It's funny when a car is totalled (this one certainly is, I mean, it's a '75 Nova folded in half) and they state some obvious understatement like 'front end damage'.
Looks like a lotta rip cords are being pulled on eBay these days...not only are those Ferraris scary, but they are all "loser models" that nobody who knows Ferraris even wants...
I've seen this type of situation so often before...people stretching beyond their means and knowledge to own an old Ferrari...you see this with old Rolls and Bentleys from the 70s and 80s, too.
hmmm, now we know why the General Lee was a Charger and not a Nova! :surprise:
Still, I guess if it was the right engine, like a hopped-up 350, the driveline of that Nova should be worth something. And I'm sure it's worth something as a parts car. The '75-79 Nova is pretty popular as a streetrod, and you can put a big block in them, so there is some demand for them. Not as much as the '68-74 style, though.
Its like I said before. Some bozo gets 45,000 for his rebuilt pinto at some highly publicized and or televised auction and now everyone things their "prize' is worth the same. I think the last service I remember my friend's father having done on his 308 was about 8 grand.
While I agree that the one in question is ugly as sin, I also think they are a lot of fun. The 95-97 SE had really deep bucket seats, selecting a 5spd got you 4 wheel disk brakes, and that 170 hp V6. The car was mostly benign but did have some oversteer if provoked, which made it a lot of fun for a FWD car. Bad things were Lucas electronics (light switch, A?C controls), and water pumps, which isn't exactly its fault. Most Japanese cars use a timing belt, so since you are paying $450-500 to take the whole thing apart, you replace the water pump as a matter of course "while you are in there." The Contour/Mystake/Cougar use a timing chain with no scheduled replacement, so the water pumps actually fail for end of life, as opposed to being replaced because they are a PITA to get to. The worst thing is even the 200hp SVT Contour version lacked a limited slip, something that separated the men from the boys and gave Nissan the edge over Honda in the early 90s, and why the SVT Focus was a joke next to the SE-R and Neon SRT-4.
Yeah I almost wanna look at that Saab...but I need something like that like I need a hole in my head. If I want a vintage rally car I can just do it to the fintail.
That GTO is pretty awful, luckily it wasn't an extremely rare car that fool ruined and pissed away money on.
The GTO makes me physically ill. Do that crap to a Civic, not a legendary muscle car. We'll never know what that car could have brought had it been restored or even "resto-modded". This, IMHO, is a pimped GTO. What a waste.
The Saab is very cool and price is market correct---downside includes unobtanium engine parts---if you need a crankshaft you are going to faint when you hear the price. And of course we must always be vigilant about the notorious Saab transmission weakness.
Still I'd love to have it for about 1/2 the price. They make great mosquito foggers in summertime.
Series I Lotus Esprit is not a very desirable car...you shouldn't pay more than around $6,000 for one, which is market corrrect, but you'd be completely nuts to buy one. Car from hell. The Esprit Club is the only car organization I'm aware of that actually has a "Fire Secretary" to record all instances of the cars burning up.
i'll never understand a TV in the trunk, regardless of what car. i mean, really, what is the SOP for that? carry a couple of folding chairs, park somewhere, and play? why? my living room couch is much more comfortable, the TV is bigger, and it doesn't cost me gas money to play games there.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
a lot of those cars go to shows and meets and stuff, where the kids love to gather 'round and gawk. Heck, I've even seen a bit of it at the Mopar show at Carlisle. I had to laugh one year when they had a mid-80's Gran Fury copcar with a Playstation in it! :surprise: This one was in the back seat though...there was no room in the trunk because of the mammoth subwoofers.
well, there again is something i just don't "get." (referring to gawking at such showcars)
to me, if its not at least somewhat functional and practical in the real world, it just silly to have it on a car (not to mention rude and annoying when we're talking about stereo systems that are designed to only project outside of the car). But, obviously, with the popularity of this junk, my view isn't exactly the norm.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
The 2+2 is the least desirable E-type, but its the one I like best, personally. Good for me, I guess, since, if i ever got the chance to buy one, I'd at least get a cheaper one.
The interior on the T-bird doesn't look half bad, but I hate dealing with rust, and it has alot of that.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
but how hard can it be to know which engine it has under the hood?! Not only is there a sticker on the radiator bracket, but those Caddies had a badge on the trunk that would say either "5.0 Liter" or "5.7 Liter". It's on the right side of the trunklid, underneath where the cursive "Cadillac" writing is, but it's too small to be legible in the pic.
Acura is repairable but with 168k is it worth the effort?
Sure it's repairable, but who would bother? There are plenty of unwrecked 8-year-old automatic TLs out there. Unless some guy who owns a body shop and wants a "new" car gets it for free, this one's going to the boneyard.
I agree. A shame, considering the repairability of it and the condition of the rest of the car, but collisions happen and you can't save every pile of metal out there. Great for parts, though.
