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

fintail

There was a 2001 E55 with something like 15K miles on it locally for 30K. If I hadn't bought the C43, I would have looked it over.

Nice bustleback

Most expensive one in the world

Mr_Shiftright

'94 BWM 740iL -- well, yeah, it woulc be worth $6,000 CLEAN AND RUNNING...with dents and a bad transmission, try $600 (ifyou're lucky). Figure $3,500 for the transmission, $1600 body work and a few hundred bucks for this and that....and now you have an old 740iL with 110K on it.....hmmmm....

'73 BMW CS -- he's asking $21.5K but the real world says about $12.5K should do it. Maybe $15K at Barrett-Jackson with everyone drunk and stupid.

'82 Audi Coupe -- scrapyard

'70 Camaro Z28 --- all Camaro sellers, repeat after me: "It's the 1969 model that everyone wants". Shoot, for $29K you could buy a REAL 1970 Z-28 in pretty fair shape.

86 Crown Victoria -- he wants $4,000, he should take $1,500 and run to the bank with it. As the Sopranos might say "You got nothin'!!"

fintail

I doubt it's really a 427 4spd

Mr_Shiftright

There would be a W or an R as the 5th digit in the VIN, so you might ask the seller what the VIN is.

british_rover

a nicer car then he says it is at least from the pictures.

MGB

Does get your attention.

No title and no keys no problem right?

british_rover

GTO yes or no?

Bulging bentley

Another GTO

Mr_Shiftright

You know, that Audi 5000S auction really says it all: A $50 asking opening bid and no bids on the car after 6 days.

MGB: Eh, the car looks rough. Notice the funky paint job on the underside of the engine hood, the lack of a "groove" on the rear splash pan between gas cap and tail light (we are in the Bondosphere), also battery in the trunk, which can only mean the battery trays have rotted out under the rear shelf (common).

The problem here is that rust on an MGB is a devil to repair. Looks like a "beater car at a beater price"--fair enough!

BENTLEY TURBO R -- asking price is market correct, but man, you gotta be BRAVE to buy a car like this...it could suck another $30,000 in the snap of a finger. Punishing maintenance and repair costs scare most buyers. The rich don't want a used Bentley and the poor who just scrape up enough to buy one as a wannabee, can't afford to take care of them....ergo, down the cars go in a death spiral to destruction....tough, tough sell but a mighty nice ride--these cars run like a freight train...5,000 or 6,000 lbs of hurtling steel....a classic "gentleman's express". But it's those $8,000 brake jobs...ouch!!

british_rover

Cheap LWB with coil conversion

Interesting Merc

Lots of GTOs out and I am not even picking all of them.

Also a bunch of old ratty jeeps.

Mr_Shiftright

What makes that Mercedes "interesting" to you?

fintail

Wouldn't a 427/4 speed wagon be very rare and relatively valuable to a Ford nut? I know the Galaxies with that combo are worth big money. Maybe it's a 428, but with a 4 speed in a wagon even it would be a big rarity and desired by an enthusiast. I suspect that car has been patched together.

The W108 is no rarity but looks pretty nice, price seems correct.

fintail

I know it is way overpriced and a lost cause, but I've always liked these

marksd40

Yes, you are right, However, if you own an older f-150 like my 1985 youll have a hell of a time finding parts especially trim, decals and emblems. If Anyone can tell me where to find an oval ford emblem for the front of my grille(prefer New) for my 1985 F-150 please email me at mvm9607@aol.com I am having a hell of a time trying to find them.

gsemike

Not really "project cars", but will probably be a project for the person posting the ad:

I would gladly pay 27 grand for a used Cobalt

So you badly need a stranger to sell you a car on payments... and it has to be an 03/4 Honda Accord... Coupe... in white. Anything else that you want??

That ad is just bizarre

At $1,000, this one has two extra zeros

Call the wrecker if they'll come

You don't see too many ads that list every oil change since 2000

Fairly intriging 5 sp Max

For $6500, he's not even trying to break even... could be a decent deal

Most guys with cars like this post an ad that says "Over 20k invested.. sacrifice for $15k. For $6500, you could do worse if this is what you're in to

If this had a stick, I've had bought it already

Frankenbird

It's a look alike of a car that was never made. Could be decent but ad is a little short on the details

If it's got a brand new roller 350 and doug nash 5 speed, maybe. Of course from the ad, it could just as likely have a V6

fintail

Not many like these left...price could go down some

Geez, for that price you'd think the dope could at least spell it correctly

Mr_Shiftright

Maybe he's the same guy who wants to sell you that "donnor" car for parts...or the one with the "Camero".

fintail

I thought hard drug use didn't come into fashion til the late 60s. Nice steering wheel

andre1969

I always theorized that Chrysler made those Plymouths look ugly on purpose so that people wouldn't mind spending a few extra dollars on a Dodge Dart!

