=Brendan
I suspect most 80's Celebrities wouldn't be worth a tinker's damn today.
Not in terms of value, but in terms of drivability.
--
-Mike-
mmarlo...@alltel.netd
=Brendan
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"So why do I drive a big SUV? It's because I have to haul numerous
people and things to places."
~ R. Lee Baxton ~
<Bren...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1140804010.8...@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
I drove a 1988 Chevy Celebrity sedan (2.5 liter 4 cylinder and 3 sp auto tranny) for 5 years in the
late 90s for 5 years
.. It was easily getting 35 mpg on the highway..I loved the fuel economy, reliability and roominess
but acceleration was a joke!
too heavy car and only 98 or 100 hp engine! It killed me on the ramps..Also,
lots of carbon built up occurred..One other thing I did not like was the damn bench seat.. It was so
uncomfortable that I used to think twice before going to a long drive. Get one with bucket seats if
possible.
I know that very few sedans had stick shift on some years but wagon with stick shift version never
existed to my knowledge. If you want a wagon with stick shift, you should look at late 80s or early
90s Volvo wagons (240 or 740)
ahmet
I don't understand how a 2.8 liter six-cylinder could be getting such
fantastic mileage, even with a 3-speed transmission! The ratios just
must be very far apart, I guess. Does it have overdrive?
Acceleration for me isn't really a problem; I don't step out very
often, if at all. True, the gearshift would be in the way a bit of the
other passengers, but no worse off than a floor shift in a pickup, I'd
presume. There is ample leg room in both the front and rear, what a
fantastically-laid-out car!
What other cars had this engine, the 2.8L V6, which were manual shift?
Who knows, maybe if I purchase this one, then down the line I might be
able to convert it to stickshift ... hmm ...
=Brendan
The stick conversion is not going to happen. You can't even find one of
these on the road. Where will you find the parts to convert?
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." A. Einstein
You seem to have buying fever for this car. Try to bargain down the
price on the one you found. But don't let KBB prices rule your desires
for a mere couple hundred bucks.
=Brendan
Just that it's an old car. They weren't the best cars ever built in the
first place and although one can certainly run for a long time, a car in
this class from the 80's is more likely to be a dog than a good car. The
first problem I would look at is the price. It's over $200 more than Kelly
is suggesting for one in excellent condition. A grand can buy a lot newer
car than that in most places around the country.
The 2.8L engine was a pretty good engine. Not a real powerhouse, but a good
enough, reliable motor. I had two vehicles with the 2.8 in them and they
were fine. One was a standard and one was an automatic. The automatic
suffered a bit of loss to the torque converter that was noticeable. The
standard was a much better match for that motor.
The 2.8L has a history of leaking rear main seals so a very close inspection
for signs of leakage is a must.
A well cared for 2.8L is good for over 200,000 miles - but you really would
have no way of knowing how it was cared for. Let the buyer beware.
--
-Mike-
mmarlo...@alltel.net
That could be a good thing... depending on who's next to the driver
--
-Mike-
mmarlo...@alltel.net
Brendan, I own a 1984 Celebrity Wagon with a 2.8L in it. A couple
things you need to be aware of:
1) The Chevy 2.8L had oiling problems. I don't know what the years were
that they fixed this, but the problem was the engines in the bad years had
too small
oiling holes drilled in the crank and rods, as a result the bearing failed
early.
Any competent engine rebuilder knows about this and redrills the oiling
holes, just find one and ask him what years to avoid.
2) These are midsized sedans converted into wagons. They are not as large
inside as you think. They are basically most useful if you have a need for
a
standard sedan for most of the time with the ability to carry a few extra
boxes
around from time to time.
3) The air conditioning system is junk on these. The compressor is the DA-6
and
this is a really crappy design, fails all the time. And the original A/C
system was
R12. The condensor on the front of the car does not have enough cooling
efficiency for a R-134a conversion to produce really cold air.
Ted
And, yes, leg-fondling can be a plus ;)
=Brendan
I ended up with a good one.. 87 Eurosport sedan with 34k 2 years ago..
Bought it for $900 and put 40,000 hard CNY winter miles on it before the
tranny burned up..
That's a seriously good find Mike - especially in our neck of the woods.
Salt here does a number on bodies and one that old with a still useable body
is a really good find. I'm in CNY too, BTW.
--
-Mike-
mmarlo...@alltel.net
Aahh! ROAD SALT- - The most cruel tax of all! Come down to Texas, New
Mexico and Arizona to find pristine bodies that have had many rebuilds
on the running gear.
--
Jarhead
>
> Aahh! ROAD SALT- - The most cruel tax of all! Come down to Texas, New
> Mexico and Arizona to find pristine bodies that have had many rebuilds
> on the running gear.
>
Argh! You don't know the half of it.
Texas I liked. New Mexico just never did a lot for me. Arizona might be
fine, except that it's about the biggest migration point for folks from CA
these days, isn't it? I like the country in Arizona, and I've spent a fair
amount of time all over the state. I just wouldn't want to be where
everything is suddenly turning on its ear with a mass influx of people. It
was a shame to watch what happened to the Denver/Boulder/Longmont area when
the world discovered the High Plains. Guess I'll just stay right here, or
I'd just be one more of that influx thing.
--
-Mike-
mmarlo...@alltel.net
All three states are a major illegal alien destination. Notice the word
alien as they can't be an immigrant when they aren't legal.
People from the republic of Kalifornia bother me as much or more than
the illegals from Mexico and points south.
They run up the price of real estate and want to change things to the
way they were before escaping Kalifornia. When we left Indiana we wanted
to join the natives- - not conquer or change them.
I worked part time for a couple in Yuma that HOMESTEADED a place on the
Colorado river in 1906 before Arizona was a state. She plowed the field
behind two mules as a newly wed. They were in their late 60's in 1959,
and were in as good of shape as I was. She could drink any Marine under
the table too. ;=)}
--
Jarhead