Car thread

[OutofFoil]

Take a picture of one of the not broken hooks and a picture of the busted one and post them here. I'm sure there's someone on here that might be able to help if not me. If not, call the local junkyard to find a wrecked one. Get the part much cheaper that way, at least here in the States. Not sure how it works there, but please let me know as that will soon be useful information.

[Shyster]

One of my cars is a 2002 Mercedes C230 Kompressor Sport Coupe. It's basically a glorified hatchback…

I take offense at your intimation that hatchback status is not already glorious.

[dodint]

Pelican Parts. Not sure about their Merc section but the BMW section is stout. http://www.pelicanparts.com/Mercedes-Benz/index-SC.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't know what the Merc version of http://www.realoem.com/bmw/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is, but if you have a BMW and need a parts diagram realoem is an amazing resource. It's basically the Mobile Traditions catalog online.

One of my cars is a 2002 Mercedes C230 Kompressor Sport Coupe. It's basically a glorified hatchback…

I take offense at your intimation that hatchback status is not already glorious.

He has to self-deprecate to preempt the "Humblebrag" crowd. As soon as you say a non-VW German car brand you have to brace for the flood.

[OutofFoil]

Well said dod. I say I owned a 911 and bam I'm an elitist. It was a 76, nothing expensive about it except maintaining it. And Pelican is a great resource, I'm sure it would be similar with Merc's.

[dodint]

That's a cool car anyway. Did you ever see that documentary ride along thing where they drove all the different gens of the 911 in order? It was really cool, I forget who did it. It was really low key, now a shouty /DRIVE or Top Gear thing. I sent it to a friend of mine that has a 914, I'll see if I can dig it up. I like BMWs and the BMWCCA, but the PCA folks have been amazing in our co-located events and I'm starting to lean over the fence and peek at the greener grass.

50 Years of the 911 on Velocity. I caught it on TV but it's available on Youtube as a $2 rental.

[youtube][/youtube]

[mac5155]

I drive a VW. It was made in Mexico though

[dodint]

Doesn't count. You can't humblebrag in a Peoples Car.

[OutofFoil]

If it has a W12 in it you can.

[Shyster]

I recall either Car and Driver or Automobile a few months ago did an article on the 2004–2006 Volkswagen Phaeton as a sleeper collector car. The platform the Phaeton uses is the same platform WV uses for the Bentley Continental GT and Bentley Continental Flying Spur, and the W-12 engine that was optional in the Phaeton is also shared with the Bentleys (although the WV version is NA while the Bentley engines have twin turbos). They're pretty cheap if you can find one, and they come with a ton of whiz-bang features, although I want to say the article also warned they can be really spendy to repair.

[JS©]

I recall either Car and Driver or Automobile a few months ago did an article on the 2004–2006 Volkswagen Phaeton as a sleeper collector car. The platform the Phaeton uses is the same platform WV uses for the Bentley Continental GT and Bentley Continental Flying Spur, and the W-12 engine that was optional in the Phaeton is also shared with the Bentleys (although the WV version is NA while the Bentley engines have twin turbos). They're pretty cheap if you can find one, and they come with a ton of whiz-bang features, although I want to say the article also warned they can be really spendy to repair.

Affordable, but the depreciation is

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/2004-v ... 1626490167" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This reviewer says his Phaeton depreciated almost 88% in a decade.

[Tomas]

Pelican Parts. Not sure about their Merc section but the BMW section is stout. http://www.pelicanparts.com/Mercedes-Benz/index-SC.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't know what the Merc version of http://www.realoem.com/bmw/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is, but if you have a BMW and need a parts diagram realoem is an amazing resource. It's basically the Mobile Traditions catalog online.

One of my cars is a 2002 Mercedes C230 Kompressor Sport Coupe. It's basically a glorified hatchback…

I take offense at your intimation that hatchback status is not already glorious.

He has to self-deprecate to preempt the "Humblebrag" crowd. As soon as you say a non-VW German car brand you have to brace for the flood.

Not at all. My other car is a BMW, and I am a very proud owner of that piece of machinery. The C230 Sport Coupe, on the other hand, is what people consider one of the big mistakes of Mercedes (that pelicanparts site actually does not even recognize its existence! ). A lot of defects (luckily, mine were mostly fixed during the 2-year warranty period, but I believe I had to visit the service something like 8 times - mostly electronics issues), poor quality of work. Plus, it really pissed off the 50-something rich owner base, who saw this car a a major dilution of the brand (Mercedes wanted to use it to capture the share of first-time luxury car buyers who usually go for BMWs, and so they priced the base model at $25K - but the car actually had cloth seats. I added leather, auto, sunroof and CD changer, so it went for ~$30K, but still well below BMW and other MB cars.)

Ultimately, Mercedes was selling this car in the US for something like 3 years, and then killed it quietly. The KBB value plummeted, so even though I always had a very low milleage (even now, at 13 years, the car has something like 52K miles), I decided that it's not worth selling, and I have been using it for chores and non-baby driving travel - and I'll ride it until it really has next-to-nothing value.

So, whereas I have definitely made worse decisions than buying this car (truth is that despite all the troubles, it still rides well in the mountains around where I live) , the "glorified hatchback" label definitely fits...

[dodint]

But, Tomas. My soapbox.

[since1970]

I recall either Car and Driver or Automobile a few months ago did an article on the 2004–2006 Volkswagen Phaeton as a sleeper collector car. The platform the Phaeton uses is the same platform WV uses for the Bentley Continental GT and Bentley Continental Flying Spur, and the W-12 engine that was optional in the Phaeton is also shared with the Bentleys (although the WV version is NA while the Bentley engines have twin turbos). They're pretty cheap if you can find one, and they come with a ton of whiz-bang features, although I want to say the article also warned they can be really spendy to repair.

As a former Phaeton owner l can verify the cost involved to repair. Plus, you can only have them serviced at a dealership that has a certified VW Phaeton tech, so if your dealer doesn't have one, oh well. I've driven Vdubs for close to 40yrs, and my God the Phaeton is a fantastic car when it's on the road. Mid 2000 VW products had a nice habit of taking on water. "Who's the U-boat commander?". I answered that question unfortunately for me.

[Factorial]

The foam on the "blend door" on my 2000 Jetta is deteriorating and coming out of the vents. Eventually I will be without heat or A/C. The cost to fix? $2K. Nice job, VW engineers.

[Shyster]

Affordable, but the depreciation is

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/2004-v ... 1626490167" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This reviewer says his Phaeton depreciated almost 88% in a decade.

True. But by this point some other owner has eaten most of that depreciation.

[Letang Is The Truth]

pick up v SUV. discuss merits. go

[MRandall25]

More seats in an SUV, depending on your definition of what an SUV is.

[Letang Is The Truth]

More seats in an SUV.

is that true? some pick ups have the bucket seats + rear bench just like SUVs

[MRandall25]

Like I said, depends on your definition of SUV.

We had a Honda Pilot with 3 rows of seats. I considered that an SUV. Maybe my definition is too broad.

[dodint]

Open bed for moving things trumps seats.

Though my Land Rover was a great dog carrier. We'd fold up the seats and she's have her own 'backyard' to run around in. That said, we sold it and are getting an F-250 with the extended cab (two door, not the supercab) next time around.

[MRandall25]

Open bed for moving things trumps seats.

Not necessarily.

[dodint]

YEAH HUH!

[columbia]

What do you plan on moving in the pickup?
Have you considered that you could buy a cheaper and more fuel efficient car, just have **** delivered as needed and save money in the long run?

[MRandall25]

I dunno. If you have a couple of kids, or need to move people, the extra seats are better for that than throwing people in the back of a truck bed.

And some SUVs have fold down seats for both the 2nd and 3rd row seating. You can still fit things in there that you need to, and get better gas mileage while you're doing it.

[dodint]

What do you plan on moving in the pickup?
Have you considered that you could buy a cheaper and more fuel efficient car, just have **** delivered as needed and save money in the long run?

I plan on towing a race trailer with a gooseneck hitch, if you're legitimately curious.

Right now I drive a '93 BMW 325 as my only vehicle. It's cheap and fuel efficient. When I need to haul furniture I pay $29.99 and get a U-haul for the day. So, exactly what you're proposing.

I'm part of a family of two. Extra seats are for luggage and a dog. The 325 has two seats in it. I'd save some money and get a regular cab F-250 if I wanted to put luggage in the bed, but I don't.

I'm just saying that there were lots of times that, despite the Land Rover Discovery II's generous cargo area, I still needed to carry things that were taller than the roof. Like a couch, for instance. For a pure utility vehicle pick up trucks are better than SUVs. For people carriers that have a log of cargo room, station wagons/touring models are a great solution. SUVs tend to be compromises that don't do much except make women feel taller behind the wheel.

pick up v SUV. discuss merits. go

This was the original post. Not "I have a brood and need to get around while hauling an above ground pool, what to do!?!?!?!"

I also see now that columbia probably wasn't talking to me.