Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

roadburner · March 2021

I should have bid on this.

28firefighter · March 2021

roadburner said:
I should have bid on this.

Want

roadburner · March 2021

28firefighter said:

roadburner said:
I should have bid on this.
Want

Those S38 motors will run forever IF you change the timing chain every 100K- it helps to upgrade the harmonic balancer while you are at it.

oldfarmer50 · March 2021

roadburner said:
I should have bid on this.

Yikes and double Yikes!

stickguy · March 2021

why, does it seem expensive? Not compared to this!

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-toyota-celica-4/

roadburner · March 2021

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:
I should have bid on this.
Yikes and double Yikes!

What’s the problem?

omarman · March 2021

After making a bid of $40,000 on that Celica the bidder posted, "Nostalgia is a powerful force." And then another bidder followed with $40,500. The force is strong with this one.

oldfarmer50 · March 2021

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:
I should have bid on this.
Yikes and double Yikes!
What’s the problem?

From my perspective that an extraordinary amount to pay for a car like that. I may not be able to appreciate some unique value it has like collectibility or some specific desirable options but it seems awful pricey.

roadburner · March 2021

Most are going for over $60k, and if they are clean they are worth every penny. Depreciation is not an issue and with the rebuild at most you may need to replace the water pump in 60k miles. There's no domestic or European classic I'd rather have for the money.

28firefighter · March 2021

You simply can’t get a grand touring coupe in a manual like that anymore. Finding one that is in even good driver condition that hasn’t been destroyed by the years is tough.

Combined with the lust many have for that era 6 series (see @roadburner’s serious nostalgia for his departed M6) and it makes sense.

Different strokes...

oldfarmer50 · March 2021

omarman said:
After making a bid of $40,000 on that Celica the bidder posted, "Nostalgia is a powerful force." And then another bidder followed with $40,500. The force is strong with this one.

I guess that’s what I don’t understand. I suppose it’s because I’m unfamiliar with foreign makes of bygone days. Back in 70s and 80s I was more interested in domestic brands.

Now, I perhaps I might feel the same way as those buyers for say, a 69’ Charger but I still don’t think I’d pay $40k+ for one.

stickguy · March 2021

any collectible era is based on what you had or lusted after in your youth but couldn't afford. And in an auction, just takes 2 guys with lots of money that both gotta have it, and this is what happens.

corvette · March 2021

oldfarmer50 said:
Back in 70s and 80s I was more interested in domestic brands.

I'm very sorry you had to endure that.

fintail · March 2021

I wonder if dealers are bidding on that Celica, who can use it as a toy and expense it out.

qbrozen · March 2021

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:
I should have bid on this.
Yikes and double Yikes!
What’s the problem?

From my perspective that an extraordinary amount to pay for a car like that. I may not be able to appreciate some unique value it has like collectibility or some specific desirable options but it seems awful pricey.

I’m with you. I really like those cars, and love the 3.5, but $40k? Oh hell no. If I’m spending that on a manual GT car, I’d easily pick something like this first: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/840276675/overview?

stickguy · March 2021

I just can't see myself driving one of those. But at least you can DD it, or hop in and drive a 1,000 miles without worrying about it. But someone buying a 635 (or heck, a scatpack) isn't likely to be doing that.

I would wager too that in 5 years, the BMW is worth more than now, and the Dodge won't be! If you are buying for that reason.

qbrozen · March 2021

stickguy said:

I would wager too that in 5 years, the BMW is worth more than now, and the Dodge won't be! If you are buying for that reason.

That is a good point. If you want to invest in a car rather than drive one, the bimmer is the better choice.

qbrozen · March 2021

How about this for a manual trans GT under $40k? Mmmmmm.... oh yeah. I’d try to find better colors but you get the idea. https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/786487414/overview

qbrozen · March 2021

Since I was looking at GT cars, I just noticed Panameras have really dropped in price. 10-yr-old low-mileage 4S models for mid 30s. That’s nice to dream about.

kyfdx · March 2021

qbrozen said:
How about this for a manual trans GT under $40k? Mmmmmm.... oh yeah. I’d try to find better colors but you get the idea. https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/786487414/overview

I love those Aston Martins. The earlier Panameras got hit with an ugly stick, though.

stickguy · March 2021

Aston looks nice. Not likely cheap to keep, but at least it doesn’t have the evel F1 style gearbox. Mildly concerning that it spent 12 years in Venezuela.

