Nice! They are great machines, but small things on them can wear out over time. That being said, the older ones are more simplistic, so less can go wrong. My mom's 1987 LC runs just fine; however, it handles horribly and is very slow. Still, fun car to be in and looks much better now that I finally got all the purple window tinting off.
[doublepost=1469693915][/doublepost]Update: we ditched the idea of another old Maserati QP and instead decided to check out a depreciated 2013 model at a real Mas dealer. My brother and father went over to see the car, and it apparently looked very nice. Still awaiting a family decision. The car is very cool-looking: it's black on black with black wheels! Nice, darker wood-trim interior in the car.
[doublepost=1469694846][/doublepost]Pt. 2: Along the way to the dealer, my brother spotted a Ford Crown Vic for sale. We've been wanting one to spin out in the middle of the desert - but also because it's one of my and my brother's dream cars. After a very unprofessional sales pitch by the kid (whose grandpa was selling the car), we ended up buying it! So hyped about this!
In case you're wondering, the kid said how he did donuts in it, and that the back seats lack the middle-seat bump, making it an expansive space for girls... In other words, he implied that it would be suitable for 'getting it on' in the back seat. Yeah, worst sales pitch ever. Sadly, he wore the new tires down some by having done donuts with it. There's a reason we drift on dirt.
Anyway, it's a white, unmarked ex police car that still has the chrome rims on it. Guessing it was a detective's unit or something. I see a hole behind the seats, where there likely used to be concealed strobe lights. On the dash is a warning placard that talks about properly stowing/mounting police equipment, and in the center is a trunk-release button. Speaking of center, there exists no center console. In place of the carpeting is rubber lining, and there's an overhead lamp added in - it's quite bright. On the outside, the car has two spotlights (one on each side), and the overall body is a bit iffy. No body damage, but there are multiple areas that were corrected with enamel and spray paint. Not noticeable from afar, though. Sadly, the push bar was removed, but it's okay. With the spotlights, it looks like any ordinary undercover cop car. In fact, I immediately noticed that, when driving it, I was given utmost respect by others. Two separate times, while I was wanting to change lanes, whoever was next to me would slow down and let me pull ahead. Additionally, I'd see people not follow to close, and one woman even gave up her turn at a stop sign for me!
How does it drive? I expected it to drive like a boat, but I was surprised to find that the steering is responsive, the wheel is incredibly easy to turn, the ride is smooth, and the car corners well. Of course, it was slightly modified. The shocks look slightly raised, and the front wheels were apparently made a bit tow-out so that cornering would be easier. No issue taking it around a turn at 30 MPH. It drives nicely. Odd, though, how rough the transmission is. It lurches at its first shift. Brakes were sucky when I first drove it, but now they seem okay. In terms of power, it's fairly powerful and has good punch and pick-up.
SO excited to drive this thing!
Extra info: Oddly enough, rear seats are leather, but front seats are cloth, with a single leather cover over the driver's seat back. Also, front passenger seat belt is charcoal/gray, while rest of belts are black. The rear doors have locks on them that can only be accessed by the driver or front passenger, so you can basically lock a person in the car. No way anyone can get in or out with these locks activated. Trunk seems to have an antenna running to it - in plain sight, from within. The bendy antenna on the rear edge of the car is short, yet the range seems nice. Car has no cassette player or CD player, so it's radio only. Lastly, driver spotlight turns on and works well, but front passenger one seems to be dead.
Overall, we picked up this baby for only $1,500. Most of the quirks are simply cosmetic; the car performs well and its overpowered AC blows ice-cold air! Wish this could be a daily driver.
[doublepost=1469695139][/doublepost]BTW, anyone know if it's illegal to have a phony orange/white light in the back (behind the rear seats, where the original one used to be)? I know that red and blue is a no-no, but apparently orange and white are okay, but only if you are stopped and it's an emergency.
However, I'd take it a step further and not even have these "lights" be operational. In fact, I wanted to create fake strobes out of unrelated materials. For example, what if I took a slender shoe box and glued an orange reflector and white reflector on it, and then make it show through the rear window? In fact, it doesn't even have to have reflectors on it - they could simply be orange/white pieces of translucent plastic.
I know fake red and blue is STILL illegal, but fake orange and white may be fine, right? Even real orange and white is fine, under certain circumstances.
