1988 Volvo 240 Wagon - Hmmm...Tempting. Tempting. If this car is all the seller says it is, it wouldn't take a lot to make it a nice car again.
This is not a great ad. There is just one (lousy) picture and no mention of mileage, the reason for the mis-matched wheels, recent work, etc. But hey, for $700.00, it might be worth a call.
Decent 240 wagons are getting tough to find these days. The people who own them love them and aren't giving them up.
Located in Pittsfield, MA, click here to see the Craigslist ad.
1973 BMW Bavaria 3.0 - Boy, I like this car. At least I like the way it looks. (I love black over red.) Sadly, this is another ad with no real information.
The Bavaria was unique to the North American market. Roughly 8,000 were built with the 3.0 engine in 1973.
Rust was the huge enemy of the Bavaria. This car *looks* to be rust free, but as with any old car, it will need to be checked thouroughly for bad rust repair.
Located in Meridan, MS, click here to see the Craigslist ad.
1975 Mercedes Benz 450SLC - I posted a picture of a newer SL today on the Just a Car Geek Facebook page. This is an older SLC.
SLCs are tremendous bargains these days. Classic styling and a big 4.5 liter V8. In the US they are rarer than the drop top SL, but usually sell for less.
Like most Mercedes Benz cars, the SLC is well engineered and durable. However, when something does break, parts are extremely expensive. Finding a well maintained one is a must.
This is a European spec 450SLC. The seller says it has been "been meticulously maintained" and he has all the service records from day one (including those from Germany).
The car does have some rust bubbles, which should be taken car of right away.
Located in Houston, TX, click here to see the Craigslist ad.
One more post about my old BMW and the new Honda, then I'll let it go. Some random thoughts and observations...
I used to think that I must be an alright looking guy - I based part of that on what girlfriends have said ("Yeah, you're alright." or "I've been with worse." Things like that.), but mostly I based it on the looks I'd get when driving down the street. I now realize that no one was looking at me. They were looking at the car. No one checks you out in a base 1992 Honda Civic.
I am now practical - I went to a party Saturday night. A number of people there knew that I had gone to Virginia to pick up a car the previous weekend. I hadn't mentioned what kind of car I was getting. Someone asked me what I got. When I said "a Honda Civic" everyone replied - damn near in unison - "Oh, that's a practical car." Great.
I am no longer envied - One friend, after seeing the Honda, said, "This is the first time in the 25 years I've known you that I'm not jealous of the car you're driving." His ride? A Ford Taurus wagon.
I'll need to make new friends - I have a friend who drives an Audi. For most of the 6 or so years we've been friends we've argued the merits of Audi vs. BMW. What do we argue about now? Can I really come up with a credible "my 20 year old Civic is better than your 5 year old A4" argument? Uh, let's see... I get better gas mileage with my 1.6 than you get with your 2.0 turbo... My no name 175/70/13 tires cost a lot less than your 235/45/17 high performance Contis... I will have a stronger left arm from rolling down the window instead of hitting a switch... None of those work. I need to make a new friend with an old Hyundai. (Are there any old Hyundais still on the road?).
I am a source of amusement - I picked up a friend on the way to the above mentioned party. She is decidedly a non-car geek. She had not said a word all week about the Civic. We parked the car and started walking to the restaurant. About a block away we saw a guy parking an Aston Martin DBS Volante. I stopped, waited for him to get out and complimented the car. I asked a few questions and he gave me some detailed answers. As we were walking away, my friend looked at me and said, "Why didn't you tell him all about your Civic?" She then started laughing so hard I thought she was going to pee on herself. I wish she had. Jerk.
Everyone has owned or knows someone who has owned a Civic - This is a plus. I have not yet heard a bad word about a Honda Civic. Not one. They seem to run forever.
I might just keep this car - My original thought was to keep it for awhile and then sell it. Maybe buy another BMW. Now I'm thinking that it might not be too bad as a daily driver. I can then go out an buy an impractical second car. A TR7, maybe? It's one of the few cars I've always wanted to own but never have. Hmmm...
OK, I'm done. No more posts about the Honda for awhile. With any luck at all I'll get back to the usual JaCG stuff this week.
Meet the new car. Yep. It's a 1992 Honda Civic. A base 1992 Honda Civic. Power windows? Nope. Power locks? Nope. Right side mirror? No way. Sunroof? Nope, a solid roof. A tachometer? Hell, no. It doesn't even have a clock. I have the original window sticker. It has zero options. (It does have A/C. I believe that was dealer installed and therefor wouldn't show up on the factory sticker.)
