Shinola vs Shine: 1999 Ford Contour vs 1993 Nissan 300ZX
Here is today’s quiz for the kids. Imagine you’ve got $2k to spend on a car that you need to drive twice a week to get somewhere. Don’t need to impress the inlaws or deliver Uber-eats, this is just an occasional driver, but you want something other than a clapped out Civic/Camry you could get for that price. You’ve got a choice between a 1993 Nissan 300ZX for $2200 that might have 37k or 378k miles on the odo and has been sitting for the better part of a decade…or you can get a sub 100k mile 1999 Ford Contour Sport offered for $1999 that looks about as nice as you can find for the age, but needs a transmission component to get back on the road. Either way…you are gonna get your hands dirty and have a sweet ride in the end.
From the seller of the Z:
1992 nisdan
condition: good
cylinders: 6 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 378558
paint color: grey
size: compact
title status: lien
transmission: manual
type: coupe
300zx with t-top been sitting seen 2014 with 37k miles starts buts need tune-up. Never been orginal paint, interior ok condition. Call show contact info
. Manual trans and leather seats
From the seller of the Contour:
1999 ford contour se
VIN: 3FAFP66L6XM102099
condition: fair
cylinders: 6 cylinders
drive: fwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 89900
paint color: custom
size: compact
title status: clean
transmission: automatic
type: sedan
PLEASE READ ENTIRE AD BEFORE TEXTING MEWe bought this 1999 Ford Contour Sport from the original owner. It was sitting many years in the garage, so right after purchase we did a lot of maintenance. All gaskets in the engine were replaced along with a few hoses. Coolant system was flushed and oil was changed. We purchased it for my wife as her first car. She drove it for 6 days after that the transmission stopped shifting. Luckily, I have a good mechanic (who replaced gaskets and fluids). He rebuilt the entire transmission but this didn’t solve the issue. I took it to the Star Ford Dealership in Glendale for inspection and the issue was found. PCM has miscommunication with the transmission. I was quoted $700 but this part is discontinued, and to get it brand new form Ford would take few months up to a year.
We bought another car for my wife, this one is just sitting in the backyard. Engine doesn’t have leaks, starts right up. There are a lot of used PCM’s on eBay, junkyards, and auto part stores. Cost is around $200. Transmission is fully rebuilt. Need to do a wheel alignment. Clean title, 89900 original miles, car comes with 3 keyes. It’s still drivable, but it’s not shifting in the next gears. Interior is like new. Since we purchased another vehicle, I don’t want to invest time and money into this car anymore. Asking price is much lower than what I’ve put into it. $2000 firm. Nice opportunity to have low mileage car with a great renewed engine and rebuilt transmission under $2500. Text only!
Which one would you pick? Neither…that’s interesting. So you’d rather get this 1991 Alfa Romeo 164S that you could drive home for the same price? Good call!
My wife has wanted a 300ZX for some time, so it’s no choice for me here. At least as long as I can get the title issue sorted.
Is “Nisdan” the Walmart version of Nissan? And how do you have a lien on a car that hasn’t run since 2014? And you are selling for $2,200? This car ad just screams Organ Harvesting Scheme.
Anything under $5,000 these days seems like a nightmare. We did buy a Volvo 740 wagon a few months back for $3k but that one has rust and needed all new brake pads, rotors, lines, and a caliper or two. As much as I love the Alfa the seller’s (honest) statement “the brand new catalytic converter is probably destroyed” sounds like the tip of the expensive iceberg on that car.
“And how do you have a lien on a car that hasn’t run since 2014? “
Someone probably abandoned it when they moved after letting it sit since 2014 and the landlord called a tow company.
I’ve been perusing beater motorcycles on the Northern California Craigslists and a remarkable number of them are at tow yards with military base parking stickers like someone got deployed and abandoned the bike.
Also, abandoning a vehicle at a mechanic’s shop (usually when the repair bill climbs beyond the vehicle value) will lead to a lien.
My favorite part of the Nisdan ad is, “never been original paint”.
Please, tell me more about how you ordered one in bare metal from the factory and then had it painted at Earl Scheib.
(I’m sure the statement is missing “hit,” in the middle between “been” and “original”, but it’s not funny when it makes sense)
I’m going to opt out of selections A and B and go with C, which is yesterday’s 1990 VW Speedster. I’ll use the remaining $700 for gas and duct tape (cheaper than JB Weld).
Speaking of $700… What’s with the owner of the Contour getting somewhere between $200 and $700 from the finish line and throwing in the towel for another car? Is there more we’re not aware of or is this a case of spousal intervention?