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

stever

Hard to beat the desert if you're on the prowl for low-rust old cars, especially if you can find one that lived under a carport.

gsemike

tjc78 said:

Taxes?? That house in NJ would be 12-15K in taxes. At $6300 It's only $300 more than my very modest ranch house on a postage stamp lot!

Same here on Long Island, but this isn't a real estate chat

Mr_Shiftright

gsemike said:

tjc78 said:

Taxes?? That house in NJ would be 12-15K in taxes. At $6300 It's only $300 more than my very modest ranch house on a postage stamp lot!

Same here on Long Island, but this isn't a real estate chat

True...I was workin' the "mobility angle"----white line fever and all that, but somehow we slipped into Zillow.

xwesx

ab348 said:

Up here the city charges a fee (many call it a ditch tax) for storm sewer maintenance and construction. They assess each property for the amount of impervious area (roof, driveway, walkway, etc) and use that to determine the amount of runoff and hence your bill. Cockamamie bureaucracy run amok. I don't know how they would assess a yard full of rock. I suppose someone would have to measure the area of large impervious rocks versus pea gravel or other porous types of rock coverage.

Yeah, it rains a bit here.

You could install a bioswale; I think the bureaucrats would have to take that into consideration when coming up with your taxation. Not only are they both creative and effective, but they also add a splash of beauty to dreary (utilitarian) infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, etc).

explorerx4

I guess that window shade was cheaper than 'Buy a Model X and get to Stetsons thown in'.

isellhondas

fintail said:

BYOB and maybe BYOJ (as in job?). That seems to be a big issue for a lot of cheaper areas, at least in terms of private sector work. I'd have no problem not having a lawn - desert style lawns are fine. I never got the attraction of having a pool either - a literal money pit.

Had the old project car out on the road, drove 40 miles exactly. No issues, started right up and ran like a top, as usual turned a few heads, and even got a thumbs up from a guy in a Mazda 3. It did have a quirk - soon after I started off, I could hear a noise coming from the driver's side rear wheel area, where the brake issue was several weeks ago. I think something was sticking again, probably the parking brake as I had just released it. Something to add to the list when it goes in for its yearly service next month. On top of that, I think the shocks are getting old - I pulled them off a parts car 15 years ago, and they seem to be a little clunky now.

Hey Fintail....

Fenders on Front St in Issaquah on Sunday! An event not to be missed!

ab348

xwesx said:

You could install a bioswale; I think the bureaucrats would have to take that into consideration when coming up with your taxation. Not only are they both creative and effective, but they also add a splash of beauty to dreary (utilitarian) infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, etc).

They seem not to care about the quality of the liquid entering their storm sewer, only the volume. So I don't think that would help much. Nice idea though, I like that.

explorerx4

Hmm.., This or the Biturbo I posted last week?
hartford.craigslist.org/cto/5611054534.html

ab348

Man, that is an expensive project to use as a wedding car.

xwesx

explorerx4 said:

Hmm.., This or the Biturbo I posted last week?
hartford.craigslist.org/cto/5611054534.html

This. An hour of buffing, and you would be back on the road - good as new!

explorerx4

A picture of the chauffeur getting out of the car that delivered my wife to our wedding.

I rode in it to the reception. The ride was not smooth.

fintail

A beautiful one might hit 50K on a good day, good luck getting there from here.

fintail

Hey, sounds cool. Not sure what my plans are on Sunday, but if I might make it out there, don't know if I would take the old dear or just go and look. It'd be interesting to know the mix, as my car is kind of out of place among Mustangs, Tri-Chevies, and 71 Chevelles.

isellhondas said:

Hey Fintail....

Fenders on Front St in Issaquah on Sunday! An event not to be missed!

Mr_Shiftright

xwesx said:

explorerx4 said:

Hmm.., This or the Biturbo I posted last week?
hartford.craigslist.org/cto/5611054534.html

This. An hour of buffing, and you would be back on the road - good as new!

You could pay for the entire wedding for what this would cost you.

In terms of looking at it strictly from a financial/budget point of view, this car is worth nothing.

uplanderguy

Back to houses....