And if you like old Panameras, should watch this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eudlCgbWytQ

graphicguy · March 2021

qbrozen said:
How about this for a manual trans GT under $40k? Mmmmmm.... oh yeah. I’d try to find better colors but you get the idea. https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/786487414/overview

I agree. That would be way more interesting to own than the Celica.

Speaking of which, I know that Celica is over 5 decades old, but dang, the test drive video made it sound like it had 250K miles, not 50K miles.

pensfan83 · March 2021

The ZHP is now registered but I'm facing a 2 and 3 week backlog to get it inspected at the dealer and my indie BMW shop respectively. I'm contemplating taking it to another garage I use but will need to see where they would source parts from should any be needed.

qbrozen · March 2021

kyfdx said:

qbrozen said:
How about this for a manual trans GT under $40k? Mmmmmm.... oh yeah. I’d try to find better colors but you get the idea. https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/786487414/overview
I love those Aston Martins. The earlier Panameras got hit with an ugly stick, though.

I have never minded it.

And it is so damned nice inside, and fun to drive, I care very very little what anyone thinks of the outside.

qbrozen · March 2021

stickguy said:

And if you like old Panameras, should watch this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eudlCgbWytQ

Ha. As if they were prepping for my discovery. haha. So, yeah, I agree that the value proposition is hard to ignore. I believe his older 4s was missing the sport chrono, which likely explains its "slowness." A 2011'ish with sport chrono is close to 4 secs 0-60.

roadburner · March 2021

My M6 had a Dinan chip and a Fahey track pipe replacing the catalyst. At a BMW/Porsche Solo 1 event several 911 drivers protested my car because they said that there was no way a M6 could be that quick with just a couple of mods.
Best of all, it could also serve as a comfortable GT cruiser.
I also like V8 coupes(1LE and SRT), but if you haven’t driven a relatively light car equipped with an S38 you are missing a great experience.

carnaught · March 2021

Punch warning....

explorerx4 · March 2021

Congrats Mike, car looks very nice.

oldfarmer50 · March 2021

qbrozen said:
How about this for a manual trans GT under $40k? Mmmmmm.... oh yeah. I’d try to find better colors but you get the idea. https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/786487414/overview

That would sure be a head turner but where did it sit since 2007 to only accumulate less than 10k miles?

abacomike · March 2021

You guys probably already know that I have a punch for today. If you want specifics on my punch, visit Members Cars and Conversations. I’ll post some pictures here of the G90 I just picked up.

abacomike · March 2021

corvette · March 2021

@abacomike - nice looking Genesis! What made you stray after a long line of M-B products?

nyccarguy · March 2021

@abacomike - Mazel-Tov on the Genesis. Enjoy! Love the pics with the Palm Trees too;)

stickguy · March 2021

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:
How about this for a manual trans GT under $40k? Mmmmmm.... oh yeah. I’d try to find better colors but you get the idea. https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/786487414/overview
That would sure be a head turner but where did it sit since 2007 to only accumulate less than 10k miles?

according to the carfax, Venezuala.

stickguy · March 2021

carnaught said:
Punch warning....

man, the punches are flying fast and furious this week!

I might need a ruling soon. If I buy my daughter's Jetta (meaning I actually give her money and re-register into my name) will that count as a punch?

abacomike · March 2021

corvette said:
@abacomike - nice looking Genesis! What made you stray after a long line of M-B products?

A combination of things, corvette.

*My E450 was very snug for me - and my back!

*Those $1703 a month payments on the 36 month 0% interest loan were killing me.

*I saw a new G90 at the mall in Boca Raton and truly fell in love with the driver’s seat and its comfort as well as the styling.

*When I test drove the car yesterday, the handling, quietness and acceleration were exhilarating.

