79 Seville at Mecum Indy

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

And hopefully, another $10k in mechanical will wrap it up.  If I do paint, then an additional $35 - 40k on top of the $10k

Maybe I misinterpreted but it sounded like you're in the car at $64K. That video- 10 minutes was all I could take of that woodchuck's BS sales hype.   

[scotth3886]

Maybe I misinterpreted but it sounded like you're in the car at $64K. That video- 10 minutes was all I could take of that woodchuck's BS sales hype.

That's good.  Yep, dripping with hyperbole. 

I'd say $60 - 65k is about right.   Paint looks great in the vid, but has issues on every panel.  If I do paint, then add $35 - 40k.

It would have been much cheaper, realizing what I had when the car got here, is to eat the $34k and just part it out.  The car deserves better than that though. 

I have a drawer full of receipts and haven't added them up yet, but will someday. 

[chrisntam]

The cost of a car restoration gets ugly fairly quickly.

I feel your pain. I'm in the 40s for my '70 convertible and have done nearly all the work myself.   It's all good though, I enjoy it and I'm able to afford it.

Life is about having fun while we can, we can't take the money or the cars with us when we go, but we can enjoy our experiences and relationships they facilitate.

[scotth3886]

The cost of a car restoration gets ugly fairly quickly.

I feel your pain. I'm in the 40s for my '70 convertible and have done nearly all the work myself.   It's all good though, I enjoy it and I'm able to afford it.

Life is about having fun while we can, we can't take the money or the cars with us when we go, but we can enjoy our experiences and relationships they facilitate.

I'm in a geezer retirement community as I am a certified geezer.  Although we have separate houses and garages, we have a HOA.  CC&Rs specifically prohibit what I do frequently. I'm pretty dependent on hiring most of the work out.  I still do plenty here when neighbors are out of town.   I feel I owe it to the car and the hobby to bring this back to what it's supposed to be.  Plus, I have much fun with the pimp comments and of course cruise ship, mafia, funeral director, etc.

It's the weekend and beautiful weather so I'm ready

[James Landi]

Scott-- I'm with you on all of this.   Your beautiful car is an important piece of rolling mechanical excellence, design, and visual execution.   Chipping away at those confounding issues and the expense has to never overtake your joy and satisfaction, and, yes, pride in ownship of such a stately and lovely automobile.  James

[scotth3886]

Scott-- I'm with you on all of this.   Your beautiful car is an important piece of rolling mechanical excellence, design, and visual execution.   Chipping away at those confounding issues and the expense has to never overtake your joy and satisfaction, and, yes, pride in ownship of such a stately and lovely automobile.  James

Thank you!!!

In spite of the issues, I've made a bunch of progress over the year, but I still can't figure out why my booty is hanging so far out into the aisle at Der Dutchman Thursday night.

Sumthin' the matter here.  Is it finally time for Jennie Craig?

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

I have a drawer full of receipts and haven't added them up yet, but will someday.

When you do make sure to do it in the parking lot of your favorite local tavern. 

[scotth3886]

When you do make sure to do it in the parking lot of your favorite local tavern. 

When this happens, I'll get to the point where I really don't want to know. 

[scotth3886]

First, things went silent when my wire cleared and Bob Adams would neither take my call or return it.  Books and records were removed from the car.  Seller stated that he had title in hand.  He did not so took me a way long time to get the title.  The estate of the deceased still had it.  Refused to provide me name of previous owner, but forgot to remove the oil change sticker from the tint band of the windshield.  That was the mechanic.  He was most helpful.

EVERYTHING leaked.  Peeps say that once you start driving an old car, things will leak. True.  However, the driver for Horseless Carriage called from the road the first time he unloaded the car to move things around to ask me if I had looked at the car before I bought it.  He said it was leaking from everywhere, plus there were some bodywork aspects that I wouldn't be happy with.  Everything from the block forward leaked so that meant water pump, fuel pump, timing gear and chain, oil pump, valve cover and oil pan gaskets, all gaskets.  Everything original under there including the rubber fuel lines which snapped like a pretzel.  Mechanic said the clamps looked like radiator hoses were original and radiator never flushed, which I believe, but impossible on the radiator hoses, but they were the original one-use spring clamps.  Gas sending unit gasket leaked so strong smell of gas and it wasn't me for a change.  Tranny output shaft because bushing was torn up enough that it tore the seal out because of bad cv joints.  Steering coupler almost torn in half on the bottom.  Steering gear box leaked

Had a bad exhaust leak (notice that Bob Adams spends all of a 1/4 sec letting the buyer hear the engine) so I thought exhaust manifold gaskets, but nope it was a cracked heat crossover in the intake.  Couldn't get it stopped so got a couple pair of the crossover block off gaskets and a new intake to get it stopped.

