Hi, it’s Steve, the nerdy NVH engineer from metro Detroit. The time has come to sell my cars, and while my collection might not rival David or Stephen Gossin’s, it’s gotten a little away from me. At my job, I switched to a new, awesome position, but it requires a lot more work and time on the road. I have my website, DIYauto.com, that I try to manage, and I have this crack at living out a lifelong dream as an automotive journalist. Oh, I also have a family that includes a two-year-old. If you haven’t heard, toddlers require lots of attention.
I’m not complaining! At some point you realize that to give all the different aspects of your life the attention they deserve, you need to trim the fat somewhere. I’m sure David felt the same a couple of years ago when he sold most of his Jeep collection/sculpture garden [ED Note: That’s cold! -DT] and moved to LA. It was probably painful to let those go, but out of that came the freedom to build this awesome website and community of weirdos we are all a part of.
I’ve always had a baseline number of vehicles. But it has grown a bit. Plus I disobeyed the rule that I rarely follow: never daily a project. “Audi S8s often go over 200,000 miles! When the transmission fails I can just swap in a manual, the car will double in value!” I told myself.
What hubris! When a “mint” 1994 Bonneville SSEI, a dream car of mine, came for sale I thought “Is the legendary 3800, it will never die, I can just drive that when the Audi is down!” And that’s what I’m doing now folks. Driving the Bonneville is kind of great, the Audi being down? Not so much.
There’s a marked difference between good wrenching and bad wrenching. Spending a Sunday night lying on a freezing cement floor changing wheel bearings, or rebuilding a VANOS unit in the driveway using a houselamp for illumination — all so you can drive to work the next day — isn’t great wrenching. Add in the time sourcing parts and looking up DIYs for a whole fleet of vehicles, and it’s enough to scramble your brain.
So, dear readers, I need your help so I can maximize the good, and minimize the bad. Help me choose which project cars, if any, to keep; and what I should buy as a daily driver. The power is in your greasy hands folks. But I trust yall, I think…
The Stable
First, we will go over the cars I’m selling for sure.
Selling. 1987 Chevy C10 on airbags
I never sought out to buy a bagged C10, but these things happen. I saw the photo on Craigslist, nestled in the snow like a brawny golden brick, and had to check it out. The truck was running when I got to the industrial park it was residing in, but laying on the frame with no real way to move. The owner shiftily explained that all the valves had gotten knocked off, but he had all the parts and would fix it up so it was drivable if I bought it. Stupidly I agreed and gave him the cash for the title. The guy subsequently disappeared off the face of the earth, and so did the truck! I called local towing companies and found the yard it was towed to, and for a price, they were nice enough to bring it to my house.
At least the seller was honest about the airbag suspension valves being torn out. I replaced the old valves with a modern Airlift management system. Besides a few other small items to repair, that was it! It’s far from a show truck, there are dents, the paint is faded, there’s a fist-sized hole in the driver’s floorboard covered with a license plate. The interior didn’t come with carpet but there were a few bullets in the glovebox, so fair trade.
This has been an honest reliable truck, that we’ve used for truck stuff more than anything. Sure it was a lot of fun to have the fam sit in the back and drive around the Dream Cruise, but it’s also been nice for grabbing furniture off Marketplace or picking up piles of sod or potatoes or whatever else people do. As much as I think the C10 is the perfect aesthetic form for a pickup truck, my heart has always pined for a Ford RangerSplash in some suitable ’90s pastel color with the friendly face. Plus the C10 takes up the whole length of the garage, I literally can’t walk past it with the garage door closed. I like it but I don’t love it. About a dozen people have stopped in the street and asked if it’s for sale this summer. So this will go up first and hopefully go quickly.
Selling: 2001 Audi S8
Everyone loves a hero car, and this car matches the Ronin hype. However, it’s not one of those squeaky-clean heroes like Adam West’s Batman. It’s a raggedy hero with an edge and a dark side, like all the later more sullen Batmen. Under that snow are dents, scratches, and faded paint. The previous owner started swapping out the boring beige interior for a rare black/cognac version and stopped at the dashboard. Beige and cognac don’t mix together on a spiritual level. He also messed up the driver’s heated seat module, which is unfortunate here in Michigan.
But it is fast! It sounds great with the rear muffler delete! It eats up miles and hugs the road like a real bähnstormer! It has the craziest window-sealing system I’ve seen! It’s also a beast in the snow! Has it been a reliable daily? Depends on your definition. The car runs out of fuel at a half tank of gas because of Audi’s saddle gas tank and its byzantine system of hoses and siphons. The instrument cluster pixels smear together after a few minutes so I don’t know what time it is half the… time. I’m doing the timing belt, water pump service right now which wouldn’t be too bad if I didn’t have to tear the car’s face off to do it. Overall it’s been a great car to own, and I’ll miss it, but I won’t be sad to replace it with something more sensible.
I may decide to keep one of these next two, what do you think?
Maybe Keeping? A 1994 Pontiac Bonneville SSEI
Gearheads are like baby birds. Everyone has that car that imprints itself in your brain when you are young. I had been into cars since I could crawl and hold a Hot Wheels in my paw. But I still remember that day when I was 14 years old gathering shopping carts at the local Pick’n ‘Save, when I saw a forest green SSEI sitting on those gold mesh wheels. I thought it was the coolest looking car and I finally got one about a month ago.
The story of me buying it is pretty good so I’ll be writing about that in a review later. But here are the stats: Rust-free Florida car with 80k miles. The Florida sun that didn’t rust the car roached the seats. Fresh 10-ft garage paintjob. New shocks, windshield and headliner. Supercharged 3800 that will outlast us all. Interior quality you’d expect from an early 90’s GM product. Awesome highway cruiser. Easy to wrench on and most parts are available at the local stores. Plus my wife really likes it.
Maybe Keeping?: S52 Swapped 1988 BMW 528e
In stark contrast to my beloved Bonneville, my whole family hates this car. Not so much the car but what getting it did to me. I got this car in trade from one of those car buddies we all have. As part of the trade he would do the engine swap; and this guy had the parts, the facilities, the skills, and the reputation of someone who could do this. However, the swap took about four years of broken promises longer than it was supposed to. At one point it was going to be ready so I could ride in it during the baraat (husband parade) at my Indian wedding. When it was obvious it wouldn’t be finished he said I could use one of his other cool cars, but he never showed up so I used my E38 (still a pretty good parade car). So a majority of my ownership time has been years of repeating bummers which my family and friends obviously noticed.
So after rescuing it and spending about a year finishing the swap and all those nagging issues it’s finally running, and it runs great. The sounds and sensations that M-tuned inline six makes when it pulls to redline are spiritual. It’s probably the coolest looking car I’ve had and it’s a blast to drive. Unfortunately, it’s got hidden rust problems. There’s a hole in the driver’s footwell and general crustiness underneath. As Mercedes found, getting rust repair on an old BMW is neither easy nor cheap. And I could get about $12k for this car as-is which is a needed chunk of change, in exchange for not having to pay out about half that much to get it mended properly. There’s also some wiring harness cleanup to do and electrical isn’t my bag. I only have about three hours behind the wheel since it’s been running well. I’m going to try to enjoy it as much as I can while I iron out some final issues because it may be on the chopping block.
So fellow Autopians, I want to be down to one project car, what do you say?
If you aren’t mentally exhausted from mulling that over, I’ve got one more for you. What should I get for my next daily?
Requirements:
1: Reliable
I’m an adult with a job so I have to drive places. Many of which are far away. Eight of my last ten dailies have been older German cars with over 100k miles, some north of 200k miles. As Bruce Willis said, “I’m too old for this shit.” I want my wrenching to be fun again, not due to cold necessity.
2: Roomy
I have a wife and kid that I occasionally take on road trips. I have to haul equipment around for my job. I have a home and a Home Depot less than a mile from my house. I like cars with plenty of space.
3: Car
I’m sure there are some SUVs and CUVs that would work well for me, but I’m more into cars. Feel free to make suggestions though.
4: Comfortable
I fully believe that a car’s goodness is situation-dependent. I’ve owned several cars that are known for their handling. A ’94 NSX, a ’91 turbocharged Miata, a Fiesta ST, and a ’69 Midget. There are many places with great roads where these cars would be sublime to own. However, in south east Michigan, we have a grid of neglected roads that are only marginally smoother than the ground in between them. In the occasional on-ramp or roundabout, these cars could be life-affirming. But for the other 98% of my route I’m driving down ruler-straight roads while dodging potholes that would bruise the cockles of my soul.
