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

sda · July 2020

fintail said:
Had to run an errand this morning, was in the area, so stopped by to visit the project car to see if there were any issues. It is the least aggravating project car in this lineup, no doubt:

Lucky spot 13. The issues were minor - small fuel leak at the fuel pump, mechanic says it is easy. A bolt was troublesome in replacing a rear shock, but they dealt with it without needing to drill. ETA, end of next week.

Turn signals fixed? New plugs, points, oil change? I imagine you don’t use synthetic oil.

fintail · July 2020

LOF completed, shocks completed (I think). Electronic ignition conversion, so mercifully no points, at least checking plugs was on the list, it gets conventional oil - I suspect the car would reject synthetic. I also noted a general fluid inspection just in case, as it has been several years since they've been done (but not driven many miles) along with general roadworthiness. Fuel leak part due in early next week, turn signals fixed next week. The yearly service and inspection is usually a 10 day-2 week process, it is a busy shop and I let the proprietor know he can take his time.

sda said:

Turn signals fixed? New plugs, points, oil change? I imagine you don’t use synthetic oil.

explorerx4 · July 2020

@fintail,
I see the NAPA truck with your parts in the background.

omarman · July 2020

I don't know how a 90s Explorer could clean up that well after living here in the salt belt. Seller location is Grand Rapids but I may have missed any reference to where it was originally bought/sold. Very clean and I'm surprised that there wasn't any last minute bidding.

fintail · July 2020

Probably full! I just hope the turn signals aren't a wild goose chase.

explorerx4 said:
@fintail,
I see the NAPA truck with your parts in the background.

fintail · July 2020

Reserve not met. I suspect it was around 10K. Maybe a little dear, but not insanely ahead of the market for something once on every street and now getting scarce.

omarman said:
I don't know how a 90s Explorer could clean up that well after living here in the salt belt. Seller location is Grand Rapids but I may have missed any reference to where it was originally bought/sold. Very clean and I'm surprised that there wasn't any last minute bidding.

xwesx · July 2020

fintail said:
Reserve not met. I suspect it was around 10K. Maybe a little dear, but not insanely ahead of the market for something once on every street and now getting scarce.

omarman said:
I don't know how a 90s Explorer could clean up that well after living here in the salt belt. Seller location is Grand Rapids but I may have missed any reference to where it was originally bought/sold. Very clean and I'm surprised that there wasn't any last minute bidding.

It truly was. I know of very few families in the '90s who did not have at least one of them (first or second gen) in the fold. Mine never did, though my grandparents were fond of Expeditions.

fintail · July 2020

I knew so many who had the 1st and 2nd gen models. The color combo of that auction car even seems familiar. All of the ones I see on marketplace or CL nowadays are worn out.

In another decade or so, I predict a really mint earlier model will have some value.

xwesx said:

It truly was. I know of very few families in the '90s who did not have at least one of them (first or second gen) in the fold. Mine never did, though my grandparents were fond of Expeditions.

fortee9er · July 2020

I am one of those guys that look at CL and FB marketplace on a daily basis and try to cover as much of the US as possible. Call it a guilty pleasure. Some people watch the financial markets I watch the prices of pre 1998 cars. I had the expectation that the price of old cars would drop. The reason being the economy, price inflation of housing, food..etc. Also the high rate of unemployment. But I don't see that happening, at least not yet. Why are the old cars holding or increasing in value?
This has been puzzling me most of this year. I always thought that most of these cars had high asking prices and thought with everything that has happened this year I would surely see a drop in prices as people under financial stress would start dumping their toys for cash.
Please comment I am eager to hear your views.
Thank You

xwesx · July 2020

Well, finally made it to replacing the plow truck's front passenger side axle assembly this weekend. It was moving along smoothly until it came time to install the new u-joint on the new axle shafts: For some reason, I just couldn't get the joint caps on without one (or more) of the needle bearings slipping in behind the joint.

I ended up breaking two of the caps on the u-joint I bought (about a $40 mistake), before I finally got the joint out of there. I bought another this morning, and wouldn't you know it.... ran into the same problem! I have replaced at least a dozen of these things over the years, and I have never once had an issue with them. Maybe I was due, but darn this was annoying.

