly less of a money pit. Frankly, I wish she would just drive our Miata and be happy.

Mr_Shiftright

Now you know why you don't see German electronics at Best Buy. :P

xwesx

Well, at $2500 you're talking depreciation on just about anything newer than 2000, so once you got a year out of it I'd consider you were money ahead, and could just sell it for parts from that point on.

That is for certain!

If you buy a car at that price point, get a year out of it, and then put about $1500 or so a year into it to keep it around, you're still going to come out way ahead of any other option.

That is basically the one thing that keeps my Escort in my driveway. I see all sorts of things that I would rather be driving, but my pocketbook is very happy with the Escort. :P

texases

Re: German electronics - how the mighty have fallen (made in China, I'd guess):

lemmer

Well, they sucked in my '77 VW Scirocco and they still suck now. When would the fall have been?

texases

True...but now they're a cheap line sold at Wal-Mart, rather than attempting to compete with mainline companies, like Blaupunkt was when I bought one for my '79 Scirocco. No great shake, I agree.

But Dual used to be a big name in turntables, I still have one up in the attic somewhere...imagine it's been baked into uselessness by now...

lemmer

has dropped by $2K now. Are we getting to a reasonable price yet? Are these things money pits?

lemmer

Does it make me crazy to reply to myself?

Of course it is a money pit. It is a 12 year old high mileage Mercedes with no service records. What kind of idiot jumps out of the fire with an old Porsche and into the frying pan with an old Mercedes?

qbrozen

why wouldn't you just find a lower mileage example?

qbrozen

here you go, lemmer

Looks pretty good, although lacking closeups of dash and driver's seat.

lemmer

I sold a '98 a couple of years ago. Those are starting to look pretty dated, particularly inside. You think it would be decently reliable? My last one was average at best in the reliability department.

qbrozen

Ah. Didn't realize you had one already.

I don't know. Only 62k miles should mean it has pretty good life left. I only ever owned the E30, so I'm no expert in the later years. As Shifty will no doubt point out, you have to replace the cooling system, but that's the cost of doing business.

But that car is a pretty good measuring stick, I think. I certainly wouldn't pay more for a Benz of similar vintage and mileage.

Mr_Shiftright

Nice car but quite overpriced IMO. I mean, you need to pay a bit extra for low miles but I'm not sure it's worth THAT much more. I'm thinkin' $5K for this car is all the money. Figure another $1K to get the cooling system squared away.

fintail

Price is still high for a real world transaction, even with the markdown. Before buying anything like that, I would take it to a dealer or regarded specialist and have it gone over with a fine tooth comb. It looks decent, but no history and high miles are scary.

Mr_Shiftright

The BMW would be a lot more fun to drive, too.

fintail

CLK is pretty much just a boulevard cruiser, especially in absolute base form like the one in that ad.

Mr_Shiftright

yep, dullsville.

qbrozen

$5500-$6k is trade-in value here in the northeast, so if its real nice and all maintenance squared away, I'd be willing to go to $8k on it. I don't know what that Alabammy market dictates. $5k is definitely too low. Don't forget, I got $3200 for a dented up '87 with 120-something thousand miles on it.

Mr_Shiftright

Gee in California $5K is generous. I would think at dealer auction this is a $3500 car. I could I think pick up a very clean 1998--99 for that kind of money out here, on the private party market.

Even from a dealer, I bet I could chew this guy down to $8K---and it's a '98 with similar miles and lots of options.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/2141893166.html

You shouldn't have to pay that much for a '96. Doesn't seem right.

lemmer

Yeah, but you know people.

Over lunch I was computing in my head how much my '98 convertible cost me over the 15 months and 9K miles I had it. The depreciation hit was very small ($900), but maintenance and repairs were not ($2700). For a total of $3600 for a bit over a year's use, it was pretty pricey.

I am currently looking at CLKs (boring and unreliable), Volvo C70s (same), 2000 and newer BMWs (fun to drive, but cramped and not particularly reliable). Anybody got some better ideas about a 4-seater convertible? I'd love a MINI but those are costly on the used market.

fintail

Sebring? Mustang? Bentley Azure? :shades: