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

gsemike

25 what?

http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5949326485.html

stickguy

$25 might be too steep, using the "can you get there from here" scale.

qbrozen

ab348 said:

I like both of those Corvairs. I would like the '61 even better if it had the '64's camber compensator on the rear suspension. I like the interior of the '64 in white, don't see too many of those. That little Cutlass is sweet once you lose the fender skirts.

The Cutlass, orange Falcon, and silver Corvair would be my top 3 out of that list, I think. Not sure in what order. The Corvair does look super clean and ready to go, and it is the cheapest of those. Pretty tempting.

Suspension mods are easy, shifty, not to mention possibly not necessary per the NHTSA testing.

Mr_Shiftright

I saw a Corvair flip over right in front of me. I'm convinced !

Of course, to be fair, I knew the driver, who was an idiot to begin with....nonetheless...it was on a sweeping curve off a freeway and he didn't hit anything beforehand.

He also got off with just a few scrapes.

The '65 Corvair is so much better in every way--that's probably the one you want if you have a Corvair hankerin'.

xwesx

stickguy said:

$25 might be too steep, using the "can you get there from here" scale.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure he means just a straight twenty-five dollars. If he wanted more, I imagine he would have put more effort into the advertisement! LOL

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

I saw a Corvair flip over right in front of me. I'm convinced !

Of course, to be fair, I knew the driver, who was an idiot to begin with....nonetheless...it was on a sweeping curve off a freeway and he didn't hit anything beforehand.

He also got off with just a few scrapes.

The '65 Corvair is so much better in every way--that's probably the one you want if you have a Corvair hankerin'.

But that '61 is soooo pretty. Fixing the suspension I'm sure is easy. Hell, I bet modern wide tires alone makes a world of difference.

Mr_Shiftright

Yep, it can be fixed, along with some other chronic problems for which there are aftermarket solutions (some of which only require following directions)---such as throwing fan belts, oil leaks into the heating system, stalling on sharp turns. All fixable, along with the camber tuck-in issue, which I feel really is dangerous.

Of course, one could argue that an 80s-era Porsche 930 could also kill you, and....you'd be right.

Easy does it on those early rear-engine cars, boys.

bhill2

texases said:

Wheel spats on that Cutlass - nooooooo...
That first Falcon might be a hot rod, what with the 200 CID 6!

I think the seller of that Falcon missed a selling point. Not only does it have a later 200CID engine, if the shift quadrant is accurate it also has a later 3-speed automatic in place of the original 2-speed one. I consider that to be a meaningful upgrade.

gsemike

This is how to shoot a car 

http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5970391804.html

tjc78

Well you know the back seat is good based on the comment.

fintail

That ad just screams poor decision-making in every way.

ab348

That ad is like watching an episode of a game show, maybe Let's Make A Deal: "Do you want what's behind the curtain?"

texases

"Never seen rain "
There, I fixed it.

Mr_Shiftright

I presume that covering the object of desire in a provocative manner only enhances the attraction?

Very shrewd.....

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SOME OTHER CL GEMS FOUND BY TYPING IN THE SEARCH WORD "CLASSIC"

The new Subaru postage stamp?

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/5966840586.html

You really didn't have to explain:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/5969767355.html

Here's a car I actually wouldn't mind having, but no mention of price is foreboding. I would think he'd get a pretty fair price for it. This car could last you the rest of your life.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto/5965501832.html

This is so bad I just had to post it:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/5930328233.html

Here's the actual car it attempts to "replicate":

http://www.earlyamericanautomobiles.com/images/autos2414.jpg

fintail

Baja is a classic now huh? That reproduction is funny, I think those were big in the 60s and 70s, I've seen something like that before. Volvo has nice looking seats, and the engine looks really clean.

stickguy

I love that wagon. Wonder what it is doing on EBay? Probably why no price listed, really just an ad for his eBay listing.

ab348

There is a '66 Volvo 122 wagon like that on Bring a Trailer right now for $4500. Auction ends today so it will be interesting to see the final price it goes for. Not as nice as the '68 cosmetically and needs some work.

texases

That Volvo 122 got bid up to $13.5k, didn't meet reserve, BIN was $15.5k. Probably should have had a lower reserve.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-Volvo-Other-/291997175247?forcerrptr=true&hash=item43fc634dcf:g:cksAAOSwa~BYdcCg&item=291997175247&nma=true&si=8K2QxwE8U7jYhVlypd20ML59wpI%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Mr_Shiftright

I would hazard to make the bold assumption that the Volvo 122 is the best car ever made.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

I would hazard to make the bold assumption that the Volvo 122 is the best car ever made.

