My, how quickly things change. The St. Vinnie’s (St. Vincent dePaul) sales lot, which gets its inventory from donations, has really gone upscale lately. Must be another consequence of the economy. Who would donate a Rolls Royce to charity? And to think that just a few years back, when I first did a post on what was then called DePaul’s, the most expensive car was like $2995. And the majority were in the three digits. The Rolls?
Breathtaking. And no warranty.
Back in the day, you could have bought the whole lot inventory for that, if you’d felt inclined. And why did its owner decide to donate it? Was the estimate of the repairs it needed even greater than that asking price? Or are they just so rich now that they couldn’t be bothered to try to sell it?
This is a 1976 Silver Wraith II, the lwb variant of the Silver Shadow.
The interior looks quite nice; hey, even if it has some major mechanical malady, you could just go out and sit in it.
Tom Klockau would approve of the color scheme…buttery; or rich vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce.
In front of the Roller is another British exotic, a Jensen Healey, no less. And why did someone decide to donate it? never mind; we’ll stop speculating. We all know these are bullet proof, and in the rare case it needs parts, they’re readily available at Auto Zone. Price: $5996.
Keeping in the premium theme, it’s a BMW, albeit a rather modest one.
In fact, it was the cheapest BMW one could buy in the US at the time: the 318ti. A shortened 3-series hatchback with a four cylinder engine and the old semi-trailing arm rear suspension from the prior generation of 3 Series. For those that just weren’t ready to give up their regular dose of trailing-throttle oversteer. Price: $3995.
Bah, humbug, on those little Bavarian crackerboxes. You want German premium, how about some old school Mercedes? As in a 450 SLC, no less.
The very first one of these I ever saw was in 1971, when I was in Washington, DC for a big political march. For some reason I was in Georgetown after the march, and saw one of these in the same color, although the earlier version with small bumpers. Wow! Now that’s something different…with that roof and odd louvered window. Turning an SL into a four-seat coupe necessitated some compromises, but all in all, I liked it. And would have much rather driven it back to Iowa City than in the chartered bus we rode in. Price: $6995.
If that’s a bit too old or cramped for you, how about this pristine (looking) W126? Like all of these Oregon cars, they’re solid; rust mites haven’t made it out here yet.
A 380SE. Not the most desirable of the bunch, but it’s a smooth cruiser. I got to drive a six cylinder 300SE last summer, in the same blue, and it was a bit of shock. Well, it felt very solid and all, but it sure was leisurely, what with the transmission starting in second, unless it was floored. That always bugged me about my W124 300E, but it was quite a bit lighter. The W126 drove like a tank, in just about every sense of the word. Makes a modern car feel like a race car, all brisk and darty in comparison. Price: a mere $1995. Now we’re talking. How’s it run?
BTW, this is the same lot that the 1972 LTD that ended up in Germany was bought from, for $900. Maybe they saw the article, and decided they needed to jack up their prices.
VW’s more recent cars may suffer in value from Dieselgate, but their vintage air cooled models are golden. Or yellow, as in the case of this fine 1600 Type II Squareback. These aren’t getting any more common, and this one has a clean body.
The interior looks great, although a good deal more spartan than the Silver Wraith. You’re not going to want to hang out in here if it’s not running. Which of course would never happen…
Someone is giving up the love of their life. or were they utterly sick of keeping it running? Price: $4995.
Looks like it was a professor, at the UO. And the stickers are nicely arranged, going back to 1986. Ah, the memories…he’s going to regret giving it away.
Enough of all these damn furrin’ cars; how about some good old American luxury cars? Well certainly. How about the finest Caddy ever made, the Mercedes-beating third generation Seville. It took Caddy a few tries to figure out how to really sell to foreign car lovers, but by the late 80s, they had it all figured out. Starting with a Rolls-Royce inspired grille.
And if RR can have vinyl tops, so will the import-fighter Seville. Yumm. And merely $1495. What does that say?
Well, that’s it for the premium brands. But here’s a mighty clean MGM. Looks a lot more premium (and desirable) than the Seville.
