87's Garage

[EiGhTySeVeN]

very sad story indeed.

Now that made me laugh

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Martin took a lot of pictures during the trip and I found his online album. Here are a few that I'll add to the story of the van:

My last picture with the van

He also took a few pics of the van in the warehouse. Shared some room with a Ferrari, Jag E-type, tri 5 chevy nomad, and a Lotus Europa

[Ringo64]

Looks like he's happy with it.

Wonder how much it is to ship it back to Europe?

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Looks like he's happy with it.

Wonder how much it is to ship it back to Europe?

It was $1075. That was shipping, then there's importation fees and taxes and stuff. You basically get a container and you put your vehicle in it. Honestly I don't think shipping is that bad

[Ringo64]

It was $1075. That was shipping, then there's importation fees and taxes and stuff. You basically get a container and you put your vehicle in it. Honestly I don't think shipping is that bad

That's not too bad. The fees are probably a couple hundred on that. Probably somewhere around $2,500 with it in his garage in Europe.

[havoc1482]

Sad to see it go, but take pride in the fact it was well taken care of and will go onto a loving owner!

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Martin has sent me pics of the van in the Netherlands. Passed the road inspection, and of course he had to take a pic of the van with a windmill:

And since it's snowing out and I have nothing to do, I'll upload some pics I took in the fall:

I used one of the variations of this pic for my calendar sub

And the 76 Formula

When it comes to second gen birds, even with the 74 I had, I'm an ass man

Nova!

And where the Nova will be hibernating this winter

And closing thoughts

Fall is pretty much the only good time in Syracuse. I love the colors. But I hate everything else about NY. Plans are to sell everything in the spring or summer and move to either SC or Georgia. I love driving the 76 bird and 79 Camaro. Never thought I'd enjoy driving stick, but now I don't think I could have a classic fun toy that isn't stick. Even driving the 99 gets kind of boring without shifting gears.

[Ringo64]

Of course there's a windmill

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Alright how about some updates?
On November 11 I bought a 07 Mitsbushi Galant SE. I was at work the night before and my brother sent me a link to it on craigslist. I won't mention any numbers, but I figured I could make 50% on it. So I called the guy, sounded good and asked if I could come out and see it first thing in the morning. Early bird gets the worm. Long story short I bought it. I bought a used tail light for it, 2 headlight bulbs, and some floor mats (floor mats were out of the clearance section at advanced auto). I also had to air up the normal tire and replace the donut on the car with the aired up tire. My brother and I cleaned and detailed this car for a good 2 or 3 days. It was a good car, with low miles at 57k.

Probably the weirdest sale I've had. My work is going through a big restructuring. So I had to bid on my new position. I put in about 113 bids, and this was right after I got home from work at midnight. I didn't finish til about 5am. So I go to bed, and right as I'm about to fall asleep I get a text. Basically said he was interested in the Galant. But the area code was in Texas. I told him I had it, but that I noticed his number was from Texas and I was a far ways away from Texas. I thought it was a scam. He told me that while yes, his number was from TX, he was sitting in my local airport, just moved here right off the plane, and was going to live in Watertown, about an hour north. He wanted to start his new life here in NY by buying a car right off the plane in Syracuse, drive an hour north, and live there. Didn't really know what to think about that, but figured if he showed up and wanted my car, then sure, I'll give it a shot. But he wanted to see it right then and there. I told him there was no way I was going to show him the car at 5am, and told him he'd have to wait til about noon. He agreed, but told me he was going to drive to Watertown for a little while, then drive back. Figuring that'd be a waste of time, I told him to go find a breakfast joint and I'd meet him in 2 hours. I needed some sleep. So he called me 2 hours later, came and saw the car, liked it and made an offer. I however wouldn't budge on the price. He was paying my asking price or he wasn't getting the car. So he bought it. I had used some of the money from the van sale to purchase the Galant. I wanted to keep the money from the van sale aside for a house, but figured a quick easy flip was ok.

