By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
...and as of a week ago it turns over but won't start.
Do you think a 2.8 Z3 would be more fun than an early Boxster?
What I meant was if you wanted a dead-reliable, clean 944 you're going to have to put money in yours, and the car isn't worth it. It's a very high maintenance vehicle, which is why they always need something when you shop for one.
With a Miata, you just buy one and turn the key on and off and push the gas pedal and change the oil for the next 200,000 miles then junk it and buy another one cheap. You have an infinite supply of good used ones, a fantastic aftermarket parts supply, and no temptation whatsoever to preserve it as a "classic" which it will never be. Perfect!
A Z3 isn't all that much fun either, for some reason. Some cars have it, some don't. Mysterious.
What else is fun other than a Miata? How about an E36 M3 (even with their ungodly expensive engines)?
old-school domestic rice
I can't remember the last time I saw one of these with the soft top.
Does it come with a free head gasket install?
second-tier andremobile
first-tier andremobile
Great-grandma drove a taxi?
It must take some effort to find those six hours of true darkness to photograph the car.
The missing bumper actually improves the looks, IMO.
Could be a fun weekend tourer.
And for a change of pace:
I can think of worse things to spend $2500 on.
rare tinament
aspiring money pit
this looks legit
The owner kept this Monte Carlo until this year, when he purchased a NEW 2004 Mone Carlo. Wonder which dealer he used?
Plus, back then, when you jumped from a Chevy to an Olds or Buick, it really did feel like you were getting a nicer car. Even if it was just a marketing charade, I swear the interiors seemed nicer, and the cars just seemed more upscale. One thing I never cared for though, was the gauge cluster on the Regals. The 85 mph strip speedometer just looked extra-bad, and if you got a tach, it was just a horizontal little thing stuck on as an afterthought. At least in the Monte, Cutlass, and Grand Prix, you could get a set of full round gauges.
funny thing is i saw a blazer just like the one you posted for sale last weekend, although it didn't have the soft top.
nice job!
LOL, maybe that's what was the ultimate downfall of GM...it just got to the point that there really wasn't that much, anymore, to separate the cars.
By 1986, for example, here are some base prices:
Monte Carlo: $10,241
Grand Prix: $11,069
Cutlass Supreme: $10,698
Regal: $10,654.
Kinda odd, seeing that the Grand Prix actually had the highest base price! It was also the poorest seller, so I wonder if there was some correlation there?
I also wonder if there was actually any real content built into the pricier cars that made them WORTH more than the cheaper ones? Personally, I think the Monte Carlo was a screaming bargain at that price, as it came standard with a 140 hp 4.3 TBI V-6. The others had a comparatively suck-ulent 110 hp 3.8 2-bbl. They all had a 3-speed automatic standard, and power steering/brakes. And probably an AM-only radio with one speaker. Most likely a solid bench seat up front with, at best, a center armrest, and by 1986 I think cloth seats were standard.
Only thing I can think of that the GP had that was different was armrests that were a bit more stylish and unique. Maybe one of them had a better radio standard though? Or perhaps, a split bench was standard on one of the pricier models?
I had an '82 Cutlass Supreme and an '86 Monte Carlo, both of them base models. I remember the Cutlass had nicer fabrics and a dashboard made out of higher quality material than the Monte. It was a more leathery type of material that was a bit softer, and very resistant to cracking. The Cutlass also had pull-straps on the doors. It had a rocker switch for the headlights, which felt nicer to the touch than the cheap pull-knob on the Monte. And the dash had 5 a/c vents instead of 4.
Oh, and the grille on the Cutlass was hinged so that if you bumped into something, theoretically the twin sections would give. However, I tried to show that feature to one of my friends one day, and damn if that section didn't break off in my hands! The Monte's grille didn't have that feature, but then it wasn't slicked back like the Cutlass. It also didn't extend as far forward, so there was no need to hinge it.
Back in those days, the Regal and Cutlass could be optioned up nicer than the Monte or GP. You could get leather in a Regal or Cutlass. Best you could go in the others was crushed velour in that loose pillow look, in the GP Brougham, or Monte Carlo Luxury Sport.
