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

oregonboy · March 2009

I would wager that "asking" is more... $12 to 14k. But you are probably spot on as far as "worth", assuming all is good.

Fun car if you live near and drive on appropriate roads.

lemmer · March 2009

It looks like a lot of people want over $20K for their modified cars. Good luck with that.

As for the more reasonable people, it looks like they are asking in the $10-12K range on Autotrader, so somewhere around $10K for a good example might be a good number to shoot for.

ryan77300d · March 2009

I'll try not to stray too OT.

Take a look at the grounding straps for the exterior lighting system @ the bulb sockets. Remove them and polish the contact surfaces with a little emery cloth; the array of ground ties on all these cars are finnicky, to say the least.

Best of luck, and beautiful car!

fintail · March 2009

Hey thanks. I'll check that out. I checked and double checked the bulbs a while ago, and everything appeared OK.

I did once have a problem with the front parking/running lights...if you didn't have the bulbs in just the right position, you'd either get working signals or working parking lights, but not both. However, that problem seem to resolve itself.

For ages only one reverse light worked, too...then I noticed last time I saw the car in reverse, they both worked. Finicky indeed.

lemmer · March 2009

my latest weird trade offer - not what I had in mind when I mentioned a BMW trade.

texases · March 2009

That old BMW bike with the almost-new engine, kind of like a '55 Chevy with a 350. Way more practical with that engine, for sure. Shifty, interested?

fintail · March 2009

I like that, with the sidecar. Very cool, and it looks beautiful.

qbrozen · March 2009

ok. just one more time. explain to me why you are considering trading the 911?

Mr_Shiftright · March 2009

That's a nice rig although I'm not a sidecar kind of guy...the sidecar makes driving the bike *very* weird and driving one over 65 mph is a great way to die fast and horribly.

But it looks like a beautiful job and this bike will only increase in value.

I HOPE (and pray) this is a real R71 and not the Chinese replica they make (the R71 is a late 30s, early 40s bike with a flathead engine). I'd certainly demand a VIN number and close-up photos.

Not sure why someone would chop up a real R71 as they are worth a bundle.

The more I look the more I think this might be a Chinese bike. There are so many of them around, and so very very few real R71s.

fintail · March 2009

I think you are onto something there. Nowhere does the seller say what kind of bike this rig is based on, nor what year it is from. He simply says "This is a vintage motorcycle with sidecar", and a 197x Chiang-Jiang would fit that description. Nor is there any info about the sidecar...and the maker of the sidecar can have a significant impact on value.

It's kind of an idea that once came to mind for me, probably borrowed from something I read or saw on youtube - get a CJ or a Ural/Dnepr and replace the cruddy engine with something proper. The only debate would be whether to trust Chinese or Russian metalworking more...I suspect Russia is the safer bet.

lemmer · March 2009

I have two '86 Porsches and two children that I regularly drive places. School and daycare are very close by, but if I go any further I have to take the wife's Pilot. She doesn't want me to take her car because she doesn't like driving mine. Furthermore, she is still angry that I replaced my BMW convertible (that she loved) with the 911.

If I insist on keeping one of my crappy old cars (as she refers to them) she prefers the 944 because it is easier to drive and it cost 1/5 as much as the 911. In her perfect world, I would have a BMW sedan and a Boxster both at her disposal.

So basically the short answer is that my wife is making me replace the 911.

lokki · March 2009

Sometimes substraction or substitution is not as good an answer as addition -

Perhaps THIS is the answer -

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-3-Series-Convertible-1989_W0QQitemZ2603825301- 25QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item260382530125&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&- _trkparms=65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

(Of course, one of YOUR babies is going to have to live in the driveway....)

lokki · March 2009

Can this REALLY be reassembled? I had one of those Pocher Rolls Royce models once. I never finished that AND I had the instructions for it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1959-TRIUMPH-TR3A-WITH-OVERDRIVE_W0QQitemZ2303323- 63838QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item230332363838&_trksid=p4506.c0.m2- 45&_trkparms=72%3A317%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Does a heart transplant make you a new (and better) ~~man~~ ~~animal~~ car ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/triumph-stag-1972-no-reserve-excellente-condition- _W0QQitemZ140308826420QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item140308826420&_t- rksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A317%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

