Topic: Deadline Extended! KarnUtz Made Me Buy a Car, and All I Got Was a T-Shirt

[Otto Puzzell]

Vote Here!

Good morning, Mr. AutoPuzzler.

The challenge you see before you concerns exhibiting your old car savvy by making a hypothetical, all-inclusive purchase of a car, spending no more than $10,000 US. Not only must you identify the car you intend to purchase – i.e., a screen shot of the online ad or a scan of a print ad - you must also secure an insurance quote, and price plates and transportation of the purchase to your home (should the car not be a round the corner.  If you drive it, be sure to calculate gasoline and/or other fluid purchases (for you and the car), tolls, and road food. Oh, and the car must be a pre-1987 vehicle.
 
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to investigate and document the purchase of your hypothetical car. At the end of this two-week challenge, an AutoPuzzles poll will be posted, in which your fellow AutoPuzzlers will vote for their favorite $10k vehicle. The winner will receive 10 AutoPuzzles points and an AutoPuzzles shirt.

Deadline for your entry is October 27, 2007. Extended! November 3, 2007

If you require an official "Karn Utz Made Me Buy a Car and All I Got Was a T-shirt" Excel spreadsheet to help you manage your purchase, please PM or e-mail KarnUtz. Be forewarned - it's not much of a spreadhseet, but it has that cool AutoPuzzles logo on it...

As always, if you or any of your team actually ends up buying the car, Karn Utz will disavow any knowledge of your actions, especially if an angry spouse is involved.

Good luck, AutoPuzzler.

Please tell your friends about this message in the usual manner.

[Stephen M]

I'm in. I'm currently on a road trip and will submit the winning entry upon my return. 

[Stephen M]

This "restored" 2002 is currently listed for an initial bid of....$2002. How terribly clever.



It's nicely restored, with the exception of that whole "install the engine and get it running part". Probably why there's zero bids.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-2002TII_W0QQitemZ270180500142QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item270180500142#ebayphotohosting

Shipping a non-operational BMW 2002  (Newark NJ to Olney MD), door to door was quoted at $525 from these people:

http://www.autotransportdirect.com/

Progressive.com quotes me (34 year old married male with a clean record) $656 a year for a 2002 when driven for 'recreational purposes', meaning not for commuting. That job will remain with the MR2.

Oh, and the free state in which I reside charges 6% sales tax on newly registered cars brought in from out of state. There goes another $120.

No idea how complete the restoration was, so I'm playing it safe and budgeting $2k for pads, rotors, shocks, and Victoracers all around.

Once the tires and brakes are up to spec, I'll sneak it by Maryland inspection at a local gas station where I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. $50, most of which will ultimately be spent on Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Still, that leaves me with a stylish, fun to drive european classic with a non-working engine.  And $4647 burning a hole in my pocket. Hmmm....

Hey Look! A 240HP all-aluminum screamer with a 9k redline and 6 speed, to boot!



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda-S2000-S2K-Engine-Complete-Motor-Trany-F20c-SWAP_W0QQitemZ230185873191QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item230185873191

Buy-it Now of $3,050 plus $325 shipping to the lower 48.

But how the hell am I going to make that fit?



http://cgi.ebay.com/2-x-3-x-3-16-INCH-THICK-STEEL-ANGLE-IRON_W0QQitemZ160172098924QQihZ006QQcategoryZ92088QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Game ON!

I'm left with $1258.30. Hmmm.... Hmmm..... OOOH! Complete vinyl graphics set up for $995 shipped!



http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Complete-VINYL-CUTTER-Vehicle-Graphics-Package_W0QQitemZ120177846441QQihZ002QQcategoryZ57097QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

So imagine a scheme something like this....



...just not quite as well done.

[Arthur Dent]

No angle iron in mine unfortunately

I'll put in Cdn dollars at par with US dollars to make it simple

Triumph TR8 - asking $7,500.00. Surely I can get it for $7k.

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-classic-cars-Triumph-TR-8-W0QQAdIdZ27481483

Collector car insurance from Baker (a local place) is $200/year - plus 6% tax = $212

Registration is: $70 (plus GST - 6%) = $74.20. Plus I'll have to pay off all the wife's yearly speeding tickets to register another car. So that is another $500-700.