Had a terrible time getting it to idle the way a Cadillac should.  Still dealing with the higher speed harmonic vibration and  we've done everything we could with cv joints, drive shaft etc., so ready to do pinion bearing next week along with steering box/coupler and badly leaking rear main seal.

He claims the A/C blows ice cold.  True, if freezing is 58 degrees.   Still sorting through climate control issues.  Hopefully, it's just the blend door vacuum pan.  We converted back to R12 and pressure look fine, but everything is original to the car.

Power windows mostly work.  He did not demo the vents for a reason.  Regulator gears were stripped.  Clock works, but can't be set.  Radio works, but can't be tuned.

"Arrow straight body work".  Notice that he doesn't shoot down the side of the car when it was up on his lift as he generally does.  Why Bobby, is there something you didn't want me to see?   You can guess why, and if not, see pics below.  Hard to see in pics of course, but far from straight. 

Paint was glossy, but had many 'mini' repairs spots shot and poorly done.  When it was painted nothing was removed and just masked over.  Ever the hood badge was masked and that would have been far quicker to just removed it.  In the right quarter over the fender skirt you see where a 'Morgan Knocker' was used to pull a dent out.   It's going to cost me $35 - 40k to get that all straightened out to my standard, and that is to a concours level show car.  Too bad I won't live long enough to see it completed.

Good things are that is the original vinyl top (don't know how that happened in Scottsdale on a triple black car and the car has no signs of any previous rust.  Oil was changed and the inside of the engine was very clean.  Brakes are very good. 

Many other issues too, so it's been very expensive post sale, but it's a stately looking car and attracts huge attention. 

The only item disclosed was the non-working cruise control.  Everything else was covered up and avoided in description and video.  Disclose and I'll deal with it or pass on the car.  If someone doesn't disclose and actively hides the issues in these days of social media, I'll haunt him for a very long time. 

Edit:  And another big one that I've been fighting with since I've had the car is a harmonic vibration at freeway speeds.  I've had the driveshaft at the driveshaft shop three times now as whatever is causing this tore up the tailshaft bushing and seal.  We've done balance, centering kits and cv joints multiple times so next week, pinion bearing.  And yes, we did axle bearings shortly after the car got here.  If that doesn't work, then tranny is next.

Btw, this dealer has renamed himself from Classic Car Investment LLC to The Used Car Club. 

[James Landi]

Scott,

YOu're certainly more than justified in posting notices about this guy on the internet.  A decent human being would have connected with you and refunded some money to you.  I've sold four cars on Ebay, and I returned a couple of thousand  to two men who were clearly disappointed even though in all cases, I had my prospects engage with the service departments at Cadillac. This guy should suffer future consequences for misrepresenting the car as he knowingly did.   At best, he should be working as a clerk in a store where prices are fixed and it's cash and carry... 

[scotth3886]

Scott,

YOu're certainly more than justified in posting notices about this guy on the internet.  A decent human being would have connected with you and refunded some money to you.  I've sold four cars on Ebay, and I returned a couple of thousand  to two men who were clearly disappointed even though in all cases, I had my prospects engage with the service departments at Cadillac. This guy should suffer future consequences for misrepresenting the car as he knowingly did.   At best, he should be working as a clerk in a store where prices are fixed and it's cash and carry...

I won't name names, but a couple of guys who are pretty well known CLC members and active here have connected with me on FB and also had stories to tell. 

"his guy should suffer future consequences for misrepresenting the car as he knowingly did"

I could have easily not been here.  He wasn't doing much then as this was the 2nd month of Covid.  You think he'd do even a rudimentary quickie safety inspection.  Look at the rag joint.  Almost torn in half.