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

jrosasmc · October 2009

Qbrozen - I didn't see in your previous post that you listed the mileage of your new Benz. Anyhow - that's nothing for an older Mercedes, as it's barely been broken in. I would've asked you if you'd be interested in my '96 Volvo 850 sedan with 87k miles (yes it's original) on it; however I'd kill myself if I sold it! (which I won't do for a very long time)

hpmctorque · October 2009

Congratulations on your '91 190E! Obviously, I hadn't read a few day's worth of messages when I commented on the '00 Focus.

Given the price you paid, and the fact that you're good with a wrench, you did very well. I've always liked the styling of the 190.

qbrozen · October 2009

Our previous one had a bad head gasket. It wasn't between the cylinders, though. Just oil leaking to the outside. I sold it with that leak still there because I didn't want to deal with changing it. I realized I either needed to pull the engine or remove the front end of the car to do it.

One thing I'm trying to determine on this car, because I don't recall with our other one, is if it has overdrive? Seem to go up to 4th gear and its like that's it. I took it on the highway and it was running at around 3500 rpms at 70 mph.

Oh, and now the climate control is throwing a fit. Worked perfect during my test drive and all the way home. Nice cold AC, fan working, etc. Drove it to the diner this evening, had the defroster on on the way there with no problem. Then on the way home, it started randomly turning the fan to full blast, then nothing. Played with the switches and couldn't get the fan to go on. :confuse:

OH, so get this. Wife says I should go get an E30, too. Maybe that $1995 one in Philly. :shades:

stickguy · October 2009

I like that idea. It has crossed my mind that I could sell my accord, buy an older car like a volvo, and have money left over for something like that BMW. And a bigger problem of not enough garage space.

fintail · October 2009

There's some kind of gasket sealant I have heard about that is ran through like oil, and might solve a small problem like that. My fintail has a weird issue where it would leak coolant to the outside of the engine rather than into the oil. I had my old MB specialist run the sealant through, and the problem was almost gone, not enough to worry about.

Good luck with the climate control. It will work when it wants. My W126 always put out warm air when the vent was on an ambient setting. Everything else worked perfectly.

It's not an OD transmission in that car. I don't think MB has really ever had an OD like an American unit, just a 5th gear, but I don't think that unit came out until 1992, and it might not have been in the W201 at all. It's a plain old 4 speed that probably has 2nd gear start. My W126 had the 3L variant of that engine, I seem to remember it revving around 3K at cruising speed too.

qbrozen · October 2009

yes! 2nd gear start. Thanks for pointing that out, too. Man, is that annoying. If you really lay into it from a stop, she'll start out like a slug, then take off (I guess after it downshifts?), then slam into 2nd and spin the tire.

fintail · October 2009

Yeah, you have to floor it to make it kick down, and then it won't behave smoothly. It wants to be driven leisurely. I am pretty sure with the 5 speed unit the transmission became "switchable" and first gear start was finally used for normal driving, with second gear able to be selected for low traction conditions. MB did the second gear thing from the time they made their first automatic in the early 60s. Must have been a Euro ideal.

fintail · October 2009

I don't see a single "AMG" bit on this car

The awesome 80s

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

Hmmm....since that "amg" car has another 180,000 miles in it, I wonder if he'd be willing to warranty it for that? :P

gsemike · October 2009

Not normally referred to as a 2 door hatchback If you want top dollar, might want to mention it's a Mach 1

Mechanic's Dream???

Fuel injected 455? Horsepower claim is pretty mild by Craig's standards

Take it to the next level

Blue Hornet

Cartoonish

GTO survivor

Looks good for the money

Different convertible

That kind of looks like a car but not completely

I can't tell what's on the car and what isn't

qbrozen · October 2009

That buick does look good for the money ... which makes me suspicious, of course.

xwesx · October 2009

I'm surprised, with as much as you were talking about manual transmissions, that you ended up closing out the search with a slurry of autos and then you bought an auto! :P

qbrozen · October 2009

Blame the wife.

I'm a tad remorseful now, to tell the truth. But, if I think logically about it, I'd be hard pressed to find anything pleasing for the $1500 I spent on this.

Another upside is that it gives me that much more appreciation for my 300Z.

stickguy · October 2009

one day to admitting buyer's remourse?

At least when you are bottom feeding the price chain, it's easy to get in and out quick!

michaellno · October 2009

At least when you are bottom feeding the price chain, it's easy to get in and out quick!

