I wish.

"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
10/11/2020 at 10:00 • Filed to: RIP holden

There are currently two manual SS’ for sale on CarGurus nationally. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! has 25k miles and an “of course” price tag of $44,000

But! When you consider that something like — for example — the outdated 2021 Lexus IS350 sedan !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! at the same price, the SS is both a better value and a smarter buy, when you consider the instantaneous depreciation of a new entry-level luxury sedan that comes with the IS.

Being in my 30's and looking at a $44k listing, and have the same reaction as though it cost $75k or even $100k...

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Incredibly depressing.

DISCUSSION (46)

Under_Score > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 10:07

If your credit score starts with at least a 6, you can probably get a five or six year loan through Westlake or something.

E90M3 > Under_Score
10/11/2020 at 10:11

I tried to finance almost all of a 50k M3; even over 5 years with a credit score in the mid-700s, it was over a 1000 a month. Bet this would be 800+ even over 5/6 years.

BeaterGT > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 10:12

What a beauty

WilliamsSW > E90M3
10/11/2020 at 10:16

Should be around $800-850 with no money down over 5. It’s not far off from what I did on the Merc - though that was a little cheaper and I put money down.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 10:22

Sigh. I Love These Things.

Check out prices on used G8-GXPs.... that’s the future of SS pricing. “limited supply, lotsa demand, owners who care they own something special”.

I can’t see how you go wrong here.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > WilliamsSW
10/11/2020 at 10:30

I just sold an entire running, entirely serviceable automobile for $850. I cannot relate. If I ever spent that much on a car, I’d pay cash for it or I’d keep on with my 20-year-old bombers.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 10:31

I’d be afraid of having trouble finding parts for this. I’d go with a CTS-V.

boredalways > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 10:32

Those 6.2L and 6.2L LS3 badges must go

Wobbles the Mind > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 10:37

Even the Pontiac G 8 GT is attempting to list around $20,000 now, caught me off guard.

Maxima Speed > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2020 at 10:41

Agreed. Most i ever spent on a car was $4000. I would like to be able to spend 8- 10k on a nice used car that will last me the rest of my life.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Wobbles the Mind
10/11/2020 at 10:41

They don’t just list there. They sell for those kinds of prices. it was just a great platform.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2020 at 10:41

A lot of commonality with the PPV...

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > boredalways
10/11/2020 at 10:41

Shane did a “re-badge” to the Holden pieces-- completely changes that look

Spaceball-Two > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 10:42

I feel like parts availability would be a big issue

Wacko > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 10:43

Just slightly worse MPGS than your Lexus

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Maxima Speed
10/11/2020 at 10:44

My wife received an inheritance years ago and we spent $13k on a two-year-old Dodge Caravan that served our family well, but that’s twice what I’ve paid for any other car before or since.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
10/11/2020 at 10:45

Yes, and I’ve heard that finding parts for the PPV is already challenging.

Under_Score > E90M3
10/11/2020 at 10:56

If he justifies it as buying a Tercel every month, it’ll be worth it.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Spaceball-Two
10/11/2020 at 10:56

Cosmetically perhaps, but mechanically should be fine...

.... Surely

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 11:00

PPV commonality is the saving grace here. I’ve been shocked how easy it is to get support-- any Chebby dealer.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2020 at 11:01

Well, I own a PPV and it’s “walk into any Chebby dealer”... Surprisingly good support.

404 - User No Longer Available > Under_Score
10/11/2020 at 11:18

Except those with said credit scores would probably also do the math and realize you're paying through your nose financing for that long for a depreciating asset.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 11:40

I can relate. A $10,000 car might as well be $100,000 because it’s still quite far out of my price range. Good thing I like small cheap cars and have realistic expectations. Then, you’re pleasantly surprised when your meager expectations are met or even exceeded by a cheap car!

cmill189 - sans Volvo > 404 - User No Longer Available
10/11/2020 at 11:51

Doing math and making reasonable choices doesn't usually go along with a credit score in the 600s.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > 404 - User No Longer Available
10/11/2020 at 12:43

Yes, but SSs have a pretty high price floor for depreciation.

404 - User No Longer Available > cmill189 - sans Volvo
10/11/2020 at 12:56

Hmm... I guess I’m not familiar with the US scoring, in Canada the range is in 300-900.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > WilliamsSW
10/11/2020 at 15:20

$800 a month? But that’s...

[Audible frantic clicks of a calculator ensue]

... Exactly $800 per month!!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > 404 - User No Longer Available
10/11/2020 at 15:22

I don't know much of anything, but below 700 here is not good.

Under_Score > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 15:41

At my job, a lot of customers have scores in the 4’s and 5’s. Anything 600 & above can usually be worked with, and it’s a rarity.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Under_Score
10/11/2020 at 15:42

Good Lord

CivicWagonEngineer > Under_Score
10/11/2020 at 16:00

S carily similar to 2008 housing . Anyone and everyone can get a loan on a car they can’t afford. Only reason it hasn’t caused a giant recession (yet) is because they are only 30k loans instead of 300k

wafflesnfalafel > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 16:06

R eally like the rear on those in particular, nicely styled but not over done, big/functional taillights, the subtle fender flares poking out with big meaty tires, nice little trunk lip, good plate integration, yummy.