By the time I was able to get the joint apart again, one of the caps had a hairline fracture in it. Thankfully, though, I was able to pull a good cap off the unit I broke yesterday, and the third attempt was successful... finally! No more issues; all went together without fuss. However, it took about seven hours total (should have been three... maybe four) and cost me $40 more than it should have. All's well that ends well.

I also took some extra time to clean up the bed (swept leaves and detritus out of it, organized the sandbags, etc.) and running boards, and I also conditioned the tires. They are about fifteen years old now and still in perfect condition!

gsemike · July 2020

Long Island Marketplace

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/616078005760366/ Firebird that needs paint. runs and drives but the paint will cost you

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/711057356128188/ 63 Impala. "Will be cleaned"

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2630478680502392/ This is how you photograph a car BMW 2002

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1526470824227646/ Volvo 780 Ad is hard to follow. Is it off the road for 8 years because it needs a fuel pump

texases · July 2020

@gsemike - thank you for my laugh of the day. That 2002!!

fintail · July 2020

Pretty fun when a non-running Volvo is the possible deal of the pack.

xwesx · July 2020

texases said:
@gsemike - thank you for my laugh of the day. That 2002!!

I bet the seller has them lining up to buy that (ex)machine!

xwesx · July 2020

The most incredible thing today.... I spied the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan I owned a decade ago! I was so stunned.... it had 215,000 miles on it when I sold it (at the time we purchased our 2010 Forester).

I was able to meet the current owner and hear it start up. 238,000 on the ticker now (only 24,000 in a decade!), and the engine still runs smooth as glass. Not too bad for such a machine.

xwesx · July 2020

Here is the van in June of 2010, just before I sold it:

sda · July 2020

xwesx said:
Here is the van in June of 2010, just before I sold it:

Certainly not loved anymore. I see the tag transfers with the vehicle. I’ve often wondered how some of my cars have fared.

xwesx · July 2020

Yes, given enough time, this is the fate of nearly all vehicles (unfortunately). Tag can transfer with vehicle in Alaska. Typically, any time a vehicle goes through a dealer, it will get new plates. Otherwise, it rarely makes sense to get new tags upon acquisition: If you do, you also must renew them. Otherwise, just $15 to do a change-of-title form.

fintail · July 2020

I'd rather not know what becomes of most of my prior cars, as I doubt I will approve of the way the cars are cared for.

I never saw my W126 or C43 after they were sold. I saw the E55 once - at a car wash of all places. All of the leased cars have vanished into thin air. I get some kind of automated email update about servicing for one of them, now racking up the miles in southern California.

xwesx · July 2020

fintail said:
I'd rather not know what becomes of most of my prior cars, as I doubt I will approve of the way the cars are cared for.

So true. I try not to judge the owners on the condition of the car now, but I do speak fondly of the vehicle and talk about maintenance items, miles, trips... Hopefully it will sink in to some that these vehicles have histories of their own, and maybe, just maybe, they might add a little dignity to their approach.

Not that the condition of this van had anything to do with the current owner, as he only bought it a few weeks ago, but it certainly has had a difficult decade... regardless of only 24,000 miles! I added 40,000 miles in two years, and the car was in substantially better condition when it left me than when it arrived. These last 24,000 miles aged it like 240,000 miles would!

stickguy · July 2020

I like that Volvo. But for some reason none of the ad appears for me. Just the pictures.

explorerx4 · July 2020

About 3 years ago, I saw my 2000 Expedition at the dealer where I bought it and traded it in in 2002.
It was unique in that it was an XLT but had an Eddie Bauer.rear badge.
It also had a Ford branded bug deflector on the front that I installed.
I walked up to it to get a closer look, but then realized someone was sitting the the front passenger seat, so I tried to just casually walk by

stickguy · July 2020

the only car I really saw after I sold it (well, anything from after college days!) was my Mazda 626 (should have kept that one). My mailman bought it, and I would see it parked at the post office any time I drove past.

fintail · July 2020

To most people, a car is just like another appliance, even a more expensive or performance tuned model. I see some amusingly neglected expensive cars here.

