2016 Charger. If it's clean, can I trust Chrysler? I am a keep my cars for 10 years guy
Seems optimistic, but as I always say, with enough time and money you can keep any car going forever. I'd be inclined to move away from this (fun) car after warranty or at best after 80K miles.
I was browsing some old listings, and came across this - I can't find where the bidding ended, I would be curious to know. The car needs to lose the too-wide whitewalls and those fender skirts, but otherwise, pretty cool.
It brings back a flood of memories about my dad's 60 Country Sedan. This one has optional reverse lights, which my dad's lacked, but it looks like the same engine, and I vividly recall the old fashioned radiator overflow tank. I also remember the unique rear gate handle, the action of raising the rear window, the dash and door panels with the silver upholstery. My dad's had a different upholstery pattern, red and white, with the white being the border, and the red being a kind of plaid insert. I like the blue interior in this car, I think Ford had a similar blue paint, which would work well on this.
The car should have tires like on this one from Dennis the Menace (I remember the episode). I can imagine this car is two tone blue:
I was browsing some old listings, and came across this - I can't find where the bidding ended, I would be curious to know. The car needs to lose the too-wide whitewalls and those fender skirts, but otherwise, pretty cool.
I have to agree about the prices - 12K seems fine, but 20K+, nope. It looks nice, but not quite that nice.
I sometimes think what I would want if I got another old car (which would be crazy as the current one isn't without needs). I'd love to find my dad's 60 Ford, but it must have either been exported, or met an unfortunate end. I've found zero similar cars on many online searches, and something that unusual would exist in pics if it was ever taken outside. It was sold over 20 years ago, and I don't think my mom has any data about the buyer.
It was sold over 20 years ago, and I don't think my mom has any data about the buyer.
The only hope for a trace would be if you could find the VIN number from an insurance paper or purchase papers for the car you used to have. Or when it was traded in to purchase a replacement car. Any chance the insurance office still exists and might have old records?
The VIN was how I found info about this one. The odd thing is that "Chinese" was mentioned as to the format.
I suspect my mom didn't keep any of that, but, she still lives in the same smallish town, and I am pretty sure the insurance agency is still in the same hands. That might be a way. It'd be cool to know the car at least still exists. When my dad had it, it was fully roadworthy and photogenic, but far from perfect.
Maybe in modern VIN layouts, a letter or combination on the old car serial number coincides with Chinese manufacture on a modern VIN. Apparently, "L" is the prefix for China - not sure how they got that based on the published data from the white 60.
The only hope for a trace would be if you could find the VIN number from an insurance paper or purchase papers for the car you used to have. Or when it was traded in to purchase a replacement car. Any chance the insurance office still exists and might have old records?
The VIN was how I found info about this one. The odd thing is that "Chinese" was mentioned as to the format.
I was browsing some old listings, and came across this - I can't find where the bidding ended, I would be curious to know. The car needs to lose the too-wide whitewalls and those fender skirts, but otherwise, pretty cool.
Just a note regarding the listing from Ken's cars. It may just be me, but I would not feel confident about buying a car from a place that gets the model wrong. The Country Squire had that beautiful and tasteful fake wood slathered down both sides.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
Had the project car out today - it goes into the shop a week from tomorrow, for the annual service and look-over. The front brakes are squeaky sometimes, and quite old, I think they might need replacement. I give the shop a budget with a list of things that have caught my eye - it usually comes in under budget. If I chased after every little need that the car has, I would go broke. I went to a car wash and hosed off the engine, as it gets gunky via just a little blow by. That rewarded me with some belt chatter, but it started right up and ran fine. I am always a little worried when introducing water to the engine area.
Gratuitous pic - the stains on the pavement are not from me
speaking of older cars, it is amazing how much taller cars are today. Was walking through a parking lot yesterday, and a 1990s vintage Mazda protege was parked next to a newer Corolla, The Corolla looked liked a jacked up F150 parked next to a slammed low rider. But dang, the Mazda have way better visibility!
Had the project car out today - it goes into the shop a week from tomorrow, for the annual service and look-over. The front brakes are squeaky sometimes, and quite old, I think they might need replacement. I give the shop a budget with a list of things that have caught my eye - it usually comes in under budget. If I chased after every little need that the car has, I would go broke. I went to a car wash and hosed off the engine, as it gets gunky via just a little blow by. That rewarded me with some belt chatter, but it started right up and ran fine. I am always a little worried when introducing water to the engine area.
