1995 Mercedes-Benz w124 e320 Cabriolet

It took me a while before I was ready to write this review. 10 Months in fact.

 

The Mercedes-Benz w124. My initial impression of this chassis was not positive (see my Porsche 996 review). But that was an older model, a wagon, with an older engine that has less power and a less modern ignition system.

 

I'm not a convertible person, I really don't like them. I mean chopping a roof of a car, that just doesn't seem right. I prefer coupes and wagons. But there are a few convertibles that I've always liked. The Rolls Royce cars are nice, especially the 1990's convertibles. The older Mercedes SL's. And the w124 cabriolet. I remember seeing one when i was a teenager and liking the simplicity of it's design.

 

Now I think to most people who see this car, that it is a very boring design, especially for a convertible. No filligre, just straight lines. Very plain. That's what i like about this car. You drop the top and it's just straight, no curves, just a long deck to the end of the car. Like you took a blowtorch to a sedan and cut the roof off. Simple, clean.

 

I'm not one to keep a car just for it's looks, I have to like the whole package. And the w124 is the whole package. It's just a wonderful driver's car. It's truely a GTC (Grand Touring Convertible). The seats are so comfortable, the engine so smooth, the suspension so plush. I can just go and go and go in this car. The engine is very eager too. It just wants to go faster and faster. Wonderful stuff.

 

Ofcourse there is a story behind it's purchase. While purusing Craigslist, like I always do, there was an ad for a 1995 Mercedes. So I clicked and pic of this convertible appeared. $1,200. Now back in 1995 this was an $80,000 car. Yeah that price is HARD to swallow and believe, but it's true. This car cost MORE then a Porsche 993. That's crazy. Who in their right mind would spend $80k on this car when they could have a 993. I mean you'd have to be demented to buy one. But according to Mercedes in "Mercedes-Benz 124 series: An automotive milestone becaomes a Young Classic" (dated Oct. 26, 2009) they sold 6,343 cabriolets (3,000 coming to the USA), so they managed to sell a few of them. And ofcourse I don't mind paying $1,200 for an $80,000 car.

 

The car has 130,000 miles on it but the odometer stopped working so the owner really doesn't know the true milage.

 

From the pictures in the Craigslist ad you can tell that the car has some problems. I go to look at it and it's got a major dent behind the driver's door, the interior behind the driver is all torn up, there's something weird with the paint on the driver side, the roll over protection system bars are stuck in the up position, it's missing the driver's side rear window, and the roof has holes in it. So it's got some problems. I take it for a test drive and it's wonderful. Transmssion shifts smoothly, engine is smoth, and a/c works. The owner tells me that the top does not work. Bummer. Besides the driver rear interior side panel being all messed up, the interior is in very nice shape. So i buy the car for $1,100 with the intention of flipping it.

 

I'm very excited so I post my buy on the Mercedes forum. A few people say great buy, but a few tell me that i bought a money pit and that it's only good for parts. Ofcourse I disagree. They way I look at it, they only made 6,000 of these cars and I think they all should be saved. I mean it's only a dent and some paint right?

 

It's very dusty so i start cleaning it. The inertior comes out great, except for a few cracks in the wood veneer and the already mentioned rear driver side panel. I start looking at how to get the roll over bars to go down. So I start checking fuses. I find one blown fuse and two missing fuses. The blown fuse has to do with the top and roll over protection system. I replace that one first and get the rollover bars to lower. The other two fuses have to do with various subsystems and stereo related stuff. I replace those two fuses and the automatic seatbelt extenders start feaking out. I unplug the driver side one and manage the quiet the passenger one down (now i know why the fuses were missing).

 

I get a new driver side rear window on ebay for $100 and install it. Now it's time to test the top. I'm a bit nervous now because a new top mechanism will cost $3,000 or so. I lower the windows, release the windshield catches and press the button. Viola! It works. Wonderful. I take a pic and post it on the Mercedes forum to show them that my $1,100 car has a working top.

 

Mechanically the car really doesn't need much. I bought some brembo brake discs for $20 each and some pads and replaced the front brakes and I flushed the brake fluid. I also replaced the air filter, cabin air filters, spark plugs, power steering filter, and trunk shocks. The car passed state inspection without any problems. The previous owner had the engine cooling system redone with a new water pump and radiator. The car also has new engine mounts, tires, and a battery.

 

So I start driving it. What a great car. A real highway cruiser. I drive it to work whenever I can. It's just a pleasure. Feels like a coupe with the top up and is a wonderful convertible with the top down. The best of both worlds. I love how it looks with the top and and windows down, a great German pillarless coupe look. I also love the interior. It's black leather with burl wood. It's very "clubby".

