2002 Lexus SC430 #2

Random Vehicle Blog......

2002 Lexus SC430 #2

What a frustrating car this was!

I love Lexus - we have an LS in our garage right now - and while I always thought the SC430 was an ugly car, once I bought one (my first one, not this one) I grew to absolutely love it.  When I saw this beauty with under 2K miles at an auction, I couldn't resist.  The reason it had such low mileage however was that it had been a theft recovery.  There was no damage per say, and the title was clear, but it was missing a lot of parts.  Most of them were merely cosmetic, but Lexus is very proud of their parts.

Here's an example:  See the missing trunk trim piece on the left?  You'd think something like that couldn't possibly cost too much, but Lexus would disagree.  I think I spent about $8K in just trim parts for the car.  I was still way ahead though.

The car actually rode and drove fine when it was finally put back together, but it still had a number of annoying issues.  One in particular was that the navigation system wouldn't stay calibrated.  After a couple days of driving around it would always think I was in the middle of Clear Lake.  There were also a few interior parts that didn't fit quite right either.  In the end, I got it as nice as I could and sold it locally.  The low miles saved me, but I was disappointed that it didn't work out.  Branelle has actually grown to really like these so maybe we'll end up with another one some day.

1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Cabriolet

Random Vehicle Blog............

1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Cabriolet

 

 This E320 was a very pleasant car and actually turned out to be a pretty good buy on my part.  These E Cabriolets have really held their value, becoming a coveted "classic-to-be" Mercedes.  Low mileage examples bring serious money, but even a higher mileage car like mine (80K) was on the way up, not down.  I enjoyed driving this very comfortable and stylish convertible around and actually sold it for more than I paid for it to boot.  

The 3.2-liter in-line six is a smooth motor, and just enough for this middle-weight Merc.  More power would have been nice (always is), but the cars persona really made you want to drive slower and relax.

The interior was standard Mercedes in a handsome cream.  It was in good shape and just starting to show its age at the time.  The back seat was functional and the power top was great.  I acknowledge the fact that many consider these old E Cabrios to be an "old man car".  I get it.  It's not exciting and probably isn't going to help you pick up chicks.  That said, I can also understand why so many people love these.  If I were 65 and looking for a convertible, I would have to consider this one.  It's comfortable and reliable, a classic that really seems to be aging quite gracefully, and is appreciating.  Sounds like a winning combination to me.

   

 

1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1

The random vehicle selector program tonight has selected........

1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1

By using a program to randomly select vehicles I've owned or still own to blog about, I sometimes end up writing about some rather ordinary and boring rides.  The selection tonight, however, is a cool one for me.

 

This is certainly a car with a story.  It's a 1971 Mustang Mach 1 with only 35,000 original miles.  It is in absolutely showroom original condition right down to the 1971 Firestone Wide Oval tires and Magnum 500 rims.

  This car was perfect.  One time I drove it straight out of the garage to a large car show 20 miles away.  Without the aide of any presentation gear or even a good cleaning it placed 2nd overall.

 

It was an absolutely gorgeous head turner.  But it wasn't always that way.

 

This was my view the first time I saw the car.  It was sitting in somebody's yard / shop on a side street in Wichita Falls.  It caught my eye because it seemed out of place, so I asked the man who owned the place if it was for sale.  He said "everything is for sale" and $2800 later I had an old Mustang.

It had been sitting for about 10 years, and had seen better days.

My buddy Andrew and I were actually able to get it started with some ether and duct tape.  I followed him to my house because the brakes didn't work and I needed his car to bump to slow down.  We got it home and stuck it in the garage.  It didn't run again for almost three years.

The restoration process was long and expensive.  Nothing is cheap when you do something like this.  Other than the bodywork and paint, I did almost everything myself, including rebuilding the drive train.

Engine Before

Engine After - and it actually ran!!!

Slowly, the project started to come to fruition.  I finished it in 1994, and it probably didn't travel more than 1000 miles for the next 10 years.

For the most part, it stayed at my parents in Wichita Falls.  Either they or I would pull it out every now and then just to keep it fresh.  We usually took a few laps around the driveway for good measure.  The car has a 351 Cleveland 4V with a C6 automatic transmission.  I went back with the original color - Light Pewter Metallic - and the original black vinyl interior.  This one also had AC and the original 8-track.