I've thought of looking up some old VINs on Carfax or similar, but have never gone that far. I try to just let it go, take care of the ones in the fleet now - live for today, when they are gone, they are gone. On that line of thought, it'd be very hard to sell the fintail without some very serious vetting. If someone isn't going to keep it garaged, that alone would nix a deal.

xwesx said:
<
So true. I try not to judge the owners on the condition of the car now, but I do speak fondly of the vehicle and talk about maintenance items, miles, trips... Hopefully it will sink in to some that these vehicles have histories of their own, and maybe, just maybe, they might add a little dignity to their approach.

Not that the condition of this van had anything to do with the current owner, as he only bought it a few weeks ago, but it certainly has had a difficult decade... regardless of only 24,000 miles! I added 40,000 miles in two years, and the car was in substantially better condition when it left me than when it arrived. These last 24,000 miles aged it like 240,000 miles would!

omarman · July 2020

Lol! Now that's funny. So hard to play it off when you get in there a bit too close!

explorerx4 said:
About 3 years ago, I saw my 2000 Expedition at the dealer where I bought it and traded it in in 2002.
It was unique in that it was an XLT but had an Eddie Bauer.rear badge.
It also had a Ford branded bug deflector on the front that I installed.
I walked up to it to get a closer look, but then realized someone was sitting the the front passenger seat, so I tried to just casually walk by

kyfdx · July 2020

I've only seen one former car.

Sold my '67 BMW through my mechanic. Never met the buyer. Word was they were going to drop in a later engine with a 5-speed.

About a year later, I'm driving down the freeway in the replacement vehicle, and see him coming up behind in my rearview mirror.

It looked great, on alloys, and a little lowered.

But, about 10 years after that, I was driving by another indy mechanic shop that specialized in BMWs, and saw it sitting in the parking lot, awaiting service. Tired looking. (around 1999)

tjc78 · July 2020

I’ve only seen one, and wished I hadn’t. It was my 89 Town Car. They destroyed it in less than a year.

My Stepdad sold his 83 Chrysler E-class, and a 92 Century that we used to see all the time. New owners treated them well.

gsemike · July 2020

I generally keep my cars a long time so I've only traded in one car in my life. Kind of a weird feeling having no idea what fate awaited it.
Traded in my 03 Altima, bought new and kept 11 years. Drove it to the church when I got married. Taught my wife how to drive in it. Drove my first kid home from the hospital in it. A lot of sentimental value and it was a good car. Only had 84k when I traded it in, I think. I wonder if it's still out there. It still could be 5 years later.
When I see one with my options and colors, I always glance to see if it's mine, but there are a lot of them, so I never spotted it.

stickguy · July 2020

Not mine, but when my son (now 29) got his license in HS (spring 2008) we needed a car. Guy across the street put a sign on his daughters Altima. A 1998 I think (2nd gen, the angular 1). Good shape Overall (but a smoker). Only 80k miles, for asking $3,200. Should have bought on the spot, but wanted the kid to have a chance to actually look at it. I thought we had a hold it tentative agreement, but later that day maybe his daughter offered it to a friend in the neighborhood so I lost out. Sadly that led to the Contour debacle (we both hated that car) but worked out by December when I snagged the Acura TL. So in the end, turned out ok.

Point of this ramble, the buyer still lives at home (in her mid 30s by now) and still has the car 12 years later. No clue about miles, but it has serious rust on it and some accident damage. Looking quite nasty but still runs.

kyfdx · July 2020

I guess I have one more.

My uncle gave my son a '92 Acura Legend when he turned 16 in 2010. It had been my aunt's car (d. 1999), and only had 33K miles.

In 2013, we sold it for $5K, to a local insurance agent. His wife was going to drive it. A year later, his 16 yr old son had some sort of off-road issue, and ripped out the front axles. I saw it sitting at my mechanic's shop. Never to be repaired..

It was a very nice car. I never told my uncle that it was totaled.

qbrozen · July 2020

never saw one of my cars again, which is kinda surprising considering the number of them. But my brother did once. When I sold my '87 4runner, the guy who bought it told me he was using it to move to Colorado. Many years later, he was back in NJ visiting and my brother saw it and got to talk to the guy. I don't remember exactly what it had when I sold it. I want to say 110k-120k. By this time it had 240k-280k (again, can't remember the number) and on its 2nd engine (not sure how you go about killing that 22RE). Guy still loved it. It was easy to spot because I had the toyota symbol etched on those very rear side windows.

