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

Mr_Shiftright

You have to use common sense with those old diesels, though. If you run them at too high an RPM, well, diesels don't like that, and the cylinder heads might crack. Best to stay in the old diesel's sweet spot, maybe 4000 rpm tops and preferably 3500.

explorerx4

Could the right side plug wires be stretched any tighter on that Elite? They look as taut as guitar strings.

fintail

More CL fun:

Manual 7er
Of all the things to restore
Unusual powertrain
Even more unusual powertrain
It comes with either a Vanilla Ice or Rico Suave tape
Clean looking cheapo W126
Minitruck
Not seen every day
"heavy duty"
Lots of tire
A certain generation with money
Kelly Blue book said something like 12 thousand value if its restored - and at least 20K to get there
How many miles will it last?
Couch on a cloud
A gift
Not yet a lowrider
"no real dings or rust to speak of" how can you tell?

texases

"THIS IS THE FIRST COMMERCIAL ELECTRIC CAR MANUFACTURED IN AMERICA."

Really?

texases

"Extremely Rare 1993 Corvette conversion to the Legendary 1967 Roadster"

For $68K??? There's an obvious reason for its rarity..

andres3

Mr_Shiftright said:

andres3 said:

Anyone want an old high-mileage Jetta?

Not much of an effort to sell by the seller:

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=92119&referrer=/cars-for-sale/searchresults.xhtml?zip=92119&startYear=1981&sortBy=derivedpriceDESC&firstRecord=0&endYear=1994&modelCodeList=JET&makeCodeList=VOLKS&searchRadius=25&startYear=1981&numRecords=25&firstRecord=0&endYear=1994&modelCodeList=JET&makeCodeList=VOLKS&searchRadius=25&listingId=475344850

I presume that hood is welded to stay open, for convenience? I have to admire the owner's perseverance though, to get to 192K.

My father had an '87 Jetta when I was a kid. It did have some clutch and electrical gremlins, but was an overall decently reliable car. He did get rid of it the first time it crapped out after 100,000 miles though. I think it was 101 or 102K at most. I was with him. We were about 1.5 miles from home, and all the lights suddenly went on like a Christmas tree and the car died.

ab348

I would give $4500 for that '81 LTD wagon.

The '76 Chevelle is a remarkable original. Problem is that it is a '76 Chevelle.

explorerx4

Manual 7 series, could work for a 'Transporter' dreamer.

qbrozen

Corvair wagon is neat. But $10k? No thanks.

Mr_Shiftright

explorerx4 said:

Manual 7 series, could work for a 'Transporter' dreamer.

Very clunky transmission--a lot of work to row it around. It feels very heavy to shift, and takes a fair amount of effort. It could get old. GREAT engine, though.

fintail

For price vs return, I think the little fintail and W126 there, if not rotten, might be the least offensive choices. Diesel Escort for unicorn value, too.

isellhondas

fintail said:

The white Eldo does look quite presentable, although I suspect it sat outside for a long time, given the build up of
grime on the badging. However, I am a little suspicious - why no plates, in a place where plates stay with the car? It appears to have an eastern WA AAA sticker. For the money, and if you are into that kind of thing, probably worth a gamble.

I'm thinking that if we were to see that 81 Eldorado in person we would quickly walk away. " Something" doesn't look right. Is the trunk lid sprung or just not closed.

Than there is the matter of the 4-6-8 engine.

omarman

Not sure about "price vs. return," but for price per pound I'll vote for the couch on a cloud.

Problem is that I would want to drive it instead of storing it. If you have enough straight dry highway with no traffic around to cause any sudden braking or lane changing, then the cloud thing is cool.