As for the old Chevy pickup, I'd buy that in a heartbeat at the "buy it now" price. That's a darn good truck there and with $1500 in parts and a couple weeks time, I'd have it on the road. If I wanted to deck it out, I'd probably get in too deep on it, but I could make a great workhorse out of it and have a lot of fun in the process!
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
might be worse than you think. FWIW, when my uncle hit a deer with his '03 Corolla, it didn't look as bad as that Acura, and his bill came out to around $4800! And in my uncle's case, it didn't deploy the airbags!
That's also the old, unpopular style of TL, basically just an old Vigor. The 3.2 might hold a bit of interest compared to the more mundane 5-cyl models, but still they weren't popular when new, and most likely will be hard to find parts for.
Who was the author of "Truck," the book you suggested back when..... October? I cannot find the particular post in which you mentioned it and the search does not reach back more than about 5 weeks...... Thanks....
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
I decided to give it one last shot. Plugged in "truck rebuild dodge" on B&N and it was the first one that popped up. John Jerome was the author. Need.... more.... patience.....
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
That is too good I wish we could read some of the emails. Maybe someone should send him a link to this site and he could post some of the cleaner ones or at least edit out all of the obcenties.
I've always loved the '80-91 Fleetwoods, tanks that they are. Never saw anything remotely interesting or graceful about the hippos that followed. If you think about it as just a big, guzzly fifteen year-old car, then $1900 isn't so great; if you think about it as something 'special', which it arguably was, and you use it as a second car, it seems cheap, given its relatively good condition.
"heater motor whines like a jet propelled frieght train on crack."
That's the best description I've read on any link posted here thus far! Hahaha - his post is seething with sarcasm and loathing. I wonder if that means he dumped way too much money into it just to have one thing after another break down..... Good stuff. :P
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Car seems fully priced at the bid. You can find a decent though not perfect one (nice, attractive, authentic daily driver) for about $25,000. This car needs paint, is not matching #s, needs rust repair, and I'm sure all the trim and chrome sucks----so right now it's about as much as you want to spend at $12K obviously.
A show car can bring $40K or more, but again, this isn't a matching #s, so you can take $5K at least off value.
Four speed is good.
If I were bidding, I'd want all the engine, date code, and casting #s off the engine---if it was from a much later car, like a 1970, I'd penalize the value even more. If it were a real and contemporary (same year) 396/375HP, I might not penalize the value very much at all.
Paint is wrong color, interior looks like wrong seats and wheel....phew...this baby needs a LOT of work.
The more I look, the more I think about $8,500 would have been plenty.
But then, finding real ones is harder and harder.
But when (not if) the muscle car market goes soft, the non-matching cars will be hit the second worst, after the clones.
$2900 for a Fairmont? Looks nice and all for what it is, I don't care if it DOES have 58k miles (what does that mean on a 23 year-old car, anyway?), for that price, it should have a Piaget in the glove box.
This, on the other hand, is just a screaming bargain :
I don't care if it DOES have 58k miles (what does that mean on a 23 year-old car, anyway?)
It means Grandma drove it to the grocery store on Mondays, the Women's Club on Wednesdays, the doctor on Fridays, church on Sundays, and that's about it.
I actually have a respect (I guess that's the word for it) for those cars. When they first came on the scene in 1978 they were actually pretty forward-thinking, with rack-and-pinion steering, excellent space efficiency, light weight, and excellent fuel economy. If you compare a Fairmont to a '78 Volare or, worse, a '78 Nova, there's really a world of difference.
By 1983 they were getting pretty outmoded compared to newer FWD models from GM and Chrysler, but you could still do far worse in a car choice. Still, I guess $2900 is awfully high for something like this, no matter what condition it's in. But then, who knows? Maybe there's someone out there who puts the '83 Fairmont on a pedestal the same way I do it with the '76 LeMans! :P Oh well, if nothing else it does look like it's in nice shape, and at least has a clean, handsome look about it.
Comments
Even better - a flooded Ferrari.
This makes for a trifecta of "affordable" Ferraris that will bankrupt you.
This Lotus seems like a good deal in comparison.
Another reason to buy cars where you know the history ...
Another one for the 'are they kidding?' file:
http://chicago.craigslist.org/car/119449885.html
It's funny when a car is totalled (this one certainly is, I mean, it's a '75 Nova folded in half) and they state some obvious understatement like 'front end damage'.
I've seen this type of situation so often before...people stretching beyond their means and knowledge to own an old Ferrari...you see this with old Rolls and Bentleys from the 70s and 80s, too.
Always ends in a bloodbath, too.
Still, I guess if it was the right engine, like a hopped-up 350, the driveline of that Nova should be worth something. And I'm sure it's worth something as a parts car. The '75-79 Nova is pretty popular as a streetrod, and you can put a big block in them, so there is some demand for them. Not as much as the '68-74 style, though.