It looks like it hasn't seen a coat of wax since its initial dealer prep. The drivers door makes a noise upon opening and closing that large amounts of grease has not yet cured. It has a few small dents and dings. The driver's seat, which has an aftermarket seat heater in it (!!!), has a tear. The seats feel like they are made of poured concrete and not foam. (Part of the reason JaCG has been on hiatus is that I was dealing with some kidney issues. The seats do absolutely nothing positive for my recovering kidneys.) However, they are really well shaped and hold you in place very nicely.
On the plus side, it hasn't used a drop of oil or coolant in the 700 or so miles I've had it. (The first of which were a 500 mile - one day - trip from Richmond, VA to Massachusetts. It performed flawlessly. Slowly, but flawlessly.) According to one of the repair receipts that came with it (I have all of them - or most them - dating back to its original date of purchase-) it had its head gasket replaced about 30,000 miles ago. At the time it had its valve seals replaced. The body does not have a speck of rust on it. It's truly amazing. It really is a 20 year old rust-free Honda.
So, you ask, how and why did I wind up with this fine piece of Japanese automotive history? The how is easy. It was given to me. The why is a little tougher.
My brother bought this car a number of years ago for his stepdaughter. She used it to commute back and forth to college. After graduating, she gave it back to him. He parked it in the garage at his "second home." It was a third car to him. And, since he always drove one of his other vehicles to his second home, it rarely, if ever, got driven. He's been offering it to me for a year or so.
Why I took it is twofold... With the exception of the BMW, I shop before I buy a car. I really shop. I'm not a super savvy buyer, I just like driving an assortment of cars. As long as I know deep down inside that I'll eventually buy one, I don't feel too guilty taking up people's time by test driving their car.
The problem was that the BMW was fading fast. The brakes had gotten to a point where it was dangerous. I didn't have time to shop. I was going to have to make a decision and make one fast. This Honda buys me some time. I can shop 'til I drop or the Honda drops, whichever happens first.
Secondly, my brother knows me too well. He used the old "I guess if you don't want it some kid will buy it and customize the hell out of it." To me that's the automotive equivalent of saying, "If you don't take this dog we'll just have it put to sleep." Ugh.
The more I think about it, the more it intrigues me, though. It is sparse. It is slow. I have no idea how it handles as the mis-matched 175/70/13 tires give out way before the chassis does.
What can I do to it - cheaply - to make it a semi-enjoyable ride for the next 3 - 6 months? By cheaply, I mean cheaply. I do not want to spend thousands on this car. I need to keep in mind that for a few thousand dollars I could have bought another E36. I don't want to spend that much on a 1992 Honda Civic.
Obviously, I don't want to rice it out. I want it to look like a car that a middle aged man would drive. (Because that's what I am.)
First thing I need to do is get some new wheels and tires. (** Update - Since I wrote that line one of the mismatched 175/70/13 tires stopped holding air. This is now really important.) 20" chrome spinners are not my style. I'm thinking about a set of 1987 - 1991 CRX Si rims. They are 14" and take a 60 series tire. I'm not going to win any gymkhanas with this set up, but at least I'll be able to take a sharp curve at something more than 15 MPH. From what I remember, they look pretty cool, too. If you or someone you know in the New England area has a set they're looking to sell cheaply, email me.
Performance is going to be a tougher issue. It is hampered by its automatic transmission. A free flow 6" exhaust is out of the question. Again, I'm a middle age man. Can you chip these things, or is it too old?
I'm here looking for ideas. I honestly know next to nothing about older Japanese cars. I never owned one. (My ex-significant-other had a CRX Si. But, she bought it new and had a warranty. I never had a chance to take it apart. I once had an Isuzu Trooper, which isn't really a car. I wouldn't even call it a form of transportation. I hated it. I didn't want to even look at it, let alone work on it. I just wanted it to go away.)
I'll keep you posted on its progress or lack of. Who knows? Maybe when I'm done with it, some kid, disappointed in the Volvo 700 / 900 Series or old BMW 5 Series station wagon his parents gave him, will swap me straight up. Stranger things have happened.
Feel free to laugh.
I sold my 1995 E36 BMW last week.
When I told the people close to me what I had done, they reacted with sympathy. One said that it must have been like ending a relationship.
In many ways my relationship with that car was a lot like some of the best relationships I've had with people.
In our minds, we all have an image / description of our perfect mate. For the most part, we spend time seeking out people that fit our image and description.
Every once in awhile however, you encounter someone who doesn't fit that mold. They walk into a room or pass you on the street and you're instantly drawn to them. You have no idea why. They just have that "something." That's what it was like with the BMW. I like dark green or red cars. I like 4 door sedans or hatchbacks. A white 2 door coupe was not anywhere on my list of desirable cars.