All that if, if, if...equals "stored in garage..."

fintail

With the MBs, you'll at least have a quality item if/when you get it sorted. The Lincoln seems like a fair value too, as they have presence, and I am sure the prices are negotiable.

andre1969

I always liked the '72 Impala, and back in college, came close to buying a white convertible, for something like $2500. But, that one above just does nothing for me...especially not for $12,000! I do like the Mark V, although I've had too many cars over the years in too similar of a color. It's not going to win too many drag races with all of 159 hp coming from that 400...but then, you don't buy cars like this to race in! A friend of mine has a '78 Diamond Jubilee with the 460 that he's trying to sell I forget how much he's asking, but the sucker is gorgeous, fully loaded, and only has 21,000 miles on it.

That '76 Chevelle is really nice, too, but I'll echo what AB348 said...problem is, it's a '76 Chevelle! I wouldn't totally thumb my nose at one, but I also wouldn't pay that price for one, no matter how nice. And I'd probably prefer just about any other '76 GM intermediate to the Chevelle. Something about that engine doesn't look right, either. I know once upon a time, Chevy engines were sort of an orange-red, but by '76, weren't they all pretty much just that corporate grayish-black? Plus, I don't remember the Chevy red having that much orange in it. My '76 LeMans is just the generic charcoal/black, and once upon a time Pontiac engines were a light blue

fintail

The trunk looks misaligned, like it is open on the right but not on the left.

I remember these cars could have a power trunk closer - when I as a kid, a friend of my mom had an Eldo of that era, and the feature amused me. Maybe that's behind it.

Come to think of it, a friend of the family had an 81 Fleetwood when I was a kid, and the guy who owned it claimed the 4-6-8 rarely gave him issues - he had the car until the late 90s, and kept it immaculate. I can't remember what he sold it for, but now he's about 80, and drives a final year Ranger 4x4,

isellhondas said:

I'm thinking that if we were to see that 81 Eldorado in person we would quickly walk away. " Something" doesn't look right. Is the trunk lid sprung or just not closed.

Than there is the matter of the 4-6-8 engine.

isellhondas

andre1969 said:

I always liked the '72 Impala, and back in college, came close to buying a white convertible, for something like $2500. But, that one above just does nothing for me...especially not for $12,000! I do like the Mark V, although I've had too many cars over the years in too similar of a color. It's not going to win too many drag races with all of 159 hp coming from that 400...but then, you don't buy cars like this to race in! A friend of mine has a '78 Diamond Jubilee with the 460 that he's trying to sell I forget how much he's asking, but the sucker is gorgeous, fully loaded, and only has 21,000 miles on it.

That '76 Chevelle is really nice, too, but I'll echo what AB348 said...problem is, it's a '76 Chevelle! I wouldn't totally thumb my nose at one, but I also wouldn't pay that price for one, no matter how nice. And I'd probably prefer just about any other '76 GM intermediate to the Chevelle. Something about that engine doesn't look right, either. I know once upon a time, Chevy engines were sort of an orange-red, but by '76, weren't they all pretty much just that corporate grayish-black? Plus, I don't remember the Chevy red having that much orange in it. My '76 LeMans is just the generic charcoal/black, and once upon a time Pontiac engines were a light blue

ANDRE!!!! Good to see you here!

You should buy that Diamond Jubilee Mark! Beautiful cars!

ab348

andre1969 said:

Something about that engine doesn't look right, either. I know once upon a time, Chevy engines were sort of an orange-red, but by '76, weren't they all pretty much just that corporate grayish-black? Plus, I don't remember the Chevy red having that much orange in it. My '76 LeMans is just the generic charcoal/black, and once upon a time Pontiac engines were a light blue

1976 was the last year for Chevy Orange engine paint. In '77 they went to blue.

omarman

Spotted on Seattle CL is this dealer offered 1988 Mercury Topaz with over 200K miles (!) and priced at $1,999. I'm amazed at the land-of-the-lost vehicles that are still up and running (and for sale) in PNW.

gsemike

Long Island Beater Challenge - 3 grand or less

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/vw-passat-wagon/6473047730.html 4motion Passat wagon

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1999-honda-accord-v6-coupe/6473733649.html V6 accord coupe. Only 133k

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/betty-big-red-2001-toyota/6473727061.html - 4runner. Needs ABS work and has rust on frame

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/2003-subaru-outback-legacy-hb/6460793775.html - V6 Limited Outback

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/2004-bmw-325-xi/6473695311.html - 04 3 series

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1996-ford-bronco-58l/6473674992.html - since OJ is out

andre1969

ANDRE!!!! Good to see you here!