I'm very proud of the car, but with receipts for more than $30,000 I can understand why a lot of these projects get started but never finished.

I kept this car for YEARS.  The down side of doing an original restoration, as opposed to a resto-mod, is that it ends up being almost too nice to drive.  I finally traded this car for a big 12-cylinder Mercedes and regretted it ever since.  The prices on these early '70s Mustangs took off a couple years later.  If the car is still in this condition, it's probably a 60K to 70K car today.  If it had the 428 and a manual, it would be a 100K plus car.  

 

  

The Gateway Arch

100 Places to See Before You Die!

The Gateway Arch

St. Louis, Missouri

Soaring 630 feet over the Mississippi River in St. Louis, the Gateway Arch is the tallest monument in the United States.   This spectacular stainless steel structure is the symbol of St. Louis and was built to memorialize westward expansion of the US.

The arch is a result of architect Eero Saarinen, a Finnish-American, winning a competition in 1947 to design the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.  The idea was to build a monument to "honor the pioneering spirit of St. Louis, the Gateway to the West, and to express the sense of liberty symbolized by Thomas Jefferson". 

The viewing area at the top of the arch.

Construction of the arch began in 1963 and it was completed in 1965.  The cost was about $13 million at the time.  Despite predictions to the contrary, no one died during the build.  The scientific shape is called a catenary curve, which is the shape a chain makes when hanging between two supports.

Visiting the arch means heading to the rejuvenated downtown St. Louis waterfront area.  There are parking garages a short walk from the arch entrance.  As you walk up to the arch, it's striking just how big it really is.  It's also interesting that nothing else appears to be there but a park.  The entrance to the arch takes you below ground where there is a rather large area with theatres, displays, shops and ticket centers for heading up into the structure.

The lines to get in are slow moving and NOT in the shade.

The most interesting thing about the arch to me are the pods (they call it a tram) that take you to the top.  Each one is a tiny little five seat bubble that looks like something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey.  If you're claustrophobic, you won't do well with this ride. 

I kept waiting for HAL to ask me what I was doing.

The viewing area at the top offers great views of downtown St. Louis and the Mississippi, albeit through rather tiny windows.  You can stay as long as you want and then head down the same way you got there.

The gateway Arch is an architecturally unique and impressive structure and if you're in St. Louis you should really take the time to visit it.  The ride to the top is a fantastic experience and the films about the construction are worth the time. 

The Preserve at Deer Creek

The Preserve at Deer Creek

New Berlin, Wisconsin

In June of 2008 I was in the Milwaukee area serving as Branelles’ ‘wedding date’ for her friend Becky’s big day.  I wanted to get some golf in since I had never played in Wisconsin before so I brought my clubs.  Nel was busy with wedding stuff but her mother and sisters were nice enough to venture out with me to find a course.

 

 

I had read that some of the nicest courses in the country were in Wisconsin.  Unfortunately, they were a little further north than our location.  There were a few nice looking ones very close to our hotel, including one directly across the street, but I wanted one that wouldn’t be too crowded so we wouldn’t be rushed.  We found a small 9-hole course about 10 minutes from our hotel called The Preserve at Deer Creek.  It was basically empty so we gave it a try.  The course turned out to be little more than a pasture with greens on it, but I still had a wonderful time handing out with Mrs. C and the Doublemint Twins.

I’d love to get up to some of the more renowned courses in the state.  This was an adequate and cheap place to get a round in.  We had it to ourselves which is always nice.  One thing I found interesting was the complete lack of cart paths.  I shot a 43 in high winds, but didn’t hit the ball particularly well. 

Rants for October......