1. The bidder is really totally, completely, profoundly stupid
2. The bid is a shill
You can buy beautiful, well maintained 308s with very low miles for $35,000 all day long. I could deliver flatbeds full of them to you at this price.
I think the last service I remember my friend's father having done on his 308 was about 8 grand.
Bad things were Lucas electronics (light switch, A?C controls), and water pumps, which isn't exactly its fault. Most Japanese cars use a timing belt, so since you are paying $450-500 to take the whole thing apart, you replace the water pump as a matter of course "while you are in there." The Contour/Mystake/Cougar use a timing chain with no scheduled replacement, so the water pumps actually fail for end of life, as opposed to being replaced because they are a PITA to get to.
The worst thing is even the 200hp SVT Contour version lacked a limited slip, something that separated the men from the boys and gave Nissan the edge over Honda in the early 90s, and why the SVT Focus was a joke next to the SE-R and Neon SRT-4.
GTO - he adds that someone hurt his feelings, so he will never use eBay again.
That GTO is pretty awful, luckily it wasn't an extremely rare car that fool ruined and pissed away money on.
james
Still I'd love to have it for about 1/2 the price. They make great mosquito foggers in summertime.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
to me, if its not at least somewhat functional and practical in the real world, it just silly to have it on a car (not to mention rude and annoying when we're talking about stereo systems that are designed to only project outside of the car). But, obviously, with the popularity of this junk, my view isn't exactly the norm.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Better to suffer in silence or be amused.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I have no idea how much this Jag is worth but these are great cars
Acura is repairable but with 168k is it worth the effort?
This Buick could be worth a tranny
Pimping aint easy
Saab needs engine work
Could be a hot rod truck?
$400 for a lot of rusty VW parts
Can't imagine how he spun a bearing
This T-Bird intrigues me
The interior on the T-bird doesn't look half bad, but I hate dealing with rust, and it has alot of that.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Does it hold air? Probably not, but it has lots of tread.
Sure it's repairable, but who would bother? There are plenty of unwrecked 8-year-old automatic TLs out there. Unless some guy who owns a body shop and wants a "new" car gets it for free, this one's going to the boneyard.
As for the old Chevy pickup, I'd buy that in a heartbeat at the "buy it now" price. That's a darn good truck there and with $1500 in parts and a couple weeks time, I'd have it on the road. If I wanted to deck it out, I'd probably get in too deep on it, but I could make a great workhorse out of it and have a lot of fun in the process!
That's also the old, unpopular style of TL, basically just an old Vigor. The 3.2 might hold a bit of interest compared to the more mundane 5-cyl models, but still they weren't popular when new, and most likely will be hard to find parts for.
Who was the author of "Truck," the book you suggested back when..... October? I cannot find the particular post in which you mentioned it and the search does not reach back more than about 5 weeks...... Thanks....
I decided to give it one last shot. Plugged in "truck rebuild dodge" on B&N and it was the first one that popped up. John Jerome was the author. Need.... more.... patience.....
That's the best description I've read on any link posted here thus far! Hahaha - his post is seething with sarcasm and loathing. I wonder if that means he dumped way too much money into it just to have one thing after another break down..... Good stuff. :P
1966 Chevelle
A show car can bring $40K or more, but again, this isn't a matching #s, so you can take $5K at least off value.
Four speed is good.
If I were bidding, I'd want all the engine, date code, and casting #s off the engine---if it was from a much later car, like a 1970, I'd penalize the value even more. If it were a real and contemporary (same year) 396/375HP, I might not penalize the value very much at all.
Paint is wrong color, interior looks like wrong seats and wheel....phew...this baby needs a LOT of work.
The more I look, the more I think about $8,500 would have been plenty.
But then, finding real ones is harder and harder.
But when (not if) the muscle car market goes soft, the non-matching cars will be hit the second worst, after the clones.
Pumped up rusty SHO.
Decent Merkur survivor - if you like that sort of thing.
Classic car - Ford Futura.
This, on the other hand, is just a screaming bargain
http://chicago.craigslist.org/car/120858846.html
$600 for an old French car in need of a head gasket, where do I sign up?
link title
It means Grandma drove it to the grocery store on Mondays, the Women's Club on Wednesdays, the doctor on Fridays, church on Sundays, and that's about it.
By 1983 they were getting pretty outmoded compared to newer FWD models from GM and Chrysler, but you could still do far worse in a car choice. Still, I guess $2900 is awfully high for something like this, no matter what condition it's in. But then, who knows? Maybe there's someone out there who puts the '83 Fairmont on a pedestal the same way I do it with the '76 LeMans! :P Oh well, if nothing else it does look like it's in nice shape, and at least has a clean, handsome look about it.