Cheebus! I didn't get that much money when my clean '92 Caravan got boofooed, despite bitching at the other driver's insurance and mine.
And I wish somebody would give me an E30 half as nice as the one up there!
You guys are lucky. Around here everybody thinks their old vehicles are worth at least twice their actual value. Nobody gives anything away.
I got a free RX-7, once. Needed a carb, and some other small work. Got it running, and was enjoying it when a buddy found himself in a spot, and needed wheels. Sold it to him for cheap, as he knew the cars well and would enjoy it.
Otherwise, I just find cheap. $150 and $500 E30s. Ditched the $150 one, and am keeping the $500 318is slicktop I have now. Of course it has probably $1500 into it by now, with all the maintenance I have done, lol.
mrwillie wrote: 2 Questions: 1) @Carson: Can I be on the list to receive the free cars that don't inspire you???2) Is it a good idea to have a free section or wanted section on the message boards? Does it cause redundancy?
Absolutely! I'll trade you for your GTI. 
You too JB.
Honestly though, they've been beat Camrys and Corollas and 80's domestic sedans that have been way too far beyond reconditioning to make any sort of financial sense.
But I'll let you know anyway!
Dang, wait...I got one I nearly forgot about. My grandfather loved cars and had a '55(?) Bel Aire, and a '67 Impala when I could barely see over the steering wheel. He passed when I was 10(?) and a years later y grandmother called me over to the house. Said she had something to talk to me about. I'll never forget how I felt when she handed me the title and keys to the Impala in the driveway. Nearly cried that day.
Needed work from just sitting for a few years, so since I was young and broke I tried to repair it while using it as a daily. My plan was to buy a beater and later restore the car. Bought a Datsun b210 station wagon, to drive around while I did the work on the car. Wound up selling the datsun when I couldn't afford to later do the clutch and suspension( I still hate I did that...never even got paid for the car.... ) and then I totaled the impala after rebuilding the wheel cylinders. Had the car stolen b/4 I could get the damage repaired. I miss Heavy Chevy. And the Datsun too, for that matter.
I would LOVE a beat up old Camry...
NAscar Replica!
Only freebie I ever got was a 79 Mustang II my dad got. My first manual. Surprisingly, it survived my learning process on it.
I don't get free cars offered to me, I get the complete opposite, people who have rusted out, disassembled hulks that think they are worth double KBB. A few weeks ago I got a call from my mom's friend's sister's ex-husband trying to sell me his father's completely disassembled 1973 MG Midget for $1700. He says that there are $2000 in new parts but can't tell me what they are and he doesn't have receipts for them, and they're not in their original boxes anymore because the boxes took up too much space so they took them out of the boxes and threw them all together into big boxes. He says the body is in perfect condition, but the pictures on the website he told me to visit very clearly show huge amounts of rust. He thinks there are wheels and tires but doesn't know where they are. I told him that if he still has it in a couple of months I'd come and look at it but would probably offer a lot less than what he's offering. We'll see what happens. Before that was a 1985 non-running Jaguar XJ6 for $4000, a beat up mid-80s Cadillac for $10000, the damaged front clip from a 66 Mustang for $1000, a mid-90s Honda Accord for some ridiculous price. I don't know why people come to me with these "deals", especially the Accord - I don't think I ever expressed any interest in this person's car, or any other Accord (the same goes for the Cadillac).
Bob
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/200x-classifieds/free-camaro-in-california/20457/page1/
Bob, you need to start driving Dodges to work, people start to take pity on you quickly.
I've never even been offered a free car. 
In a sense, i got my Celica for "free," though. I picked it up for $600. Got it running for free after it had sat for two years, then sold my other rusty celica for $1500. Promptly used the difference for tires and brakes, and the rest is history. Wish i had left it alone after that. It was the best car i've ever had when it was stock, with sportline springs, 2000-2005 celica GTS rims, EBC greens, and RS2s.
I almost hate myself everytime i get in it these days. It's at that weird point where i just hate everything about it, but it's so close to being something special.
This might be were being the "car guy" at work would come in handy.
I've never been fortunate enough to be offered any free car, let alone one that holds some interest... and I am the "car guy" at work. Proof provided: GRM Calendar hanging above my desk, Signed Petit LeMans Poster from 2008 framed and hanging on the wall, RS Syder (orig) poster framed and signed by ALMS team including Roger Penske, BMW poster framed and signed by Boris the week after he won the 24 hours of Nuremberg.
Sounds like most come from family or family-friends... either that or I have lame co-workers.
In reply to Appleseed:
Yep, all of mine came from co-workers.
I forgot the '95 Civic I got for free too. That one was in quite a few fender benders and I used the driveline for my would-be swap in the free '82 Civic.
BradLTL said: RS Syder (orig) poster framed and signed by ALMS team including Roger Penske
Color me jealous. I have that poster hanging in my dining room, but unfortunately no signatures. I do have one of the R10 TDI team with signatures though....
maroon92 wrote: Color me jealous. I have that poster hanging in my dining room, but unfortunately no signatures. I do have one of the R10 TDI team with signatures though....
That is one of my favorite parts of the Petit LeMans. They do the mandatory autograph sessions. 90% of the attendees line up at Corvette, so it leaves a lot of people available to meet and talk to during that time. I tried to find Bobby Rahal last year, but he was in hiding.
Last year, I had a conversation with Sarrazin from the #8 Pug and asked him about the LeMans result. When the Audi's started having trouble with cooling and going into the garage, the #8 was on pace to catch and run down the #9 team car. Sarrazin said that they were told to back off and not to try and win, just to hold the position in case something happened with the #9. He said that they thought they had the car to win but it was "already decided".
i brought my helmet that was already signed by Mario, Michael and John Andretti to Petit a couple of years ago. I was waiting in line at the Audi tent and got them to pass the helmet down the line as all the drivers signed it. Think it was Emanuele Pirro got the helmet handed to him and looked at it.
He asked me "Whos signatures are these?" I said "Oh, that Michael Andretti, Mario Andretti and John Andretti..." Then he said "Why do you have John Andretti's signature?" I started laughing and said "he was sitting there with Mario and Michael and signed it too" He started laughing...
BradLTL wrote: signed by Boris the week after he won the 24 hours of Nuremberg.
He won a short film festival? 
unevolved wrote: He won a short film festival?
I blame spell check... it apparently does not know German...
Oh, I just though of a great freebe I got. '86 Buick Century. Grandma gave it to me when I was 17. She hadn't driven in about a decade so it only had 45k or so on it. It appeared to be in off-the-showroom-floor perfect condition. White with blue interior. I really wish I would have kept it, after about 20k miles it was driving me nuts with little repairs. Coolant hose here, alternator there, then another coolant hose, vacuum T, all sorts of stuff. It also had rust EVERYWHERE that was about 10 minutes away from becoming visible. Under the doors, trunklid, hood, fenders, every body panel. None of it had made it out from under the various chrome trim yet, but it was coming in a bad way. It also had a dealer installed sunroof that leaked like crazy right on my shoulder.
skruffy wrote: dealer installed sunroof
Filed under the category of 3 words that I never want to hear... 
I'm driving an '87 Accord that would've been free, except it had two parking tickets so I paid them. Car leaked like the Exxon Valdez. Replaced the front crank seal, valve cover gasket, and the two hoses running tranny fluid to the radiator and back. Now it leaks maybe a dime-sized drop every two weeks or so.
While I had it apart, I replaced the timing belt and tensioner, adjusted the valves, and re-timed the ignition (it was retarded about 14 degrees). The oil leaks ruined the spark plug boots so I replaced them along with some new plugs.
Car runs like a champ, gets great mileage, is dependable enough for a cross-country jaunt and how much do I have in it? A couple hundred bucks?
This scenario is repeated somewhere on this board every single day of the year. I would bet at least two free cars involving a board member change hands every day. Maybe more.
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled chassis yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming back yard. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my trouble lamp above the garage door!"
Themes from the thread:
No full restos? No one raced a free car? Not even BABE or LeMons (not people who set out to find a free car for LeMons, I am talking the other way around)?
I got my '93 Cherokee for free from a Craigslist ad. Wouldn't start and the guy wanted it gone. $40 for a CAS and about an hour of cursing to get the new one in and it was on the road. That was nearly 6 years ago and it's still my DD. I think I have spent less than $500 in parts for the entire time I've had it.
I actually raced a free car.
The Mazda 9Z9 was free and worth every scent.
I say scent because that car was rancid.
maroon92 wrote: I got a "free" 1995 ford aspire from JB and Joey. .. I am planning to retire it in July if anyone wants it. It would be a great rallycross car!
Put me on the waiting list! Seriously though, let me know when the time comes, especially if the price is close to what you paid.
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