Would this be a decent beater for a while if I don't mind doing a bit of work with a 3 pound hammer to unfuck the rear quarter and pull a new tail light for it? Most panthers up here are either super high miles, rusty, needs parts or a combination of the three. The 50th anniversary badges don't make any sense though.
The GTI is your best bet Rsx too but the GTI seems better
Gavin Ramirez
>automagic Fucking NORMIES FUCK
Leo Perry
That is a great deal if you don't mind throwing a tub of bondo at it.
Jackson Rogers
I'll probably take a look at it sometime this week, not much else better to do. The anniversary badges seem odd though, no info about a 50th anniversary grand marquis
Bentley Murphy
There was a 50th anniversary pack for Mercury's 50th anniversary, but IIRC that was 1989, before the aero/whale Panthers had even been made. For being a 'special' model it's also a fucking base model car- 'loaded' my ass, you can clearly see the standard turny-knob HVAC in the photos (as opposed to the automatic digital control setup) and the Grand Marquis GS badge on the rear (GS is the lower trim, LS is the higher trim, with LSE being top-tier for a couple years here and there).
Also, the 'PrecisionTrack' badge on the dash doesn't mean it has a limited slip diff or anything, just that it has electronic traction control, which most of them had. Being that this is a '98 the switch to disable it is in the fucking glovebox so good luck turning it on/off while driving.
You could try hammering out the rear quarter panel (if you even can, might be a panel inside the trunk preventing you from directly reaching the outside sheetmetal) and replacing the light, but unfortunately you can't just put a new panel on entirely- IIRC the rear quarter panels are about the only thing other than the roof that you can't just unbolt and throw a new one on with Panthers.
Owen Baker
>might be a panel inside the trunk preventing you from directly reaching the outside sheetmetal Do you mean the trunk liner, or is there a second layer of sheet between the liner and outer quarter?
Charles Rivera
I want to say there's another layer of sheet metal there that extends around halfway back to the taillights, but don't quote me on that; searching for reference images isn't giving much and I don't want to rip out my own liner at the moment because those things are a pain in the ass to get lined back up and held in perfectly.
Owen Allen
Are those decent prices for them? I was wondering if I could knock some off the GTI because of the fucked seat.
Carter Butler
I think I am remembering it from my taurus. There is sheet metal on both sides of the rear tail light, and the inside panel swoops in and there is a bit of a gap between it and the outside panel?
Probably explains why no one has scooped it up yet. Probably could get a bar in there to open it up a bit, then use some sort of dent puller and a small hammer to even it out.
Isaac Myers
Don't think that one's gonna be much better, the body is looking to be in nicer shape but three things: >it's an aero (pre-98) Panther so it still has normal spark plug wires instead of coil-on-plug; no big deal but worth remembering >it's pre-2003 with 150k miles and the original intake manifold- if it hasn't blown yet it's going to soon, it's a known failure point on Panthers (google it for more info) >there's a piece of velcro stuck on the gauge cluster that's conveniently covering the check engine light
William Campbell
>there's a piece of velcro stuck on the gauge cluster that's conveniently covering the check engine light now that's fuck'n cheeky, nice catch. Probably wouldn't noticed, my taurus has the lights on the dials.
I'll focus on the '98 then,if the engine and tranny is fine, fair to say there shouldn't have to worry about anything for quite a while since it's only got 90k on the clock? I'm not shy to doing a bit of work, so fixing that panel isn't too much of a turn off for me.
Definitely high on the price. I wouldn't pay more than $1200 for it. Craigslist is all about negotiating though, he probably set his price high knowing that he would get lowballed.
Say $800 at first, point out all the flaws you can find, especially if there's any rust, and just work him from there.
Carson Gonzalez
I love you panther dudes
Isaiah Bailey
>I'll focus on the '98 then,if the engine and tranny is fine, fair to say there shouldn't have to worry about anything for quite a while since it's only got 90k on the clock? It should be fine for a while, yeah. The intake manifold will eventually blow and need replacement at some point, but it's better to order one early or pull one from a junkyard- the newer design has a metal brace across the front of the manifold to help prevent it splitting there. Not a hard job at all, everything on the 4.6 is easy to get to, pretty much everything from the top of the intake to the airbox can be moved aside as one piece, and you don't even have to pull the spark plugs to change the manifold.
Immediate disclaimer here though, I have no idea how aftermarket or replacement intakes work for 2000 and earlier Panthers. 2001 is the year they got the 'performance improved' heads that the cars would have for the next ten years, so a new intake will bolt right on to a 2001-2002 car with the crappy stock one, but 2000 and earlier cars have different heads with round openings instead of the square PI ones (they're on the left in this image, PI on the right) and you'll have to put some extra sealant on the manifold gasket because it won't line up properly.
Or you could go the extra mile and swap the cylinder heads (and camshafts) too, but that's obviously quite a bit more involved than swapping the intake manifold.
Prices in New York are all over the place. That car might be a bit higher because it's college town, but in general what would be less expensive elsewhere can cost more here just because it still exists. Everything in NY rusts within a few years (no thanks to the ridiculous amounts of salt the staties throw down in the wintertime) so if a car from '99 is actually 100% rust free, it's a unicorn. My '01 Marquis looks clean from ten feet away but get underneath and there's surface rust across the frame and a couple small holes trying to start by the wheels.
