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

stickguy · October 2009

probably a good thing that it has the steelies on it with new sneaks. As long as they are A/S, you are good for the winter. then if you stil lhave it in the spring, you can always through on some performance summer tires, and maybe use it for your autoX hobby.

michaellno · October 2009

In 2000, the Focus did have the weak little 110 hp engine that came out of the old Escort. Now it may not be bad with a 5-speed, or if it had performance mods done to it, but bone-stock, it's not that good of a performer.

We had a '97 Escort LX with that engine and the 5-speed and it was adequate. Certainly the 130HP Zetec engine was better.

Let us know what you find out

xwesx · October 2009

Yeah, I'll ditto that. I have a '98 Escort with the 2.0L and five-speed. It gets me around, but it won't win any races.

125,400 on the ticker.

qbrozen · October 2009

hmmm... well, I'll just have to drive to decide. I found the Sentra I test drove to be pretty quick.

Ok. Well, seller still hasn't responded on the Focus, so of course I'm still surfing. Here are a couple out of left field.

'02 Passat 1.8T auto. Wife would like this option.

Why do so many people fail to list the number of miles??

qbrozen · October 2009

Hmmm... same seller as the Saab. A bit up there in miles, but not too bad. And a 4-door. And sport pack.
But what is up with that passenger seat?

british_rover · October 2009

1.8Ts scare me.

Gotta have a stack of maintenance records.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

I wouldn't go near any Passat 1.8T that didn't have sequential service records and evidence of use of synthetic oil, changed religiously. Also timing belt changes at shorter intervals than factory recommendations. Also a complete mechanical inspection stem to stern.

boomchek · October 2009

Passat may be a risky buy, but at that price may not be so bad.

Saab looks decent. Miles aren't listed cause they're probably very high.

The BMW looks ok too.

I think the seller is a curbstoner though. Both vehicles have no plates, and in the BMW ad at the bottom there's a keyword "99 Jeep Gr Cherokee", which also happens to be in the parking lot with no plates, and is visible in the picture of the BMW's dashboard.

EDIT: Never mind, it's in the section cars by dealer

jlflemmons · October 2009

from the Saab ad; "These cars are known to last over 250K miles, and this one is no exception."

There you go, the quarter-million mile disclaimer.

qbrozen · October 2009

Can this guy have so many interesting cars?

TDI bug.

Price is out of my budget, but if I could get it down to $4500...???
I don't even know what its worth. Galves subscription expired.

qbrozen · October 2009

That disclaimer appears in alot of craigslist ads, I notice.

stickguy · October 2009

that one, I like. And yeah, the miles are probably high, but it is pretty cheap.

This is the same dude that had the V70SE from a week or so back. I have seen his stuff for well over a year now (since I started looking for my sons cars), and I really wonder who he is.

Needs to do a better cut and paste though, since according to him, the AT in the SAAB shifts smooth!

stickguy · October 2009

Oh, that one has the convenient handle, so when it breaks down you can carry it home!

Man, q, you are all over the place here.

Go look at the saab. If it checks out, ,aybe I'll buy it! I still liked that V70 though.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

You gotta check Passats of that era for oil-sludge and also timing belt issues. A Passat is no cheaper to fix than a Mercedes. If you want your socks to roll up and down, check out the reliability charts in Consumer Reports. So many black dots it looks like someone opened up on the VW section with a pump shotgun.

But, to be fair--I do know people who, with careful maintenance, have had pretty good luck with them. Glitches, yes...but no disasters. But these are very careful owners.

qbrozen · October 2009

Well, at my pricepoint, I feel I should be flexible.

And, come on, its a diesel! How can I not be interested? All it takes is a chip and I've got 200 ft-lbs at like 10 rpms. ;b

Don't forget, that V70 had an accident history. So this is THAT guy, huh? Odd. Cant' remember that name, though.

stickguy · October 2009

I don't have to even read the ad. He uses some odd very tiny type face that I have never seen anywhere else.

And of course, he is conveniently located near all bridges and highways!

I do like that saab though. Cloth seats, a hatch, and green? A good start there!

qbrozen · October 2009

Just called. Kind of an odd conversation. He doesn't announce the name of the business. Just says "hello." And, although they are a business with regular biz hours, I gotta call when I'm on my way. Hmmmm.... Its just not sitting right with me.

Oh, and there are 2 locations, Linden and E. Brunswick. Saab is in Linden.

explorerx4 · October 2009

take look at the lights that illuminate the rear license plate.
they are subject to corrosion. also check the area in the trunk where the spare is for evidence of water.
mine used to leak once in a while and i would snug up the 3rd brake light assembly and the trim piece over the license plate area, occasionally.
also make sure you take a look under the front of the car at the stuff in front of the engine and the cradle area.

british_rover · October 2009

Sounds like a curbstoner to me.

