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COAL: 1988 Buick LeSabre T-Type – A Young Man Buys An Old Man’s Car

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 Buick1

(First posted 6/9/2013) After writing off my VW GTI and cycling through three different rental cars in as many weeks, the insurance check finally arrived and it was once again time for my favorite activity, car shopping!

Over the next two weekends, my friend and I must have driven several hundred miles and looked around at many dozens of dealerships and car lots throughout the San Francisco Bay area.  I had nothing specific in mind, only that I did not want a new car, and that I had a larger budget than I did the last time.

Eventually we found ourselves at Stanford Cadillac, in Menlo Park, not exactly where I would have imagined finding my next car.  But there it was, a 1988 Buick LeSabre T-Type, in Ruby Red Metallic–and with only about 32,000 miles on the odometer, it still looked, felt, and smelled brand-new.

 B3

I’m not quite sure what drew me to it. Perhaps subconsciously, I wanted a larger car after having wrecked a smaller one, but then again, sporting a fairly aggressive front end, body-color rear spoiler, and large, five-spoke wheels didn’t hurt.  I’ve always really liked this generation of H-body in Buick form, especially in the grille treatment,  the large headlights, and that huge, reverse-opening clamshell hood.

 B1

Despite that fantastic exterior (which I find extremely attractive to this day), things inside were a little less exciting.  The dash was pretty square, and looked kind of “old-ish” to me. The leather-covered, three-spoke steering wheel neverthless was quite large, and always made me feel a little like Sterling Marlin sawing away behind the wheel around Daytona.  However, the interior room in both front and rear was amazing–and it was so quiet, my own little sensory-deprivation chamber on wheels.

 B7

As I mentioned, it had extremely low mileage and had been owned by one local owner who had traded it in on a Cadillac.  The salesman was very polite and courteous, and soon we were engaged in a very polite discussion about price. It took about a half-hour for us to agree on $8,800; I wrote them a check, and they gave me the keys.

Now, I’ve bought a lot of cars, but this purchase still stands out as one of the absolute best dealer experiences I’ve ever had when buying a car, which simply does not have to be as confrontational and annoying as it usually is.  In the meantime, my friend, being of a certain age, had been busying himself by looking at every Cadillac in the showroom.  I think I was the only person on the lot not “of a certain age”, and on that day I probably skewed that dealership’s  average buyer age down significantly. After they’d cleaned up the car, my buddy took the picture at the top of the page.

 B4

Of course, as soon as I got it I immediately embarked on a trip south to San Luis Obispo to show it to my girlfriend, who had no clue about what it was even after I described it. When she saw it, she gave me kind of a “WTF” look, then gingerly sat down inside, and we went for a ride.  She admitted that it was nice, and never made fun of me for driving a brand that, truth be told, would not be the first choice of most other 23-year-olds back then.  A keeper!

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Like all T-Types, mine was powered by the legendary Buick 3800, in this case the revised 1988 version. It wasn’t supercharged, but man, it had lots of pep!  It also had very eager throttle response, a great sound, and was astonishingly light on fuel. Later that year my little brother moved in with me temporarily, and he absolutely loved borrowing the car for his long freeway commute to work on days I was able to catch a ride with a coworker.  It was light-years removed from his mid-80s Ford LTD that required a run to 80 mph before it would shift into the highest gear and then stay there even as you slowed down.  That car still comes up in conversation sometimes.

 B2

As I was doing research for this post, I was surprised to see that in 1988 there were only 6,426 of these produced.  You almost never see them in California; I suppose they were more popular in the Midwest, but that number still seems low.  My research also shows that not one of them had a power trunk release, yet I distinctly recall a little yellow button in the glove box that popped the trunk.

 B8

In addition to having an excellent power train, the car boasted a fairly buttoned-down suspension.  It would get a little floaty on long, sweeping turns with longer bumps, but it always held tight and got around the bends–very different from a standard-issue large coupe.  Also, the brakes worked great, always very reassuring and with good bite.

Reliability was excellent; the only issue it ever had was in an underground parking garage in San Francisco – When I pulled the extremely tight parking brake release, the handle detached from the thin steel string , leaving me no way to release the parking brake.  After thinking about it, I decided (very stupidly in hindsight) to just try driving it (with the parking brake fully on) back to my workplace, a few miles across San Francisco, and letting the mechanic across the street look at it.  It worked, but certainly couldn’t have done the car any good.  The mechanic used Channel-locks to pull the release cable  and ordered a new handle to replace the one that was cracked where it met the cable.

My memory is a little fuzzy on exactly how long I had this car, but it must have been no longer than a year-and-a-half.  I decided I wanted something different, and so I put it up for sale.  Selling it took quite a while–I wasn’t willing to give it away, and nobody really knew what the T-type was all about, so they figured its value was the same as a regular LeSabre.  Remember, this was pre-internet, when ads didn’t show a dozen pictures. Rare cars were harder to sell locally.

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Finally, a couple of months and many tire-kickers later, a little old lady (literally; she was well into her 70s) called and wanted to see it.  It turned out she’d also owned a black one that she’d recently lost in a garage fire at her home in San Francisco.  She happily paid my full asking price, and told me her next stop was the window-tinting place to put a deep tint on her “gangster car”, as she called it.  It was a great transaction with not at all the type of person I thought would have any interest in the car. During her test drive, we talked cars for quite a while, and continued as we  finalized the transaction. It’s funny–a car can take you to the most wonderful places, and often you don’t even have to be driving it to get there…


Craigslist Classic: 1993 Pontiac Sunbird – $750 Worth Of Excre…uh…Excitement

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Presented for your viewing pleasure is this one-owner 1993 Pontiac Sunbird in the twilight of its life, but still running (somewhat) strongly, merely in need of a clutch.  Since nobody buys stick shift cars anymore anyway, I fear this may result in a no-sale…

The ad indicates that it is currently located in the Fort Collins, Colorado area, and the condition of the Light Teal paint color seems to reflect that, this type of skin cancer is not uncommon for non-garaged older vehicles around here.  Here is the ad copy in its entirety:

One owner car, has solid engine, runs good and doesn’t burn any oil, however, she needs a new clutch, but still drives, just noisy!

She has had regular service her whole life, oil changes every 3k or 1 year . Has always passed Colorado emissions, most recently January of 2017.

Asking $750 or best offer, please no low ballers, if you are just gonna offer 100 bucks don’t waste my time, I will not reply to you. Cash only local pickup only. The car is “as is” with no warranty express or implied!

I do not respond to text, or phone numbers, or random messages offering a price if you haven’t even seen the car. If you are real, and interested, then send a message via craigslist and I will get back to you on the craigslist system.

Alrighty then.  Don’t bother him if you only have one C-note.  I’m not sure why a bad clutch would result in a noisy car, maybe it’s way worse than the cars I’ve had with bad clutches.  But hey, it still drives.

 

Lest you think this is merely a common Cockroach Of The Road cousin, look again.  The fender badge indicates that this carriage sports the 3.1liter V-6.  But the fun doesn’t stop there.  Yes, it also has the optional rear spoiler and some other sporting accessories.

How do I know all this? Well, the seller was kind enough to include the original sticker!

In 1993 this car had a base price of $9,382.  That would have been the version given to the winner of the Showcase Showdown on The Price Is Right.  As Bob Barker would enlighten the audience, it would include all of the standard features.  This buyer however, sprang for $2,893 worth of options.  A package comprised of tinted glass, A/C and the sport mirrors accounted for $903, (or almost a third) of that. The engine upgrade over the miserable 2.0liter was another $585 and probably worth every penny, especially since the fuel economy per the sticker still seems quite reasonable.

15″ Alloys for $275, cruise control for $225, and an AM/FM Cassette stereo (with auto-reverse, mind you) at $170 were probably features I’d want as well.  I’m a little surprised that the 195/65R15 “touring” tires are listed as a separate line item for $158 as it’s not like you could get the alloys without tires, and the electric rear defogger at $170 seems like a fairly pricey item but I suppose both were necessary.

Rally “gages” with tachometer for $127 were a must-have, especially since the buyer sprung for the $70 rear spoiler. $145 for the tilt wheel and $65 for the “controlled cycle windshield wipers” (GM-speak for intermittent?) round out the list of upgrades.  Add the destination charge of $475 and you arrive at the total of $12,750, which actually doesn’t seem that bad when I consider that the 1993 Audi S4 I owned stickered at right around four times that when new.  Although that one did have power windows but no rear spoiler.  But I digress…

Yes, that is an “ABS” badge on the lower right side, I had to check the sticker again to realize this was a standard feature on this car, which surprised me.

Here’s the main source of this Pontiac’s excitement, the 3.1 liter fuel injected V-6 providing 145 horses worth of power.  The engine bay looks in pretty good shape and less dirty than I would have imagined after around 25 years of driving around Colorado snow, muck, and dust.

And here’s where the magic happens!  Get behind the wheel, lower the thruster style handbrake, jam the shifter into first, furiously wind down the manual window, pop in your new cassette of Dr. Dre’s “Chronic”, place left hand on top of the wheel, twist the key and lean back before letting your left foot off the clutch while depressing the go-pedal (yes, that’s how manual transmissions cars work in case you forgot).

This car appears to have the miserable door-mounted seat belts that my Buick LeSabre T-Type featured as well; I always wondered what would happen if the door popped open in a roll-over accident.  But overall the interior seems in pretty good shape, certainly nothing that a good set of (gray) faux-mutton-pelt covers wouldn’t hide.

Here’s a close-up of the “Rally Gages W/Tachometer”.  The 100mph speedo isn’t very ambitious, this car could easily outrun that even with the 6000rpm redline on the tach. I like how the redline is rotated so it’s right at the top, in proper LeMans style (LeMans the race, not the Pontiac in this case).  Still, temp, voltage, oil pressure, and fuel gauges (er, “gages”) are nice to have.

If this all sounds too good to pass up, just go to the Fort Collins Craigslist site and do a search, it’ll pop up…

COAL: 1984 Audi Coupe GT – A Trivial Pursuit Into Personal Rationalization

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(First posted 6/16/2013) This car officially starts the period of my life where one car at a time just wasn’t enough…Like those who say they need a reliable commuter for the week, a truck for yard duty on the weekends or to tow the boat, and another car for “fun”, I suppose I sort of fit that mold.  Except I somehow rationalized the need for one two door coupe for the week and then…uh, another two door coupe for whatever else presented itself…

Anyway, I was still happily driving the Buick LeSabre T-Type chronicled last week when I decided to take a look at a car I have always wanted one of, a 1984 Audi Coupe GT.  Based on the chassis of the Audi 4000 (my second car) with the drive train from the Audi 5000, and the basis for the well-respected Audi Quattro (Ur-Quattro as it is commonly known), I had always found these to be extremely handsome.

 AudiGT7

Ultimately, the one that I bought was located in Concord, a city to the north east of the San Francisco Bay.  This was back when I thought nothing of traveling 60 miles to look at a car. It also turned out to be one of several cars that I probably should not have bought, if for no other reason than I really did not need it and it just became an additional expense in the end.  It would be the first of several “learning experiences” in hindsight, but I never had any real regrets during my ownership.

 AudiGT3

The car was being sold by a somewhat sketchy repair shop and there were about three people involved on the selling side of the deal which is definitely something I would not involve myself with anymore these days.  I drove the car and everything actually seemed fine except the A/C.  The seller(s) agreed to fix that and I came back a couple of days later with my money and left with the car, now with functioning A/C.

AudiGT5

The Coupe GT was introduced here in 1981, very slightly updated for 1983 with a chin spoiler,  black painted bumpers and 14” Ronal alloys, and in 1985 they got the smoothed-out body, integrated bumpers and nicer dashboard and steering wheel just like the 4000 line at the same time.  Mechanically there were no major changes throughout the years, except the last of the line, which are known as 1987.5’s in which the engine had a bit more power; however it was still the same basic engine architecture.

 AudiGT4

In the U.S., these were only ever available as front wheel drive with a five cylinder engine, either with 5-speed manual or an automatic transmission.  Interiors were cloth (plaid in the very early ones), vinyl that seems to wear as well as MB-Tex, or leather as an option in the later years (’85-’87.5). The rated power of the 2144cc engine in 1984 was 100hp, with 112lb.ft. of torque.  The weight was just over 2500lbs, which made the performance acceptable.

100 Jahre Audi

Since the body shell is almost identical to that of the Ur-Quattro (except for the flared wheel arches and the body color bumpers), these are often confused with them however they had neither a turbocharger not the all-wheel drive system of the Ur-Q in the U.S.  Some other markets did have a normally aspirated all-wheel drive version of the Coupe GT available however.

 AudiGTint1

The interior was a very nice place to be (for the day), controls were well laid out, seats were very comfortable, and the back seat was much larger than it appears at first glance.  Many people figure these are hatchbacks, however that is not the case, the rear glass stays in place, the trunk lid is short and deep and is hinged just below the window.  There is no external trunk release, opening it is achieved via a knob on the driver side door jamb.  The trunk itself is quite large and very deep, the spare is mounted upright on the left side and the fuel tank, as in the 4000, stands up behind the rear seat.

 AudiGTtrunk

Mine was white with a tan vinyl interior.  Sunroof, power windows and locks were all standard.  The front spoiler was most likely off a different one and had been repainted body color, that paint had pretty much fallen off it as you can see in the somewhat fuzzy picture, which is the only surviving shot that I have of it.  The rest of the car seemed solid.  For driving around town this was great; I enjoyed it and while basically similar (two door coupe) to my Buick, this was in many ways obviously very different.  A stick shift makes any car feel different, but it was also fairly light and handled tighter than the Buick even though it had quite a few more miles on it.

AudiGT6

I do recall taking this one to Lake Tahoe over a New Year’s with some friends.  It turned out a little spooky as we discovered that when four people were in the car and you went over a dip or the road rose and fell, when you were at maximum compression, the floor would make a popping noise just behind the front seat.  The noise was very much like those little pressed tin toy frogs from the 60’s and 70’s that had a little metal tab underneath, when you squeezed the tab it made a small “pop” noise that would drive your parents crazy…

We actually stopped the car and looked underneath and felt around the floorboards but everything seemed fine.  I still have no idea what it was; the car did not have any visible rust and was not an accident reconstruction, however it did have that weird structural deficiency.  It drove fine the whole time, just the sound was unnerving, we wondered if the car was going to break in half!

AudiGT9

As far as noises go, for some reason when test-driving it I never tried reverse.  Well, reverse worked but made a loud clicking noise as you were moving backwards that varied in intensity with your speed.  It always worked and I never looked into it, but it was just a characteristic of this particular car.

Another issue that this one had was that the door seals were in pretty bad shape to the point where some of the material was missing. At highway speeds a good amount of air would leak in, I figured I could replace them, however they were prohibitively expensive at the dealer (for me at the time anyway) and internet resources were still a few years away.  So I just lived with it, at least it was California, not overly cold and even in Lake Tahoe it was OK as long as I blasted the heat.  I’ve found German cars in general (OK, water cooled ones, anyway) to have excellent heaters, often like having a little pellet stove behind the dash.

 AudiSQ

I still like these cars very much and was glad to have had the opportunity to own one.  Having since driven the Ur-Quattro and even having driven an actual SportQuattro (short wheelbase, very lightweight Kevlar body, 300hp, only slightly more than 200 built for Group B Rally homologation purposes) in France, has only confirmed my belief that these were well-sorted, comfortable, grand touring cars that looked great and ran economically without being ostentatious or overly costly to maintain and repair as long as one was aware that regular maintenance is key to European car ownership.  (One day I will have to do a report on how I came to drive that SportQuattro and give my impressions…)

 AudiGT10

So do I really regret owning it?  I guess not in principle, but it would have been better if I had waited for a more perfect one and/or had the budget to take care of some small annoyances.  In the end I sold it for pretty much what I had in it to a guy who had moved to San Francisco with an Alfa Romeo Milano that had over a quarter of a million miles on it!

COAL: 1995 Volkswagen Jetta GL Mk3 – That New Car Smell Wears Off Quickly…

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(First posted 6/23/2013) In early 1995 Volkswagen started running a very appealing lease special in my area: a new Jetta, for $199/month with nothing down. I’d never had a new car, and at the ripe old age of 26 I figured this was my due for the last few years of hard work. So I ventured down to the local dealer, in Redwood Shores, and kicked a few tires…

My history notwithstanding, I’d convinced myself that I could stick with a car for a full 48 months. I also liked the looks of the newest Jetta a lot, and ads and magazines touted a lot of improvements over the older model. Driving it pretty much sealed the deal; although VW’s new crossflow 2.0-liter four-cylinder wasn’t going to take over the racetracks anytime soon, it pulled eagerly, the car handled well and was very quiet inside. I wasn’t thrilled with the selection of colors on the lot, nor especially with the sort-of-paisley pattern velour upholstery; however, the dealer said he did have a transition model, in red, and would I like to see it? OK, sure. He pulled it out of the garage.

