Feb. 1 Weekly Open Thread

Last week, with all of the electric-car-related posts flying around, I neglected to put up an open thread. So, here you go--go nuts!

--Chris H.

Comments

[Chris Mallow on February 01, 2010 at 09:39 AM]

So, open question...I bet you're all like me and enjoy just browsing the Craigslist car ads every once in a while, to see what sort of stuff is selling on there. Here's the bigger question, mostly because I'm curious: how many of you devoted multiple hours (as I did) to watching the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction last weekend? I mean, sure, B-J has plenty of the "standard" stuff like old Mustangs and Camaros and Chevelles, but there is definitely plenty of interesting stuff there, too.

If you're not a fan of B-J, do you have a preferred venue for interesting older cars where you enjoy looking for stuff that excites you, either online or live?

[Rob the Audi Guy on February 01, 2010 at 10:35 AM]

I like browsing CL, but my other three sources of weird interesting cars are Carlustblog.com (horrible place), bringatrailer.com (found here), and speedhunters. Speed hunters has a lot of customs, but really, really hip customs. Check it out sometime.

Oh, and I can't stand the auctions because they artificially raise the price of certain types of cars, like musclecars. I used to have a 68 Charger, and now I'll probably never be able to afford one again, thanks to the auctions.

[David Colborne on February 01, 2010 at 11:18 AM]

I'll be honest, I'm a CL junkie. It's rapidly becoming an obsession. For example, when I saw this ad for an '88 Ford Escort for $200, it absolutely made my day:
http://reno.craigslist.org/cto/1580348888.html

It won't die, but it has been shot up Matrix-style. Heck, there was a Fiat X1/9 that was listed a couple of days ago in the area, which definitely had me thinking wistfully. It also had the significant other reaching for the power button on my laptop, lest the wistful thinking lead to consequential action.

On an entirely different note, TTAC is talking about how FiatChrysler is thinking about shrinking Jeep a bit:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/jeep-crossing-over-to-broaden-urban-appeal/

I have somewhat mixed feelings on this. On the one hand, I think the world has experienced enough Jeep Compasses. On the other hand, with Suzuki swirling the drain here, it would be awfully nice if SOMEBODY actually made smaller capable SUVs for this country. If it happened to be Jeep, well, I wouldn't complain. That said, why do I have the sneaking suspicion the "urbanization" of Jeep wouldn't lead to small, efficient, capable SUVs, but would instead lead to fugly "crossover utility vehicles"?

[Chris Mallow on February 01, 2010 at 11:20 AM]

Yes, that's true enough. When even a late-60s-vintage roller (of ANY model) with no motor, transmission, windows, or seats, and in need of new floor pans and a total paint job, costs $5,000, you know something is wrong with the market. There are still rare finds out there, but that's why they're "rare". I used to be a big Rover fan, and I went regularly to Land Rover Exchange, but even a beat-up fixer-upper Series III is still $10,000 if it's running at all.

And yes, I am also following BaT, thanks to the link from here...I should've mentioned them earlier.

[Chris Mallow on February 01, 2010 at 12:02 PM]

Actually, a related question, based on RtAG's comment on the auctions. (I was reminded of this question while reviewing the recent posts at Bring A Trailer.) Does anyone else find some of the tactics of sellers on eBay somewhat...obnoxious? For example, does anyone see the reserve prices on many of the offerings to be...wishful thinking? What about a starting bid of $100, with a "Buy It Now" price of $49,500? (Actually saw this on an eBay car over the weekend.) Or even just setting a starting bid so incredibly low, when the reserve is often so very high? Does anyone else find any of this odd, since eBay is typically browsed by bargain-hunters?

Don't get me wrong; I've bought two cars on eBay. I still love browsing the eBay offerings, too, but I don't nearly as often because the demanded prices are so ridiculous and the auction terms are so annoying. I'd love to hear others' thoughts.

[That Car Guy on February 01, 2010 at 12:31 PM]

I'm relatively new to the cyber world, but all my buds tell me that plentiful bargains on eBay are a thing of the past. And it pains me to see things relisted there because they were overpriced in the first place, but the sellers want a jab at it again.

I guess it all goes back to how badly you want to buy something, and how much you are willing to pay for it. Let the buyer beware!

