Yr. Bought

Yr. Sold

Year

Make

Model

Engine

Miles Driven

Buying Price

Money In

Selling Price

Comment

1991

1996

1977

Ford

F-150

V8 351cid Modified

10,000+

$600

At least $1000 in parts, $3000 in gas.

See 1986 Subaru GL station wagon

A glamorous introduction into the world of automobiles. I should write a separate tribute page for this truck.

1992

1993

1979

Mazda

GLC

1.6 I4

1000ish

$300

$20 in oil, $20 in quick pretty-up for sale

$300

A winter car that was too cheap to pass by. This car had excellent gun-shot like back-fires which produced fire balls. The exhaust dripped oil. I would periodically drag race people, knowing that I'd have the last laugh when I closed the throttle, allowing the muffler to ignite the gas-oil charge and frighten the bystanders. The driver's rear seat mounts rusted through the floor. It was like the seat was sprung for comfort. The all-black vinyl interior was not unlike a bowling bag. This car had the worst oversteer problem on loose surfaces I've ever encountered, due to the short wheelbase I suppose. Very slow car.

1993

1995

1975

Ford

F-350 Crew Cab

V8-390

0

$150

$50

$0 (came with intake which I sold for $200)

Neighbor's ex-family vehicle. I bought it for parts, not really knowing what to do with it. I actually got a great dash-pad, headliner, and other odds and ends from it. I also found a Holley 351 carb mated to an Edelbrock Performer intake in the box and sold them. I used the topper on the F-150, gave good Dana 1-ton, good 390, and good crew-cab frame to Hal for free beer when I visit him.

1995

1996

1974

Mazda

RX-4

13B Rotary

0

$200 w/ RX-3

$0

Junked

What a weird car! Parts car, took 13B, other goodies, junked.

1995

1996

1972

Mazda

RX-3

12A Rotary

0

$200 w/ RX-4

$500

Junked

Tired old rally car that just wasn't to see service again. What was I thinking? Got a Webber and side-draft intake outta the deal. Sold carb, tires, etc to break even. Almost.

1995

1995

1979

Volkswagen

Rabbit

I4 - 1.8L

4

$75

$15

$150

Bought this on a whim for $75 with busted timing belt. I bought one, replaced it, and the car ran. Sold to some weirdo. They wanted to sue me because it quit three days later. Hey, $150! If you want a good car, you have to pay for one.

1995

1996

1991

Chevy

S10

2.5L I4 "Iron Duke" TBI

2000

$250

$0

$1,200

Most basic transportation I've ever seen. Previous owner worked at mineral plant, i.e., oxidation was intense. $400. I could catch rubber in second. Flipped once by accident, broke mirror. Hit dear, totaled, insurance reimbursement $1200. Good experience.

1996

1997

1986

Subaru

GL Wagon

1.8L H4

35,000

Traded 1977 Ford plus Kawasaki plus $500

$200

$350

Beat this car into the ground and it came back for more. One time I had entire crowds of drunken old-car-show yahoos screaming "SUBEY" to gratuitous flywheel-born tire-squeal. At same cruise/show I got a punk in Fiero pulled over because he tried to answer my Subaru's tire squeal with his own. Of course his car was louder. And more obvious. So he was ticketed. Ha ha!

1996

1996

1989

Kawasaki

KZ650sr

I4-650cc

2000

$900

$0

Trade on Subaru

An interesting bike. Wasn't very comfortable or fast, but nice. Paid too much.

1997

2000

1979

Yamaha

Maxim 750

I4-750cc

2000

$500

$250

$300

A decent motorbike for commuting and such. Faster than Kawasaki, a little nicer. Not a bad beater. Ended up passing to two other friends, and eventually was sold for $750.

1997

2000

1989

Mazda

MX-6 GT 4ws

2.2L I4 Turbo

40,000

$3,000

$400 in struts

$1,000

Nice car. So fast and comfortable. Running well when I sold it with 160k miles on the ticker.

1997

2000

1991

Pontiac

Sunbird LE

2.0L 4

30,000

$4,000

~$2000

Exploded in Stanley, WI

This car was ok to drive. Always had a wobble in the wheels. Tranny was nice, everything else wasn't. I can't believe it threw a rod in the middle of nowheresville Wisconsin. A golf-ball could have passed through the hole. I almost stranded friend/driver as I was not the unlucky pilot. Luckily I have decent mirror habits and noticed his SOS in the form of a giant cloud of smoke. Funny thing is it was running so well the weeks prior.

1999

2005

1996

Subaru

Legacy Lsi

2.5L H4

70,000

$15,900

Thousands

$3400

The nicest car yet. LSi is a lot like a GT. DOHC 155hp, leather, other odds and ends. Pretty much a new car.  UPDATE: I hated this car.  It blew a head gasket with 103k on the clock.  Never another Subie from Elkhart, IN.

1999

1999

1995

Audi

90S

2.8 V6

500

$10,000

$0

Insurance reimbursement $16,300

Great car. Black. Pretty. Teenaged girl in a cavalier lost control of the rouge j-body during a snow-storm, shortly after I had teased her about her gratuitous "barbie" image (rouge car and all). The Audi t-boned the Cavilier. The German tank quickly demolished her car. It then weakly shuddered to the shoulder of the road, without any loss of control. There it wheezed a little, leaked some anti-freeze, and died. Not unlike a soldier who had jumped on a grenade. Unfortunately, it was a total loss. Probably nicer than the 1996 Legacy.

2000

2001

1984

Subaru

GL Sedan

1.8L H4

2000

$1,100

$0

$300

What a junk heap. Bought it erroneously with bad carb. Heat didn't work. Monkeyed with t-stat to try and fix heat. Instead I blew a head gasket. Drove car with bad gasket for about one month. Each morning I would sit and shiver as I waited for the exhaust to stop billowing steam (engine swelled to reseal itself). Finally got so bad that I became a hazard on the highway with my perpetual smoke-screen. Rhu-rho scooby.

2001

2004

1990

Mazda

626 LX

2.2L I4

10,000+

$3,000

$0

$500

This car has been very good. It was a Georgia rust free car with 120,000 on the clock when purchased. Nice options, working air. This was exactly what I needed to get to work after the junk Subaru started to fog the highway too badly.  It wore out.

2005

2007

2002

Honda

Accord EX

2.3 F23A4 SOHC VTEC

24,000

$14,700

$540 – snow tires

$8500

Bought the first 5-speed Accord I drove.  Wish I would have been more patient and found a non-ULEV model, but hey, I still love the thing.  VTEC is a wonderful invention.  This is a 6th generation Accord.  Upon selling, the car was pretty beat up, with scratches at all corners and a bad case of clutch chatter.  I decided Accords just aren’t made for people like me.  You shouldn’t have bad clutch chatter with 59k miles on the clock.  Also, the throw on the dogbox was like that of a bus.  And the steering wheel was thin and large in diameter, like a bus.  I didn’t love this car.

2006

Present

1983

Alfa Romeo

Spider Veloce

2.0L

N/A

$1625

:(

N/A

I bought this car from a friend.  It needs lots of little things, but it’s a really cool car.  I think this may be the beginning of a long term relationship with Italian cars.

2007

Present

2005

Infiniti

G35

3.5L

N/A

$25,900

N/A

N/A

Such a beautiful, black car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOTALS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alfa Romeo

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chevy

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ford

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honda

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Infiniti

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kawasaki

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mazda

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pontiac

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subaru

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VW

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yamaha

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audi

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19