A lot of folks like to point out that I have an unfair advantage as a car dealer.
I supposedly get easy access to tens of thousands of vehicles every week at prices that are often thousands less than retail.
There are only three problems with that assumption…
1) Most of the vehicles have moderate to major issues.
2) The costs related to my dealer license run well into the five figures.
3) Access to those auctions is not where I have my advantage.
The first two problems are merely the flip side of a coin that comes with buying cars in a wholesale market. Most of the inventory at the auctions are vehicles that somebody, somewhere, is trying to get rid of for some good reason. My goal is to always figure out the reasons before I buy the car. If I don’t, I’m screwed.
That used car dealer license I use is also just plain expensive. There is the car lot to pay for. the bonding and insurance to maintain, and then there is the time you have to take to do more mundane tasks such as processing paperwork and getting the vehicles ready for the front line. You can easily put forth sixty hour workweeks and accomplish little more than writing dozens of checks while transporting those rolling money suckers to a long list of places.
A repair shop. A detail specialist. Emissions. Oil changes. When you buy a lot of cars, your savings go south far quicker than you can imagine. The rejoinder to this is when you finance folks who usually live a paycheck to paycheck existence. you get to pay for the repairs on those cars too.
This brings me to the big question for today. Is there a car that has sucked you dry to the point where just looking at it made you recoil in the horror of owning it? I am thinking about the type of car that becomes an immobile barnacle bitch on your driveway.
Feel free to share…
I’ve been fairly lucky, but my dad had an ’85 LeBaron GTS with electrical issues. Anytime it would rain, the car would just suddenly conk out. It got to the point where anytime it would rain during the evening commute, we would just wait for him to arrive home in a tow truck. It seems like it would be a fairly obvious problem, but he took it to several shops and nobody could figure it out. He fought with it for a couple of years and spent a fair amount of money before he finally dumped it, bought a Camry, and never looked at a Chrysler product again.
Probably our 1992 LeBaron convertible bought in May, 1999.
Over the years I poured more resources into it than it was worth, but it was a toy and a beautiful one at that.
However, when it blew in September, 2007, we got rid of it and never looked back. The last Chrysler product we’ll probably ever own.
We had our fun with it, though, so that’s worth something, I suppose.
My 1996 Ranger is in the background.
The question…
“What was the most popular vehicle you saw at the public auctions back in the late 90’s?”
Answer: The Chrysler LeBaron Convertible
These cars were just slightly more popular than herpes at the time.
Nobody wanted em’… nobody…
@SL” Nobody wanted em’… nobody…”
Just the rental car companies. Replaced by the Sebring drop head coupes.
Aw, C’mon, Steve – do we really have to do this during Mopar week? 🙂
Mine was a 1963 Cadillac Fleetwood purchased in 1979 from a relative for $400. It had about 89K on the odo. Part of the problem was that the car had been driven fairly ruthlessly towards the end of its life by the owner’s grandchildren. Part of the problem was that I bought it seeing what I wanted to see, not what was there. The rest of the problem was that I was a college student on a very limited budget.
I owned the car for 6 months. It seemed like every month to 6 weeks, I got stuck with a $100 repair. That was a lot of money in 1979. Full exhaust system. Transmission seals. Center CV joint in the driveshaft. Blower motor (everyone sold the one for 64-on, the 63 part was only available from the dealer and it was really cold out). I don’t think I am remembering all of them. At the end of 6 months I had been bled dry, with close to $1k into the car that was worth maybe $600 on its best day. Good times. I have never since forgotten the advice that my car-mentor Howard tried to give me: Never buy an old luxury car.
Yeah, but it was a motorcycle. A 1978 Honda Gold Wing.
My father in law called us up and said “Our Pastor has an older Honda that he wants to unload, it’s not running but he says it has new tires and just needs a tuneup”.
This was sweet music to my ears, because I had been rather successful with fixing up older Honda motorcycles, enjoying them for a year and selling them for what I’d put in. Also I was slowly, relentlessly climbing the ladder of displacement and a 1000cc touring bike could be just the thing for some fun motorcycle trips.
Next visit to our in laws we went over to see the bike. It squatted sullenly on half flat tires in the corner of the garage, coated with dust. An enormous Vetter fairing hung crookedly from the front, and an equally enormous sculpted seat rounded out the rear. I did not want to get involved, and on hearing the $2,000 asking price I resisted the urge to laugh out loud, said that it looked more like a $500 bike to me, and we left without anyone being offended. Whew, dodged that bullet.
The next week my father in law called us up and said “He’ll take it, come and get the bike.” Dang.
Once cleaned up and with air in the tires it didn’t look so bad, and I began my usual round of carb cleaning and minor maintenance. Older Honda motorcycles are amazing that way, usually they need a bit of TLC and they work good as new. It this case, it did not happen that way. In addition to needing a carb clean and a battery I then found it had no spark, which led me to the discovery that half the wiring harness was melted because someone had wrapped all the fuses in tinfoil. Setting the valves let me to the discovery that whoever had previously serviced the bike had been tremendously strong, as many of the tapped holes on the aluminum engine were stripped. And on. And on. I fabricated a new bracket for the fairing and became friends with a local seller of used Gold Wing parts.
