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'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I don't think I'd sell those to anybody I know, because I don't wanna hear about it when they break down! :P I drove my 5th Ave to work yesterday, and the damn thing stalled out three times in the driveway!
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Well, if you're looking at late 80's/early 90's, on the domestic front there's not really a whole lot in big, cushy cars. I'd say a Lincoln Town Car, maybe? Caddy Broughams like Lemko's '89 are nice rides as well, but it's getting increasingly difficult to find nice examples. Ever since the FWD Deville/Fleetwood took over as the volume Caddy for '85, the RWD model was a more of a niche seller, and it was rare for it to sell more than 50,000 per year.
A late 80's M-body 5th Ave is a nice car, if archaic. Midsized interior room and full-sized fuel economy, but they're sturdy and pretty reliable. And later 88's and all 89's even had a driver's airbag! Dunno if a 20+ year old airbag is a selling point, though!
GM's FWD luxury cars, like the Electra and 98, started off pretty bad in 1985, but were improved in later years. Lemko got pretty good service out of his '88 Electra Park Ave. For some reason, the Electra seemed to score better than the 98...ditto the LeSabre versus the 88. But I don't know why, when you consider they're the same basic car?
The '91 Park Ave (first year they dropped the Electra name) was a really nice looking car and got a lot of good press. I remember the cover of MT or CD had a pic of one with the tagline: "America Fights Back! With a BUICK?!"
If you want a bit less luxury cachet from that era, the Caprice, Crown Vic, and Grand Marquis were decent cars, and if you got the top trim levels, were pretty luxurious. I think the Crown Vic/Grand Marquis from that era is actually nicer than the current one. Those 20+ year old models seemed fairly nice and upscale inside, where the current ones feel more like a taxi that someone put leather seats in.
But if you're wanting something like a Benz S Class or BMW 7-series, I don't think any of those old domestic cars would really make the cut. Just two totally different types of luxury car...even if the domestics marketing of the era tried to make the customers think differently.
I was actually thinking along the lines of something like a first-gen Infiniti Q45 (the grille-less style), or an old Acura Legend! I like both of those, and they might blend sport and luxury together better than an LS400, which I've heard described as more of a very nice Japanese Buick.
This car handles beautifully and it doesn't feel like a tank like the big 560 Benz. It's agile, gets good gas mileage on the highway and isn't hard to work on. Caveat is the driveshaft, which is not rebuildable. Oh, and watch out for metric tires--these are very expensive to replace. Most E32s by this time have switched to normal tires and wheels.
I have no confidence whatsoever in 1980s American cars but of course, results may vary.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
When I saw q's first post, that was exactly what came to mind!
I remember riding in one not long after they were released ... pretty small inside. But, rode beautifully and had lots of power.
But, I've got a question. If we're talking about cars that are 20+ years old, how many good examples of them are really out there? Even with average miles per year, we're talking north of 200K. Unless you find one owned by the proverbial "little old lady".
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Of that batch, I would LOVE to get an '80-84 Electra. And in '80, you could still get an Olds 350 in them, although it only had something like 160 hp.
Back in early 1994, a guy who worked with me at my part time job had a 1983 Olds 98 coupe he wanted to sell. I think it had been his Dad's. He only wanted $800 for it. He let me drive it, and I liked it. It was champagne with a burgundy interior, and had the 307. It was in great shape except for two little details. It had a broken taillight, which would need to be fixed to pass inspection. No big deal. The killer though, was that the heater didn't work. And at the time, we were going through one of the coldest spells in our history down here. Might sound wussy to you Canadians, but I had never in my life experienced -10F!
Again, fixing the heater probably wasn't a huge deal either, but I didn't have much money at the time. Plus I had just bought my '82 Cutlass Supreme about 7-8 months before, had the transmission rebuilt, so I thought I should just hang onto that and get my money's worth out of it. In retrospect, probably should've bought that 98!
I always kinda liked it...made me think of a slightly smaller, sportier 1992 Crown Vic!
I passed over the Legend thinking that was a much smaller car than the others we're talking about. Am I wrong?
Well, going by the EPA's interior volumes, the first-gen Legend, Q45, and LS400 are all pretty close...about the size of a 1997-02 Camry.
Here's the volumes:
Legend: 95/14 (passenger volume/trunk space)
Q45: 95/15
LS400: 98/14
Camry: 97/14
And, just to throw them into the mix:
1990 Benz 300SEL: 100/15
1990 BMW 735i: 101/13
However, in the interests of letting every man pursue his dream, I offer this rather good tutorial on the plusses and minuses of the car:
http://www.q45.org/buyingadvice.html
it corrodes seals and attracts moisture which is never good.
I bet you can find some good LS400s, those seem to run forever.