 Jetta6

Back then, VW often started a new model year using last year’s leftover parts, so while technically a 1995, this one still had the ’94 interior fabric (which had a much nicer pattern) and the black rub strips on the body instead of the normal body color strips on the ‘95s. He also told me I could have it for $180/month with nothing down–$19 per month less than the advertised special. So I said sure, sign me up, and then verified the details with the salesman.

JettaCockpit

Ten minutes later I saw the paperwork and the smile turned upside down as the sales manager showed up and started apologizing profusely: There had been a “mistake” and I’d have to put $1,000 down. Uh, no, that was not the deal as far as I was concerned. It was $180/month, no down and no more. It turned into a bit (OK, more than a bit) of an argument on the showroom floor since I refused to be taken into a private office, causing several potential customers who were watching to walk out. After about 20 minutes and a half-dozen customers leaving, I got the deal I was promised. It was completely ridiculous, and I never returned to that mega-dealer, although over the years I had six or seven more cars that could have been serviced there.

 JettaInt

Anyway, I was now the proud owner of a VW Jetta GL with exactly 22 miles on the clock. Bliss. Yes, new cars depreciate. No, they are not the wisest way to spend your money, but I’m sorry–it’s a great feeling to drive a brand-new car off the lot. So what did it have? Well, the GL was the base model, and mine was a manual-transmission car. Above it in the range were the GLS (with more features standard), and the six-cylinder VR6. The GL made do with somewhat homely hubcaps (the first pic is of my actual car), although alloys were optional. Power locks and A/C were standard, but not power windows. A sunroof, decent tape deck with AUX input for your Sony Discman (!), nice seats, a huge trunk, attractive design inside and out and a good warranty were all icing on the cake.

 JettaInt2

ABS it did not have–I had a moment of panic on my second day of ownership; I locked up all four wheels at 60 miles per hour on the 101 when I realized a little too late that traffic ahead was stopped. I didn’t run into the car in front of me, but I sure was sweating after that stop! I do not ever want to be that guy that has to go to a body shop with a hundred miles on the clock.

 Jetta5

These cars were all over the Bay Area in the mid-to late-90’s, and black was probably the preferred color (and I admit it looked great that way). These were also VW’s first models exported to the U.S. from their new plant in Puebla, Mexico. I’m not sure if it had anything to do with that or, more likely, it was just VW’s “engineering”, but the car certainly had more issues than I was used to or would have expected from a new car. The shift linkage literally came apart after the second month, after which I somehow McGyver’d it back together at the side of the road. The A/C failed twice during the first year, and the toe settings out of the box were so bad that the insides of the front tires wore down to the cords within the first 10,000 miles.

These issues let me try out most of the other nearby VW dealers for service, since I had vowed not to return to the one I got it from. It seemed that I was not alone in having issues, as I encountered many other recent owners with weird maladies. One particular annoyance: I received a recall notice that instructed me not to use the supplied jack under any circumstances and to see my dealer for a replacement. Well, I tried every dealer, and everywhere the replacement jacks were on back-order for several months. This irked me to no end, as they kept selling new cars that presumably had an updated jack in the trunk, but I suppose that’s the way of the recall, at least as VW was concerned back in the day. Several months later a new jack finally arrived in the mail.

 Jetta2

There are lots of people out there with their own VW stories, and there are also many who never have issues. Issues aside, I did like the car. It always started, drove well, got excellent gas mileage (and my girlfriend approved). It’s weird (and I have no real research to back this up) but I think a lot of the people who have stick-shift VWs (and I think VW sells a greater proportion of their cars with manuals than do their competitors) are more likely to put up with their issues and faults than owners of VW automatics. I believe it’s because many people who want a manual are more involved with their cars than those who drive automatics (assuming their car offers a choice). The driving feel and sense of solidity of a small VW is generally superior to that of, say, a Corolla or a Civic (and I hasten to add that I do not dislike either the Corolla or the Civic).

Toshiba Exif JPEG

As with the other cars I had, I drove it a lot–down to San Luis Obispo regularly, to Los Angeles a few times (it being the car I had when my Dad passed away; he never had a chance to see it, which upset me), and to Lake Tahoe for winter sports. I’d always have the chains with me in case they were needed, but this is the car that made me swear that I was done with chains after one of them broke, scratching up the fender and destroying a hubcap before I got the car stopped with the chain wrapped around the front CV joint. Although most of the damage buffed out and the replacement hubcap was not a large expense, I decided I was done with that hassle.

Speaking of buffing out, my buddy Don is a big fan of washing his cars. Me, not so much. Anyway, I think he was tired of riding around in my usually somewhat filthy car and suggested we wash and wax it. We were both quite surprised when during the wax process all of our rags turned pink very quickly. This is when we realized that VW did not put clearcoat on their solid Tornado Red paint, nor did sister company Audi on their cars of the same color. Kind of strange, and they’re probably among the last cars out there not to be clear-coated, I’m guessing. It’s one reason why red Audis and VWs tend to look faded/chalky much faster than those in other colors.

 JettaHarlequin

I never did replace the hubcaps with alloys, but I did add a Neuspeed P-Flow intake, as well as a chip. It sure sounded better, but I am not convinced it really added any power, at least nothing noticeable. The chip did require the use of premium unleaded, but it cost only around $1.25 per gallon back then, so no biggie.

In the end I realized I had been kidding myself; although the payment was low, I didn’t want the car for the full term. So I eventually sold it, for $12,500, after 33,545 miles and a bit less than two years of ownership. My buyout cost with VW Credit was just over $12,063, so I got a few hundred dollars back from the whole deal even though I went way over the mileage allowance (how is it that I still have all this paperwork to reference?). It’s a good thing I sold it before the lease term was up; otherwise, I would have been on the hook for the extra mileage.

What amazes my wife and me is that periodically, VW still offers a Jetta lease for that same $199/month.  In a few years, when our daughter is old enough to drive, we may well have another one.

COAL: 1986 Toyota Cressida – Stately Elegance

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(First posted 6/30/2013) In the spring of 1996, my girlfriend finally graduated from college and moved up to San Francisco to live with me.  She arrived with a big bonus, a 1986 Toyota Cressida!  Since we ended up married and are still married I figure her cars are now also my cars.

Her grandfather Gene had purchased this car new in Southern California; when he eventually decided that the time had come for a Cadillac the Cressida was handed down to Allison.  I was absolutely delighted as I had been eyeing this car for several years and was always eager to drive it whenever we had the opportunity to go somewhere with Gene.  He had always been more than happy to hand over driving duties whenever I was in Orange County visiting the future in-laws and extended family, be it for a run to the liquor store or the drive to Las Vegas over a Thanksgiving break.

Cress1

As I mentioned it was a 1986 model, dark blue with blue velour interior.  Unfortunately no pictures seem to exist of it, so all the images here are of similar cars.  Equipped as they all were with an inline 2.8l 6-cylinder engine shared with the Supra and an overdrive automatic transmission, this was a wonderful cruiser, very comfy, quiet, understated and relatively powerful.  It was kind of a blend between American cruiser and German stormer.  Remember, this was built before Lexus was conceived and could easily have been a Lexus, had that existed at the time.  The body and interior were in excellent condition, no rust or other damage anywhere.

CressEngine

Gene was a prolific smoker, I recall that it was somewhat smoky before Allison got it, but somehow her dad had taken it somewhere that was able to deal with it, when she got it there was no indication or scent of smoke the whole time she had it.  I still have no idea how he managed to eliminate it, but somehow he did.

Cress9

Unlike the contemporary Maxima that looked somewhat similar, had a V-6 but otherwise had the same mission in the marketplace, the Cressida was rear-wheel drive, making for more interesting driving dynamics and leaving it without torque steer or the propensity to fry the front tires during a hard launch that I had experienced test driving several Maximas over the years.

 CressAd

The Cressida was in excellent condition with about 90,000 miles when we got it. Allison had been driving it for about a year before graduation and had used it around school as well as to visit me up North and her family down South.  It was a much safer car than her previous Corolla and Suzuki Samurai with which she did the same things.  As soon as she moved in this became the preferred transport for me whenever I had the opportunity to choose which car to drive.  I simply loved the smooth rush of power and the way it soaked up the bumps.

 CressInt

The interior of these is from Toyota’s “make it square” era, where everything seems to have right angles and there is not a curve to be found anywhere, even the steering wheel hub is a rectangle instead of rounded off. The result though on the dashboard is that everything seems to fit logically into its little section of space and it looks nice and clean. The stereo with its built-in equalizer was very nice to use with excellent fidelity for a factory system back then.

 Cress7

The exterior to me looks very pleasant with more rectilinear styling everywhere; there is a fair bit of ornamentation but it all seems to go together well, from the chromed eggcrate grille to the integrated body-colored mudflaps and the large wheels with their semi-flush design (in 1986).  The thick bodyside molding and rear mounted power antenna along with the large flush headlights and huge taillight units all looked the business as well.

 Cress3

It never had any issues that were the car’s fault.  Once, while driving through Sacramento, we started to hear a horrific thumping with a significant vibration from the rear. After pulling over very quickly we realized that one of the tires was delaminating and the tread was flapping around and hitting the wheelwell.   I simply changed it for the fullsize spare and we carried on and got the tire replaced a few days later.  Allison also hit a deer with it late at night while still in college.  She recalls significant damage, however I don’t recall anything serious at all.  Either way it was fixed quickly and I don’t bring up the “deer incident” anymore as it just leads to an unwinnable disagreement…

 Cress10

The Cressida somewhat reminds me of the Japanese market Crown sedan that is still used for Taxi duty all over Japan, Hong Kong and some other nations in Asia, similar size, squared off practical styling and just oozing a quiet competence with excellent build quality that just promised intergalactic mileage potential.  I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say I think these are possibly pretty much the equal of the Mercedes W124 series from an engineering and longevity perspective, just they never got the same exposure worldwide.

 CressBoz

This generation of Cressida is enjoying a bit of a renaissance on the Japanese collector car market, I saw several at the Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach a few years ago, one perfectly stock in showroom condition and several with nice modifications including turbos and stick shifts transplanted from Supras.  Others were full on “Bosozoku Style” with their vertical exhaust extensions that seem a bit bizarre to me but apparently is a common tuning style (in Japan).  A relatively rare variant is the wagon version which I’d love to have owned.  I’m not exaggerating when I say if I had the garage space and an opportunity presented itself to acquire a well-kept example I would most likely pounce on it.  Maybe in a few years…

 CressWagon

I did not get to enjoy it for too long as Allison’s grandfather had promised to buy her a car of her choice (within a certain budget limitation) upon graduation.  Since she was not nearly as enamored of the car as I was at the time, within a year we sold the car and started looking for its replacement…Looking back I really should have hung on to it.

CC For Sale: QOTD – Eight Choices, Which One Would You Drive Home From Here?

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After Mr. Shafer so rudely pillaged my town’s crop of used cars the other day, I got to thinking…Imagine, if you will, that you had a spare $2000 and needed (or in true CC baller style, just wanted) another vehicle.  Further, you had a week of spare time and wanted to see some of this wonderful country.  Perhaps you’d like to breathe some fresh mountain air and enjoy a nice drive home?

The question is easy: Which of the below eight choices, all to be had for under $2000, would you choose to purchase and drive all the way home and why?  (for those from distant lands, assume you would drive to a deepwater port on one of our coasts and ship it home for all of your friends and family to admire.)  If you can or want, let us know how far of a trip that would be too; you’d be starting near Denver.

I have virtually previewed all of them for you by closely reading the ad copy and studying the pictures and have every confidence that each one will at least drive far enough for the seller to get back in his or her house and lock the door before anything noticeable needs repairing..  All cars sold for cash only “As Is, Where Is” with no warranty either expressed or implied.  You’ll be fine.

Consider what you like in a vehicle, the likelihood of your journey actually being successful without major maladies, as well as the potential future usefulness and your enjoyment of the vehicle once in your own driveway.  All vehicles are located within an hour of Denver International Airport and conform to the unofficial CC guideline of being at least twenty years of age.  Just remember:  They don’t build ’em like they used to, so here you go!

Our opening contender is the above 1991 Chrysler New Yorker.  Is any K-Car worth $2000? Well, this one might be, it seems like the creampuffiest of all Chrysler creampuffs.  Garage kept with only about 76,000 miles, this 1991 Chrysler New Yorker could be yours for $2000 before you try to haggle.  Judging by its appearance, someone’s grandparents really took care of this car.

While we were planning the Detroit Meetup earlier this year, Mr. Shafer and I did discuss the possibility of me potentially buying something to arrive in true Detroit style with.  While due to various reasons (mainly time) that plan never came to fruition, had something like this been available, it certainly would have been a contender.

Here’s the ad: “This car is in great shape!!.. Older but runs good, has been kept in the garage for a long time, low original miles!!!… Please call or text with any questions!!.. ”

Those seats look VERY comfortable to me.  And while the dash looks very similar (OK, too similar) to what you’d get in a Dodge Spirit, the little touches of plastic timber do perk things up a lot.  I love the interior color although it’s completely impractical for our local climate and sometimes sloppy conditions, what’s it called?

It even has the Gold Package.  Or maybe they all did, I’m not sure. Being a 1991, it’s a “Salon”model as the “Landau” version was dropped.  Still, the Salon got more equipment that year as well as the hidden headlights.  And wire wheel hubcaps I guess.  My biggest gripe with these is they look too narrow, just like everyone complains about a lot of Japanese cars.  Still, those seats, the back bench looks just as good if not even better.

In case the New Yorker doesn’t float your boat, here’s a beautiful example of Buick’s midsize LeSabre.  Dating to 1996, this one has apparently just successfully driven to California and back, so it is likely to not present too much difficulty on another journey.  Sporting Buick’s excellent 3800 V-6, this will likely be such a smooth and quiet ride, you’ll fall asleep while driving.

Here’s the ad itself with all the details:

“1996 Buick LeSabre Limited, Runs excellent. 141k miles. Brand new tires and brakes. Power everything. Family owned since new. The car was parked for almost 5 years. Clean title. Passed inspection.
Drove it to California and back for Thanksgiving holiday with no problems. Very reliable car. $1750 or best reasonable offer.”

This Buick actually looks to be in very good condition and while the paint might be looking a little faded, could easily provide years more of faithful service.

Here’s Colorado’s favorite car and top seller, a Subaru Outback.  With standard AWD this might be a good option for anyone heading straight north from here.  Sure, the miles are up there at 266,000 but if the head gaskets were going to leak, they have either done so by now or they never will.  The interior looks like new (almost), but at any rate better than most with this kind of mileage.  For $1250 how can you go wrong?

Here’s the details on this one, I’ll bet you could haggle the price down even further:

“1996 Subaru outback. Automatic. Power windows and doors. CD player. Good tires. Reliable AWD that is great in the snow.
266,000 miles.

* New starter installed just a couple of weeks ago. New fuel filter.
* 1 year ago : New battery, CV axle and rear brakes.
* 2 years ago: New ball joints.
* 3 yrs ago: New alternator and battery cables. New front brakes and rotors.
* 4 yrs ago: New catalytic converter. New tie-rods. New struts.

I have most all of the maintenance records.

A few things to note. The paint on the hood is faded very badly, otherwise the outside is in good shape with no rust. Has never been in an accident. Like all of the older Subarus, this one burns some oil. I always topped it off every other tank of gas. If you keep a check on the oil, this car should keep going for a long time. The check engine light has intermittently come on and off but has always passed emissions.”

It’s an automatic so that’s Subaru’s venerable 2.5liter H-4 right there, producing the power of 155 thrumming little ponies.  At least you know if it breaks down, anybody within at least 500 miles of here in any direction (except maybe east) can fix it.

Yeah, baby, here we go!  For only $1550, you can cruise along the interstate in true comfort and style.  This one’s down near Denver, but just look at it.  A 1993 Lincoln Town Car Cartier.  This is my own personal favorite generation of Town Car and this color combination is fairly rare but works.  It does have 229,000 miles on it but that just means that unlike your average older Audi, the odometer apparently seems to actually work.

Check out those seats!  All-day comfort right there.  Here’s the ad copy:

“1993 Lincoln Town Car Cartier Designer Sedan 4 Door.

What a pampered car! Words cannot describe how comfortable this car is.
This wonderful car has been very well maintained.  Replacement Jasper engine V8, 4.6 Liter, Re manufactured four speed overdrive automatic transmission, Replacement Air Conditioning Compressor. Working Climate Control, it has Great Heat. Working Air Suspension. Very reliable, and a pleasure to drive.

It is so much more comfortable than most other cars on the road.” It is so quiet, you have a hard time believing that the engine is running.  Grandma was too old to drive this car and gave it up. Rust Free! Wonderful Leather Seats!  True Factory Dual Exhaust. 25 + MPG on the road.”

Did these really get 25mpg on the highway?  Impressive if so.  Looks like all the breakable stuff has been replaces, but no details on exactly when…

Still, the engine looks good in this picture, and I can think of worse ways to spend $1550…You’d better get it quick, otherwise Tom Klockau might beat you to the punch!

