low miles are always attractive to someone, even if the buyer pool for a '79 NYer is small.
LOL yeah, I think I pretty much AM the buyer pool for a Mopar R-body! :P
Actually, I probably wouldn't worry too much about reselling, because I tend to keep cars for awhile. I've had my current '79 NYer Ave for a bit over 5 years now. I'd be tempted to get rid of it to make space for this one, though! I don't really care about the fact that it's a low-line NYer and not a nicer-trimmed model or a 5th Avenue. It's just that for me, that is "the" color to have! And the low miles and condition make it very tempting. My 5th Ave has about 90,000 miles on it, and while it's not in bad condition when you figure I paid $900 for it, it would be cheaper to spend $3000-3500 on this green one than it would be to get mine up to that condition.
The MB wagons that seem to get the money are the Universals (which are all fintails of course). The Binz models don't bring the money, probably because they look ambulance-like, and for good reason.
I'd say 5500 is good money for that black fintail too. Maybe 7-8K for an SE, and the same amount more for a W112. Hard to define a range for those when so few exist and seem to never come on the market.
I've seen Kuhlmeister AC units in fintails, which are a lot smaller and nicer looking than the gigantic thing in that black car. I wonder what brand that is.
Early Hemis: Well they used them because there wasn't much else...they used Cadillac engines, too, to show you how desperate they were for power. But all those early V8s were big and heavy...which is why you saw so many rods without fenders or hood! They made power but they added lots of weight and there wasn't much of an aftermarket either. You had to make do or get inventive.
But when the small block Chevy came out, most people went that route and these early V8s became anchors. Even the fanatic flathead Ford people had to give up finally. Nothing like a short stroke light V8!
I checked eBay this morning, and that '79 New Yorker's already up to $3,000. So I've pretty much decided to dismiss it from my mind.
Maybe this is a sign that I'm starting to develop a bit of common sense when it comes to cars? Plus, I figure that $3000+ would be better spent elsewhere. I do want to get a new top and some Rally 2's for my '67 Catalina, and eventually get the DeSoto converted to disc brakes.
And the house is getting to the point that it's going to need some semi-major roof work soon, but I can put that off...the cars are more important! :P
Or maybe the R-body market is heating up. Hey, you never know.
But yeah, tend to your other cars, they deserve it. And you bought that Pontiac not terribly long ago. You'd have to make a deal...sell an existing car to get a new one.
I saw a couple of oddities today - a white Porsche 356, a weird yellow and black Discovery that might be some kind of special edition (?), and an old ca. 1950 Bentley, white with wide whites - some kind of wedding vehicle I am sure.
I also stopped by a local high end lot that deals in upmarket late models and some weird cars. They usually have a selection of overpriced muscle cars (26K for a presentable but non-GTO 1966 LeMans? What?), but nothing special today. However, they did have this Z car. 1984 50th anniversary model, turbo, something like 15K miles on it. I think they wanted 15K for the car.
It never ceases to amaze me how poorly many of the cars on E-Bay are photographed. The Fiat 130 Coupe is probably not a good buy at any price but it is a very handsome car which is photographed only from the front, it's most non-descript aspect IMO.
If it were mine I'd show off the graceful Pininfarina styling from this angle>
...this morning: black 1967 Ford Mustang, blue-green 1964 Chevrolet Impala two-door hardtop, and what appeared to be a rough black and white 1946-48 Chevrolet Fleetline sedan.
The "old lady" or "old man" myth needs serious re-visiting. I deal with these types of cars in appraisal work and they aren't what they are cracked up to be.
Over the weekend, I stopped at a dealership that had a 1982 Plymouth Grand Fury, and it looked like it was in top shape. The body was flawless, really looked classy. At this same dealership, I also saw what looked like a 1967 Chrysler 300. Again, it looked flawless. My guess is that they got these cars from someones estate, the typical old man or old lady cars. I would not discount the theory of the "old lady" car too much. My mom is in her 70's and she has a 2002 Ford Taurus in pristine condition with only 2500 miles on it. She barely drives it.