Yeah, a detail and a once over on the major systems and you can sell it for $1750!

ghulet · October 2009

....I'm in a semi-buyer's-remorse stage with my 528e. I really like a lot of things about it, but......it really wasn't what I wanted. But, as with gbrozen, at my price point (in this case, $800), I probably got the best car for the money, or at least something I'm not completely miserable with, or totally embarrassed to drive. I even recently (accidentally) discovered that the A/C does work, despite previous owners' assertion that it didn't (no matter, it's already been below freezing here in Chicago!). I am, however, picturing myself getting a 21 year-old, RWD car with 14" wheels and no LSD or traction control out of my garage into an unplowed alley. Ugh. We do at least have the Jeep still, so I guess I won't be stranded. :confuse:

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

the Buick Skylark convertible does *seem* a few thousand underpriced. A really clean driver should go for about $9000, but with dull chrome (or chrome with the finish worn off perhaps?) and a broken top and a few other issues we may not know about---well, maybe the price is about right.

These 70s 'verts have to be smashing good to break the $10K barrier.

xwesx · October 2009

I know what you mean. But, then, sometimes the "remorse" is in the search being over moreso than a lack of appreciation for the final selection. Perhaps it is a matter of it being more about the journey than the destination.

Interestingly, all three of the vehicles I regularly use now are manuals. Assuming I can get my minivan running and out of the driveway at some point, the only automatics I will have left are my '76 F250 (which needs an engine overhaul next summer before I can even use it) and my '69 E100, which I just do not use at this point. I'm sure the next time I do drive an auto I will find myself, more than once, stomping the floor with my left foot.

xwesx · October 2009

Oh, and the seller forgot to mention that the photos were taken twenty five years ago! :surprise:

I'm joking, of course. I have no way of knowing when the photos were taken.

explorerx4 · October 2009

they posted a picture :P

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

well if you see bell-bottoms and avocado refrigerators in the background, you know they're old.

fintail · October 2009

That link just comes back to the general CL listings

But something amusing caught my eye....wildest claim I've seen in awhile.

tjc78 · October 2009

wow 80 MPG.... who needs a Prius!

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

That's nothin'... I used to get 100 mpg on mine....while towing....had a flat tire, too. It had 4 million miles on it...never even opened the hood. Honest.

explorerx4 · October 2009

sorry, someone is selling a slightly damaged x-wing fighter.

explorerx4 · October 2009

i guess they must run it on french fry oil or bacon grease and put a few drops of gas in once in a while? better than new car smell.

hpmctorque · October 2009

I had that RWD winter experience when I lived in the Chicago area. Snow tires help, of course, but their cost may not be justifiable on a $800 car.

fintail · October 2009

You might be onto something. Maybe he runs something like a 2 parts grease 1 part dino blend, and then it technically gets 80mpg "of gas" :shades:

qbrozen · October 2009

Perhaps it is a matter of it being more about the journey than the destination.

Yes, that has often occurred to me. It becomes a bit less so, though, I think, when it becomes more of an urgency. I'm probably overly paranoid or spoiled in some way, but I was a bit nervous to have not to have a daily driver beyond a 25-year-old 2-seater. .... So now I've added a 19-year-old german car... :confuse:

Anyhoo... just got a call from the curbstoner with the $1995 325i. I'll be checking it out in the morning.

boomchek · October 2009

Congrats on your 190E. I think they're decent looking having that crisp MB 80s styling, plus it's a 4 door, and RWD, so fun for you, and good for the kids. What more could you ask for?

My 01 C240 also had a fussy climate control system. I learned to live with it somehow. :confuse:

boomchek · October 2009

The E320 is a plain E320. Maybe it's got a AMG muffler tip or floor mats, who knows, but those parts do not make it an AMG model.

The 500 SE looks cool, but it's a tad pricey. Plus it's got the euro cloth seats, so it makes me wonder if the AMG bits were added afterwards on a plain 500 SE.

Didn't we see this one for sale a while ago, or maybe another MB from the same location? Something looks familar there.

boomchek · October 2009

That's funny. I wonder where I can get it serviced?

fintail · October 2009

The 500SE looks legit to me. Back then 90% of AMG cars had no mechanical upgrades - the car would receive side skirts, bumpers, wheels, maybe a steering wheel, exhaust, and monochrome trim, and that was it. I don't believe AMG had their own seats then either, Recaro upgrades were not unknown, but usually the stock units remained. The seats in that car are the deluxe velour - which some actually preferred over leather, and cost about the same.