Over there’s some Volvos; two black brick wagons, no less. Always wanted a 740 Turbo, but I think it’s too late now.
Here’s some more semi-premium cars for those not wanting to be seen as vulgar and nouveau riche.
And the mere ordinary cars are lumped back behind the front line, so folks won’t get the wrong idea. St. Vinnie’s is now a premium free car dealer.
Toyota Corollas, Echos and Hondas? We’ve hit rock bottom. let’s get out of here, before we’re seen to be mingling with the wrong crowd.
Note: St. Vincent dePaul’s Eugene operations do an amazing job, having built large numbers of low income housing and providing lots of other services and jobs. They are consistently considered the best-run non-profit in town. So it’s not really a surprise folks are donating more expensive cars to them. It’s for a very good cause.
I will take that tan 97-99 Lesebre in the semi-premium section.
Wise choice. Both the LeSabre and the Park Avenue look to be in pretty good shape for their age.
Of course, looks don’t impact running performance….
Yes this is very true but I am banking on the fact that it has the bullet proof 3800 Series II V6 in it. The transmission is not the greatest but it is easy to change out.
I might guess that the Rolls and the Jensen came from the same donor, and that they’re asking 4X what they should for these cars?
The VW squareback is compelling, but I’m most interested in the Jensen. At maybe half the ask?? But too far from home for me.
Actually, the price on both are reasonable. Over 25 year old non-collectable Rolls-Royces usually bottom out around $20k if they’re in good condition. If they cost less, you know they’re going to end up costing a lot more.
Now, keeping gas in it . . . ..
I took pictures of the Rolls (and Jensen) about a month or so ago when I biked past the lot. There was no hang tag in the Jensen but the Rolls was up for 25K.
For many cars, they can end up in a showroom in a small town dealership, like the SeVille.
If I were to live on the west coast I think I’d be riding up to take a look at that Rolls- and the two Benzes. I’ve been dreaming of a Shadow/Wraith my entire life.
Wow, the Rolls comes with two radios: a radio-cassette deck in the console between the seats and a quadraphonic eight-track player on the dash! Now that’s luxury!
I believe this lot had a nice Volvo wagon last time too. There must be something wrong with the Type 3 for it to be available with a stick in that fine condition. The asking price is less than what they go for in LA.
I think the colors look great on the Rolls, but they are out there for sure.
Wait…less than two grand for that merc! DAMN YOU LACK OF MONEY!
I could even get one of those E100 Corollas as a backup.
At that price, even I’d be tempted to bite.
I love that so many of the cars seem to come from long time loving owners who then take the opportunity to make something good happen when it is time to say goodbye. A bet more than a few of these donations came from the car’s first owner.
Some may have come from the Estates of long-time owners. Perhaps there were instructions in their Wills, or maybe their families decided to do a good deed.
Why are all the cars plated? Here in Ontario it’s a plate/owner system which I assumed was the same elsewhere.
I believe Oregon plates stay with the vehicle unless the owner wants them transferred to another one. That would definitely make sense if it is a personalized plate.
They do, Dave. AND, as an added bonus we only have to renew every other year. $80 and only have to monkey with it 2 years at a time. Advantage–Oregon!
No in many states in the US the plate stays with the car, unless as mentioned it is a personalized plate and the owner wants to keep it or it is an exempt (gov’t) plate.
Some U.S. states do this the way you are describing, some do it the way Oregon does (I believe that California is another in that category).
Here in Massachusetts, plates are assigned to owners, not vehicles. When you buy a vehicle, you must supply your own plate for it. If the car is used, you do not receive the plate that had been on the car under its previous owner. You can either get a brand new plate, or transfer a plate from another vehicle you own (which can be one you are selling or trading simultaneously with your purchase of the new vehicle). At the other end of the cycle, if you sell or trade a vehicle, or otherwise wish to take it off the road, you can either transfer the plate to a different vehicle (which, again, can be a vehicle you are simultaneously acquiring) or simply cancel the registration.
Squareback for me, please!
Caution Ed, we have enough VW on our plates, don’t we?
