Michael E
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Posts posted by Michael E
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I would agree, there are some bargain classics out there from that period. Fox body 5.0L Mustangs seem popular. I make light of this Maseratty but I make fun of all cars, they are all terrible, I try not to take it all too seriously...not become obsessed and all that nonsense, then it ceases to be enjoyable. I paid no where near what they are asking for those CL cars and as result I am able to drive this car and not worry, use it for transportation which is my definition of what a vehicle is intended to be. Stylish looks are always a bonus of course. From my research this should be a relatively low maintenance car with the Mitsubishi mini-van engine, K car mechanicals, parts from Autozone, nothing too exotic...that is why I got it, I've always done my own repair and maintenance and I repair this car. If I can't fix it I don't buy it.
Pinto a.k.a Mustang II, Vega, Cosworth Vega, Chevy Citation, K car, early '60s Pontiac Tempest, Chevy Corvair, Henry J, Nash Metropolitan (English Austin with refrigerator DNA)...all early attempts by American car makers to enter the economy car market...all terrible cars but all cars are terrible, they all break down eventually and then you have to lay under it for two days busting your knuckles and getting all greasy fixing it. Terrible! LOL
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39 minutes ago, padgett said:
Four if you count the hubcap bolt.
I stand corrected. Three lug madness. Don't want to snap off a rusty stud on one of these.
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24 minutes ago, padgett said:
And had four lug wheels.
Renaults had 3 once.
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Now my little heart is broken, my K-car Maseratty TC by Chrysler is not the most desirable iteration. But who really desires any iteration of a K-car anyway? LOL
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3 hours ago, Ed Luddy said:
LeBaron still in it's shipping crate. LOL
Wooden crate. LOL😂
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Speaking from experience, in the past I've owned two MOPAR mini-vans with the Mitsubishi 3.0L V6 engine, both were reliable engines with good power, 70 MPH on the freeway all day long without complaining, never smoked or leaked. I purchased this Mase'ratty' TC because it had this particular engine, rebuilt. I don't need the hassles of an exotic, high revving turbo charged four banger with a Cosworth head, I wanted a fun, dependable driver. No substitute for displacement. Sorry, in my opinion this car is too heavy to be powered by a 2.2L four cylinder engine no matter how it is aspirated. These V6 engines make good power, the gearing is good for this car, OD four speed trans, FLAPS has parts. I agree, the car is a bit of a sleeper...and the top has portholes like a ship...a.k.a. opera windows to some folks. 🤪
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For Sale or Trade: !960s vintage Joe Hunt/Vertex magneto. Fits a Chevy Corvair engine, made in Switzerland. Still functions, it will give you a jolt! Make offer or trade for 250cc Puch/Sears Allstate motorcycle or some other kind of motorcycle, a canoe or other cool stuff. Located in Tacoma, Washington.
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1 hour ago, padgett said:
Left off the Plymouth Sapporo (don't ask).
A car only Ricardo Montalban could love.
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I've only owned this car since last Thursday so I am not an expert but from what I am finding it was what Chrysler termed a G (or maybe a Q) platform, second generation K platform with a shortened length which was also common to the Dodge Daytona, LeBaron convertible and other MOPARS of the era. Early models had a turbo four banger, Cosworth heads or some such thing, then they put a Mitsubishi 3.0l V6 mini-van engine in the later ones which is what I have. It seems basically the TC is a LeBaron convertible that came with a removable hardtop, leather interior and some special trim and badging, twice the price of the Lebaron which came out years before.
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Absolutely, far too expensive for what it was, lacked the performance one would expect from an automobile badged with the Maserati trident. Not a bad car, not a great car but a unique, interesting, low production car with ties to an exotic, Italian super-car marque. What's not to love?
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7 hours ago, Matthew Cody said:
Criticisms welcome, I added a factory luggage rack from a 84 LeBaron to my 91 TC to dress the back end up a bit. I personally love the look.
I like it.
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I thought I was buying a fine luxury touring roadster, now I find it is nothing but a $37,000 K car. LOL I just bought this car for a second vehicle, it's driver quality which is what I intend to do with it, drive and enjoy it. This car is fun, weird, unusual, rare, distinctive...all at import, econo-box pricing. Mechanical parts from Autozone, easy to repair and maintain Mitsubishi 3.0l engine. Always wanted a car with portholes!
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37 minutes ago, rocketraider said:
I always thought those things were sexy...
I drove an 87 Aries sedan for a couple years. It was the last car Mama bought and after her death I said this thing gets 30mpg and wagon and truck get 15- why am I not driving it to work? It served me well until Bambi came dancing out in the highway in front of it. Bambi destroyed my K, but at least I gave her a flight thru the air before she landed back in the road and got run over again. A good car in above average condition, 94k when Bambi destroyed it. NCSHP said if it was less than $1000 damage and no injuries they wouldn't send a trooper to the scene. I said the car was way more than a grand in damage but wasn't worth $600 on its best day.
Branch heads, fooey. If a farmer didn't manage his livestock and keep it out of the road any better than the state does, he'd be under the jail.
Bambi did not die in vain, did the world a great service, sent a K car to the scrapyard. RIP Bambi.
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I recently came into possession of a fine Italian touring roadster, a 1991 Maserati TC convertible. A wonderful triple black automobile with luxurious hand stitched Italian leather interior, (leather might even be from Corinthian cows), stylish European grill and badging, full power, AC, heater, a Mitsubishi 3.0l V6 Chrysler mini-van engine(!), four wheel anti-lock disc brakes...the list of luxury, sporting accessories goes on. Only 127K actual miles but hey, it runs, drives and stops ,didn't have to bring a trailer and it was cheap!!! Most everything works on the car except the odometer, the radio and the left turn signal light in the dash works sometimes, sometimes not. I enjoy convertible motoring but live in Western Washington state, USA where it rains most of the time so a rag top is not the most practical car but this fine Maserati was imported from Italy with a rare removable hard top, just like a Corvette or Baby Bird, the hard top even has portholes like a ship. How many cars ever had portholes like a ship? Not many that I'm aware of. Soft top, hard top w/portholes, certainly the best of both words, rain or shine.
OK, all joking aside, it's actually just a Chrysler K car that cost $37,000(!), a LeBaron to be exact that was assembled in Italy with a Japanese engine, a truly international automobile by anyone's standards, the
brainchild of two forward thinking 1980s-1990s automotive risk takers, Lee Iacocca of Chrysler and Alejandro de Tomaso of Pantera/Maserati fame. What were they thinking? They couldn't give these things away! It's a turkey but parts are cheap, it runs good and it will always be the only one at the car show. What's not to love?
Anyway, any TC owners out there give me a shout, K car owners too for that matter.
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It is not a LeBaron...
in General Discussion
Posted
Absolutely, I understand that some invest vast sums of money restoring collectable cars, some are in possession of rare, pristine, low mileage survivor cars, pieces of motoring history. Those cars should be preserved for posterity. Jay Leno does that, Harold LeMay's family does that as well as countless other automobile enthusiasts. This car ain't that caliber of car so I'm going to have fun driving it.