The Bonneville is brilliant here. Sure the interior rattles like hell when you cruise over a broken railroad crossing but she can take it. You hear the craters but don’t really feel them. I’m not looking to buy a boat, but it should be nice for long trips while not punishing on our cratered streets.
5: Remote Start
Yes, this eliminates the few manual options that may meet my criteria but in Michigan, it’s freaking necessary. I’ve never owned a car that had it, but seeing my coworkers getting into a warm, defrosted car while I could see my breath for most of the commute made me jealous every time. The last straw came one freezing morning while I was standing in two feet of snow chipping at a sheet of ice so I could open the door while wrangling my one-year-old. “TECHNOLOGY EXISTS!” I thought. “Why do I live like some type of animal!” This is honestly something I really look forward to.
6: Fun
You may be looking at these requirements and thinking, “Why am I picking a car for my Grandpa?” I admit, I’m almost 40. I’m getting old but not giving up! The car has to have something that sparks some joy. Just cause it’s a big comfortable cruiser doesn’t mean it can’t be fun to drive. If it comes with a more powerful engine, I’ll want that one. I don’t want to get bored and sell it in a year.
A few more notes:
Good MPG is nice but not a requirement. I get mileage reimbursement for my work trips so it’s not so bad. I’m not afraid of rebuilt title cars in general, some of my picks are only in my price range if their title isn’t green. Obviously, this is a case-by-case basis. My wife’s car is a 2018 Honda Accord with the 6-speed manual, which is the perfect family car and has been dead nuts reliable. My budget is in the low $20s. Less than $20,000 is better, but I’d say $25k is the ceiling.
Here’s what I’ve been looking at.
Buick Regal Tour X
I know it’s hypocritical to say no German cars and have my first choice be an Opel, but this is the most practical one on this list. It’s a wagon, has a good ride, and a 2.0L turbo that makes over 300 HP… I think [Ed note: The GS version did, but that wasn’t available as a wagon. The wagon has 250 hp – MH]. Plus they look cool. They are kind of rare but there are a handful right around $20k in the area
Lincoln Continental
I got to benchmark one of those cars and was thoroughly impressed. They look sharp, have a cool interior, an excellent stereo system, and with the twin-turbo V6 it got out of its own way. Since then I’ve had a hankering for one. There are a bunch of these right in my price range.
Chrysler 300
I went to the SRT experience at Michigan International Speedway a while ago and got to drive the whole SRT family. Overall, I liked the 300 the best. These are ubiquitous here in Detroit which is a minus in some ways, and a plus in others. If you drive one of these you could be someone’s Grandma that works at an accounting office or a kid who just did an illegal sideshow on the Lodge freeway. However, they still look cool and have a ton of features for the money.
I read some contemporary reviews (you know a car has been around a while when you have to specify what decade the review was done), and expected everyone to bash its old architecture and Chrysler interior plastics. Besides a few perfunctory negative remarks, they all praised the car. It’s kind of an anachronism these days which I like. I’ll test drive the V6 but would probably get the V8. These can be pretty cheap too.
Cadillac CT6
This rounds out the trio of big American four-door sedans. In comparison tests, this one always got high marks for being more athletic than it had any right to be. They look cool but I worry that it might have too much technology that could fail expensively. It’s also the most ostentatious, which isn’t totally my style. But they are cheap now and I want to test drive one.
Audi S8
There’s a 2013 S8 by me with just over 90k miles that’s had every maintenance item done at the dealer and WAIT WHAT ARE YOU DOING! I THOUGHT YOU WERE NO LONGER ABOUT THAT LIFE! But think of how glorious it would be! 600 horsepower!!1! Sorry! I’ll enroll in a treatment program, I have a problem. Don’t recommend this car because I’d probably get it.
CTS V-Sport
This is the enthusiast option. 420 horses, universal acclaim from the car press. Most are too expensive but there are a handful in my price range. I think they look just as good if not better than the new Cadillacs.
You’ll notice these are almost all American cars. I’m not opposed to getting something Japanese or Korean. I’m not a huge fan of the looks of the early Genesis models that are in my price range. I don’t want two Honda Accords, and most Lexuses don’t do a lot for me. But if I’m missing any gems let me know in the comments.