 

So, I do as I do and continue to search Craigslist. Looking for a car to replace this one. BMWs. Other Mercedes. I look at and test drive a few cars. But I keep this one in the garage. I keep looking for excuses to sell it but I can never come up with any. It's just too good of a car.

 

I hold off fixing the roof and dent. I can't decide if I should leave it as it is and sell it or fix it up a bit. Well I've decided to start by fixing the roof. I bought a new roof off of ebay for $265 and I'll have it installed, then I'll look into fixing the dent. We'll see where this journey ends...

 

So I paid $1,100 for an 19 year old $80,000 car. So that works out to be a 98.5% reduction in price, so I paid 1.5% of the original value of the car. I think thats a new record for me.

 

 

1985 Mercedes Benz w123 280ce Coupe

1985 Mercedes Benz w123 280ce Coupe

I’ve always liked this car. The rich people where I grew up (North Shore of Long Island) always drove w123’s (until the w124 came out). I mostly remember wagons and coupes.

This car has an interesting story. I found it on Craig’s List. Listed at $2,000 if I remember correctly. It was owned by a Mercedes enthusiast. I thought is was priced low and decided to buy it to flip it. It was a beautiful shade of metallic baby blue with a tan interior. When I went to see the car you could tell it has been re-painted. I didn’t think it mattered too much, it still looked good. It was a grey market car imported from Germany, and had some cool non-US market features like heated cloth seats and power front windows, but manual rear windows. It had an inline six cylinder gas engine. This engine was not available in the USA for the 1985 model year. Only the diesel was sold in the USA for the 1985 model year. The engine ran quite noisily, the previous owner telling me that it might need a valve job, though he said he just tried to adjust the valves himself. There was ALOT of valve chatter. It could have been the wrong oil viscosity. I added a hood pad, in hope that it would help quiet the engine down, but it didn’t help much. It also ran at a high RPM at speed (60 mph). I’m not sure if this was normal, or if the transmission was not shifting up.

The previous owner told me that he found it on a side street in Fort Worth and bought it for $1,500 (I think). He put some work into it and wanted to sell it to get a diesel. I offered $1,800 and he accepted. When i went back to his house to get the title signed, his new diesel 190 was in front of his house with an oil pan full of oil under it. He said it needed some work but he was driving it.

When i got the car I could tell, from the smell, that the car leaked. It would cost over $500 to replace the seals, so that was out of the question. But it had to stay in the garage. I kept in the hot Texas sun for a couple of days to try to dry it out, but it didn’t help much. The car didn’t really need much. I cleaned it up a bit, brought the black trim back to black, and waxed it, and cleaned the interior a bit. Some of the interior wood trim was cracked a bit. I had to refurbish that a bit. I also bought a set of CoCo mats for it.

I got classic plates for it and drove it in a Mercedes Club of America rally. It was lots of fun.

After I got the title in my hand I sold it on ebay for $3,600, exactly double what I paid. Of course I did have a few expenses such as the hood pad and I put a new distributor and rotor on it.

The thing that bugged me the most about the car is how much it looked like my dad’s 1960’s Bel Air Coupe. His car was a similar color and the roof line to trunk was also very similar. My dad’s car sat in our garage for years, in a non-working state. I hated that car. And so, this car, was just too similar to that one. And I also didn’t like how it drove on the highway. It was just in too high of an RPM. Driving it around town was fun though, but that’s all it really was, an around town car.

It is a nice pillarless coupe though.

2010 BMW 328i e90 Sedan

2010 BMW e90 Sedan

2011 BMW 328i sedan e90

I picked this one up at the BMW Welt in Munich.

So this will be about the factory pick-up as well as the car itself.

I had a mini. It was awesome. I loved it. My wife asked me to sell it because it was too small. So I sold it. I leased a VW Jetta because it was cheap (sign and drive). I like the Jetta, but it just wasn’t me.  Every month a check the new BMW, VW, and Mercedes lease deals to see if there’s anything interesting. Summer 2010 BMW had a zero down lease special with the payment about the same as my Jetta. Awesome!  The search starts.

I called all of the local BMW dealers and went to a few of them. None of them would give me the lease deal. It was very frustrating. So I decided to expand my search area. I tried south and north. I found a dealer in Oklahoma City that would honor the internet lease special. Great!

I had to keep it cheap, so I the only option I paid for was an automatic transmission (so my wife could drive it). I got lucky because they were including leather, 17” wheels, and an iPod adapter at no extra charge. I ordered a white car with brown leather and an automatic transmission. 

Now the wait was on.

I think it took three months to build it. We made our plans and flew to Munich in October 2010. Rolf picked us up at the flugehafen and drove us to the Welt. We checked in and got some food at the reception area. Then we looked around and the exhibits and signed up for a factory tour. The museum was closed that day. Then our time came. Our advisor met us and took us into a private room to demonstrate some of BMWs technology. Then he took us down the staircase as my car spun around on a turntable. It was just wonderful. He went over all of the car’s features, gave us the key and let us do a victory lap around the welt. It was, again, just wonderful. We left the Welt and headed to our hotel.