Finally I got the bike running, and took to the road to discover a world of smooth power and wind protection that I’d never known existed. What a great bike a 1978 Gold Wing was, or at least every other 1978 Gold Wing besides this one, because I also discovered that the handling was wonky, the engine overheated easily, and the gearbox felt like shifting unsynchronized tractor gears. After disassembling the front end and straightening the crazily bent triple clamp the handling got less wonky but I couldn’t muster the effort to tackle the other problems. I was done.
Recalling that little saying about “do unto others” and considering that the Pastor should have not done unto me that which had been done unto him, I had a tough time selling this bike.
I put it in the newspaper cheap, but couldn’t sell it in good faith to someone who would actually use it. Several naive buyers came to see it, and expressed enthusiasm about learning to ride, taking trips etc. and I just flat out told them “look, you don’t want this bike, go buy a 450 Nighthawk”
Eventually a guy came who’d had one years ago, and was looking for a fixer upper to tinker with in his spare time. Perfect. He sat on it and liked it, and as his thumb approached the start button I prayed “Oh please, Oh please” because the starter clutch was bad, but on this occasion it caught the first try, and the bike started immediately and idled well. It must have known it needed a fresh body for more blood.
He didn’t test drive it, and made a lowball offer. I didn’t dicker and delivered it to his house that night while Mrs DougD followed in the car. After I shut it off he wanted to swap tales of motorcycle trips, but I leaned to my wife and whispered:
“Let’s get out of here before he tries to start it”
Yep. A 1968 Cadillac DeVille convertible that I bought in 1999. That car was a beautiful train wreck of mechanical and structural issues.
First the radiator blew up. Then the dizzy went – a result of arcing and carbon pitting. Then the tranny began leaking at the driveshaft. It also would sometimes leak oil so much that the gorgeous 19′ red and white Caddy would disappear behind a cloud of blue smoke when it was running.
The final straw was when it had to be towed for some reason that I can’t remember – and the tech commented the frame looked really rusty. Turns out it was shot – totally rusted through. Completely unsalvageable.
I was 24 when I bought it and learned to never take a seller’s word when they describe the car as being in “great shape.” Even when it looked to be, as that Caddy did. Beauty is only skin deep and that car was rotten to the core.
Sorry, JP. Mine was a ’96 Intrepid sedan. Felt ok at 40k when I bought it, needing something big and cheap with room for baby seats and stuff. In less than 20k the thing was trash. Ate tie rods like they were pretzel stix, with Velveeta motor mounts on top. (How’s that for a mixed metaphor? 🙂 ) Once when I took it to a garage to get the AC fixed, again, the tech pointed at the other ’90s Mopars in damn near every bay. The end of this homer’s Mo-mance.
There is no car that can drain your wallet like a boat can. Imagine a classic vehicle with two drive trains that are cooled with saltwater. Breathtaking expenses.
“Standing in a shower, tearing up $100 bills”
1987 Cadillac Brougham. Best looking and smoothest riding car I’ve owned. Body, transmission, and engine all reliable. What problem, you say? 80s GM emissions controls, and Cadillac-exclusive doodads.
Emissions control system. First the electronically controlled, sensor-filled QJet had to be rebuilt. Then, one by one, emissions components crapped out…O2 sensors not a big deal, mixture control solenoid more so. Then the MAP sensor. Then the thing had to pass emissions every year because it wasn’t 25 yet, so it always had to be tinkered with. Every few months weeks, somewhere in the giant mess of vacuum lines, something would come disconnected…maybe rot, maybe poor hookup. The tell-tale sign was that the car would begin shaking slightly at stop lights. Reasonably easy to fix but incredibly annoying.
Doodads. The fancy-for-1987 power antenna motor failed immediately. In the DOWN position. That made listening to the radio fun. It’s even more fun to try to install a new one. The power trunklid failed (after numerous people ignored the admonition “DON’T SLAM THE TRUNK”). I didn’t even bother with that, just threw up my hands. The level ride rear shock pump then failed, necessitating some inexpensive but still annoying surgery by which the motor was disconnected and a tube run from the shocks to behind the fuel filler door, where I could blow the shocks up manually about once a month to 75 psi with a tire pump to keep the back end of the car off the ground. The faux wire wheel covers fell off at random times (despite having a special key lock to keep them on). Eventually, this necessitated ebay replacements and, of course, carrying two DIFFERENT key locks around in the car (“the brown key unlocks the two front hubcaps, the white one unlocks the rear hubcaps”). The cruise control, which was overprotectively designed, had to be activated by first turning on a dashboard switch, then pressing a button at the end of the turn signal stalk. The dashboard switch crapped out, of course. The mounting brackets for the chrome rear-taillight covers came loose and fell off the first time I changed the rear light bulbs. I improvised with concealed coat-hanger wire, screws, and some wine corks.