Over the weekend, I stopped at a dealership that had a 1982 Plymouth Grand Fury, and it looked like it was in top shape.
Do you remember any details of the Gran Fury, like the color, miles, and asking price? Also, if it had a slant six or 318? I'm not in the market, but just kinda curious, as I used to have an '89 Gran Fury ex-police car. I did like the style of it. It had a bit of necolassic throwback to it, and didn't even try to look modern or futuristic. But, for what it was, I thought it was pleasant.
As for "old lady" cars, I guess part of the key is how well they're maintained. My Granddad had a 1994 Ford Taurus that had about 32,000 miles on it when he gave up driving about 2 years ago. I remember it often smelled of antifreeze, like it was leaking somewhere, but I never did see a puddle underneath. I remember some minor rear suspension component rusted and broke, too, and the oil pan gasket had to be replaced.
He offered to give it to me when he decided to quit driving, but I didn't have any need for another car. Plus, I was just a little leery of it because he didn't maintain it that well. But one of my cousins got it, and two years later it seems to still be doing fine.
Did Chrysler still use the slant six in 1982? I found a brochure online but could hardly read: 225 cu in? 6 ohv...
Yup, it was still around in 1982. The last cars to use the slant six were the 1983 Cordoba/Mirada and the Gran Fury/Diplomat. It was down to 90 hp by then, and I think 165 ft-lb of torque, so it wasn't well-suited at all to these heavy cars. 1983 was the last year for the Cordoba/Mirada, and in 1984 they made the 318 standard on the Gran Fury and Diplomat.
The slant six did persist through either 1986 or 1987 in the full-sized Dodge pickups and vans. It was replaced by the 3.9 V-6, a 318 with two cylinders sawed off.
this morning I saw a Dodge Diplomat coupe. Couldn't see enought to get the year as it was dark, but it did look like it was in good shape. But like I said it was dark.
I've know a few ladies like that...
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha
this morning I saw a Dodge Diplomat coupe. Couldn't see enought to get the year as it was dark, but it did look like it was in good shape.
With Diplomat coupes, they basically came in in two flavors...the 1977-79, which was a bit larger (112.7" wb) and more curvaceous and flowing, or the 1980-81, which was stubbier (108.7" wb, shrunken so it wouldn't compete too much with the 1980 Cordoba/Mirada), more angular, and formal-looking. The '77-79 also had a slightly vee'd boat-tail shape to the rear of it.
Chrysler got really sloppy with their build quality in the 70's, especially once they started running out of money. For some reason though, the M-body LeBaron/Diplomat seemed unusually sturdy and well-built. While they were based on the Aspen/Volare, they weren't nearly as rust-prone. They also seemed put together much better than the R-body (1979-81 full-size) and J-body (1980-83 Cordoba/Mirada) which followed them.
Do you remember any details of the Gran Fury, like the color, miles, and asking price? Also, if it had a slant six or 318? I'm not in the market, but just kinda curious, as I used to have an '89 Gran Fury ex-police car. I did like the style of it. It had a bit of necolassic throwback to it, and didn't even try to look modern or futuristic. But, for what it was, I thought it was pleasant.
I can give you the name/number of the dealership via email if you're curious. I wont be driving past the place until next weekend. If I think of it, I could stop and take another look. As far as the color goes, it was a cream color.
2 grey 300zx turbo's. pretty rare in december in ct. on sunday, a mint c-10 light blue upper/lower around white, 8 foot bed, cab lights, rallye rims. a looker. older driver, probably retired from 'new departure'.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
Well c'mon the dinky Mustang 5.0 only has maybe 220 HP when it came out factory fresh and it's out of breath pretty quick with pushrods.....the 560SEL is about an 8.0 second car unless it was a EURO, which is actually pretty quick.
I'd say this contest went to the driver, not the car.
I just think it looks cool, that big old automatic grandpa boat Benz being relatively competent. And it probably weighs 1000 lbs more, too. C&D July '87 has a 560SEL at 7 seconds flat.
I use Robert Nitske's "Mercedes Benz Production Models Book, 1946-1995"
he's the author of The Complete Mercedes Story" and I think he is a more reliable source of info.
