Latest news with #Mercedes-BenzSLK230Kompressor
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
At $17,900, Is This 1955 Ford Country Squire A Killer Deal?
The ad for today's Nice Price or No Dice Country Squire notes it being the same model of Ford that James Dean used as the chase car for his racing exploits. We all know how that ended for Dean. Will this Ford's price ensure it has a happier outcome? The 1999 Mercedes-Benz SLK 230 Kompressor we looked at yesterday had a top that would come down easily, but was then reluctant to go back up. On top of that likely very expensive issue, the car had some tacky add-ons—vents, stripes, and whatnot—that could impact the appeal of its aesthetics. Ultimately, a $3,000 asking price overcame all such hurdles, capturing a narrow but decisive 60% Nice Price victory. The fake vents and stripes on yesterday's Benz were put on to give the car some added pizzazz. That's not an issue with today's 1955 Ford Country Squire station wagon, though. Its classic style, clad in factory woodgrain paneling, brings all the boys to the yard. Read more: What's The Stereotypical Old Person's New Car? According to the ad, this wagon is the same spec as method actor and amateur race car driver James Dean employed as his chase car, on the ill-fated day of his crash along Highway 466 on his way to the 1955 Salinas Road Races. Bill Hickman, the Hollywood stunt driver who would later go on to pilot the black Dodge Charger in the movie Bullitt, was driving the wagon and, upon arriving at the accident scene, reportedly was the one to pull Dean's dying body from the crumpled wreckage of his Porsche 550 Spyder. The seller doesn't go so far as to say that this IS Dean's car, but it's close enough for government work that the ad makes mention of such a connection with some validity. Per the listing, like Dean's car, this one is painted ivory over a red interior and was built at Ford's Long Beach production plant, which at the time was located on Terminal Island at the Port of Los Angeles. This Country Squire also has Ford's then almost-new Y-Block V8 in base 272 CI displacement and sporting 162 (gross) horsepower and 258 (also gross) lb-ft of torque. The Y-Block was so named for the deep skirt it employed and is notable for having replaced the famous flathead as Ford's go-to V8. It also stands out for having its distributor at the back of the engine in a style more commonly associated with arch-rival Chevrolet, rather than at the front like later Ford V8s. Behind that is a three-speed "Ford-O-Matic" automatic transmission powering the simple cart-sprung live rear axle. Other specs include single-circuit drum brakes, a six-volt electrical system (Ford wouldn't go 12 volts on the car line until 1956), and power steering, befitting the Squire's position as the top of the Fairlane range. Per the ad, the car "runs and drives amazing" and starts with little more than a pump of the gas and a twist of the key. The engine bay even looks like it's seen some work, with fresh black paint on the radiator support and valve covers. On the outside, things are a little rougher. The bodywork appears straight, and, as evidenced by the undercarriage shot in the ad, the frame looks wholly intact. It's the finish that could be seen as take it or leave it. That appears to be almost all-original and is showing its age. This being a Country Squire means it's fitted with fiberglass and vinyl woodgrain siding on the flanks and fenders, along with fancy full wheel covers. The wheel covers look great, but the splinter-free siding is a bit beat up. It should prove serviceable, however, if the goal is to keep the car looking original rather than restored. Things are much better in the cabin. The three rows of seats all have decent, likely refreshed upholstery, and the door cards and dash all look to be in good shape. That dashboard features high style with a wide-arc speedometer that, like the Thunderbird of the same era, has a smoked lens behind it for ambient backlighting during the day. The pod also included the fuel and temp gauges. Accompanying those are three roundels in the mid-dash that comprise the heat controls, AM radio, and clock. This car was not equipped with the safety package, so the dash is just hard metal, and the steering wheel is eager to flail a chest in the event of an accident. The seller positions the car's originality and patinaed paint as an advantage. That obviously will appeal to some folks interested in such things, but may turn off those looking for a pristine example of a classic car and are unwilling to do the work—or spend the money—that it would take to make this car like new. A major hurdle for any such work is the initial investment, and we now need to determine if this Country Squire's $17,900 asking price overwhelms even interest in keeping it as it is. What do you say? Is this faux-wood Ford worth that $17,900 asking as it sits? Or is that over the top for a car with aspirational provenance? You decide! Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears. Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at robemslie@ and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
At $3,000, Is This 1999 Mercedes SLK 230 A Bedazzled Bargain?