Interestingly, the kinds of things on the car I always expected to crap out didn’t: the TH200R4 was still shifting beautifully at 175K when I sold it. And the a/c, which I was warned was “about to go anytime” because it was making a metallic, motor-like sound when it ran, not only remained charged with R-12 but gave excellent service in the 6 years (and summers) I used the car. The power windows, locks, steering, and electronic climate control worked flawlessly throughout my ownership. As did the alarm system.
Neither a mechanic nor at that time fully employed, I put much too much into the car trying to keep it running “perfectly”. It was from this car I learned a modified version of Mr. Cavanaugh’s lesson. “You can buy an old luxury car, but for God’s sake don’t try to use it as your daily driver”
I have a 1986 and agree on the styling and ride. One of the nicest cars I’ve ever owned. Had it only a few months and was going to post in Steve’s column about oldest daily drivers (which the Cadillac is for me) but will do so here.
Hopefully the Brougham won’t become a blood sucker. So far so good. Can’t image, even if everything on the car failed, it would be anywhere close to the German princesses I’ve owned. I decided to use it as DD since I work closer to home now and am super careful with it.
Heard the same thing about the A/C from the first mechanic I talked to… “It will fail and when it does expect $450 for a new compressor. If you need a new evaporator between parts and the vacuuming expect $1,200.” What?
Eventually found a mechanic in his 70s who cut his teeth on the Q-jet. He said if the carb ever needs rebuilding he will do it in his shop. He said not to worry about the A/C.
Agree on the 200R I think it will go forever. By far the smoothest A/T I’ve ever experienced. The engine is also super smooth, at idle and while accelerating. The Q-jet and all vacuum lines were in perfect shape when I got the car and still are. People love to dump on the 307 but I think it is the perfect engine for a Brougham, if you care about fuel economy and refinement.
Just like yours my power antenna was stuck in the down position. Purchased an OE replacement from Rock Auto (base is different) and had mechanic install it for about an hour’s labor and much avoided frustration on my part.
I don’t use the cruise. I feel on this car I can maximize highway MPG by modulating the throttle myself, letting up when I see a downhill coming or gaining momentum when I see an uphill. Got almost 24MPG driving it back from Phoenix that way, one tank all the way to LA.
City mileage can get down to 13-14. Combined is around 16-17 which isn’t bad if you don’t drive much and consider all the comfort and style. It’s like going on vacation every time I drive the car.
Funny you mention the wire wheel covers. Mine click on one side. Mechanic said to use masking tape on the inside of the cover to keep the spokes from rattling and I’m going to try that.
Good luck. The good news is you’ve already addressed the principal problem I had with mine—finding a mechanic who can deal with the electronic carb. Unfortunately, that mechanic is inevitably the oldest guy at the shop. I call the E-Qjet the “Commodore 64” issue–no mechanic under 50 knows what to do with it, but it’s hard to work on yourself. I feel more confident in my own ability to tinker or get a mechanic to tinker with the regular, non-electronic QJet on my ’77 Electra 225. Simpler (and so far has not needed any adjustment, though I did have to adjust my choke recently).
Still, I agree, you won’t spend what you’d spend on an MB or BMW of similar vintage, by a long shot.
And, based on many other people’s accounts of how great the car treated them, I’m fully prepared to admit that:
1) I might have gotten a lemon
2) My commute at the time was simply too long for a car that age.
3) I was young and inexperienced and got suckered a few times
I’m sure if you are kind to it and don’t wear it out too fast, it’ll be fine. Also at this point you’re past emissions-testing requirements, which I wasn’t then. That’s where the costs stayed high for me. It wasn’t a bad car except for the issues I’ve mentioned at all, and I miss it. My ’77 Electra 225 is a bit faster but in many ways not nearly as nice (interior, especially). If I can find an ’80 Fleetwood Brougham or even an SDV with the regular 368 V8, TH400 and no computer I’m going to be all over it. The ’80-’89 in my book is the best looking Cadillac since 1963-1964. It was also the one old car I’ve driven that got enormous respect at places with valet parking. I was always treated like I was driving a new 700 series or S-class. “Beautiful car, sir” etc.
As for the 307, I think just 30-40 extra horsepower would’ve made a huge difference without grossly reducing mpgs. I’ve never driven a car with the HO 307 which supposedly had 170-180 HP. Really the only drawback is getting up hills and I felt that the 140 HP regular 307 actually got worse mileage because it had to downshift to get up a hill of any size. I sometimes pulled mpgs between 26-28 in sustained cruise control at lower freeway speeds (55-65). Other than its inability to accelerate it was a nice engine for the car.
1988 Toyota Land Cruiser. Bought it on ebay for $4k. Over the course of a year I spent nearly $8k on everything from exhaust to fuel tank to fixing rust holes, front springs, steering box, I could go on and on. Engine grenaded, had no money, traded it for $500 cash and a 1990 Chevy Caprice that a year on has cost me nothing but oil changes as I’ve driven it over 50,000 km….