If you want to be the Mopar version of Jason Shafer then this Plymouth Belvedere is for you.  You can meet up somewhere in America on the way to the next CC Meetup in your dueling ’63’s.  This is so far before my time I have no idea if this was a competitor to his Galaxie in the showroom or not.  I’m sure you all know though.

The chrome all looks pretty good and the hubcaps are in place too.  Apparently this guy rarely sells stuff on Craigslist as he actually says he welcomes any and all questions (well, as long as they are in writing)!  Here’s the ad:

“I’m selling my beloved Belvedere. 1963 with a V8 318 and push-button automatic torqueflite transmission. The transmission was rebuilt 3 years ago. Mechanically the car is very strong, but it is a project. It needs body and interior to be complete. It’s a pure joy to drive and a wonderful car overall. I’m asking $1800 OR BEST OFFER. Ask me questions, I have the answers. Text or email only please.”

The keys are in it, and that pushbutton transmission on the left is cool. That speedometer looks as big as one you’d find on a new MINI, and overall this seems like a comfy place to spend hours and hours and hours…The front seats are little torn up, but nothing a blanket won’t fix while the back seat looked to be in very good condition.  All the car really needs is a wash and a wax (while avoiding the patinated areas) and you can rock your skinny jeans and black framed glasses all the way to the martini bar.

Ooh, how about a Mustang with the 5.0 for only $1,800?  Well ok, it’s really only a 4.9 but 5.0 sounds better, right?  Holy crap, only 84k miles, a V8, AND a convertible, and it’s the special anniversary year GT350 edition? What’s the catch?  Well, there is one but it won’t stop you from jumping in to that almost immaculate interior and driving home so read on.

White on red just works for convertibles, and especially this one.  Back in ’84 this was the epitome of cool, and sounded great.  So what’s the catch you say?  Well, scroll down but it’s not that bad, really.

You have a cousin that works at a body shop, right?  Yeah, that won’t just buff out but doesn’t look THAT bad.  The seller is even including a new quarter panel.  Here’s the somewhat skimpy ad:

“1984 GT350 convertable, 5.0,Auto,aprox 84k. This is a nice driver that needs some restoration work. Nice interior, newer top, original Wheels, damaged right rear 1/4 panel. Have replacement included. $1,800”

But maybe you want something a little more, shall we say, “continental”.  Well, for just $1500 or best offer you can have this gorgeous 1992 Alfa Romeo 164L.  Sporting Alfa’s lovely V6 with a manual transmission, this’d certainly be a car you wouldn’t be seeing another one of at every interstate rest stop.

And guess what?  No touch screen, just more buttons than the Space Shuttle as God and his main man down here, the Pope, intended. I think the engine is on in this picture and there are only three warning lights on, one of which is probably the parking brake, so that’s not bad at all, right?

But even if it does all go wrong and you find yourself at the side of the road, it’d be worth it to be able to just look at that absolutely gorgeous V-6.  Could this be the most beautiful transversely installed engine of all time?  Yes, yes it could.  Those runners are pure porn (the good kind, nothing kinky.).  It even tells you it takes the special “0170” formula of oil right there on the filler cap! (smiley face emoji would go here, heh, heh).

Here’s the ad:

“Selling my Alfa Romeo. I got it for myself but have acquired a e30 iv set my sights on and the Alfa been sitting awhile. The Romeo starts right up the first time, every time. Runs & drives very good. Excellent condition minus the clear coat which is fading. Everything original. Nothing is missing. Needs front brake pads to be daily driven. I have ordered them and they will be here by Friday. Manual transmission. Firm clutch. 190k miles. Clean Co title. 1500obo maybe trade”

See?  He says it all works.  You could change the pads yourself since it’s already after Friday, so they should be there by now. It’s ready.  It made it 190k miles, it’ll make it back to your house.  Alfas just need to be driven.

Alright, maybe you’re a little nervous about an Alfa, I hear you.  Or you’re Mdlaughlin, our current COALer with all the Toyotas.  In which case, how about America’s favorite car in every auto enthusiast’s favorite body style?  This quite attractive second generation 1991 Camry wagon with only 119,000 miles from way back when Toyota still styled cars sensibly can be yours for $1800.

Those seats look brand new and I know they do not make cloth seats that feel like this cloth anymore.  The dash has a little cracking going on but otherwise the interior looks mint.  Slap that auto into Drive and you should be good to go for as long as you need, everyone knows these cars are pretty much unburstable and with those miles the 2.0 liter 4cylinder is just starting to get broken in. As a bonus you can even sleep in the back on your trip!

Here’s the ad which unfortunately is a little on the skimpy side but hey, it’s a Camry, what could possibly be a problem?

“For sale is 1991Toyota Camry station wagon. 4 cylinder automatic in good running condition. The interior is clean. Please call or text Kerry. I do not respond to email.”

OK, so the back bumper needs a little paint but at least there’s no dent, right?

So, that was the last of our eight contenders.  The question was which one would you spend your money on and drive home and why (and how far)?

Oh, hang on a minute, let’s channel Billy Mays and say “BUT WAIT!  THERE’S MORE!” (All caps since that’s how he talked, may he rest in peace.)  While searching for these I came across our first CC For Sale again, the 1993 Pontiac Sunbird from a month ago.  It is still available which surprised me as a lot of you guys seemed to like it, I thought someone would have jumped on it!  The price has been reduced to $700 (was $750) and it still needs the clutch repaired.  Budget a couple of days for that and you’ll still be way under budget.  So that one’s still an option too as our bonus 9th contender.  Happy deciding!

(Author’s note:  All vehicles above were still active on Colorado’s Craigslists as of midnight prior to posting.)

COAL: 1984 Kawasaki GPz550 – Let The Good Times Roll!

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GPZ1

(First posted July 7, 2013) After living in the city for a while (San Francisco in this case), often one starts to think that there must be better ways to get around than driving a car.  And yes, obviously there are.  Walking is good.  Bicycling is better.  Also, San Francisco has about half a dozen public transportation systems (that seem to be completely uncoordinated amongst each other, it must be said).  But for a motorhead, none of these options will do.  The only option to a car is a motorcycle.  So I decided to get another one, the memories of crashing my old Suzuki having dimmed to an acceptable level…

After looking at various bikes (including everything from a Moto Guzzi V55 to a Yamaha FJ1000) I found a 1984 Kawasaki GPz550 for sale at an attractive price in the Outer Mission neighborhood.  I test rode it around the block and bought it.

GPZ6

The printing company I worked at was only a few blocks from home, so really I could have walked without any problems (and these days I would).  But I preferred to wake up, get ready, go outside, start the bike, put my helmet and jacket on, then push the bike off the centerstand and roll down the hill that is Pennsylvania Street toward 22nd.  By the time I reached the corner, blipping the throttle in neutral and annoying the neighbors, it had sort of warmed up enough to go two blocks on 22nd, hang a left onto Minnesota for a few hundred yards, cut through the alley adjacent to 20th and pull in to the parking lot at work at the corner of 20th and Tennessee.  Uh yeah, less than half a mile total.  The bike was barely warmed up, mechanical sympathy was not something I had much of in my mid-20’s.

Then I’d go inside, hang up my jacket and helmet, smooth my hair, gather some coworkers and we’d walk halfway back to my house to the coffee shop on the corner for a cup of Java.  Yes, it makes little sense but it was fun.  Like I said, beats walking to work…

GPZ2

My GPz was one of the second generation models with a different frame design, body-mounted fairing, and different bodywork compared to the first ones. The ones most people initially picture in their mind are the early 80’s models with the toaster-shaped tank and (sometimes) a tiny front fairing, usually in bright red with black/silver stripes.  There was also a 750cc derivative as well as a rare turbocharged 750cc model and even an 1100cc version.

The 550 though was lighter and had plenty of power, even for my 200 pounds.  In the day, these were tested at doing the quarter mile in the 12’s and paved the way for Japan’s 600cc sportbikes, evolving into/being replaced by the Ninja 600 (which was called the GPz600R in other markets).  It is no stretch at all to call the GPz550 the godfather of the crotchrocket.  It was no slouch off the line…

GPX3

Launched in 1981, the GPz550 featured an air-cooled inline four cylinder engine delivering 57hp at around 9000rpm with a six speed gearbox.   Suspension changed to a monoshock rear for 1982 (UniTrak) and in 1984 the engine got a power bump to 65hp at 10500rpm.  Weight was about 475 pounds, but handling was very agile and it was a comfortable bike, even for a passenger.  We (my girlfriend and I) rode all over San Francisco on it and it was a great way to get through the normally clogged traffic.  Parking was easy as well, just pull up onto a sidewalk and stop it right next to a building. A common complaint was the fairing mounted mirrors; unless you had the physique of Kate Moss you got a great view of your shoulders.  Mine had been modified with bar-end mirrors which were perfect for actually seeing behind you and could double as an expensive “feeler” when weaving through stopped traffic.

GPZ5

I once took it north out of the city, over the Golden Gate Bridge and rode all the way to the top of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County; it was a great ride up and back down the mountain.  I also took it down onto the Peninsula a few times and found it to be a good freeway cruiser, but primarily mine was a city bike for going to work during the day, restaurants and concerts at night and random outings on the weekend.  Prior to my ownership it had been repainted the graphite gray seen in the top picture and was a veteran of many a year living outdoors on the city streets.  It looks better in the picture than I recall it looking at any time I owned it.

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The picture immediately above this of the gentleman at speed on the red 1983 model was just shot last week during my annual father-daughter road trip.  You don’t often see GPz’s anymore and I was very surprised to see this one.  It was moving at about 70mph southbound on the 101 just North of San Luis Obispo, CA.  My daughter amazingly was able to capture it using my iPhone while I was completely geeking out at seeing it. The rider gave us a long look as we passed him, no doubt trying to figure out why we were taking pictures and staring at him or more likely concerned that we would accidentally run him off the road.  Very strange (perfect) timing; along with the CC effect, there appears to be a COAL effect!

GPZ7

I believe I had it for only about a year, then sold it to another friend at work who used it for some time thereafter; we had moved out of the city and onto the peninsula, and commuting 25 miles to work on a motorcycle was not something I wanted to do enough to keep it.  But it was good, efficient, and cheap transportation in a city that can be very difficult to get around and park in.

COAL: 1982(?) Subaru DL 4WD Wagon – Like The Energizer Bunny!

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(First posted July 14, 2013) My brother called me one day with the news that the roommate of a good friend was selling a car and would I be interested?  Somehow word had apparently spread that I seemed to consider buying anything and everything for sale…In actuality I had been complaining about having to deal with snow chains in the mountains on the few occasions that I actually went, and the car for sale was a 4WD Subaru…

I called my brother’s friend, got a few more details and set up a time to see it.  It was located in San Jose – about an hour away.  When we arrived we were directed to the carport in which it sat.  Nice!  A 1982 (I think) Subaru 4WD Wagon in blue with a blue vinyl interior.

Looking at it from the back it looked OK, just a small dent below the 4WD badge and a cracked taillight.  The left side had some minor scuffs but the right side had a fairly mangled front fender.  The odometer read about 195,000miles and the price was very reasonable, asking $450.  The roommate just wanted it gone.

SubaruAd

I started it and drove it around for a few miles, everything seemed to work fine, I was excited at the prospect of 4WD and a wagon so I think I haggled him down to about $425 and drove home in this new (to me) car.  Some may think it peculiar that I had previously (and fairly recently to be honest) had a VW GTI, a Buick LeSabre T-Type, as well as a brand-new VW Jetta.

And now I had what can fairly be described as an old car with a lot of miles on it.  Nothing had changed for the negative in my work or living situation; it’s just that it’s easy for me to like and appreciate almost any car for what it is, and can usually find a positive aspect to it.  In this case a low price, 4WD and being a wagon were huge positives.

Subaru3

I said it was a 1982; in reality it could have been anywhere from 1981 to 1984, I just do not recall and no longer have any documentation.  The picture at the top is my actual car, if anyone here can somehow identify the actual year, please make a comment.  The front had the single square headlights as opposed to the earlier round ones or the later four-light setup.  My future wife can sort of be seen just on the other side of it by the tree.  She’s on the small side…

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I loved the fact that it was blue inside, and by that I mean it was blue all over the inside, in a way that nobody seems to do anymore.  It was not particularly roomy, but big enough; the doors had frameless windows, there was a crappy radio (that worked) and a manually operated 4WD engagement lever.  Once engaged, to disengage it I recall you had to push the lever down and reverse for a short distance, although that could have been a peculiarity of my particular car.

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Outside it seemed fairly loaded up, with the rear wiper, the “4WD” mud flaps, a roof rack and even the little spoiler above the rear window that is meant to keep the window free of snow and water at speed.  Mine just had standard steel wheels, not the 8-spoke white steel ones that you used to commonly see on these.  The upside of that was that the tires were so small that I recall buying two new Goodyear’s for the front and with installation and everything the charge was under $100.  Very nice.

The one feature I wished it had but did not is the Cyclops headlight.  This was a feature where a small portion of the front grille with the Subaru logo on it would flip upwards and there would be a smaller headlight mounted behind it.  Very weird but interesting concept.

The car was definitely slow as far as acceleration goes, but cruised fine (if a bit loud with those frameless windows).  That mangled fender helped a LOT in San Francisco traffic as when you needed to merge you just kind of started veering in the appropriate direction and one look at the fender would leave drivers of nicer cars (i.e. everybody else) slowing down and happily allowing me to go ahead of them.

SubaruEngine

Let’s talk mechanicals for a minute.  This, like Subarus to this day, was powered by a horizontally opposed (flat) four cylinder engine; with 1.8 liters of displacement it generated more noise than momentum.  I’m sure the high mileage on the car didn’t help any, but the manual gearbox (four speed if I recall correctly) was smooth if a bit sloppy.

The 4WD system had a single range transfer case without a center differential so using it on dry roads was a no-no.  (GL’s though had a dual range transfer case).  Later on in the model cycle a turbocharged version was also offered; I suppose it was the progenitor of the WRX…Subaru always having been a bit off-beat, the spare tire was housed in the engine bay – they had the room, it’s a fairly good use of the space when you think about it but the heat really can’t have been good for the tire.

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We drove this thing a lot over the year or so that we had it, both in the city–thanks to no worries about dings and dents–and then also into the mountains.  Boy, was it slow up hills!  The odometer turned 200,000 miles as we were ascending Hwy 50 just past Strawberry on the way to Lake Tahoe loaded up with four of us and all of our snowboarding gear on the roof and in the back.  Like the Energizer Bunny it just kept going and going.  And going.  It never needed anything besides the two tires I mentioned earlier and some wiper blades while I had it.

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It had character, bags of it, and just worked well at its mission.  When it was time for me to sell it (after we moved into the suburbs), the first person who called me came over and bought it on the spot for $600 (yes, a profit!).  His plan was to take it up to his cabin in Forestville (Sierra Nevada foothills) and attach a plow blade to it for his driveway.  For all I know it is still there waiting for the snow to fall in order to get to work.


COAL: 1996 VW GTI Mk3 – How’d They Get Rid Of The Fahrvergnügen?

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(First posted July 21, 2013, here with slight updates) When I recently wrote about the car that my girlfriend brought into the home that we had started to share, it ended with that car (1986 Toyota Cressida) being sold to make way for one that her grandfather had promised to buy her upon graduating from college in mid-1996. That time had come, so he was ready to step up to the plate…

We’d also just gotten back from a long trip to Europe, where Allison discovered the practicality and convenience of the hatchback body style.  So she decided that she wanted a hatchback, just like a European. So off to the classifieds(!) we went.  Below is the actual ad at the top of the right-hand column.

After looking at cars such as the BMW 318ti (too pricey) and a Honda Civic (too plain), we located a near new 1996 VW GTI being sold by the original owners with only 8,000 miles on the odometer in Tornado Red with a Black and colored inserts cloth interior that they had bought new earlier in the year.  The intro pic at the top is of our actual car.

GTI-2

I was a little hesitant about it since my 1995 Jetta was still in my possession. That car hadn’t always been the most trouble-free vehicle, but she was smitten so we went ahead and bought the GTI.  I still harbored fond memories of my Mk2 GTI and was sort of hoping that this might be pretty good after all.  Uh, no.

First of all, this one had a soul-sapping automatic transmission.  Shifts were slow and really took a lot of the fun out of the car.  On top of that, when VW re-introduced the GTI in 1996 it was with the SAME 115hp cross-flow 2.0 liter that was in my Jetta, which while driving OK, was nothing to write home about.  In a 4-door sedan that was a slightly upscale economy car (the Jetta), the engine (and maybe even the automatic transmission) could be considered acceptable, but in something with a GTI badge on it, not quite.  Previous generations of the GTI had a more powerful engine than the regular Golf, but not the Mk3.