[Cookie the Dog's Owner on February 01, 2010 at 12:40 PM]

I'll take an occasional look at the classifieds under "Studebaker" and "Avanti" just to see what's out there. It's probably wishful thinking on my part, but I keep thinking there'll be that pristine barn find '53 Starliner or supercharged '63 Avanti with a four-speed--or the ultimate restomod project car, an Avanti II with a blown engine, just begging for a crate engine and a five-speed.

[Anthony Cagle on February 01, 2010 at 01:00 PM]

I usually look for specific models I'm interested in at the time, and usually use just a Google search or cars.com. At the moment I'm looking for a 1975 Buick Century GS with the 455. Which, needless to say (probably), is not listed.

[Random Walker on February 01, 2010 at 03:34 PM]

"On an entirely different note, TTAC is talking about how FiatChrysler is thinking about shrinking Jeep a bit:"

Oh God, by comparison this thing makes Patriot look as if it was not designed by a ten year old with a down syndrome and Compass by his sexually confused younger brother. And wtf is the "Rubicon" sign doing on the fender? Isn’t "Rubicon" designation reserved for actual off-road capable versions, come to think of it, wasn't "Jeep" reserved for that not so long ago?

To quote King of The Hill: "Fine, switch planes in Dallas, you’re a Texan."

"On the other hand, with Suzuki swirling the drain"

Really? Me thinks Grand Vitara is better than ever, they hit the bottom of the barrel with X-90 (apologies to those who worked hard to wipe that abomination from their memory) and have been improving ever since.

[Chris Hafner on February 01, 2010 at 03:38 PM]

Random Walker, I think in terms of Suzuki swirling the drain, I think David is talking about sales performance. They were down big last year:
http://www.carlustblog.com/2010/01/bailout-blues.html#more

I share your loathing of the X-90:
http://www.carlustblog.com/2008/05/car-disgust--su.html

[That Car Guy on February 01, 2010 at 05:06 PM]

I like Suzuki stuff. If they built something a bit larger than a Samurai, I'd take a good look at it.

[Shawn on February 01, 2010 at 05:11 PM]

Regarding Mallow's post, who amongst us is NOT a fan of B-J? :)

[Random Walker on February 01, 2010 at 06:08 PM]

[I know it's a joke, but please no politics]

Re Suzuki:
I think their biggest problem is lack of brand identity. Their own products are very nice, SX4 is a nice and interesting small car (although well equipped with 4wd gets into Matrix territory price wise) and Grand Vitara is the closest one can get in today's market to the original Cherokee. But it does not matter how nice are your own products when you are peddling Nissan pick- ups, Daewoo compacts, and GM crossovers. They'd be much better off doing what Honda has done in late 80's and what Mitsubishi seems to be doing now. Build a brand identity on two models with a decent character and shed the rest of the confusing out of synch lineup, and then grab a generation of buyers for a few decades. Worked for Civic and Accord, Impreza and Legacy and hopefully will work for Lancer and Outlander… why not then for SX4 and Grand Vitara? Hopefully their new Kizashi does well.

On what market is Samurai the largest offering from Suzuki btw?

[David Colborne on February 02, 2010 at 08:37 AM]

Random Walker: It's not the US. Heck, Suzuki doesn't even sell the Samurai here anymore, which is frankly rather annoying. An affordable, capable, and fuel-efficient SUV would be PERFECT for me right now. Unfortunately, nobody really makes one for US consumption anymore, though the RAV4 is kind of close... sort of.

Ugh. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. Suzuki, bring the danged Samurai back! Call it something else if you have to, I don't care, just get it back here!

[OldCarGuy on February 02, 2010 at 02:02 PM]

I've been checking craigslist daily, looking for ideas to eventually replace my aged 4Runner. I also get emails from ebay when anything fitting my search criteria pops up for sale within a 200 mile radius. And now, for fun, I'm getting the daily emails from bringatrailer.com (thank you, carlust!).

As long as I'm posting, one of the vehicles I've been considering is a BMW 5 series wagon (ahem, estate car). A friend picked up one for around $8K, with around 130K miles on it, and it seems really nice. With the back seats folded down, the dog/cargo space seems comparable with my second generation 4Runner. I've never owned a Bimmer and frankly I'm a little scared of the potential repair costs. Any thoughts on the subject?

[Shawn on February 02, 2010 at 03:58 PM]

OldCarGuy, it would be helpful to know which generation and motor of the 5-series Touring you are considering. There are several that are robust and others that are problem prone.