Having driven the 80s 560SELs quite a bit, I'd be more inclined to accept Nitske's figures of 8.0 seconds for the US model. With 238 HP and a 2.47 differential coupled to 4200 lbs, I'm doubting that 7.0 number or whatever it was they quoted.
He shows a 560SL at 8.0 seconds. Again these are USA cars.
I know a lot of the time those C&D and MT numbers can be all over the map. Especially in the old days. Nowadays, they list their own times but then also do a "street start" acceleration time, which is supposed to be a more accurate representation of what the average driver might see.
How much torque would that 238 hp 560 SEL engine have? Also, the 2.47 axle sounds like it would really hold the car back, but I'm guessing Benz put shorter transmission gears in their cars than the domestics? I know back in the 80's, a typical domestic car first gear was around 2.5-2.7:1, and second was usually around 1.5-1.7:1, third would be 1:1 and overdrive, it it had it, would usually be 0.66:1, although I think some cars might've used a ~0.75:1.
The 560SEL had a second gear start, set up so you had to really floor it to start off in first. It was a steep gear and would upshift immediately. MB auto transmissions are good at holding a gear to redline anyway, but I don't know the ratios.
the sad thing is, in decoding the VIN, that Charger Daytona only has a 360-2bbl. I looked in my auto encyclopedia, and it shows three different 360's that year. 170 hp, 175, and 220. I wonder if the 170 and 175 hp engines were both 2-bbls, but the 170 was just choked down for California? They wouldn't make a 4-bbl option that only put out 5 more hp than the 2-bbl, would they? Or maybe they did...it WAS the 70's, after all. :sick:
One thing I'll give Chrysler credit for is still offering a fairly high-output 360 that year. In contrast, most of GM's 350's were putting out 160-170 hp, although the Corvette did offer a 210 hp 350. And Ford's 351 was choked down to 150-155 hp.
Now I know 220 hp out of a 5.7-5.9 liter-sized engine is laughable today, but in something like a Dart Sport or Duster it would've been pretty decent. And would have even made a two-ton Charger tolerable! Far cry from a REAL Charger Daytona, though. Oh well, this one could have been worse. Standard engine in the Charger was a 150 hp 318-2bbl. :sick:
That Cross Lander looks like it was made entirely of aftermarket pieces you could find at Pep Boys 20 years ago! I recognize that moulding along the sides.
That Seville would make a nice replacement for my Park Avenue as a "beater car." No way on earth would I pay his "Buy It Now" price. I'd immediately ditch the pimpy continental kit.
look at it this way, 5.6 litre and vs 5.0 litre. the 'stang was not the best configuration for drag racing. hatchback style is better, due to added weight over the rear axle. the benz driver knew which wheels to smoke before starting the race. fun video to watch. :shades:
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
I looked in my rearview mirror while stopped @ a light and spotted a '38-'39ish Olds 4-door in a nice shade of light yellow/tan. With all the Saturday traffic I couldn't manage to get a better look, which is a shame as it appeared to be a pretty nice one.
Comments
LOL yeah, I think I pretty much AM the buyer pool for a Mopar R-body! :P
Actually, I probably wouldn't worry too much about reselling, because I tend to keep cars for awhile. I've had my current '79 NYer Ave for a bit over 5 years now. I'd be tempted to get rid of it to make space for this one, though! I don't really care about the fact that it's a low-line NYer and not a nicer-trimmed model or a 5th Avenue. It's just that for me, that is "the" color to have! And the low miles and condition make it very tempting. My 5th Ave has about 90,000 miles on it, and while it's not in bad condition when you figure I paid $900 for it, it would be cheaper to spend $3000-3500 on this green one than it would be to get mine up to that condition.
Damn I need a bigger garage!
You'll have to keep us updated if you go look at the NYer. Those seat covers are painful looking!
I'd say 5500 is good money for that black fintail too. Maybe 7-8K for an SE, and the same amount more for a W112. Hard to define a range for those when so few exist and seem to never come on the market.
I've seen Kuhlmeister AC units in fintails, which are a lot smaller and nicer looking than the gigantic thing in that black car. I wonder what brand that is.