So my life is in your hands, fellow Autopians. This may sound like a sad situation but I’m actually really looking forward to this. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a reliable daily and only have one project car’s needs rattling around my ADHD-addled brain. I’ll probably be 10 lbs lighter.
Case in point, while my Audi is in pieces I drove the Bonneville two hours to Saginaw for work. The day before I changed the plugs and wires because it was due and it was getting horrible gas mileage. It seemed to recognize my efforts because the multifunction wiper stalk which only had one working speed and wouldn’t turn off once the wiping started, had suddenly fixed itself. I had all my speeds and can turn the wipers off now!
However, the GM VATS anti-theft bypass the previous owner installed flaked out on me for about 45 minutes. Normally 1-out-of-10 start attempts the car wouldn’t start so I’d have to wait a few minutes for the security light to turn off before I could turn the car on. Now it wouldn’t turn on no matter how much I coaxed it. I was worried I’d have to tow the car and enlist a friend or family member to drive four hours to get me and bring me home. The fix is a few bucks and maybe 20 minutes of time, but I haven’t had a chance to get to it. Thankfully the hundredth time was a charm and it eventually started up. These are the things I’d like to avoid.
I’ve bared my enthusiast soul here for all to see. When it’s time to take big steps in our automotive journey, it helps to turn to the community for guidance. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
If you have a 3 series, the 5 series is almost redundant. Pick which one you love more and keep it.
Can’t say I’ve ever felt any love for the cars the 3800 came in. The engine is fine, but the wrappings never did it for me. I wouldn’t hesitate to part ways with it. But if it’s a nostalgia car for you, that carries a LOT of weight.
I vote SRT 300 as the new car. I wouldn’t mind one of those myself, though I would love to drop the SRT engine and body kit on to a 5.7 AWD version.
Also, remote start is totally an option for a manual. At least older ones. Just bypass the clutch switch and then dont EVER leave the car in gear. Long as your ebrake works, you’re fine.
I would not get rid of that Bonneville.
When you were talking about Japanese cars, I did not see you mention the forgotten gem, Infiniti M56. Best looking car with an Infiniti badge, and a 420 HP V8 driving either the rear or all wheels. Made back when Nissan and Infiniti still gave a shit about making good cars. You should be able to find a nice one with all the cold weather goodies you desire well within your budget. And it will be at least, if not more, reliable than any other car on your list.
I’m going to be the boring guy here, but let me explain. I’ve owned way too many cars, both in my lifetime, and AT ONE TIME. I think my top number was 7 at one time. I know the project creep symptoms well.
Here is what the six months has seen in my fleet:
So, I would say sell all that stuff and buy one solid dependable vehicle. OR, sell all but one that you think is fun (either the BMW or the Pontiac) and buy a 6MT V6 Honda Accord. Have one vehicle that you don’t have to wrench on. It’s good for your mental well being.
I’m with Dar Khorse..keep the Bonny…family sedan with oomph…invisible to the gendarmes. For my money if I needed A daily, a slightly used Toyota Camry Hybrid. Had a rental for a week and Damn Skippy ! Faster than I thought possible, 36 mpg even when driven hard and at extra legal speeds. Once again invisible to the local constabulary. About as trouble free as they get. I was a service advisor for Toyota and saw that they are pretty much good for 200k with regular maintenance. Get the Hybrid Camry, keep the Bonny and your life will settle in to a relaxing hum. Then, when time permits, look for a “fun” car that is pretty much done. And take the family for ice cream every Sunday! I wish Many Happy Miles of Motoring!
Get the Chrysler, you won’t regret it. Don’t believe the internet noise about reliability (or lack thereof) – My Magnum went well over 200,000 miles trouble-free, save for a radiator at 170k that was an easy fix.
This is literally your chance to own the last of the great naturally aspirated V8’s. Take it – you’ll regret it if you don’t. This is actually the clincher for the Chrysler – I was initially going to recommend the Lincoln, but there will be longitudinal boosted V6’s for a while yet… but not Hemis. It is a legendary engine that deserves its status.
Fast, fun, comfortable, stylish, last of its kind American V8 sedan. You know the right answer.
