Today is an experiment. I wasn’t finding anything inspiring in my usual searches, so I decided to open up the Craigslist page for a town at random, and grab two cars that caught my eye, whatever they may be. The town I chose, and the reason for the silly title, is Kokomo, Indiana – which I can assure you looks nothing like Aruba, Jamaica, Bermuda, or the Bahamas.
But first let’s finish up with yesterday’s desert project cars. You have to remember, when I pick cars, I’m picking something that’s interesting to write about, not necessarily something I would ever consider buying, or that I think someone else should buy. That Buick Regal yesterday is, in my estimation, a piece of junk – but it was a piece of junk I could get a few hundred words out of. I didn’t expect many people to vote for it, and I was right.
That little yellow Alfa, on the other hand, looks like exactly the sort of trouble I’m likely to get into, or was, once upon a time. There’s a reason why I’m only allowed to buy cars that can make it into the driveway under their own power, and it’s because things like this are just too tempting to me. Two grand for a good-looking and rust-free Alfa? Be still my heart.
Kokomo, Indiana is about an hour north of Indianapolis, in an area known for natural gas mines and transmission factories. It’s bigger than I thought; I was going to jokingly refer to it as a “wide spot in the road,” but it’s a town of 60,000 people. But despite that, its Craigslist car offerings are scant; the cars I’ve chosen to look at are two ads out of only seven.
It’s hard to buy a car in a small town. There isn’t much to choose from. It’s hard to sell them, too, because everybody knows your car; they’ve seen how dirty you let it get in the winter, and they all heard about that time you peeled out of the drive-through at the Tastee-Freez. (Poor Diane nearly choked on her chili dog, you scared her so badly.) So I wouldn’t blame the residents of Kokomo if they chose to list their cars in Indianapolis, where there’s more action and more anonymity. Since I did find a couple of fun-looking rides, however, let’s check them out.
1994 Chevrolet C1500 Silverado – $8,500
Engine/drivetrain: 5.0 liter OHV V8, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Macy, IN
Odometer reading: 129,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
You all know I’m a big fan of the GMT400 trucks, and I’m not the only one here. The GMT400 occupies that sweet spot between the primitive, rough-riding dinosaurs that trucks used to be and the enormous, gadget-laden family sedan substitutes they have become. It’s a handsome design, a reliable and durable platform, and it’s now old enough to elicit some nostalgia; no wonder values are going up. A truck like this one would have been cheap a few years ago, but no longer.
The seller says this truck has “maximum Grandpa coolness,” and I agree. This is the sort of truck that guys used to buy right after retirement with the intention of keeping them for the rest of their lives. It’s not 4WD, because they never intended to go anywhere with more rugged terrain than the local fishing spot, and it’s a middle-of-the-road 305 V8 with an automatic, because that’s enough power and who wants to bother with shifting anymore? It has only 129,000 miles on it, and it runs and drives great.
It’s a Silverado, so it’s a whole lot fancier on the inside than my old fleet-spec Cheyenne. It has power windows and locks, carpet on the floor, and even upholstery on the door panels like it’s a Caprice Classic or something. Fan-cy. Everything works, the seller says, except the air conditioning. (Mine works – neener-neener.) It’s not a difficult or expensive A/C system to overhaul and upgrade to R134a, so making this truck even cooler inside is totally doable.
It’s damn near perfect outside, and it’s two-tone, as all trucks should be – unless, of course, they’re lucky enough to be Forest Service Green. Most GMT400s in the midwest lost their cab corners and rocker panels ages ago to rust, but this one looks practically new. Grandpa did a good job of keeping the salt off it. No, it’s not cheap, but from the looks of it, if you really want a good example of these trucks, it’s worth every penny.
2000 BMW Z3 2.8 – $11,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.8 liter DOHC inline 6, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Kokomo, IN
Odometer reading: 47,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The BMW Z3 debuted with a splash in the James Bond movie GoldenEye. It was an odd choice; not only was it smaller and lower-powered than the typical Bond ride, it was uncharacteristically unpatriotic. James Bond, driving a German car, after all those years of Astons and Lotuses? Perish the thought. And not only was it a BMW, but it was a BMW built in South Carolina.
The Z3 was available with either four- or six-cylinder engines; this one has an M52 inline six displacing 2.8 liters, and, sadly, an automatic transmission. I know, I know; I’d rather have a manual too. It seems to have hardly been driven; the odometer shows only 47,000 miles. Poor thing; it needs some exercise. The ad leaves us wanting more information; all we get is “great shape” and “new tires.”