We spent most of our vacation in Rome, with one day in Munich and one day in Saltzburg. It was a great trip and well worth it. A real dream come true. I even got to go over 100mph on the Autobahn.

Prior to owning this new BMW i had owned an e46. The e46 was fantastic, it really was. The e90, while a great car, can not live up to an e46. It felt so much heavier then the e46. Like 300 pounds heavier. And I think the automatic transmission sucked some of the life out of the car as well (my e46 was a manual). But the e90 does have a fantastic suspension and handled really well. It was almost a sports car and I drove it like one. 

The engine did not seem as smooth as the one in my e46. The engines in my e46 and z3 felt like turbines, the e90’s engine was a little rough.

2005 c6 Corvette

c6 corvette

2005 c6 corvette

This is a hard one to write about. It is such a great car, many people would think i’m crazy to have sold it. And I think i was. 

Back in 2005 i was ready for another sports car. I was convinced I was going to get a Porsche, a Boxster in fact. Used. There was no doubt in my mind. I test drove a few boxsters and they were ok, not much power but fun and they made a nice noise. I knew Porsches were expensive to fix and at that point in my life i wasn’t ready to fix it myself or pay someone else to fix it.

Now the corvette. Through work i get a discount on chevys, so i called all of the local chevy dealerships and asked if they would accept my employee discount. They all said no of course, but the last one I called said that they would give me a discount, not as much as the employee discount, but close enough. So I drove over there. Being a chevy dealership, they wouldn’t let me test drive or even touch the car, I was after all only in my 30’s and for sure, I wouldn’t be able to handle the power. But they did let me order one. 6-speed, red, tan leather, Z51. Pretty sweet. $43k. I waited. And I waited. I read the forums and how much people were enjoying there new corvettes. Then came a post, “Just saw a new red corvette arrive at classic chevrolt”. I posted, “It’s mine!”.

the next i got the call and the car was mine.

Now if I’m a Porsche guy, through and though, why did i buy the corvette? well for two reasons at the time. It had an awesome power to weight ratio and a 3 year warranty. Now that i’m older and wiser, power to weight isn’t as important, but it’s the experience of driving your dream.

My ride home was in stop and go traffic. and then I spent the next few weeks passing the break-in period. I did an oil change after the break-in period and the oil was black. 

Now I was ready to experience that awesome power-to-weight for my self. I let it rip. It sounded great and of course threw me back into my seat.

I had to track it. 

I signed up for a PCA track day. It was great. I was about to catch up to the 996 Turbos on the straight. Very impressive. I loved my car.

Were there things I didn’t like? Sure, there always are. The thing that bothered me the most was the Chevy Tahoe steering wheel the car car with. But that was easily fixed. The 2006 car had a new three spoke wheel. I bought one of those and I was happy.

The car did squeak from that day i got it. But that didn’t bother me. In fact it had more squeaks then my 1999 911 does. And I had a few problems with it. Everyone once in a while the battery would die. I finally figured out that sometimes I wasn’t closing the driver’s door all the way and the alarm system was draining the battery. The other problem I had was the radio. I think I had three radios put in the car and they all didn’t work right. Something to do with the RDS system is i remember correctly. Software problem that was never fixed.

I had my one and only street race in the Corvette. A Lotus Esprit Turbo. I won of course. It was fun. First time i hit the rev limiter. I went the fastest I’ve been in a car too. 125. Felt like i was going 60. 

It was a great car and I prefer it to the new c7. To me it was like driving a GT1 car at LeMans. I loved seeing the tops of the fenders through the windshield. And the sound was just wonderful, as was the thrust.

Is my 1999 911 better? Of Course it is. But I’m a biased Porsche guy. Is the 911 slower? Yes. But it has a certain quality about it. It’s being at 4,000 rpm, with the wonderful sound behind you. It doesn;t have the thrust of the corvette, but it has alot of personality that the corvette was missing. It’s not that the corvette isn’t an awesome car, it is, it’s just that the Porsche is better.

2003 Volvo v70 P2 Wagon Review

volvo

There are two cars that I've always wanted to own. A Porsche 911 and a Volvo wagon. I've
had several opportunites to get a Volvo wagon, but always wound up getting a BMW wagon
instead.