[Random Walker on February 02, 2010 at 10:09 PM]

"Suzuki, bring the danged Samurai back! Call it something else if you have to, I don't care, just get it back here!"

You mean call it "Jimny"? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_Jimny
They'll never bring it back... they have enough trouble already and they worked hard to make the Grand Vitara look competitive. And Grand Vitara is really a nice little truck, or at least much more of a truck than any competitors.

[Paul Dybro on February 03, 2010 at 05:57 AM]

Chuck That Car Guy’s blog on January 13 about the "Lost In Space" Chariot series vehicle reminded me of another TV show that included interesting vehicles: Ark II, a live-action science fiction series aimed at children that ran for 15 episodes in 1976. It featured a large vehicle (the Ark) and a smaller one (Ark Roamer).

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ark_II):

The series is best-remembered for its titular vehicle: a futuristic six-wheeled combination RV and mobile laboratory. The vehicle was built from a fiberglass body on a garbage/dump truck chassis by the Brubaker Group. It is sometimes incorrectly reported that the Ark II was built by Dean Jeffries, who constructed various fantastic vehicles for science-fiction films and television. These include the Landmaster for the film Damnation Alley, with which the Ark II is sometimes confused. The front end of the Ark II prop was later re-used as the nose portion of the Seeker spacecraft in the Filmation series Space Academy.

In addition, the series also featured futuristic inventions such as a jetpack called the Jet Jumper, and the Ark Roamer, a smaller, 4-wheeled all-terrain vehicle built by Brubaker from a modified Brubaker Box (a kit car using a Volkswagen Beetle chassis).

If anyone has more information about the Ark II vehicles, please share it.

[That Car Guy on February 03, 2010 at 07:55 AM]

Paul, thanks for the tip! I'm working on a post about another vehicle built by Dean Jeffries (He built the Ark II), and I'll see what I can find.

Thanks again!

[OldCarGuy on February 03, 2010 at 09:50 AM]

Shawn, I'm considering the 1999 - 2002 models, 528iT and 525iT, I believe. Those are the 2.5L engines. There are also 540iTs with a V8, but I have seen none of those for sale.

[...m... on February 03, 2010 at 12:07 PM]

...hah, thanks so much for jogging my memory regarding the ark II!..i've been wracking my brain fifteen years now trying to remember the television program associated with a super joe rocket command center toy i had when young, which was ark II, by two degrees of separation...

...ark II props were reused in the space academy television series, and super joe molds were remarketed as space academy toys, so to my kindergarten-era mind it was all one big super ark academy continuity, and the ark II vehicle seemed close enough to my rocket command center that they were one and the same when i played with them...

...i *knew* it wasn't the landmaster!..

[Shawn on February 03, 2010 at 06:48 PM]

OldCarGuy - the later E39 body cars are the most robust. I'd recommend getting an '01 or '02 of what you listed if possible. The 540iT's are really cool sleepers if you can find a good one and keep up with its' gas consumption!

[OldCarGuy on February 04, 2010 at 05:35 AM]

Thanks, Shawn. Are they terribly expensive to maintain and repair?

[Shawn on February 04, 2010 at 10:28 AM]

OCG - not too bad, better if you can do some of the basic work yourself. The achilles heel on that model is electronic systems, be sure EVERYTHING electronic works as that is where the real costs can add up.

[Tommy's Dad on February 05, 2010 at 12:17 AM]

That $2500 Challenge has gotten me officially addicted to Craigslist cars, although I'm also getting hooked on BaT for the drool-inducing beauties they show. I'm actually in the market for a replacement for our Forester anyways, but even if I wasn't how could I pass on hilarity like this:

"Well heres the deal, I have a 1978 Firebird Esprit with stock mostly rebuilt 305 with about 130,000 on it, body is in ok shape, few dents here and there, right front fender needs some love. theres no front window do to vandalism and the stock th350 trans went out. still runs, just no reverse, battery is dead and interior is gutted for restore...tranny went out and it has sat since summer of 08...its now a classic(32 years old) and its in pretty good shape, not the best but still decent, i will not except low ball offers of less than 400 bucks, the LOW value is over 5,000 bucks...the guy who owned it before me had it serviced regularly. I had the paper work but i think it was exposed to the elements..."

http://kpr.craigslist.org/cto/1586043705.html

Kids, this is why you stay off drugs, mmmkay?