It sure can be tricky to buy a used off-roader. What has the previous owner done with it ? Heavy off-roading ? Towing 8,000 lbs trailers all day long ? Pulling tree stumps ? Or maybe a combination of all of them.
I’ve seen 4×4 dealers participating in hellish off-road events with their own
inventory. Just clean the thing afterwards and back to the showroom it went.
The ’95 F150 I bought a couple years go to replace my ’69 F100. While the 300 six has been everything the legend would make you expect, the rest (or rust) of the truck, not so much. I didn’t realize how similar wet tissue paper is to the steel Ford used in this generation of trucks. It’s been one thing after the other – rusted out brake lines, rusted out fuel tanks (both), bed rusting away, front end apart four times now, etc. etc. etc.
It’s already been succeeded by a ’99 F250 SD Powerstroke with minimal rust. As soon as I can get it repaired yet again, it’s gone…
Sorry it’s a Mopar,my 1975 Sunbeam Rapier.Bought it at 5 years old for £900 over the next 3 years I rebuilt the engine, rebuilt auto box,new radiator,new alternator,new indicator stalk,new exhaust,tyres,battery,coil,fuel pump and 3 head gaskets and a window winding mechanism later I was thoroughly sick of it.I sold it for £25 running on 3 cylinders to a guy who had broken my brother’s nose when he played rugby Despite what Bryce tells you this was a POS,
You got a lemon Gem and you weren’t the only one but redoing headgaskets should have told you something about having the block decked and the head skimmed that usually fixed that once and for all. Automatics are best avoided anyway borgwarber 35s are almost biodegradable and even a Hillman puts out too much torque for one.
My second 1984 VW Rabbit diesel. Good thing I had saved a bunch of parts from my first one, such as the cylinder head, injection pump and shifter linkages, because I eventually replaced them all in the 1 year I owned it.
Bad timing Steve the little Corolla I just bought goes for a Warrant of Fitness this morning that will determine whether its a profitable venture or not my sale price was for a registered roadworthy car only and I have the last non galvanised Toyota sold here spare panels are like hens teeth to find most of them are still in use if not rusted out.
“Access to those auctions is not where I have my advantage.
The first two problems are merely the flip side of a coin that comes with buying cars in a wholesale market.”
What abou the 3rd one? Where is your advantage?
14 years of experience with inspecting, appraising and liquidating vehicles. I also buy inventory at public auctions and often times, I get better vehicles there.
92 Dodge Van.
The troubles started slowly, speed sensors, fuel gauge sending units, repeatedly failing.
Ignition switch melted and shorted out. Damn lug nut that fused itself to the wheel stud.
Tranmission blew costing approx $25oo to fix. Engine blew on the Ma Pike.
Then 2 years after sending the title to the repair shop telling them to keep the damn thing, a tow yard contacted me telling me the van had been abandoned on the streets of Springfield,. I was the last person it was registered to and I owed them hundreds for storage. BTW, storage was accruing at approx $50/day. Got a duplicate title, drove to the tow shop, handed over hundreds of dollars and made sure they signed for the title as I left it there. Contacted a year later claiming I still owed money for storage but this time I had docs showing otherwise. I’ll probably hear from law enforcement in the future telling me it was involved in a murder and I’m the last person who had registered it.
I’ve been lucky, by-and-large. The old cars I had that were problems, I had so little in them it wasn’t hard to eat the loss and throw them away…sell them at a loss, or scrap them. I didn’t become a new-car customer until the last 18 years; and while I liked some better than others, they were all mostly reliable.
Two exceptions, though – both Jeeps. A 1988 YJ Wrangler; not my later 1993 but one I bought basically on impulse. It was corroded and had front-axle issues and wiring problems…at the time, I had more money than time so I sold it, quick. Took a bath for about $1000 on it, too…but one thing I could NOT afford was time off from work. Working on-call in those years.
The other, years earlier…was the last of my AM General mail trucks. Seemed sound mechanically, but the body was rotting from the underside up. It had gotten to where it was actually rocking on the frame…time to scrap it or fix it.
So I got creative. The floor of the mail-truck body was the same as an M38A1 military jeep. Which was the same, basically, as a pre-1973 CJ-5. So I got a fiberglass tub from 4WD Hardware…$1800. And proceeded to demonstrate to all who watched, that I was in way, way over my head.
The tub fit. But it was not a good application. The reason for that was that the DJ mail truck kept the 81-inch wheelbase but had the big six-cylinder. Two-thirds of it was over the front axle. So you had a base design, the military jeep, not the most stable; made MORE nose-heavy with the six. And then LESS weight out back with the new plastic-fantastic tub.
I got it together, except for the windshield, which needed parts I couldn’t get at a reasonable price. But while I was shopping, I used it as a neighborhood gofer car.