Michaell · July 2020

Given the pedestrian nature of the cars I've owned, I couldn't tell you if I've seen them, or not.

Did get a follow up on one of them, however. We leased a '99 New Beetle, bought it out after the lease, then, a year or so later, traded it in for the first of two Saturn VUE's.

Fast forward 5 or 6 years, and I get a call from a repair shop asking if I was the owner. Told him no, we traded it to (dealer name). He told me the car was at his shop, with a ruined engine (this had the old 2.slow VW lump in it). Not sure what happened to it after that.

Anybody see the latest installment of the M6 saga from JRGo?

andres3 · July 2020

Funny, I stalked both my former Audi's, and found them.... up for sale... the timing was impeccable for my stalking, I swear.

The 2006 A3 was up to 156,000 miles or so, and said it had the front end "repainted" or I'd have been interested in negotiating.

The 2014 S4 was up to like 90,000 miles or so, so high mileage from me, and high mileage from them. Said he was selling it because the gas mileage wasn't great

Smiles per gallon.

I'm interested in re-acquiring a B8.5 S4, but I'd prefer a low mileage one.

explorerx4 · July 2020

@omarman,
Maybe it was good that the windows didn't have such a dark tint.
That mighta, coulda happened.

qbrozen · July 2020

Michaell said:
Given the pedestrian nature of the cars I've owned, I couldn't tell you if I've seen them, or not.

Did get a follow up on one of them, however. We leased a '99 New Beetle, bought it out after the lease, then, a year or so later, traded it in for the first of two Saturn VUE's.

Fast forward 5 or 6 years, and I get a call from a repair shop asking if I was the owner. Told him no, we traded it to (dealer name). He told me the car was at his shop, with a ruined engine (this had the old 2.slow VW lump in it). Not sure what happened to it after that.

Anybody see the latest installment of the M6 saga from JRGo?

That is a weird story on the bug. 1. How the heck did they get your number? 2. How the heck did the car come into their shop without the current owner?

stickguy · July 2020

Michaell said:
Given the pedestrian nature of the cars I've owned, I couldn't tell you if I've seen them, or not.

Did get a follow up on one of them, however. We leased a '99 New Beetle, bought it out after the lease, then, a year or so later, traded it in for the first of two Saturn VUE's.

Fast forward 5 or 6 years, and I get a call from a repair shop asking if I was the owner. Told him no, we traded it to (dealer name). He told me the car was at his shop, with a ruined engine (this had the old 2.slow VW lump in it). Not sure what happened to it after that.

Anybody see the latest installment of the M6 saga from JRGo?

I need to look. Last I saw it was back together, With new rod bearings, waiting for 2nd replacement steering rack.

Michaell · July 2020

qbrozen said:

Michaell said:
Given the pedestrian nature of the cars I've owned, I couldn't tell you if I've seen them, or not.

Did get a follow up on one of them, however. We leased a '99 New Beetle, bought it out after the lease, then, a year or so later, traded it in for the first of two Saturn VUE's.

Fast forward 5 or 6 years, and I get a call from a repair shop asking if I was the owner. Told him no, we traded it to (dealer name). He told me the car was at his shop, with a ruined engine (this had the old 2.slow VW lump in it). Not sure what happened to it after that.

Anybody see the latest installment of the M6 saga from JRGo?
That is a weird story on the bug. 1. How the heck did they get your number? 2. How the heck did the car come into their shop without the current owner?

I think the car was abandoned and towed in.

I suspect a VIN search turned up our contact info (we've had the same phone number for 20+ years). Though, why it didn't show the dealer we traded it to is still a bit of a mystery.

Michaell · July 2020

stickguy said:

Michaell said:
Anybody see the latest installment of the M6 saga from JRGo?
I need to look. Last I saw it was back together, With new rod bearings, waiting for 2nd replacement steering rack.

Uh huh. I encourage you to get updated. Guest appearance by hoovie, I think (I don't follow his channel).

stickguy · July 2020

I check for updates every evening. I really have no life to speak of.

Michaell · July 2020

stickguy said:
I check for updates every evening. I really have no life to speak of.

Only once a day? I tend to check 2/3 times.