Adam Diaz
>Say $800 at first, point out all the flaws you can find, especially if there's any rust, and just work him from there. Double check for rust, seriously. Think of everywhere mud and dirt collects on the car, then check everywhere around it and the whole underside of the car. Don't know much about Nissans but some cars (including Crown Vics/Marquis) have tons of spots you wouldn't normally think to check, like the inside of the body lip over the wheel wells and collected against and in the rear quarter panel and bumper area. Every time I wash the car I hose out what must be twenty pounds of fucking mud collected in there, and that's in the summertime- in the winter expect tons of frozen, salty slush.
Also, on that Altima in particular the description mentions 'aluminum rims after market sound system [etc.]) so check for crappy or poorly done car mods. Make sure the tires aren't wearing uneven, look in the trunk for wires hanging down, cut, re-tied, or basically any way out of the ordinary (hint: you shouldn't see wires hanging down in the first place) from hasty speaker removal in preparation for selling it. Make sure everything electronic works and nothing is nigger-rigged in the cabin- some mechanical things on cars can be a pain in the ass to replace, but as a general rule it's always easier to spend a weekend twisting wrenches and busting knuckles than to hunt down an electrical gremlin caused by the previous owner's screw-ups. If they start getting irritated about you examining the car, leave; they're obviously not in that big of a rush to sell it anyway.
Love you too, user. Always happy to help someone on Veeky Forums, even if the thread is usually lost in the waves of bench-racing, shitposting and avatarfagging.
Daniel Miller
Should I be concerned that there isn't a license plate in the front or is that not a big deal ?
Adam Taylor
Not really a big deal. In NY you're supposed to have front and back plates, but lots of people don't use front ones and never get pulled over for it (but the instant you go out on the road with your own car having a dead taillight or snow on the roof, you bet your ass you'll have a statie behind you in five minutes flat).
>This is a very "DEPENDABLE" vehicle and would make a "CHEAP" daily driver! 220k miles, Seems kinda weird if someone trying to sell you something is putting stuff like that in quotes, really makes you think. >si hablo espanol beaners probably explain the poor english
Easton Smith
should I pick this up? what's the most you would bid?
>Automatic >Celica GT >FWD >Convertible >listing is in all caps
Do you know what fun is? lol.
I understand you are poor but if you are looking for a car under $2k you dont really look for a "fun" car you look for a boring econobox that'll reliably get you to where you need to go.
That being said the only Celica's that are worth anything are Celica GT-Four aka Celica All-Trac's as that is what they are called in the North American market. They are AWD turbocharged Celica's that only came 5 speed. They are pretty much homologation rally cars. Pic related is a ST185 Celica All Trac.
here are shitboxes in your area that you should check out as they are in your budget
The only contact info this guy had in his ad was an email. Sent him one and I haven't heard back yet. Not sure if he forgot to put his phone number in the ad and he doesn't check his email, or if the car already sold and he's going to ignore me. Super frustrating waiting for a response that may never come.
Wyatt Perez
I love old Toyota but finding parts for those things has to be a pain in the ass
Brayden Roberts
The photos on that ad are cringy af
Hunter Johnson
i didn't only post the old toyota I posted tons of other options.
Mason Johnson
>Cons: typical rocker rust, >those photos he took from his snapchat
Whenever Snapchat screenshots used as the pics for an ad I instantly close it.
Samuel Howard
Parts are hard to find. Being an engineer makes it easy.
T. mk2 supra owner
Ryan Torres
Alright, so I got around to calling the guy in the past 10 minutes and got some of the back story.\
Red flags abound.
>Previous owners? >I don't know I bought it at the auction
>Cause of damage to fender, any damage to fram or tank? >Unknown, possibly something high enough to get the quarter, but not the bumper, no frame damage or tank
>other possible issues besides the quarter? >muffler is a little loud
>is there any rust on the frame? >something to the effect of no
>reason for sale? >I buy stuff at the auction.
>if you are selling it, why not fix the rear quarter? >something about being busy
If it was the family of some old lady that died selling it, then I'd be more inclined to look at it, but seeing that auctions are involved, I'll pass. Seems odd if the guy buys and sells shit at the auction, why not fix the cosmetic issue with the panel quick and dirty and sell it for $1300?
I know guy that does auction shit, guy was a cocksucker that would role back the odometer and shit.
Get back to the seller with a genuine offer of $400-.
Dominic Ortiz
Eh, I doubt I'll get far, those types of people tend to be pricks.
I'll think about it and in the mean time try to find some more panthers to post and see what people would think might be decent.
Jackson White
I'll put this into order of interest for me.
nh.craigslist.org/cto/d/1997-mercury-grand-marquis-gs/6266571564.html This seems cosmetically good, but the number of new parts is somewhat disconcerting, I don't know if its a good thing because new parts, or if its bad that that many new parts were needed. Recent state inspection is a good thing. The AC is concerning though because (correct me if I am wrong) but issues with the AC can mean larger problems with the system.
The willing negotiate/need gone seems like a postive.
Albanian here looking for my first car only ever drove a w123 which i learned manual with. What can you tell me about chevrolet cruze 2.0 diesel? I found a 2011 one with very few km (70k km) for liek 7k euro. Are they any fun to drive or just normal reliable econboxes? Anything I need to know? I like how they look inside and out just want to know whats the catch? Seems pretty cheap for a relatively new car. Should I got for something more fun but more risky like an early e90 or an alfa 159 instead?