Early Hemis: Well they used them because there wasn't much else...they used Cadillac engines, too, to show you how desperate they were for power. But all those early V8s were big and heavy...which is why you saw so many rods without fenders or hood! They made power but they added lots of weight and there wasn't much of an aftermarket either. You had to make do or get inventive.
But when the small block Chevy came out, most people went that route and these early V8s became anchors. Even the fanatic flathead Ford people had to give up finally. Nothing like a short stroke light V8!
Maybe this is a sign that I'm starting to develop a bit of common sense when it comes to cars? Plus, I figure that $3000+ would be better spent elsewhere. I do want to get a new top and some Rally 2's for my '67 Catalina, and eventually get the DeSoto converted to disc brakes.
And the house is getting to the point that it's going to need some semi-major roof work soon, but I can put that off...the cars are more important! :P
But yeah, tend to your other cars, they deserve it. And you bought that Pontiac not terribly long ago. You'd have to make a deal...sell an existing car to get a new one.
And on the obscure idea, someone has an unusual obsession
I also stopped by a local high end lot that deals in upmarket late models and some weird cars. They usually have a selection of overpriced muscle cars (26K for a presentable but non-GTO 1966 LeMans? What?), but nothing special today. However, they did have this Z car. 1984 50th anniversary model, turbo, something like 15K miles on it. I think they wanted 15K for the car.
New phone, better pics
If it were mine I'd show off the graceful Pininfarina styling from this angle>
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
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2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Over the weekend, I stopped at a dealership that had a 1982 Plymouth Grand Fury, and it looked like it was in top shape. The body was flawless, really looked classy. At this same dealership, I also saw what looked like a 1967 Chrysler 300. Again, it looked flawless. My guess is that they got these cars from someones estate, the typical old man or old lady cars. I would not discount the theory of the "old lady" car too much. My mom is in her 70's and she has a 2002 Ford Taurus in pristine condition with only 2500 miles on it. She barely drives it.
Do you remember any details of the Gran Fury, like the color, miles, and asking price? Also, if it had a slant six or 318? I'm not in the market, but just kinda curious, as I used to have an '89 Gran Fury ex-police car. I did like the style of it. It had a bit of necolassic throwback to it, and didn't even try to look modern or futuristic. But, for what it was, I thought it was pleasant.
As for "old lady" cars, I guess part of the key is how well they're maintained. My Granddad had a 1994 Ford Taurus that had about 32,000 miles on it when he gave up driving about 2 years ago. I remember it often smelled of antifreeze, like it was leaking somewhere, but I never did see a puddle underneath. I remember some minor rear suspension component rusted and broke, too, and the oil pan gasket had to be replaced.
He offered to give it to me when he decided to quit driving, but I didn't have any need for another car. Plus, I was just a little leery of it because he didn't maintain it that well. But one of my cousins got it, and two years later it seems to still be doing fine.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Yup, it was still around in 1982. The last cars to use the slant six were the 1983 Cordoba/Mirada and the Gran Fury/Diplomat. It was down to 90 hp by then, and I think 165 ft-lb of torque, so it wasn't well-suited at all to these heavy cars. 1983 was the last year for the Cordoba/Mirada, and in 1984 they made the 318 standard on the Gran Fury and Diplomat.
The slant six did persist through either 1986 or 1987 in the full-sized Dodge pickups and vans. It was replaced by the 3.9 V-6, a 318 with two cylinders sawed off.
Audi S4
Subaru WRX STI.. (pretty sure.. if not STI, then some serious tuning going on)
Mitsu EVO VIII
Not a badge in sight on the rear of any of them..
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I know a guy with a debadged C43. The car is a pretty decent sleeper as-is, but debadged, I am sure it surprises some people.
I sometimes think it would be funny to rebadge a tuned model as a lower model...say a C180 on a C43/C55, or a diesel emblem.
Also, in traffic, a 560SEL followed directly by a CLS550, almost the same color...which I could have snapped a pic of that one.
I've know a few ladies like that...