My wife does not like wagons and I never thought I'd own another one after I got married. But I
have the BEST wife in the world. We adopted three kids and the lease on my 2011 BMW 3
series was going to be ending soon. So I needed a family car. I had just sold my 1997
Mercedes s320 to pay for my 911 and the new car needed to be cheap (my budget was
$3,000). I do not like sport utilitiy vehicles or minivans (though we just got a new
Honda Odyssey). So I started looking on Craig's List. I was open to anything, but I
focused on BMW and Mercedes (Mercedes mostly). I checked out a few BMW 5 series wagons,
including a beautiful blue one that was overpriced. and I actually bought a 2000 Mercedes
e-class wagon that died on me 3 miles from where I bought it (boy was I glad I got my
money back on that deal). I paid $2,000 for the car and the transmission died on it. I
had looked at a few Volvos too. The first one was a 2001 cross country with about 120,000
miles on it for $2,000 (It was the first modern Volvo wagon I had driven and I REALLY
liked it, if it had 7 passenger seating I would have bought it on the spot). It was in
rough shape but i liked it. I ran the VIN and it turned out to be a flood, so i passed on
it. The next Volvo was a 2000 v70 with 130,000 miles for $2,000. I had the local Volvo
shop look it over and they said it needed a new a/c compressor so I offered $1,500. The
seller owned a 911 and was a PCA member, so I thought for sure, since I also owned a 911
and was in the PCA he'd accept my offer but he did not.

Then I spotted a 2003 v70 on Craig's List around the corner from my house (at least
that's where the seller worked). It looked black in the pictures and my wife said
absolutly no black wagons(!). But I decided to take a look anyway. It only had 63,500
miles on it. The seller was asking $2,500. I took a look at it and it was far from
perfect. It had bald tires, a large dent on the driver side (it was obviously in an
accident), and needed new rear brakes NOW. It was metallic blue with a light tan
interior. The seller immedialtly lowered her price to $2,000 when I arrived. She also
said I was the second person to look at it. I was suprised that the first person did not
buy the car. I took it for a test drive and it had quite a few problems. The rear brakes
were so bad the whole car would vibrate when you applied them. But being a 2003 model
year car it had a lot of features that I wanted like child seat teathers (something the
Mercedes w140 does not have). Plus it had half the milage of all of the other cars I
looked at. So I bought it.

It has much more room then I expected. I was expecting BMW 3 series room, but I think it
has more room then the e39 wagon I owned. I had to do three major things to it: rear
brakes (done), tires (done), and front struts (done). I had the local volvo shop flush
the coolant, replace the timing belt, and replace the transmission fluid (at $1,100,
timing belts are expensive).

When I got the car the driver side rear window did not work and was stuck in an open
position (being held up with duct tape). Rain was in the forcast and this needed to get
fixed ASAP. The door panel was already removed so I looked around at how the window lift
mechanism worked. Rube Goldberg would be proud. Due to the small openings and strange way
the window worked, I decided to juryrig the window in the closed position. I drilled a
hole in the inner door skin and window lift mechanism and put a bolt through it. Now the
window is up! I disconnected the window motor and switch. Problem solved, no water in the
car.

While driving through the rain one day, my son tells me that the window is leaking. After
we get home I check his door (rear driver side) and the outer door seal is missing! I
also notice water in the hatch area. I do not know why I didn't see this sooner. I bought
a new outer door seal from the dealer ($100) and put some silcone sealer over the rear
window. No more leaks! (I hope).

The second thing I needed to do was to get it to pass state inspection. The driver side
turn signal was not working. I noticed this when I test drove the car. The car was
displaying the message "bulb out" and the driver side marker light was missing, so I just
thought I needed to replace the side marker light. I replaced the side marker light and
this did not solve the problem. The Volvo shop said it was the Central Electronics Module
(CEM). I did not believe them. So I started to investigate to see if there was a short
somewhere. During my investigation I found three missing bulbs and three bulbs that were
burnt out. I replaced all of these bulbs. After about four weeks of investigation, I did
determine that it was indeed the CEM that was at fault. I wound up hooking up a generic
flasher and using the existing wiring to drive the lights. I also installed a switch on
the turn signal stalk to actuate the lights.

When I went to the inspection station, the car failed because the parking brake was not
working so I had the local Volvo shop fix it ($100).

When a car is in an accident, this can cause a lot of little things to go wrong. I will
try to remember each one that I had to fix. There were several small trim pieces missing,
headliner pins, a trim piece holding the front defroster vent down, and the small trim
piece around the front passenger door lock. The front and rear driver side door panels
had seperated and needed to be fixed. Since the rear one was already off of the door, I
decided to fix that one first. I bought some epoxy and used the experience gained from
the Z3 to fix the v70's door panel. I hate removing door panels, I really do. I can never
get them to go back on perfectly. But the Volvo's were super easy to deal with. I took
the driver's door panel off, epoxyed it, and had it back on within a day!