And it must have worked, because the Dart outsold the Plymouths by a pretty wide margin IIRC. Plymouth as a whole still outsold Dodge when you factor in the Valiant (which they tried to market as a separate division that first year), but those funky '60 Belvederes and Furys must have been a hard sell! In addition to the Dart, I wonder if some people just spent a few more bucks for a Chrysler Windsor, too?

fintail

I know back in the day my grandpa would spend a few more bucks and get a Chrysler Newport...he liked Mopars in the 50s and 60s and had a few. He also had a couple NYers...he seemed to think they were a more tasteful better value competitor to a Caddy, but they seem more upper range Buick-ish when I look at them.

Strangely enough, his last car was a Caddy.

Mr_Shiftright

Actually that very car stripped clean of most chrome and painted black looks pretty cool---I saw one recently.

andre1969

I could actually see that, with the '61 Plymouth. FWIW, I think most of the car's ugliness lies in the front-end; they actually don't bother me too much from the side.

It looks to me like starting in 1960, Chrysler used the same roofline for both the 4-door hardtop and 4-door sedan models of cars. It's just that they put frames around the windows, and had a B-pillar that the door frames cover over, just like on modern cars. In '57-59, the hardtop roofline was lower and sleeker than the 4-door sedan. Now, I guess this probably cut into headroom a bit. In 1960, they went to unitized construction, so they were able to lower the floorboards a few inches as well. In the '57-59 models, the floor was almost at the door sill level, but in '60 they dropped it down considerably, which also made the tranny/driveshaft tunnel more noticeable, but at least you weren't sitting practically on the floor!

I think it's kinda neat how on the '60 Plymouth, the tailfin actually starts from below the beltline, instead of rising up from the beltline itself. I wonder if that's one reason the fin looks so gigantic?

Mr_Shiftright

The fins don't LOOK gigantic, they ARE gigantic--LOL!

ghulet

...I'm pretty sure you couldn't get more bang for your buck, at least attention-wise, than that '60 Plymouth. The two-tone is especially fetching, and I love red interiors.

fintail

Good point...I mean, for 2 grand, and you could almost certainly go lower. Detail it out yourself and touch it up...and it's a fun Sunday cruiser for the price of a beater. It would get more attention than a new BMW. I like old cars like that.

gsemike

isn't too bad. It's definately off-beat but don't think that I'd say ugly. Only thing is, with a slant 6, how ridiculously slow would it be?

andre1969

that 0-60 in something like that '60 Plymouth would be around 16 seconds. They only had 145 hp (in net terms about 110), but they also had the advantage of a 3-speed automatic (versus 2-speed for a Chevy) and fairly aggressive gearing. And they weren't nearly as heavy as they looked; I'd guess around 3500-3600 lb.

It would be an okay cruising car. Just don't try drag racing unless you could find an Olds Diesel or some other easy target from the late 70's or early 80's.

gsemike

There would have been plenty of V8 versions produced as well, right? Although nobody knows how many are left, there must be at least a few that came out with 426s?

andre1969

I'd guess that most of these 1960 Plymouths just had the old 318 wideblock. It was a 2-bbl setup with 230 hp, and probably good for 0-60 in about 11-12 seconds.

That year you could also get a 361 or a 383. I believe both engines were available with a 2-bbl, 4-bbl, or "cross ram" dual quads.

There was also a 413, but in 1960 I think it was only used in Chrysler New Yorkers, 300's, and Imperials, and hadn't trickled down to the Plymouths and Dodges yet, although it soon would.

There was also a package available for the 318 that boosted hp to 260, but I'm unclear as to whether it was a 4-bbl or dual quad setup. I don't think the dual quad setup actually increased peak hp all that much, but made more hp available across a broader rpm range.

As for the 426, I think it came out in 1962, and was used in those prematurely downsized Dodges and Plymouths, and was quite a screamer in those light bodies. The term muscle car hadn't been coined yet, but with the right engine/tranny setup, these things would put many so-called musclecars to shame.

british_rover

I don't know that Merc just looks interesting to me. No particular reason.

lemmer

How much for this '82 380SL?

Come to think of it, for the same money I will take this Z3. They are getting pretty cheap.

Mr_Shiftright

The V-8 SLs in the old body style are generally acccompanied by the comment WOOF WOOF! but I'd say the most you could hope to get would be about $8,500 for a really sharp 380SL. Anything over that is a gift from God. Clumsy gas hogs with blood-curdling repair costs is about the story on them. But there is the "look rich for cheap" factor which tempts some people, at least until reality sets in.