For family use, the TourX is a great choice 🙂
There’s also the Transit Connect.
Option 1: Keep that beautiful green Bonnie and dump all the others. Get the Buick wagon because wagons are the best family cars.
Option 2: Dump all your projects and get this one: 1973 Volvo 1800 ES (seriously, get it before I do because it’s only an hour from my house!). Then get a Volvo XC90 Hybrid for the family car.
Oh! I want that ES! That color is better (if possible) that the rootbeer I was coveting.
But I spent my cash on a high mileage BMW, damnit—I knew this moment of deep regret would come…
Yeah, I came here to say option 1 as well. The Bonnevile has clearly been treating you right and parts are abundant. As for the Buick, everyone I’ve ever heard who’s bought one loves it.
I was beyond pissed when my buddy wrecked his P1800. But, if you are going to get in a collision, I can’t think of a safer car than a Volvo to do it in.
As someone who has been a life-long connosieur of craigslist shitbox projects, I finally had to bite the bullet and get something nicer for my ~100 mile round trip commute.
The new car has: Adaptive Cruise (w/stop&go), Carplay/Android Auto, and Remote start (via key and app)
Now that I’ve lived with these 3 features on my hellish commute, I will never own a car without these 3 things if I have to drive it often/daily.
Start with these 3 items and apply them to any of the vehicles you are interested in.
The Adaptive cruse with stop/go has SAVED my right knee, which is only getting worse with time.
Keep having fun with project cars all you want, but focus on the comfort items for the vehicle you need to just “work” all the time.
Go with a V60 T-8 Recharge for all the fun!
Of your picks, it has to be the Audi for me. The 8 speed is dead reliable, and the 4.0T is, too, as long as the oil screens on the turbos and quacky-duck situation has been taken care of. It won’t rust ever because it’s aluminum. it looks great.
Saw someone else say E63 and they’re right. The W211s can be problematic with their head bolts (not thaaaat common, especially on later years), but the W212 is a step up in most regards. Avoid an early M157 engine (timing chains, sometimes drivers turbo) and you’re good. The suspension is kinda stupid, but nothing is perfect. I’m firmly a VAG apologist, but my W211 E63 was by FAR the best car I’ve ever owned and I miss it every. single. day. I haven’t had it for almost 5 years and I still miss it every. day.
Thanks for the recommendation! Mercedes have been off my radar for a while so I’ll check it out. Are parts pretty easy to get? Parts availability is one of the issues I’ve ran into on the S8 since Audi stopped making certain things.
I never had a single issue getting OEM or genuine OES parts for it whatsoever. The M156 was used in basically everything and Mercedes sold over 1.5 million W211s, so they’re well incentivized to make parts for them. Hell, I had 1995 E-Class in 2015 and could still get new everything for it. Mercedes is the gold standard for parts. If they don’t make it currently, they will if you request it (this is real). They have all diagrams and data, and for a price, will make any part for any car they’ve ever produced.
That is one of my biggest issues with VAG. They just don’t support the cars long enough (except Porsche)
If at all interested, check the former Mercedes Shopforum—I think it’s PeachParts now—for Achilles heels and parts availability. Incredible knowledge & breadth of support there
word of warning- peachparts was bought out by the suck-asses at ECS tuning and it’s yet to be seen how that’s going to play out. otherwise agreed. and of course FCP because free replacement for life. even on oil changes.
Really??
Well, crap! I’ve been getting BMW parts from them because I always had good dealings when I had my diesel Mercedes.
-Thanks for the heads-up!
Peach Parts has always been incredible. I’ve had hours long convos with people wanting to help me when I had my W124, even direct communication with the owners. I hope we don’t have a repeat of Turner, but only time will tell. Peach Parts was a shining beacon of light and knowledge and I hope that doesn’t change!
Yeah, I was making $10/ hour and running my $500 300SD on vegetable oil, and those guys were knowledgeable & helpful and even cut me deals here & there. They never shamed me or made me feel less than a valued customer. A shame people with a bad history bought them!
