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

tjc78

They come off pretty easy. I removed my dealer emblem on my car in five minutes with a fingernail and Goo Gone.

oregonboy

True, much better than drilling and riveting. Still, very tacky. :lemon:

fintail

If I was going to buy from a lot like that, I would demand they remove the sticker without a trace, in order for me to buy the car.

oregonboy

If you really wanted the car, you might be better off taking care of it yourself. They could assign the job to a lot-boy with a putty knife. :sick:

fintail

Yep, that's why I said "without a trace". But you're right, if you want it done properly, do it yourself.

Luckily these idiotic dealer ad stickers and badges seem to be more of a midwest and east coast disease than something around here, I rarely see that kind of crap.

On the project car front, got under the fintail today to see why the parking brake doesn't work...the part where the cable hooks in near the front of the car seems messed up. Probably going to be a junkyard part. And I put a nice cut on my thumb looking at it, the fun of an old car. It's running sweetly anyway.

qbrozen

The stickers are rampant around here, so I wouldn't judge a lot based on that ... otherwise 66% would be ruled out!

Seems to me the used lots slap on stickers while the new car dealers put on those lousy license plate surrounds.

My GTI (bought in PA) came with an actual extra emblem stuck to it. It has a british flag on it, though, so I've left it on so far.

Anyhoo... I really think I've narrowed it down to either that Stang OR this. Both RWD V8s with sticks. The bimmer seems to make more sense in that it fulfills more than one want (its a luxo cruiser AND a potential track stormer). But... I don't know why ... that mustang keeps calling to me. I've never been a big mustang fan, either. At least not until the '05s. But that one is really good looking.

fintail

Last time I bought from a dealer, I actually removed the plate frames before I drove away (as I had my own set). I said they could have them back, and the sales guy didn't want them either.

14 year old German with 100K on it is risky, but if it has been maintained there are worse ways to spend money. Manual isn't seen every day.

bumpy

Seems like no automotive project of mine is complete unless I've drawn blood.

gsemike

I've got a trig midterm tomorrow and I'm being chased by Guido the killer pimp

andre1969

yesterday I opened one of the back doors on my '79 New Yorker, and when I closed it, suddenly a pissed-off yellow jacket wasp emerged from the gap between the doors! This morning I went down there and opened the door again, and found a good-sized nest under construction! I guess that's a sign that I need to drive the thing more often!

Mr_Shiftright

You own the wrong Mopar!

andre1969

I wouldn't mind that type of "bee" trying to find its way into my garage, but unfortunately all I'm getting is bumblebees, woodborers, and paper wasps! :mad:

Oh, and on the subject of Mopars and animal connections, I had to cover the rear view mirrors on that NY'er with plastic bags, because the birds kept sitting on the window sills and attacking their reflection, the whole time crapping down the side of the door.

And no, they weren't Roadrunners or Superbirds! :P

hpmctorque

There was a Hudson Wasp, back in the day.

explorerx4

my '02 explorer has about 117k on it and has never had an engine tune up.
Look for some milk on the underside of the oil filler cap.
if there, you could maybe use it to negotiate a lower price.
Clean it up and it goes away if you take it out for a good ride.

qbrozen

For those who don't follow the CBA board, the deed is done. Bought a 2000 540i 6-speed sport pack. 143k miles, but super clean.

hpmctorque

Congratulations on your purchase! Keep us informed regarding cost of ownership, and whether it meets your driving expectartions.

fintail

W126 with a little provenance...price is steep and that weight can't be fun, but I wouldn't kick it out of my garage.

Mr_Shiftright

I don't think the price is justified because he owned the car after he left office. I mean, there's a difference. It's like say Eisenhower's presidential limo vs. the station wagon he owned 10 years after he left office.

fintail

Yeah, it's not like he attended any summits in it, it's way overpriced. Cool car though, would be better if it wasn't armored. End of the line Euro 560SEL with 4 place seating, very cool for a MB person.

Mr_Shiftright

Okay let's be generous and say it is flawless, and also is worth DOUBLE the normal price due to the "history" (such as it is)---that puts us at around $15,000 to $20,000 tops. Besides, it's not like Gorby was Hitler or anything...I doubt many Americans walking into a museum would even know who he was--which was too bad, because I think he was a remarkable person. I guess you don't get to preside over the USSR for being a "nice" guy, but he was a pragmatist, that's for sure.

tjc78

For over 100K you think the seller would have spent $7.00 for some Spray Nine and cleaned the engine.

fintail

I think the armor would add something too - armored old MB without any special ownership still bring a little money Like this one, but still nowhere near that 560SEL price.

I don't really care much for the Gorby connection, I think the car is cool. It'd be a hit at any MBCA show anyway.

andre1969

A '76 Grand LeMans with a lien on the title!

Supposedly low miles, but can't tell much from the pics. Looks like the hood and trunk are pretty sun-faded, and I know from experience, that metallic paint won't just buff back out! Just a 350-2bbl engine, and who knows what the interior looks like or what options is has. So what'd this one be worth...maybe $1000-1500?

omarman

Sad story yes. Poor 35 y/o Pontiac with a lien, sitting in a West Paducah trailer park and seller wants $3k? Not much loan value on that, so is this a mechanic's lien for unpaid repairs or storage fees? I guess each state has their own rules for the purchase of a vehicle with a lien. Seller decided that he "can not afford to pay to get it back to it's original form..." Also claims the car was given to him by his grandfather! If it's one of those cars which is too expensive to fix even when it's free, then what can it really be worth? I would pass. Even without a lien on the title.

andre1969

yeah, I've learned my lesson with those types of cars...try to find the best example that you can if you really want one, because otherwise you're gonna be upside down on it in a major way. Unless you just pick up a cheap beater, drive it till it drops, and then discard. I do have a soft spot for these things, but since I already have one, I really don't need more!