I was able to correct the following through the aftermarket
1. Re-inforcements for the shock towers (they deform due to stiff suspension and run-flat tires)
2. Metal shield to protect power steering fan from road damage
3. circuit board to allow automatic window-up (one-touch) and automatic Stability Control off
4. Front license plate holder (mini doesn't give you one)
5. Center and door arm rests (mini doesn't give you those)
Also, I have the famous "Chewbacca Noise" from my clutch, which is a defect concerning glazing of the dual-mass flywheel. Does not affect clutch operation in any way, so I'll just save up for the modified flywheel and clutch package in the future (NOT cheap!!).
I got all this info from MINI forums, not a buyer's guide. Also reading through the aftermarket catalogs, which are free, offers one a wealth of good information---presuming you can sniff out the sales hype.
Has MINI corrected each of these deficiencies in the '11 model?
I also had the shop do the supercharger reduction pulley (not really a defect but a mod).
Oh I also bought a wind deflector for the sunroof (very noisy without it) and that was easy to install as well.
AND some pull straps so that you can raise the back seats from the tailgate without busting your back.
AND a 2-bike, bike rack...much cheaper than MINI's factory system.
I don't think 2011 MINIs have these problems but I'm sure they have other problems.
"Our design philosophy is to have our engineers design in new problems as fast as they design out old problems."
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
My kids don't really remember not having it.
Looks like it will be warm enough to start it over the next couple of days.
Whoops, too late! Bought a '07 a year ago. It was my wife's choice, and her daily driver. Warranty expired in January. I warned her, but she loves it, especially the interior. Gotta say that it's a joy to drive, especially on the highway. The warranty was useful for a couple of issues. Will see about the future.
I think the trick is to not mile them up. Bail out before 100K.
-Mathias
First candidate was a 1962 Chrysler Newport 4-door sedan that already looked pretty solid and was rejected as they didn't think they could get much for a 4-door sedan.
Second candidate was a 1958 DeSoto Fireflite 2-door hardtop, but was rejected when they saw how rusted-out it was.
Third candidate was a solid 1957 Packard station wagon which two guys realy wanted to restore but was rejected by the boss. I'd have rejected it as it's nothing more than a glorified Studebaker than a bona fide Packard.
The successful candidate was a 1950 Cadillac Series 61 sedan that looked like it was some previous owner's project car.
Of course, I'd have passed on this car at the auction for several reasons:
They used a 1961 Cadillac 390 V-8 retrofitted to 6 volt rendering the Cadillac a "Frankencar" right off the bat.
They didn't research the proper materials and patterns for the interior. Instead, they relied on the taste of the boss's wife - which wasn't bad, but it wasn't authentic.
The Series 61 is a low-end Cadillac. I'd have preferred a DeVille or Fleetwood. This car was so low end it had dog dish hubcaps versus the "sombreros."
In the end, the boss didn't auction the car, but gave it to his doting wife as an anniversary present. Awww! What a sweet kid!
Sounds like these guys needed a car that they could do on the cheap, which means complete, running, no rust AND worth something at the other end.
So their choice was about as good as they could do, under the circumstances. The Newport, the Packardbaker and the Fireflight aren't going anywhere near the profit-side of the equation and aren't worth restoring IMO.
I'm scared of doing a flush, but thinking a drain and refill would be ok.
Looking for some guidance.
Luckily, after I remove as much rust as possible, cover it all with POR-15, rivet on some sheet aluminum, and prime/paint it, I get to cover it back up with the trim so nobody can see the crappy finishing job I do.
I'm hoping before the end of the summer, I have a little spare change to afford a polyurethane kit for the front suspension and a set of ground control coilover sleeves. Anybody know anything about those, by some chance? I'm trying to understand why they need to know the shocks I use and what spring rates I should be requesting.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
If I owned one today I would be concerned about corrosion affecting the main structure. They do not seem to be built in a very corrosion-resistant manner.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
shifty - thanks for the link. that will take a while to get through.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
"I think the trick is to not mile them up. Bail out before 100K."
Wouldn't the same be true of a C-Class or 3-Series?
Probably an older MB (W126 or W124 500E), or a newer one. I'd also like a highline 140 or even a 129 SL, but they both seem to be money pits. If not a MB, probably BMW, Lexus, or lease a common cheap car and save money.
You're casting a wide net. I do the same thing.
I think as I age and roads continue to deteriorate, I might want something with a more plush ride.
Hey, I resemble that remark! :P Although honestly, I think the ride on my 2000 Park Ave is a bit over-rated. IMO it bounces too much. And there's one harsh dip in the road on the way home that I slow down for in the Park Ave, because if I hit it too fast, it feels like it's hurting the car! Yet, I can sail right over it in the New Yorkers, although one time I did have to chase down a hubcap that came off my blue NYer. And even the LeMans or Catalina seem to take it just fine. With the truck, the front axle goes over it just fine, but then when the rear hits, it bounces hard enough that it's actually hurt my back before.
Hard to believe Fintails "new" car is 9 years old already. Sure doesn't seem like it.