The inside looks as clean as you’d expect for so few miles, with only a little wear on one seat bolster. No ejector seat or hidden weapons in this one, sadly, but it does have the facelifted interior, with a nice analog clock in the center console and an insulated top with a headliner.
It’s very clean outside, too, but I can’t help noticing that misalignment of the rear bumper and quarter panel right by the taillight. I’m assuming that BMW didn’t let it leave the factory like that, and that the bumper has seen a bit of action. It’s not bad, but it’s the sort of thing that warrants a peek underneath to check for repairs. There’s not much point in bothering with such things on a $2,500 car, but for eleven grand, we expect more.
I’m aware that neither one of these could remotely be called a “shitbox.” But there’s no rule that says we can’t look at nice things once in a while. If it makes you feel better, imagine that the name of this column, just for today, is “Creampuff Comparison.” Which one of these is worth going to Kokomo, Indiana to check out?
If I’m getting a BMW, it sure ain’t gonna be that.
Truck for me.
PU needs to be 4wd, the BMW needs a stick. I will take neither.
Setting aside for the moment my irrational dislike of the Z3 due solely to the terrible driver I knew who drove one terribly, I still don’t want an expensive to maintain, bleh-silver slushbox. If I had room in my life for a tiny two-seat convertible (and if I was three inches shorter) I’d look for a manual Miata.
The Chevy is clean, practical, and boring in a way that feels almost rebellious today. If can’t have exciting, I’ll take soothing.
I was going to vote for both of them until I saw that the little roadster was an automatic. While I prefer a manual pick-up, I could tolerate an automatic in that one considering it’s such a beautiful regular-cab 2wd pickup.
So I voted for the truck.
Looking back, I should have voted for both and (virtually) given the little BMW to the wife.
Both seem like there might be a drug problem in the area with those prices. The gmt400 is more palatable. They were starting to go for some money in some circles. But you can probably find a grandpa gmt400 in the south still with some more clear failure and maybe a patenia for 1500 to 2500 with no body rust. It has to be over a decade since I’ve seen someone want that for a z3 though.
It’s been a long time since I saw a GMT400 in that condition. A 2WD regular cab with a 305 might not be my chosen spec, but it’s awfully hard to resist. Growing up rural like I did, my family and half of my friends’ families had one. It was the first pickup I legally drove, and a lot of teenage adventures were had in one. It’s hard to beat that kind of nostalgia.
Like a rock…
This is an excellent two-car garage set.
That beautiful OBS “Pawpaw truck” is a no-brainer. Perfect for driving to Waffle House on Saturday mornings to drink coffee and solve the world’s problems with my fellow old men.
The shop truck I got to use back in the auto-body days was a builder that the customer backed out on. It made for a really nice parts chaser and was almost that exact spec – 2wd regular cab and 2-tone brown, although it was an earlier version, I believe a ’90.
Feels a little pricey, but I’d rather spend $8500 on that and continue enjoying my 2000 XK8 than pony up 11 large for another convertible with an automatic.
I’ve reached that stage where I really appreciate an honest, non-brodozer pickup. This one might be a bit fancy, but it’s surely honest – besides, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the ride.
I was ready to scroll right to picking the BMW, but that truck is too nice and I don’t really like trucks. Turned out that the BMW has the wrong transmission and miles that are almost too low. While I haven’t checked prices lately, that also seems a bit on the high side and there should be other options for that price or less.
Agreed. If it was the full 3.0 it’s worth it, but you can see from the interior shot there no buttons on the steering wheel which is a clear sign of not having options. That along with the boring silver color it should be closer to 8k.
The Z3 is one pedal short of this being a “both” day. I’m not interested in paying $11k for an automatic Z3. Otherwise, that car looks great. I’d be a buyer all day long and twice on Tuesday if it had the right number of pedals.
I like the truck and voted for it, but it is overpriced. This truck isn’t perfect. I’m not bothered by the broken AC, but there are several other obvious imperfections that are more apparent in the photos shown in the original ad. There are scrapes on the driver’s door, the tailgate has several scratches, and there is some black material stuck to the driver’s seat. Also, the sill of the passenger door looks a bit off; I wonder if this truck has had some paint work and/or rust repair? I will also say I don’t share enthusiasm for the brown – this truck looks better in just about any other color. Overall, I think I can do better than this for $8500. If nothing else, nicer GMT400 pickups have sold for less on BaT.
Scrapes?
Oh, you mean the character marks!