FWIW, I paid $3,000 for my '76 Grand LeMans coupe back in 2005. And I've had to put a few thousand into it. It's been repainted, and not its original color, but it's a good 15-20 footer. Needs the base cushion of the driver's seat re-upholstered, but I imagine that once I got into it, might as well do the whole thing. A/c doesn't work. Radio goes out from time to time. I'm sure a good paint job would be a good $5,000 or more, and God-only-knows how much to get the a/c working.

So, it would never make sense to restore the thing, at least to turn around and flip it. But, I'm pretty happy with it the way it is...a nice old driver that's not too embarrassing to take to the shows.

explorerx4

Who does that guy think he is Carrol Shelby? signing the car like that.
It would be better if the plate was C C C P 1.

gsemike

Were rallys like these ever factory equipment on these cars?

I say no but I was two when this was new

Mr_Shiftright

The car sounds like a big SNORE-bachev to me. :shades:

hpmctorque

Gorby may have been a pragmatist, but his MB sure isn't. That begs the question of why the former Soviet leader, who was supposed to represent an egalitarian form of government, didn't drive a Pobeda or a Lada? Okay, given his position, let's grant him the security of an armored Russian mass market car. The Pobeda would have had to be used, since it went out of production in '58, but there surely must have been a nicely maintained, low mileage pre-owned one somewhere in the Soviet empire.

fintail

The difficulty there was no mass market Russian/Soviet car capable of carrying around any armor. The largest normal car was a GAZ Volga, and even this carrying any armor would be difficult. Cars like a Lada or a ZAZ or even a Moskvich would be impossible...a Pobeda with armor would probably be capable of 10mph - and a GAZ Chaika or a ZIL-ZIS were hardly egalitarian. But the Soviets then (and now) were hardly egalitarian anyway, the elite had their western cars long before Gorby came around, I've seen photos from mid 80s Moscow of MB W123 parked at the shops where the politically well connected would get their ill gotten goods.

Mr_Shiftright

Well this often comes up in political discussions and the general answer is that the leader of a world power cannot appear in a Chevy Malibu. Political humility works to a certain degree in democratic populist or in communist mythology, but deep down most people want to see their country's image as one of prosperity and strength I think. As for armor plating, that sort of says "I am important enough to be protected". You don't see, for instance, the superintendent of Mosquito Abatement for Contra Costa county, in an armored vehicle....well, in some parts of California, you might actually :P

wevk

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others"

lemko

...being driven by none other than G W Bush!

lemko

Stalin had his own Pseudo-Packard car named after him - this is his personal 1946 ZIS. The "S" stands for "Stalin."

fintail

I think thats a late 50s Moskvich...styling derived from a 53 Ford.

Mr_Shiftright

And now for his REAL car (cost? $653,000 USD)


Actually that's not even his REAL car. This is his "national pride" car, a ZIL made in the USSR bolting together some ancient parts.

His real car is, of course, a stretched Mercedes armored limo.

lemko

Looks like a Mercedes 600 Pullman crossed with a 1982 Ford Granada:

fintail

Those cars even had copycat MB steering wheels and upholstery patterns.

I see some mid 70s Mopar in that style too.

lemko

Putin's Mercedes:



It's shocking that a Russian leader would be chaufferred around in a German car after what happened in "The Great Patriotic War!"

Mr_Shiftright

I think Russia pretty much made its point about who was the 600 lb gorilla.

lemko

Here's a 1960s ZIL 114:

fintail

It's a W140, the most favorite MB ever in Russia. Germans joke that there are none of those cars left in Germany - all have gone east. There are more old W126 still on the road there than the much newer W140. Russians love German cars.

Mr_Shiftright

I know that Mao had a Mercedes 600.

lemko

The W140 is also very popular with Russian mobsters in NE Philly. You will see more W140s in certain neighborhoods in NE Philly than any other part of the city.

lemko

Kim Jong Il seems to have a soft spot for W140s too!

fintail

I bunch of dictators had those - the postwar embodiment of the old 770 series Hitlermobiles. They attracted some similar customers.

fintail

Yeah, some of the new resident eastern European "entrepreneur"
element here liked those too, although the 7 series or SUV equivalent is much more their style these days. 140s have a few achilles heels - most notable biodegradable wiring (literally), so good ones are getting rare already.

lemko

I'd just have to update the grille and some trim for it to resemble a 1989 model! :P

jwilliams2

And don't forget the 600's, always one of my favorites....took these in Germany, first one used by Pope Paul VI...



And one used by the German Government to transport visiting dignitaries including JFK when he made his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech....



Used by many famous people, be they dignitary or despot......

hpmctorque

Yeah, I thought of these issues after I posted my message. And, you're right, the Volga would have been a less inadequate candidate for armor than the Pobeda. What junkers, all!