The passenger side door handle was not working so I removed that door panel and saw that
the small plastic box that holds the cable that actuates the lock mechanism was broken. I
used some double side tape to hold the cable in the box. The passenger side seat belt was
also all wonky. There was a seat belt in the back and I had thought that it was the OLD
seat belt. But no, it was a new seat belt waiting to be installed. So i removed the
plastic trim, borrowed a large Torx socket from a friend and replaced the seat belt. Good
as new.

Also, for some strange reason one of the child seat anchors was missing. So i bought a
new one and installed it ($55). The center console was also loose as it was only attached
with one screw. So I attached the second screw. I also picked up a nice dashboard mounted
cup holder on ebay and installed it. I also had to re-attach all of the B-pillar trim on
the driver and passenger side. And replace some plastic trim on the driver side in the
rear hatch area. And I bought new floor mats and a rear cargo mat and net.

The car has the following options:

2003 volvo v70 2.4 $27,870

   destination: $685

   climate package $495

      headlamp wipers/washers

      heated front seats

      rainsensor

   premium package $2,995

      dual-zone electronic climate control

      leather seating surfaces

      power driver seat with memory

      moonroof

      simulated wood inlays

      trip computer

   5-speed automatic transmission $1,000

   16" mimas alloy wheels $500

   nautic blue metallic paint $450

   taupe interior

total options: $5,440

Total: $33,995

94% reduction in price in 10 years

To this I've added the following:

   versatility package: $1,300

      Integrated child booster cushions rear seats ($300)

      third row seats

      cargo area 12v outlet

      (foldable table)

   sport driver seat

   waste bag holder rear seats

   homelink garage door opener

   in-dash cup holder

Most of these parts I got from the junk yard.

I got the seats from a 2001 V70 T5. They are the sports specification seats. They are made out of a much softer leather (and better wearing) then the seats the car came with. They are awesome seats. I was very happy to find the third row seat. Now I have a seven passenger vehicle (though two of those passengers needs to be kids). And I also got the integrated child booster seats which makes things easier.

It's the non-turbo model which I like. The non-turbo model is easier to work on, has
fewer parts, and is less stressed. It also gets good gas milage (22/30). Better then my
2011 BMW 328. Though the BMW has 60 more horsepower.

It drives like a Honda. It really doesn't have much power, so that's something I'll have
to get used to. But overall it's a nice car and I think a good value.

The MSRP on this car was about $34,000. I paid $2,000 which works out to be a 94%
reduction in price in 10 years. So it held 6% of it's value after 10 years.

The car was built in Ghent Belgium 

engine B5244S

   2.4 liter 5 cylinder

   168hp @ 6,000rpm

   166ft/lbs @ 4,500rpm

   22/30 (5 speed auto)

Porsche 911 Typ 996 Review

911

I'm a Porsche guy though and though. I became a car guy when I was 20. Not sure why, but
I did. My first love has always been the 911. My favorite 911 is the 993.

Back in 2005 I could have bought a 993, but instead I bought a C6 corvette. Why? Well for
two reasons, maintenance on a 993 is REALLY hard and I could get a brand new corvette for
just a little more money then a used 993.

When I look into buying any car, I check to see how easy it is to maintain. I prefer to
maintain my own cars because I know the job gets done right and I don't have to pay the
dealer big $$$ for an oil change. As I was investigating the 993, I learned that you need
to remove a wheel to do an oil change (!). what? That's weird. I estimate that it would
take me about 12 hours to change the spark plugs on the 993. You have to pretty much
disassemble the whole rear of the car to get to all of the plugs. And even after all of
that it is still very hard to get to two of them. And it goes on and on. Anyway, I
decided not to get one.

Then I got addicted to Craig's List. I would seach the car listings 50 times a day. The
first 911 I spotted that I could afford was in Tulsa Oklahoma. $15,000, 1999 seal gray
cabriolet. After e-mailing the seller, I found out that the a/c was not working. I was
temped but decided not to drive the five hours to go and see it. After that I NEVER
thought I'd see another 911 for that price.

Then there it was. In Fort Worth Texas, just down the street from me. A 1999 black
cabriolet for $11,500. Yeah, $11,500 for a 911. That's Boxster money. I thought, well it
must be trash. The car had a 6-speed manual transmission and 130,000 miles on it.

Now I had been driven in a 911 (a 964), but I had never DRIVEN a 911. It was on my bucket
list, so I decided to test drive it. WOW! What a revalation! I've been dissappointed by
driving many cars. I would work a car up into my head as being awesome, drive it, and
then realize that it was not as good as some say. The Ferrari F430 comes to mind as does
the Mercedes W124 wagon. Not the 911. What a car. Even though it only had 300hp (100 less
then the Corvette I owned), it was fantastic.

So i decided to move forward with this 911. I took it over to Mayo's Performance in Hurst
(a well known Porsche shop) to have a PPI done. When I got there all of the mechanics
came out to see the $11.5k 996. They looked it over, hooked it up to the computer, poked,
prodded, and test drove it. Then they told me to buy it, so I did.

and I'm glad that I did.