Some "things I think I think" for October:

• I think (actually I know) I can't stand "gym germaphobes".  These are the guys (or girls) who wipe down every machine with an antiseptic cloth before and after they use it while working out at the gym.  I'm not much of a gym rat, but I was rehabbing recently and there were always a few of these guys there.  It actually makes me feel a little bad for NOT doing it.  If you don't want to touch anything that's been touched by other sweaty people, DON'T GO TO THE GYM!  That's all there is there - people sweating and touching stuff. 
•  
• I think whoever is in charge of our local post office should be fired.  We live in a very affluent area with one of the highest average education levels in the entire country and our local post office looks like an abandoned soup kitchen.  It's always dirty with trash everywhere.  The building itself is in disrepair.  They never have supplies stocked.  The automated machines are broken half the time.  The people working there are usually surly at best.  They take breaks at lunch time when there is a line out the door.  It's ridiculous!  If you were knocked out and woke up in this post office I swear you would guess you were in downtown Detroit, not Clear Lake City, Texas!
•  
• I think this "pay it forward" thing is stupid.  A lot of people seem to think this is a cool thing, including my wife, but I can't stand it.  You know what I'm talking about:  someone going through a drive through - usually at a Starbucks or something like that - pays for their order and the car behind them.  The next car then pulls up to find that their order was already paid for so they pay for the one behind them, and so on, and so forth..... I just want to order what I want, pay for it and go.  I don't need some fake good Samaritan moment to make me feel better about myself (it's fake because only the first guy actually did anything good without getting anything in return).  I hate it.  If the person in front of me wants to buy me a hot chocolate, that's his business but the chain stops when I pull through.
•  
• I think someone needs to tell Joel McHale that skinny ties are NOT cool.  Joel, I'm a big fan of Community and The Soup, but whoever keeps giving you those stupid skinny ties isn't doing you any favors.
•  
• I think someone is going to have to explain to me how immigration is a racial issue.  There are only two things that will get me really worked up.  One is animal cruelty and the other is racism.  I can't stand either.  I also happen to have a VERY strong stance against illegal immigration.  Let's be honest about it.  When we're talking about immigration, we're really talking about Mexico.  I don't think we have a serious problem with Canadians heading south without wanting to pay taxes or learn English.  I think we should have a military border along Mexico.  That said, I don't give a damn about the color of the immigrants skin.  I care about the effect their presence has on our socioeconomic climate.  I don't blame them for wanting to come here.  If I were Mexican I'd probably do the same thing, but I'm not.  I am, however, the grandson of LEGAL immigrants who wanted to come to America to BE American, not just to USE America.  I live in Texas, a state that is overrun with illegals, and I can tell you that while there are probably many who come here with the best intentions and would love to be Americans and assimilate into our culture, the vast majority do not.  They don't particularly like the US and are here to use it for it's opportunities.  Why do we make it easy on them?  I think we should just adopt the immigration laws that Mexico has.  That would be fair wouldn't it?  Regardless, I don't see how race has ANYTHING to do with immigration.  If Canadians started flooding the border and refusing to drop their maple leafs or give up the metric system, I'd have the same problem with them that I do with our neighbors to the south, and most of them are white as can be.  Immigration isn't a racial issue, and in fact, if you think immigration IS a racial issue, you very well might be racist yourself.
•  
• I think it's probably never OK for guys to wear v-neck tee shirts.  I'm no fashion guru, but don't v-necks look kind of, well, girly?               

1985 Mercedes Benz 500 SEL

Random vehicle blog…………………tonight the wheel has selected…

1985 Mercedes Benz 500 SEL

I bought this car in Wichita Falls shortly before moving to Houston for law school.   It was a one-owner car that had belonged to a golfing buddy of my mom's.  She had mentioned that she was getting a new one and I said I might be interested in hers.  The car was in absolutely mint condition.  It was blue with gray leather interior and had every option available including heated front and rear seats as well as power reclining rear seats.  It also had a big 5-liter V-8 that was very strong.  This was the first big luxury car I had owned, so it took a little getting used to.  Once I did, however, I really enjoyed driving it.  It was quiet and comfortable and a great highway cruiser.  I only had one major problem with it the whole time I owned it.  An electrical box went out the night I arrived in Houston, stranding me at an Olive Garden.  That was it though.

I drove it about half the time and eventually left it up in Wichita Falls.  I sold it after buying a big BMW a few years later and got almost what I had paid for it initially.  A foreign pilot stationed at the Air Force Base snatched it up, but there were many people interested in purchasing it.  It was a fine car in great condition and I really have nothing bad to say about it.