Funny how the 3 that Stick likes are the 3 I immediately dismissed with zero interest at all.
The '92 Crown Vic sounds like a screaming deal if the miles are true. The Mark III is nice enough but the wheels need to go. The Aurora is pretty but scary to think of all the likely issues it may have or soon will have. The Falcon wagon would be no fun to drive at all but would be one that could probably benefit from a sensitive restomod if the price was more reasonable.
I do like the Aurora however have the same concern about potential issues. Mom had a 98 Aurora and it was a very nice car. But like so many, electrical issues started around 90k, the infamous oil leak at the split block gasket (gravity type leak, just annoying) about the same time. At 105k, overheating , blown headgasket . She ended up giving it to my sister's family. They found a used engine and it was driven by her sons to high school and college for another 4 years. I was sad, however, to see it go into disrepair as it was never washed or loved. Mom loved that car and kept it show room new.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
A few years ago, I took this photo of my van and pickup. I want to say maybe late in 1997, as I'm pretty sure that I lifted that dog run and started converting it to a carport that summer.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
I should clarify: Location was Chugiak, Alaska. In the background is the 11' Banner cab-over camper that sat atop the C20 for the first 28 years of its life. I had the camper until 2007, when I gave it to a friend to use as living quarters while he built his house. I think he, in turn, gave it to another friend to do the same thing a few years after that.
While the camper wasn't fit to haul on a pickup any longer, it really was fairly nice inside and made for perfect summer on-site accommodations.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Being a short drive from Anchorage, I'd guess late October+. We usually had snow on the ground from Halloween through tax day.
I'm trying to remember the details on the timing. I was going to school in Fairbanks at the time, so I want to say this was during the Thanksgiving holiday that year. While I *could* have shot the photo in August before I left for school, that would have been a national news-worthy event if we actually had snow like that in southcentral Alaska so early!
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Maybe shameful that I knew what the kit car would look like, I must have paid a lot of attention to those when I was a kid. Maybe with one less zero...
I think that might be the first or second year for a USDM ix, that one might be the deal of the litter with material of that era faring well. Appears to be a cloth interior car, which has to be rare.
I'd rather the original engine was rebuilt, plenty of performance parts available, stock wheels + summer tires, performance suspension, some sports seats from that era.
"removal of catalytic converter" = automatic fail in my book.
And what's up with the rat's nest of wires in the glove box? Finally, that steering wheel and the aftermarket wheels don't look good IMHO.
I like the minilite wheels on there, personally. And a cat delete doesn't bother me one bit on something that old. Of course, he could have used a high-flow cat instead. But, no biggie, and I'm not sure why it is even mentioned on a custom car.
'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
Well, cat delete = major polluter. 10X what it should be.
And I'd be OK with wheels that look like, or were Minilites. Those aren't close enough, and I don't like the color. IMHO, as always.
It's possible that Sport seats aren't compatible with the sedan, as that wasn't an option. All the iS models are coupes.
I'll disagree on the power thing, though. There isn't a lot you can do with the stock M20 engine. Massive tweaks might only get you another 10 HP (168 HP stock). The S50 or S52 (240 hp) is hard to beat. I've seen M50/M52 swaps (from a non-M E36), but those don't hardly seem worth the trouble for 16 HP. Sometimes, those seem opportunistic (I need an engine, and I can get this one cheap. Which is probably how they ended up with an E46 engine)
Maintenance on the E36 engines is much lower than on the E30 engines, as well.
Yeah... not sure who would drop that kind of coin.
Unless it's an M3, engine swaps don't really devalue an E30. After 30+ years, it's a normal thing in a restoration. It's the same with a 2002, and S14/M20 swaps. Done well, it's desirable. (unless you have a 2002 tii or a 2000 turbo)
Well, cat delete = major polluter. 10X what it should be.
I guess I'm biased by the fact that, back in the days of actual emissions testing, we had many vehicles "fail" while sporting stock emissions equipment and subsequently "pass" when we bypassed all that junk, including the cat (not bypassed in that case, but gutted so they could see it was still there). It baffled the hell out of me.