Hmm, I have bought some stuff from ECS. Anything I should know before dealing with them again?
they have a new CEO and supposedly that’s going to fix all their issues, but I (and many others) have had tons of past issues, broken or missing parts, galactic backorders and lies about ETAs, terrible customer service, refusing returns or taking parts without refunds, etc. There’s a Facebook group dedicated to how shitty ECS is. They’re also the company that gutted turner motorsports and took them from the gold standard for BMW to a massive joke. I’ve heard they’ve gotten somewhat better, but I refuse to order from them unless I absolutely have to.
To be fairrr, ECS/Turner has gotten a lot better in the last few years. I order frankly a lot from them and haven’t had an order hanging, part unavailable or sitting waiting to be shipped in awhile. Are they FCP fast, no. But they’re acceptable.
that is encouraging. Maybe I’ll give them a go if and when my regular channels don’t work. I am glad to hear that, though.
Keep your favorite project car or two, and buy the Buick wagon.
Keep the BMW.
Hot take on what to buy?
Tesla Model Y
American, roomy, fast, and you don’t have to do a damned thing with it. I have 17 project cars and we bought the Tesla over 3 years ago because it requires almost zero attention. It’s a fast appliance. It’s the car we drive when we just want to be comfortable and not worry about dumb things. The time and headaches I save by not messing with that can be channeled into the other projects.
A.) The only possible answer is the S52 e28. Everything else is replaceable. But one does not simply sell a BMW without spending the next six months on Marketplace considering any possible solution to fix the Roundal shaped whole in their heart.
B.) Buy E63 AMG. 300hp in a wagon is cool. But 507 is better. Plus very comfortable, and great at going straight.
Dump everything. Get the Buick for your DD. Get a Miata or MG for a project car/weekend fun car
Well, as someone who dailies a 300 (V8, RWD), I can wholeheartedly recommend it. It’s comfortable, solid-feeling on the road, fun (when you drop the hammer, it GOES), and consistently gets low 20s for gas mileage in mixed driving. Mine is still short of 70,000 miles, so I can’t really comment on durability yet, but it sure feels solid now.
Thanks for the info! They look great and theres a good aftermarket for them. I have to do more research on their longer term reliability.
Sell everything other than the Bonneville. If you want to pick up a new car, get the Buick, it will be the most fun at the lest amount of maintenance. With the 2 year old, you don’t have much time and if a second one comes around, you’ll have even less time.
Very true, thats what I’ve been leaning towards.
Sell the two-year old, they don’t appreciate with age (well, they won’t appreciate you) and you should be able to get a decent price or swap for a pretty good car. Quit your job, move into the garage with your projects: problems solved. Just remember, whatever car you get, make sure it’s fast and can make it to a country without reciprocal extradition.
I think he’d rather sell me and train up a good wrenching buddy
On the theme of the Buick Regal: why not a Subaru Forester XT?
Say it slow: Turbo … Wagon. Thinkabout it. I believe you could even get the XT with a 6MT.
(edit: I think the MT might have only been the 2nd gen)
I was looking at older STI swapped Foresters for a bit, but figured it would be a bad idea. I’m sure they are fun cars but I’m not a huge fan of how the new ones look.
I’d love a modern STI 6MT Forester – but we can’t have nice things these days (FFS: even the WRX doesn’t have a hatch anymore!).
I should preface this by noting that I work for Subaru, so I’m certainly biased. Have you considered a 2015-19 Legacy with the 3.6L six? I have put a bunch of miles on these and I like the way that they drive. It might remind you of your Bonneville. The AWD is good for Michigan winters, and the Eyesight adaptive cruise/collision mitigation system is very nice for highway driving. They didn’t sell a ton of them with the 3.6 so you may need to hunt around for a bit to find one.
You can get a pretty nice Pontiac G8 GT or not as nice Chevy SS for $25K.
Plenty of people will be in here with ridiculous ideas, which is fine, but these are honestly the ones you should be shopping.
I’ve considered those. Most have been either pretty expensive or run ragged. I’ll look again because I’ve always liked the looks of those cars.
Keep the Bonneville. There’s more goodness than meets the eye in a lot of early-to-mid 90s GM cars. Also keep the C10 if it’s reliably doing Truck Things for you. And the bagged suspension plus the story of those stray bullets in the glovebox give a sort of Motown gangsta charm.
The Buick wagon is intriguing, and it can do family car duties without seeming like, well, a boring family car. And parts and service shouldn’t be too difficult to come by.