Even back in the 70's, that hierarchy was a bit of a charade. For example, my '76 Grand LeMans coupe had a base price of $4330. A '76 Malibu Classic coupe had a base price of only $3926, but there was one fundamental difference. The Malibu came with a 250 straight six with 105 hp, while the Grand LeMans came with a 400-4bbl with 170 hp. Somehow, a 350-4bbl ended up under the hood of mine, and the VIN and sticker under the hood verify this, so I guess it was a credit option? If you bought a Malibu Classic coupe with the V-8, the price jumped to $4,455. $125 more than the Grand LeMans. But the V-8 you got was just a 140 hp 305-2bbl. So in this case, the LeMans looks like the better deal! Unless there was something else that was standard on the Chevy, but not on the Pontiac?
Sometimes in those days, they'd make something optional, but then build out every single one with it installed, so you were basically forced to take it. One example of this, I've heard, is the bigger '57 DeSotos. Supposedly a '57 Firedome came with a 3-on-the-tree standard and the Fireflite came with a 2-speed Powerflite. But every single one I've ever seen has had the 3-speed Torqueflite. I think they just built them all that way, so even though the advertising might have said otherwise, you weren't going to get it that way.
I guess it's possible that in the 70's, they might have said an automatic was optional, or power steering or brakes, but then built out every single one with those installed. So maybe the Malibu Classic with the 305 had a standard automatic, while it was technically an option on the Grand LeMans?
Strange car, I got to drive it. Ran really good through 1st and 2nd, but it really did feel like they just "left out" third gear and went straight to 4th.
Monte SS for a lot less dough
Not a GM but it looks nice and clean Too bad such a crappy color for a Stang
Probably good for the 79 Trabs Am lover
Probably wildly overpriced I don't think that the Conquista trim adds that much value. btw: No name GM
Pictures not taken by a professional
Could be market price if this looks good in person
When rare and desirable are two different things
Dodge Raider -- isn't that a Mitsubishi something or other?
'95 Explorer--- NICE marketing of a gas guzzling SUV. I'm sure it's gone by now (yeah, right). Poor seller is so clueless....
84 El Camino -- yes, wildly overpriced, and he has a Harley with a Ural sidecar attached, so that should tell you all you need to know...
You could get El Caminos with bucket seats and a console, but that was a totally separate option.
survivor Ford wagon
1939 Special
Dreamers IRA: "expected to increase steadily @ 10%"
the original V6 was tiny, this might be fun
go crazy with those levers!!
big-block 60-bird
cute little mouse for the non-claustrophobic
Dang!!! The hood is longer than the bed!!!
the best Contour ever built, is still a Contour
james :shades:
I really love phrases like this:
"ALL GLASS IS GOOD EXCEPT WINDSHIELED IS CRACKED"
"THERE ARE NO CUSHIONS FOR RARE 3RD SEAT"
"CAR IS SO NICE --POWER WINDOW FOR TAIL GATE NOT WORKING--RADIO DOES NOT WORK--POWER STEERING NEEDS WORK--SURFACE RUST WHERE PAINT IS CHIPPED"
78 Corvette Pace Car -- well Sports Car Market shows a yearly appreciation rate from previous yearly auction prices of------TA DA-----"no change". Well there goes that 10% a year investment.
This looks nice
A cooler Fairlane wagon
I'd be afraid to ask
The benz looks decent but such a garsih color. Not classy at all.
The Fairlane looks good but how about a pic of the gas cap? I have no idea what he's talking about.
BMW M3 -- what was once fast is now a big nothing. This is the kind of car where you just go out and buy a nice one that's all done, and save grief and $$$. They aren't worth that much that you can afford to rebuild them, and they aren't that rare that you have to.
BENZ -- I never saw a Benz that looked good in red. The old 300SL roadster comes the closest.
The car that Bill Gates always wanted, I'm sure, a ratty Plymouth Fury convertible. The gasoline cost would probably push him down one or two rankings in the list of the world's richest people.
Notice how convertible is mispelled in the ad.
The only thing I can think about, with regards to the gas cap, is that back in those days, the OEM gas cap on those cars was body-colored, and shaped so that it blended in with the sheetmetal with the exception of the protrusion where you grabbed it. Some cars, like my '57 DeSoto, had the gas cap behind a fuel filler door, and many cars hid it behind the license plate or some other tricky area.