What a car! Everything the automotive writers say about it is true. It is the best sports
car. Period. (and I'm not biased either)

I bought the car at a "Buy here, pay here" lot, and one of the first things the
salesperson said to me was, "we just spent $800 on it getting a new key and ignition
cylinder". So after I paid for the car, I asked if he had any of the maintenace receipts
for it. He gave me what he had. When I got home and looked at the receipts, they weren't
for a new key, they were for a new a/c system! Installed about a year ago (April 2012),
and inclduing a new a/c compressor and evaporator! Crazy! Later I confirmed with the
dealer that a new ignition cylinder and key was installed in the car.

I had to sell my BMW Z3 and Mercedes s320 to pay for it but it was worth it.

When I bought it, it had 18" Turbo Twist chrome wheels on it, I have since sold them and
bought 18" Sport Classic II two piece BBS wheels. I really don't like chrome wheels and
the Sport Classic II wheels are my favorite 996 wheels. I got them off of ebay for $500.
I also picked up a set of the stock 17" wheels with tires off of ebay for $150. I got a
hardtop for $725. I also installed the three spoke 996 sport steering wheel. Cost about
$500 for the steering wheel and airbag. Well worth it.

The car has some nice options as well, including a full leather interior, power seats,
manual transmission, CD Player, Hi-Fi sound, the Porsche crest in the headrests, and
colored Porsche wheel crests.

After I got the car I had Mayo's change the coolant, the power steering fluid, the fuel
filter, and re-seal the oil pan. I changed the transmission fluid, brake fluid, engine
air filter, cabin air filter, spark plugs, and ignition coils.

The maintenance on the 996 is much easier then the 993. Oil changes are pretty normal.
Jack the car up, undo the oil drain bolt and oil filter, and then let the oil drain out,
fill it back up. The spark plugs are much eaiser as well. I had to remove the muffler,
but it was very easy. Took about 4 hours and I think I'd be able to do it in 2 hours next
time. It seems as though this car was designed with maintenance in mind.

I just love this car. I drive it about twice a week and enjoy every moment of it. It is a
real sports car. Similiar to the Z3, but a little bigger and almost double the
horsepower. This is an all-analog car as well. The only computer controlled parts of the
car are the engine computer and ABS. It has a throttle CABLE, not an electronic throttle,
and no traction or stability control. You screw up, you pay the price.

The car is not perfect, the rear spoiler does not work, the rear cabriolet window is a
little foggy, and there are some scratches in the leather on the rear of the seats.

Original MSRP on this car was about $82,000. I paid $11,500 which works out to be a 86%
reduction in price in 14 years. So it held 14% of it's value after 14 years.

I'd like to compare this depriciation hit with that of a Porsche 993. If the original
owner purchased a 1998 993 instead of a 1999 996, the car would be worth about 50% of
it's original value instead of 14%. Crazy!

I've owned a C6 corvette and this 911 and I say that the 911 is the best. The base price
on the new C7 corvette is $50,000, the base price on this 911 was $75,000. Is this car
worth $25,000 more then a corvette? No way. The corvette I owned was an execellent car. I
paid $43,000 for mine. Was this 911 worth $11,500? Yes! Like I said it's the best sports
car I've driven. But it's not worth $25,000 more then a corvette. Comparing apples to
apples, the new 911 is $85,000, or $35,000 more then a corvette. Is it worth it? I doubt
it, but I have not driven a new 911 or a new corvette.

I've become obsessed with what options the car came with, as well as adding more leather covered items to the car. Below is a list of the options the car has. I've added several leather covered items to the car including a leather covered rear center console (in grey, that accents the black interior nicely), a leather covered ignition switch surround, and a leather covered hazard warning light switch surround. I have a leather covered central air vent but it is for a 2002 car and I'm not sure if I'll be able to retrofit it. I've also listed what exactly is covered in leather with the full leather package. I'd really like to get a leather covered fuse box cover. I was also able to pick up a set of fitted leather luggage for the car. It's made out of the same leather as used in the car's interior (997 actually), and in the same color (black). $100 each off of ebay.