That was when the Warner automatic let go. Yup…I had the chance to throw the POS away…I didn’t. Then I had the frame naked…and what I did was tailor a new body to it. Now I had to pull the damn thing out…there WAS going to be no way to get a replacement. Three-speed? Need to fab a clutch linkage. And driveline. Torque-Flite? Mucho dinero…and yes, a new driveline. Rebuild? Surely you jest.
The thing hung around for five years, until I had a change of work and town and had to get rid of it. Sold it to a local Jeep shop, where it stood, for $200.
At the time, THAT $2000-plus loss HURT.
’86 Chevy S-10. Engine (the infamous head gasket). Transmission. A/C. Fuel pump. Droopy headliner, just to add a visual reminder of what a steaming pile it was.
My ex got it in the divorce. Sometimes life achieves balance.
First one was my dad’s 1961 Mercedes 190Db. He bought it in 1966 and dealt with various fairly minor things over the years. He had it reupholstered and repainted some time in the 1970s, too. I learned to drive in the damned thing–4 on the column, and anemic Diesel engine. The seats were comfortable, though, and it somehow managed both a soft ride and crisp handling.
Then he gave it to me in the early 1990s. He hadn’t driven it much for several years, and it began to need work–major work. A brake job, even with parts that Dad gave me with the car, was about $1,800. Other things began to go–the starter, for one. Finally the thing wouldn’t start any more. It just sat in our driveway for years, and we finally donated it to a charity when we sold the house and bought another one. It felt like I’d gotten rid of an albatross around my neck.
Second one was our 1993 Mercury Sable, with the 3.8L V-6, bought in 1994 with only about 13,000 miles. Shortly after it was out of warranty, the A/C quit abruptly. It needed a new compressor. Over the years, it did that a couple more times, each time getting the compressor replaced. Getting it fixed each time was at least $1,500. (When the A/C worked, it was great. There was never a problem with the controls or with the blower.) About six or seven years in, the car wouldn’t start. Turned out that pack rats had built a nest in the engine and chewed through important wires; there were even pieces of cholla cactus on the engine! Fixing this was about $1,300. The last straw was when I saw steam coming from under the hood. Nope, not something simple like a hose. The dreaded head gasket failure too common on this engine had happened. This was in 2003. This time, we didn’t fix it, but got rid of the car. There were other things going on, too–the door locks were getting cranky, and the power windows were, well, not very powerful, and the switches seemed to be dying. There were lots of things we had loved about that car–it was relatively big, it was comfortable, the transmission, steering, and brakes were all great workhorses, and it was enjoyable to drive. The push from that big V-6 was terrific; it felt like a V-8. But that head gasket thing finally killed it. It turned out that the 94s had a secret, special warranty from Ford, but not the 93s. We ordered a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid after that. That one turned out to be pretty good, despite needing a new steering rack at one point and needing to have its battery pack replaced once. Its one real weak point was the CVT–a couple of times we had to have it fixed because of “judder” on startup after being stopped. Now we have a 2009 Camry Hybrid; we bought it one year ago, and all it has needed so far is oil changes. That’s it.
Probably not a real blood sucker because it was all fixed under an extended warranty and all I was out was my time. My 2001 Pontiac GP (purchased new, no way am I buying any kind of old car to be my daily driver) needed to have the power steering pump replaced every 6-7 months. On the one hand I got to know the service people at the local Pontiac dealer fairly well, on the other hand they never could figure out why the problem kept recurring. As I said the repairs didn’t cost me any money, the negative issue was that the dealer didn’t keep the pump in stock and had to order one from the parts warehouse every time. This meant a minimum two day stay for the car at the dealers. I suggested that, given the history of the car, they might want to just keep a pump on hand for the next time it went bad. As soon as the warranty was up I traded the GP off; in many ways it was a good car, comfortable, reasonably powerful and it even got decent gas mileage on the highway. However, I couldn’t see paying for the semi-annual PS pump replacement out of my pocket.
Never *knocks vigorously on wood*…
1984 Pontiac Fiero, in less than two years replaced engine block twice due to cracks. Replaced A.C. compressor five times. Replaced ECM three times. Had two engine fires. Replaced transaxle and clutch once. Replaced headlight motor five times. Most was covered under warranty (extended by gm) GM finally bought the car back with a voucher for another GM vehicle. All repairs were done at a Pontiac store. By the time they got it right, 1988 they canceled production.
I’d call BS if you were speaking of anything other than a Fiero (especially an ’84). Isn’t it a shame?
I’m likely the biggest Fiero-head in the CC community but cannot deny the multitude of problems the early cars had.
Would I buy another Fiero? Definitely!
so far its prolly a tie between my 65 Cutlass and my 68 Electra
work on the Electra so far
rebuilt carb 250 bucks
replaced front and rear shocks $100 rear kyb monroes up front (I love rockauto.com)
replaced starter motor $50 (my fault though)
replaced alternator and voltage regulator $70 (fried both when I replaced the starter LOL)
replaced control arm bushings tie rod ends and ball joints $450
various tools needed to replace front end parts $120
because of the worn out front end I will need to replace my tires very soon so that’s probably another $500 though im considering buying some rims for it which would push that cost to $1200
6 cans of r12 sourced from craigslist $150
2 trips to the only shop in town that can work on r12 systems $230
replaced axle bearings $80
shop work for axle bearings and control arm bushings $100
replacement vinyl top $220
all this since I bought the car last fall
I have an uncle who uses a W140 Mercedes as a daily driver. When I asked him, “Has it been reliable?” He replied, “Yes, as long as you spend $2,000 a year in “maintenance” and $3,000 a year in repairs.”