WilliamsSW > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 17:07

Or, converted to dollars, it's $800. Every month.

WilliamsSW > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2020 at 17:08

That does take time, skill, and patience to do - none of which I currently have.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > WilliamsSW
10/11/2020 at 17:10

Also each month.

cmill189 - sans Volvo > 404 - User No Longer Available
10/11/2020 at 17:50

I believe the US range is 300-850. D o Canadian’s consider 600 acceptable or is that just a number to get a not horrible lender? Like the good Dr said, below 700 in the US takes effort in irresponsibility.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/11/2020 at 20:11

Wow that looks good in white

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Spaceball-Two
10/11/2020 at 22:25

I can assure you that Australia has many parts for the Dunnydore and that there are many more Dunnydore's here than there will ever be in the USA...parts availability will only be limited by one's capacity to pay the freight charges. And if you can pay US$44,000 for a used family sedan then those costs should not be an issue.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
10/12/2020 at 09:35

So, fun story. I get my SS home and a couple days later, it springs a big fuel leak in my shop . Had roadside assistance take it to the dealer. Takes them a couple days to replicate the issue, couldn’t determine the source of the leak, but they order me a replacement tank, etc. At this point, they’ve had it longer than I did, and it’s probably going to be another week. It must be coming from OZ, and they weren’t paying for overnight.

Just proof, likely, that cars aren’t meant to sit. Thankfully still under warranty!

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/12/2020 at 10:52

Ouch. Wonder if the tank was specific to the SS or used on other Holden WM/WN platforms? The theory on parts has been that Zeta cars had a lot of parts interchange. I’ve been to the dealer several times on the PPV, scrounging parts that the de-conversion from patrol car damaged, and have always had the Chevy parts guy be able to locate the whole parts catalog easily.

Do you know the capacity on your tank? The one “surprising limitation” on the PPV is that it’s got a tiny tank-- 15 gallons or so. I’m still getting 400 mile range, but it’s not the 31 gallons of my Express or the 26 Gallons of the Suburbans.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
10/12/2020 at 11:50

Not sure about that, but it must be different.

18.8 gallon tank. How in the hell are you getting 400 miles on 15 gallons?

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/12/2020 at 12:08

Oh, with the VVT and 60-65 MPH on two-lane highways it’ll give a solid 28MPG. I drove Amarillo to Tucson the other day on the desert back roads and got close to 29. You can set the monitor to see what the VVT is doing and it will stay in 4 cylinder mode easily on the flat at 60MPH doing under 1500RPM... idling basically. It won’t hold 4 cylinder mode at 70 very well though. The display will flash 31-35MPG kinds of numbers in that mode.

The Low Fuel light seems to come on right at the 15 Gallon point. Strictly speaking, the Reserve is bigger than I’m giving it credit for— it’s another 4 gallons for 19 total. Still tiny compared to my A8s with 24+ gallons. I’ve never put more than slightly more than 15 gallons in it, even with the fuel light on for a bit.

I’m a zealot for GM’s VVT in these though. I’ve rented Yukons with this (basically) same engine and gotten 24 MPG in similar driving conditions, with a much, much heavier truck and AWD .

I giggle about this car (it did service in Florida) since it’s got 12,000 hours of Total ON time— over 8000 of which were “idling”.

OTOH, on that last trip I did one 800 mile leg on “Premium”, hoping to get better gas mileage... but it makes zero difference. The Cop Engine will run on anything. We’re getting 86 or even 85 octane out here in the high desert... so there’s no point in putting the good stuff in i t. I thought it might pull less timing and run more efficiently on Premium. Nope.

Your version in the SS might prefer higher octane but the L77 is indifferent.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
10/12/2020 at 13:23

That’s awesome - I don’t get cylinder deactivation with mine, which is a bummer.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/12/2020 at 13:29

It cuts both ways... apparently the VVT hardware hasn’t been *ahem* the paragon of reliability. It’s pretty common for people to pull the VVT controls out of the valley and disable the system.

OTOH, the efficiency has been a delight— and my original plan to use it as a donor for a drivetrain swap is blown to hell. The car’s too nice as a grocery getter.

Now, I’m casually thinking I should find an 9C3 detectives’ version with the L77 to manual swap a T56 manual into. That would be a sweet combo.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
10/12/2020 at 13:34

Glad you’re enjoying it so much! Looking forward to many years of enjoyment from mine. Told my wife that it’s the perfect car for me right now (kids are 13, 11 & 7), and the MagneRide is fantastic on the rough roads around our place.

Love the manual swap idea.

Thisismydisplayname > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
10/12/2020 at 21:38

How about a GTO? Or a first gen CTS-V? Much more reasonable prices.