Back in 1997 I was driving a Saab 9000. I bought it a few year earlier at a place called Northeast Motors in North Hampton, NH. It was a perfectly nice car. It was reliable, comfortable and somewhat entertaining. It was a green and, of course, it was a 4 door.
I was in New Hampshire one weekend in 1997. I decided to take a drive past Northeast Motors. I honestly wasn't looking for a new car. I just wanted to see what cool / interesting cars they had on the lot.
In the front row was their typical collection of Audis, Saabs and Volvos. Just past them, sitting by itself, was the BMW. I was instantly drawn to it. I stopped. The salesman who sold me the Saab, Niles, still worked there. He recognized me and the car.
"What's up with that BMW?", I asked. "Just took it in.", he replied. "We haven't even cleaned it yet." "Can I take it for a drive?" I asked."Sure. I'll get the keys and a plate."
I drove it for about 20 minutes. That was about 19 minutes and 50 seconds more than I needed to drive it to know that I wanted it. Niles is the type of car salesman you dream about. (If you dream about car salesman, I guess.) Low key and knowledgeable. No pressure. "What do you think?" he asked. "I don't know, let me think about it." "You have my number.", he said. "Call me if you have any questions."
And I did think about it. In fact, for the next 24 hours it was all I thought about. It was like that person with the "something." It was like being attracted to a short, blue-eyed, blonde. It made no sense. My "perfect person" is supposed to be a tall, brown-eyed, brunette.
I called Niles the next day. "I want it." I told him. "Take the Saab in trade and arrange it with the bank so the payments are no more per month than I'm paying now for the Saab." Twenty minutes later he called me back. "Done.", he said. "I'll fax you the paperwork for your approval." I picked it up the next day.
My then significant-other - a real life tall, brown eyed, brunette - was surprised to see it. "I thought you hate white cars. I thought you only like 4 door cars. You'll grow tired of it in a couple of years." she said. "You're right. I'll probably just keep it for a year or two and then trade it in on something else.", I replied.
My significant-other and I split up two years later. The BMW stayed around for another 15 years and 200,000+ miles. I never grew tired of it.
For all of those 15 years it was a faithful companion. There were times, like there are in human relationships, when I'd get pissed off at it and swear we were done. During a heavy snowstorm I spent a night sleeping on the hardwood floor of my office at the radio station I worked at. AWD Audis, Subarus and lesser FWD cars were cruising through the snow effortlessly, yet I couldn't get the BMW up the small parking lot incline and into the street. I swore I was going to sell it the next day. I didn't. Like I do with any human I love, I made some concessions and sacrificed a little to keep it around. I bought a Jeep to drive in the snow.
For 15 years it was like that. A few fights now and then, but many, many, many more good times.
The cold reality is that the BMW is not a human. Last October a large tree branch fell through its rear window during a freak snowstorm. It was the beginning of the end. I looked around for another car, but instead replaced the window. From that moment on - as if it was telling me it was time for it to leave - little things started going wrong. The exhaust broke. The steering rack, which had been leaking a little for awhile, started gushing power steering fluid. The clutch throw out bearing went from humming to growling. The brakes went bad. The headliner started falling down. The driver's side window regulator broke. Twice. The CD player grabbed a Tom Petty CD and wouldn't give it up. (I really like Tom Petty. Just not all day / every day.) Bulbs burnt out. The list of little things seemed endless. If it were a human I would have spent every waking hour and every cent I had to keep it alive and keep it around. It wasn't a human, however. I needed to look at the cold, hard financial reality. It was time for it to go.
It will live on for awhile. I sold it to a guy in Connecticut. He works at a garage and can use the tools and lift after hours. He was going to replace whatever is needed to make it safe and use it as a commuter car for a little while. I sure hope he likes Tom Petty.
Next... The temporary replacement. No one saw this coming....
This is pretty f'ing amazing. My dad was a GM exec. Back in the day, GM was the most conservative of companies. I remember the stories. An ad like this would have been unthinkable.
I'm still a little cynical, wondering if the corporate culture has changed, or if GM, stuck with a car that was expensive to develop and is not selling very well, is pandering to the gay community in hopes of selling a few more Volts.
Either way, the Ford dealers had better stock up on pickup trucks, as I suspect Chevy sales will decline dramatically in the bible belt. A brave and unusual move (whatever the reason) for GM.
1973 BMW Bavaria 3.0 - Boy, I like this car. At least I like the way it looks. (I love black over red.) Sadly, this is another ad with no real information.
1975 Mercedes Benz 450SLC - I posted a picture of a newer SL today on the Just a Car Geek Facebook page. This is an older SLC.