Oof, too much for either even as clean as they are. I never really loved the Z3 and certainly not an auto for 11 grand. The truck seems a little pricey (I know truck prices have been nuts for a while now) as well for a 1500 Silverado but it is clean and I would use it as a work truck. I just wouldn’t drive it much in the mountains in the winter.
I know I’m only supposed to consider the two cars on offer here, but I just have to contextualize this – trucks are expensive, and ones in good shape are few and far between, 8k is pretty reasonable for this tidy V8 single cab.
Meanwhile, 11 grand is well into manual Boxster (or nice manual Z3) money, and an automatic Z3 just doesn’t compare to that experience, no matter how pristine this particular example is.
I’ve never had or needed a truck, but I’ll have to take the Chevy here.
A thing about roadsters: most of them are in good shape. Z3’s, SLK’s and Boxsters were mostly bought by older people for weekend use and garaged all their lives, you’ll consistently find them in better shape and with lower mileage than their 4-seater siblings, with little to no salt exposure. A well-driven example is the real trick, to avoid any issues from the car sitting for too long.
They also remain cheap because open-top 2-seaters aren’t as desirable or useful for track/drift/daily/Winter duties, making them less likely to get wide-bodied and stuffed into a wall or bought as a transportation solution and driven into the ground, so their supply isn’t dwindling as rapidly as the hard-tops.
They both feel overpriced for what they are.
But the BMW could let me cruise up and down the street with the top down, and never suffer the embarrassment of missing a shift as I slowly pull away from a traffic light.
It’s a shame about the auto in the Bimmer. But I just can’t with the brown on brown pickup. No thanks.
Ultimate steering machine it is!
I was thinking of doing the Chevy, but I know how front brakes are replaced on them, and just…. no.
I’ll roll the dice on an old auto BMW any day of the week.
What do you mean? Unless that ’94 is for some reason different than my ’98, it’s an easy job.
Well shit, I guess they actually changed it at some point. A co-worker was a slightly older Chevy 1500, and that thing needs like wheel bearings seals and stuff when you do the front brakes. Being in NY, and dealing with hefty rust, that’s just a big nope from me. It’s already gonna be rusty, I don’t want things rust-welding together making brake replacements harder, and needing presses and all that.
My bad! I assumed and assumed incorrectly.
I think you’re getting mixed up; modern vehicles are the ones which tend to require presses (only if you replace the bearing itself, rather than the whole hub/spindle) and often rust-weld themselves to the rest of the hardware. Older vehicles (and trailers), especially 2WD, used the more simple system where the bearings ride inside the rotor and there’s a seal on the outside. It’s a little more manual (packing the bearings, getting the bearing pre-load correct) but is damn easy to mess with. Rust doesn’t tend to be a problem in those cases.
Swear the last time I saw a co-workers old C1500 getting brakes, his needed to be pressed out, more akin to the first gen Colorado/Canyon and 2nd generation Frontier. Maybe I really did get mixed up.
Nonetheless though, I’m only more worried about easy rotor and pad replacement in this case. Rotors and pads only.
I checked after you posted that, and the 1994’s are virtually like my ’14 Compass, of which I love. No pressing, just hammers and maybe rust penetrant. Simple.
Nah. I had a GMT400 Suburban which I assume has identical brakes – replacement was very easy. All I had to do was hand my Visa card to the mechanic. It only took me a few seconds.
Good one!
I’m not that mechanically inclined, but I am enough that I can atleast do my brakes myself… even if it takes me a little bit to do them.
I’m not against paying someone else to, but if I can do it myself: I’d rather.
I agree 100%. I am also not mechanically inclined, but I like to do repairs/maintenance myself if possible.
I recall brake replacement on my Suburban wasn’t very easy, which is why I didn’t do it myself. I have replaced brakes on a few Honda products, all of which were very easy. It has been a while, but I recall a brake job on my Civic only required a hammer, a screwdriver, 20 minutes, and 2 cheap beers.
I’m slower and more about ensuring I did it right, so it’d probably take me a while longer to do brakes, but both my Dakota & Compass were/are easy with 3 sockets, an impact, and a hammer. Work where there’s lifts, so it’s easy to come in, lift, and go to town!
If I was going to get one of those trucks, I’d have to have a 2500 in that lovely shade of dark green. When I was growing up, that was my grandpa’s nice truck (as opposed to the beat to shit Mitsubishi Mighty Max farm truck). He sold it years ago, and passed away last year. This one isn’t quite close enough for me, if I’m paying that price.
That BMW, while it absolutely has the wrong transmission, looks just about new. And my fiancee can’t drive a stick anyway. Maybe a candidate for a manual swap?