Sixty8panther

Thanks everyone. I made an analogy to the Bismark with the Mercedes when we bought that but it wet right over Julie's head. I wrote a paper on that doomed ship & its inability to fire its antiaircraft guns below zero degrees to the waterline, which of course is what got it sunk on its "maiden voyage" since enemy aircraft could fly between the water line and the antiaircraft fire. Not Germany's finest moment. ---- So here's the scoop. The car was on Craigslist New Hampshire: The car was bought by its original owner in Virginia. Then in 2004 he moved to New Hampshire & had it retitled there, keeping the title from Virginia since New Hampshire does not require them for cars over 15 years old. At that point (2004) the car had 66,800 miles. He promptly managed to get it stuck in a nasty snowbank & did all the wrong things, resulting in a completely destroyed front, side & rear ground effects. The car is rust super-rust-free but the plastic/ & rubber below the belt line is DESTROYED! Mean time the current owner, a young computer geek living in the sticks of New Hampshire, listed it for sale as being in HAVERHILL. I assumed, as most people that called him, that it was in Haverhill, MASSACHUSETTS... being a large city in Mass.... but in reality it was in Haverhill, NH. Haverhill, Mass is 16 miles away from my house, but Haverhill, NH is 146 miles away from me, so like most people who called this was an unpleasant surprise. Unlike most people who dread driving 146 miles through the White Mountains & past River City Junction, Vermont &almost to Canada.... I thought "Hell yeah, Amelia's first road trip!" The thing is, even though the car's interior was beat to $hit, and the ground effects had chunks of plastic MISSING & cracks running every which way, the car was a good deal at $1250. I can replace all the rubber & plastic of the bumper cover & rocker panel molding in 0.5% of the time it would take to replace or repair rusted body panels. Of course I started negotiating at $800 and we met half-way at exactly $1k. I slapped fifty $20 bills on his kitchen counter & drove off in one of the most solid & fun to drive cars I've ever had the pleasure to own OR drive. I mean this thing handles every bit as well as its legendary reputation makes it out... And although I have driven thousands of cars over the course of my years at all the dealerships, I only ever drove 3-series. This thing i on another PLANE compared to some beat-up high mileage 328i that's about to get traded in on a Tahoe Z71 by a drug dealer. (true story) The leather, door panels, rug & most wearable items are in good shape, on par with the 89,000 miles, but the thing is most anything inside the car that is fastened or clipped in like the blinker stalk, chewed up radio release screws, HV/AC, dome/ map lights & the under dash pad, are loose/broken or need to be re-assembled. It's almost as if the car's first owner (the one from Virginia) was a 6'11" tall basketball player who could not fit inside the car and did a "bull in a china shop" number on it. Either way, my $1000 purchase price, combined w/ another $1000 or so in parts/labor & some of my own time invested, will get us a clean, sharp & well cared for BMW 7-series. As far as how the car is mechanically... well I'll just say 125 feels like 85 in most cars. :AH-HA_wink: ---- BTW Dodgefan: the test drive I gave you was while the in trans was in "Economy Mode".

I'll post the details of the trip & the low-down on the car later, gotta run to Ups.

I was going to say "sharp little MG, what model is it exactly?" So here go my first three guesses: - 1932-ish Aston Martin? - 1935-ish Riley (something post-Broooklands) - 1930s Rover race car of some sort?

Good stuff guys, keep it coming. LoL @ those wild/beautiful/weird Ruxtons. Camino: I'll have to check that out.

The (Chevette) based T1000 was RWD. It's the Citation/Phoenix that were FWD.

RWD sells when it's offered. The consumer DECIDED that with the CTS, 300C, Charger, Mustang etc...

How exactly is the Sixteen starting to look dated??? It's still light years ahead of the DTS, and certainly better looking than the awkward Maybach twins... Even Bentleys look downright late-1990s in style as compared to the Sixteen. I think the Sixteen is one of the three/four most timeless designs of a concept car made in my lifetime. Preaching to the Converted... As far as why GM will not do it? Because it's just too damn effin' logical, GM can't do what makes sense anymore EVER. They'd rather perpetuate mediocrity in 95% of their domestic products & make the stupidest decisions possible. Just like fitting a square peg into a round hole, except GM doesn't even have a BFH to do it with. Not everyone likes AWD. Just because I live in New England does not mean I want it shoved down my throat. just offer it on the higher end models & let the consumer decide.