'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
Well, cat delete = major polluter. 10X what it should be.
I guess I'm biased by the fact that, back in the days of actual emissions testing, we had many vehicles "fail" while sporting stock emissions equipment and subsequently "pass" when we bypassed all that junk, including the cat (not bypassed in that case, but gutted so they could see it was still there). It baffled the hell out of me.
Someone was a little groggy and didn't want to wake up this morning, just like me (that's mostly steam in the pic, warming up on a freezing morning). Moved in officially yesterday, cars are now slumbering beside each other:
The car got a lot of looks and a couple compliments today, it seems to look best in more gentle light. Wagon actually got a compliment in a parking lot too.
Someone was a little groggy and didn't want to wake up this morning, just like me (that's mostly steam in the pic, warming up on a freezing morning). Moved in officially yesterday, cars are now slumbering beside each other:
The car got a lot of looks and a couple compliments today, it seems to look best in more gentle light. Wagon actually got a compliment in a parking lot too.
Once I have a functioning kitchen (currently without counters and sink, stove is also disconnected), I'll be very pleased. This could turn into a "Project Houses" thread
So I'm about to turn my $30K S4 into a $50K 2015 S4 with 44K miles and a brand new motor. Unfortunately the market and insurance companies won't do the math the same way I am
Used cars w/o a warranty that are worth 5 figures or more are a risk I no longer wish to engage in.
'21 BMW X3 M40i, '15 Audi S4, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
decent rule of thumb IMO is for expensive, complicated and pricey to maintain imports are for leasing, and mainstream, reliable, cheap to keep are what you buy and keep forever.
So I'm about to turn my $30K S4 into a $50K 2015 S4 with 44K miles and a brand new motor. Unfortunately the market and insurance companies won't do the math the same way I am
Used cars w/o a warranty that are worth 5 figures or more are a risk I no longer wish to engage in.
Are you having the Audi dealership do the work? Does the new engine come with a warranty. I feel for you, that situation bites. It is a beautiful car.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
So I'm about to turn my $30K S4 into a $50K 2015 S4 with 44K miles and a brand new motor. Unfortunately the market and insurance companies won't do the math the same way I am
Used cars w/o a warranty that are worth 5 figures or more are a risk I no longer wish to engage in.
Are you having the Audi dealership do the work? Does the new engine come with a warranty. I feel for you, that situation bites. It is a beautiful car.
At the moment, it's a beautiful lawn ornament. It'll be a car again once the engine is replaced.
decent rule of thumb IMO is for expensive, complicated and pricey to maintain imports are for leasing, and mainstream, reliable, cheap to keep are what you buy and keep forever.
Damn, I can't believe the engine grendaded at 44k. Sorry that happened
I'm stuck in the past. I have trouble accepting any car over 30k that won't have a warranty attached to it but I guess the market is much higher now
So I'm about to turn my $30K S4 into a $50K 2015 S4 with 44K miles and a brand new motor. Unfortunately the market and insurance companies won't do the math the same way I am
Used cars w/o a warranty that are worth 5 figures or more are a risk I no longer wish to engage in.
Are you having the Audi dealership do the work? Does the new engine come with a warranty. I feel for you, that situation bites. It is a beautiful car.
LOL, if the dealership was doing it I'd be paying $4K more in labor, and probably another $1K in parts at least (not including whatever ridiculous markup they wanted on the engine). Heard someone got a quote for like $28K from a dealership for an engine issue (of course, that one was north of 100K miles).