GTI-Lemon

Originally the Mk3 Golf was introduced in in the US for the 1993 model year, for 1994 it got dual airbags, in 1995 there was a “Golf Sport” version, and in 1996 this pretty much turned into the GTI with the only real difference being the alloy wheel style, however still at 14” with non-performance rubber.  There was also a GTI VR6 version from 1995 on; while a completely different animal performance-wise it has gone down in automotive history as being the reason for the well-known UK car magazine CAR’s cover that had a picture of an actual lemon sporting a VW badge on it after they completed their long-term test of a Golf with a VR6 engine that is very similar to our GTI VR6.  Overall the Mk3 GTI’s are considered the “softest” of all the GTI generations, which I completely agree with.  Lots of promise, little substance.

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Allison didn’t dislike it nearly as much as I did.  She happily commuted in it from San Francisco down to Palo Alto along the 280 freeway.  Whenever I had to drive it around town however, I just noted how glacial the acceleration was, the way it kind of vibrated with a buzzy noise when stopped at a light and how it really did not feel much if at all different than my Jetta when cornering hard.  It really was just a regular Golf and not anything special as the older ones had been.

 GTI-3

VW’s with automatics (and I suppose most cars really) I personally tend to prefer when I am able to drive them long distances at higher speeds, such as on the (non-traffic) freeway commute that Allison had.  Around town I much prefer a manual, which is counter to what a lot of other people find I think.  This car at least had a 4-speed automatic, VW had stuck with their 3-speed much longer than most competitors did.

Funnily enough (but not surprisingly I suppose) it had the same AC issues that my Jetta had, which although covered under warranty were not a pleasant experience at the dealership.  The car never actually let us down, but it was not really a joy at any time either.  It was practical though, I remember we were able to get a 6-foot Christmas tree into the car and were able to close the hatch on it.  Of course then we also were picking pine needles out of the trunk carpet for the next year…large TV’s came home in it, it was great for shopping, you could fit bikes if you took the front wheel off, overall much better than a sedan like the Jetta although that had a cavernous trunk as well, just with a much smaller opening.

 GTI-6

Parking it in the city was easy as the sightlines were excellent.  Being able to ratchet the seat up (for her) and down (for me) was a very nice thing that no other small car seemed to feature at the time.  The front seats themselves were the same excellent faux-Recaro seat style that had been a staple in sporty VW’s for years and the back seat was a split-folding affair that let you either just pull the backs forward or tilt the bases into the rear footwells and then the seatbacks folded virtually flat.  The dashboard was identical to my Jetta’s.  At least all the buttons and knobs were in familiar spots due to that.

 GTIint

It’s kind of funny, for about year we overlapped with two cars that were virtually the same including the color, just one had a trunk and one did not.  It just kind of worked out that way and was not intentional at all.

 GTI-4

After a couple of years it was time for something else, kind of a shame as it never really fulfilled what we thought it would when we got it. We tried for ages to sell it in the San Francisco area, in the end we took it down to her folks in Orange County and her Dad managed to sell it there, amazingly enough to someone who was moving to San Francisco, we all got a laugh out of that.  In the end, although not the most unreliable vehicle we ever had, it did not deliver the fun that it should have.  It turned me off newer VW’s for a very long time thereafter, which is a shame as really it should not have cost VW much, if anything, to make the car much more enjoyable from a driving perspective.

Trackside Classics – Monterey Historic Automobile Races, August 2000: Just A Random Roll Of Film

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Back when we lived in Northern California, attending the Monterey Historic Automobile Races at Laguna Seca was on our list of things to do almost every summer.  I recently unearthed a short stack of pictures from one random roll of film that I took during the August of 2000 visit.

Although the featured marque that year was Maserati and featured a huge parade lap of literally hundreds of them, at the time I was still more smitten with Alfa Romeo, of which there was no shortage either.  All of these pictures were (I believe) shot on my new-to-me Canon EOS-1, but I have no idea what film I used and most likely just had the pictures developed at Costco.  Now I have scanned them in here using my Brother scanner and messed with the pictures a bit in Picasa to get them looking (on my screen) similar to how the prints look.  Anyway, I’m no professional but the pictures are fun to look at anyway.

Usually it was boiling hot around the track when we went but on this day it was better than usual and part of the day actually had a lot of shade which is always a good thing when one of the Italians is the featured marque.  We also got to park in one of the “Designated Marque” parking areas trackside this time as opposed to having to park in the dry grass in the canyons surrounding the track and hoofing it in.

What was marvelous about the Monterey Historics back when Steve Earle was still in charge is that spectator entry was reasonable and access was pretty much absolute, there were really no restrictions on where you could walk.  You could roam around the entire paddock and get up close and personal with just about everything and everyone and as long as you kept your hands to yourself everyone (drivers, owners, mechanics) was extremely personable (if perhaps a little busy) and willing to engage in conversation.

While the races take place over several days we usually would only go on the last day in order to see the historic Formula 1 cars.  They would race in one or two heats and obviously would have very large age spreads within each class.  However, seeing (and especially hearing) such machinery would literally cause goosebumps.

You could get very close to the track.  I started taking a few pictures and realized that I was A) way too close standing just behind a barrier rail and B) the cars were going way too fast where I was (past turn 4 after the slight bend closer to the entry of turn 5.)  As a result I have several shots just like the one above this.  The track is flat, the angle is me bobbling the camera.  Across the way you can see where the BMW Car Club always has its parking area. Usually loads of eye candy. Nice cars too.

Three or four pictures later, (which I have spared you the pleasure of seeing) I was apparently (slowly) starting to get the hang of it.  I have no idea what the yellow car was, and if any of you know it, well, maybe you need to get out more… Since it was film I also had no idea what I did or did not actually get in the bag until a few weeks later when I got around to getting these pictures developed.  The old days sucked, give me a digital SLR any day.

Like fellow contributor Don Andreina, I really should be shooting in Panorama mode or some kind of 16×9 format, if only to get the ends of the cars in frame…

That shot right there is speed personified.  Ferrari 250TR.  The engine is at full chat here but getting ready to brake for turn 5 before heading up the hill.

I probably took this shot while turning back towards the bridge to see what was coming next and got overly excited.  A Shelby Daytona Coupe thundering under the bridge.  Walking over the wood-framed (and fully enclosed) bridges was extraordinarily thrilling as well when cars would pass under you at full throttle.  The whole structure would shake and the sound would reverberate through it.

If I am not mistaken that is a 1960 Maserati Tipo 61 “Birdcage”.

A fairly crowded Turn 5.  As with all historic races, contact is an absolute no-no.  Given that, it is astounding how these drivers lay into these practically irreplaceable cars with virtually no quarter given.  I suppose that’s the attraction, (us) seeing and (them) driving these cars, being used as intended rather than just standing around in a garage or a museum somewhere.

Back in the pits you always have to watch out that you don’t get run over with cars always heading off the track or lining up for the hot pits for the next heat or class…

Then you turn around and look who’s just sitting there taking it all in.  Ol’ Carroll Shelby himself!

The diminutive size of some of the racecars is astounding as well.  Today’s models are all so much larger. There’s room for a seat, the driver (sort of), the engine and a place to attach the front suspension to.  Not much else.

I’m pretty sure that’s Alain de Cadenet talking about this marvelously presented Corvette.

Gilles Velleneuve’s 1980 Ferrari 312 T5.  I remember walking all around this and bending over into the cockpit.  Nobody said a word as I inspected the craftsmanship and took a very close look at everything.

Here is Bruno Giacomelli’s #23 Alfa Romeo 182 – This was not a very successful F1 car for Alfa, after a string of DNF’s its eventual best finish in the 1982 season resulted in 5th place in Germany.  I can’t even fathom what it must take to keep a not very successful almost two-decade old F1 car going…But I am certainly glad someone has the funds to apparently do so.  Keeping an Alfasud or a 164 on the road suddenly seems like a non-issue.  It’s all a matter of perspective.

I think I will always be an Alfisti, I kept gravitating to them on this day.  Anyway, it’s time to put the camera away – I hope you all enjoyed this little slice of the 2000 Monterey Historics.

COAL: 1993.5 Infiniti G20 – Ahead of Its Time?

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G20.1

(First posted July 28, 2013) Having had somewhat recently divested myself, for no particularly good financial reason, of a fairly new VW Jetta and a decently running motorcycle in favor of an aged Subaru, I, along with my girlfriend, then decided to move from San Francisco to San Mateo, one of the suburbs on the Peninsula.  Of course, this meant that although my girlfriend’s commute would get much shorter, mine would increase quite a bit.  For a short time I took the train and later used the Subaru as a daily commuter. It wasn’t long before I’d become tired of it, so when an opportunity came up to buy a car I’d always found very attractive, I jumped at it…

Behold the 1993.5 Infiniti G20.  Offered as an entry-level introduction to the brand, the G20 was basically a Rest-Of-World’s top-of-the-line Nissan Primera wearing Infiniti badging.  Having never offered a Primera in North America, this initially appeared to be good strategy on Infiniti’s part.  As you probably know, Infiniti started their U.S. venture with the excellent Q45 and lukewarm M35 coupe (basically a rebadged and somewhat aged Nissan Leopard), but soon discovered the need to expand their range: Thus was the G20 introduced.

G20-2

Having previously lived near an Infiniti dealership, I often took evening strolls around the grounds and had seen many a G20 when they were introduced.  In the end, they probably never lived up to management’s sales expectations, and were often advertised as “loss-leaders” with heavily discounted pricing.  Usually they were the base model, and, well, this was exactly what I found advertised by a private party in the San Francisco Chronicle classifieds.

After driving up to San Francisco one dark evening to take a look at it, we met the seller, a nice guy named Blaine.  It turns out that when the car was new, it was given to Blaine to use as a company car for two years, and was offered the chance to buy it when he left the company.  Since he liked the car, he did so; now, some time later, he’d decided to start his own organic soup company and needed to sell the Infiniti to help raise cash for the venture.

We looked at the car, test-drove it around the city, pulled into a well-lit gas station and found that its only cosmetic flaws were a one-inch-diameter black ink stain (thanks to Blaine’s fiance’s mother, as it turned out) on the back seat, and some surface scuffs and scratches on the horizontal surfaces, likely from placing materials on top and then dragging rather than lifting them off.  Mechanically everything seemed great, even though the mileage was already just over 80,000 on a 3.5-year-old car.  After we’d agreed on a price of about $8,000, and he’d thrown in a few jars of his homemade organic soup (yummy), we drove the car home.  (The top two pictures are of my actual car.)

 G20ad

You’ll recall I mentioned it was a 1993.5 and not a 1993 or 1994 model.  It wouldn’t be the last time I’d buy a half-year model, and this one definitely was different than those of the adjacent years. Versus the 1993s, the mid-year models had dual airbags instead of motorized seatbelts, R134a A/C instead of R12, an upgraded audio system and some different options.  The 1994s also received a revised front grille, chrome plated door handles, a different (and not quite as highly regarded) version of the engine and slightly larger tires.  So the 1993.5 was sort of a half-step between them.

G20-5

Mine was black, with a gray velour interior.  Yes, mine was probably one of the “loss-leader” versions, with its cloth interior, no sunroof and stick shift.  If it was a Lamborghini, it would probably be called a Superleggera and command a premium price; in mass-market America, a car with a luxury badge, cloth seats and no sunroof is usually just called sales-proof. Fortunately, I like quality cloth upholstery and don’t really care for sunroofs, so it was perfect for me.

Overall, I think these would have sold better at another time.  For the most part, the early-to mid-90’s were a time of $1.20/gallon gas in Northern California. Where I lived, large engines were still very much in vogue and premium manufacturers did not offer many four-cylinder engines.  Nowadays, it’s a totally different story, and I am surprised that Infiniti (and Lexus, for that matter) don’t offer much to compete with the smaller European offerings, virtually all of which now are four-cylinder (albeit turbocharged)-powered.

G20engine

Size-wise, these are very similar to a Jetta of the same vintage. Performance-wise, they’re in a whole different league.  The 2.0-liter, 140-hp DOHC (code SR20DE) is the same engine people rave about in the Sentra SE-R.  Contrary to popular opinion, the G20 is not based on the Sentra at all despite sharing the Sentra’s top engine option; in actuality it is a size larger and very close to the original Altima but again, doesn’t share anything of note with it either.  With a redline of 7, 500 rpm and coupled to an extremely smooth five-speed manual transmission, the engine delivered great performance and excellent fuel economy, and was an absolute pleasure to drive in any situation.  (Note: I understand that the automatic version is a lot less interesting, but I’ve never driven one personally.)

Standard features included power everything, four-wheel discs with ABS, A/C, Bose stereo, alarm, cruise control and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob.  Weight averages about 2,700 lbs., depending on transmission and options.

G204

All in all, a very high quality, well-built car that felt solid, drove great and looked nice. I drove it all over the place, and nothing ever went wrong with it, it was extremely comfortable, had plenty of room for four people and their luggage, and was just a joy.  I replaced the tires (at the time, 185/60-14 was a very common size, so there were plenty of options to choose from) and found annoyance only when it was time for an oil change.

I did try to change the oil myself a couple of times at first. While doing so wasn’t really a problem, it was still a bit different than with most other cars: the drain plug is in the expected place, but the filter is not.  Instead, it’s located near the top of the engine, which seems great until you realize that its horizontal mounting causes about half a quart of oil  (with no obvious way to contain) to drain out when you loosen it. What’s more, it’s sort of buried under other stuff, thus necessitating either very small hands or a large supply of band-aids.  After a couple of times of cleaning up oil and bandaging myself, I just started taking it to quick-lube places.

G20-3

Once, I found a coupon for a place I’d never been before.  Knowing it was a pain to change the filter, I watched them from the waiting room. The time from the car leaving the waiting area to when it came back was under 10 minutes. I couldn’t believe they’d managed to change the filter in that time, since Jiffy-Lube always took longer. I popped the hood before leaving, and peering through the wiring I could just make out the red “Ji” on the Jiffy-Lube filter.  Problem was, this place wasn’t Jiffy-Lube, which had done the last oil change.  I dragged over the manager (who was refusing to believe me) and asked him to please show me what in his inventory of filters matched what was currently installed on my engine.  Obviously unable to do so, he offered to redo the work; naturally, I refused and took a full refund instead.  Then I went to Kragen, bought a filter and oil and, once more, did the job myself in my driveway.

G20int1

The only other thing of note was a persistent minor water leak in the front-passenger foot well.  During a heavy rain, (and especially with the car in motion, not parked), water would drip from under the dashboard onto the carpet.  There never was a huge amount of it, and it would dry overnight in the garage if I left the windows cracked open, but I never did track down the source of the leak.  More an annoyance than a serious issue, it was nonetheless just a bit out of character for the car and its otherwise total sense of quality.

A couple of years after buying it, we found ourselves moving again, this time to our first owned home, in Dublin, an East Bay suburb much farther from my work in San Francisco.  At this point the car had over 120,000 miles on the odometer, and while it still ran great, it was time to end the relationship. With somewhat mixed feelings, I sold it, and while some potential buyers were turned off by the cloth seats and no sunroof, the eventual buyer was able to look beyond that to see the wonderful car underneath.  A great car, one I’d buy again in a heartbeat. It was perfect for the time and place, and I highly recommend it.

CC’s Best Of 2017: Curbside Classic Center – The Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, That Is!

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Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, Irvine, CA

(First posted January 8, 2017) A decade ago, Mercedes-Benz decided to open a facility dedicated to the preservation and restoration of its cars.  As the first and so far only manufacturer-owned and operated facility of its type in North America, I was excited when I heard about it years ago and even more so when I realized it was only a couple of miles from my in-laws.  I had always intended to visit and finally accomplished that a few weeks ago.  As always, you are invited to join me but put on your good walking shoes and bring a bottle of water as it’ll take a bit of time…

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 300SEL 6.3

Located in Irvine, CA it is a perfect place for people such as ourselves to spend a spare hour or two if we find ourselves in Orange County and need something to do the morning before a flight or after Disneyland overload with the kids.

Upon entering and looking to my left, I realized that not much says you’ve arrived like a glorious 1971 300SEL 6.3, of which this brown example pictured above is a stunning example.  In November 1968, Road & Track proclaimed it “merely the greatest sedan in the world”.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 300SEL 6.3

This is one of the few older cars that my wife and I absolutely agree on, and while I don’t foresee a 6.3 in my future, a 280SE 4.5 of the same or similar vintage is certainly on my bucket list.  Something about the shape just works for us.  This particular car is one of 6526 6.3’s produced between 1967 and 1972 and easily could hold its own against most sports cars of the late 60’s and early 70’s.

Not a huge facility (at least the public part), the Classic Center nonetheless houses a rotating collection of about a dozen cars, some of which are for sale, some for display only, but all in flawless condition.  Behind a large see-through roll-up door are a large workspace with lifts that house another couple of dozen or so vehicles, some owned by Mercedes, some owned by private individuals, all in various states of restoration or merely there for service.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 280SL

Behind the 6.3 was a beautiful little 1969 280SL, one of almost 24,000 produced between 1967 and 1971.  The 280SL took over from the 250SL which superceded the 230SL (all the same body).  I never realized it before but a small minority of Mercedes apparently had the contrasting color hubcaps from the factory, I thought they were always body color (as on the 6.3 above).  Perhaps on a two-tone or a convertible one had a choice?