When I compared the G90 to the 2018 S Class Mercedes I leased in 2017, I found the G90 even more enticing, surprisingly enough.

What else can I say?😜🤪🤓

xwesx · March 2021

stickguy said:
why, does it seem expensive? Not compared to this!

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-toyota-celica-4/

Jeebus. Total outlier here, and I strongly suspect there were bidders here trolling the winner when they realized she was willing to pay way over reasonable price on it.

xwesx · March 2021

abacomike said:

What else can I say?😜🤪🤓

Nothing needed! Congrats; those are definitely a good value proposition without giving up anything tangible.

kyfdx · March 2021

stickguy said:

carnaught said:
Punch warning....
man, the punches are flying fast and furious this week!

I might need a ruling soon. If I buy my daughter's Jetta (meaning I actually give her money and re-register into my name) will that count as a punch?

Absolutely, that counts

xwesx · March 2021

I had my first experience with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) today....

tldr: Not impressed with its durability.

2021 Audi Q5 loaner. Leaving the shop, I got on the major arterial through Anchorage and set the cruise. And, wow. It just worked - I didn't need to touch anything. Very nice. Five miles later, after five miles of drizzling freezing rain, the ACC goes out saying something about "sensor error due to environmental conditions." Great. So, I fiddled with the system trying to figure out how to use "regular" cruise control...

No such luck. I was just out cruise for the next 95 miles! I stopped to top off fuel and inspected the front of the car: About a 1/4" of ice accumulation, which covered cameras, sensors, etc. I wasn't sure where it was, so I knocked ice off of the whole thing. Three more miles of ACC. Then, nothing.

I drove another 120 miles through rain, snow, white out, etc., with no cruise at all before finally coming out on the north side of the weather. I stopped along the side of the road and nearly broke my hand beating, scraping, flaking, and melting ice from the front of the car. Nothing... still no ACC.

However, I was in a warm pocket of above-freezing air, and this seemed to clear up whatever lingering deterrent was there after several more miles, and I finally had cruise for the remaining 120 miles of the trip.

Conclusion? Technology is well into "fails in the real world" stage due to trying to do too much. I would MUCH rather have any cruise than unreliable "pamper me" cruise. The one redeeming quality of ACC is that I found myself getting far less annoyed with drivers who are inconsistent with their speeds because I'm not actively having to adjust for them until I can find a passing opportunity.

stickguy · March 2021

well, don't take this personally, but I put it in the user error category! It does have normal cruise (well, my Acuras do, so I assume all cars do, but it is an Audi, so maybe not smart?) You just didn't feel like looking in the manual to see how to do it.

so still IMO a plus. You get the plain old version, but when weather cooperates, also get the fancy one. So you aren't losing anything with the new tech.

I still don't like cruise anyway, and I definitely never use it in bad weather. Too stressful, since I drive with my foot hovering over the brake anyway.

stickguy · March 2021

xwesx said:

stickguy said:
why, does it seem expensive? Not compared to this!

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-toyota-celica-4/
Jeebus. Total outlier here, and I strongly suspect there were bidders here trolling the winner when they realized she was willing to pay way over reasonable price on it.

yowzers. Cute story though. the 2 bidders that took it from 47k to 62k in the last few minutes (and others were still bidding into the 40s) both had their stories in the comments. Both just nostolgia, and neither were even thinking about book value or anything like that. They were trying to replace a special memory from the old days, and had the money to do it.

Winner was a woman buying back her husbands dream car that he sold decades ago when they started a family and planning to surprise him with it as a thank you for everything he did for the family for 35 years. Cute story. I would probably yell at my wife though if she did it for me! Not a worry, since not a chance she would try (or heck, in my case, even know what to get!)

laurasdada · March 2021

Congrats, Mike!
I haven't investigated my cruise control as I've rarely used it throughout my driving life.

corvette · March 2021

The ACC on the Tundra has randomly disconnected a few times. If the sensor is gunked up or iced up, you can switch to regular cruise by pressing and holding the on-off button for several seconds. It’s quite anticlimactic when it deactivates—just a beep and dashboard warning, and the throttle input goes to zero until you take over.

xwesx · March 2021

corvette said:
The ACC on the Tundra has randomly disconnected a few times. If the sensor is gunked up or iced up, you can switch to regular cruise by pressing and holding the on-off button for several seconds. It’s quite anticlimactic when it deactivates—just a beep and dashboard warning, and the throttle input goes to zero until you take over.

