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

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Comments

  • bumpybumpy Member Posts: 4,425
    Nissan VH45DE
    image

    Bigger pics:
    http://www.vh45de.com/images/18353VH45DE.jpg
    http://www.vh45de.com/images/DSCF0005.JPG
    http://www.vh45de.com/images/DSCF0004.JPG
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,159
    Always wondered about that intake manifold - turned 90 degrees from what I'd expect.
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,439
    Here's a crapvette for 12.5 I don;t think that 10 was the unreasonable for the other one

    Unique car but it sounds like this one is shot

    Unmolested Monte SS

    Hard to tell what this is worth

    Weird to see a V6 in this All that work is money wasted on a V6 car

    Highly doubt that this is running 12s with a 305

    This seems reasonably priced

    I guess that the parts could be worth a grand

    500 + 500 = 2150??? While he's seeking the one guy on Earth that wants to drag 2 crappo concordes out of his yard, he can take it easy on the attitude

    Wonder if he would trade for two concordes

    Nice car with optimistic price
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    On the Camaro: "MOTOR,TRANS, REAR, ALL REBUILT.ALL HIGH PERFORMANCE,LESS THAN 5000 MILES ON DRIVE TRAIN.INTERIOR IS MOSTLY ORIG,CARS SHOWS 45000 MILES ON CLOCK"

    If the engine, diff, and tranny all had to be rebuilt, those 45K miles must have been done at Daytona, Talladaga, and Texas Motor Speedway. I always throw a flag when I see very low mileage on an older car with everything in the drivetrain rebuilt.

    Unless, of course, it was rebuilt to remove all the seaweed. :lemon:
  • lemmerlemmer Member Posts: 2,689
    I'll admit that a like the "Crapvettes" as you all call them. Sure they were underpowered, but you can buy a junkyard engine with nearly twice the power for less than the cost of a timing belt replacement on my 944. Sure the build quality sucks, but all '70s American build quallity sucks. Sure, they don't handle that well and are kind of uncomfortable and look a little lava lampish. OK, I don't have comebacks for that stuff, but I decided these cars were cool when I was five years old and I am not going to change my mind now.
  • danf5danf5 Member Posts: 38
    They're cute but heavy. And a little over four years ago when I was looking for a replacement for my stolen GSR, the SVX story in a nutshell was that the transmissions were fragile. Fragile as in guaranteed to break and then to break again when repaired or replaced. They'd last through the warranty period, couldn't be counted on to last 100k miles. Pity.
  • oregonboyoregonboy Member Posts: 1,650
    I believe that I heard about an independent Subaru shop here in the Puget Sound area that specialized in trannie swaps on SVXs. Yank out the fragile automatic and replace it with the relatively robust 5-speed. Made the car way-more fun to drive in the process. :)
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,800
    I've been figurin' if I wanted a slightly more expensive bimmer but keep it under 5 figures, I'd be looking for an e46 328. Over 200 lb-ft of torque should help it move a bit better than its predecessors (i think).

    my '87 325 has been doing very well. We've already put on around 6k miles without a hitch (almost 120k total now). I was going to visit the dealer and let them give it an oil change and once over ... but they wanted over $100! So I changed the oil myself. Wife says its running better than ever.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,800
    talking about it made me look. this one looks like a good candidate. 5-speed, 80k miles, sport pack. I'm not a fan of silver, but ya can't have it all, I suppose. Plus, I know this seller. Bought my 350z there. Good folks to deal with.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,439
    The BMW really does look pretty damn good.

    btw: I have nothing against 70 Vettes. Someone else previously referred to them as Crapvettes so I just kept it going. They are what they are.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    I wouldn't say all '70s Vettes are crap. They were pretty decent until about 1971 and took a serious dive after 1974. If anybody remembers the movie "Boogie Nights," Mark Walberg's character was lusting after an orange 1977 or 1978 Corvette.
  • lemmerlemmer Member Posts: 2,689
    The first couple of years of the C3 were horrible. Car & Driver said early examples weren't even fit to road test. They got a little bit better, but then the emissions stuff showed up, and they sucked again.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    "the SVX story in a nutshell was that the transmissions were fragile. Fragile as in guaranteed to break and then to break again when repaired or replaced. They'd last through the warranty period, couldn't be counted on to last 100k miles. Pity."

    Ah, thanks for reminding me; the transmission is the SVX's greatest point of weakness. And, yes, it really is a pity. It's also why, since the tranny is a main component, that you see so few SVXs today. Even taking into account that they were a relatively low volume production car, if the tranny had been durable there'd be more of them on the road today. The SVX strikes me as the kind of car that owners would want to keep, because of its uniqueness, and the fact that its more than a basic commuter car.
  • steine13steine13 Member Posts: 2,825
    12-yr-old A8q

    I'm surprised to find that at the auction, it might actually bring close to $5... I think you'd have to be seriously insane to buy one of these.

    -Mathias
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,649
    Those things scare me more than W220 S-classes. At least with the MB it is only a few things that always break, the devil you know.