Check the trans on that Saab make sure the reverse lock out switch is engaging properly those are common failures and while not hard to fix will strand you if it happens in the middle of the night.

Other then that if the Saab passes the normal test drive or Shifty's patented balls to the wall 2 mile test drive it is probably good.

Lets see other common issues on those saabs the Pixels in the SID will drop out over time so you can't tell what radio station you are on and can't read the trip computer.

Check for normal Turbo issues if it is a turbo I forget.

tjc78 · October 2009

He doesn't announce the name of the business.

I see that same guy advertising cars in the South Jersey Craigs too.

qbrozen · October 2009

The pixel issue can be fixed rather cheaply and easily, though. My dad sent his out to someone ... I think in Mass?... who rebuilds them.

It is a turbo.

I don't know. For some reason, that Beetle is talking to me. I just love the idea of a manual trans diesel. But it is quite a bit more money, so I guess it doesn't make sense.

Right now, still trying to arrange a time to check out the Focus. The seller is not very motivated, it seems. Called my cell, but didn't leave a message. So I called back, offered to come see it tomorrow. He is checking with his father (whose house it is at) and supposed to call me back. That was like a half hour ago.

explorerx4 · October 2009

maybe someone doesn't really want to sell it, although they have been instructed to.

ghulet · October 2009

sorry for the late response, but I totally agree re: the curbstoner assessment. The ads look cut-and-paste (notice SAAB ad states 'automatic transmission shifts smoothly' or something to that effect--it's a STICK). It's probably a mechanic from a Euro car dealer who gives the sales manager a few bucks extra for the low-end trade-ins, then sells them himself (this happened to me about ten years ago: I bought a '90 Protege LX with allegedly 90k, for $1700, from a Mitsubishi-dealer curbstoner, only to find out the car had 163k and was a $300 trade-in. Nice).

qbrozen · October 2009

ah, well, I just located the name of the dealer, did a search online, and found many bad experiences posted. So I'm passing on anything from them.

No call back from the Focus kid. And, yes, I agree, I was thinking the same thing about how he doesn't REALLY want to sell. Or at least doesn't want to bother.

SOOO... I got nuthin.

ghulet · October 2009

....I have a friend with a '98 900SE turbo (same car as the 9-3, only with leather/power seats and 16" wheels--I'd rather the 15"s on the 9-3 base for the cost of replacement, ride comfort and traction in the NJ snow you'll deal with); it's actually been pretty reliable, fairly trouble-free (they started making that body and engine in '94---maybe they worked the 'bugs' out?). It's kinda no fun around town til the turbo kicks in, the shifter sucks (notchy, yet vague), and the driving position, despite the power seats and telescope wheel, never seems quite right. For the price, though, sounds like a pretty good, fun car. GREAT on the highway (30mpg and FAST), roomy, safe, good for kids and car seats.

The Passat sounds a little TOO cheap for an '02; I'd be suspicious.

The Focus sounds OK (safest in terms of repair costs, certainly), though it's an LX (no ABS, crank windows, does it even have A/C? Some don't), hence the smaller engine. I don't know that the suspension and tire/wheel mods are necessarily a good thing if you're talking about what is essentially a winter beater in NJ, though.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

I think all used cars in NJ have to be regarded in the same context as a human sacrifice.

ghulet · October 2009

http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/cto/1409107262.html

this reminds me a lot of my brother's '85 900SPG; dammit, I LOVED that car, when it ran and the window and sunroof motors worked.

ghulet · October 2009

I certainly wouldn't suggest one with 182k, but at this price, you'd have a little room for repairs (though nothing major):

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/ctd/1402601362.html

ghulet · October 2009

I like this color, the automatic not so much, but the miles and price are both good:

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/ctd/1410147292.html

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

Shifty's Rule of Thumb:

Any car approaching 200,000 miles should be free. Statistically, it's all used up. It has done its job on earth.

Yes, some humans do live to be 100. We strive for that but few succeed.

fintail · October 2009

All that work for $3100....now we know where not to park our money :shades:

ghulet · October 2009

:confuse:

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

Musta been a typo---I just removed it.

andre1969 · October 2009

preferably a fully-loaded powder-blue LeSabre with a 455, but its Oldsmobile cousin looks pretty sweet!

**Edit: looks like eBay even has the LeSabre of my dreams, albeit a bit miled-up.

stickguy · October 2009

there is a red one like that near me. A lot closer than OK!

even with the miles (but, that is only abou 5K/year), it looks really nice. And the engine was "restored", whatever that means!

Besides, I would trade a few miles for 1 owner and no rust. And it's not like you are going to drive it much!

sell 3 or 4 of the fleet, and put the cash into this baby instead.

jlflemmons · October 2009

What a beauty that Olds is. The last of the true Oldsmobile convertibles. Those fwd Cutlass things with the roll bar thingie don't count.

andre1969 · October 2009

I actually kinda like those FWD Cutlass things with the rollbar thingie. At least they tried, I guess. Too bad they didn't try harder. :sick: And it simply pales in comparison with this '75 Delta.

