Sell your car, and replace it!

[Rupert]

$4500 for a Spitfire?  I was reading in GRM (or it might have been the sister mag), and the one guy was saying that the Spitfire is the car one of your friends is always trying to give you. 

Man, I would love one of those as a resto-mod.  Stick in a light, modern engine (maybe an MX-5 engine or something like the 2.0T, if not smaller) and transmission, give it a modern suspension.  The only better car I can think of to do that to would be the S1 Elan. 

Oh, Raza, ye of little British car price knowledge.

I think that's a pretty right on price for that Spit. It looks like it's in good shape, it has low original miles, etc.

The Spitfire was a fine car, and just as good as the other British cars of the time. Basically, maintain like crazy from new, and you're pretty much good to go, for the most part.

[Raza]

Oh, Raza, ye of little British car price knowledge.

I think that's a pretty right on price for that Spit. It looks like it's in good shape, it has low original miles, etc.

The Spitfire was a fine car, and just as good as the other British cars of the time. Basically, maintain like crazy from new, and you're pretty much good to go, for the most part.

I like the Spitfire a lot, actually (one of my favorites in GT4, too), but $4500 is a lot.  I was looking at ones a couple years ago in comparable condition for $3000 or less. 

[the Teuton]

I'd take an SR20DET old British sports car.

[Rupert]

I like the Spitfire a lot, actually (one of my favorites in GT4, too), but $4500 is a lot.  I was looking at ones a couple years ago in comparable condition for $3000 or less. 

Maybe they were that nice, maybe they weren't. I should say that maybe that car is worth it, maybe it's not. With these old cars, you can find examples from $500 to better than $20,000. If you don't see a car in person, it's pretty hard to pin it down to such an exact value. I'm sure that Spit is worth somewhere in the $2500-$6000 range, but it's all in the details. There are also a lot of regional, seasonal, short-term supply fluctuation, and etc. price variations.

Bottom line is, you can't just look at a short ad for an old car and call it overpriced.

[Rupert]

I'd take an SR20DET old British sports car.

This is to say that you'd not take an old British sports car with its stock engine?

[the Teuton]

This is to say that you'd not take an old British sports car with its stock engine?

I would.

I'm just terrified of them. They're old, often have tons of electrical or mechanical issues, and were just a bit on the slow side. The Nissan motor would fix a ton of those issues.

[Rupert]

Not really. The engine in most old British cars is fine, but, granted, the Nissan engine would make it faster and more reliable. However, there are so many other components that are not going to be helped by a new motor, from brakes to the electrical system. You put a modern engine in my MG, all you have in a more complicated problem.

[SVT666]

The only way I would take an old British sports car is if all the electrics have been replaced and the big iron anchor in front had been replaced with a 302.

[Raza]

Maybe they were that nice, maybe they weren't. I should say that maybe that car is worth it, maybe it's not. With these old cars, you can find examples from $500 to better than $20,000. If you don't see a car in person, it's pretty hard to pin it down to such an exact value. I'm sure that Spit is worth somewhere in the $2500-$6000 range, but it's all in the details. There are also a lot of regional, seasonal, short-term supply fluctuation, and etc. price variations.

Bottom line is, you can't just look at a short ad for an old car and call it overpriced.

I can, and will, damn it. 

[sportyaccordy]

I'd take an SR20DET old British sports car.

Why stop there? Go with the RWD cure all

[68_427]

LS SWAAAAAAAAP

[ChrisV]

Sell my E38 and add some money to buy an '01 E38 sport.

Sell the Range Rover and buy a diesel crew cab pickup to tow an even larger travel traler.

[the Teuton]

Sell my E38 and add some money to buy an '01 E38 sport.

Sell the Range Rover and buy a diesel crew cab pickup to tow an even larger travel traler.

Have you ever gotten to play with all of the cool toys in an E38 750iL? They're fun.

[68_427]

Sell my E38 and add some money to buy an '01 E38 sport.

Sell the Range Rover and buy a diesel crew cab pickup to tow an even larger travel traler.

Stay away from Ford.  Not that you are actually planning on doing that right now.

[Rupert]

Stay away from Ford.  Not that you are actually planning on doing that right now.

?

They're fine. All the big trucks are fine.

[68_427]

?

They're fine. All the big trucks are fine.

The 6.0L trucks had many problems, the 6.4L was okay but still very expensive, the 7.3L were pretty reliable in later years but require 16qts of oil every change. (and the automatic transmission was maxed out torque wise on the stock motor.  So no chippin')

[Rupert]

[TBR]

The duramaxes also had some problems. As long as you get a second or third year model you should be fine with any of them.

[Rich]

If I had to sell, then I'd get Solstice N/A and supercharge it, and some 8-10k economy car with a stick

[SVT666]

If I had to sell, then I'd get Solstice N/A and supercharge it, and some 8-10k economy car with a stick

How about you just sell the Mustang to me and buy another one.

[Raza]

I think I need to amend my statement:




6 speed, of course.  

[BimmerM3]

I think I need to amend my statement:




6 speed, of course. 

You make a compelling argument. I would love to have an E46 M3 as a DD and have an S2000/987/Elise as a weekender.

[ChrisV]

Have you ever gotten to play with all of the cool toys in an E38 750iL? They're fun.

Yeah. A lot of people on the E38 forums install as many 750 updates on their 740s as they can. Of course, there are quite a few 750 owners that rub it in everyone's face...

[ChrisV]

The 6.0L trucks had many problems, the 6.4L was okay but still very expensive, the 7.3L were pretty reliable in later years but require 16qts of oil every change. (and the automatic transmission was maxed out torque wise on the stock motor.  So no chippin')

All the Fords I've looked at were the 7.3 liter ones, and quite a few are making more power than stock with no issues. My neighbor runs a fleet of the Ford F250s up through F450s with both the N/A and turbo 7.3s and has no problem getting 400k miles out of them.

I was also looking at the mid '90s GMCs like this one:

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/1789536491.html

All of them seem to go huge numbers of miles without issue.

I also like this one, but it's not a 20 series...

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/cto/1847444408.html

[TBR]

By most accounts the 6.5l GM diesel is completely gutless. I am not sure it's something you'd want to tow a heavy trailer with when the terrain is rugged.

[Rupert]

It's got enough guts for most applications.

[68_427]

By most accounts the 6.5l GM diesel is completely gutless. I am not sure it's something you'd want to tow a heavy trailer with when the terrain is rugged.

Second one had Banks upgrades anyways.

The 7.3s are good motors and the 16qt of oil every change isn't that big of a deal if it's really only used for towing or special equations.

[the Teuton]

By most accounts the 6.5l GM diesel is completely gutless. I am not sure it's something you'd want to tow a heavy trailer with when the terrain is rugged.

If it was good enough for the US military in temperatures that can get as high as 120F all day long and still be reliable, can it really be that bad?

[68_427]

440ftlb is evough to tow any trailer he's towing with his Range Rover.

[BimmerM3]

Second one had Banks upgrades anyways.

The 7.3s are good motors and the 16qt of oil every change isn't that big of a deal if it's really only used for towing or special equations.

you mean special occasions?