Sunday, September 09, 2007 - 04:57 pm, by: Ben Kelly(Ace)
Well i have this little problem, i LOVE my baby, she be dated and scratched but i dont want to sell her..but ive seen so many people with their 'project' selling cars for less than the money they put it. Well as my 31 is the best ride of my life ive decided to go all out, sure i want champagne on a beer budget but hey..coming up :replacing all airbags, respray, exhaust etc. problem is im terminally broke. Am i crazy or does no car come close to the ride and feel of a 31? is it worth putting in say another 10k to see this uninsured beast in full glory? hmm or maybe a 71 corvette. I suppose my real question is: is this thing going to be worth it in the long run? and is there a 20-30k car that has the same quality of build and ride?
Monday, September 10, 2007 - 03:39 pm, by: Callum Finch(Sigeneat)
I doubt you will see any climb in the market for Soarers in the near future. They are still being imported by the truck loads (trucks, on boats, on the water.. DUH!)
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 09:22 am, by: Shaun Stephenson(Neonasty)
You will never see the money you put into the Soarer. Dont think of it as an investment. With fuel prices, TT and V8s arnt popular. Plus the massive influx of Soarers in recent years.
If you love the car, and dont plan in selling it anytime soon, Sure, go for it. Spend the money and do it right. You will have a car that makes you happy.
Isnt that what really matters? Unless your buying a house.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 04:56 pm, by: Kelvin Garvey(Radikl)
Hi Ben, If you think a Soarer is expensive to maintain then you will be horrified at the prices for a 71 Corvette. This series of Corvette had very poor build quality especially in the body area. I know as I have both a 69 Corvette and a 94 Soarer. A Corvette is a massive money pit for little return. Your original investment will be around $30,000 for one in reasonably good condition. There are very few really good repairers around to work on these and it is easy to get seriously burned buying one. Once again I speak from experience. Keep your Soarer and spend the money, it is peanuts compared to what a Corvette will drain out of your pockets. Kelvin
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 06:46 pm, by: Ben Kelly(Ace)
Kelvin, what a great answer. Y'see i wasnt planning on selling my soarer but i was thinking that over the long haul a classic might be cheaper to maintain (i was thinkin along the lines of simpler electronics, metal rather than brittle plastic etc - this is the reason that years ago i decided against a porsche 929). But now that i see the other side of the equation i will stick with the soarer. Thanks again.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 07:13 am, by: Matthew Sharpe(Madmatt)
Hmm, well I've never owned anything approaching a 'vette, but all my classic cars were money pits, no matter how many parts I replaced and how much time I spent on the weekend, something ALWAYS needed fixing, and it was very rare for them to be running 100% right for more than a few days.
Having said that, even Japanese cars get old - you can't expect any car thats 10 years or older not to start to cost money to maintain.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 03:14 pm, by: Vinh Bui(Hyudsjk)
Ben, with the UZZ31 models (airbag suspension, EMV centre console, heated seats, etc.) - they are often prone to failure and could be expensive to maintain in the long run.
For example - a set of new struts will set you back $880 for EACH strut from Toyota.
EMV's are just a pain in the arse to deal with, especially after losing Mark. I believe Damian Ware could help in regards to these though, but don't take my word on it.
Blinky dashes aren't super hard to fix. Could go for a colour upgrade too once you while you're at it.
Engines are bulletproof so you won't have to worry about that if you take care of it properly. (i.e. oil changes every 5000KM, timing belts changed at the correct intervals, etc.)
And then there's all the other bits of plastic and whatnot that will break due to wear and tear. That's just the way it is with a 15 year old car though I suppose.. ?
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 05:55 pm, by: Peter Burrett(Burrett)
Vinh, you're right, but if you DO want money pits, let me tell you of a few I've owned....TR4, engine rebuild at 50,000 miles, Lancia Vignale convertible, blew a different fuse on every long journey, Jensen 541 (next best car to a Soarer IMHO), never let me down till I blew a core plug on the M1 having just thrashed a MB500 (my fault, I guess, up around 190 KPH for tooooo long), then a long period that I describe as "dementia yagua" which is started by believing that Sir William Lyons is still alive, and that he will fix any unexpected problems for you FREE...first, an XJS, which was a delight to drive when it wasn't broken...this was the BIGGEST moneypit of all my life...an XK 150, which I managed to on-sell after about ten years to a retired Qantas pilot who restored it (unfaithfully)....while I had it I had to replace 2 clutch master cylinders, the entire steering rack assembly, including capturing the last pinion in captivity from the UK, and I only drove it from Sydney to Canberra!... then the disease got worse, I bought a V12 E-type tintop, massive torque, very low reliability, and a MKII 3.8 sedan, which I sent to my mate's workshop (in which I had a sleeping partner's interest) for the replacement of a clutch hydraulic line. Next time we spoke he asked me if I knew that the crankshaft was out of alignment by 50 thou, and he'd fixed the problem with the Moss gearbox (inadequate detente spring loading to avoid engaging reverse, when you thought you had first).....
so far my Soarer escapades have been largely predictable, apart from a brake master cylinder failure that seems to have been caused by contamination prior to my ownership.....I think what I'm saying is that the cheapest car you will ever own is the one you have NOW, and which you have properly maintained....and don't buy US poop
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 08:02 pm, by: Ben Kelly(Ace)
Ha peter you're a funny guy, glad to see your over the uk car phase (esp 12cyl jags!). I once almost bought an XJS HE, but fortunately suspicions were raised when the seller couldnt start it for me (not for want of trying). A mate of mine was pulling apart an old jag and was suprised to discover hemp used somewhere in the drive train! now that's modern technology (if you are a pirate in the 19th century). or plumber, more accurately.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 11:19 pm, by: Rod Iseppi(Rod)
just fix her up real nice, then over the next 15 years collect all the parts that will need replacing again in another 15 years and she could last another 30 years...
Dave Billings TryHard Louisiana SC 300, Manual Transmission
Previous