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 280SL

I tried to get this shot fully in frame but figured that climbing on the rear bumper of the 6.3  to do so would be frowned upon by the staff.  Hence this one is a bit cut off.  Anyway, why can’t they make cars that look this good and just so right anymore?

This facility focuses mainly on the cars of the 50’s through the 70’s, but can source, work on, or recreate anything from any era (and had representative samples of many eras).  In the way back behind completely closed doors are further facilities and parts storage as well as presumably more vehicle storage.  In short, during my visit I felt like the kid in the proverbial candy store.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 220SEb

Behind the 280SL was this 1963 220SEb Rally car.  This facility rebuilt a standard 220SEb to authentic rally specs of the day but added some modern safety items so that it could presumably be used for promotional purposes.  But Mercedes has a bit of a rally history and had some successes.  Seeing something like this pass by on a dirt road at full chat must be quite a sight.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 220SEb

Powered by a 2195cc I-6 I’d imagine this is a wonderfully smooth engine, with an output of 120hp not the most powerful but then again the whole car as is only weighs 2900 pounds so it seems adequate, and probably VERY adequate for a 1963 model!

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 230SL Rally

Yes, I’d been eyeing this spicy little number since I walked in the door, finally I got to be up close with it.  This 1963 230SL actually ran from Belgium to Bulgaria and back, 5500km’s in 90 hours through narrow mountain passes and distant motorways from August 27 to 31, 1963.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 230SL Rally

Mercedes-Benz driver Eugen Bohringer drove it day and night along with co-driver Klaus Kaiser, they secured overall victory in the “Marathon de la Route”.  I love the placement of the cyclops light, all of a sudden the optional if (to my eyes) tacky lit up grille star on modern Mercedes’ makes more sense, but I doubt this was the inspiration for that.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 230SL Rally

I could spend all day looking at the rear of ’60’s and early ’70’s MB’s…What a great look.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 230SL Rally

Sorry about the reflections, but just look at the style inside what is a racing machine that would happily run at over 125mph all day (and night) long, roads permitting.  The plaid seat covers, the body color dash.  I love the spindly little shifter as well.  THIS is the way to do a 5500km race!

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center Patent-Motorwagen

Time to slow it down a bit; here’s a replica of the first automobile produced by Carl Benz in 1886, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen.  There is one original one (obviously) and then there exist 175 replicas, this one is on display but there was a second one across the room that was available for sale of anyone is interested.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center Patent-Motorwagen

Just 60 miles away from Carl’s place, Gottlieb Daimler patented an internal-combustion engine later in the same year and started construction of a four-wheeled horseless carriage.  Neither man knew the other at the time, but eventually, just like chocolate and peanut butter, the two would meet and life would never be the same again.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 280SE 3.5

Where to begin, to many the W111 coupes and convertibles are simply the finest cars ever made.  They certainly stand out, even in this room.  This one is a 1971 280SE 3.5 fitted with the 3.5l V8 producing 200hp, enabling a top speed of 130mph.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 280SE 3.5

While obviously capable of great speed, I’d think it far more appropriate to drop the top on a summer evening and cruise down Sunset Boulevard or up the Champs, depending on the continent…Only 1232 of this model were produced between 1969 and 1971, which largely explains their stratospheric current values.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center Maybach Zeppelin DS8

Front and center when entering this building is this marvelous 1934 Maybach Zeppelin DS8, powered by a 7922cc V-12 engine producing 200hp.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center Maybach DS8

The “DS8” part of the name refers to “Double Six” (or “Doppel Sechs”) and the eight liter displacement.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center Maybach DS8

This car (as with many Maybachs) was delivered as a chassis to German coachbuilder Hermann Spohn in Ravensburg.  He was the main supplier for Maybach bodywork in the 1930’s.  As a point of reference, we saw some very fine cars at the Auburn meetup a few years back, this is easily the equal of many of those, if not even better.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center Maybach DS8

On the outside, these are almost identical to the “lesser” six-cylinder cars, the main external differences are the gold plated laurel wreath with the figure “12” in the hood ornament, the word “Zeppelin” on a connecting strut ahead of the grille (look back at the first picture above), and the two exhaust pipes.

During my visit I was the only person there besides the receptionist and several employees that were on the phone discussing parts with (presumably) clients, housed in cubicles thick with reference and parts manuals.  Since it was during the holidays nobody was working on the cars in the back room and the roll-up door was closed.  After I looked at everything in front, the receptionist noticed I was taking pictures and offered to open the door so I could look in back as well, which certainly made my day!  But first there are a few more things to see in the front of the building.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 1968 230

This may be the Niedermeyer Sr. special of the bunch, the 1968 230 (no suffix), although theirs would probably have been the 190 variant with the 4-cylinder as opposed to the 2.3l six pictured here.  This one hails from the very end of the production run (1965-1968 for the 230, the 190 since 1961).

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 1968 230

Over 600,000 of the W110 series were produced, but with only about 39,000 of them being the gasoline powered 230 version.  These somehow look like a frightened guppy to me when viewed from the front, the W114/115 successor to these and the W108 of course has always been more my style.  But they certainly were built to the same high standard as all the others, and I couldn’t find anything to object to on this particular example.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 1964 220SEb

Compare this car, a 1964 220SEb, to the gray rally car from the beginning, this is pretty much what it would have looked like stock. The W111 “Fintail” (“Heckflosse”) was launched in 1959 and were obviously nicknamed due to the fintails on the rear fender.  Duh.  This one is privately owned and beautiful.  A total of over 66,000 were produced between 1959 and 1965.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 1964 220SEb

Of bigger import than the fintails though was the fact that this new sedan was the first car to be created with a “safety body” containing crumple zones.  Thus heralding the beginning of much progress on the safety front.  The fintails, by the way, are supposedly visible when reversing, this helping to place the car when parking.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center Penske Mercedes PC23 IndyCar

The most powerful car here was this one, the 1994 Penske-Mercedes PC23 developed for the IndyCars series.  This car won the Indianapolis 500 as well as taking the overall series title.  Not bad for a car that was developed in just 26 weeks.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center Penske Mercedes PC23 3IndyCar

The engine displaces 3429cc, is a turbocharged V8 and produces 1024hp at 9800rpm. Top speed is around 245mph.  This car represents Mercedes’ first victory at Indianapolis since 1915 (Who knew?  Not me!).

I’m generally more familiar with F1 cars which are usually smaller in real life than I envision them.  This car though was enormous, visually lining it up with the E-class next to it, it was easily a foot longer and with a longer wheelbase.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center Penske PC23 IndyCar

As with the cockpit of most single seat race cars, I am always astounded at how tiny they are and how small the drivers must be.  My back started hurting just looking at this.  And my knee.  It’d be enough of a victory just to be able to sit in this thing, let alone drive and win a race.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center RENNtech E60RS

My first thought upon looking at this car is that is was an AMG E55, however that is not the case.  This started life as an E420 purchased by Jerry Seinfeld, then sent to RENNtech and built into an E60 RS.  The stock 4.2 liter V8 was bored and stroked to 6.0 (!!!) liters and power went from 275hp to 424hp with 525 lb-ft of torque.  Not bad for a now 20 year old car, being a 1997 model.  I should have done that with my 1992 400E, basically the same engine.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center RENNtech E60RS

The top speed of this car was 202mph, 0-60mph was accomplished in 4.5 seconds.  This was the most powerful E-Class until the 2005 AMG E55 was introduced by the factory.  Curiously Mr. Seinfeld only kept the car for a few years, covered 10,000 miles in it and now it is part of this collection.

One day I’d like to have an engine from a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren just sitting around on a stand.  Until that happens I will have to content myself with ogling this one.

5.4 liters with a supercharger, 617 hp.  Not too shabby.  At the time, Mercedes owned 40 percent of McLaren and the cars were built at McLaren in England.  Most of the cast parts of the engines carry the AMG logo.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center CLK63 AMG Black Series

We’ll head to something more Curbside-appropriate in a minute but this is worth a mention.  What we have here is a 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series.  This car was designed after the Official Formula 1 Safety Car and contains the first V8 engine designed autonomously by Mercedes-AMG (Mercedes bought all of AMG some time ago, but until this engine modified existing engines rather than designing new ones).  The “Black Series” badge denotes that it is much more than just a typical everyday AMG model.  The creme de la creme de la creme if you will.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center C63 AMG Black Series

A C-Class with a 6.3liter engine producing 507hp is something special but obviously has little in common with your neighbor’s mother’s C230.  Big engine, little car, the whole world seems to come across that magic formula for fun.  At least it’s red and not the typical silver…

The receptionist sits right in front of this wall.  She is not in the picture because she is opening the back roll-up door for me!  Halleluja, Halleluja, Halleluja!

What’s this?  Oh, just a freshly painted bodyshell for a 1954 300SL Gullwing, 1 of 1400 produced (along with 1858 roadsters)!  This would look so great next to my own McLaren SLR engine that I was talking about a minute ago.

Sitting right above it and hopefully not dripping onto the 300SL body is this 1910 Mercedes-Simplex.  It’s a woody!  Actually it has a 2.6l I-4 producing all of 25hp with a 4-speed manual gearbox.  See, they do work on anything with the 3-pointed star.

Here’s an engine shot of an SL to show the level of care used when rebuilding a car from the ground up.  This car still needs pretty much everything else but likely runs at this point.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 190E 2.3-16 EVO

The story behind this one is that is belongs to someone on the US East Coast who purchased the car out here on the West Coast.  It is a 1990 EVOII model that was never sold in North America.  Now it is over 25 years old and fully legal to import into the US (as this one was).  The new owner has asked the Center to go over the car and correct any deficiencies before he lays eyes on it. Our overseas readers may be somewhat more familiar with this one, it’s the ultimate evolution of the regular 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth that we did receive in the mid-80’s and a very rare sight indeed.  The front bumper may be having surgery or perhaps was removed to access something behind it.  Check out the rear wing, it’s taller than that of a Subaru WRX STI and almost Daytona-esque.  That was stock on this version.

I’m not sure why I don’t have a picture but parked above it was a 1979 300D sedan in average CC condition.  With 80hp, it’s here for a reason unknown to me, either someone’s cherished vehicle or a candidate for restoration.

Another 300SL, this time a roadster that apparently took part in the Colorado Grand classic car rally.

Above it, a view of yet another 300SL roadster that we rarely see, sort of the “upskirt” angle…Drivetrain completely out, getting prepped for metalwork it appears.  The 300D I mentioned is barely visible to the right.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 190SLR

Just sitting on the ground was this 190SLR with the KEYS IN IT.  Two words come to mind: Daddy Likes!  Oh how I wanted to just hop over the door into that plaid seat and twist the key…

Simply superb.  Perhaps it seems that I’ve definitely drunk the Kool-Aid here, but really it’s more like having been water-boarded with the Kool-Aid.  The worst thing about the entire place are my pictures, it may be time to replace my camera, I didn’t think a digital point and shoot could wear out but evidently they do.  The cars ALL look much better in person than in my shots.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center

Wanna see a Gullwing chassis and drivetrain?  I’ve got you covered.  Feast on it.  From the rear…

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center

And now the front.  The tube chassis is just beautiful.  And seeing it all in basically as-new condition is hard to describe.  I’ll just let the picture be the thousand words.

All things considered, these are probably the finest condition and most original vintage Mercedes-Benz vehicles in the world.  Before acquisition, a car is thoroughly checked over, its background gone over, and anything it needs is addressed.  An example story regards a Mercedes 230SL that was found to have been restored elsewhere to visually excellent condition but when researched it was found to be number 279 of the total production run which is significant for the following reason.

It was found to be missing the protective cover for its fuel pump under the trunk floor.  Interestingly the first 400 cars produced had a cover of a different design than the rest of the production run.  Rather than modify a later cover or just leave it off, the techs retrieved an archived construction diagram of the early design cover and perfectly reproduced it themselves.  The point is, the cars don’t leave unless they are perfect, as they were when they left the company’s grounds the first time around.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 300SL Gullwing

It didn’t really strike me until I looked at all these pictures again – I’ve seen Gullwings before and an old boss of mine’s father was the CEO of Nestle and came by one day with a beautiful 300SL roadster that I got to pore over.  Many of us have seen at least one of these cars somewhere, be it a parade, a classic car show, a museum or what have you, but this is likely the largest single collection of these cars in one location.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 300SL Gullwing

Another one, waiting for its day. The engine is wrapped in plastic and the body is just loosely attached to the chassis.

I found one with the luggage in place.  I don’t even want to know what those pieces must cost…

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center 300SL Gullwing

Silver really is the best color for these.  Even with all the other silver cars out there today, this would still stand out.

Ran when parked?  Lovely in a very creamy white over red interior with the white steering wheel.  Flat tire, covered in dust, looks like it came straight out of a barn in rural Petaluma or somewhere.  There may even be a chicken feather or two if one looks thoroughly enough.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Center Paris to Peking

The car above, a 2006 E320CDI, was one of 33 cars that Mercedes sent on an overland drive from Paris to Beijing that year on a fuel economy challenge run.  Of the 33 cars, 30 were European market versions and three were US market versions.  Presumably this is one of the three US ones.

It followed the route of the first transcontinental car race in history which took place in 1907 but backwards. Back then it took 62 days to get from Peking (new Beijing) to Paris and I am guessing Mercedes was represented.  This time the plan was to accomplish the drive in 26 days in the other direction and the drivers were competing on time as well as fuel consumption. Note that significant parts of the route are still not served by roads and these were standard road cars.

As a fitting bookend to the portion of our tour in the back room that started with the freshly painted 300SL body, we will finish this part with a freshly painted 1964 300SE W112 series car, to be (re-)equipped with a 3.0l I-6. I very carefully walked around this car and found the paintwork to be immaculate, certainly better than what is seen in any kind of regular series production today, no matter how high-end.

I’m not positive if access to this back part is granted normally, I didn’t waive the Curbside Classic secret pass or anything this time, the lady just offered to open it for me, as I mentioned I was the only one there and obviously very interested in everything.  Even if it isn’t open normally the front part is splendid enough to be worth a visit.  The collection rotates so even though you saw many of the cars here (but not all), there will surely be different ones as time goes by.  But even if not, they still look better in real life.

Along with the cars, the Classic Center also has a large amount of automotive art on the walls, and of course a large selection of branded merchandise scattered around.  Even a cozy couch in a sitting area with literature for a weary spouse, perhaps.  It is a wonderful place to spend an hour or two and is absolutely free of charge.  If you find yourself in Southern California, I highly recommend a visit.  Auf Wiedersehen!

COAL: 1987 Yamaha FZ700 – The One-Year Tariff-Beater

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 Yamaha1

(First posted August 4, 2013) As the weather in Northern California turned from the normal “good” to the almost as normal “great”, my thoughts once again turned to two-wheeled transportation.  After a few weeks of perusing Cycle Trader and other similar rags, I looked at a few offerings before finding this 1987 Yamaha FZ700 for sale in the suburb next to mine…

Having previously enjoyed my Suzuki GS450 and Kawasaki GPz550, this was sort of a logical step up the size and performance ladder.  I never planned it that way, but that’s how it worked out.  Anyway, I looked the bike over (nice) and discussed the maintenance program it had enjoyed until now (very satisfactory) with the owner, who then let me take it for a ride. (As an aside, many people will not let a potential buyer ride their motorcycle, especially if it has fragile plastics on it or has any kind of performance potential. That Allstate “Mayhem” motorcycle ad is absolutely accurate… There is just too much that can go wrong.) Nonetheless, I had come prepared, with my jacket and helmet; seeing the motorcycle endorsement on my driver’s license and confident I was not some reckless kid, he actually let me ride it.

FZ700-4

So, how’d it go?  In a word, Wow!  I knew that going from a 450 to a 550 was a nice jump in power, but hadn’t really comprehended the difference between a 550 and a 700, which is significant.  While most motorcycles are faster than the average car, this was just on a different planet compared with what I was used to.  Massive, instant power, all the time, anytime.  And much nicer than anything else I had been looking at.  So I bought it (of course).

FZ700-3

The FZ700 is a bit of an odd duck, being offered only for the 1987 model year.  It was a result of new tariffs on larger-displacement motorcycles that were intended to protect the home team (Harley-Davidson) from foreign invaders.  While the tariff was based on engine displacement alone, perhaps a little forethought should/could have gone into the style of motorcycle affected. It’s not like anyone cross-shops a traditional H-D with a Japanese sportbike, nor was H-D realistically going to compete in that market. Still, the Japanese were now trying to compete on H-D’s turf, which I guess started the problem.

Prior to 1987, the FZ was a 750.  The engine was reduced to 700cc (actually 697cc) by destroking  the crankshaft; the pistons ended up moving 48mm in the 700 and 51.6mm in the 750 (the 3.6mm difference is just over one-eighth of an inch–funny how such a tiny distance can make such a difference).  In 1987, Yamaha also introduced their vastly more expensive and completely redesigned FZR750, but the tariff-beater was the better value for the casual enthusiast.

