Repair-It

I agree with Bob that $2000 is the new $1000. My Caprice was $1776 and this car is an improvement in every way. My Fleetwood was less, and not rusty, but it made up for that by needing all the maintenance at once. Maybe $1k to get it safely on the road. This car doesn't need that.

I have a whole car's worth of weather stripping which doesn't leak.

I have a trunk lid that wasn't broken into (but is white). And the lock cylinder and bow tie are functional if that car's lid is salvageable.

I have a whole set of Moog steering components without the steering shock. They have some miles, but they were still tight last time I checked.

Also, Bob's phone takes way better pictures than whatever the guy was using.

What does he want? $2500? If you come in at $1500-1600 and settle around $1800-2000, that's probably a fair price.

Adam wrote:Also, Bob's phone takes way better pictures than whatever the guy was using.

iPhone 5S.

kevm14 wrote:How did you leave it? That I would specifically follow up? And who do I follow up with?

Sorry, I just read this. I said that I would talk to you and you would follow up with Eddie.

Seems like this has all of the stock options you would want, and is pretty clean rust wise. How much less than 2K are you going to pay for one of these? I would say that if you pay 2K and have to put in a few hundred that is a bargain for a 20 year old car that some people actually want, as opposed to a 20 year old Malibu/Lumina/Monte Carlo what ever the mid car was in 96 because who cares. And those cars if running are at least a grand. Seems hard to argue with a few minor things for a V8 RWD for 2K. Just my opinion. Would you rather find a cherry beige one of these? Black (or other desirable colors) is worth paying a little extra for in my opinion.

Bottom line: This car has everything you want, and is pretty clean for 20 years old. Unless you do a search and find a million others in better condition for this price it seems like a no-brainer. I mean, if I had the cash and there was a G-body that was clean, and the colors I wanted, without T-Tops, with bucket seats I would probably be willing to pay a little more than what it is Blue Booked for since I probably want it more than most people and they aren't easy to find in good condition.

Well like I said, I'm annoyed it has the attempted break-in damage and I feel like there's hardly a discount in there for it. I know it passed the level 1 test drive, but now I feel like I'm rolling the dice a little bit on LT1 crap at 163k, like water pump, WP driveshaft seal, opti, trans, AIR pump (if it even works - did the hood light work?), heater hose T, EGR, ICM or even the alternator. At least it doesn't need the 96 coil, being a 96. It's not that I'm afraid of this stuff, but I also don't think I am getting much of a discount for these items being original, since no one has explained all of the things they've replaced (possibly because most of it is original).

I suppose I could fly down and pore over the car. I guess I would do that anyway. And if the test drive reveals sketchiness that cannot be resolved with further negotiation, I could try to buy a ticket back... in that way the driving down gives more flexibility.

When I got the Fleetwood, it was a totally different thing. I intend this car to replace my Caprice at some point, whereas the Fleetwood was always in addition to my Caprice. I guess I feel like there's more riding on this one, and since I'm not one to buy and sell quickly, I intend this car to last me another 15 years. And I know it CAN last 15 years, but I don't want to be doing all of that LT1 crap between 163k and 200k, unless I feel like I got a good deal on it upfront.

billgiacheri wrote:Seems like this has all of the stock options you would want, and is pretty clean rust wise.

Yeah I think it has everything you could get on a B-body, though the rearview mirror isn't electrochromic and I actually like that feature. Curious if it is missing any other options. Can't be much missing.

billgiacheri wrote:How much less than 2K are you going to pay for one of these? I would say that if you pay 2K and have to put in a few hundred that is a bargain for a 20 year old car that some people actually want, as opposed to a 20 year old Malibu/Lumina/Monte Carlo what ever the mid car was in 96 because who cares. And those cars if running are at least a grand. Seems hard to argue with a few minor things for a V8 RWD for 2K. Just my opinion. Would you rather find a cherry beige one of these? Black (or other desirable colors) is worth paying a little extra for in my opinion.

I don't know the answer to your first question. I know I was explaining to Adam that these cars appear every once in a while, even in 2015, and sure enough, Bob found it. So maybe that's a sign. I did poke around Charlotte Craigslist and I didn't see anything good. And you're right about the cherry beige one, I guess. The paint on this does seem pretty nice, and it should be possible to actually have the front bumper painted... and maybe swap my Caprice bumper over and have it painted. Some day.

billgiacheri wrote:Bottom line: This car has everything you want, and is pretty clean for 20 years old. Unless you do a search and find a million others in better condition for this price it seems like a no-brainer. I mean, if I had the cash and there was a G-body that was clean, and the colors I wanted, without T-Tops, with bucket seats I would probably be willing to pay a little more than what it is Blue Booked for since I probably want it more than most people and they aren't easy to find in good condition.

I guess I know I am much busier than I used to be and even though it would be great fun to start over with another Caprice, I am also worried that between time and resource conflicts with the budget, that it won't be what it used to be. If my Caprice was another few years down the road on corrosion, I'm sure I'd be way less wishy-washy.

That said, the BEST deals ALWAYS come when you don't need them.

Just ran the KBB without CD player and upgraded wheels and it is $1637 in Excellent Condition. Sounds low.

Maybe this guy will take like $1500, because he needs weed money.