+1 (er +2?) on the W140s. The first was a 96 S600 what I had glamorized as the ultimate bullet-proof “forever car”, cherished it and used it for special occasions and ego boosts. Took it in for service in 04 for the 60k service and was told that it needed $10k in additional repairs for failed secondary A/C system and new wire harness- about half of what they were selling for~ traded it for a similarly equipped used 95 S500 (1 owner, oil company exec) with 85k (nothing for a Benz, right?) that would be “more practical”- V8 instead of V12, 1 AC system, no suspension issues… Hah! It was the biggest money pit.
Stupid things at first like the chrome flaking off the wheels which caused tires to deflate for no apparent reason- replace wheels with non-chrome version, no biggie. Next week the dash warning lights started and illuminated 1 at a time left to right- as soon as 1 was dealt with, the next time the next one would come on. The Mercedes dealer seemingly only knew $5,000 whenever I took it in. No matter what it was there for! Anticipating a $200 oil change? There WILL be a call from them letting me know there is a failing component… and the bill will total around $5k, no matter what they said on the phone. I’ve blocked out many of the horrors of ownership (fun fact: the “S” in S class is for the sodomy when repairs are due), some that I remember are the aforementioned warning lights with various repairs/ replacement, rear seatbelt retractor locked up- they do not repair, only replace- $1200 for part alone. Quoted $4000 when vacuum pump went (the courtesy convenience suck blow), bought new OE pump online and installed myself for $700, oil sender, oil pressure regulator, duovalve, fuel pump, battery x3 (you really should drive it more often), brakes, tires (dry rot and flat spots from sitting), curling sound proofing preventing sunroof operation, window regulators, creaking shocks, intermittent electrical issues… Then it developed “drivabilty issues” meaning that it wouldn’t drive and stalled out whenever it felt like, usually halfway through an intersection- 2 years of replacing this and that for a solution, which it would be fine for a week or so, then start again with the exact same symptoms which I threw money at for them to guess and replace. After 2 years they said the transmission was going- dealer wanted $7500 for new one. I blew it off since they obviously thought that I had Oprah money, then it happened one morning- failure of reverse backing out of garage for an important meeting. Interestingly EXACTLY at 100,001! Indy replaced trans for $5k (there it is again, WTH?) and this was supposed to solve everything. It seemed to go into “limp mode” on the way home and died as I was trying to pull a questionably legal U-turn, blocking 3 lanes of traffic as rush hour started. Joy. I’m sure there would have been more issues if I wasn’t in a full suit on a hot day kicking the sh!* out of the car waiting for the rollback to arrive. A week later I went to pick it up again and the engine raced at idle. 3 days of adjusting the what the crapper and a 3 year warranty instead of original 12 month. I was completely “done” with this thing- he offered me, you guessed it! $5k for it (what I had just paid for the trans alone.) I *knew* I could get more, Blue book private party was $8500. It finally sold a year later with 18 miles on the new transmission for $4000. 3 Benzes in a row that were nightmares (first was a 320SL that was fortunately a lease.) Dumped over 40k into that heap over 5 years and 15,000 miles. Never, never again Mercedes! I sometimes still get that “special feeling” inadvertantly when I see one on the road, it then turns to anger against the machine and pity for the owner.
The Taurus based Lincoln Continental. It didn’t belong to me, but to friends who used to bring it over for repairs. I nicknamed it Abe. The 3.8L engine had no access room around it to facilitate repairs and it had an endless litany of woes. The self regulating air suspension was a wonder of the world on its own. The owners, after dumping 3X what it was worth into repairs, traded it for $600 tattoo credit.
Interestingly, my unreliable nightmare was a Toyota. I bought what appeared to be an honest used ’88 Celica ST in fair-good condition that only had 140k miles on the clock. Those must’ve been the hardest miles anyone ever put on a car. Nothing worked properly, including the heater, which sucked because it was 21 degrees outside the night I bought it and drove the 3 hour journey home, wrapped in beach towels to keep warm. The throttle would stick, engine ran so hot you could fry an egg on it after a 10 minute drive in January, sunroof leaked ice cold water on me whenever I took a turn, pop-up headlights would stick, wouldn’t stay in 5th gear, took about 3-4 tries before starting, blew through ignition coils every other week, and of course there was the fabled sudden unintended acceleration–yes, it happened to me. Selling it at a huge loss for the still-too-high sum of $400 was the best time I had with the car. Gawd awful.