FZ700head

What really made the engine in this bike different than the competition was its five-valve “Genesis” design.  Yamaha used five valves per cylinder (three intake, two exhaust) to try to maximize the amount of air they could pack into the engine by going a step beyond the now commonplace four-valve designs.  This really put Yamaha on the cutting edge of engine design; to date, the only other mass-produced five-valve engines I can think of are the VW-Audi offerings from about 1998 forward.  (I may be wrong on this, I am sure the commentariat will correct me if I missed another obvious example.)

Power was very good, rated at 102 hp (for a 700cc engine in 1987!) at 10,500 rpm, with about 60 ft-lbs of torque at 8,000 rpm.  Redline was at 11,000.  As with most sport bikes, one would frequently take it all the way up to redline and use all of the available power, especially on on-ramps or during passing maneuvers.  The main problem is finding a safe place to use it, as it was extremely easy to get on the wrong side of any legal speed limit without even realizing it.  Reportedly, a quarter-mile could be done in the low-11s (not with me riding, I’m sure).

FZ700-2

Styling-wise, these obviously have the full fairing, there’s a good-size windshield and the mirrors are well-placed.  As far as color goes, my color scheme was the somewhat rare blue-and-Pearl White with Yellow striping–these bikes are more often seen in the Yamaha’s traditional red-and-white colors.  I’m not sure if mine was any more subtle in its colors, but it was nice looking.  Funny about motorcycles–like bicycles, there are maybe two color choices in any given year and, every once in a while, maybe three, but usually no more.  We might think that cars don’t offer enough color choices anymore, but motorcycles are much worse in that regard.

FZ700frame

With the same steel frame that proved good enough for Eddie Lawson to ride to his win at Daytona the prior year, it obviously wasn’t a bad design, even if it wasn’t as light as an aluminum frame like the FZR’s.  Then again, Eddie also did compare his race bike to a Winnebago!

FZLawson

By today’s standards, the tires are almost laughably skinny, at 130/80-18 (rear) and 120/80-16 (front).  Brakes were discs, front and rear; interestingly, the same size was used at both ends–two at the front wheel and one at the rear–but it was still very easy to lock up the rear unless your right foot was very attentive.

My brother, who also lived in the Bay Area, had bought his first Honda VFR at around the same time, so we would ride to visit each other and then chat bikes for a while. Sometimes we’d go for a ride together. I lived near Skyline Drive (Hwy 35), a very well-known and fun ride, as well as the scene of more than a fair share of accidents (which is probably why it’s police-riddled). Neither he nor I were irresponsible riders, and we just enjoyed the smooth, flowing style of that road.

FZ700gauges

We also rode down to Laguna Seca for the Superbike races.  As with most races, the parking lots are often filled with just as much eye candy as the paddock.  I saw several other examples of my motorcycle in both color schemes, and it was nice to see others enjoying the same thing.  The actual ride down there was not too bad, but neither of us could do it without stopping for gas, and more importantly, stretching our legs.  This bike is not particularly bad for taller people, and the front fairing has some nice molded-in wind deflectors for your hands, but almost any motorcycle (perhaps excepting a Gold Wing, etc.) is not exactly all-day comfortable–which, to be fair, obviously is nowhere near a sport bike’s main design objective–since rider comfort is pretty far down the priority list.  And on hot days, engine heat would pour out from behind the fairing while you were stopped at a light.

FZ-4

Reliability was first-rate. I never had any issues, but once I did take off some of the fairings, more than anything else just to see what was under there, and things were easy to take apart and put back together.  I ended up keeping it for two summer seasons, and then sold it when were getting ready to buy our first house further out in the suburbs.  I did enjoy it, and found the performance exhilarating. And while I still enjoy looking at sport bikes, I have no burning desire to own one again as transportation.  However, considering the amount of performance and the engineering that goes into them, they’re a phenomenal value–and many of them are rolling pieces of rare art, especially the older ones that are so easy to destroy.  If I had a barn or a large garage, I would probably own several of them just to ogle, tinker with…and very occasionally, ride.

CC Outtake: 1960 Ford Falcon Ranchero – On The Road To Resurrection. Hopefully.

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1960 Ford Falcon Ranchero

Every journey starts with a step.  Or, in our case, replace the “e” with an “o” and make it a “stop” for gas and coffee on the outskirts of Las Vegas.  However daunting our 810 mile journey back home may have seemed that morning, when I turned from inserting the nozzle into our car’s filler I realized our journey was going to be nothing compared to the things this little 1960 Ford Falcon Ranchero has likely seen and is just as likely to still see.

1960 Ford Falcon Ranchero

I have no idea where it came from or where it was going beyond that the tow car had California plates and was on the Eastbound side of the I-15, so presumably the Ranchero was heading east as well but where to?  The owner was nowhere to be seen the entire time I filled up and waited for my family to bring me sustenance so presumably it will forever be a mystery.

1960 Ford Falcon Ranchero

Less of a mystery is the appeal of the Ranchero itself; this 1960 represents the first year of Ford’s downsized and now Falcon-based trucklet.  Soldiering on through the 1965 model year in the same basic form, this body style does much more for me than the car on which it is based.

This first-year example was likely (originally) powered by the 144 CID inline-6 with a 2-speed automatic transmission.  Hauling around a surprisingly light 2475lbs, performance was probably at least adequate, maybe a bit less so if the bed was filled to its full 800lb capacity.  Or, if a Niedermeyer disciple was the owner/operator, then likely overloaded by a factor of two to three times that.

30mpg!  And America’s lowest-priced Pickup!  What’s not to like?  The two caballero’s in this ad’s, uh, cab, certainly seem to be enjoying themselves hauling what looks be a load of tomatoes.

1960 Ford Falcon Ranchero

Our example isn’t quite as shiny, being in what appears to be the midst of an aggressive chemical stripper campaign to remove the paint.  That process is much more advanced on the driver’s side of the truck, but the black paint was bubbling, peeling, and lifting all over, just waiting for some more elbow grease.

The rear shows what is clearly not the factory bumper anymore, but with the step is likely to be more useful.  However, the body is low enough for even a not especially tall child to be able to place items into the bed so maybe the bumper was replaced for a different reason.  But otherwise pretty much all of the trim and odds and ends are still in place which should make restoring it an easier task.  That being said though, it seems like it would be easier to remove the paint if one removed all the bits first but what do I know.

 

This cutaway shoes the 6-foot bed all loaded up, I suppose the planners wanted to be sure that potential buyers didn’t think it was much less capable than a “real” truck.  Our example is certainly using all of the available space as well with quite an assemblage of random items.

1960 Ford Falcon Ranchero

This truck was fairly obviously someone’s pride and joy at one time, the red wheels look great and it still sports a set of BF Goodrich Radial T/A’s.  I don’t think that black was the original color but am not sure what it may have been; there s a lot of red peeking through on the hood though.  The interior is red as well though, so I don’t know.

I think this truck would look great in a creamy white as in the first ad but with the red wheels and interior.  The black is a bit too menacing which really doesn’t work on a Ranchero (for me).  I wish the owner well in his endeavor as the more I look at this little truck, the more I want to see it again at the next stop on its journey.  Carry on, little truck, and may you venture forth under your own power soon yet again!

Las Vegas, NV, December 26, 2017

COAL: 1998 Ford Explorer XLT V8 – Rollin’ In My 5.0…

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1998 Ford Explorer V8

(First posted August 11, 2013) Towards the fall of 1998, I’d started to realize that my switching jobs earlier in the year had been a very wise move.  As a Print Broker during the rise of the dotcom boom in Northern California, it’s almost as if we were printing money instead of marketing collateral.  So being somewhat flush, we decided to do what everyone else seemed to be doing at the time and look for a Ford Explorer.

1998 Ford Explorer V8

My wife-to-be’s parents had succumbed to the trend a couple of years earlier, and I always enjoyed driving their ’96 when we visited them.  Since it was late summer, traditionally the time when sales promotions started, Ford was offering 0.9% financing over 48 months.  Seeing as how it was pretty easy to get a nearly 5% return at the local banks then, and we actually had the cash available to buy it outright, it seemed like a great deal – park the money in the bank, earn 5% on it and every month, send in a payment based on a 0.9% interest rate.

Explorer4

We were pretty particular about what we wanted–the XLT trim level, in Light Denim Blue with a gray fabric interior–and I insisted on the V-8 model which came with standard all-wheel drive.  Since it was getting close to the end of the model year we ended up looking all over the Bay Area but ended up finding the perfect one at San Bruno Ford, some 15 minutes away from our home.

And so it happened: According to the copy of the purchase contract in front of me, on October 31, 1998 we became the proud owners of a 1998 Ford Explorer V8, for the sales price of $26,750 and a total price of $30,124.64 including tax, title, and license, of which we financed all but $2,000.

The document shows that over the next four years, we’d be paying Ford Credit just over $500 in TOTAL interest, the bank would be paying us 5% just to keep our money with them, and we’d simply send in the payment every month.  Looking back, that seems like a huge amount of money for 15 years ago…(Update: the first two pictures in this post are of it the day we (very proudly) brought it home, I finally found my missing box of pictures)

ExplorerRear

For 1998, Ford had redesigned the body slightly, most obviously at the rear, which had a very different lift-gate design than before.  The front was pretty much the same at it had been since 1996, and the interior was a little bit different, mainly in the seat design.

Ours had running boards, as my wife is on the shorter side, and inside we specifically wanted cloth seats, having looked at used Explorers before deciding on a new one and noting that Ford’s leather didn’t seem to hold up nearly as well as their cloth, even on very low-mileage vehicles.  Having no kids and just one dog this did not seem to be an issue, never mind that the dog (who is still with us at 15 years of age, go Melbourne! (update: She sadly passed away in the summer of 2015, a couple of years after this was first posted, best dog ever)) vomited in it on her third trip–thankfully, back in the cargo area.

ExplorerEngine

The V8 was the 5.0 “Windsor” engine, which was paired with Ford’s four-speed 4R70W transmission.  It was a great combination; 215 hp, lots of low-end torque (280 ft/lb), nice rumbling engine noise and low-rpm highway cruising.  Never mind that it averaged maybe 14 mpg around town and struggled to hit 17 on the highway; gas was still very cheap and 9/11 was still three years away.  Nobody really cared about gas mileage then; even though we had some of the highest fuel prices in the nation, regular was still under $1.25/gallon.

We certainly did not need a V8, but it was a luxury I wanted at the time.  Weight is listed at 4,166 lbs. (much lighter than I’d assumed until I looked it up), a couple of hundred pounds heavier than the V6 version.  What was nice about the V8s was that instead of the manual 4WD system, they came with an automatic AWD system where you would keep the switch in “Auto” and the car would figure out what was needed. And while you could override it, really, for about 99% of the populace an automatic AWD system is the way to go.

ExplorerInt3

What else did we have?  Well, I recall it came with a 2” towing ball and wiring harness tucked into a cardboard box in the rear interior body side.  Which is where they remained the entire time we had it.  We did use the CD player it came with a lot as the sound system was quite good for the time. Everything was power-operated and the floor mats were nice and plush, but we covered them with a full set of Husky Liners to make it easier to keep clean.

ABS was standard, and it came in handy more than once as stopping distances definitely seemed on the long side compared to what we were used to. It happened to come with the automatic headlight option, which was nice but not used much, as I prefer to stay in control of the lights.  And, of course, a nice little set of V8 badges adorned the front fenders.

ExplorerInt2

What everyone remembers about this generation of Explorer is, of course, the Firestone tire fiasco; ours was not immune.  The recall occurred when we had put around 18,000 miles on the vehicle, and we got a letter stating that if we were affected we could either schedule an appointment with any Ford dealer for tire replacement, or source our own tires and be reimbursed.  OK, our tires were getting a bit worn, and this would work out well if we were part of the recall. I crawled under the truck, and on the inside walls of the tires saw the code that indicated we were part of the recall.

Of course, we soon found that no Ford dealer actually had enough tires to satisfy the demand. They were quoting dates well over a month from then to get replacement tires, but admitted they really were not sure how long it would take.  After calling literally about 30 different tire shops, I found one about 20 miles away that had a set in the correct size.  They promised to hold them for one day only, and otherwise they’d give them to the next guy who came looking. I went down there and came back with a set of Dunlop Radial Rovers, in the correct size, and a receipt for about $500.  I sent the paperwork to Ford and got a check a few weeks later.  I think all in all they certainly handled the recall part of the situation pretty well.

Explorer5

As it turned out, about a month after we got the Explorer we started searching for (and quickly found) a home to buy out in Dublin, on the far side of the Bay Area.  Knowing what I know now, it’s a very bad idea to take on a car payment before applying for a mortgage, since it significantly reduces what you can afford to buy via a home mortgage, but it worked out for us and probably kept us from buying more house than we needed.

A few months after moving in, Allison’s sister visited. One day she borrowed the Explorer, and upon returning misjudged the garage entrance and somehow rubbed the rear fender against the trim.  I assured her it was OK, no big deal, it’s just a car, let’s eat dinner etc.–and then, as soon as she departed for the airport, I was in the garage with my rubbing compound and applicator sponges freaking out over it. It turned out to be mostly a matter of paint transfer onto the fender. The paint rubbed out and the slight crease in the sheet metal was not noticeable to anyone not looking for it.

Explorer6

This was the second brand-new car either of us had ever had, and overall it was excellent.  Ford had built a very popular, very well-made product.  I think we had one tail light bulb go out, and it was promptly replaced by the dealer–and of course, the tire thing.  Otherwise, our Explorer was a champ.

Two years after we bought it we moved again, to Oakland this time, and decided that although the Explorer was great we were ready for a change after almost 30,000 miles.  We advertised it, and it sold fairly quickly to another young couple for $18,500.  With the tire fiasco still fresh in peoples’ minds, Explorers had taken a hit on resale value and besides, gas prices were rising. Thank goodness we had that low interest rate, for without it we would have been upside down on the note.

As it turned out, we ended up with a few thousand dollars left over. Yeah, we took most of the depreciation hit, but we had a good experience with it and realized that America still knew how to build a darn good vehicle when it was inclined to do so. I have no doubt that the truck is still on the road somewhere in Northern California.


COAL: 1990 Volvo 740 Turbo Wagon – In Sweden They Spell Panther Without An “H”

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Volvo1

(First posted August 18, 2013) Having always had a thing for wagons, I decided that it would be a good time to own another one.  Although we already had a G20 and an Explorer in the stable, yet somehow I convinced my wife-to-be that our dog would be much more comfortable in a larger wagon.  So off to look we went…

I’d always been a fan of Volvo’s larger wagons, and until the Explorer really took off in the Bay Area I’d often notice red 740 Turbo Wagons (seemingly always with a Golden Retriever in back–the dog must have been in the official accessory catalog, or something).  We found a Volvo specialist in Berkeley who had over a dozen wagons in stock, and we settled on a black one with a butterscotch leather interior.

Volvo2

While it had just over 100,000 miles on the clock and apparently originally came from Stamford, CT, there was not a bit of rust on or underneath it, suggesting that it had led a relatively pampered existence.  The dealer (actually mechanic who’d started a Volvo car lot) had gone through it and made sure it still drove as it should.  Judging by what I saw while looking around it and under the hood, everything seemed to be good, and we took it home that day.

In reference to my headline (Sweden spells Panther as Panter), I think Volvo’s 700 series really is Europe’s equivalent of Ford’s Panther chassis.  Looking at length of service (in both the manufacturer and end-user senses of the word), user friendliness, repairability, comfort, value and space for the money, not much else comes close.

VolvoAd

First sold here in 1983, the 700 series eventually morphed into the 900, and then into the S90/V90 series before its effective replacement with the S80 sedan and V70 wagon series.  Sold with inline fours, V6s, turbo fours, and even an inline six (as well as diesel power!) and offered in many permutations until 1998, they could be found all over the continent.

Prior to our purchase, I had always believed that all Volvos came from Sweden, with a few built in the Netherlands and a few more in Belgium.  I was surprised to see that mine was made in Canada; it turns out there was a Volvo plant in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that built these from CKD kits for the North American market.

VolvoCargoArea

Anyway, back to my car!  The black paint was impeccable, the leather inside was wonderfully smooth and soft, and there was just the right amount of firmness to the seats.  The pictures cannot convey their level of comfort, as the front and rear seats alike really were all-day and all-night comfortable.

Our dog (who got carsick in the Explorer) loved the back of this thing; as you’ll note, the windows are nice and low, and our dog, who’s a bit on the short side, found it perfect to look out from even while laying down amongst a bunch of luggage during a trip. For some reason I also absolutely love the way the back-hatch badging tells the world it is “Intercooled”.

 Volvo6

For the  1990 model year the 740 got a slight restyle, consisting mainly of large, one-piece headlamps, a more steeply raked grille (perhaps from 90 degrees to about 89; it still looked very upright), and the 16” alloys you see on the cars pictured.  This wheel is still one of my favorite Volvo designs–it’s just so big, chunky and solid, with a very restrained yet very modern style.