So now to current day. The 99 Firebird is my winter rat. I bought it as a replacement to the 74 Firebird, which I was going to use as a winter rat. The 74 Firebird was a replacement for the 76 Olds. Now the 99 hasn't been running too well. It's going through coolant like crazy. Fill it up Monday, it's empty by Sunday. So on Sunday I was supposed to wake up at 9 to help my buddy work on his TDI on my lift. Needless to say I overslept. So while my buddy was using my lift to work on his car, I woke up around 1, quarter after, went out to my bird and popped the hood. Of course it was low on coolant so I topped it off, then decided I'd check the oil. I started pulling the dipstick out and as soon as I saw white my stomach turned. I put the dipstick back, closed the hood and went into the house to go on craigslist to find the bird's replacement. Found a decent looking ad, stopped down at my garage to update my buddy on the status of the Firebird and then went to go see the promising looking vehicle I found in the ad. Probably my most half-assed purchase. Looked it over for about a minute, drove it 15 feet, backed it back up the driveway, stepped out of it and told the seller I'd take it. No negotiations, no trying to talk him down, just bought it on the spot. Looking back I know I could have gotten the price lower, but after losing my beloved 99 bird I didn't care. Besides, the vehicle was already a good deal. I went back out this morning and got it. I switched the plates from the Firebird to my new wheels. I figured I blew a headgasket in the bird. I've been getting a lot of smoke out of the exhaust, but because of the nonstop frigid temperatures every vehicle's exhaust fumes are visible. I just didn't realize that I had a little bit more fumes. I could also smell burnt coolant when getting out of the car after driving it. So I basically figured, blown headgasket. But this morning my dad did a little research and found that the 95-99 3800 series 2 engines are known for bad upper intake manifolds. My other 3 3.8's didn't fall in this year range, so I was unaware of this issue. So today I bought a new upper intake manifold. I was going to give my brother half of what a garage would charge to do my headgasket, so now I'll just toss him some money to do the intake manifold. Get that fixed, get it sold, and even with the repairs, I should be able to make a little money on it. Definitely won't be the last 98-02 Firebird I own. Ever since I was a kid I've really wanted a black 98-02 Firebird. And I was going to be happy with either the 3.8 or 5.7.

Now to my newest vehicle. I don't have a good pic of it, so I'm tempted to just wait on posting a pic. But I'll just spill the beans.


2000 Ford Ranger XLT. Now I'm not the biggest fan of these, but I just couldn't pass on it. Usually when you see these around they have a lot of miles and are so rusted they fall apart. My dads had a few and he hated them. But the guy I bought it from bought it 12 years ago, never drove it in the winter, and bought it with 22k on it. It now has 50k on it. Actually as I drove it home it turned 50,200. And this thing is mint. No rust whatsoever. It's like new. Helps that the price was very low for the truck itself. Lower than what I bought the 99 bird for. And I don't know why, but I'm already in love with this thing. I'll get better pics when we aren't getting buried in snow here in NY

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Got this from Advanced Auto. Ordered it yday and they said it'd arrive Friday, and yet it came in next day

Upper intake manifold. Hopefully the issue is this and not the headgasket

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Got a better pic of the Ranger

Also got floormats for the Ranger while I was at Advanced Auto picking up the intake manifold

[killerspeed101]

the issues are the lower intake manifold gskets on s2 3800's gm used plastic and it got weak over time and then broke, im almost willing to put money on that being your issue, every 3800 has that failure

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Have an update

So the last time I updated this the 99 was down. Turns out the intake manifold I bought and the one that Advanced Auto had as being a replacement item didn't fit the Bird at all. It was way too tall. So I brought it back and just bought the gaskets. Dalton you're right, those intake manifolds do fail, however I'm not sure if the transverse engines use the same as the Firebirds and Camaros. So anyways I trailered the 99 over to my mechanic and he replaced the gaskets. I felt really confident in his work because he seemed to know what the problem was. So once he was done I trailered it home, hand washed it (hose was frozen) in my garage at 2am, and threw it on Craigslist. Sold very easily. Even after buying the car itself, buying a new window motor, putting new rotors and pads on the rear, driving it for 6 months, 2 of those months through salt, ice and snow, and having the gaskets replaced, I still made a nice little profit.

Looking back on the car I have a few thoughts. First is, hands down it was no doubt the best looking car I have ever had. But that's pretty much where it ends. Other than the exterior looks it was kind of a disappointment. The only really good part about the car was when you weren't in it, but standing like 10-15 feet away just looking at it. The interior was extremely cheap feeling, way more than either of my grand prix's. It felt like my buddy's old Sunfire. And bringing that up, one time I parked next to a black Sunfire and I was shocked and disgusted that at a glance they were way too similar. I even started walking to the Sunfire when I was about to leave. T tops were cool, but not enough to the point where if my next F body doesn't have them it's a deal breaker. And the power was absolutely awful. Even though it was rated at 200 and my Grand Prix was rated at like 190, that Grand Prix would no doubt smoke that Firebird. I couldn't easily access the engine since it was stuffed under the windshield, hence me just saying screw it and bringing it to my mechanic. Only way I'd want to own another V6 Firebird is if it's a 5 speed, hopefully that would help the feel of the car. And of course I'd take an LS1 Firebird anyday.

When the manifold gasket blew I actually considered just doing an engine swap. The body on the car was great and only had 84k miles. I even asked my brother if he'd consider either 1) swapping in a 5.3 or 6.0 LS with a little snail power, 2) 2JZ swap (why not?) or 3) just fixing the gasket and selling it. He chose 3, and then got an internship at Audi so never even did the gasket.

This definitely isn't the last 98-02 Firebird I'll own. And at least I still have 2 other F-body's

One of the last pics I took of the car

[Ringo64]

Yeah, those V6's don't have much power to them especially with the weight of those Fbodys. Definitely agree it is a great looking car though

[Guitarsextreme]

Sweet rides!!

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Sweet rides!!

