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I guess I am too pragmatic. It makes no sense to me that a GTS would be worth multiples more. I'll take an S4 and a 944 Turbo S to go with it instead.
So the non-collectible works in reverse from the collectible in terms of pricing.
This is one way to judge whether a car is leaning toward collectibility or not.
We see the 928 and the C5 behaving just like ordinary used cars---even though they have relatively good resale value, compared to say a 90s Honda.
With Alfa Romeos, on the other hand, the older they are the more you pay for them---except for the very last 90s models, which outsell the 80s models. So what that says is that the last generation of US Alfas, the fuel-injected whale tails, are not acting like collectible cars.
A GTS is still worth a lot less than somebody paid for it when new. Compare to a Z-28 Camaro!!
I am hoping you can help me out with some advice. My wife's 1994 Mercury GM was in an accident and it is not worth repairing so I am in the market for a new (to her) car to replace the 1994 Mercury Grand Marquis she has been driving.
I am looking for something similar to the GM, a four door sedan (or perhaps a wagon). We often have my elderly parents as passengers so no SUV or high riding vehicles that would make entry and exit difficult for them. I need something that will provide a few years of reliable service and be reasonably cheap to buy and maintain. I've thought of another Mercury GM/Ford CrownVic/Lincoln Town Car, BMW 740, Mercedes S class, Infiniti Q45, Volvo 940...
So what do you guys think?
The Infiniti is a nice car and bound to be reliable, but if you're talkin' "bang for the buck" you can't beat an American sedan. Ford seems to be riding high right now and it may end up being the sole survivor in domestics, so that's something to think about.
I've been in a friend's LS 430 and it is a very nice car. I'll meed to price them and compare to the FoMoCo sedans (used).
Antother vehicle you may consider is a used 08/09 Taurus/Sable. While not "lookers" are generally reliable and comfortable sedans.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
My Grandfather has an 04 Grand Marq Ultimate and I don't mind any time behind the wheel at all.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
My biggest beef with the Grand Marquis and its siblings is the interior. It's a comfortable enough place to ride, although I don't think legroom's all that generous for this size of car. But, like many other cars today, the interior has just gotten too plasticky inside. One of my friends has a 2004 Crown Vic LX, and inside it looks like copcar or a taxi with a leather interior. And with the Grand Marquis, I think about the only differences are they put fake woodgrain on the door panels where there's just gray plastic on the Crown Vic, and the GM gives you map pockets in back of the seats, instead of hard plastic slabs that the CV gives you.
Before the 2004 CV LX, my friend had a 1995 Grand Marquis GS, and that car just seemed more plush and upscale inside. And I think those older squared-off models seemed downright luxurious inside!
Still, they're decent cars overall. I wouldn't buy one brand-new, I don't think, unless it came with a huge rebate. But, as used cars...well, after my Intrepid got totaled, a CV or GM was on my list of considerations. The main reason I got the Park Ave was all the stuff it had on it. Supercharged engine, sunroof, trip computer, HUD, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I don't really need, but is cool to have (until it breaks, I guess). If this thing had just been a base model with no sunroof, I think I would have kept on looking.
Alas, sunroofs are pretty rare on the CV/GM. I think they're a bit more common on the Town Car, and the Marauder offered it, I think.
You are right, they do lack in that deparment a tad. I am 6' and am very comfortable, but the seat is all the way back.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
My grandparents have a 2001 CV with all the bells and whistles. I agree that the dash stands in stark juxtaposition to the rest of the interior, but it is a very comfortable car.
Oddly, when I was around 16, my two favorite "new" cars were the Town Car and the Geo Tracker. :confuse: This was about 1993. I still like the Tracker even though I have passed up countless opportunities to purchase one. As for the Town Car... not so much.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
I have never driven one, but have ridden in second-gen Sienna vans many times, and I find them to be very comfortable as well.
In 1968, he had a federal gov't job, thought he was making good money, and went out and bought a new Javelin. However, he was attached to the '54 Benz, so he got the bright idea to start having it restored to its former glory. And now, in 2010, that '54 is sitting in his garage, in multiple pieces!
That just blows my mind! I mean, I know this guy has been talking about fixing up this old Benz for years now, but I had no idea that he's been wanting to do it for 42 years. That car's been in pieces awaiting restoration longer than I've been alive!
This might sound kinda snobby on my part, but if it was an Adenauer, I might have offered to use my pickup and drag it into the garage for a few days, while the county does their follow-up sweep through the neighborhood, and then put it back out afterward.
I could probably just let that 220 sit, as-is, since it was my '79 NY'er that got me busted by the county, with its front plate in the dash, giving the inspector the impression it was an untagged car. That also tips me off that they didnt' actually come onto the property, but just cited me for what they could see from the street, since if they actually went to look at the car, they would have seen the tag on the back, with its up-to-date registration.
But, the old garage that the Benz is sitting behind is on borrowed time itself. It dates back to the 1920's, possibly earlier. There are old license plates from the late 20's and early 30's nailed to the wall in there, and the building isn't in the best of shape. I've been flip-flopping between tearing the old house down and building new, or just adding onto the old house, but either way, it will encroach upon where the old garage currently sits. And when that old garage goes, there's really no place to hide a car anymore. Except back in the woods, where it's kinda swampy, and it would probably sink and rust pretty quickly.
Yeah, probably. Here's a '75 LeMans Sport Coupe that's been bid up to $5300, with about 9 hours left to go. It's hardly mint-condition pristine, but not too bad looking. I really don't care for that loud red color, or those aftermarket wheels, and that "GT" badging means nothing...this car has a 350-2bbl putting out maybe 155 hp at best. The car also has no a/c (can't see it from the eBay pics, but in the photobucket link he provides you can), and I think I had that same aftermarket JVC radio once upon a time! I remember I had a JVC that I put in my 1980 Malibu, and then I put it in my '69 Dart, and then my '68, and I think it even ended up in my '82 Cutlass until it got replaced by a Kenwood.
Be sure not to toss those license plates or any other knicknacks you might find in that garage...all of that junk is worth something to someone these days.
There are some good Youtube videos of junkyards that show how bad wet ground in harsh climates is for cars.
My old MB specialist has a nice original 170:
And it's a diesel...very agricultural. He also has one of those 220s, but not as nice as the 170. And yes, that's a fintail universal wagon beside it.
I noticed that. Is that an old picture, because iirc you said it was listed for sale, or maybe it was another example that was for sale.
And I like the white 170. Neat looking car.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
That old 170 would make a 200D fintail look like a Veyron.
All that for $7,500? I know you can't get there from here!
If I was in Dallas, I would buy it. ANd probably get in way over my head, since I have no clue what to do with it other than take it to a Prosche specialist, and pay lots of money for stuff I never heard of.
but still, for $7,500, is it possible to go wrong? Sell off the boxster suspension and wheels (5 lug) and be in even cheaper.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
You don't think that car is worth $7500?
True, you'd have to be sure to get a later model Boxster engine (2001 on up, say).
But a high-compression VW pancake engine with flat-top pistons might become a hand-grenade with a wobbly pin waiting to fall out....not a matter of if, but when....also a gas hog with the Webers.....so you know, building up a 914 well over stock configuration has its trade-offs.
The stock 914s definitely need more power, however. The 914/6 was pretty scary to driver---when a mid-engine cars wants to spin, even the most expert drivers would have a hard time catching it.
VW engines are so cheesy, I'd be reluctant to build an entire car around one.