Gas to get home a distance of 212 kms

7.1 km/I - giving me a cost of 212kms / 7.1 km/I * $0.929/L = $27.74

maybe I'd stop and get a cheeseburger, milkshake and onion rings at the Burger  Baron - $7.43 with tax.

since this is a British car I'd loose a little bit of oil - one bottle should cover me - $16.99 + tax = 18.01

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443297713&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396673428&bmUID=1193352531155

Gives us a total of: $8039.38

[Otto Puzzell]

These are awesome! 

 - anyone else going to play? Do I need to extend the deadline?

[Stephen M]

 - anyone else going to play? Do I need to extend the deadline?

Maybe PM some of the regulars over in the puzzle region? The vintage section is comparatively below the radar, but I bet they'll come running for a shot at 10 points and a T-shirt. 

[Stephen M]

An extension would give me more time to find an S2000 motor within my budget. That iron V6 I picked above would better serve as a boat anchor. And an I4 would presumably require less angle iron, to boot!

[Otto Puzzell]

Time for an '08 version?

[Arthur Dent]

I'd be in for that. 

[Stephen M]

I'm in as well. These are always fun.

[@re]

I think I'll just see what you guys come up with. You see, I live in a country where car taxes strangle any attempt at importing anything remotely exotic. Just to give you an idea of how crazy things are, I'll drum up an example for you: A 2008 Cadillac CTS 3.6L V6 has a base list price of $33,675 (source: www.carseek.com). This equals, with today's weak dollar, 174,295 Norwegian kroner (NOK).

There are probably differences in equipment, but the difference in base price is quite astonishing: In Norway, the base list price of a CTS 3.6 V6 Sport Luxury Automatic is (hold on tight)... NOK 986,000. More than five times as much...

And things don't get much better if you want to import something. Say that I wanted to import a CTS from, let's say, Germany, where the car prices are somewhat more reasonable than here in Norway. And let's say that I wanted a five-year-old car, a 2003 model. www.mobile.de gives me a choice between seven cars from 2003, all 3,2 litre V6's, with an average price of €15,560, about NOK 126,000. That's not bad, I've found a 2004 model with the same specifications for NOK 400,000 in Norway, so the choice would be easy... but then then the import taxes come into play.

For this car, the Norwegian Government wants, in total, NOK 268,818 in taxes. Which means the total will be NOK 395,000. That leaves NOK 5,000 for the trip down to Germany and fuel and ferry back home. I'd rather buy the Norwegian one for 400 grand. Clever government.

[Stephen M]

I think I'll just see what you guys come up with. You see, I live in a country where car taxes strangle any attempt at importing anything remotely exotic.

In fairness to our friends overseas, I suggest participants be given two options:

1) Convert the money allotment to their local currency, OR...
2) Do the purchase/licensing/insurance accounting based on the cost in US$ at AutoPuzzles headquarters.

Having never actually visited AP HQ, I can only assume it occupies the entire 143rd floor of the Piston Tower in downtown Detroit. So anyone who so chooses should be allowed to use Detroit, Michigan costing if they wish. Thoughts?

[Otto Puzzell]

Well, maybe we can award scads of points to the winner, runner up and third.

I'm thinking rather than an exact do-over, something a little different. How about something like this:

Post a picture of yourself and your car (this is an automotive-themed site, after all) in a most unusual or unexpected situation. I don't mean an exotic place (compared to my my own suburban Motown Puzzell Mahal, anyway), but something truly odd. Perhaps, on top of a heap of rusting hulks at the wrecking yard, or Keith Moon style, in a Holiday Inn pool.

Your thoughts?

[Joao Gois]

Well, maybe we can award scads of points to the winner, runner up and third.

I'm thinking rather than an exact do-over, something a little different. How about something like this:

Post a picture of yourself and your car (this is an automotive-themed site, after all) in a most unusual or unexpected situation. I don't mean an exotic place (compared to my my own suburban Motown Puzzell Mahal, anyway), but something truly odd. Perhaps, on top of a heap of rusting hulks at the wrecking yard, or Keith Moon style, in a Holiday Inn pool.

Your thoughts?
[/quote


All I could manage was my dear 1991 Corsa burried until the driveshafts on sand... and mu brother tying to push it out !