Is that possible? (c:
Speaking of, I finally finished digging out all the piles of parts and have them on tables and shelves. Not organized yet, but at least they’re not in a jumbled pile any more. Won’t do much more until cold weather sets in and I can’t work outside any more.
You’re the opposite of me, I’m working outdoors so once it’s cold I’m done for the year again..
If it was a Fastback in this condition, I’d already be halfway to Eugene.
+1
Never owned one but have plenty of experience with them back in the day. I don’t know what kind of mechanical maladies it might have but the body looks perfect. Probably worth buying and fixing whatever it needs to get on the road; too bad (or maybe not) I’m 2000 miles away.
Oh, to only live in a place where rust is not the number one concern for any car purchase.
The tradeoff here in southern Arizona for rust is faded paint, disintegrating clearcoat, sun-rotted vinyl roofs, sun-rotted upholstery, and cracked dashboards (although much less now than in cars of the 90s and earlier). But at least the bodies don’t rust.
grew up in WI, moved to AZ 10 years ago…it’s wonderful here with no rust..much easier to fix the AZ problems than the constant rusting, trust me…:)
Makes me wonder what a Rolls beater would look like. The condition of Rolls that would properly belong in a lot like this.
There must be some in England, or maybe in NYC “livery” service.
Saw a recent Roller in Scottsdale this morning. One of the LED DRL’s was out. Made the whole thing look hillbilly…
I think I mentioned on here one time before about a rough-looking black four-door RR of this vintage that was a semi-regular sighting on Hollywood Blvd in early 2000s. I called it the Rock ‘n Rolls-Royce. It had no hubcaps, roughness on the body, and was driven by a guy who looked kind of like Kid Rock, with his groovy ol’ lady always riding shotgun. Always figured they’d be a fun couple to know, but we never met.
But even if you got one of these old Silver Somethingorothers at a fire-sale price, you’d still have to be prepared to pay as much for a tune-up as most cars cost for a full engine rebuild. To quote a piece of wisdom about “bargain” European luxury cars which I learned on this very site (I think the subject was a beater Benz): “If you can’t afford the car new, you probably can’t afford it used, either.”
R-R put TH400s in these. Too bad they stopped there and didn’t just buy complete C-10 rolling chassis to build these on.
I would love to have 2 more black Volvo wagons…but my wife might object.
Next time I’m in Autozone I’m asking for plugs for a Jensen-Healey, just to see what they say.
They would say to remove one of the plugs so they can get the number off it.
I don`t know about Saint Vinny D,but Salvation Army and Goodwill thrift shoppes are very cool and in with hipsters in NY and NJ.
Funny – I always thought it was still called St Vincent DePaul’s. We had one across the street from our Catholic school; it was full of old furniture and appliances from the 60’s that must have been the leftovers of yard sales. It was fun to go in there after school. I remember buying my first TV there, a black and white 10″ model. Didn’t know they had changed their name so many times~ and to think any car there could be for sale at that high of a price! Thrift stores are not so thrifty anymore : (
That takes me back. I used to own a Sony portable TV, B&W with about a 9″ or 10″ screen.
The Rolls reminds me of a spiritual leader in Oregon about 30 years ago called the Rajneesh who had a fleet of Rollers…could this be one of the remnants?
No, his all looked more like this . . . .
I think a 76 is a little too old for Bagwan. It appears that they begin buying/leasing his fleet in 79 and most of the cars were from the 80s.
http://www.oregonlive.com/rajneesh/index.ssf/1985/07/rajneesh_followers_amass_fleet.html
Yes, I was at the Auburn auction the year that a batch of the Bhagwan’s RRs showed up for the sale. No two were painted alike, but each had a really far-out paint job. Some looked like murals, others like bass boats. They were not really old cars at the time, and they were real bargains as I recall.
Wow, the daughter has been starting to think about buying a car. Maybe a trip to Oregon is in order . . . .
I have always hated (did I say hated? I meant HATED!) that generation of Seville, but for $1495, I could almost do it. I wonder if there is a pair of white loafers in the building I could get to go along with the car?
Full “Cleveland” or go home!