My '68 and '69 Darts had the exposed gas cap. My '69 had the original cap, but the '68 had a cheap aftermarket thing that was chromed and kind of stuck out. So I used the '69's on the '68 (to recap here, I totaled my '69, found a '68 for sale the next day, ended up buying it, and held onto the '69 for parts for awhile).
Unfortunately, one hot summer day in 1994, I went to the gas station, and forgot to put the cap back on. Somehow, it stayed on the rear deck of the car all the way to the bank. And it managed to hold on about a half-mile after that errand. At a traffic light, a guy got my attention and said he saw my gas cap fly off about 500 feet back. I turned around and went back to look for it, but never found it. Ended up having to get some cheap aftermarket Trak Auto thing (I think they're Advance Auto nowadays). It actually mounted more flush to the side of the car than the other aftermarket one did, but it was silver. I guess I could've painted it white if I really had the inclination.
Anyway, some of those model-specific, OEM gas caps can be hard to find. But I don't think it's THAT big of a deal to mention in an ad, that you have the original. :confuse:
Lots of gold, both in the colors and price
There's some character here
This thing is still on the market...the land yachts might be getting a little soft as gas heads for $5
What are "tabs" I assume it has something to do with registration in your neck of the woods. Its a term I have never heard. I see it on a lot of your CL "finds".
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
Not a bad looking cruiser, I could see Andre or lemko in it
That Caprice looks like it would be a nice driver. I always liked the '86, the way it was just a bit more rounded and aero than the 80-85 style, but the only year with regular headlights, as opposed to composites.
Collectors car????????
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
A 1940's project
If the van's rocking...
The bed cover is not included, I think that is the least of your worries
'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
maybe jake can put it back togther.
My buddy with the two '78 Mark V Diamond Jubilees...his "trashy" one died over the weekend. The mechanic thinks it's a connecting rod or main bearing. He doesn't want to spend anymore money on the car and wants to unload it.
Would something like this fetch much if sold whole, as a "project" car? The paint's horribly faded on it, and it has some chips that are starting to rust, but structurally it's still solid. No rust holes or anything. The interior's not in too horrible of shape, as I recall. It has the 460...rebuilt just before he bought it, but that's not exactly a selling point anymore! I think it has around 120,000 miles on it. Fully loaded, too, and it's the light blue color, not that champagne color they also offered. My friend was thinking about trying to just strip some stuff off of it, like the wheels, leather padding on the dash and center console, the ploodgrain on the dash, trip computer, etc, sell that stuff on eBay, and just junk the rest.
I told him he should see how much it would cost to just have some cheap, used 460 thrown in and then try to sell it, or just try selling it as-is. He doesn't really have the time to part it out, either, and he lives in a townhouse community, where they'd most likely frown on someone parting out a car!
So, any advice on what he should do with this thing? I know that really nice Mark V Diamond Jubilees are getting pretty pricey, but would there be much market for a "restorable" one? Here's a pic I took of it back in 2006, when we took it to the Ford Nationals in Carlisle, PA.
I was almost tempted to ask him if I could drive it this past weekend, so I could use a car to enter in the Ford show. Guess it's a good thing I didn't! :surprise:
Quick way to decide if it has any value as is would be to put it up on Ebay with a 'I'd be amazed to get that' reserve, so if it does sell he'd have no regrets.
I wouldn't even wash it.
I saw online the best one in the world--- a NEW Diamond Jubilee--it had but 5,400 miles on it and looked showroom fresh. Well you can't really get any better than that, and that sold in 2007, including 15% in commissions reflected in the price, for $19,500.
Even if you had a pristine one, you'd have a helluva time selling it. It's a very narrow niche market, so you'd have to be patient if you wanted a high price.
They're kind of like Deloreans and Studebakers--people say they are worth money but so few will reach for their checkbooks.
Still, they are worth more than 95% of all 1978 American cars.
And yes, given that they are ferocious gas hogs and are generally collected by older men, I'd say their future value is not going to be very high.
Here are a couple of other ones:
link title
link title
link title
link title
link title
Then again, craigs list ads are free. I doesn't hurt to put it out there to see what happens