Gratuitous pic - the stains on the pavement are not from me
What do you use to keep your whitewall so clean? As a rule I used Brillo or SOS soaped pads to keep them clean. I hate dingy whitewall tires.
That's odd, I didn't include that pic of dad's '77 Grand Marquis on this post, not sure how that happened.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
I wipe them down every time I drive the car, and every few months use a whitewall cleaner and scrubber. The car is garaged and very rarely sees rain, so that helps a lot. I've had them for 4 years now, and they have actually mellowed a bit, which I like - when I first got them, they were really bright, and I thought a little too flashy.
I can't recall the whitewall cleaner I used to use but it may have been called Bleach-White of something like that. It came in a plastic red and white bottle with a sprayer on top. Once it was sprayed on, it took very little effort to make them sparkle!
Yeah, "Bleche-Wite" works great, but it's STRONG stuff. Here are some of the warnings: "Corrosive. Can cause burns to skin and eyes. Harmful if swallowed. Contains sodium metasilicate. Precautionary Measures: Do not get on skin or clothing. Rubber gloves recommended. Avoid contact with eyes, safety glasses recommended. Avoid breathing vapor and mist."
Bleche-Wite was what I found worked best when I had cars with whitewalls. That's been about 15 years now, and by the end of that time you couldn't buy it here any more. Not sure if that was due to falling demand or what was in it.
There are pretty sturdy cars. I owned the President hardtop, which is basically the same car but without a few of the fancy options. Mine was a 3-speed manual with overdrive, which came with a lower rear end ratio, so it could move right along 0-60. Handling was better than say a Buick---more like a '55 Chevy perhaps.
Hardtops of that era rattled like a car full of castanets. Easy to work on, nothing high-tech here.
Price seems more than fair. You won't see many of these at your local Show n' Shine, that's for sure.
I'd be a lot more interested in '54 or older, much more 'modern' looking to me. Doesn't hurt that this was the first car I remember seeing, we had one kinda like this:
I use on all my tires. It's cheaper than the stuff that cleans wheels and tires, so I just that that stuff for the wheels. My truck does have white letter tires.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
Not sure if this is priced correctly or not, but this ratty VW Westfalia is parked at the shop next door to my office, with a sign in the window for $15K. Yikes...!
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
Not sure if this is priced correctly or not, but this ratty VW Westfalia is parked at the shop next door to my office, with a sign in the window for $15K. Yikes...!
Well Alaska prices + camper - unusual market influences.
People in the lower 48 pour enormous amounts of money into Westies, mostly to restore, convert and update them. I routinely see investments of $40K-$75K into them.
The appeal of course is that they are small campers and you can take them to areas where bigger RVs either can't go or are not permitted to camp/park, in the parks system. Many are converted to VW Jetta gas, Jetta diesel, or Subaru gas engines.
"please dreamers don't waste my time add is self explanatory,"
Wait, wasn't this guy himself the "dreamer" of which he speaks? Hypocrisy....
Hopeless. With freaky repair costs even on a stock model, there's not a Porsche shop that I know that would even touch this car. LS1 conversions require a great deal of skill and money, even if you buy a conversion kit from...I think the company is called, appropriately enough...Rampage.
Ooh widebody 928. I wonder who did the kit - Strosek maybe, it doesn't look like a Koenig or DP. I had a model of a widebody 928 when I was a kid, that one kind of pushes my buttons.
Ooh widebody 928. I wonder who did the kit - Strosek maybe, it doesn't look like a Koenig or DP. I had a model of a widebody 928 when I was a kid, that one kind of pushes my buttons.
Okay, okay. Move along, Dreamer!
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
Well Alaska prices + camper - unusual market influences.
People in the lower 48 pour enormous amounts of money into Westies, mostly to restore, convert and update them. I routinely see investments of $40K-$75K into them.
The appeal of course is that they are small campers and you can take them to areas where bigger RVs either can't go or are not permitted to camp/park, in the parks system. Many are converted to VW Jetta gas, Jetta diesel, or Subaru gas engines.
I was thinking that it might fetch $75K completely tarted up. The good on this is that it looks straight and no rust. However, the interior looks, uh, well used! If that condition can be extended to the lift roof, then I suspect a full restoration is going to be expensive. I don't know what kind of dollars these cost to get to $75K condition, but one would need a rather conservative budget/approach to do that kind of work and keep it under the $60K margin.