With its racing stripes and fake vents sprinkled across the hood and doors, today's Nice Price or No Dice Mercedes SLK 230 certainly stands out from the crowd. It wouldn't take much to bring it back to its stock state, but is the price too high to even warrant the effort? For an internal combustion engine, the entire point of adding nitrous oxide (N2O)—as is the case with forced induction—is to increase the energy density of the intake charge, thus giving you more poke in your stroke. For people, it's generally used as an inhalational anesthetic, used for light procedures, and most commonly known as 'laughing gas.' The 1993 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 that we considered yesterday was set up for either street or strip and was fitted with nitrous for some added oomph in either arena. Its $25,000 asking price was no laughing matter, though, a fact made evident by the 87% No Dice drubbing it received in the vote. Read more: These Are The Dumbest Looking Cars Of All Time, According To You Speaking of forced induction... There are two main types: turbocharging, which uses energy captured from the pressure of the exhaust to compress the intake charge, and supercharging, which employs mechanical means, usually by way of a crank-driven belt, to achieve the same goal. As its name implies, this 1999 Mercedes-Benz SLK 230 Kompressor gets its added boost via the second method. The 2.3-liter four-pot under its hood has been imbued with a Roots-style twin-scroll supercharger tucked down below the motor's right side and driven by a belt. Sourced from Eaton, the M62 blower boosts the little Benz's DOHC four to 185 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque. Paired with the five-speed automatic, as has been fitted to this car, that means a zero to sixty time of just over seven seconds and a get-out-of-town speed of 140 miles per hour. Naturally, this being a Mercedes, it's also equipped with a slew of safety, comfort, and convenience features to round out the package. One of the coolest of those features is the trick roof. The SLK's party piece is that top and the boot lid, the former folding origami-style up and down, and the latter opening both front-ways and back-ways to facilitate either top or cargo. Unfortunately, storing the top down means there's little room left for baubles or bags. According to the ad, the top on this 113,000-mile SLK goes down just fine but struggles to go back up. That's the sort of affliction that affects many of us with age. The top's mechanism is hydraulic, with the pump and reservoir sitting in the boot just ahead of the right tail lamp for easy examination. That, or its relay, could be failing. Alternatively, the issue could be with any one of the hydraulic rams or microswitches that make the dance happen. Whatever the reason, it will likely be pricey to fix. That's not the object of our immediate attention, however. The top may have been the model's tour de force from the factory, but it didn't make the car unique enough for someone. Adding to the fancy roof are a bunch of plastic vents, tape stripes, and smoked lenses for the head and tail lamps. On top of that, both the badging and the five-spoke alloys have been given the blackout treatment. Overall, it's a very unique presentation, and fortunately, one that could be easily returned to its more mundane form with little more than an afternoon's work. Other than the add-ons, the car looks to be in very nice condition. The bodywork is straight, and all the trim is intact. A number of parts are said to have been replaced on the car, although save for a new dashboard and the addition of a backup camera, the ad doesn't go into detail as to what exactly those all were. That dash looks like it came from the factory, and aside from some wear on the steering wheel and the addition of a cup holder and cell phone mount, everything appears to be in stock and great shape. The aftermarket stereo does stick out of the dash awkwardly, so that may be another piece to add to the list of items to toss. The ad does say that the car "Runs and drives great," but notes that it is on PNO (Planned Non-Operation), which means it hasn't been running or driving anyplace all that recently. Most often, that's a situation that has resulted from the car not being able to pass its smog test, preventing it from renewing of the registration. That doesn't seem to be the case here, as the seller says there is no CEL light, and the car passes its smog test. It also does have a clean title, so there is no monkey business there. If that all is to be believed, then all this little Mercedes needs to be a fun summer runabout is some spit and polish and maybe some sleuthing around a fix for that crazy top mechanism. How hard could it be? The question, of course, is whether it's worth diving into at all at its asking price. That's $3,000, and it's now time for us to all weigh in on this car's total attraction and whether that price tag improves it or throws it all out of whack. What's your take on this SLK and that $3K price tag? Does that seem like a deal for this overly expressive baby Benz? Or does the bling botch the bargain? You decide! Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears. H/T to Don R. for the hookup! Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at robemslie@ and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