    I don't know if the new style A8 is any better, but they do depreciate swiftly.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Probably better off getting a Phaeton over a new body style A8. The Phaeton has all the same tech but costs less and if you are in an accident you don't have to deal with the all aluminum body of the A8.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The A8 has an aluminum FRAME, which is even worse.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Yeah thats what I meant you know aluminum unibody. I don't think Audi's aluminum repair network is set up nearly as well as Jag's so that would concern me.

    All of this is of course assuming you have a competent VW dealer near by that can handle a Phaeton.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,159
    "assuming you have a competent VW dealer near by "

    must...bite...tongue......
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,649
    Competent VW dealer...that's some kind of oxymoron, right? :P :sick:

    A co-worker of mine has a Jetta...it had a steering column noise, so it went in for a warranty repair....when he got it back, they didn't bother to replace the lower dash panels. It also took him 3 visits to fix a seat rattle.

    I imagine a 10 year old Phaeton will be a scarier proposition than the competition of similar ages, just due to rarity and dealership support.
  • jrosasmcjrosasmc Member Posts: 1,711
    Well, my Volvo is 12 years old ('96 850) and I still get excellent dealer support and service when it needs to go in. I've always felt that my dealer provides top-notch work to keep my car in great shape.

    Shifty, I saw you were discussing older BMW 7-Series and other Bimmers a few posts back. I've got a decent alternative for you when it comes to older European luxury cars- how about a late '80s Volvo 760? I don't know what scares most people away from them but I always loved the feel and look to them. And I wouldn't be fazed by the PRV V-6 engines, as they had almost all the bugs worked out of them by '89, I believe. Of course, the turbo four from the 740 would help reliability a lot.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well my son, personally I think that's looking for trouble. :P

    I do not have a very high opinion of Volvos except for the 120 and 240 series and that's it.
  • lemmerlemmer Member Posts: 2,689
    I don't know all my BMW internal nomenclature, but how are the 5-series cars from around 1989-1996? Fun to drive? Lots of maintenance? Repair prone?
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,439
    How about the generation after that? I still love their clean and mean look
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I think earlier 5 series V-8s are a no-no unless the engine block has been redone.

    The main bugaboos of these cars are the almost for-sure failure of the radiator, the thermostat, the water pump and the control arm bushings. Other than that, it's just the usual high cost of maintenance and repair as might be required, depending on your amount of use and your good luck, or lack thereof.

    I'd say realistically, averaged out over time, one should plan to spend about $150 a month in normal repair and maintenance per year for a 5 series, not including gas, insurance etc.

    If you have bad luck, and have to fix something REALLY BIG, you are screwed. BMW 6 cylinder engines are pretty bullet proof. Aside from the cooling system defects, the only other thing that might be of concern to me is the typical German electronic glitches.
  • lemmerlemmer Member Posts: 2,689
    I think I might give up on getting an older BMW. If I get another BMW, it will probably be a E46 Coupe with a manual transmission and less than 80-90K on the clock. If I could score a silver one with a sports package for around $10K, I'd be pretty darn happy. They seem to be few and far between around here.

    Right now I have a '98 E36 convertible with 77K. In a year of ownership, I've had no mechanical issues at all (but the convertible top motor gave out - $820). I suspect I am lucky so far and just living on borrowed time.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The problems I noted seem to start around 80K or so (not to alarm you--lol!) but that's what I've been reading all over the place about them. But i have a friend with 110K on his and he's not had the cooling system issues---but he IS selling the car.
  • lemmerlemmer Member Posts: 2,689
    OK, I lied. At this price for a low mileage 5-series, how could I go wrong?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Shoot, my friend's car I told you about is a '99 528i with 110K, always dealer-serviced, dk green, tan interior, NAV, auto, selling for a LOT less than that price.

    That one you posted is considerably overpriced IMO. More like $6,500 is all the money for that one.

    Send me an e-mail. Car's in San Francisco area, drive it home.
  • lemmerlemmer Member Posts: 2,689
    Is that the same car you passed on a while back? Too much maintenance for you? I wonder what shipping from CA to AL would be nowadays...
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I think you can get that for something like $800 if you shop around.

    Yeah I use up cars at a fast clip is my problem. I'd have that Bimmer miled up in no time flat.

    I bought that rebuilt '97 Subaru on 2/21 and I have put over 5,000 miles on it already. (trouble free I might add). And that's not using it everyday, when I ride my bike.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,649
    Kind of a survivor

    "Project car"

    The wheels make the car (so does the upholstery)

    Not many of these around anymore

    Slow to sell

    Were these ever actually made in a 4x4?

    I like the vintage Polaroid quality pics and the "russo" color name and the ad copy that screams "I can't sell it on ebay"
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    '63 VW -- guy is high on fumes. More like $200, if that. What a pile of useless junk.