For $5,000 I’d take a gamble on the Rolls, but not at $20K…
If the Seville has the 4.9 V8, I’d say “winner, winner.”
The squareback VW would make you instantly popular at the old VW meets.
The roof treatment showed up (factory) on 1989’s first, when the engine is at least the 4.5.
I would want an expert Rolls Royce mechanic to check it out and I would also want to know who serviced it. If it has been cared for since new, it could be a good buy. Certainly a much better buy than an old Mercedes 600.
A properly maintained Silver Shadow will go on for ever, and make every drive a special occasion. This is an expensive business. Beater Shadows do exist, but it still costs a good deal to keep them going, and more often than not their owners are viewed as losers trying to put on the dog. Running a Rolls takes money and style. Make sure you’ve got plenty of both!
Wonder if a widow may have donated someone’s European car collection?
This was my first thought as well. If so, I wonder what exotic non-auto stuff got donated.
Lots of nice cars there. Yet, if I had to choose just one cool car it would have to be the VW Squareback. The other cars are nice, ride better and are more comfortable but the VW wins due to the cool factor. Not to mention great condition and I once had a 1972 in 1972 for a year.
Now what did they want for the car?
Oops, didn’t see the price off in the corner. Hmm, $5K…
I’d take that ’71 Squareback, but for $4995? Or do I roll the dice and get the 318ti and put the $1k saved towards repairs? I dunno, but I can say this is certainly an interesting lot of cars with something for just about all of us.
Here in northern Florida St. VDP’s are still “hotbeds” of mis-matched dinnerware, crystalware, and chipped porcelain knick knacks. Occasionally, one of the many Salvation Army stores has a car or boat which is auctioned. For cars, I’ve found a Sheriffs Ranch Thrift store 2 hours away with an eclectic mix of vehicles for sale. This summer I foolishly passed-up a 91 Ford Probe LX with a V6 and under 90,000 miles for $2,500.
I’ve lived in 6 different states in the last 40 years and none of them kept the plates with the car when sold.
BTW, buy a car at a charity thrift shop and there is no sales tax collected.
“I’ve lived in 6 different states in the last 40 years and none of them kept the plates with the car when sold.”
Yes, but they do things a bit different way up north. It’s a land of marvels and mysteries, where a Bonneville is called a Parisienne; where Mercury makes pickup trucks; and where milk comes in plastic bags.
Well, the milk came *out* of a bag to begin with, so what’s so odd? (c:
Here in the wild west sales tax is collected when you register the car. Plates used to stay with the car, but now the owner of the car is supposed to keep them when selling/trading the car. The plates can then be used on the next car (new or used), but this is after registration.
That VW is a collectors item here and cheap the RR a bit overpriced as is the BMW the Benzs are close to what they go for here though, That Jensen is a Vauxhall in a sport coat so the parts are at least available somewhere, its amazing that used cars are so expensive in the US for things like beat up old Corollas those are 500-1k all day long.
Without knowing the mileage or transmission of the BMW it’s hard to say it’s overpriced. Here in northern Florida, these have become minor cult classics, and 318tis are on Craigslist with 150K miles and automatic transmissions for more than $4,000.
Corollas for $500-$1,000? MAYBE, maybe, if they have 200,000+ miles and severe rust. The days (at least in the U.S.) of $500 cars are gone….for the most part. And my view is that a $1,000 car is really a $2K or $3K car that hasn’t been “upgraded” to reliable enough to get you past the outskirts of town.
If they have rust here they get put off the road 6 monthly inspections see to that, $500 cars are still a feature in NZ they tend to be old bombs like ex JDM Corollas Sentras and similar but if unreg or no W,O.F. they are scrap value or less.
What an eclectic collection. Wish I lived closer or I’d check it out. Plenty of CC material there.
What an interesting lot of used cars. Some serious vintage I never see around here in ATL.