1999 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet

base price: $74,460

   destination: $765

                                                         Option   Cost

                                                          Code

options:

   black full leather interior                   BL   $3,215

   rear center console in leather       XMZ   $1,260

      (deviating color - graphite grey)

   3 spoke sport steering wheel         436      $255

   power seats w/driver memory        P15   $1,520

   porsche crest in headrest              XSC      $208

   floor mats                                      M6A       $110

   CD player                                       696      $345

      incl. CD storage                          424

   hi-fi sound                                      490       $600

   windstop                                         551       $245

   colored wheel crests                      446        $170

   18" sport classic II wheels             XRB    $2,656

      (18" turbo look wheel                  413     $1,190)

   6-speed manual transmission        480       n/c

   hardtop                                           550       n/c

   black exterior color                           A1       n/c

   black soft top     

total options: $10,584

total: $85,809

   ($82,828 as delivered, turbo look

    wheels, 4 spoke steering wheel,

    standard rear center console)

86% reduction in price in 14 years

17/25 mpg

 Full Leather Interior

   1.0 windscreen frame trim

   2.0 switch panel (upper and lower dashboard)

   2.1 instrument panel cover and passenger airbag cover

   2.7a steering wheel rim

   3.0 door trim

   3.1 door panel

   3.2 door handle

   3.3 door storage box cover

   3.4 side airbag cover

   4.1 lid of center console storage bin

   4.2 front center console side trim

   4.3 rear center console side trim

   4.4a gear lever

   4.4b handbrake lever

   5.0 rear side trim panels

   7.0 front seat centers

   7.1 front seat lateral supports and head restraints

   7.3 rear seat centers

   7.4 rear seat lateral supports

Rear Center Console in Leather

   4.0a rear section of center console

   4.0b window switch trim and ashtray

   4.0c handbrake finisher

Additional Leather

   2.4b hazard warning surround

   2.6 ignition lock surround

Mercedes Benz S320 LWB w140 Review

Mercedes w140 s class

My wife and I were planning on adopting (we wound up with three kids) and I knew I would
need a large car. I was currently leasing a 2011 BMW 3 series, with the lease ending in
October 2013. I love wagons but my wife hates them and I don't like sports utility
vehciles or minivans. I always wanted to own a Mercedes Benz so I started researching. I
decided to go with a w140 S class. I decided on a w140 because it was the last Benz
engineered without cost being considered. They say Mercedes invested 1 billion German
Marks to develop the w140 and that the Maybach is based on it's chassis.

The only must have was that I wanted a long wheelbase version. Though I really didn't
want black or a 12 cylinder.

It took me a long time to find a nice one. I looked at several local ones in the Dallas
area but none of them were well maintained or low milage. The best one I found was in
Florida, an s320. As luck would have it the alarm system in my Florida condo started
acting up so I HAD to go to FLorida. I check the car out and it's as nice as the seller
said it was. I bought it for $6,250. Champange exterior with a tan interior. Long
wheelbase with the 6 cylinder engine. A 1997 model with about 93,000 miles on it. And
since it was a 1997, it had a 5 speed automatic transmission and side impact airbags.
Downside was that it had a slight headgasket leak, which is common to these engines.

I drove it from Florida back to Texas without any problems whatsoever. Fantastic car for
long highway drives. Trip took 18 hours.

Seller included ALL documentation, so it was easy for me to come up with a maintenace
plan. I wound up changing the front and rear brake discs and pads, brake fluid, and
shocks (they didn't really need to be changed though). I had the local dealer change the
coolant, transmission fluid, fuel filter, and small plastic heater pipe behind the
engine. I added an iPod adapter to it.

The car was just great. Like having your own private jet. The best place was in the back
seat. I was able to sit back there when my wife drove. The car did have a suspension
clunk that came from the front driver side that I could never figure out and I never got
around to fixing the passenger side door check.

Sold it for $5,000 to buy my 911, so I lost $1,250 on it, not including parts and labor.

Original MSRP on the car was approximatly $67,000. I paid $6,250 which works out to be a
90.7% drop in the price over 15 years (a 1997 bought in 2012). So the car held 9.3% of
it's value after 15 years.

Now I'd like to compare this depriciation hit with that of a Porsche 993. The person that
bought this Mercedes could have bought a 993 for about the same price. The Mercedes
depriciated by 90.7% over 15 years, the 993 would have only depriciated about 50% over
the same amount of time. Amazing!