    Ferrari -- he's making all the classic mistakes. No mileage, no detailed record of service. A Ferrari with 60, 000 on it is a parts car.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,159
    Re: the pickup - Don't know if they ever made a 4x4, but when he says his 2.3l 'A LIFTER JUST STARTED MAKING NOISE" - isn't this the SOHC Pinto engine, no lifters, just cam and follower slowly wearing away?
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,109
    I kinda like that '81 Century, although I dunno if I could ever handle driving one of those 110 hp 231-2bbls again on a regular basis. Still, those things were comfortable, roomy little cars. If it had a V-8 it might not be too bad, but I think by this time, the V-8 choices were a Pontiac 265 or 301. I heard that California pretty much banned ALL Pontiac V-8's in the late 70's (I originally thought it was just the 350 and 400, but I guess the 301 and 265 were ultimately added to that list), so I guess Cali V-8 Centurys got the Chevy 305?
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Regarding the Ferrari, I hate when people refer to cars as "she." It's an "it." If the car must have a gender, any Ferrari should be masculine anyway.
  • lemmerlemmer Member Posts: 2,689
    I agree. It gets particularly creepy when people start calling cars sexy. That's just weird.
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Andre, you must be an incurable romantic to love those cars! Either that or those are the cars you liked when you were young. I'm almost 20 years older than you, so American iron from the 50s and 60s sets my heart a flutter (well, not ALL of them -- no '58 Olds for me, thanks).

    From your fleet for instance, I love your '57 DeSoto and '67 Catalina. I have some nostalgia regarding the '76 LeMans, because it's a kissin' cousin of the '73 Monte Carlo that my mother once owned. But the rest...meh!
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    and put a late 90's 185HP 3.8 liter in it instead. I don't know about the Century, but the little Starfire/Sunbire/Monza/Skyhawk with the carb engine was already using an electric fuel pump, so it would be interesting to see how hard it would be to install the EFI wiring and ECM.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,109
    Well, I think the main reason I like that Century is because it's a cousin to my first car, which was a 1980 Malibu coupe. Just a year newer, two extra doors (and those damn stationary rear door windows!), a lot more plush, and a different 3.8. Plus, I think they're nice and comfy, and reasonably attractive.

    As for my current fleet, well yeah I guess it takes a special kind of masochism to love a Chrysler R-body! I did like those things when I was little though, back when they were new, so that might be part of it. I just always thought they had a sleek, lowered, almost customized look compared to their Ford/GM competition of the time.

    I do love a lot of the stuff from the 50's and 60's, but most of it's just so expensive these days, that it's more than I'd want to pay. I bought that DeSoto way back in 1990, when I was still in college, and the Catalina in 1994, about two months after I got hired full-time. Probably a good thing I bought them back then when I was young and foolish, because I'd probably be too hesitant to do it nowadays. Even if I am better off financially than I was when I was, say, 20, I guess I'm also more conservative.
  • steine13steine13 Member Posts: 2,825
    "If the car must have a gender, any Ferrari should be masculine anyway."

    I disagree.
    Testarossa.
    Not -rosso...

    -Mathias
  • oregonboyoregonboy Member Posts: 1,650
    So let's look at convertables:

    Superbeetle!!!

    Cheap (branded) Vette, to pick up cheap babes :P

    Gray-market 280SL

    parade car (you can't afford to drive it fast or far)

    1968 Plymouth, with canopy??

    1963 Bonney - cool, but not cheap
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,649
    A one owner collectible classic - I suspect the metal is similar to my dad's 610 - made from Asahi cans.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,649
    Not a bad looking 107. A car being clean is not a guarantee of goodness, but it never hurts. MB was still really in the old days then...that 280 I6 is a not-too-distant relative of the unit in my fintail

    Here's a much more aesthetically challenged example

    I remember back in the day people would want huge money for those late Beetle convertibles.

    The Bonnie isn't cheap indeed...but might not be hugely far off base.
  • steine13steine13 Member Posts: 2,825
    Could we please all say it together:

    ConvertIble.

    They all look great in "burgandy". Sheesh.
    -Mathias
  • oregonboyoregonboy Member Posts: 1,650
    Convertible/Convertable, I searched craigslist both ways and got more interesting results with the misspelling. :P
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,159
    "They all look great in "burgandy". Sheesh"

    What a maroon! :P
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Eckually, "automobile" is a feminine noun in Italian. La macchina (MAH-key-na)

    '63 Bonnie -- price is right on the money for a nice clean driver with no major issues. The price is right.

    Euro 280SL -- beware of the tin worm. If you get stuck with severe rust under a 280SL, you just as well might throw the car away.

    But the seller says the "breaks" are good, and that it "drives like butter". So no idling in traffic on a hot day, please!
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    '63 Bonnie -- one of my all-time favorites! Ah, if I were young and single again...(but had a decent job).
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,109
    63 Bonnie -- price is right on the money for a nice clean driver with no major issues. The price is right.

    Yeah, isn't it actually 1967 where the prices start to really drop off on big Pontiac convertibles? At least, I remember looking in a classic car guide years ago and it seemed like around 60-62 were the priciest, and they slowly dropped from there, but then took a big drop in '67, and went south from there. Could be different nowadays though.

    I guess it's only natural that '67 is where the value would drop off, since that's what I ended up buying. :cry: But, oh well...I never bought a car with the intention of it financing my early retirement, and I tend to buy what I like, desireability/value be damned. I guess my R-bodies are a testament to that. :P
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