All the wannabe's will be trading them when it is time for belts. ... View more

For the money, I'd rather be the "original owner".  How much is that worth?  Selling my 2-owner, low mileage high-end C6 was not pleasant. ... View more

I'm on my 5th SL - in order of ownership - 2002 SL500 Silver Arrow; a pair of 1998 SL500s w/Sport package (black/black and white/blue, his and hers), 2005 SL55, and current 2011 SL63 P30.  I guess I've been lucky, no horror stories, and the SL63 has been to the track several times (Thompson, Lime Rock, Watkins Glen).  But I do consider it a minor victory if I can get out of a regular service for under $1,000.   I used Ken Rockwell's guide at https://www.kenrockwell.com/sl/history.htm and specifically the 129 breakout at https://www.kenrockwell.com/sl/r129history.htm to buy the 1998s.  He's right.   I will also add that one of the best cars I've owned, a 2002 Lexus SC430 in Absolutely Red, was purchased on a rebuilt title.  I owned it for 4 years with no issues (even had a minor recall done with no dealer complaints), and later sold it for more than I paid for it.  Tan leather, burled walnut, got more 'wows' with that car than any car I've owned, just stopping for gas.  And the V8 got 25MPG. ... View more

Yeah, I'll scratch my C8 order and go for this.  Got to check the sofa cushions for loose change, like an extra $165K. ... View more

I live in New England, and buy ALL my vehicles from somewhere else.  There is absolutely no point in buying something used here to replace a vehicle that is rusting out.  The last few, in order:  CA, CO, NC, TX, CA, FL.  The additional cost for shipping is more than made up in maintenance cost/longevity.  My current truck and winter-beater, a 2007 RAM, came from NC in 2014.  Still trouble-free. ... View more

Leaving out the Esprit and the BMWs is rather significant. ... View more

Wonder what the bulge on the frunk is for.... ... View more

I had a 2002 SC430 with the Mark Levinson system which did not have AUX or Bluetooth, but it had a cassette player.  I used one of those wired cassette adapters to stream from my phone.  Even then, one of the best sound systems I've had on wheels. ... View more

Bose has lost its mojo (if it ever had it in the automotive world).  Honestly, they have done themselves a disservice by putting their name on sub-par systems.  One frequent issue has been supplying (what may be) good speakers for systems that have bad bones. ... View more

" So, we, um, share the load."  Indeed. ... View more

I had a '70 Continental 4-door with the big 460 V-8.  I bought it on a whim for $900 from a man desperately divorcing Susan.  It was purpose-built to be a big, luxurious tank, with no pretense of sport or modesty or even basic practicality, and was well-suited to the task.  Even had the auto-dim hi-beam headlights, a rarity for the times.  Sometimes I would put on a suit and drive my hippie girlfriend around as her chauffeur.  Playing to the crowd, I would dutifully open the door for the lady.  Smoke and the smell of cannabis would smog the air, and as I handed the keys to a valet, the cosmopolitans would stare when the driver accompanied the madam into the restaurant and had dinner with her.  Worlds collided.  It is difficult to imagine an affordable 21st century vehicle that could serve the same theater.   ... View more

My first car was a '68 Mustang with 302, white with black vinyl top and red interior.  Lots of fun and memories in that car. ... View more

After all, there's Ford heritage in it.  But I think the heritage went the other way - the Escape looks like an AM. ... View more

They had similar problems on the 2013 C6 LS7.  Spun bearings, bad valve guides, took a while for GM to get it sorted out.  GM never issued a recall, so you had to hope that if it was going to go, it would go under warranty.  When I was shopping, I intentionally looked for one that had already had the engine replaced.  That was the only way to be sure you wouldn't end up paying for a new engine.  Ended up with a 427 Heritage Convertible that had new engine, dry sump, and complete intake/FI, only 6,000 miles.  That one was covered under warranty, but there were lawsuits about those not covered. ... View more

One could argue that the ' takeover of Chrysler' by MB worked just the opposite.  Case in point, prior to the merger, the RL129 SL ran a quad-cam V-8.  Afterward, dual-cam.  Similar changes are sprinkled around.  Rather that pulling Chrysler up, the merger seems to have pulled Mercedes down, an action it is still struggling to overcome. ... View more

I had a '63 220b with that vertical speedometer.  It had a kind of hairspring that returned it to zero.  When I re-finished the dash, I had to take the cluster out, and in the process the speedo got whacked.  In the days before the internet, finding a replacement required many trips to many salvage yards, but I was able to literally dig one up from an otherwise useless pile of scrap. ... View more

Looking at my records, I see that I have purchased 21 cars in the last 15 years, which is the after-kids count. There are another dozen or so that were pre-kids.  I still have 4 (cars that is), which along with the wife's is 2 more than I have garage space for, so I am also playing the off-site storage game, but only in the winter.  Each car that I've owned has its own set of memories, mostly good, a few not so much.  Not just car memories, but the memories of what else was going on in my life at the time. The before-wife cars, the between-wives cars, the pre-kids and the post-kids, even a few during-kids.   Selling is always tough. I've spent a lot of energy prepping, only to find myself hoping that nobody calls. But they always do. ... View more