The bumpers, however, kept the same black plastic that always faded to a light gray no matter how much Black Magic, mineral oil, peanut butter or other remedy of choice you slathered on it (peanut butter still works best, by the way).  The engine was the B230FT, a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline four that developed 162 hp in 1990 models.  Torque was a maximum of 195 ft/lbs at 3,450 rpm.  With a curb weight of about 3,200 lbs., that’s not too shabby.

VolvoFrontInt

Now that I think about it, there were plenty of hard plastics throughout the cabin, but all of them were in good condition, easy to clean, looked to be made of high-quality materials, and gave off a sense of permanence.  Other than the seats, the only soft item in the cabin was the new-for-1990 driver’s-side airbag (not that I ever had to find out, thank goodness).

The gauges were legible and easy to read, and it was amusing to watch the turbo gauge move around depending on throttle position and gear.  I loved hearing the turbo whistle, and feeling the shove in the back; while not particularly impressive compared with some of today’s offerings, it felt great at the time, and belied what was possible with such a large vehicle.  A solid, no-nonsense rear-wheel drive chassis that would offer up very controllable (and enjoyable) wheel spin and slides in wet weather made this wagon far more fun that it had any right to be.

VolvoRearInt

A couple of months after we got it, I was on my way to work in San Francisco when it started to overheat as I got close to my workplace.  I made it there, and then parked it.  I saw that the plastic radiator inlet neck was cracked, probably having given up the ghost after the hoses were replaced and the clamps tightened prior to sale.

I took BART home at the end of the day, and on Saturday morning drove one of our other cars to my local Volvo parts place, picked up a new all-metal radiator and spent a couple of hours replacing the radiator on the street outside of my work.  Easy to work on, plenty of space under the hood, no problems.

Volvo4

We drove it to Orange County for Christmas. It was a really great freeway car, super quiet, those great seats, the dog loved it, gas mileage was good, and even in the California rain it was just a delight to be able to really lounge in it, still controlling the wheel and feeling a smug sense of safety versus the others on the road.

Volvo5

Yeah, it was the “third car”, but really it got just as much use as the others.  The automatic made my 37-miles-each-way drive into the city over the Bay Bridge more bearable on those days you just knew traffic would be bad.  We also put it to good use during our wedding when we supplied the bar.  I now realize that even with the back seats folded, I significantly overloaded the car, filling it from just behind the rear seats to the tailgate and all the way to the roof with dozens of cases of beer, wine, champagne and “the good stuff”.

It swayed a bit more than usual, and the rear suspension was compressed almost to the bump stops, but the turbo just whistled its way up over the grade from Dublin to Oakland without much weight-related loss in performance.

In my spare time (at work) I read up on conversions, like the one offered by Converse Engineering that swapped a 5.0-liter Mustang engine into it.  Nowadays, the Chevy LS engines are the ones of choice, but either way sounds like a complete hoot, although I’m not sure how controllable the thing would be. A fun project though, for sure (although I did not ever go through with it).

VolvoEngine

After a while we noticed that the car was vibrating a bit more than normal and took longer to upshift, revving higher than normal.  It turned out that one of the engine mounts needed to be replaced (common 700-series issue, apparently) and that the transmission linkage needed adjustment.  Easy and cheap fixes, both of them, and soon the car was back to normal.

If you’ve been reading this series since the beginning, it is obvious that I seem to have a problem holding on to my vehicles for any length of time.  While in the long run it is obviously cheaper to buy and hold, I like the variety (sort of like Wilt Chamberlain? Or is James Hunt a better analogy?) and have generally gotten either lucky or been able to spot the good ones and later divest myself of them before they need anything major.  I’m still not money ahead, but definitely enjoy driving different things relatively often.

Volvo3

We held on to this one for several years. It moved with us (or I should say it moved us) to Oakland (closer to work) and stayed around until our vehicle count numbered five (for two people); at that point it became superfluous, and we sold it to a private buyer via Craigslist.

COAL: 1998 Honda Civic GX – I Was An Early Car-Sharing Study Guinea Pig

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Honda1

(First posted August 25, 2013) When we moved from San Mateo on the San Francisco Peninsula to the East Bay (Dublin) my commute increased significantly.  While driving was always an option, there was also BART, the Bay Area Rapid Transit system.  In early 1999, soon after we moved, I saw a flyer for a research study that would let me drive a car for almost a year in conjunction with using BART…

Alas, it was not totally free.  However, for $200 per month for the 10-month duration of the project (6-months initially, then extended) or until you opted out (which they strongly encouraged you not to do), I would have access to one of twelve 1998 Honda Civic GX’s (the natural gas powered ones) in a novel car-sharing program that was one of the first in the country.

HondaSponsors

Together with the UC Davis Institute of Transport Studies, Honda, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, BART and CarLink came up with a program to study how car-sharing could help commuters along with exposing some to clean-fuel vehicles, in fact, these were some of the earliest cars to be marketed directly to individual consumers as opposed to fleets.

Honda3

The basic concept was as follows: Twelve cars would be parked in a reserved prime parking area immediately next to the entrance to the Dublin BART Station (which was the station I passed when I headed to the freeway anyway and the station that by default I would use when riding BART).  At night, these cars would go home with users that lived in the area.  During the day, these cars would be used by employees of Lawrence Livermore Lab which was located 14 miles from the station to get to work.  There was no good, reliable alternative link from the station to the lab at the time.

HondaSmartBox

As a “Homeside Commuter” (I was one of eleven), I would pay $200 per month which would cover the car, fuel, all maintenance and all insurance.  For that I got a smartcard that opened a keybox and I could choose a set of keys and take one of the twelve (identical) cars home after returning from work via BART.  I could use it all evening and all night, it just had to be back in its stall by 8am the next business day when I would presumable be back on the train.  On Fridays I got to take the car all weekend (and on holidays as well).

HondaGasPort

“Workside Commuters”  (there were twenty) were Lawrence Livermore employees that would arrive via BART in the morning, take one of the cars such as the one I had dropped off (perhaps with a still-warm seat) with another worker as a carpool and then drive to work where they were refueled while the worker was, uh, working and cleaned if necessary.  At the end of the day they’d return to BART and be ready for me to come home and take one…Worksiders paid $60/month/pair or $30 each for their part of the project and were meant to carpool with at least one other worker each time.

HondaNGVsticker

 I was interested in the car itself just because it was a bit different being natural gas powered and thought the whole concept sounded interesting.  How’d it work out?  Well, it was great.  I never had any issues, there was always a car parked there when I needed one, I would normally look at the cars that were there quickly to make sure they looked clean inside, swipe my card, open the keybox, grab the key for the car I wanted, close the box and get in the car.

The parking area was fantastic, as close if not closer than the disabled spots, the only way to have improved on that part was if there was valet service.  I can’t emphasize enough how much this mattered, the research study also noted this as a specific draw since the public parking at the station had not kept up with the area’s growth and often it was difficult to find a spot and get to the train on time.

Hondabart

Starting the car was totally normal with the exception of a small input device that while not mandatory to get the car to start, users were asked to use it in order for the researchers to conduct their research.  You would enter your user ID, then enter what you were using the car for (commute, shopping, entertainment, road trip etc.) and then set off.

If your mission changed during that trip, they asked you to re-enter the current information.)  I’d like to stress that this sounds like a bit of a pain, but it was well explained when we signed up and, well, I felt maybe it could be my small contribution to humankind.  Certainly better than being a test specimen for a pharmaceutical company or something…

HondaTank

The cars themselves were standard 1998 Honda Civic GX’s, all Silver with Gray interiors, all automatic.  GX’s are modified at the factory for natural gas and based on the standard mid-range Civic LX.  The only difference is that it runs on Compressed Natural Gas instead of gasoline.  There is a tank in the trunk just behind the rear seat that does intrude on trunk room somewhat but for this project  was a non-issue.

There was probably room for one golf-bag left. (Sort of similar to how some hybrid cars have less space than a standard version car.) The tank in the photo above is large but the pic makes it look HUGE due to the perspective of the camera.   The engine was a 1.6l 4-cylinder and had adequate power.  CNG generates a bit less power than gasoline but in this car it was adequate.  Range is less though, normally figured at just under 200 miles.

HondaTankSchematic

It was very exciting (to me) to be part of this.  The money was a non-issue at the time and we tried to use the car as much as possible in the evenings and the weekends.  Since the cars were supposed to be fueled up at the lab it was unlikely that any of the Homeside users would need to find a station.  On Fridays I made sure that I chose a car that did in fact have close to a full tank.

However, if you wanted or needed to add CNG, you certainly could; Honda included a pamphlet in every car that showed all currently installed CNG stations.  Most were inside large fleet company grounds or on the site of Utility companies, but apparently with the smart card we’d be able to access them and pay for the fuel.  I did try to plan a trip to LA, but after a while decided it was probably a bad idea as the stations were really too few and far between, I suppose I was an early person to develop alternative fuel range anxiety.

As far as the basic car itself beyond the CNG aspect, well, it’s a Honda.  I’d never had one before so that was novel as well.  (I’m telling you, I can geek out over almost ANY car, at least the first time I experience one.)  Civics are light, have a quiet engine, handle great and everything falls to hand exactly as you’d like it to.  All controls and switches are well weighted and the plastic touch-points feel pretty good.

Everything seems well designed and built for a purpose, that being to transport a user with a minimum of fuss to their destination and to so with minimal maintenance for the lifespan of the vehicle.  There was a little more road noise than I’d prefer on a freeway, but the car was built to a budget and it did not feel as if anything was skimped on that mattered.

HondaCarpoolBetter

An added benefit of a CNG vehicle (in California at least) is that they are allowed in HOV lanes without any passengers.  Several times since the study concluded I have contemplated buying a CNG car to do just that with, as an alternative to a Hybrid whose HOV stickers had an expiration date.

Californians will do almost anything to get into an HOV lane during the commute hours, including the “Casual Carpool” in Berkeley and Oakland wherein you ride in a car with complete strangers to avoid the bridge toll and the traffic.  I’ve done that as well and it does work very well but that’s really a subject for another article.  (Update:  That post has since been published, here is the link to it.)

While car-share programs sort of gross me out in general (who knows who drove it last or what their hygiene habits are?) as opposed to rental cars where I can at least delude myself into thinking that they are cleaned between use (I know that is untrue but it lets me sleep better at night so don’t comment with any horror stories, please), this program worked for me.  I figured (correctly as it turned out) that the Homeside people would be kind of like me (commuter that had the means to afford an extra car and were interested in the research aspect) and the Workside people were obviously Lawrence Livermore Lab employees and not just some Schmo off the street.

HondaInterior

The research paper that was published afterwards (link is here: http://www.carsharing.net/library/PRR-2000-10.pdf ) had some interesting findings.  One Lab employee thought he was allowed to take the car home with him and started using it that way.  They clarified the rules to him very quickly as they saw his log when he entered the data in the car.  Refueling became an issue (not that I ever noticed) as some of the Homesiders lived quite a ways away and left the tank close to empty.  In the end a CarLink employee had to refuel some of the cars regularly during the research period in addition to what was originally thought.  It turns out that some of the heavier users of the cars were actually asked to leave the program early due to this issue.

A bigger issue apparently was that sometimes the Lab employees did not carpool, checked out all the cars and then worked later than anticipated, leaving no cars for some Homesiders.  I never had a problem, but they apparently added a few more cars and retrained the Lab people.  There was also a paid-for Taxi service available if this happened but it was not used even once, people sometimes just waited until a car returned.

The study is fascinating reading and I can’t rehash all of it here, but it does appear that most of the problems encountered were on the Workside (Lab) end of the project as opposed to the Homeside, specifically to do with carpooling, parking in the correct area, and refueling.  It is nice to see that regular people are able to do things correctly, with the smarty-pants scientists being the ones causing the issues!

HondaTrunk

Even though I was a participant I had no idea how much media interest there was in this program until I researched it over the last couple of days.  All types of media (TV, Radio, Print) apparently wanted to report on it at the time.  I guess I am adding to it here and used some of the other media reports to help with this article.  Overall I was very satisfied with the program and am happy and proud to have been a part of it.  And the Honda Civic GX was not a bad car, either…

COAL: 1993 Audi S4 – My 19th Vehicle So Far In This Series But The First One I Really Wish I Still Had

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(First posted September 1, 2013) Summer of ’99, my significant other was traveling in Europe, I was at home working, and decided it was time for another car.  Once again without a specific vehicle in mind; just knowing that the budget was more secure than before and I did not want a new car again, I spent a few weekends poking around all over the Bay Area…

Eventually I found it – A 1993 Audi S4.  Two lady owners, 60k miles, stunning Emerald Green over Ecru (think Bone-colored) leather, turbocharged, quattro all-wheel drive, without any cosmetic flaws whatsoever.  I drove it, was extremely impressed, went home, read all about it, drove it again, and eventually bought it for $22,000 even and took it home.  (Note: All of the pictures in this article are of my actual car, mostly from towards the end of my ownership)

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While I’d had new cars, and I’d had large cars, I had never had one that felt this solid.  Conceived in the era where the Germans engineered and built it first and assigned the price tag afterwards, this car was a rock.  Every input was rewarded with the right amount of resistance, the power was intoxicating, and the comfort and convenience level was superb.

The S4 first arrived in the U.S. for 1992 and replaced the one-year-only 200 Turbo 20v.  Based on the Audi 100 (C4 generation) chassis, this was the top of the line, being compared to the M5 and the 500E at the time. (However,  I can admit now that both those cars are possibly even a bit better as pure driver’s cars but neither had a turbo nor all-wheel-drive which made the S4 perfect for certain parts of the country.)  The S4 was produced after Audi released the (not for North America) S2 (Audi 80/90 based), and produced the S1, which was the rally evolution version of the original Quattro (internal, never sold to the public).  At the time the S-range denoted Audi’s top sports models (however soon thereafter the RS2 was released and later there were also S-plus versions available.)

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Most people in the U.S. (including lots of Audi dealer personnel) usually think the first S4 was the A4 based sports model.  No, this one was.  After the Audi 100 was renamed the A6 for 1995, the S4 became the S6, leaving room for the new S4 version of the A4.  (That will be the last mention of the “new S4” in this article, by the way.)  Lots of fans call the old S4 the Ur-S4, Ur as in original, like they do with the Ur-Quattro).  Anyway, the Ur-S4 was available in the rest of the world with two engines, one of them a 4.2 liter V8 and also the one that North America got, the 20-valve 2.2 liter turbo-5.

Putting out 227hp and 258lb/ft of torque with an overboost feature in the first two gears, this car was a rocket (for the early to mid 90’s at least).  Add the grip of full time all-wheel-drive through 225/50-16’s, acceleration and handling in all weather conditions were no match for most other cars.  A 5-speed manual was the only available gearbox.  Add in tons of room for 4 or 5 people and their luggage and this was just an amazing car with a lot of room left for improvement by the enthusiast owner.

 s4_011

The outside differed from the normal 100 in several minor ways.  The front fenders were actually wider than the standard items (larger flares), the front headlights had the fogs integrated into the lights as opposed to separate units under the bumper, and the front bumper was different with more air inlets for the intercooler.

Inside was amazing.  Supremely comfortable Recaro seats with movable under-thigh bolster, wonderful leather, heated seats front AND back and nice real wood in 92’s and 94’s, the 93’s like mine got genuine carbon fiber trim, not the fake stuff you see everywhere now, a Bose sound system with optional trunk mounted CD changer (remember when that was cutting edge?) and a built in analog corded cell phone (also passe by the time I got the car).  Everything was solid and well-made and felt like it would last forever.

 s4_012

Even though the changes to the car are very subtle, owners can spot them literally a mile away.  One day I was driving on Highway 1 south of Santa Cruz when I noticed another one coming the other way, both of us moving fast in opposite fast lanes.  We both flashed our lights at each other and later than evening on the S-Cars forum I posted that I had seen another car.  Well, the other guy (also named Jim) saw the post and answered.

We became good friends, have traveled to Europe together on a three-man Car-Museum, Factory Tour,  Frankfurt Auto Show and Nurburgring trip, speak regularly and our families are friendly now as well, as a matter of fact my daughter and I spent the night at their home this last summer on a road trip.  Our wives joke that we are both total freaks for meeting how we did but that’s how things happen I suppose.  (Update:  Jim and I are planning another trip to Europe together for our 50th birthdays, which are within weeks of each other.)

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My car had stickered for around $50k in 1993 at Anderson-Behel Audi (now Stevens Creek Audi) in San Jose, CA.  It was pretty much dealer maintained until I bought it.  Soon after I bought it, it was time for a new timing belt and front brakes.  I looked all over and tried to find the best deal I could and ended up taking it to a small Audi enthusiast shop in Davis, CA, just over an hour away.  The two owners welcomed the car and did a great job at a very good price. However, this was also pretty much the dawn of the internet age without which this car probably would have frustrated me and caused me to spend way more money than necessary.

For example, in the first week of ownership, all of a sudden the fuel would cut off whenever I hit 4000rpm’s.  Late at night I found an S-car forum, posted a question and the site’s owner in Iowa gave me step by step instructions on how to easily locate and fix a small hose that had come off making the car think it had a boost issue.  One 69cent hose clamp later and I was back in business after worrying about how much this would be costing me.