Quarantine life does suck, from time to time. Although today, I get to go to the bank and the post office! Wheeee!

omarman · July 2020

I sold my '71 Mustang to a used car dealer who made me a decent offer so that I could quickly buy a '68 Torino GT for sale by a private owner. Less than 1 month later I had several friends tell me they had seen my Mustang being driven by a girl who graduated from my HS a couple years before.

I never actually saw it again myself after I sold it but a mutual friend seemed to stir the pot between me and the new owner. I had already told that friend that I was pretty happy to sell my Mustang for just a bit over what i paid for it the previous summer. However the new owner of my Mustang paid about 60% more than that to the dealer and wasn't happy about it! How is this my fault? Lol!

There's no way that I could have offered a better price to the new owner because I didn't have it advertised for sale. I'd already found a car that I wanted and needed a cash sale of my Mustang to close the deal. The 2nd dealer who looked at my Mustang made a good offer without even driving it. Apparently he flipped it for a good price and pretty quickly too.

I was thinking Win/Win situation. Didn't bother me that the dealer made a nice profit and I was happy with the new-to-me Torino.

I don't know if the new owner took good care of my old Mustang but I learned that there's more than 1 reason to just let it go. Buyer's remorse is a real thing based on some very emotional triggers and maybe the worst one is money. Why start poking around some potentially touchy issues when the deal is done. It's over.

Just pick up the pieces and be happy

fintail · July 2020

The dear project car is back from the shop. I usually have a $1000 budget for yearly needs - I exceeded that by a little this year, but no hard feelings, as the 4 or 5 years prior it was under half that, and even when having a quirk here and there before, I think it never exceeded that - this is the most the car has consumed at once since it got new tires in early 2013.

Shocks were most expensive, at over $100 apiece (including labor). Turn signals work again - simple hour of labor, no parts - something was loose where the stalk meets the steering column. I am proud I kind of diagnosed that. Fuel leak was another bit of labor and parts, and then the normal servicing (with 8 quarts of oil and an old style filter, this isn't one that can be done anywhere). Apparently the car is fine otherwise, ran fine on the way back from the shop.

xwesx · July 2020

I find that there's no maintenance more satisfying than new shocks. Even on the Q7 this year, the improvement was markedly noticeable.

fintail · July 2020

I only drove it about a mile taking it back to the garage. In the next few weeks, the car will get its annual detail and a longer drive.

I installed the old shocks in 2000 (I think), and they were from a parts car - nearly new, and free, so I couldn't say no.

qbrozen · July 2020

xwesx said:
I find that there's no maintenance more satisfying than new shocks. Even on the Q7 this year, the improvement was markedly noticeable.

new shocks on my Charger made other things break. LOL. I don't have time to mess with it right now, but the newfound stiffness must have done in some bushings somewhere.

sda · July 2020

fintail said:
I'd rather not know what becomes of most of my prior cars, as I doubt I will approve of the way the cars are cared for.

I agree as I do my best to take care of my vehicles, with regular maintenance, cleaning and waxing, touch up.

stickguy · July 2020

Michaell said:

stickguy said:
I check for updates every evening. I really have no life to speak of.
Only once a day? I tend to check 2/3 times.

Quarantine life does suck, from time to time. Although today, I get to go to the bank and the post office! Wheeee!

just watched it. Ouch. amazed that he could break even after paying that much for repairs. Guess it helps to have a sponsor to buy you out of your mess!

Michaell · July 2020

stickguy said:

Michaell said:

stickguy said:
I check for updates every evening. I really have no life to speak of.
Only once a day? I tend to check 2/3 times.

Quarantine life does suck, from time to time. Although today, I get to go to the bank and the post office! Wheeee!
just watched it. Ouch. amazed that he could break even after paying that much for repairs. Guess it helps to have a sponsor to buy you out of your mess!

Yeah, I was really surprised, too.

Win some, lose some. Wonder if he will make money on the Optima.

stickguy · July 2020

might break even, thanks to free labor, and (probably) a lot of free parts. Pretty nice car though.

andres3 · July 2020

qbrozen said:

xwesx said:
I find that there's no maintenance more satisfying than new shocks. Even on the Q7 this year, the improvement was markedly noticeable.
new shocks on my Charger made other things break. LOL. I don't have time to mess with it right now, but the newfound stiffness must have done in some bushings somewhere.

Well...that's one explanation for why Chrysler's are in the shop quarterly.

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

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles