What do you think about this trade?

So I have my Bitter SC for sale: http://grm.racingjunk.com/category/1070/Other/post/1976225/1985-Bitter-SC.html

Local guy has offered me two Maserati Biturbos for it... a solid and sorted 1984 car being used daily, and a solid but not running 1984 E (very rare) project.

He wasn't specific yet, but I suspect he'd want the full package (including the LS1) taking the bill to over $8k...

I'm sort of torn... if I want to deal with a project, I'd just as soon keep the Bitter. But here I get a daily driver as well as a project. But $8k seems a lot of dosh for carbed Biturbos these days...

Thoughts? Bill

An 84 E?

I thought E (using the US version of E, not E for Export as used in Italy) were only sold in 85.

That said, I want a Biturbo sooo freakin bad, but I wouldn't trade the Bitter for a pair. Neither car is worth $4000 alone.

The Bitter, while unknown to most, still doesn't have the "uber-unreliable" sterotype that the Biturbos are saddled with.

I'm actively looking for a reasonably priced Biturbo now. Most of what I find a delusional owners who think their non-running, clapped out Biturbo is worth $2000-$3500.

Wow, I had no idea that someone here had a Bitter SC. I have always thought they were a beautiful car. Very cool.

As for the BiTurbo maybe the "E" part of the one car is rare but the "not running" part certainly is not rare!
Actually, the rarest statement is the "daily driven" part.
I have never met the man but I will go out on a limb and call him a liar. Maybe daily driven like one day but I assure you this car is not his main mode of transportation.

Come on, search BiTurbo's. I am amazed that all the non running cars out there have less than 50k miles, heck, less than 35k.
How many miles are on either BiTurbo?

Two BiTurbos are not worth one Bitter SC.

Thanks for the feedback... that was my gut reaction as well, but I thought I'd throw it out to the group.

I'd rather keep both my Laforza (for sale in the $2010 classifieds) and the Bitter, but to be happy with either, both will require some money and lot of time... if nothing sells I'll likely try to get the Laforza done before winter and the LS1 swap into the Bitter completed over the winter...

Bill

jrw1621 wrote: Two BiTurbos are not worth one Bitter SC.

^^^^ That. And as much as I'd like a Biturbo, if I had a Bitter I'd keep that instead.

And just for the record, if the Bitter ran correctly (meaning not using oil like it does and with the power it should have) I'd just do the 5 speed swap I originally intended.. with the 205hp 3.9 they weren't slow cars for the era.

But with the non-lockup TH180 ("Chevette" for those that don't speak GM trans) it's a miserable drive on the highway. I can't believe they got Ferrari prices for these cars!

The LS1 swap will cost me less than an engine rebuild and 5sp swap...

I could just kick you in the balls and steal $8K from you. At least you wouldn't end up with a couple of Biturbos sitting in your driveway.

DILYSI Dave wrote: I could just kick you in the balls and steal $8K from you. At least you wouldn't end up with a couple of Biturbos sitting in your driveway.

LOL!!!!!

I didn't know what a Bitter was until I saw this thread, and I BARELY knew what a LaForza was (seriously, the one reason I knew is there was a white one that never moved, parked next to a minty FB rx7 on my way home from work, and I kept wondering, the hell is with that Trooper) and you've got them both? Awesome.

If I ever buy a SUV, it WILL be a LaForza. I was looking for one, but gave up and bought my wife a 190E instead.

wcelliot wrote:

DILYSI Dave wrote: I could just kick you in the balls and steal $8K from you. At least you wouldn't end up with a couple of Biturbos sitting in your driveway.

LOL!!!!!

good to have you back, dave!

I would stick with the Bitter and LSx it, I'm curious as to how much of a uber-cool GT car it can be with the new engine.

DILYSI Dave wrote: I could just kick you in the balls and steal $8K from you. At least you wouldn't end up with a couple of Biturbos sitting in your driveway.

LOLZ

How much other interest has there been in your car? Maybe try asking for the one solid Biturbo plus some $ on top?

No serious interest, but then little is selling these days and there are a lot of interesting options in the price range... that's why I welcomed an interesting trade... but maybe not quite this interesting. ;-)

I get the idea the Maserati guy is a kid without any money... probably trying to figure out how to get out of his hole. ;-)

To bad he isn't in Texas, I'd trade him my Milano for the Maser(s).

I thought this was going to be one of those "I got a new car for my wife. Good trade, huh?" threads.

You do know what the problem with your motor in the Bitter is, don't you? I could take some pictures of the 3.9L CIH in my shop to show you if you don't, but it's the ring lands most likely. Seems when they stroked the motor the rings all got pretty close together up on the crown of the piston, and one tank of bad gas and the resulting single detonation event is enough to crack the crown off and expose a portion of the top ring to the combustion chamber. Very common in the Bitter.

There are a couple of conventional piston options for replacing them with stronger parts, contact me for details if you don't have them already. Should make the cost of the rebuild bearable.

As to the trans, if you just want the 5-speed and aren't super set on the 265 you could sell it and install a different 5-speed. I have an Omega R25 I'd sell you cheap, along with a Catera driveshaft to make it work. Alternately I had a batch of Opel to GM T5/T10 adapters made up a couple of years ago and could hook you up with one. You could even get savvy and swap in the Catera automatic, it's the same trans with an overdrive in between the bell housing and the main body, as well as a lockup converter. I have a couple apart, but haven't had the time to map out the fluid passages on the bell to make sure everything is actually the same yet. Any of those trans options could be completed for what you would get for just the trans alone, not to mention what I would give you for the bell housing.

The Bitter is a sweet car. I'd love to own one someday. My wife would make me finish the Admiral first though, and that's a long ways off.

Thanks for the info... I knew there was some issue with the psiton/rings, but wasm't sure exactly what it was. However, I was also told there was no easy solution execpt custom pistons. $$$ So I'd love to hear cheap(er) options.

Since I have all of the bits for the 265 (aside from the pedal box which I'd need for either manual trans) why would I want to consider moving away from it? (If I hadn't already bought the pricely bellhousing I'd sure be considering it though)...