My first car was a 1973 VW Type III Squareback. I thought Type II was the microbus. Pop was tired of me bumming mom’s car (even if it was a Chevette), so for $900 got me a VW. I learned a lot about wrenching on a car, but the engine rebuild did not turn out so well (but that two barrel Holley carb I put on there sounded so good in the back. Sigh). It died two years later after multiple blown oil coolers and then the engine bearings went. The nose of it got bashed in a little from my first accident and a rocker panel was creased badly so I didn’t think it was worth saving. Helluva car in the snow.
1973 was the last year they made these. Five kilobucks is a lot to drop on this. But it looks pristine compared to mine in 1982. I wonder how good the maintenance on the engine was on it.
I’ll have the Mercury or the VW. I can see the Rolls being a money pit.
+2 on the Marquis… glad it didn’t end up in a demo derby.
I’ve seen a few of those SLCs around lately, which is unusual.
As for W126 Benzes, whenever I see them I think of the show Arrested Development as the family has one. They are classy rides, although I find the W116 cooler.
I’d be tempted by that Seville, although the first order of business would be replacing that nasty grille and getting rid of that tacky vinyl roof. And it does appear to be a 1988+ model which means a 4.5 or 4.9 instead of the self-destructing, gutless 4.1.
I agree on the W116. The 3.8 V8 this one had was also from a bad period in the USA MB gas engine offering. Only 155hp, lousy economy and a lot of trouble with the timing chains. The Caddy 4.1 of the time rightly gets a lot of grief, but things were also a little fishy in Sindlefingen 81-85.
I’ve never seen a St VdP that sold cars, let alone called St Vinnie’s. But the eclectic inventory doesn’t surprise me in the least. It’s Eugene, after all.
That squareback is NICE. But yeah, my ‘too good to be true’ meter is a-pinging….
One of the Rescue Missions here in Portland will have a car or two on craigslist from time to time. Some are actually pretty nice, but the prices are hail marys. They had a really clean Volare for $3K. It was a 318, but also a 4 door, so while it would be a helluva fun sleeper that’s twice what Id pay or a sedan. A V8 Aspen/Volare coupe in similar condition….well Id have broke my neck to pay $3K for that!
The Rolls – be afraid, be very afraid. Had one here in the UK – very complex Citroën derived suspension and brakes – very hard to maintain. The best is the Type3 in my opinion. The prices of really clean old motors are going up up up in the UK and the VW looks really good. I had one – nice to drive, practical and maintainable with real wagon style. The car would be twice the price of the US one here.
For 2 grand, I’d take the 380SE and drive it until something expensive broke.
I’d love to own the Roller. And yes, I know what they cost to keep running. Fortunately, up in Falls Church, VA we have an independent Rolls-Royce/Bentley shop with a very good reputation. Better than the dealer, and a hell of a lot cheaper.
I was seriously looking at a ’98 Bentley Mulsanne last year (on the second owner, original was Billy Joel) but the $32k was a bit out of my league. He has them as low as $14k, but he’s honest enough to let you know what you’re in for if you bite on it.
I wouldn’t mind another MN12 Cougar, the SLC mercedes is sweet too, though I’d have to source the euro bumpers/headlights ASAP.
The Citroen-licensed hydro-pneumatic suspension tied into the complicated power brake system is the Achilles Heel of old Silver Shadows. If you own one and the brake/suspension system develops problems, it can quickly exceed the value of the car to repair it.
Corniche convertibles have this same system but maintain enough of their resale value to warrant bearing the costs of repairs. Some shops have actually bought Silver Shadow sedans with functional brake/suspension systems just to swap the necessary components into the Corniche needing the repairs. The rest gets parted out, even if its in nice condition otherwise, which could be the ultimate fate of the R-R on the St. Vinnies lot.
Remember: Nothing is more expensive than a cheap high-end luxury or exotic sports car.
Interesting timing on this post. I have here a hilarious contrast for you. This is a Goodwill Auto Auction in Dayton. This was a couple of weeks ago, and features vehicles somewhat downscale from the OP’s cars.
Is the Volvo behind the 740 Turbo a 760 or a 740 GLE 16V (assuming the wheels are original)? Neither of those were especially common when new, and I can’t tell you the last time I saw one. The 960/S90 population has dwindled since about 2010 as well.
My favorite would have to be the 450SLC.