Ive had a few. The worst being my old 88 merkur xr4ti, man that thing was fun when it ran. After grenading the engine in an impromptu road race with a turbo charged acr neon I had it rebuilt. 23 km into the fresh engines life the head gasket went, back to the shop, where they where stumped because the block and head had been sent out and plained. It was rebuilt a second time with a multi layer head gasket and the boost turned way down. On the trip to my girlfriend house in the next town the gasket went again and I had it towed to my driveway where it sat for the next few months until I moved and sent it to the junk yard. $8500 in rebuilds and vorious bits and bobbles down the drain. Next was my cursed 95 854 t5. I rebuilt the suspension and brakes and the park pin let go on my brothers driveway and it sailed down and into an old spruce tree, wrecking the c pillar but not busting any windows. I drove it like that for a while and decided on fitting a cage and rebuilding the engine and trans and making it eligible for the unlimited class at the targa newfoundland as its a hours drive and 8 hours on the ferry away from where I live. No sooner had I made this decision when the car started to nickle and dime me. Long story short as I drove over the curb at the end of my driveway the engine fell into the sub frame and that was it, it left a sour taste and got parted out that same week. Things kinda work out and my current dd is an 04 alero coupe with 120k on the clock and an all new suspension. while not my first choice in cars it was destined for the scrap yard and was given to my familys company as such, with a clear title. Very little rust lowish km a 2.2 ecotech with a five speed, its a decent car for a little while. especially for nothing.
A 1964 Studebaker Avanti.
I was young, stupid, and had too much money.
That #%$* car left me young, less stupid, and with a whole lot less money.
2007 Audi A8. I truly believe that Audi is German for ass rape. At 80k miles. Thermostat. 3 auto door closers. 2 compressors for the air suspension. 1 screen that goes up and down in the dash. 5 times for a fault in the passenger airbag. 1 set trunk hinges. 2 auto trunk closers. Numerous light bulbs. Not to nention 300 dollar oil changes and 1650 dollar brake jobs every 30k miles at most. Never again Audi. Never again.
Considering that I’ve owned two Fiat 128s, two six cylinder Willy’s trucks and a Plymouth Cranbrook I still have to rate my 1986 Toyota 4×4 as my biggest time and money drain. I learned first hand about how decontenting in unseen places can turn once great vehicles into a bit less than that. After good luck with 20R and 22R powered Toy trucks I wasn’t prepared for the plastic timing chain guides of the 22RE. Which wore out and broke allowing the timing chain to eat through the timing cover. Based on previous experience I kept rationalizing my throwing money at it as: “This is a Toyota 4×4, it can’t keep breaking like this.” But of course it could. Sagging rear springs, broken front diff, EFI sensors, many IFS parts. Lots of U-joints, Flywheel, Clutch.
I sold it after the third engine went in. The rust,in true Toyota fashion did live up to the legend. Though maybe it was a 1986 thing for Toyota. I was assigned a work truck that was a brand new diesel Toyota 4×4 and it ate through a 2L Turbo motor and a replacement 2L non-turbo in six months. Which led to it’s replacement with a HJ75 Landcruiser. That, I do have fond memories of.
I once had a Milano/75. Best car I’ve ever driven, but I was only able to do so once in a rare while.
Quelle Surprise.
In keeping with Mopar week my biggest blood sucker was a 93 Lebaron Coupe bought new-It was truly a beautiful car that looked stunning on the lot decked out in bright white with red pinstriping and matching red interior..with the Mitsibishi V6 hiding under the hood. In the barely 3 years I owned the car…the transmission went at 23k, the stereo system died, and the paint was so thin around the headlights you could see the primer underneath…the power windows died as I drove it on the lot and traded it in on a 96 Saturn SL2—which ended up becoming blood sucker #2…
Mine was my ’77 Macho Power Wagon. The only true turd I’ve ever had. I tried to buy a Chevy, but Fletcher Jones pulled their usual nonsense, and I got fed up and left. As I drove down Decatur, I saw it, at the Las Vegas Dodge lot. Yellow and black, it sucked me right in. I stupidly traded my 13 second Roadrunner for it. I had no idea how soon I would regret it. The problems started almost immediately, when I put a CB radio into it and discovered that the firewall connector already had badly corroded terminals. The truck was only built 2 months previously! I cleaned them up as best as I could, but soon they would cause all kinds of problems. It went into the shop about a week after I bought it for the first problem, a bad oil leak. I built up a large collection of cardboard and oil dry to try to keep my garage floor somewhat clean. After that, it was a cam replacement, oil pump, intake gaskets (The heads need to be flat to make a good seal, and they never were until I had them replaced with ported 340 heads). It just never ended. I added up the receipts and I spent over $4000 out of pocket for parts and some repairs, (I did most of the work myself), plus all the warranty stuff! A LONG four years later, I finally got fed up and got rid of it.
Lately, it’s been my array of Alfa’s that’s sucked all blood.
Just temporary bad luck…
First my 146 (2.0 TS + turbo!) broke down, due to rust (1996-2012).