BMW z3 Review

BMW Z3

Longing for a sports car, I started purusing Craig's List for cars. BMWs, Porsche's, I
was open to anything, though I am a Porsche guy by heart. I started seeing some BMW Z3's
come up in my price range ($3,000). The first one was a 4 cylinder and it was far away.
I've owned several 318ti's with that particular engine and grew to hate it, so it had to
be a 6 cylinder. Then next one was another 4 cylinder and it had a hardtop. I called and
the owner said it did not run. Then another one turns up at a local dealer. Close by, a
1999 with a 6 cylinder for $3,000 with 140,000 miles on it. I've owned several new and
used BMWs so I had a good idea what problems to look for and when to avoid a car. The big
issues being an engine or automatic transmission leaking oil, the car overheating, and
the a/c not working. I get to the dealship and it's a sad looking car, dusty with an
opaque rear window that had several holes in it, and with both door handles / pulls
detached from the doors. I get in and start it up. The dashboard is lit up like a
Christmas tree. Every warning light is on, ABS, brake pad wear, airbag, traction control,
check engine, etc. So from it's physical appearance, I can see why the dealship priced it
so low. I pop the hood and a see a dry engine covered in dust. Bone dry. I don't think
I've ever seen a BMW engine with this many miles on it not leaking oil. GREAT! So the
salesman and I go for a test drive. It seems to drive fine, revs nicely, no clunking from
the transmission. A/C works fine as long as the car is moving. Engine is not overheating.
And I know from experience that most of the dashboard lights are easy to fix. I look the
car over once more and it's got leather seats (in very good condition with no rips or
tears), a power top, automatic transmission, and a CD player. It has some dents, but they
don't bother me. Black with a tan interior. So I start trying to figure out what it's
going to cost me to get it fixed up. I've never investigated Z3's before so i guesstimate
$300 for a new rear window (installed), and then another $1,000 for maintenace (coolant
flush, transmission fluid flush, new fuel filter, oil change, spark plugs, air filter,
new brakes, etc). Most of this stuff I can do myself. I call my wife to check with her
and then buy it.

We pick the car up after dusk and as I drive it home I try to fix some of the dashboard
lights. I press the traction control button a few times and get that light to turn off,
and after a few miles the check engine light turns off!

So far, so good.

We get it home and I hop onto the internet to figure out how to fix the rear window (my
biggest concern because I'd like the car to be waterproof). After some searching I
discover that the window zips out and I can get a new window for $95 shipped. I order my
new window, it arrives, and my wife and I install it in 45 minutes!

The interior, exterior, and engine compartment are covered in a layer of dust, so I start
cleaning. Takes a couple of days, but i get it nice and shiny. I have the coolant
flushed, transmission fluid changed, and fuel filter changed by a local shop.

I take the wheels off and discover new brake discs and pads! The brake pad wear sensor
light is on due to a disconnected sensor. I re-connect the sensor and that warning light
goes away.

I change the spark plugs, air filter, brake fluid, differential fluid, and polish the
headlights. I also decided to get new tires.

After some more internet searching, I discover that the a/c does not work if the
auxillary fan is not blowing. So I check the fuses. Blown aux fan fuse. I replace it and
still no aux fan. I check the wires and they're all torn up. I re-connect the wires and
the aux fan starts working again.

The car was also making a whistling noise and I discovered a hole in the intake boot, so
I changed that out (two intake boots actually).

All of the BMW badges on the car are faded from the sun so I replace them as well.

The door handles / pulls are disconnected from the door panels so I pick up some epoxy
and glue the handles back onto the panels. I also cleaned and recondition the door panels
at this time. And since there is room for two tweeters on the door and my car only has
one tweeter, I added the extra two speakers. The windows were not working, but all they
needed was some grease on their tracks.

On a spirited drive I notice the suspension bottoming out and discovered that the car
needs new shocks, struts, lower control arms, and ball joints. So I ordered the parts.
Bilstein struts for the front, KYB shocks for the rear. I also bought the rear shock
tower reinforcemnt plates. The shocks and struts were pretty easy to put on but I had a
very difficult time replacing the passenger side ball joint. And of course, the car rides
like a dream after installing the new suspension parts.

So what is it like to own and drive a Z3? First off, it's a real sports car. It doesn't
pretend. At first I thought it would be an e36 3 series with it's roof chopped off, but
it's not. It's a real, hariy chested, make a wrong move and you're dead sports car. No
stability control safty net on this baby. You screw up, you pay the consequences sports
car. And I love it!

You may think that only having the smaller 2.5 liter 170hp (or so) engine would make this
car boring. Not at all. You may think that an automatic transmission would make this car
boring. Not the 4 speed. Always hooked up, always ready to go. Put that top down, let the
sun shine in, and you're in another world.

It was my own personal go-kart. It's so small and responsive. One of the best sports cars
I've owned. And a great deal at $3,000.  Sold it for $6,000 to buy my 911, made a $1,000
profit after figuring in the cost of parts. First time I ever sold a car for a profit.

How did I do on my estimating and inspection of the car? I thought it needed new brakes
but it did not, and I missed the hole in the intake boot and the fact the it needed a new
suspension. Other then that I think i got most of it.

The original MSRP on the car was approximatly $40,000. I paid $3,000, which works out to
be a 92.5% drop in price over 13 years (a 1999 model year car purchased in 2012). So the
car held 7.5% of it's value after 13 years.

1999 bmw z3 2.3

$30,520

schwatrz II

black top

tan leather

ASC+T

side airbags

roll over bars

limited slip

auto transmission $975

fog lights $260

on-board computer $300

cruise control $475

cd player $200

alarm $500

premium package $2,000

power top

leather

wood trim

total: $35,230