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
Depends how far you want to go. The engine conversions are, of course, expensive. Then there's the disc brake and suspension mods, the thermostatically controlled heating system, AC, NAV, sound system, roof ladder, bike rack, awning, LED interior lighting, exterior lighting upgrades, new fridge/stove, window shades, transmission oil cooler, skid plates, custom cabinetry, body and paint work, custom bumpers, tints, underdash instrumentation, solar charging, inverter, fresh water tank, blah blah..it never ends.
Depends how far you want to go. The engine conversions are, of course, expensive. Then there's the disc brake and suspension mods, the thermostatically controlled heating system, AC, NAV, sound system, roof ladder, bike rack, awning, LED interior lighting, exterior lighting upgrades, new fridge/stove, window shades, transmission oil cooler, skid plates, custom cabinetry, body and paint work, custom bumpers, tints, underdash instrumentation, solar charging, inverter, fresh water tank, blah blah..it never ends.
See?! That's what I'm talking about! LOL
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
Not sure if this is priced correctly or not, but this ratty VW Westfalia is parked at the shop next door to my office, with a sign in the window for $15K. Yikes...!
Those Westies bring CRAZY money for some reason I can't fathom! That sounds cheap for one!
Comments
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
It brings back a flood of memories about my dad's 60 Country Sedan. This one has optional reverse lights, which my dad's lacked, but it looks like the same engine, and I vividly recall the old fashioned radiator overflow tank. I also remember the unique rear gate handle, the action of raising the rear window, the dash and door panels with the silver upholstery. My dad's had a different upholstery pattern, red and white, with the white being the border, and the red being a kind of plaid insert. I like the blue interior in this car, I think Ford had a similar blue paint, which would work well on this.
The car should have tires like on this one from Dennis the Menace (I remember the episode). I can imagine this car is two tone blue:
http://usedcarsfsbo.com/asp/Item.asp?soldid=304736&make=Ford&theday=1/16/2017
Now it's being offered in Phoenix and Grand Isle, AZ and NE respectively, for $21,500 and $21,995 respectively both with 99,775 miles.
http://kenscarsofnebraska.com/1960-Ford-CountrySquire/Used-ClassicCar/GrandIsland-NE/9253396/Details.aspx
http://usedfromus.com/ford-ads/360554-1960-ford-galaxie-country-sedan.html
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I have to agree about the prices - 12K seems fine, but 20K+, nope. It looks nice, but not quite that nice.
I sometimes think what I would want if I got another old car (which would be crazy as the current one isn't without needs). I'd love to find my dad's 60 Ford, but it must have either been exported, or met an unfortunate end. I've found zero similar cars on many online searches, and something that unusual would exist in pics if it was ever taken outside. It was sold over 20 years ago, and I don't think my mom has any data about the buyer.
The VIN was how I found info about this one. The odd thing is that "Chinese" was mentioned as to the format.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Maybe in modern VIN layouts, a letter or combination on the old car serial number coincides with Chinese manufacture on a modern VIN. Apparently, "L" is the prefix for China - not sure how they got that based on the published data from the white 60.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
Gratuitous pic - the stains on the pavement are not from me
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
That's odd, I didn't include that pic of dad's '77 Grand Marquis on this post, not sure how that happened.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
https://seattle.craigslist.org/est/cto/d/studebaker-president/6226339596.html
" Transmission needs sorting"...Hmm..." Hey, can you "sort" my transmission?
I have to assume it needs a total top to bottom rebuild but...still...what a car!
Hardtops of that era rattled like a car full of castanets. Easy to work on, nothing high-tech here.
Price seems more than fair. You won't see many of these at your local Show n' Shine, that's for sure.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
My truck does have white letter tires.
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/porsche-wide-body/6230277183.html
Wait, wasn't this guy himself the "dreamer" of which he speaks? Hypocrisy....
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
People in the lower 48 pour enormous amounts of money into Westies, mostly to restore, convert and update them. I routinely see investments of $40K-$75K into them.
The appeal of course is that they are small campers and you can take them to areas where bigger RVs either can't go or are not permitted to camp/park, in the parks system. Many are converted to VW Jetta gas, Jetta diesel, or Subaru gas engines.
There are more people who want them and don't have them than people who have them and don't want them.
This is why a car/truck can be rare and not valuable at the same time, and why another car/truck can be quite common and quite valuable.