"From 1988–90, Chevy dropped the Z/28 completely".  Not quite.  I had a '90 IROC/Z convertible, which was in fact a Z28.  Built in year of strike, 1 of only 1,294 IROC convertibles built that year.  Great ride and top-down cruiser. ... View more

someone...please...stop me   a bevy of Chevys a horde of Fords a hodgepodge of Dodges a rock of Plymouths a phoenix of Firebirds a ranch of Cadillacs a prince of Bel Airs or Valiants a wing of Mercurys an army of Continentals a puff of Zephyrs a sign of Marquis a fantasy of Cougars a force of Magnums a round of Calibers a hoyle of Accords a lesson of Civics a bossa of Novas a pant of Capris a box of Toy otas an atilla of Hyun dais   ... View more

I found that the state of Colorado does not require a title to be branded for flood damage.  A Subaru dealer had his entire inventory declared as a loss.  Someone then took the inventory and sold them to used-car dealers all over the country still on MSO.  I was suspicious that a car still on MSO was at a used lot, and my inspection confirmed it.  There was mud in the air box, and a visible waterline behind the door panels.  I can work with a salvage title for accident/theft damage, but I avoid flood salvages, period.  The car will NEVER be right.  Some poor sucker.... ... View more

Don't know about VT, but in NH taxes are based on original list price, based on a database maintained by the state.  Has nothing to do with current value.  The taxes go down a bit over 5 years from new, and then remain flat.  But if it is over 5 years old, and the taxes are high when you register it, it will be the same forever. ... View more

There was Led Zep II, but either would have required an 8-track for real appreciation.  Radio cuts were not enough. ... View more

Must be in the GM water supply, sounds exactly like the Fiero.  Introduced in '84, so-so until major changes in '88.  The '88 Fiero GT was a great car, but was then killed off by GM since 'greatness' did not fit them well. ... View more

I went through a serious Fiero phase in the early 90s, owning 6 of them over 4 years.  One was the '84 Indy Pace Car, with the even-more-rare 4 speed.  While the later GTs with the V-6 and Getrag 5 speed were much quicker, there was something about that Iron Duke in Indy colors that was really special.  Of course, the best was the '88 GT.  I bought mine on a business trip to Dallas, and drove it home to Atlanta.  And just when GM got it right with the '88, they killed it.    Of course, all the bad press from early engine fires didn't help.  There were stories where cars caught on fire on the drive home from the dealership.  The intake and exhaust manifolds were on the same side of the transverse-mounted engine.  The carb would flood/leak and gas would drip down on the exhaust manifold.  These stories almost killed the car before it got started. ... View more

For the Z06, I would add the 2013 427 Collector Edition.  Basically a convertible Z06 if you prefer going topless. ... View more

The article is about cars of the 90s ... View more

I bought a '90 IROC-Z convertible in 1996.  I was in Atlanta, and the car's owner had just moved in from New York.  Too much daily-driver dirt for me, and I set about to do a detail job.  Long story short, the task included 8 hours under the hood with a toothbrush.  The nice thing was - once done properly, it was easier to keep it that way.  It looked so nice in that Bright Blue Metallic, I ended up taking it to local car shows, and all the work paid off with several trophies.  ... View more

I belong to a New England club that, in addition to serious track events, also does birthday parades.  With everyone stuck at home, it is rewarding to provide a celebration for a young, budding car nut.  And the drive to and from locations all over New England satisfies the personal need to drive, and is supported by State Patrol escorts and even the occasional newspaper article.  https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20200427/stratham-teen-with-autism-all-smiles-after-surprise-car-parade  We had over 100 cars for this parade, and 160 for the previous one.  ... View more

One year when I took my CLK55 out of storage, all was well, but I noticed on the drive home that the radio did not work.  I checked obvious things and finding nothing, I scheduled a visit to the dealer.  On the way to the dealer, the instrument panel began flickering off and on, and randomly the chime would ring.  Worse yet, the engine lost power at 70MPH for about 10 seconds, raising the ire of several Boston-area drivers, and then it came back.  Long story short - $3,500 wiring and fiber damage due to a rat's nest behind the radio.   A few years later, when I pulled the SL63 out, the airbag light came on.  I guessed the cause, and yes, $2,000 rodent damage.  And no matter what you do, you cannot keep them out, short of putting your car on a piston lift.  A scissors lift will not stop them.   So...if you notice anything odd, and particularly if you see signs of winter visitors, you will want to track them down ASAP, both the source of the problem and the guilty parties. ... View more

My brother had a '60s Fairlane with a 260 V-8. and I had a '71 Lincoln with a 460. ... View more