Where I live is moderately expensive IMHO (although not compared to NY, CA, or the Pacific NW), but look what $139K gets you in my old hometown, an hour and a half east of here:

https://www.coldwellbanker.com/property/397-S-Main-Street-Greenville-PA-16125-MLS-1202733

I'd like to move back...my wife is against it...have to drive 15 or 20 miles to shop at a Target...that's what it's about I guess.

Population of town is 5,900, but there is seven or eight miles of rural area surrounding the town, and those people consider themselves residents of the town too.

There is a small college in town, established 1866, and a University of Pittsburgh hospital in town. Ten miles from a state park. It's in a valley. Small-town Main St.

This house has almost zero lot, but it looks nice from the street. This is S. Main St., and it's a street of primarily older, larger, pretty well-kept homes.

stickguy

Cute place. But all I can think about with houses that old is what's going on inside those walls! I watch way too much HGTV.

uplanderguy

Good point. But when I see what that amount gets you even where we live now, it's depressing.

stever

Dunno, my houses have ranged from 100 years old to this one, which was built in '01. They all need maintenance and repair. Kind of like cars...

The best built one was the 100 year old one (unlike cars, imo). That said, we redid the plumbing and electrical in that old house.

isellhondas

fintail said:

Hey, sounds cool. Not sure what my plans are on Sunday, but if I might make it out there, don't know if I would take the old dear or just go and look. It'd be interesting to know the mix, as my car is kind of out of place among Mustangs, Tri-Chevies, and 71 Chevelles.

isellhondas said:

Hey Fintail....

Fenders on Front St in Issaquah on Sunday! An event not to be missed!

Bring it! You'll find an interesting mix of everything there!

stickguy

someday I'll bring my sonata to one. See if they let me in.

Mr_Shiftright

Back lot, back row, next to portable toilets. That used to be the polite form of exile at car shows.

berri

Explorer - classy arrival car regardless!

fintail

Nice looking house. I have a feeling most people would need a long commute to get a job to pay the mortgage, though.

Here's what a million dollars buys in my zipcode - thanks dopey laws. speculators, and newbies

Just in case the hosts are irked, there's a somewhat hidden occasionally active housing-themed thread here:

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/comment/5224065#Comment_5224065

uplanderguy said:

Back to houses....

Where I live is moderately expensive IMHO (although not compared to NY, CA, or the Pacific NW), but look what $139K gets you in my old hometown, an hour and a half east of here:

https://www.coldwellbanker.com/property/397-S-Main-Street-Greenville-PA-16125-MLS-1202733

I'd like to move back...my wife is against it...have to drive 15 or 20 miles to shop at a Target...that's what it's about I guess.

Population of town is 5,900, but there is seven or eight miles of rural area surrounding the town, and those people consider themselves residents of the town too.

There is a small college in town, established 1866, and a University of Pittsburgh hospital in town. Ten miles from a state park. It's in a valley. Small-town Main St.

This house has almost zero lot, but it looks nice from the street. This is S. Main St., and it's a street of primarily older, larger, pretty well-kept homes.

fintail

Possibly. Don't know if I want to stick around a whole day for the show, but maybe I will drive it if I finish other obligations. Weather forecast looks good.

isellhondas said:

Bring it! You'll find an interesting mix of everything there!

stevedebi

xwesx said:

explorerx4 said:

Hmm.., This or the Biturbo I posted last week?
hartford.craigslist.org/cto/5611054534.html

This. An hour of buffing, and you would be back on the road - good as new!

Yeah, but you'd have to cut a hole in the floor, to run it like Fred Flintstone (no motor)...

texases

Last night's Fantomworks was a jaw-dropper - '39 Plymouth 'Business Coupe' restoration, final bill (which they even showed on TV): about $140,000.

uplanderguy

Just noodling around the 'net, and came across this. Price seems ridiculous, but an interesting oddball to me. Wish it didn't have dog-dish caps--I had thought the Ventura option got you wheelcovers; it even included skirts in '66--but maybe not.

1970 Pontiac Ventura wagon; 3-speed trans:

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/threads/1970-pontiac-ventura-wagon-3-speed-manual-nj-c-l.41339/

The Ventura option on the Catalina got you the Executive interior and exterior trim on the shorter wheelbase. Of course, the wagons all had the same wheelbase though, and the Executive wagon included woodgrain paneling standard.

