Repair-It

Ok, got a little more, and thankfully this is over.

He has a guy coming today for $2200 and if I offer more he'll tell that guy. I told him no. Basically he changed that ad to $2400, in order to try to get another $200. There's no way he would have taken $1500, now or last week.

So I am content that this was not the car/deal for me. What I mean by that is, if he sold it to someone for $1300, then I'd be pissed. As that is not the case, all is well.

The good news is, I learned a LOT about my own preferences and requirements, which should hopefully better inform what may still be an inevitable Caprice replacement decision.

He has a guy coming today for $2200 and if I offer more he'll tell that guy. I told him no. Basically he changed that ad to $2400, in order to try to get another $200.

What a scumbag.

I made a deal, now I am going to ignite a bidding war after I made a deal.
Have a blessed day.

This is why I just didn't contact him. I could tell this is how it would play out. We would have had a stalemate. Me at $1500, him at like $2200 or something. The guy paying $2200 PROBABLY offered $2000 initially.

I actually hate the negotiation process. It's a fight between wanting to be satisfied that I got a good deal, and wanting to be satisfied because I purchased something that I really want. It's hard to accomplish both and I typically do.

Interesting... I think the right one will come along in time. This one was optioned very well, but probably had too many cosmetic issues to warrant the price.

The other issue is, I had not surveyed the market, so other than my own probably distorted expectations and standards, I really didn't have a good, solid understanding of how this car sat in the B-body market. That adds to the hesitation.

But frankly I am not settled on what I even want. Options include:
90-92 Brougham w/ L05 (or swap it)
93 Fleetwood w/ L05 (or swap it)
94-96 Fleetwood w/ LT1 (already had one but I keep saying I miss it)
Roadmaster Sedan?? Could be interesting. I do like auto climate control. The RMS is an interesting car (among interesting cars) due to the bespoke front and rear end and semi-Fleetwood styling features, but in a Caprice-sized package. Unlike the B4U I'd have more work to bring it up to my steering and handling standards.
Another 9C1? These are such wildcards because I would at least want another one like mine was.
A real SS? These typically aren't a good value. The cosmetic and mechanical condition ratio to price is always lower, just for the WX3 RPO code.

All this and I don't know:
- What my budget is (well I know what I can spend right now but longer term I don't even know what to plan for and when)
- What to do with my Caprice (do I still attempt to save it and then swap it? When? Do I wait for a major engine/trans failure? What is even going to take it off the road first, rust or mechanical? Who knows.)
- Several people brought up the CTS-V thing. I could maybe pull $12k out of that car by selling it, which could enable something right away. This also enables finding a rust-free B-body with nice paint and actually garaging it, which is intriguing. Yet, I don't think I want to sell the CTS-V.
- Do I really even want to spend like $10-12k on a PPV (or anything) and use it as a daily, and drive it until it's worth little? History and my wallet says no.

If I got a clean b-body and swapped it (or didn't), I wouldn't want to drive that in the winter, either. The Ranger is kind of a sucky winter vehicle so then I would be faced with maybe upgrading to something 4WD. This is where the Maxima fit in so well. Then you'd have to ask a fair question: how reasonable is it to have 2 out of 4 cars that can't be driven in the winter? I guess I can make my own rules here, but it would put me down to a single car in the winter (like anyone else - Jamie has a single car year round, for all intents and purposes).

Kind of sucks to be a car enthusiast in New England. That's what it comes down to.

And what I want (or say I want) and what I would actually buy are different, which is something many internet posers won't admit. I WANT a 2015 Chevy SS. You think even if I had the cash to buy one that I'd drop $45k on one and then drive it daily? No way in hell. I WANT a CTS-V2. Do you think I'd even spend $24k on that silver one on eBay and then drive it daily? No way in hell.

A local 96 RMS (took no effort to find this):
http://providence.craigslist.org/cto/5267261746.html

$2,500

I am selling a 1996 Buick Roadmaster Collector's Edition, automatic, in excellent operating condition, no mechanical issues. The car has 112,282 miles and is black. The car is a 4door, rear wheel drive, v8. It has cold AC, power mirrors and all leather seats. Tires are in great shape. Engine compartment is clean. Oil change done by a mechanic every 3000 mi.

Already I would say this is probably a better value than that B4U. Aside from potential rust issues that it may have. I see nothing on the body. Better tires, far fewer cosmetic issues. Been on Craigslist for a month.

This is why I didn't jump on the B4U, because I hadn't surveyed the market. The RMS may experience lower market value due to the old-man-car syndrome (whereas the wagons are considered desirable).

One advantage of a 96, btw, is borne from its potential disadvantage: OBD-II. Unlike earlier cars, I can make this pass the emissions plug-in test by modifying the engine calibration (after I get the right tuning software of course). It's not my preferred method but if I had a problem with literally any emissions-related code, I can turn that individual code completely off so the diagnostic test doesn't even run. Just saying.

I would assume this has cosmetic issues, but the price is impressive: http://lancaster.craigslist.org/cto/5277990040.html

$1,000

1996 Buick Roadmaster for sale:
350 V8, 110,000 miles
Inspected until August 2016
Runs great
trany good
climate control
AC works great
4 door
fully loaded
leather interior
all power controlled, everything works, even the heated seats, cd/cassette player
One owner, was bought brand new back in 96 by my aunt, well maintained throughout the years, she is in a nursing home now so we are selling for her

Even the heated seats work? That's incredible if true. My 95 FWB's heated seats did not work. At least if I'm buying a 20 year old car, I can still get things considered luxuries even today, like heated seats and auto climate control.

Lancaster, PA is not too snowy, right? And how much did this old lady really drive in terrible conditions, at only 5,500 miles per year. I e-mailed the guy. Shorter trip, too.

Just like buying houses, if you want a good deal, you need to buy something that most other people consider undesirable.

http://roanoke.craigslist.org/cto/5287599504.html

$1,800

1996 Buick Roadmaster Good condition; tires new in 10-2014. Leather cd cruise PW etc. 160,000 miles. Nice car for the money. 23 MPG highway 17 MPG city. 10-16 inspection sticker It needs a fan motor for the heater--a/c other than that it is good. Missing some trim on driver's door and some rubber guards on the exterior. For $1800 this is a good buy.

You just need to buy aa old B-body from someone with a van....

Maybe the purchase you need to make is a big ass van since everyone else that you want to buy a b-body from owns a van. All this time you have been asking:
"Where does a b-body enthusiast go after b-bodys? What is the next logical step?"

Full size creeper van apparently...

Ha. B-body folks also tend to have trucks.

But what do you think about those options? They paint that NC B4U as an average value, nothing special.