The SU carbs might tend to mitigate that position somewhat but the car itself was certainly built like a tank.

Mr_Shiftright

Well that's just a matter of reading the workshop manual. SUs are incredibly simple--there are only 3 moving parts!A Quadrajet is 10X harder to work on.

ab348

Dad's '68 144 had twin SUs and they were frequently in need of oil to be added to make them do whatever the oil allowed them to do. I doubt they were ever balanced properly either. The thing always ran, but often not well.

qbrozen

LOVE that car, but $15k is a tough price to justify, IMHO. It certainly isn't concours or anything like that.

Mr_Shiftright

I'd say $12K is all the money if it passes the Volvo 122 "sniff test", which would include no noisy timing gears, no frozen u-joints, no flat camshaft and no rust.

If this were a 123 Sport Sedan with overdrive, that would bring more money I think.

qbrozen

Well now you made me go to BaT and poke around.
Loving this.

And this!

Finally found the wagon. Way too much work on this one for my taste.

texases

That 510 sure looks nice, huge amount of info on its condition.

Mr_Shiftright

Lotus---ah well, it's an interesting car but build quality is really the pits, and getting through smog is always a dance marathon.

The Datsun 510 looks like it would be fun to own, although mention of rust and the headliner leaks do give one pause. I'd need to see it to know if it's worth current bid. All of these 510s have been modified it seems.

The Volvo wagon has promise. All parts are readily available, and throwing away that nuisance of a Weber and putting back the SUs isn't that big of a deal. The bid is already at the max however. If I owned it, I'd fix it up mechanically but leave it as a beater/utility vehicle. Going through the cosmetics is cost prohibitive.

Better to buy a nice-looking, terrible running classic than the other way 'round.

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

Lotus---ah well, it's an interesting car but build quality is really the pits, and getting through smog is always a dance marathon.

The Datsun 510 looks like it would be fun to own, although mention of rust and the headliner leaks do give one pause. I'd need to see it to know if it's worth current bid. All of these 510s have been modified it seems.

The Volvo wagon has promise. All parts are readily available, and throwing away that nuisance of a Weber and putting back the SUs isn't that big of a deal. The bid is already at the max however. If I owned it, I'd fix it up mechanically but leave it as a beater/utility vehicle. Going through the cosmetics is cost prohibitive.

Better to buy a nice-looking, terrible running classic than the other way 'round.

smog is your issue, not mine. ;b

And, yes, my goal is cosmetically perfect and mechanically needy. Falls right in my wheelhouse. Tough to find them like that, though, since shadetree mechanics far outweigh shadetree paint booths.

stickguy

I really live that 510. And the other 122 looks much nicer.

ab348

A heated last-minute bidding war on the 510 resulted in a sale price of $16,000. Nice car but crazy money it seems to me. But then, try and find another I suppose.

BaT gets lots of neat vehicles listed (they don't take everything that gets submitted apparently) but there are seldom bargains there IMO.

texases

Having survived B-J viewing, with anything interesting seeming to hit $100k, I guess I'm not surprised at $16k.

Anybody else surprised by all the green cars on B-J?

ab348

I love this and who knows, it could prove to be a bargain. Likely not huge demand for cars like this.

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1940-la-salle-5027/

qbrozen

Don't know about green cars, but I was surprised by the final bid on just about every car I saw. Talk about screwing up the bell curve.

stickguy

But does that old Lasalle run great?

Mr_Shiftright

I subscribe to some databases that let me track auction prices over time, and you'd be surprised how many of these cars sell for less the 2nd or 3rd time around. Auctions are emotional buys for most people, and "fair market value" specifically excludes the stress of deadline or competition.

texases

It seems like half of all Shelby GT350s get sold at each auction.