There have been a couple other W126 with AMG trim on Seattle CL...another often seen is usually photographed in a carport.

Speaking of AMG....I have seen this car in person, and it is really pristine. There are probably worse ways to spend the money

boomchek · October 2009

Looks sharp, especially with the white leather. I can see one of these in my future. :shades:

fintail · October 2009

Good ones are actually getting pretty hard to find - although I suspect there will be some nice survivors coming out of the Vancouver area as I remember that was the car of choice in the 90s, and I am sure a lot of low mileage examples are being kept today.

I wouldn't mind having Bruno Sacco's blue-on-cream C140.

Here's something cool I recently found....proof of evolution:

Mr_Shiftright · October 2009

You can see the exact moment that Mercedes leapt into modern styling and prosperity in America.

fintail · October 2009

When the ponton changed to the fintail, right? :shades:

But yeah, I think the departure from the vertical lights marked a huge modern jump. The interiors did likewise at the exact same time.

andre1969 · October 2009

I've been finding myself liking these things more and more. I guess it would make a nice baby brother to my LeMans. I wonder how much hp its 326 would put out with the mods he mentioned?

andre1969 · October 2009

I find this '78 Caddy Hearse to be morbidly appealing.

explorerx4 · October 2009

anywhere but Death Star Motors.

explorerx4 · October 2009

exterior looks good. an interior pic would have been nice.
you wouldn't be taking too many road trips with those 4:11 gears.

boomchek · October 2009

and look for 190Es.

Found these 3 interesting models. All 2.3 -16V versions.

1987 Black Asking $10900 Actually looks sharp.

1987 Silver, but looks like it's stock with just the 16V engine and a kit. Asking $11000

1989 Silver. Looks sharp too, asking $8500

andre1969 · October 2009

Yeah, I guess those 4:11 gears would get annoying on the highway. I know my Intrepid has a 3.89:1 axle, and 3rd gear is 1:1, with 4th being ~0.67:1. If I hold 3rd, or stomp it hard enough to downshift to 3rd, it'll pull around 3000 rpm@60 and 3750@75 mph. So that '76 Ventura would probably rev slightly higher than that.

Probably be fun around town, though.

fintail · October 2009

I bet the third one is a Japanese import. Something seems off about it.

First one is gone and the second seems expensive, especially with the weak greenback.

qbrozen · October 2009

Well, all are certainly nicer than mine. Of course, they are also 6 times the price of mine. :P

boomchek · October 2009

I like the totally flush headlamps on the third one. All NA models have flush lamps with flush inserts that replaced the sealed beam type non flush lights before them.

Yeah Q, these are the higher performance models. I saw a late 80s 190E on our local CL a few months back and it looked really really sharp. The guy only wanted like 2 or 3 grand for it, but it looked nice. Keep us updated on how yours holds up. It might turn out to be a fun hobby car for you.

Just looking at LA Craigslist. Here's what someone calls his car in excellent shape :lemon: hahahha

fintail · October 2009

Yeah, the pseudo-flush units replaced the old recessed units in NA models for 1986.

My old MB specialist had a 1993 190E sportline, rare 5-speed...and he dropped a 300CE engine into it. It was pretty quick.

In my area there's an AMG-bodied W201, I've never seen another like it. It has a weird bodykit, especially on the trunk, with an odd filled-in spoiler, almost like a ducktail.

That LA car looks like it was attacked with a baseball bat.

boomchek · October 2009

I remember Sir Mix A Lot had a bunch of exotics, one of them being a wide body Gemballa.

Is the MB you're talking about have the testarossa style side slits? I recall those when I started reading duPont registry back in the early 90s. Lots of widebody Benzes with testarossa style kits and gold plated wheels.

toomanyfumes · October 2009

Sir Mix-A-Lot also had his '69 Duece-and-a Quarter "Hooptie"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_F76ySzk48

fintail · October 2009

Nah, the W201 I saw wasn't a widebody cheese grater conversion - no SEC hood or anything either. It was pretty stock looking apart from the skirts, but the rear end was odd, it had a spoiler, but it was solid and made the rear profile look kind of thick. The car was also white, and grimy, like it had just been dragged out of a barn. I've only seen it once.

I'd like a 6 liter AMG widebody SEC, but I don't know about the cheese graters, and a certain NO on the gold trim.

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

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