This project is more in my league...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Triumph-TR4_W0QQitemZ180338676281QQcmdZViewItemQQ- ptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item180338676281&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A317- %7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

If I had the money.... I'd buy this today
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1969-ALFA-ROMEO-1750-SPIDER_W0QQitemZ170314308086- QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item170314308086&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_t- rkparms=72%3A317%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Mr_Shiftright · March 2009

As if a Buick 215 aluminum engine were actually an improvement...well okay, from the Stag fire into the Stag frying pan. I noticed 0 bids, and I'm not surprised. What that Stag needs is a Porsche 928 motor.

explorerx4 · March 2009

the alfa looks good, but i think it is the 'spiderweb' model.
check out the suspension pics.

qbrozen · March 2009

see... this is where you keep losing me. You need to replace the 911 because you need to borrow the Pilot to schlep the kids ... yet you are considering things like an S2000, Miata, and motorcycle. It just doesn't make sense. If you consider any of those, what is the point of giving up the 911??

Heck, if anything, you should replace the 944 with a sedan.

stickguy · March 2009

or my personal favorite, keep the 911, replace the wife! j/k there (I think...)

Unless the budget situation absolutely prevents it, if you like the 911 more, keep it and unload the 944 and get something basic for running the kids around town. Not that hard to find a decent compact (especially with a stick) for 3K.

lokki · March 2009

Spiderweb Alfa - humph!

Sigh, I admit it, I fell for it.

I thought I knew my Alfa's fairly well, but I'd never heard of that one. I tried to look it up on the net before I looked at the picture.

I thought it might be a nickname like "Frog Eye Sprite" or "Birdcage Maserati" .

"Frog Eye Sprite"

"Birdcage Maserati"

lemmer · March 2009

Well, I certainly can't argue with your logic. I am not considering a motorcycle at all. I just figured the guys would enjoy looking at it. As for the 2 seaters, that would have to be a two pronged attack - trade 911 for the S2000, sell 944, buy sedan (OK, three prongs maybe).

I've thought of putting the 944 on CL to see if it would sell any faster than the 911. Nobody seems to have cash for the 911 and most of the trade offers seem to be coming from people who have toys that are far more esoteric than a Porsche. I bet if I had a cheap Camry, people would be beating down my door.

In any case, I have the cash to buy a sedan right now if I come across the right one.

lokki · March 2009

fintail · March 2009

I think the 914 is supposed to be a pretty fun car. That one is wearing the Euro badging - ad makes it sound like maybe a grey market car.

The Tempest is an oddity.

The engine in the Daimler does appear to be period correct...probably no harm done, you won't find parts for the original unit.

Do people really want those 50s Hemis so much to break up the Imperial?

Mr_Shiftright · March 2009

914s are great little cars....not particularly fast. They have a Porsche transmission and suspension but a bone stock VW pancake engine. The one you posted has all kinds of goofy stuff on it so I have no idea if it's a good buy (might be!) or a rat's nest of someone's bad modifications. Looks like a carburetor has been substituted for the fuel injection---that's probably bad. 914s handle great and are a formidable competitor in AutoX. The 2.0 is the engine you want, but I don't know if you want this one.

63 Fairlane --- you can spot a Maaco paint job a mile away. The car is wrong wrong wrong top to bottom.

62 Tempest -- you can actually build that 4 cylinder to move right out---it would be a fun car. It's a BIG, crude 1/2 of a V-8 block, but it's got some serious torque for a 4-banger. Off the line you will shock the Japanese street rockets--but you'll run out of steam on your tachometer long before they will.Might be worth the money.

67 VW Dual Cab -- rare vehicle, so slow I could not find words to describe the snail's pace---price in this condition is NUTS. Try $2500.

Morris Minor Pickup--- not as rare as he thinks. I see them all the time at shows.

Z28 -- he's probably get his price. This is the Holy Grail of Camaros aside from the really low production big block cars.