Interesting. Maybe could sorta be user error. I was trying to get home by 1430 this afternoon to get my son to work on time (he had the day off when I scheduled my appointment, then they added him to the schedule a couple days later). I knew I wouldn't make it due to the weather, but I also didn't want to add another 20 minutes hunting for instructions, if they existed, on how to disable it. I ran through everything in the menu system on the flat panel, and shut off all the adaptive stuff, but none of that made any difference. I tried pressing/holding the set button for several seconds, still nothing. Now my curiosity forces me to know how to work it. I'll call it research for the trip back to Anchorage.

I use cruise whenever I'm driving for long distances because my right leg and hip cramps up something horrible after an hour or two if I can't move it around. I've driven in winter weather long enough that I've come to realize that cruise control isn't bad to use in winter weather; it's just the drivers that are bad. LOL

When I'm driving my old vehicles for long distances, I will switch legs on the accelerator so that I can give my right leg a break (one of the benefits of old vehicles). I don't know why I have an issue with this; it's just always been a "thing" for me.

xwesx · March 2021

Whoops. I just realized that I posted my original comment on needing to take my Q7 to Anchorage for service on this thread, but I posted my follow up on the "Road Trip" thread. I guess I was thinking about the Q5 loaner, and we had been talking about rentals over there.

Anyhow, here's the link if you're interested in the follow up.

oldfarmer50 · March 2021

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:
How about this for a manual trans GT under $40k? Mmmmmm.... oh yeah. I’d try to find better colors but you get the idea. https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/786487414/overview
That would sure be a head turner but where did it sit since 2007 to only accumulate less than 10k miles?
according to the carfax, Venezuala.

You mean that was Hugo Chavez’s AM? Who else in Venezuela could afford it?

stickguy · March 2021

xwesx said:
Whoops. I just realized that I posted my original comment on needing to take my Q7 to Anchorage for service on this thread, but I posted my follow up on the "Road Trip" thread. I guess I was thinking about the Q5 loaner, and we had been talking about rentals over there.

Anyhow, here's the link if you're interested in the follow up.

just read it. I now kinda recall you having an issue with something but fuzzy on the details. Man, if it was mine, that dog would not be coming back from Anchorage. I would trade it in on something else. Not even sure I would care what it was!

kyfdx · March 2021

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

qbrozen said:
How about this for a manual trans GT under $40k? Mmmmmm.... oh yeah. I’d try to find better colors but you get the idea. https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/786487414/overview
That would sure be a head turner but where did it sit since 2007 to only accumulate less than 10k miles?
according to the carfax, Venezuala.
You mean that was Hugo Chavez’s AM? Who else in Venezuela could afford it?

MLB player?

xwesx · March 2021

stickguy said:

just read it. I now kinda recall you having an issue with something but fuzzy on the details. Man, if it was mine, that dog would not be coming back from Anchorage. I would trade it in on something else. Not even sure I would care what it was!

I'm stubborn. Plus, I kinda like sticking VAG with the repair bills over and over.

The trips do give me an excuse to visit my college roommate. I crashed at his place overnight before dropping off the car this morning.

Crazy stuff, though: He had a 2000 Chevy Silverado, 90's forest green, since it was new. 21 years old, 100,000 miles, and it was in just incredibly good shape. About five weeks ago, a crew of people descended upon it in the parking lot at his office and stole it in the middle of the day.

He had to replace it on short notice, and he wanted something basic, but with 4WD (his last one was a single cab short bed 4x4)... nearly impossible to find these days! He ended up with a new turbo-4 Ranger king cab, which was something like 6" longer than his other truck; cost him $30K OTD.

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