Guys,
I saw 3 coupes for sale on Long Island this weekend. It was a bit of a long drive, particularly due to the holiday traffic. Based on the descriptions of these cars I had already prepared 2 big cashiers checks with me (80% of asking price) plus a big wad of 100's.
But, I don't believe in buying a car without seeing it in person. It's not a question of trust but an issue that words are subjective and my expectations are usually different than the seller's. The cars were inspected at a nice BMW shop called the Little Garage. The owner was most gracious in opening his shop on a holiday weekend so I can see them. BTW, it's a nice shop and the owner is a very decent, honest guy. Based on what I saw, I'd recommend this shop for mechanical work (but I've no direct experience with their work).
Car #1: 1972 3.0CSa
Car #2: 1972 3.0CS
Car #3: 1972 3.0 CSi
Car #1: Pretty car (well all coupes are pretty). Looked all stock to me.
INTERIOR: front seats well worn, with signficant cracking and some tears.
Probably time for new leather. Otherwise, very nice interior.
MECHANICAL: didn't drive it, but based on the records I think it's rock solid.
I also didn't want to burn up the shop owner's entire afternoon as I was
interrupting his weekend with his family.
BODY: This is always the most critical areas for me as major body work is the one thing
I cannot easily do at home. This car has not been restored, although
it has hand some significant and major body work.
RUST: owner was 100% honest about what
I would find. It has new floors/sills and as expected, the underside
was free of rust (AFAI could tell): I only found rust
(1) around the base of the rear window
(2) at the bottom of the outer fenders, just aft of the wheel openings,
(3) passenger door near the front and bottom seams.
CHROME: replacing chrome on any vintage European car can quickly
end up costing you thousands. The chrome on this car was very
good, with at most very very slight pitting on the underside of the
front and rear bumpers. None of it was show quality, but it probably
wasn't that good when it came out of the factory anyway.
PAINT: well, it's very pretty if you don't look carefully. It'll wow all the dad's
at the post office or supermarket. But, to be honest with you, it's not what
I consider good paint work. It's shiny/glossy and all that, but it was trim-on
so it will start flaking around the rubber seals at some point in the future.
Also, paint prep was a bit hasty and there were some areas where you could
see coarse sanding scratches under the top coats. This sort of thing is harder to
see on a Polaris car than a car of a darker color, so it might not bother some
owners. But, I can't accept a job where the paint shop saved $300 by
skipping a guide coat and light blocking with 400 grit. For my purposes,
I'd have to pull all the trim and have the entire exterior repainted.
This would be a good car for someone who wants a nice looking coupe with
no rust in the structurally important areas.
Little Garage
456 West Jericho Turnpike,
Huntington, NY
631-673-1700
I'll post pictures in a followup post.
Reviews of the other cars coming later today.
John
I saw 3 coupes for sale on Long Island this weekend. It was a bit of a long drive, particularly due to the holiday traffic. Based on the descriptions of these cars I had already prepared 2 big cashiers checks with me (80% of asking price) plus a big wad of 100's.
But, I don't believe in buying a car without seeing it in person. It's not a question of trust but an issue that words are subjective and my expectations are usually different than the seller's. The cars were inspected at a nice BMW shop called the Little Garage. The owner was most gracious in opening his shop on a holiday weekend so I can see them. BTW, it's a nice shop and the owner is a very decent, honest guy. Based on what I saw, I'd recommend this shop for mechanical work (but I've no direct experience with their work).
Car #1: 1972 3.0CSa
Car #2: 1972 3.0CS
Car #3: 1972 3.0 CSi
Car #1: Pretty car (well all coupes are pretty). Looked all stock to me.
INTERIOR: front seats well worn, with signficant cracking and some tears.
Probably time for new leather. Otherwise, very nice interior.
MECHANICAL: didn't drive it, but based on the records I think it's rock solid.
I also didn't want to burn up the shop owner's entire afternoon as I was
interrupting his weekend with his family.
BODY: This is always the most critical areas for me as major body work is the one thing
I cannot easily do at home. This car has not been restored, although
it has hand some significant and major body work.
RUST: owner was 100% honest about what
I would find. It has new floors/sills and as expected, the underside
was free of rust (AFAI could tell): I only found rust
(1) around the base of the rear window
(2) at the bottom of the outer fenders, just aft of the wheel openings,
(3) passenger door near the front and bottom seams.
CHROME: replacing chrome on any vintage European car can quickly
end up costing you thousands. The chrome on this car was very
good, with at most very very slight pitting on the underside of the
front and rear bumpers. None of it was show quality, but it probably
wasn't that good when it came out of the factory anyway.
PAINT: well, it's very pretty if you don't look carefully. It'll wow all the dad's
at the post office or supermarket. But, to be honest with you, it's not what
I consider good paint work. It's shiny/glossy and all that, but it was trim-on
so it will start flaking around the rubber seals at some point in the future.
Also, paint prep was a bit hasty and there were some areas where you could
see coarse sanding scratches under the top coats. This sort of thing is harder to
see on a Polaris car than a car of a darker color, so it might not bother some
owners. But, I can't accept a job where the paint shop saved $300 by
skipping a guide coat and light blocking with 400 grit. For my purposes,
I'd have to pull all the trim and have the entire exterior repainted.
This would be a good car for someone who wants a nice looking coupe with
no rust in the structurally important areas.
Little Garage
456 West Jericho Turnpike,
Huntington, NY
631-673-1700
I'll post pictures in a followup post.
Reviews of the other cars coming later today.
John