You should buy that Diamond Jubilee Mark! Beautiful cars!

Thanks, Isell. It is a nice car, but he wants $26K for it! I just found it online. Dunno how much he'd actually take for it, though. It's a gorgeous car, but not something I really lust after. If I was going to go hedonistic 70's, I'd actually prefer something like a '76-78 New Yorker Brougham, or maybe a '75-76 Electra. Not quite the same league, as they're not personal luxury coupes, but they were nice, big, comfy cruisers, and when equipped right, still pretty ritzy. And more comfortable, to me at least.

ab348

omarman said:

Spotted on Seattle CL is this dealer offered 1988 Mercury Topaz with over 200K miles (!) and priced at $1,999. I'm amazed at the land-of-the-lost vehicles that are still up and running (and for sale) in PNW.

Asking price seems $1K or 50% too high.

fintail

There's always about 5-10 Tempos on local CL, too.

Michaell

Buyer beware! No documented IMS fix

Michaell

Hey, @breld .... Is this the car you owned?

ab348

Michaell said:

Hey, @breld .... Is this the car you owned?

Well, that could likely apply to 25%-30% of the used cars for sale in the area.

Michaell

Man, Bring a Trailer is a great way to louse up your productivity for an afternoon .... one more:

What would all the money be on something like this?

ab348

Michaell said:

Buyer beware! No documented IMS fix

Commenter claims it has the improved 2-row(?) IMS bearing that has only a 1% failure rate. Another person says drive it until it needs a clutch and then do both that and the IMS service.

Edit: SOLD SOLD SOLD for $11,000. Black on black does nothing for me in one of these but it seemed nice otherwise.

gsemike

What parts would you get off of this?

https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/cto/d/classic-nova-chevr/6465920101.html

texases

The door handles?

isellhondas

andre1969 said:

ANDRE!!!! Good to see you here!

You should buy that Diamond Jubilee Mark! Beautiful cars!

Thanks, Isell. It is a nice car, but he wants $26K for it! I just found it online. Dunno how much he'd actually take for it, though. It's a gorgeous car, but not something I really lust after. If I was going to go hedonistic 70's, I'd actually prefer something like a '76-78 New Yorker Brougham, or maybe a '75-76 Electra. Not quite the same league, as they're not personal luxury coupes, but they were nice, big, comfy cruisers, and when equipped right, still pretty ritzy. And more comfortable, to me at least.

I would be very careful with New Yorkers of that era. With increased pressure to lower emissions and increase gas mileage they just couldn't get things right. Thermoquad carbs, Lean burn etc. Not a good time for ANY cars but Chrysler seemed to suffer the most. An Electra would be a much better choice!

isellhondas

Oh, and at 26,000 I think he's dreaming! That car only appeals to a small slice of the population!

stickguy

A76 4 door is not a classic no matter what. But that is the perfect NYC street parking machine.

explorerx4

@michaell,
BAT will send you down a rabbit hole in a hurry.

Mr_Shiftright

Michaell said:

Buyer beware! No documented IMS fix

Risky buy, and paid about $2,000 too much. The earlier the year and the lower the mileage, the higher the risk--so he has two strikes on him. Oh, and the clutch WILL go out at 80K.

Michaell

explorerx4 said:

@michaell,
BAT will send you down a rabbit hole in a hurry.

Yeah, a '73 MB 280C popped up this afternoon. Clean, #3 car, will be curious what it goes for.