DAIMLER -- it's not a "Daimler-Benz"---GEEZ--this is a British car. And an ugly snout on 'er, too, although quite rare. There was a very decent clean driver up for auction, bone stock, that failed to sell at $22,000 just recently. So what have you got here at $15K? a) a car that nobody wants even when its not modified and b) a FrankenDaimler now. Asking price is triple the value, at least. Nobody cares, is the bottom line.

Chrysler Imperial --- yeah, it's a "hemi" but not THE Hemi-----old Datsuns have "hemis" too. Big deal. It's an enormously heavy 4-door sedan/limo, so you aren't going anywhere fast. HOWEVER, having said all that, if the car is really decent, it's well worth the price---but it's not something you want to get into a full bore restoration with. Could be some profit in this one.

SMART car -- oh well, what can you say. Somebody got crazy back when gas was $$$ and now they want the market to bail them out---don't think so.

andre1969 · March 2009

Do people really want those 50s Hemis so much to break up the Imperial?

Once upon a time those old Hemis were a hot item, but nowadays I'd think the cars would be valuable enough to keep whole. Plus, I think it was the bigger Hemi, like the 354 and 392 Chryslers, that were the real prize. Plus, over the years more modern, better engines came along. Those old Hemis were good, sturdy engines, and gave good power for their displacement at the time. But they were also big and heavy, and I'm sure there are a lot of places one wouldn't fit without some serious mods to whatever it was going into.

I would hope that Imperial wouldn't get scrapped for the engine. Looks like a decent car.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2009

It was "prized" when the hottest thing on the road was a Ford flathead V-8.

As soon as the small block Chevy V-8 appeared, these small, early "Hemis" were not used very much for racing....now and then.

andre1969 · March 2009

In addition to Datsun, there's something else that had a Hemi, something almost embarrassing. And it was Mopar. The 1982 Aries/Reliant K-cars, when equipped with the Mitsubishi 2.6, actually wore a "2.6 Hemi" badge!

Mr_Shiftright · March 2009

it's just the shape of the combustion chamber. Hemis are as old as the hills (1920s).

fintail · March 2009

I just noticed the K-Mart hubcaps and weirdo seats in the Daimler. Even at a third the price, an unredeemable money pit. The parts have to be sourced from 8000 miles away. I didn't even catch the "Benz" claim.

fintail · March 2009

Things like this are why it's good I don't have a large facility to accumulate heaps

I wonder if it's a grey market car or not, or what it really is.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2009

Looks like a pile of junk to me. But parts might be worth the price.

boomchek · March 2009

I like it's looks and for the price it's not a bad beater, if there's no major issues with it.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2009

I can smell a rat a mile away. The price, the shabiness, and then there are the potential horrors of an clapped-out 560SEL platform.

fintail · March 2009

The wheels and bodykit, if not damaged, are worth the purchase price. If it is a true Euro car, good condition headlights and bumpers are worth a bit too. It looks like a legit period AMG conversion, so it probably has some other accessories as well. I would expect it to be a parts car, if not now, soon (I mean, if you are going to sell a MB, even a $900 one, wash it first)....but something could be done with the parts.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2009

I guess. Nobody cares about these old AMGs. You'd have a hard time finding buyers for the parts, and they won't pay much for them either. So the only real buyer here is someone who has one already and needs body parts, seems to me.

fintail · March 2009

There are MB specific forums where a few guys are really nuts about W126s and period AMGs. Some pieces (odd steering wheels, primitive Euro-only dashboard computers, wheels, self-leveling headlights, etc) are sought after and would find homes fast. The parts wouldn't bring a fortune compared to what new AMG bits cost...but I suspect if you showed up with $650 cash you could drive away with that old beast, and you'd be able to get that out of it easy. If I had a place to put it, I'd take a look.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2009

I can't imagine unloading those arcane bits for any decent money. Old AMG collectors are by definition low buck bottom feeders on the Benz Totem Pole, so I would imagine they might be very tight with a buck. You just rarely see anyone with a car worth that little, regardless of make, that will spend any $$$ for parts. You'd have that thing in your backyard for 10 years before they picked it clean.

The very fact that the person is selling the WHOLE car for $900 suggests there is no gold mine under that metal.

fintail · March 2009

Hey, it's not like dieselheads are the target market :shades:

I have read more than one story about people restoring such cars...all it takes is two nuts to drive a price up.