What was the story on the Toronado convertible that was built from around 1982-85? I know it was outsourced, along with the Eldorado and Riviera. However, I don't think GM even listed it in their sales brochures, like they did with the Eldo/Riv.

fintail · October 2009

Wow, big red. I hope that guy wasn't smoking in the new-old car.

I like the blue a lot more. That particular car looks good too, if the story checks out.

garv214 · October 2009

LOL, yeah I noticed that too. The guy has a car with 6K original miles and he's puffing away on a cigarette in it...nice... Of course, the ad did not mention the car was smoke-free... :P

Although I am an Olds guy at heart, I like the Buick better too. You are paying such a premium for 6K original miles, it kinda takes the "fun" out of owning it.

andre1969 · October 2009

I definitely like the Buick the better of the two...even if they were both in comparable condition, miles, etc. And I think that Buick would be fun to drive around in, whereas with the Olds, I'd almost feel guilty every time I drove it, or if it got a scratch, because it would feel like I was "hurting" the car.

While I love both the Olds and Buick 'verts that year, for some reason, the '75 Grand Ville just doesn't do that much for me. Odd, I guess, considering that I've always been more of a Pontiac guy. Part of it may just be that I never really "got" the Grand Ville in the first place. It was a B-body trying to pose as a C-body, but IMO it just never had the class and prestige of a 98 or Electra. I do like the '75 Caprice convertible, but they just seem too common and everyday to me. (although it's not like I see 'em on an everyday basis!)

I think if the Pontiac 'vert had just been a Catalina or even a Bonneville, I would have liked it better. It would have just seemed less pretentious and more "honest"...if that makes sense.

jlflemmons · October 2009

An old girlfriend had a hard top version of that Olds with the 455 and TH400. Big as that beast was, it could move. More than one punk was shocked at that thing and how it would accelerate above 30 or so. The ultimate highway cruiser of my time.

andre1969 · October 2009

I know the design tends to kind of a love it or hate it thing, but I love that 1974-76 B-body hardtop roof that was "colonade" inspired, but still had a roll-down rear window.

Was the Olds 455 a better performer than the Buick 455 in that timeframe? My old car encyclopedia lists the 1975-76 Buick 455 at 205 hp, while the Olds 455 only has 190 hp (215 in the Toronado). However, that doesn't tell the whole story, such as torque curves, what rpm you get the peak power, etc.

explorerx4 · October 2009

less than 2 miles from me

oregonboy · October 2009

Looks good, but it is a 16 year old truck, so who knows what stories are left unsaid? All that aside, not likely to be a scammer, as there is a phone number!

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

why too good? Price is actually higher than "book" according to Edmunds.

andre1969 · October 2009

Would that color hurt the value of the truck any? Personally, I like it, but I could see people being turned off by that truck being too pretty to do any work, and not looking macho enough.

It seems cheap to me, too. While it may be more than what it's actually worth, it still seems like a lot less than what people usually start off asking. Maybe this seller is a bit more serious about selling though, and doesn't want to hold out forever for top dollar?

qbrozen · October 2009

metric mechanic 320 hp engine??

SOO... still haven't test driven anything in like a week. Finally talked to the Focus owner's father. He REALLY wants me to come see the car. But now the wife was having second thoughts last night and says she'd appreciate me getting a car she can drive, too. I guess a week with her bimmer has demonstrated to her she can't live with it on a daily basis. There is even talk of selling it. Of course, this ain't the time of year to sell a 'vert.

Anyhoo, the guy near me with a '98 S70 T5 auto with 125k miles has been lowering his price daily and is now down to a "non-negotiable" $2650. Seems like a good deal if it has been taken care of. I've left him a message. At that price, I might just go ahead and get Upsolute to chip it.

Ehhh... well, either that or I leave it stock and turbo the Z.

qbrozen · October 2009

All exaggeration aside, I CAN'T read this.

stickguy · October 2009

I was poking on the SJ craigs yesterday, looking at volvos, and found the 4-5 ads for that car. I personally relaly like the color, and it looks nice enough. I think he started at about 3,300, and got down to his ***non-negotiable*** $2,650*** along the way (only put that in about 10 times).

If it has the T-belt change sticker, and otherwise runs well, certainly seems woth it.

of course, you should offer him $2,625, just to see what he doe4s.

Oh yeah, keep in mind that winter is coming. Probably nicer to have a nice car with stability control, abs, PW, and bun warmers, instead of some of the strippos you were looking at.

I don't need it, but at that price, if it was clean, I would be tempted to snap it up as my spare car. Not very close to me though IIRC.

stickguy · October 2009

1st, your wife would shoot you if you brought that dog home.

I think you need to get the old lady from the movie Airplane! She speaks jive.

wonder if that is a real carbon fire hood, or just flat black paint?

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

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