With a total of just over 3000 of these cars sold over the entire model run in the U.S.  (not just the one year) and the cars no longer the focus of Audi North America and their dealer body, the enthusiast base on the internet became invaluable as it is today for almost any problem on any car.  The internet and the available knowledge makes it realistic to now own almost any car, even those that would normally be beyond the reach of “normal” people and their budgets.

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During my second year of ownership, I was really enjoying the car, loving my commute in any weather, and decided I needed to explore the car more.  I joined the Quattro Club and attended a Driver’s Instructional Event at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, CA for a weekend.  Wow, what a blast!  First, a classroom discussion, then some parking lot exercises and then lots of track time with an instructor in the passenger seat.

It was a fantastic event, I met a ton of other Audi enthusiasts, and had a wonderful time. The first night in the hotel the evening before the event, I met a couple that had come out from Colorado in their S6 Avant, the 1995 wagon version of the car.  By this time that car was my “unicorn” and I immediately struck up a conversation and we ended up hanging out all weekend and many years later I can say they were indirectly one of the main reasons for us deciding to relocate to Colorado.

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Some of the things that became apparent during the track event that had been noticeable before but never to the same extent was how much power was lost once the engine and turbo became heat-soaked, the brakes were really rather marginal for such a large and powerful car and the suspension was a bit soft as well as riding fairly high.  Well, back to the internet!  In the mid-90’s, with Porsche’s help, Audi developed the RS2, which was a modified Audi S2 Avant (wagon) that was actually assembled at Porsche’s factory.  Since the S2 and the S4 shared the same engine, most things that were changed to make the RS2 immediately translated to the S4 and were available on the aftermarket, albeit at a hefty price.

Using my uncle in Germany and sending him part numbers, I sourced an RS2 Turbo and Exhaust Manifold from his village Audi dealer and then had him ship them to me for a total cost of less than half of what it would have cost over here.  I added a chip from MTM (Motoren-Technik-Mayer), which was founded by one of the Audi engineers that had developed the engine in the first place, then added a set of contemporary Porsche 993 Turbo brake rotors and calipers (Big Reds), along with a set of Eibach Sport Springs and Bilstein Sport shocks.  Thus equipped I was ready for the next driving event at Laguna Seca which was just as good as the one at Sears Point but I was able to learn in the first day when it rained that even if you start to spin at 60mph in turn 4 and even if you get completely perpendicular to the track, as long as you give it full lock (not just a “dab” of oppo) and keep the throttle buried to the floor the car will recover.  Did I mention this was a lot of fun?

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The turbo and exhaust manifold I swapped myself in my garage.  With the help of the forums, I figured out the full parts list of nuts, bolts, washers, gaskets etc. and did the swap over a weekend.  Really it was just a matter of working methodically and keeping track of everything, the engine bay in a C4-chassis Audi has a lot of room for even large hands and fingers.  Later I would swap engine mounts, figure out why the engine had developed a slight miss (with coil on plug ignition a matter of swapping parts around and eventually realizing it was the Power Stage Output device that was defective) as well as various other maintenance and repair procedures.  Basically by the time I was into it for a few years I was able (and not afraid) to tackle pretty much any job on the car.

People say Audis are expensive to fix and unreliable and they certainly can be if you arrive from a Honda set-and-forget mentality.  Back in the day there was also no good way to figure out an issue, with the internet it has become simple.  The fact of the matter is that the driver involvement level makes up for a lot of the maintenance shortcomings, at least on the more interesting models.  A base A6 with front wheel drive?  Yeah, I don’t really see the point either, to be honest.  The trouble these days is that a lot of the parts have so much electronic componentry that it is not feasible to fix something anymore.

One particular example is the power steering pump on almost every S4 that over time develops a weeping X-plug on top.  Most any Audi repair facility and pretty much any dealer will tell most owners that they need a whole new pump.  Anyone who has been around these cars and can pose a question on an Audi forum knows that you can take a ½” screwdriver bit, grind off 1/16” from the end, use an impact hammer on the X-plug to free it and then order a new plug with O-ring for $8.  Takes about 5 minutes, saves hundreds of dollars and solves the issue completely.  I still have my socket and a spare X-plug somewhere in my toolchest just in case…After our first child was born any issues that I could not or did not want to handle myself I took to my longtime mechanics Griffin Motorwerke in Berkeley that always did a thorough and honest job on the car when needed.

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About a year later my Colorado friends from my first driving event at Sears Point mentioned that the Quattro Club in Denver organizes an Ice-Driving event at the Steamboat Springs facility run by Bridgestone.  The Club rents the track for several days and as long as you are a Club member you may join.  So I paid the fee, bought a set of Bridgestone Blizzaks and drove to Colorado in the middle of February.  I got a speeding ticket just 30 miles from home (not a good start to a 1200 mile trip) and then when in Utah eventually realized that my windshield washer fluid had frozen solid and cracked the tubing.

The problem is in California they sell fluid with a higher freezing point than they do in the mountain states.  In Glenwood Canyon I stopped at an Audi dealer, explained the situation and they just handed me 12 feet of tubing at no charge.  After I got to my friends’ house and was able to thaw the car I replaced the damaged sections, drained the bad fluid and refilled with the local brew…

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Anyway, the event.  In a word, wow! Two tracks, each about a mile long, carved out of the high meadows in Steamboat Springs with snow walls all around.  On top of that was a skidpad made of ice, but not just a circle, it was also on an incline so the car’s attitude changed every time you went around.

Driving the tracks was amazing, you’d find yourself coming around a turn like a rally driver (they’d teach you the “Swedish Flick”), you’d step on the throttle and then realize that while the car was still somewhat sideways and all four wheels were spinning and throwing snow and ice chips all over the place, you’d be in 5th gear with the speedo showing 125mph, but in reality you were maybe doing 45 mph.  And too soon there’d be another corner and you’d be sawing at the wheel trying to slow down and get the car adjusted right for the next corner.

At first the track’s big F-350 SuperDuty had a lot of work to do pulling people out of the snow banks but by the next day most people had figured it out and were having a huge amount of fun while learning a lot about their car in a very safe environment.

My girlfriend-now-wife flew in the next day and we had a few days of good skiing. When it was time to go I took her to the Eagle airport near Vail around lunchtime for her 3pm flight and then I started driving back home.  Well, I drove through the night (this time getting a matching speeding ticket to the one I got on the trip out, but in Nevada this time), had a great time going over the Sierra Nevadas in a snowstorm in the wee hours and pulled into the garage at 5am. Due to flight delays my girlfriend had gotten in only a few hours earlier!

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By this time the car was really fitting me like a glove, the engine, brakes and suspension were as I wanted them and it was just a great mile-muncher.  After the modifications I tested it using a G-Tech and plotting it against a friend’s stock versions of the car and we figured it was putting out around 340hp and 380lb/ft of torque, but still very everyday driveable.  I drove it to LA for the annual auto show down there and my friend Don flew in from Chicago.  We had a great time at the show and then afterward while getting gas realized that the station offered 100-octane unleaded at an astonishingly high $4/gallon (to us then, how I long for those days now!).

So we took the plunge and filled up the most expensive tank of fuel I’d ever paid for in the U.S.  Wow, how that changed the car even more!  Driving home that night over the Grapevine it was cold and misty, virtually ideal conditions for a turbocharged car.  With the 100-octane it was just an absolute beast.  I was pulling out to switch lanes and pass cars and at first totally misjudging my acceleration to the point that I was finding myself getting way too close to people as I was moving over.

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I really loved this car.  I owned it for four years which is the longest I had owned a car to that date and still is one of the longest ownership periods of any car I’ve had.  I sold it after finding my automotive unicorn, the deal with my now-wife was I could not have both, I’d have to sell this one.  So I took all the modifications off the car, returned it to stock, and sold it with almost 115,000 miles for $12,500 to a man from Reno who met me in Sacramento.

I still periodically check the Reno Craigslist for S4’s and whenever I run across a green one with Ecru interior look closely to make sure it is not mine.  If I found it again I would probably buy it back, it was just that great of a car.  There are a ton more stories and memories about this car, but this post has already run way over its normal length…Thanks for riding along with me down memory lane at high speed!

COAL: 2001 Volvo V40 – The Little Swede With The Big Heart

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(First Posted Sept. 8, 2013) Above is the last picture I ever took of this car; in fact, it was taken after I turned it off for the last time on the day we turned in the car, sometime in 2005, right before we dropped off the keys.  Four years and 49-something thousand miles earlier, we had taken possession of it to replace our Explorer.  To date, it’s still the only car we’ve ever leased that we managed to keep for the entire lease term…

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Rewind to 1996; we were traveling around Europe and saw this new small Volvo, called the V40, all over the place.  Nice looking car, we thought–too bad they don’t have them in the States.  Then, a couple of years later at the Detroit Auto Show, I saw one on the stand!  I asked the lady if they were now for sale over here, and she told me that Volvo was just trying to see if there was sufficient interest in the car to bring it over.  I gave her my thoughts and carried on.  Two years later, it came here as a 2000 model, and once we saw a TV spot advertising a “sign and drive” lease for the 2001 model year, we started to seriously think about it.

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One day we were near the Pleasanton, CA, Volvo dealer and decided to pull in.  Before getting out of our car, we discussed between ourselves that we would only be interested in a silver one with the dark interior, and if there were any games being played relative to the advertised special we would walk away.  Well, they had one left, the color was what we wanted, and it was as advertised–basically, you signed your name and paid the California registration fee while Volvo picked up the security deposit, first month’s payment, sales tax on said payment, and any other costs that would be charged normally.

The term was 48 months, 12,000 miles/year, and the total payment including tax was well under $400 per month.  California does leasing differently than some other states; here you pay sales tax only on your monthly payment at the time you make it, and not on the total value of the car up front, which makes leasing quite attractive.  However, on the flip side–when you actually own a car and trade it in for a new one–you do NOT get a sales tax credit back for the value of the trade-in.

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Back to the car: So, it’s silver with a charcoal interior–what else?  And according to the sticker (pictured above), these came standard with side-curtain airbags (among a plethora of others), ABS, four-wheel discs, power windows and locks, folding rear seat, floor mats, keyless entry and various other items.  Being a Volvo, the first column of standard features unsurprisingly lists all safety stuff.  The MSRP of it all, sans options, was $24,550.

Beyond that equipment, the options included metallic paint at $400 (it’s amazing the Europeans can get away with that); leather-faced seating surfaces at $1,300; and finally, the Sunroof/Audio Package comprising a sunroof, trip computer, in-dash CD player with changer control, premium speakers, and 10-spoke alloys, all wrapped up in a $1,900 special value-package price. Then comes a $27 charge for the CD pre-wiring (which you’d think would be included in the aforementioned package), and a $150 Wood Interior Package, which gets you very fake-looking “Simulated Wood Trim” on the shift knob and other various trim pieces.

After the $650 destination charge, the grand total MSRP was $28,952.  Entry-level luxury, indeed.  Given a choice, we probably would have swapped the fake wood and the sunroof for a set of roof rails in order to mount our roof box when needed (I ended up adding them myself for a couple of hundred dollars by ordering them online from a Volvo dealer located across the country).  I just realized the black-and-white picture below shows our car without the roof rails, while the top pictures show it with them.

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2001 was an interesting year for these; there were changes made after the 2000 model year (probably since they’d already been sold for several years outside the U.S.) Consequently, the first-year models look a wee bit different, although it’s unlikely the differences would be noticeable to the casual observer. The small side skirts on the 2000s are black and not body color, and thus don’t look as integrated; also, the dashboard and center console are arranged differently.  Mechanically, all of these (S40 sedans and V40 wagons) had the 160-HP, 1.9-liter four-cylinder with an intercooled, light-pressure turbo and DOHC Variable Valve Timing, but only 2001 and later cars had the five-speed automatic.

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The engine put out 160 HP at 5,100 RPM, and 170 lb.-ft. of torque between 1,800-4,500 RPM–which wasn’t bad at all, as the car drove very nicely and pulled strongly.  Light-pressure turbos have a way of making an engine feel larger without a big kick of boost; there was very little (if any) lag, and the automatic helped to mask any actual lag there might have been.

Gas mileage (per the sticker) was 22/32, which we found to be realistic as long as we did not totally hoon it.  The automatic was a great gearbox with very smooth shifts that were almost imperceptible.  I believe this was a fairly early use of a five-speed automatic. According to the rev counter, it did seem to shift quite often but it did a good job–as I noted, it was very smooth in operation.

Our car was built in Born, Netherlands in the NedCar joint assembly plant shared with Mitsubishi (a Mitsubishi product called the Carisma was being built there at the same time. I believe this plant has since closed). So, like our previous Volvo, this one had not been built in Sweden.  The sticker breaks out the parts content as 22% Swedish, 20% Netherlands and 0.2% US/Canadian (what could that be?).  I have no idea where the other 57.8% came from.  It does say the engine parts are from Sweden and the transmission parts hail from Japan (not broken out, though) which still presumably leaves plenty of other items…

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Space-wise, these are probably a hair bigger than a Jetta; refinement-wise, they’re probably more like a Passat.  The cabin was a comfortable place to be.  The seats were not quite as good as those in our old 740 Turbo, but still were very comfortable and better than most others in this size class.  I recall that under-thigh support was not so good–the seats just seemed “shorter”.  Instruments were clear and legible, the trip computer was a nice traveling companion, and I liked having an in-dash CD player.  The dashboard had a nice leather-grain look, and all the switches and dials worked well and felt good.

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I do recall the standard Continental Eco-Contact tires being horrible.  They gripped well enough, but seemed to be quite soft and very puncture-prone.  I’ve had about six flat tires in my life, and three of them were with this car, on the original tires, within the first 18 months. Once I’d pretty much worn them out, I replaced them with a set of Sumitomos, which were cheap but durable, grippy and quiet. They were still on the car when we turned it in.

V40-4

This is also the car that carried our first child, Piper, home from the hospital after she was born.  That first trip went well, and after that the stroller pretty much became a permanent fixture in the trunk.  The hatch was a nice shape, it opened deep between the taillights, and the lid opened up high.  Very easy to get stuff in and out.

It was even easier right after we moved from Oakland to Lafayette and my wife, while in our new driveway, somehow managed to back directly into a tree with a curved trunk. The rear glass was smashed, but there was no damage whatsoever to any metal or plastic pieces.  I guess it ended as cheaply as it possibly could have, but it still cost several hundred dollars for a mobile glass guy to come out and repair.

I do not recall anything ever going wrong with the car.  It had a 48 month/50,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, and we just took it in for service as dictated by the little “maintenance minder”.  It was fairly cheap to service at the dealership. In fact, everything in that regard was quite unmemorable, which I take to mean fine and without issue.

V40.1

A short while after we moved, I started a new job in Belmont, on the SF Peninsula, 42 miles from my front door. The commute involved traversing either the San Francisco Bay Bridge or the San Mateo Bridge. It was a miserable commute that could take up to two hours each way if there was bad weather (which always caused accidents).  While we had other cars (all of them acquired after this one), since we were in our third year of ownership and still well under our mileage allotment I used this one for about nine months of commuting. Overall, it was a pleasant way to get there: quick, comfortable, economical and nimble were all attributes that come to mind.

V40.5

A couple of weeks before the lease was up, a gentleman working for Volvo set up an appointment and looked the car over while I was at work.  He determined that it was in good condition, the wear it showed was within Volvo’s spec, and even the small dent in the fender, caused by a second contact with the aforementioned driveway tree, was OK with him. He told me I could drop it off at any Volvo dealer.

Volvo did call me to ask if I wanted to buy the car. I told them I did not want to pay the residual on the car but did offer a couple of thousand less. They declined, so on the way home on the designated day, I dropped it off at the dealer where I usually serviced it, snapped a few pictures, handed over the keys and took BART the rest of the way home. A few weeks later, Volvo invoiced me for around a thousand miles I’d driven beyond the allotment, and that was that. Overall, this was a nice car that was a pleasure to own, and it never did us wrong.  I still see many of them around, and I’d buy one all over again, given the same circumstances and knowing what I know now.

Curbside Outtake: Gasoline Buyers Club – All White, All White, All White…

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As I turned the corner to get gas for my “Shade of Gray” vehicle, I was struck by the line of white cars filling up, so I frantically pulled over to the curb and took a shot.  One of the cars had sadly just started to move but whatever…

As I was putting the camera back down I suddenly for some reason thought of Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club and his iconic line so here we are.  (And if you haven’t seen the movie, it certainly is an excellent one.)  Nothing too classic in the way of cars in this pic, but the Toyota love does seem strong in these parts.

Oh, and what does the Costco Buyers Club get you in the way of go-juice around here in Northern Colorado?  Below are the current prices.  That’s in United States Dollars per gallon, each of which equates to 3.78541 liters for most of the rest of the world.  Prices have been trending up a bit lately but not too significantly.  What’s your local rate today?

 

 

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