More like the USA as a whole doing down the drain.

Well.... that you're right about. In the short term. HOWEVER. Building the Sixteen & some world class products to go with it (ZETA & XXL SIGMA!!!) would have given GM many sales and credibility which in turn would brig more sales and eventually it WOULD be a great investment. The SIXTEEN concept if produced, would be car for people who want a modern day equivalent to the pre-war hand built cars that only Royalty & the filthy rich could afford. You can't BUY that kind of advertising! Imagine a Sixteen parked next to a Maybach 62, Bentley or Maserati at the Ritz. Standard of the World would be a f*%$ing FACT again.

About 200,000 young adults a year will be giving GM the cold shoulder as they walk into a Toyota dealership to buy this because they can't afford the Camaro brand new. At least the clueless College girls will keep buying the G5s & Cobalts cause they're "SO CUTE".

Like Metallica says. SBT. What a pathetic time to be an American car enthusiast.

Hey WMJ: Are you sure that's not a spy shot of the upcoming Chinese made 2011 "Aerodynamical Efficient Quoting" by Red Flag Motors?

Ha-haha, yes everyone laugh at the guy who's never owned a BRAND NEW car... poor pathetic broke bastard. Although I DID buy my 1997 Cadillac STS in 2002. That made it a five year old Cadillac, it wasn't CPO but it was closer to a new Cadillac than YOU'VE owned Mr. Base Fusion. What you guys will never understand is how much more fun I have had over the years by owing dozens of cars of quite varied styles & eras, while also being able to drive many of the NEW cars you guys lust after wile working at the dealers I have over my combined 7 or so years in the car business. And what exactly are you trying to prove... that I'm not a millionaire? Yeah, BURN.

I just want to beat my head against a wall. If this is true, then they might as well just wave a white flag and surrender right now. Give out the pink slips and hand over the keys to the Renaissance Center to Toyota. It's like FWD is a diease and GM has a very weak immune system. :angry2: Yeah... that was my line. Truth in adverting.

I;d buy it just to park it in a clean, dry barn for another five decades.

DFelt: You must mean the SkyLARK.....?

Hahahaha..... I brig it upon myself I s'pose. Thanks Guys. :wink: Camino: How's your new ride handle the 411-superhighway?

So here goes. It's Friday, 2pm (got out of work early) By Saturday night I'll be finished moving out of the old place... that means ALL of my $hit has to be gone, the '59 Buick and the rest of the fleet incl. my 69-ish IH Cub Cadet are already at the new place... but I have EPIC amounts of pack ratted crap in the basement to move & he clock is ticking. (you laugh now but someday all those 1950s and 1960s Hot Rod magazines and thousands of car emblems will be worth a king's fortune!) Also, Sunday (the day it will be snowing) I will be taking my first roadtrip of 2009. We'll be headed 146 miles north to almost the Canadian border, cash in hand, and if all goes well, car number 51 in my ever revolving fleet will be a black/black BMW 735iL sedan. This will be Julie's new form of vehicular transport. Wish me luck (I need it!)

I think all the 1961-1962 GM "intermediates" had a touch of that kind of weird and quirky. I find the '61 Buicks to be the best of the bunch, esp. in terms of exterior style.

WMJ: If Armageddon happens and I have to drive to the white mountains I just might take the Roadm0nster over the 'Burb. It's been dead reliable but has a leaky radiator and needs a driver who can EMBRACE the Mad Max-ness of it.

It's been on life support since the late 1970s.

Well said... you just proved MY point. 6.3 liters = 650 horse So why is a HALF scale SCB displacing 3.15 liters for the sake of argument, and putting out 300+ horsepower such a horrible idea? Everyone wins. Packaging, MPG, weight.... Cost would be about the same.