Z3--the price does seem to be a bit of a bargain, but the miles are scary for a used BMW.

If you want a REALLY cheap Z3, try for the little 1.9 (??) four cylinder models.

andre1969

A little truth in advertising? I actually kinda like it, but for $3500 I'd expect something like this to be in very good condition, and not needing body work.

Mr_Shiftright

oh dear, the seller is way out of touch here on market reality. He'd be fortunate to get $750 for it. A 4-door 70s car with rust? Get real.

fintail

If you want a 107, get a 560SL. I'd pass on a 380, especially a higher mileage one with spoke wheels.

Mr_Shiftright

Mercedes look AWFUL with spoke wheels I think. Pimps 'em out.

fintail

I agree

Although they were actually an approved dealer-installed accessory on earlier W111 coupes. I saw one that had them from new. It wasn't so bad...but somehow, I like the body color hubcaps.

lemko

Many rust spots coming through amateur restoration? This car is DEAD. My Dad had a 1972 LTD. When rust gets these early '70s Fords, it's curtains for them! My Dad's car looked like mice ran through the body by 1981 whereas Grandpop's 1974 Chevrolet Impala was still as solid as if it were machined from a solid billet of high-quality steel.

qbrozen

If you want a REALLY cheap Z3, try for the little 1.9 (??) four cylinder models.

Interesting. The ONLY reason I would consider that posted Z3 is because its the 2.8 model.

IMHO, the 1.9 should NEVER have been made. The Z3s running around with that engine gave them a bad image. I can't count the number of times I heard someone say "that new BMW convertible is cute, but its SO SLOW!"

lemmer

No slower than a contemporary Miata. The only problem is that BMW wanted an extra $10,000 or so for their car.

qbrozen

exactly!

It LOOKED sporty and expensive ... but only succeeded in actually being expensive.

lemmer

I could still be talked into one if it was cheap enough.

Problem is, much like 318s and such, the poseurs keep the prices pretty close to the six-cylinder models.

Mr_Shiftright

People who can't drive a stickshift probably...one never hears that a 1998 Miata is "so slow"...any engine that is a bit light on torque requires a good driver.

qbrozen

well, again, I think its perception. Those who don't know (ie, 95% of the buying public) don't expect much out of a Miata (mainly given its price).

lemmer

It has been a while since I have seen an SVX in any condition. I know they had a small cult following, but they never really did anything for me.

Mr. Rover guy out there seems to like these Defenders. This guy in my town always seems to have a couple around, usually on eBay.

I know nothing about '41 Cadillacs or luxury hot rods, but this one seems overpriced.

british_rover

Be interesting to see what the defender goes for. I always know people in the market for those.

The SVX looks a little flaky. Why part out a running car that seems to have a straight body? Unless you are making a substantialy larger amount of money which maybe he is I don't see the logic.

lilengineerboy

If you want a 107, get a 560SL. I'd pass on a 380, especially a higher mileage one with spoke wheels.

I agree. 380SL was not the finest moment. I would go older (450SL) or newer (560SL) but not such a 380 fan.

qbrozen

but i found it in my Favorites. Maybe someone here posted it before, I'm not sure. Anyway, its free to sign up if anyone wants to take a look. Its interesting to ponder the vehicles. Imagining what happened to them, etc. Some are pretty obvious, but I have a hard time understanding how some get totalled. There is either ALOT of hidden damage or special circumstances (theft recovery? how long does a car have to be missing to get your insurance to pay it off?).

http://www.ridesafely.com/

There is one Ferrari there (in NJ, no less) that looks completely undamaged in the pics. Too bad the bidding is up to $130k last I checked.

andre1969

I kinda like the older ones, but not that '92. It was a style that, when it came out, had a futuristic look to it. But by the time it was restyled, and other cars were starting to catch up, stylewise I guess, it just lost its uniqueness, and that window treatment started to get a homemade look to it.

british_rover

Hmhhh wonder if I could find a decent track car. Getting a salavaged car legaly registered in CT is a pain in the [non-permissible content removed], unless it was repaired in CT and even then it is a lot of work, so it would probably only be worth it for a track car.

qbrozen

Interesting thought ... but then you'd have to trailer it all the time. Kind of a pain, too, unless you were planning on that in the first place.

I like the 6-series Bimmer in my area, too, but the extent of the damage is quite scary. I believe bidding was up to around $30k. I'm not sure how anyone can come out of that rightside-up for $30k plus the cost to fix it.

fintail

Resto-rods can be cool, but that Caddy is a joke at 100K...look at that dash, talk about cut rate.