I am getting some new parts and pieces "while they are in there" and for fear of using a 7 year old "good part" that might not be so good at 7 years after crazy engine failure, so this includes:
1) 12 mo.12k mile warranty (I can't help but think this is Audi's way of saying screw you to non-dealerships). 2) 5w40 Total Quartz 9000 7 Quarts Motor Oil and Oil Filter 3) 1.5L of Fresh G13 Coolant 4) Exhaust manifold gaskets 5) Seals, Gasket upper, additional seals and gaskets 6) Fuel Injector Seal Kit 7) Thermostat 8) Oil Separator 9) Coolant Pump 10) Oil Cooler Seal 11) 6 New Spark Plugs NGK 12) Haz Disposal (CA / EPA thing?) 13) Labor to replace engine was sharpened to 26 hours. Am told Longitudinal V6 is much more work than a 2.0T for example, and transverse mounted motor. Not all engines are easy to swap, The S4 is apparently a difficult time-consuming one; he said it was likely taking over 40 hours in reality. 14) Labor to transfer transmission, supercharger, components to new engine.
The only think left to find out is how much more a 4.0T V8 engine costs and what the extra labor for that swap would be!!!!!
'21 BMW X3 M40i, '15 Audi S4, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
decent rule of thumb IMO is for expensive, complicated and pricey to maintain imports are for leasing, and mainstream, reliable, cheap to keep are what you buy and keep forever.
Damn, I can't believe the engine grendaded at 44k. Sorry that happened
I'm stuck in the past. I have trouble accepting any car over 30k that won't have a warranty attached to it but I guess the market is much higher now
If it was CPO I'd have been in luck and covered (Audi is 1 year unlimited mileage for CPO).... however, I think it was just a bit too old to be CPO, and it was from a BMW dealership anyway.
If I had gotten a 12K warranty I'd have been SOL anyway. As they say, it could have been worse, if the engine had grenaded in the first 30 days and 1,000 miles I'd probably be suing Arrowhead BMW in Arizona right now.
'21 BMW X3 M40i, '15 Audi S4, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
And I just want to say if the repair bill was $28K the math just doesn't make sense anymore, and instead of writing about it here it would make more sense to just park it in Tijuana with the keys inside and forget I ever did that or said that.
'21 BMW X3 M40i, '15 Audi S4, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
The Orca wagons like that Custom Cruiser do seem to be bringing that kind of money, or at least there are many priced at that level when listed for sale. The later Roadmaster wagons with the HO 5.7 are the ones to get though. I would like it a lot more with a less flowery description by the seller, who also needs to learn that it is an Olds, not "Old's". I was expecting him to trot out the line from Pulp Fiction when he started writing about the Silhouette minivan but thankfully he avoided that at least.
I don't think I have ever liked a Mustang in that sort of good condition less than that "High Country" thing. The color is awful, and the screwed-on badge looks really cheesy.
Integra look clean enough for the money. That was the generation I had.. also an LS hatch. But a 5 speed of course. Fun car, but I needed more headroom. Loved the seats.
Comments
The '92 Crown Vic sounds like a screaming deal if the miles are true. The Mark III is nice enough but the wheels need to go. The Aurora is pretty but scary to think of all the likely issues it may have or soon will have. The Falcon wagon would be no fun to drive at all but would be one that could probably benefit from a sensitive restomod if the price was more reasonable.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
While the camper wasn't fit to haul on a pickup any longer, it really was fairly nice inside and made for perfect summer on-site accommodations.
By the snow on the ground, I will guess Chugiak in August.
Cool old Pontiac but too rough for the money
Wow, this is a lot to unpack
The old photograph it wet so it looks shinier trick
Interest in these late W30s is up. This could be a fair deal
This could be a fun little falcon
Machiavelli Kit Car Fit and finish look poor
Early AWD BMW sedan I didn't realize that they were doing this as early as 89
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Kit car - might as well put the money in a fire pit and light it off...
I think that might be the first or second year for a USDM ix, that one might be the deal of the litter with material of that era faring well. Appears to be a cloth interior car, which has to be rare.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/this-ultra-rare-gm-futurliner-is-rotting-away-in-a-storage-lot-heres-how-it-got-there/ar-AAQMvB3?ocid=hplocalnews&li=BBnbfcL
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/9eN2Xb1N/1987-bmw-325i-sedan
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
225 hp engine from an E46. Haven't seen that swap, much.