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha
With Diplomat coupes, they basically came in in two flavors...the 1977-79, which was a bit larger (112.7" wb) and more curvaceous and flowing, or the 1980-81, which was stubbier (108.7" wb, shrunken so it wouldn't compete too much with the 1980 Cordoba/Mirada), more angular, and formal-looking. The '77-79 also had a slightly vee'd boat-tail shape to the rear of it.
Chrysler got really sloppy with their build quality in the 70's, especially once they started running out of money. For some reason though, the M-body LeBaron/Diplomat seemed unusually sturdy and well-built. While they were based on the Aspen/Volare, they weren't nearly as rust-prone. They also seemed put together much better than the R-body (1979-81 full-size) and J-body (1980-83 Cordoba/Mirada) which followed them.
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha
I can give you the name/number of the dealership via email if you're curious. I wont be driving past the place until next weekend. If I think of it, I could stop and take another look. As far as the color goes, it was a cream color.
on sunday, a mint c-10 light blue upper/lower around white,
8 foot bed, cab lights, rallye rims. a looker. older driver, probably retired from 'new departure'.
I am kinda curious, so could you shoot that name/number to me? My email's in my Edmund's profile.
Thanks!
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
This is pretty cool
I'd say this contest went to the driver, not the car.
I think the same article claimed it would outrun a 5 speed IROC Camaro.
Here's all the Benz 560 stats they have:
1986 Mercedes-Benz 560SL 7.5 15.8
1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC 7.0 15.5
1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SL 7.5 15.8
1989 Mercedes-Benz 560SL 6.8 15.2
(first # is 0-60 time, second # is 1/4 mile time)
The info they give isn't any more detailed than that, though (no info on transmissions, axle ratio, quarter mile speed, etc)
As for IROCs of that time, they have the following listed:
1985 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z28 7.0 15.2
1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z 6.6 14.9
1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z L98 6.8 15.3
1988 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z 7.0 15.5
1990 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z 5.8 14.4
he's the author of The Complete Mercedes Story" and I think he is a more reliable source of info.
Having driven the 80s 560SELs quite a bit, I'd be more inclined to accept Nitske's figures of 8.0 seconds for the US model. With 238 HP and a 2.47 differential coupled to 4200 lbs, I'm doubting that 7.0 number or whatever it was they quoted.
He shows a 560SL at 8.0 seconds. Again these are USA cars.
How much torque would that 238 hp 560 SEL engine have? Also, the 2.47 axle sounds like it would really hold the car back, but I'm guessing Benz put shorter transmission gears in their cars than the domestics? I know back in the 80's, a typical domestic car first gear was around 2.5-2.7:1, and second was usually around 1.5-1.7:1, third would be 1:1 and overdrive, it it had it, would usually be 0.66:1, although I think some cars might've used a ~0.75:1.
I would have liked to see a top speed shootout between that big old W126 and the Mustang, on a salt flat or something.
Some of that Romanian flair
Keep it mint, barely drive it, still lose
One of the few cars that wear white well
Not the first thing I think of when I see "Charger Daytona"
Sure is a rusty old thing for LA
Something you don't see every day
Small tin can
Roller skate
One thing I'll give Chrysler credit for is still offering a fairly high-output 360 that year. In contrast, most of GM's 350's were putting out 160-170 hp, although the Corvette did offer a 210 hp 350. And Ford's 351 was choked down to 150-155 hp.
Now I know 220 hp out of a 5.7-5.9 liter-sized engine is laughable today, but in something like a Dart Sport or Duster it would've been pretty decent. And would have even made a two-ton Charger tolerable! Far cry from a REAL Charger Daytona, though. Oh well, this one could have been worse. Standard engine in the Charger was a 150 hp 318-2bbl. :sick:
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2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
the 'stang was not the best configuration for drag racing. hatchback style is better, due to added weight over the rear axle.
the benz driver knew which wheels to smoke before starting the race. fun video to watch. :shades:
Old lady driven since new with AWD, auto, and a/c.
And only 26000 original kilometers. (16000 miles) :surprise: :surprise:
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
a 1960 Olds 4-door blue/blue.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,