Thanks, appreciate it

In other news, I'm in contact with a seller of a Pontiac. Hopefully go see it ASAP, but it's looking like the weekend. Pontiac #5?

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Time for an update. It's spring so I'd like to do a little spring cleaning in the garage. Everything other than the Ranger and maybe the Yamaha should go. So before I even sold any of my vehicles I ended up with another one.

My brother was working in the garage down the street when my elderly neighbor approached him asking if he'd be interested in buying her car. She's in her mid to late 80's and has decided she will no longer drive. She drove a 1996 Buick Century Custom. She bought it brand new in 96, paid cash, and had original paperwork such as the copy of the receipt for the purchase of the Buick along with the original window sticker. Only had 50k miles on it, great shape, and she wanted $1000. My brother didn't have the money so he asked if I would be interested in buying it. I figured I could make a quick little profit so I bought it, washed it then threw it on craigslist. Sold less than 24hrs later. $2500.

So after I sold the Buick I only had one of my vehicles on craigslist, and that was the Camaro. The Nova was still in storage, and the Firebird was legally on the road but I hadn't tried to start it yet from sitting all winter. Day after I sold the Buick I had a guy come look at the Camaro. He drove it, liked it, but thought it was a little much for him power wise, and he wanted more of a project. I told him my Camaro had the most power of my 3 classic cars, the Firebird was more mild and the Nova even less than the Firebird. As soon as he heard the word Nova his eyes lit up. He immediately asked to see the Nova. It was stored up the street from house in the drive-in basement of our neighbors. But it was easter and I really didn't want to bother them, so I checked with the residents of the house to make sure it was ok with them if I went and looked at my car. They said no problem. I warned the potential buyer, we are not starting the car, we are not moving the car. I didn't want to disturb the people upstairs. Just look and if he was interested in it he could come back later in the week or whenever. He looked it over and fell in love with it. Without ever hearing it run he started negotiating. Now since the car wasn't out of storage and wasn't actually for sale yet I just threw out a number. And we came to agreement. I just kept saying, wow I can't believe I just sold my nova. I told him he could come back tomorrow after I charged up the battery and everything. He wanted it right then so he hooked up the battery and we pushed it out into the yard. Started right up as if I had parked it yesterday. He drove it into the street, went for a ride around the block, then we did the deal. From there, after sitting for 6 months and the only thing done to the Nova was hooking up the battery he drove it to his fathers house. The next day he changed the oil and then drove it an hour and a half north home. I was amazed the car did so well after sitting for 6 months. It really was a great car.

So I still had the Camaro. So I had another guy come and look at it. By this time I had gotten the Firebird started after sitting all winter, but I had not made an ad for it yet on craigslist. As soon as he walked into the garage he walked right past the Camaro and right to the firebird. Took it for a test drive and bought it on the spot. After he left I still had the car for another day til I delivered it to him, so I just jumped in and started driving. Went onto the highway and just cruised south. I don't know the gearing in that car but man, that was hands down the best driving car I've ever had. The 400 was surprisingly powerful, especially for being stock from 76. The 4 speed was so damn fun, and the gears in the rear made it great for highway cruising. In fourth I could just cruise on the highway, but give it just a little throttle and it'll jump up to 80 like its nothing.

So that's it for now. The Camaro is still up for sale but I also put I might trade in the ad. I also made an ad for the yellow Harley and the rv. I've been getting a lot of interesting trades for either the Harley or the Camaro. Lifted chevy trucks, a 79 Camaro, a gun, a snowmobile, a Honda 4 wheeler, a Lincoln MKZ, a Yamaha Vstar, a 96 Yamaha sportbike, a Yamaha R6, fishtanks, a generator, a Buick Roadmaster, a 03 Saab and a ton of other stuff. Only decent offers have been a 70 Monte Carlo w/ a 355, Super T10 4spd, rollbar, and a 99 Wrangler with a bunch of extras. I looked at the Jeep today, but the frame was rusted right through on the body mount, so I passed on it. Hopefully I sell more stuff so I can buy my next toy, a house

[EiGhTySeVeN]

I've got another update. I sold the yellow Harley and I sold the RV. I've also bought another vehicle to use as a daily driver and I'll just sell the Ranger. Give me a few days to upload a pic of the new ride. I'm betting you'll like it

[EiGhTySeVeN]

Went from the W-body, to the F-body, and now my Vette

[Ringo64]

Vette!? This guy is moving up in the world

[Ghost]

how many cars have you gone thru? more than Mark?

[Ringo64]

how many cars have you gone thru? more than Mark?

Definitely 87 has had more cars. He goes through what Mark's had in his lifetime in a year

[Ghost]

Mark has gotta step it up! and yes, that is a great car.

[Ringo64]

Mark has some catching up to do!

[EiGhTySeVeN]

The vette is my 29th vehicle. But in that count I've counted my motorcycles and rvs. I've also counted cars that I owned, but only for a few days before I flipped them. However I've sold cars for my friends and bought cars for my friends and I didn't count those. Just my own personal cars that I drive and register and all that, vette is around #15