Mr_Shiftright

Some cars just get trailered around on speculation. I've seen cars show up time and again, and in the space of a few years have only 75 more miles on them. GT350s are a little soft now, so these sellers might not be happy

ab348

I only watched B-J in small doses this year. The endless hype and overpaying for some of these vehicles is just too much. I thought it was kind of funny how Velocity used Dave Kindig as a commentator there this year, since last year he sold a car that was represented as an unfinished Coddington project which later was the subject of some dispute, and B-J ended up rolling back the sale and making him take the car back. I like Kindig and he seems less sleazy than a lot of these types but if he got caught up in the hype I can well imagine some of the other things that go on with the cars crossing their block. I also found it unusual how hard they had to work to get bids on some of the cars out of the GM collection. I would have thought they could have guessed that and not featured them in prime time.

@texases , there were a lot of green cars there this year it seemed. Maybe that is a reflection of a trend for non-modified cars to keep them original. Green is a tough color, you need the right shades or combos to make it look good. The triple-green '69 GTO Judge convertible did very little for me becuse the shades did not appeal to my eye.

qbrozen

BJ had a resto-mod Charger sell for $200k. That blew my mind.

texases

@ab348 - yes, it was that triple green GTO that got me noticing the number of green cars. That GTO also did nothing for me, reminded of some advice I read from years ago on picking out clothes: "Don't mix green colors"

explorerx4

I thought there were a ton of red cars being sold at B-J this year.

texases

That '58 Bentley Flying Spur with the HUGE separate headlights was an oddball:

fortee9er

I am considering submitting a car to BAT but I have my doubts. The fee is higher than eBay, it is a one time auction. If it doesn't sell there is no relisting and you still have to pay their fee. Plus there is a 5% buyer. Not that has any effect on the proceeds the seller would receive but I wonder the effect it has on potential buyers.

fintail

That LaSalle is pretty. Definitely more elegant than a 40 Plymouth or more ordinary car, but maybe just ordinary enough to be in that type of prewar car that isn't gaining much value anymore. Definitely better to buy one like that than to restore one yourself. I'd get the radio restored or hide a modern unit, something like that needs Glenn Miller or something similar playing as one cruises along.

Mr_Shiftright

qbrozen said:

BJ had a resto-mod Charger sell for $200k. That blew my mind.

I just appraised one for close $200K--you have to see these cars to believe them---works of art, really--meticulous cosmetics, superb engineering, the best of everything, a project spanning years of work.

Some examples (don't really do the car justice)

texases

The resto-mods typically seemed to go for more $$ than the equivalent restored cars on BJ.

Mr_Shiftright

The finish is like glass, the body panels are perfection, every square inch of the car is absolutely flawless. Every single nut and bolt restored.

Mr_Shiftright

fortee9er said:

I am considering submitting a car to BAT but I have my doubts. The fee is higher than eBay, it is a one time auction. If it doesn't sell there is no relisting and you still have to pay their fee. Plus there is a 5% buyer. Not that has any effect on the proceeds the seller would receive but I wonder the effect it has on potential buyers.

Well you have to be sure of your expectations. BAT seems to pull pretty good prices, way better than eBay. One good thing about BAT is that you and potential buyers (and even non-buyers) all get to banter back and forth during the auction. This gives bidders a LOT of confidence and also helps you to clear up any questions before the sale (and avoid problems after the sale). Another good thing they do is that if the bidding is close to your reserve but not quite there, they will make up the difference to make the sale happen.

I'd certainly choose BAT over eBay. BAT bidders are serious people.

texases

That oil pan's ground clearance - YIKES!

qbrozen

Mr_Shiftright said:

qbrozen said:

BJ had a resto-mod Charger sell for $200k. That blew my mind.

I just appraised one for close $200K--you have to see these cars to believe them---works of art, really--meticulous cosmetics, superb engineering, the best of everything, a project spanning years of work.

Some examples (don't really do the car justice)

Yikes!! I'd be afraid to drive it with the oil pan so low.