I'm pretty sure I have never seen a 1970 Ventura of any bodystyle, and was surprised to see this wagon.

I used to dislike big '70 Pontiacs, but I've grown to like them mostly because I NEVER see them!

No way to know I bet, but I'm sure the combo of Ventura option on a wagon, with 3-speed, is probably single-digit production.

stickguy

interesting. must be incredibly rare to find a FS wagon of any kind with a stick.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, I think the posters in that forum are pretty accurate to price it at $6000 if it's very clean.

fintail

I wish this wasn't so far gone, I kind of like these Price is in Loonies, but still too much by several times over.

stickguy

good luck getting parts for that baby.

stever

This one sounds interesting.

fintail

I saw this posted on another site I frequent:

Doesn't look too loaded, but a good period color, not too pricey

uplanderguy

Man, I sure remember that 1973-only color!

When I saw the interior, I realized that this is a base LeSabre. Seems like I saw a lot more LeSabre Custom models.

This is the only '73 LeSabre or Centurion I've seen with the "455" emblem above the body side molding; but then, normally there is a "Custom" nameplate where the "455" emblem is on this car. I have to believe that the vast majority of base LeSabres were 350's.

berri

I'd guess you're right because thinking back to earlier Buicks I don't believe Invicta's or Wildcats were near the volume in sales of the base model LeSabre's. People seemed to mostly buy a LeSabre or an Electra. Personally though, I liked the Wildcat.

isellhondas

fintail said:

Nice looking house. I have a feeling most people would need a long commute to get a job to pay the mortgage, though.

Here's what a million dollars buys in my zipcode - thanks dopey laws. speculators, and newbies

Just in case the hosts are irked, there's a somewhat hidden occasionally active housing-themed thread here:

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/comment/5224065#Comment_5224065

uplanderguy said:

Back to houses....

Where I live is moderately expensive IMHO (although not compared to NY, CA, or the Pacific NW), but look what $139K gets you in my old hometown, an hour and a half east of here:

https://www.coldwellbanker.com/property/397-S-Main-Street-Greenville-PA-16125-MLS-1202733

I'd like to move back...my wife is against it...have to drive 15 or 20 miles to shop at a Target...that's what it's about I guess.

Population of town is 5,900, but there is seven or eight miles of rural area surrounding the town, and those people consider themselves residents of the town too.

There is a small college in town, established 1866, and a University of Pittsburgh hospital in town. Ten miles from a state park. It's in a valley. Small-town Main St.

This house has almost zero lot, but it looks nice from the street. This is S. Main St., and it's a street of primarily older, larger, pretty well-kept homes.

That kind of money wouldn't buy ANYTHING in the greater Seattle area! Not even a one bedroom dumpy condo in the worst possible neighborhood!

ab348

I have to think you could get that '73 Buick for $4K from reading the ad and that is a decent deal.

sda

uplanderguy said:

Man, I sure remember that 1973-only color!

When I saw the interior, I realized that this is a base LeSabre. Seems like I saw a lot more LeSabre Custom models.

This is the only '73 LeSabre or Centurion I've seen with the "455" emblem above the body side molding; but then, normally there is a "Custom" nameplate where the "455" emblem is on this car. I have to believe that the vast majority of base LeSabres were 350's.

Dad's company car before we moved to Europe in June '74 was a '73 Pontiac Catalina sedan in that exact color, only it also had a light tan vinyl roof and medium brown vinyl interior. At the time I really liked the color as it was different than the conservative colors that were so common on 4 door Catalinas. I can't tell from the picture of the LeSabre what color interior it has, brown or black?

fintail

I wonder what my old friend Kent will want for this:

https://youtu.be/8kr2ikSWhaU

I don't think I could tolerate the speed for highway driving, but I like the color and the rare options on this car, and it looks like a genuinely nice example - seat issue is a common quirk and easy enough to remedy.

Mr_Shiftright

He might get $4000--$5000 for it.

fintail

I was thinking the same, around 5K. It's more interesting than a W123 to me, and I suspect it has been cared for. I think something like this could be suitable for a daily driver, but I don't know how comfortably it could cruise for hours at 70 mph, which is something that comes up now and then.