Thank you- I love that truck idk why it’s on the chopping block. O well
“I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts.”
Are you quite certain of that?
https://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/cto/d/olympia-1979-cadillac-seville-opera/7666227213.html
LOL… Straight up, that’s a pimpmobile…
Is it bad that I kind of want it? Worse, I kind of want it and could fly over to “visit my parents” and happen to come back with a car…
I better not. I already have too little room for vehicles. But it’s pretty fun.
Lol! That thing is outrageous! There was an 80’s Cadillac Deville around here with an LS swap that I was seriously eyeing. It slipped away fortunately or unfortunately.
Aight; you’ve outdone yourself there (thumbs up while holding nose)
Aww shit. Now I have to decide between this or the Forguar S-150?
Decisions, decisions…
I think that… thing… should not be graced with as many syllables from Jaguar in its name. It’s only the front clip, and ‘Forguar’ sounds like it could be some exotic South American marque. It should be a ‘Jord’. Jord sounds like some other language’s version of ‘turd’ and is also reminiscent of ‘jorts’, so I think it’s far more fitting as the sobriquet for what is, clearly, a Terrible Thing.
My eyes!
“Missing hood ornament.”
No deal.
I’d say ditch everything but the BMW. S52 values are on the rise, so despite general crustiness, that 528e might be worth keeping around for a while.
As for a new daily, you might want to look into Volvo’s extended CPO warranty on something like a V60 R-Design. Maybe it’s just me, but the ability to grab a ten-year, unlimited-mileage, factory-backed powertrain, electrical, steering, suspension, and HVAC warranty on a modern wagon sounds like it could be a wicked deal.
I’ve been searching for Volvo wagons occasionally but most on Marketplace are pretty high mileage. I may need to look on the more legit car search sites. My friends Mom had an old R wagon and it was badass. A warranty sounds great.
Thomas, can you point me to articles/posts saying that about the S52 values, please?
I ask because I recently bit on a higher-mileage M Roadster (older, without traction control), and I’ve been wondering just how I’ll-advised that impulse was
I would honestly keep the Pontiac, if only because the S/C 3800. But if you want a 300 with a V8 & AWD, you’ll be looking at the ’05-’14 range. Only the Charger could be had, in a Pursuit model, with the Hemi & AWD from ’15-’21(?).
Hemi’s are gonna tick, eat lifters, go through water pumps, and will cost hundreds of dollars to replace the 16 spark plugs. Sure, you might get a lifter issue from the 3.6, and if you hammer in the cartridge filter, you’ll likely break the plastic OFH (that doesn’t always leak, the o-rings underneath can also go bad).
To me, I’d go Buick wagon. If you can’t keep both, I’d still go wagon.
Arguably, if you toss the whole fleet, the Buick would tick all the boxes excepting to give you a toy to wrench on.
Maybe then you keep the Bonnie to get your fix turning wrenches – but why would you ever drive it over the Buick?
I see no reason to keep the BMW, or Audi. Both the BMW and Audi are filled with ‘less fun’ wrenching than an older American car.
I can definitely agree with all of that!
Seeing the TourX made me start looking them up….
The want one for is coming back strong, but MAN those prices.
For low mileage (and close by) ones, dealers are asking quite a bit of money…. like, I’d seriously consider a new Maverick or a Hornet at those prices.
Really gotta win the lottery at some point!
There are a few Buick wagons around here with ~80k miles for around 20k. They are few and far between though. Thanks for the info on the Chryslers. I’m not super familiar with them mechanically.
My entire job history is purely around Chrysler, so I’m a bit closer to the products then most, and see a bit more about the issues. I don’t see it all, but I see enough!
And that’s kinda odd with the pricing. Though I only looked on one site, the 8 listings I saw for a TourX had ranged from like $22,000 for a high mileage example to $28,000 for a 30,000-ish mileage example.
Maybe that’s NY for ya? I don’t know.
I’d say get rid of the BMW and get the Buick. There’s a reason you put it on the list, despite it not fitting in with the others. That said, I think the 300 is a great choice for room, comfort, and some level of enjoyment.
That C10, though. That’d be the keeper of the project cars for me. I like a bagged pickup and that era Chevy. I have a particular soft spot for stepsides, but that’s probably the more usable pickup and still looks good.