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

Mr_Shiftright · February 2010

No, no. I mostly use what they call "Trim Paint", which is a satin-finish black for window and door trim--I also used it to repair the flaking air scoop on my Subaru for instance. It made the entire hood look so much better.

tjc78 · February 2010

which is a satin-finish black for window and door trim

I know what you mean now. Makes sense as the black trim around the windows gets beat up pretty easily, especially the part people use to shut the door.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2010

Also I will consent to paint the wheels. Ford makes a nice wheel color called Argent or Argenta...it's a dark satin silver and dresses up most cars very nicely.

Last week we took my friend's old 1989 4Runner and bought about $200 worth of materials to "spiff it up" for sale, and I have to say with two guys doing one day's work, that truck looks 10Xs better and will sell for $1000 more at least--maybe $1500 if he's lucky.

What we did:

1. car slip covers

2. treat little rust bubbles at rear removable top side windows, and re-spray with black trim paint.

3. Paint the wheels

4. Detail interior

5. Wash and wax exterior

6. Clean engine with Simple Green and paint brush and warm water.

7. Fix broken tail gate latch (rod came loose inside)

8. Detail bumpers with "black chrome" to refresh black rubber parts

9. Detail tires

jlflemmons · February 2010

My xTreme had the classic rear window trim rot that plagues all 2dr Blazers. For some reason, GM used one type of plastic on the 4dr, and a different plastic on the 2dr. The 2dr trim has no UV protection, and will literally rot away with exposure over a relatively short period of time.

I spent a day sanding, smoothing, filling the trim, then repainted with a satin black Rustoleum containing LOTS of UV protectant. Over two years have passed, and the trim still looks brand new.

You might notice that when folks post photos of 2dr Blazers for sale, you will rarely if ever see a close 3/4 shot from the rear. The sun rot looks really nasty.

my xTreme

tjc78 · February 2010

What we did:

Sounds like a long day's work. However, I am sure that any buyer looking at it would immediately notice that its one clean vehicle. It always amazes me that people that put vehicles up for sale don't even vacuum them out. Even a $10 trip through the car wash would certainly help!

Mr_Shiftright · February 2010

Looks great!

Mr_Shiftright · February 2010

Well it was a long day's work but it could turn 14 man-hours into $1400 dollars, so really, that's not chump change in this economy.

I, too, am amazed at how little effort some people will put into selling a car---equally amazing is the borderline contempt some have for prospective buyers, as if to say "if you don't like it, buzz off buddy".

True, no sense in putting lipstick on a real pig, but there's no excuse for presenting a car for sale with dirt all over it, or one that smells REALLY bad inside....or those dented beer cans we all love to point out to each other.

HOW TO MAKE A CAR WORSE:

1. Do NOT duct-tape your seats
2. Do NOT do your own body work using a stone from your garden
3. Do NOT let your dog live in your car while waiting to sell it.
4. Do NOT remove the $99 CD player to "save it for my next car" and leave a blank hole with wires dangling out of it.
5. Do NOT use red tape on the tail light lenses
6. Do NOT leave empty oil or STP cans in the trunk

fintail · February 2010

I love seeing filthy cars being sold by clueless or indignant idiots on Craigslist. Most people are shamelessly lazy. Of course, that's from my view...I am one of those OCD car-cleanliness people, so I see it differently...maybe someone has other priorities. But I know cars I have owned will receive higher trade-in prices or be quicker to sell than those who can't spare a few minutes now and then. It's worth the time investment for me.

tjc78 · February 2010

Great list.. what's funny is we have all seen people do all of the above.

tjc78 · February 2010

but I know cars I have owned will receive higher trade-in prices or be quicker to sell

When the leasing company came and picked up my Avalon last year, the guy inspecting it asked "Did you sit in it?" He said normally the cars he picks up are filthy and have fast food wrappers on the floor. I absolutely hate a dirty car, although lately with all the salt on the roads even mine is not looking too good right now :sick:

boomchek · February 2010

What's even better is when you can pick up one of those for super cheap, do the work Shifty mentioned, and resell it for $1000-$2000 more. Sometimes you see posts on CL (type "re:" in the search box) about owners complaining that something they sold for $XXX amount is now relisted for $XXXX a few days later. Too bad their loss.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2010

Well they need to get their minds around the difficult concept of "once I sell it, I don't own it anymore".

fintail · February 2010

The couple of mechanics I have patronized over the years have said similar about my cars "it's so clean in here" etc...and I put a lot less effort into the interior than exterior. Simply shaking out the mats and wiping things down is all it takes. Of course, I don't eat or drink in the car. With the last car I traded in, the salesman said he wouldn't even need to have it detailed before resale - it looked good to go.

fintail · February 2010

No surprise the people who are too lazy to properly present their car are the ones who will play the victim card when someone flips it.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2010

I think I would only need 5-15 minutes with a car to tell if there was profit left in it or not. You have to be able to "see past" some things, but also spot trouble that could turn out to be serious.

Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith.

fintail · February 2010

I wouldn't know enough to not get in too deep...I also get attached to my cars...so I wouldn't be a good flipper.

It's one reason I know I shouldn't buy a house with any kind of land or even a good yard - the parts cars will start accumulating in no time. Why have one parts car fintail when you can have 5? Or parts cars for cars you don't even own? I'd do both.

lemko · February 2010

Same here when I traded in my 2002 Cadillac Seville STS!

qbrozen · February 2010

Why have one parts car fintail when you can have 5?

Because my wife would leave me. :sick:

I think she was quietly biting her tongue on the fact we had 6 running cars for that brief time.

210delray · February 2010

Why have one parts car fintail when you can have 5?

Because my moribund neighborhood association might spring back to life and get on my case!

So far they are tolerating one inoperable vehicle (an '87 Mercedes 560SL in the lot behind mine). It hasn't moved for at least 3 years. :sick:

fintail · February 2010

When I sold my W126, I was pretty sad...I just didn't have room to keep it. I still wouldn't mind having another one sometime.

fintail · February 2010

That's one good thing about my area...in older housing areas, there really aren't any neighborhood associations...I think if the mess is hidden from street view, it's A-OK.

I've seen many not-horrible but still shot fintails over the years I could have bought for no more than a few hundred bucks apiece, along with other cars. Heck, I remember seeing a worn out 560SL at an auto auction once...I wonder what it went for. I could pass the fine line from hobbyist to junkyard hoarder pretty easily.

fintail · February 2010

I don't have a ball and chain...not yet anyway.

I wonder what she'd think about non-running cars? Or never-will-run-again cars? :shades:

210delray · February 2010

Enjoy your freedom while you have it!

bumpy · February 2010

Depreciation.

doughnut interceptor

not exactly a renaissance

Difference of a decade.

not living up to the name

stickguy · February 2010

this scares me to say, but I actually like that SUV. especially for the price, hard to see how you will lose (other than when you have to put gas in it).

I would, however, be totally afraid to sit in the CRX mid engine, never mind try to drive it.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2010

Actually the Rainer is a little pricey. About $8K in today's market should buy it.

(2) Buick Specials --- parts cars, $500 bucks each.

Mid-Engine CRX --- I wouldn't give you $10 for a car like that.

Chevy Capricii-- no harm done.

gsemike · February 2010

Looking at the pics of the Rainier, it's scary that anyone ever paid 43k for it.... just plain plain plain.

tjc78 · February 2010

They didn't pay 43K for it. I knew someone that bought one of those back then and ended up almost 10K off sticker. Huge rebate and the dealer sold under invoice. What funny is I forgot how long those SUVs have been around. My GFs father has an 09 Envoy and looks pretty much the same except for the trim. GM made 6 different varients of that SUV... lets see

Trailblazer
Envoy
Rainer
Saab (can't remember name)
Izuzu (can't remember name)
Olds Bravada

Badge engineering at its best....

michaellno · February 2010

The Saab was the 9-7x and the Isuzu variant was the Ascender.

srs_49 · February 2010

Looking at the pics of the Rainier, it's scary that anyone ever paid 43k for

My thoughts also. And that was 6 years ago when $43K really bought you something :shades: .

"THIS CAR ACTUALLY RIDES ON VARIABLE AIR BAG SHOCK ABSORBERS"

Wonder what they cost to replace.

andre1969 · February 2010

My thoughts also. And that was 6 years ago when $43K really bought you something

That's a pretty hefty MSRP, but I wonder what the out-the-door price ended up being on it? I imagine the discounts were pretty steep.

My 2000 Park Ave Ultra, as equipped, probably stickered for about $40K when it was new. Adjusted for inflation, that comes out to around $50K today. Ouch! I'm sure they were discounting them pretty steeply as well, though.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2010

My guess andre is that these people selling the Rainier aren't the best money managers, and that when they bought the car, they got piled on with "paint protection" packages, high interest rates, and paying over invoice. They might also have bought into a 72 month loan and so the interest stacked up.

lemmer · February 2010

And they probably leased it because "some guy they know" told them they could write it off.

Of course, the term "write-off" conveys pretty much no information anyway, but that is a different topic.

andre1969 · February 2010

What funny is I forgot how long those SUVs have been around. My GFs father has an 09 Envoy and looks pretty much the same except for the trim.