Mr_Shiftright

They're ok, you just settle down, let the world go by, and get used to that comforting steady drone. Just don't plan on passing anyone while going uphill, or climbing mountain passes anywhere but the right lane. Also, accelerating on freeway on-ramps that aren't very long can be dicey.

Make sure the engine starts up immediately. Any prolonged cranking on these old diesels is a warning sign for sure.

Also, look for oil residue in the air filter, which is a sign of excessive blowby.

You can't tell much by the dipstick, because on these old timey diesels the oil gets dirty in a few hundred miles.

explorerx4

That Buick is the same color as the NY license plate.

fintail

If Bergsma gave the car a clean bill of health, I would believe it - he has a huge rep and is known to be honest. I don't think I could deal with something like that on a daily basis though, it's roughly as old as I am and can probably be just as cranky Neat car though, if I never drove on the freeway or across mountains, maybe more appealing.

Those NY plates are pretty unattractive.

andre1969

I missed that '73 LeSabre, and it looks like the post was removed. What color was it? As for 1970 Pontiacs, I'm finding that I like them more and more, too. I always did like them from the side, but just was never so crazy about the front-end.

I think big Pontiacs in general started losing their magic in the 1970's, as they tried to be all things to all people. They still tried to be somewhat sporty, but in a "neoclassic" way, with their often too-tall, narrow grilles and such, and the sculpting often came off as a bit too pimpy. Chevy did great for the most part, with a look that was upscale and in some years a bit Cadillac-ish. I think Buicks actually started doing the "sporty big car" look better than Pontiac, as they seemed a bit sleeker and cleaner. And if you wanted something more conservative, Olds was a good choice.

I saw a 1976 Bonneville Brougham coupe over the weekend, in that goldish-brown color that was so common, with a matching interior. For being a "Brougham", it certainly didn't seem all that ritzy inside. Once upon a time, a Bonneville Brougham gave you an interior about on par with an Electra or Ninety-Eight, just in a B-body size. But, I've seen '76 Caprices that looked more upscale inside than this one did.

ab348

andre1969 said:

I missed that '73 LeSabre, and it looks like the post was removed. What color was it?

Buick called it Harvest Gold, Code 60. The same paint on a Pontiac was called Valencia Gold and this GP shows the color nicely:



Very 1970s indeed.

andre1969

It wouldn't be my first choice, but that Grand Prix does wear it well. I think the white top and Rally wheels, and pinstripes help set it off. Curbside Classics is showing a '73 LeSabre here, and it looks to be that color.

berri

I always thought those downsized big Pontiacs had a nice dash, same for the similar era Buick's.

andre1969

berri said:

I always thought those downsized big Pontiacs had a nice dash, same for the similar era Buick's.

Yeah, same here. While I started losing interest in the big Pontiacs for '71-76, the downsized '77 models regained their status as my favorite GM big car. One thing I really liked about the dash was that it was designed for extra gauges...even if they were optional. With Chevy, it always looked like the extra gauges were sort of tacked on. And, IIRC, they were inconsistent. Some years they'd give you temp and amps, but some years it was temp and a vacuum gauge for fuel economy. Olds stuck the extra gauges down low on the dash, and I don't think the downsized big Buicks ever did offer extra gauges. My 1985 Consumer Guide mentions something about an optional gauge package on the LeSabre, but I'm pretty sure that was a typo.

I thought the Pontiac dash had a nice, upscale look to it, as well, whereas the Chevy dash seemed to have too much plastic, and too many pieces. The Buick dash was nice, although for some reason I never liked the clock on the right side of the dash...just seemed too out of place. And the tiny, low-mounted glove box on the Buicks bugged me...I always wondered why they didn't just mount it higher, between the HVAC ducts, where there seems to be a lot of wasted space. The Olds dash seemed like it was good quality, but its design seemed a bit haphazard, and the Olds speedometers tended to compress the numbers towards the center a bit to the extreme.

Sadly though, the downsized Pontiacs didn't do all that well with the general public. The Bonneville actually sold fairly well, but the Catalina was a poor seller, and I don't think either one sold as well as Pontiac had hoped.

berri

I almost bought a 79 Bonneville, but decided to go with a sportier V8 Monte Carlo. Quickly I began to kick myself in the a.. on that decision!