There are a lot of Porsches for sale at the moment. There is a Guards Red 944 for sale currently (hey, I could be Jake from 16 Candles!)

Mr_Shiftright

Michaell said:

explorerx4 said:

@michaell,
BAT will send you down a rabbit hole in a hurry.

Yeah, a '73 MB 280C popped up this afternoon. Clean, #3 car, will be curious what it goes for.

There are a lot of Porsches for sale at the moment. There is a Guards Red 944 for sale currently (hey, I could be Jake from 16 Candles!)

$7K--$10K for a clean #3 if buyer isn't a rookie, $12K if he is.

Michaell

Mr_Shiftright said:

Michaell said:

explorerx4 said:

@michaell,
BAT will send you down a rabbit hole in a hurry.

Yeah, a '73 MB 280C popped up this afternoon. Clean, #3 car, will be curious what it goes for.

There are a lot of Porsches for sale at the moment. There is a Guards Red 944 for sale currently (hey, I could be Jake from 16 Candles!)

$7K--$10K for a clean #3 if buyer isn't a rookie, $12K if he is.

Well, my piggybank is empty, so I'm neither a rookie nor a veteran. I'm a lookie-loo.

But, BAT does have some nice cars. I do like that stick shift Legend I posted earlier.

Mr_Shiftright

Michaell said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Michaell said:

explorerx4 said:

@michaell,
BAT will send you down a rabbit hole in a hurry.

Yeah, a '73 MB 280C popped up this afternoon. Clean, #3 car, will be curious what it goes for.

There are a lot of Porsches for sale at the moment. There is a Guards Red 944 for sale currently (hey, I could be Jake from 16 Candles!)

$7K--$10K for a clean #3 if buyer isn't a rookie, $12K if he is.

Well, my piggybank is empty, so I'm neither a rookie nor a veteran. I'm a lookie-loo.

But, BAT does have some nice cars. I do like that stick shift Legend I posted earlier.

Buying online is always a risk. I've never done it and I doubt I will, given what I see in my own inspection business.

andres3

Audi has gone to first oil changes at 10K too just like VW did in 2017. 10K intervals are bad enough, but break-in oil for 10,000 miles?

ab348

gsemike said:

What parts would you get off of this?

https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/cto/d/classic-nova-chevr/6465920101.html

That is hilarious.

Mr_Shiftright

Nicer Parts Cars (California)

A Little Crunchy But Not All Over

Given the List of Needs, It Probably is a Total

Some Decent Sheet Metal There

I Wonder If You Get All the Stuff Inside?

Attacked By Children?

Even once-expensive cars are now throw-aways

Best Offer? How About $10 bucks?

Two, Two, for the Price of One!

fintail

If that ML really has 300K on it, that's pretty remarkable, and no doubt worn out. It lived its life.

The pair of Peugeots might be a heck of a deal for the right devotee.

omarman

gsemike said:

What parts would you get off of this?

https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/cto/d/classic-nova-chevr/6465920101.html

The worst part. The keys.

explorerx4

ML is listed as FWD, but maybe after 300k, it is.

tjc78

IMO $5000 for that 79 Mark V is a buy.  It’s a Cartier too.  

Mr_Shiftright

fintail said:

If that ML really has 300K on it, that's pretty remarkable, and no doubt worn out. It lived its life.

The pair of Peugeots might be a heck of a deal for the right devotee.

Indeed. Parts are hard to find for Peugeots anymore. Problem is, you have to dig 'em out, tow them, store them, strip them and then dispose of the turkey carcasses somewhere. Might be easier to fly to France!

omarman

What was the "all the money" estimate for the Legend? Current bid $5500.

Mr_Shiftright

omarman said:

What was the "all the money" estimate for the Legend? Current bid $5500.

That's already all the money. It's not even a coupe.

texases

Would a 1st gen Acura sedan have more/less/same value?