Then my temporary 156 1.8TS (while working on another 156…2.0TS) chose to spit out the transmission and clutch…
That made it urgent to get the other 156 ready.
One month later, the 2.0TS engine caved in… Totally ruined.
Now I’m down to my last Alfa. A 156 V6 (2.5), that I’ve been working on since last October…
In the mean time, I’m driving an old Citroen Xantia. It’s been boringly stable since 1996… Well, central locking gave up 5 years ago…
Just a work-dunkey.
The Alfa’s have been an expensive adventure, lately. But I can’t live without.
My 1979 Audi 5000. I bought it in ’85 with 52k miles on it. I loved that car – it drove well, was very comfortable, and looked sharp. Brown paint!
About two weeks after I got it the little stuff started. Except there’s no little stuff on an Audi. Door triggers. Power window motors. Wiring harness. Door triggers again. Pneumatic lines. Water pump. ABS module.
Mind you this was my back up car and I really only drove it on weekends or when my Toyota was in the shop (which was….never).
Finally in ’88 the head gasket went and I said adios. Traded it in on a new Nissan pickup.
As I’ve said elsewhere in excruciating and malaria fever inducing detail, it has to be a tie between my 1978 Eldorado, and later my 1983 Lancia Gamma Berlina. Both were unable to fulfill for me the most basic of the design brief: bettering a 70% chance of transporting myself from point A to point B without requiring a £££ repair or rebuild of a mechanical component. When I went on a Lancia Gamma club event, of the eight cars present, two had to be recovered home. My Gamma was having its engine re-engineered (not rebuilt) so I attended in my other car, a 1983 Citroen CX- which was a paragon of reliability by comparison, and in truth, never had a single issue in my ownership. Regardless, the Lancia broke me of my desire for esoteric and complex cars, and pushed me firmly into the realm of ’80s Volvos and Mercedes. (of which I should add are far less complex than the US versions, and thus nearly as easy to maintain as a Slant Six Mopar.) My automotive conservatism continues to this day, after a brief stint with a Saab 900, I’ve returned to a 190E Mercedes as a daily driver, and a Rover p4 as my project car. Proper, well thought out engineering and a factory staffed by workers with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has its virtues.
1999 Cadillac Seville SLS equipped with the Northstar V8. These turkeys have a nasty little trick that goes by the euphemism “The Head gasket Problem”, which really has little to do with the head gaskets. The problem is with the studs used to bolt the head onto the block. These things are designed to stretch when properly torqued at the factory. Then somewhere between 80k and 130k miles they decide to stretch more, on their own, thus losing the factory torque specs and allowing exhaust gasses past the head gaskets into the coolant and the coolant into the cylinders. With the transverse engine package, it requires the entire thing be removed from the car to pull the heads, remove the bad studs, tap out the holes for a set of inserts, then rebuild the whole thing.
The tranny has an overdrive that has a habit of failing due to a steel washer eating into an aluminum shaft, thus preventing the overdrive from engaging. This was repaired the same time and the “Gasket” repair. $6800 for all that.
Fuel injection boost pump thing, $600.
This thing has a coil for each spark plug, arranged in 2 packs. Replaced both packs over 2 years. About $1000 total.
The power windows are driven by a geared strip made of plastic, with plastic gears and pulleys. The geared strip has a reputation for grinding itself to bits without warning. You can just replace a part, but then you have one new part in an assortment of old, brittle plastic bits. New assembly+labor $500.
Northstars have a reputation for sucking up oil, about a quart every 1500-2000 miles. It’s normal, they all do it. It adds up. Then there’s normal consumable things like tires, fan belts and the like.
The struts and shocks on this beastie are computer controlled and, of course, are unique to the Seville. Dealer estimates for parts and labor are over $4000. Monroe makes comparable parts for about $1400.
Then there’s the failure of the speakers in the Bose sound system. There are certain plastic parts in the speakers that deteriorate with age and cause distortion in the high range frequencies. I have yet to embark on this project. I doubt it will be cheap.
I inherited the car, so there’s no cost there. It’s in quite good shape appearance wise. I initially figured it would be cheaper to fix it that to have new car payments (I’m a cheep ass SOB). Previous posters have noted the costs of maintaining an older luxury vehicle. Even with the costs incurred and future repairs planned for, it’s still cheaper than replacing it with a new car of equivalent caliber. Besides, I’m into it for so much now, why quit? BWA-ha-ha-ha.
An acquaintance at church and I both appreciated the way BMW 8 series cars were designed. Unfortunately he BOUGHT ONE. He sold it one year and $15,000+ later…
My bloodsucker was my 1973 Renault R15. Not a sucker as much as a nibbler, it would need minor repairs several times each week. During this period I met someone with a Triumph Spitfire who went on and on about how his car needed work all the time. Well, lucas electrics included, Le Renault STILL beat him out, hands down. No mistake, I love cars and have fond memories of the Renault but I also distinctly remember…at least two repairs EVERY week…without FAIL!