Didn't they debut as 2002 models? It doesn't seem that long ago. I still remember they got recalled about a week or two after they hit the showroom floors, because there was some issue with the steering, or something else that could cause loss of control, and they had to be towed back to the dealership.

The Saab version was probably the most redundant of all, but for some reason I found it to be the most attractive. I thought the Bravada was pretty attractive as well.

tjc78 · February 2010

2002 seems about right. I am not sure what the ratings are but they seem fairly reliable. The 09 hasn't been to the shop in 30K and the previous one an 06 went 65K with maybe one oil change. Yes we are not talking about someone that does much maintenance. He just drives them and every few years gets a new one.

xwesx · February 2010

The thing that blows me away is that they say they are selling it to get away from the debt! Um.... that's a 2004 model; if you still owe money on it, there is something very, very wrong!

I have a coworker who owns one of these; I think hers is a 2006. It is an amazingly comfortable ride, but like all GM SUVs, I imagine it has awful driving characteristics. I can only wish my living room's couch were as comfortable as that rig's seats.

lemko · February 2010

Yeesh! Did he take out a 72-84 month loan on that thing? Let's just take the "average" five year loan. Think about how different things were five years ago and you realize just how long a time that is! Now stretch that out to six or seven years and you really get the picture!

qbrozen · February 2010

well, now, wait a sec. The seller never said they are the first owners.

I've bought cars older than that and made payments.

xwesx · February 2010

That's quite true. Really, statements like that in sales ads are pointless. In fact, they make a seller sound a little desperate to me. That's like walking into a dealership to buy a new car and saying, "I must have a new car by tomorrow, let's negotiate a price." Hahah; yeah, well, you just took away your ability to negotiate....

texases · February 2010

You're right - I took a negotiating course a few years ago, and they talked about the most common error people make: giving too much information. Gives the other side insight and leverage.

tjc78 · February 2010

Cuda

Your mechanic will love you

remember these

Always liked these

How to ruin a Caddy

How to ruin a Caddy Part II

Starts with no problem

Mr_Shiftright · February 2010

68 Barracuda -- price seem fair enough -- looks fairly tidy.

94 Audi Cabriolet ---no doubt it accidentally killed the host it was feeding on and now it needs a new blood supply.

88 Reatta --- ah, yes, the "future classic" we were all supposed to buy. Price is market correct for a clean driver.

91 BMW 850 -- just stab yourself and get it over with. Why suffer a prolonged, agonizing death? Do I see monochrome trunk emblems? Uh-oh :sick: Pricey for what it is---about $9K should make the seller click his heels in a 2010 economy. $12K for a really sharp one.

94 Jaguar Xj12 fixer-upper ---- to the wrecking yard please. Sacrifice your life so that others may live. List of "things to do" is daunting.

fintail · February 2010

I LOVE the keyword crap on that money pit Audi ad. Stupid.

I think I saw on one of the vintage Motor Week segments on Youtube that the Reatta was built in its own facility, to a higher standard. Maybe they aged better than other period GM products.

19 year old V12 BMW with 130K on it...I can't imagine anything could go wrong there.

That second Caddy is hilarious.

94 XJ12 with 77K on it is at least 50% past its average lifespan.

tjc78 · February 2010

Yeah the keywords are a bit much. I find myself watching some of those MW segments too. Lots of time and effort put into uploading those.

As for the Jag hard to believe at 77K it is pretty much ready for the junkyard.

srs_49 · February 2010

'68 Cuda brings back old memories, even though I never owned one.

Caddy Part II - I'll give him $5 for the horns. That way if I move to Texas I'll be all set.

stickguy · February 2010

love the caddy with the horns. Very texas. I think all of the remaining caddys of that vintage should be set up like that. Especially eldo converts.

The Jag is only about 5 minutes from me. If anyone needs to have it checked out... Just don't blame me if you are dumb enough to buy it.

I like the "cuda. Also not far from me. Might even go take a look if it had a 4 speed.

fintail · February 2010

The 12 cylinder engines are the problem, along with a propensity for electrical failure. I think the 6cyl models were less troublesome...although at the time not up to Japanese or even German standards, of course. A few years later the cars would be much improved.

british_rover · February 2010

If I have time later I will try to find the report but IIRC the 1996 and 1997 XJ6 models beat out the Lexus LS of the same years in a couple of quality surveys.

andre1969 · February 2010

is starting to make me miss my '68 Dart a bit. Must...not...look...back!

I guess my inner redneck is showing through, but I kinda like that '80 Caddy! I think Lemko would have a heart attack though, if he saw me in such a travesty!

I wonder how much that Jag would have sold for when it was new?

british_rover · February 2010

Cars.com says original base MSRP was 75,000ish

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

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