Seller could just be a lazy curbstoner. My old MB specialist once bought a remarkably clean dark blue on palomino 300SD from one of those types, for something like $700 because it had an "engine noise"...which was something meaningless, fixed in under an hour and good as new.

boomchek · March 2009

I have read more than one story about people restoring such cars...all it takes is two nuts to drive a price up.

Yeah like me and you buddy, if we just had the garage space we'd prove shifty wrong and buy all up all beater Benzes on craigslist.

fintail · March 2009

This afternoon I was daydreaming about how out of control I would get if I had a house on some land. It would become a bonafide junkyard, Davidsfarm for MB and various oddballs. I could probably afford to pick up a couple of heaps a month...wouldn't take long for it to get out of control. I'd also have a hard time not accumulating vintage construction machinery and motorcycles. I really need to keep to a condo or small house - not just for cost, but to ward off compulsive behavior.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2009

Yeah and you'll both turn out like those Crazy Cat Ladies :P

Best thing for beater Benzes is to go to the breaker, and he can sit on them for years until they part out. That way he stays in business, the cars don't get crushed, worthwhile survivor Benzes are kept on the road, and people like you don't destroy the neighborhood.

Hoarding is a clinical illness---didn't anyone tell you?

steine13 · March 2009

Hoarding is a clinical illness---didn't anyone tell you?

Well some of us have been there.
Some of us are reallllly close.

[cough]Andre[cough] ;->
-Mathias

Mr_Shiftright · March 2009

I've rehabilitated far worse than you. We start with aversion theory, and surround you with Clenets.

andre1969 · March 2009

I've rehabilitated far worse than you. We start with aversion theory, and surround you with Clenets.

Hey, I'm improving! After all, I did pass on that '79 St. Regis I saw for sale outside of a body shop near Harrisburg. :P

jlflemmons · March 2009

Was that really a 4-banger? The Olds Cutlass of that era had a 215CI V8 that looked just like that picture. :confuse:

Oh, and that Z28 would probably bring more money if it was the correct color for a Z. All of them I have ever seen in green were a much deeper color, and with white stripes. Very, very snazzy in that combo with a white interior.

Here is a picture, but with an awful vinyl top

qbrozen · March 2009

trade 911 for the S2000, sell 944, buy sedan (OK, three prongs maybe).

so you wanna dump both porsches? Is the 911 really that bad? i would think it would be preferable over any japanese roadster. I mean, for folks like us, at least. I can see someone who doesn't want to take care of their toy preferring an s2k or miata.

fintail · March 2009

I can just see it now, a few rows of otherwise unreclaimable fintails and W126s in my back 40. ...or preferrably, if I had an aircraft hangar or a big pole building to keep them in. Keeping them away from the crusher is pretty much my intention, too. For whatever reason, I have unusual automotive affections :shades:

oregonboy · March 2009

Yeah, you would have to have a pole building to store them in, and a couple of "barn cats" to keep the mice out of the horse hair upholstery padding.

fintail · March 2009

I've always wondered if that is really horsehair...in my car, it sure looks like kind of a laminated straw. The mice would love it either way, I'm sure.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2009

You don't see too many fintails going to the crusher. They have to be really really bad. Most are parted out and re-distributed.

andre1969 · March 2009

Yeah, that really was a 4-cyl. But it fooled me at first too, when I looked at that pic. I was thinking damn, that sucker has a V-8! Until I noticed that it was missing the left side! It was essentially half of a 389 V-8, and was commonly referred to the "slant four". I think it only had 120 hp in base form, but there was some options that boosted that up.

I think you could get a V-8 in them for 1963. It was called a 326, but true displacement was slightly larger, for whatever reason. A year or two later, the 326 proper showed up.

srs_49 · March 2009

69 Z-28 - Did they really come with the fresh-air hood option? I thought the only options you could get on it (besides the Z-28 option package) was a mandatory Hurtz 4-speed shifter and the front wheel disc brakes.

I had a '69 Z - first car I actually owned. And yes, it was the dark forest green with the wide pair of white stripes down the hood and trunk. My dad said that was so the cops could pick it out from a distance :shades: .

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

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy