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Hooniverse Asks: Are you taking on a new project car in 2021?

Jeff Glucker

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A new year could bring a new you… or a new thing to you. I know I’m eyeballing a handful of vehicles at the moment, as I think I want something new in my life. No, I am not getting rid of the Montero. Yes, the Wombat is still “about to enter the shop” where it’s parked. Right now though, I miss some V8 action. I also miss having a Euro sedan. So my Craigslist search terms are all over the place. I think I want to add a new project in 2021 though, and here’s what I’m looking at right now.

Old, American, and Big

At this moment, the price point on early 70’s Cadillacs is almost shockingly low. Rust-free solid runners are priced at a point just in reach of my meager budget. I wouldn’t be able to fit it in my garage, which would be a bummer. But it would dock in my driveway as a notice to all my neighbors that the USS Bad Decision is in port ready to thrum up a 500 cubic-inch engine at a moment’s notice.

Euro Snob

The idea of owning an E38 BMW is one I can’t shake. And this is even after talking to “those who know”. They all say how terrible of an idea this would be, as parts are wickedly expensive and hard to reach. Maybe that’s why you can find seemingly clean examples for even less than the above-mentioned Cadillacs.

I’m also eyeing various Mercedes-Benz products and, even worse than the E38, old Jaguars. Why do I do this to myself? I don’t know but if I can find one cheap enough that works, I’d be happy. Because if it then broke, I would be fun letting it go for nothing. I just want something fun and comfortable to cruise around in until my wagon is done.

So how about you? Any projects tickling your brain into smooth submission at the moment?

About

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff

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42 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: Are you taking on a new project car in 2021?”

  1. Dean Bigglesworth Avatar
    Dean Bigglesworth

    I already have three cars. All three are more or less “project cars”. Two of them are French. So my answer is probably not. Unless the only currently drivable car breaks in a way I can’t fix in a day myself, if that happens I’ll have to get a fourth running old beater with valid inspection.

    Reply
  2. Dean Bigglesworth Avatar
    Dean Bigglesworth

    I already have three cars. All three are more or less “project cars”. Two of them are French. So my answer is probably not. Unless the only currently drivable car breaks in a way I can’t fix in a day myself, if that happens I’ll have to get a fourth running old beater with valid inspection.

    Reply
  3. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    Nope. 2021 is the year of shaving bucks. Batshitbox needs to buy a Bashitcave before he retires. I already switched to the high-deductible / low premium health insurance. I might put an Eaton electric locker in the Econoline, but that’s my whole plan for cars this year.
    I did already begin a ‘project’ this week that I’ve had on the shelf for 25 years. A 1941 BSA military folding bicycle. I’m only going to put all the parts back on and Craigslist it, though. Bear in mind, the 80 year old bicycle is sharing shop space with the 80 year old wooden rowboat, which kicked the 38 year old motorcycle out.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/83eeea0725dfc179317497efb0518287d4ac46b6e943d37105596bd29a15f4bf.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2a6d3f6e736ae77811aff6fa0488176bcf49a31761f48e2950df9733815f1cd8.jpg

    Reply
    1. mdharrell Avatar
      mdharrell

      As much as I may like the spokes on that front sprocket, I do not need a second folding bicycle just now. I think.

      Reply
  4. Maymar Avatar
    Maymar

    Still no room for a legit project car (and I’m not sure I see that changing in the following year), but as my wife is simultaneously frustrated by currently being unable to go anywhere without me driving (she doesn’t drive stick), but prudent enough that she doesn’t want to give up a sensible, reliable, (nearly) paid-off car, I’ve started trying to see if there was something I could sell her on as a second car. The first contender (what looked like a decent mid-2000’s Saab 9-3 convertible for fairly little money) was rejected, but maybe the planted seed will eventually take root.

    Reply
    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      Canada can a do?
      https://www.kijijiautos.ca/cars/#vip=17987465
      Seriously though, wouldn’t something like a Daihatsu Copen be a neat second car?

      Reply
      1. Maymar Avatar
        Maymar

        I think my wife would find the Copen adorable, although a back seat with room for a car seat would probably be preferable. Considering her mom used to drive a Kia Magentis (the one that looks rather like a down market Centennial), I wonder how hard a sell that would be for her?

        Reply
        1. Guest Avatar
          Guest

          I’m not married, but as a general rule comparing a woman to her mother is never a good idea.

          Reply
        2. Guest Avatar
          Guest

          I’m not married, but as a general rule comparing a woman to her mother is never a good idea.

          Reply
        3. Guest Avatar
          Guest

          I’m not married, but generally comparing a woman to her mother is not a great idea.

          Reply
        4. Guest Avatar
          Guest

          I’m not married, but as a general rule comparing a woman to her mother is never a good idea.

          Reply
        5. Guest Avatar
          Guest

          I’m not married, but generally comparing a woman to her mother is not a great idea.

          Reply
        6. Sjalabais Avatar
          Sjalabais

          I even like the Magentis myself. You’d get a V8 here though, and the car is FWD – a heavy engine on the front wheels makes for a good snow car. Silent like an EV inside. 😛

          Reply
          1. Maymar Avatar
            Maymar

            At the same time, for about the same money, I could get into one of the last Cadillac DTS’s (also big, FWD, V8, and quiet) – as much as the Northstar would be a cause of headaches, I don’t know if it’d be more of a headache than something never sold here?

          2. Sjalabais Avatar
            Sjalabais

            Well…this is a partisan comment, but a Crapillac with a reputedly horrible engine vs. meticulous Korea’s first ever V8? A no brainer for me. I would not at all expect you to buy this for real, but rarity is not value and my first offer would be 25% under asking. Parts are very cheap from Korea, but definitely not readily available locally. I’m down to my neck into Korean forums and just enjoying my rabbit hole, but I genuinely consider these cool cars.

          3. 0A5599 Avatar
            0A5599

            The Northstar headaches result from head bolt design. They would strip out of the block, and are labor-intensive and therefore cost-prohibitive to repair. GM eventually re-engineered the engine with longer, grippier head bolts that greatly enhanced Northstar durability. By the time the DTS came out, the changeover had already been implemented. If you do get a DTS, it won’t be significantly riskier for head gasket failure than other cars of the era, and if one does happen to fail, it probably won’t trash the block like on the earlier ones.

            It’s sort of like my friend, who, on his first weeks of high school, got a lot of undeserved grief from teachers who saw his last name and presumed he would live up to the reputation his older brother had established.

          4. Sjalabais Avatar
            Sjalabais

            Hey, no intention to flood you with comments, but I am preparing a new guest article and had to take a peek at my earlier Leaf review. What about a Leaf? These things are very cheap to own and the risk of battery failure can now be mitigated by specific insurance coverage; at least in my neck of the woods.
            @0A5599, don’t undermine my argument for Korean pseudo-luxury with facts, please. 😛

  5. Scoutdude Avatar
    Scoutdude

    I should add go for the Cadillac, though I’d probably be looking mainly for the 472 powered era, though I certainly wouldn’t rule out something from the 500 era if the car and deal was right.

    Reply
  6. danleym Avatar
    danleym

    Nope. I’m even selling the K10- hopefully any day now. I need to finish the Spirit and then take a but of a break from spending money on the cars.

    Reply
  7. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
    Peter Tanshanomi

    I scored an SST Panther 175 frame for under a C-note. It conveniently suits a bunch of the spare parts that didn’t work for Bultakenstein. Boom, concurrent project bike #3.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9412d0d52eee1059d1ecefe222693d138431ccf901549f15d4682c04fe93182b.jpg

    Reply
  8. Zentropy Avatar
    Zentropy

    Now that I’ve sold the E28, I’m trying to get my wife’s buy-in on acquiring my grandfather’s old F-150 from my dad. He’s offered to just write the title over to me because he has no intentions for the truck, and he feels bad that its condition has been on the decline for the past 10 years while it sat idle. He’d like to see it put back on the road, but he isn’t in a position to do so himself. The truck needs a thorough maintenance inspection, as I’m sure the brakes are frozen, everything will need lubricated, and I’m particularly worried about the fuel system. It’s been sitting outside, so the paint is shot (early 90s clear coats didn’t hold up even with good care) and I’m sure I’ll need to evict a few mice, but rust is minimal. The 300 sixes are legendary for their longevity, so I don’t doubt that with some work I can get it going again. That is, if I can get my wife on board. It’s a big “if”.

    Reply
    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      From my experience, it’s all about a good, friendly negotiation. Make a good offer, and the family connection should count for something, too. Rooting for you here!

      Reply
    2. 0A5599 Avatar
      0A5599

      Good luck. You’ve mentioned that she isn’t exactly a team player.

      If it’s been off the road sitting outside for 10 years, budget for a set of tires, too. I would prioritize those ahead of any paint issues, particularly if you don’t think rust is imminent.

      Reply
      1. Zentropy Avatar
        Zentropy

        Ha! She’s a team player, she’s just not on my team.

        Tires are a given– they’re first on the “to do” list. Then brakes, then fuel lines/injectors. I honestly doubt I’ll paint the truck any time soon… I mean, it’s just a truck that I intend to use as such, so it need not be pretty. If I have to do much body work or metal protection, I’ll consider it, though. My paint gun and equipment are still at my dad’s, as I have no place to use them where I live, so I’d need to do any painting there.

        Reply
    3. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      Would you be able to give it a weekend’s worth of maintenance to address the needs before bringing it home? Ideally the paint too (outsourced)?

      I’m sure it arriving fully functional and not ugly would help

      Reply
      1. Zentropy Avatar
        Zentropy

        Good point, though I had no intentions of painting it. I would like to do a weekend’s worth of maintenance at my dad’s before bringing it back here. He’s only about 3 hours away, but I’m keeping my distance during this pandemic just to keep him and my mother safe.

        It may need to be fully functional and ugly.

        Reply
        1. outback_ute Avatar
          outback_ute

          Can understand that, it is good to take sensible precautions. Fully functional and not needing immediate follow up work (as far as you can) would be a very good start

          Reply
    4. roguetoaster Avatar
      roguetoaster

      The 300 is fine, and the one I got in 6/20 with a manual is great…but if it’s an early EFI model there will be issues, and if it’s a late EFI model like my 95 every single thing is in the way in the engine bay.

      However, I was able to put 3200 miles on it since then for an all in cost of just $2900 as parts are dead cheap. Mine was also clearly sitting for a while, had lots of miles (222k), plenty of deferred maintenance and it needed tires, brake lines, external engine seals (the oil pan is a pain), shocks, ball joints, steering bits, bushings, starter/solenoid, a leaf spring mount, and u joints. Things I haven’t fixed include the leaky manifold or manifold to down pipe seal, which probably means replacing the manifolds, and the coolant gauge, which is dead in the cluster.

      On the bright side, the short bed, regular cab, RWD truck nets 17mpg, handles pretty well, and shows no signs of slowing down despite some previous owner thinking that oil changes were optional.

      Reply
      1. Zentropy Avatar
        Zentropy

        Good advice, all. This one is a ’91, so I’m not sure where that falls. When were they first fuel injected? 1987 maybe?

        Reply
        1. roguetoaster Avatar
          roguetoaster

          I do think 87 was the first year for EFI, with some changes in either 91 or 92, and a final revision for 96 related to air metering (possibly a change to a three way catalyst too, which would mean no smog pump). You may also want to dig in to the injectors as the o rings on mine were nigh on toast since the engine gets very hot on that side of the engine, which heats the intake since it’s a non crossflow head.

          Reply
  9. Fuhrman16 Avatar
    Fuhrman16

    No, I don’t plan on getting any more project cars this year, mainly because I need to finish the one I bought last year…

    Reply
    1. 0A5599 Avatar
      0A5599

      Daily drivers are usually the result of planning (including research and shopping), but projects tend to just kind of follow me home.

      Reply
  10. Scoutdude Avatar
    Scoutdude

    No new project vehicles planned. What is planned is to get to some of the projects I already have.

    Reply
    1. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      This, for the last umpteen years.

      Looks like I might be selling one soon though, which would be welcome. The new garage is a useful size but not so large it can lose a car in a corner.

      Reply
      1. Scoutdude Avatar
        Scoutdude

        Oh to have a garage large enough to loose a car in a corner…..

        Reply
        1. outback_ute Avatar
          outback_ute

          My uncle has a shed on the farm like that, it would fit 8 semi trucks (with trailers), to the point he built another little shed for things that would get parked in behind the big machinery, it was long and relatively narrow

          I could probably lose a matchbox car…

          Reply
  11. mdharrell Avatar
    mdharrell

    Nothing planned, but it seldom is. It’s probably not a good sign that I’m keenly aware that this Taunus, formerly at $8500, is now down to $6400 with “cash offers… considered.”

    https://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/d/lakewood-1972-ford-taunus-cortina-tc/7256742850.html

    Reply
    1. Guest Avatar
      Guest

      I’d daily that. Would also be more fun in the snow than the current 205.

      Reply
    2. Guest Avatar
      Guest

      I’d daily that. Would also be more fun in the snow than the current 205.

      Reply
  12. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
    SlowJoeCrow

    Current forecast small and Japanese. I’m going to get the 1983 Honda CM250C back on the road after over 20 years and my son just got a 2000 Corolla with manual transmission and bad rings, So I get to battle a probably gunked up carb while he does his 4th cylinder head R&R before driving his first stick shift car. After that, it’s a mater of space time and dollars, plus whether his Suburban’s 350 holds together. I also owe my BMW R100S some attention and ideally new brake rotors

    Reply
  13. salguod Avatar
    salguod

    I’m planning on selling the E46 in the spring and we’ll see what takes its place. My coworker still has his E38 750iL with a few issues for under $4K. How bad could it be? ?

    Reply
  14. sunbeammadd Avatar
    sunbeammadd

    I’m currently trying to make room to move my father’s Sunbeam Rapier here. It hasn’t run since around 1975 and I think it’s time it did again.

    Reply