Too bad they didn't swap in some sport seats. That might have made up for it being a sedan.
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And what's up with the rat's nest of wires in the glove box? Finally, that steering wheel and the aftermarket wheels don't look good IMHO.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
When the guy says it's better than an S52 swap (from a '95-'99 M3), that's where he goes off the rails.
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And a cat delete doesn't bother me one bit on something that old. Of course, he could have used a high-flow cat instead. But, no biggie, and I'm not sure why it is even mentioned on a custom car.
'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
And I'd be OK with wheels that look like, or were Minilites. Those aren't close enough, and I don't like the color. IMHO, as always.
I'll disagree on the power thing, though. There isn't a lot you can do with the stock M20 engine. Massive tweaks might only get you another 10 HP (168 HP stock). The S50 or S52 (240 hp) is hard to beat.
I've seen M50/M52 swaps (from a non-M E36), but those don't hardly seem worth the trouble for 16 HP. Sometimes, those seem opportunistic (I need an engine, and I can get this one cheap. Which is probably how they ended up with an E46 engine)
Maintenance on the E36 engines is much lower than on the E30 engines, as well.
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https://metricmechanic.com/baby-six-m20-engines/
Of course, then we're talking $12,000+...OUCH!
Unless it's an M3, engine swaps don't really devalue an E30. After 30+ years, it's a normal thing in a restoration. It's the same with a 2002, and S14/M20 swaps. Done well, it's desirable. (unless you have a 2002 tii or a 2000 turbo)
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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
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The car got a lot of looks and a couple compliments today, it seems to look best in more gentle light. Wagon actually got a compliment in a parking lot too.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
Congrats Fin! Car looks right at home.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
When owning a home there is always something to do. Even more so if you are a knucklehead like me and own two.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
Used cars w/o a warranty that are worth 5 figures or more are a risk I no longer wish to engage in.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
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I'm stuck in the past. I have trouble accepting any car over 30k that won't have a warranty attached to it but I guess the market is much higher now
I am getting some new parts and pieces "while they are in there" and for fear of using a 7 year old "good part" that might not be so good at 7 years after crazy engine failure, so this includes:
1) 12 mo.12k mile warranty (I can't help but think this is Audi's way of saying screw you to non-dealerships).
2) 5w40 Total Quartz 9000 7 Quarts Motor Oil and Oil Filter
3) 1.5L of Fresh G13 Coolant
4) Exhaust manifold gaskets
5) Seals, Gasket upper, additional seals and gaskets
6) Fuel Injector Seal Kit
7) Thermostat
8) Oil Separator
9) Coolant Pump
10) Oil Cooler Seal
11) 6 New Spark Plugs NGK
12) Haz Disposal (CA / EPA thing?)
13) Labor to replace engine was sharpened to 26 hours. Am told Longitudinal V6 is much more work than a 2.0T for example, and transverse mounted motor. Not all engines are easy to swap, The S4 is apparently a difficult time-consuming one; he said it was likely taking over 40 hours in reality.
14) Labor to transfer transmission, supercharger, components to new engine.
The only think left to find out is how much more a 4.0T V8 engine costs and what the extra labor for that swap would be!!!!!
If I had gotten a 12K warranty I'd have been SOL anyway. As they say, it could have been worse, if the engine had grenaded in the first 30 days and 1,000 miles I'd probably be suing Arrowhead BMW in Arizona right now.
Toyota tax
Hipsters would do unspeakable things for that patina
Fun throwback, not sure about "classic" yet
Another fun throwback priced up there and then some
Malaisey doats, everything at an angle
Low mileage, really basic looking interior - family member had one of these which was much fancier
Special edition
I like the sign on the back
I suppose the transmission is what enabled it to survive
I don't think I have ever liked a Mustang in that sort of good condition less than that "High Country" thing. The color is awful, and the screwed-on badge looks really cheesy.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.