1989 Celebrity, well over 100k miles on it. Runs well and has been incredibly reliable altho keeping it that way has involved major repairs 1-2 times a year. Body/interior in really bad shape though.

Oh my...a Celebrity....

Ask your mechanic what he would like to pay for it. It is only worth as much as he is willing to pay.

:rotfl2:

Yes. Which is why just driving it off a cliff seemed like the most sensible option.

Well, the mechanic is telling me to think about what I want for it. Problem is, I didn't really want anything for it, other than to get rid of it as quickly and inexpensively as possible. I was prepared to call Goodwill and have them come take it away since supposedly they handle all the paperwork.

Give it to the mechanic. Sounds like he is doing you a favor. :DL Sign over the title. Have him sign the title. Make a copy of signed title for your records. Wash your hands of it. Enjoy the Hyundai.

When I picked the Sonata up yesterday, they told me they'd had six mechanics in the shop that day and they all wanted to know when/if I was gonna be selling the Chevy. I dunno, I'm worried about their ventilation system, sounds like the gas fumes may be getting to them. :haha:

Years ago, when I made a living as a Mechanic, I had several customers
of the Female infliction.
There were more then a few that I WISHED would get a new Car so I'd never have to deal with them again.
:haha:

Are you one of THOSE?
:hmmm:
:D
(I'm running off now!)

As odd ball as this sounds (Privateer not withstandiing) your Celebrity just might be a money maker for you. Brief look on the internet there is a fan club of the Celebrity. Probably the Euro version but all shared the same parts.

Take a look here:

http://www.carsonlinefree.com/search...hicleID=110611

Same year as yours. Looks kind of beat. Interior kind of beat. 170k on the ticker. $2950.00????

:hmmm:

Perhaps looking around the internet getting a few quotes for these old beaters then taking the average asking price as what you tell the mechanics you want for it. Worst they can say is no.

Post the old goat here:

Yahoo Groups Celebrity Fan Club.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/...clubofamerica/

I know that car well!
I had 2 of them in the early 90's and I really liked them.
Great Gas mileage, could haul all my Tools or go camping with it at a whim..

Now I kind of miss those old Beasties.
:cry:

I haven't read the whole thread but

:-? Some people here actually suggested Frau to test the ABS by braking hard which if the car didn't have ABS she would flip over if she turned the wheel a bit :dead:.


http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Sp...a&trimid=97940

it doesn't have ABS brake.

Mine doesn't, they were optional and the option wasn't included. I found the dealer sticker plus verified that there's no ABS light on the dash when I start her up. Which is fine, it's one less new thing to get used to.

:o

Well yeah it would be great to make some $$ off the thing, but I never dreamed it would be anything like that. But you know, back when gas prices started really going up, I remember my karate instructor saying that suddenly cars like ours - he still has a beatup old something that he keeps as a backup - were garnering a lot of interest because the mileage was so good on them. With just usual driving to work and back and the places I go normally every week, I could probably go 5-6 weeks on one tank of gas. I know I got over 4 weeks on a tank once years ago, and I was driving 3 times the distance to work and back then.

Thanks for the links, I'll have a look around and see if I can get some idea of what price would be reasonable. At this point, ANYTHING I make on that car is a total windfall.

Had my first glitch with the Sonata today, was down below half a tank and figured I'd better see how to release the little door so I could fill 'er up. Not wanting to look like a moron while sitting at the pump I thought I'd figure it out before I got there. There's a little button on the driver's door/armrest to release the hatch, but when I pushed it the thing just pushed all the way in and dropped inside the armrest. My guess is the thing wasn't working right or else mom couldn't figure it out and just kept pushing on it too hard and something snapped. It released the fuel filler door but it ain't gonna do it again until it's been fixed.

I can open the thing with the little pull handle inside the trunk but it ain't easy which makes me wonder if that's a problem as well. It's hanging down with about 6" of the cable showing and of course I don't know if that's how it's supposed to be or not - the pic in the manual doesn't really help either. So I don't know if that got pulled all out of whack, it sure does seem like the latch ought to release a little more easily.

Anyway I got a full tank of gas in there so I've got a little time to figure out what to do. I may stop by or call the dealer, I know I won't have the paperwork proving that I own the car but I doubt this would still be covered by warranty anyway. :hmmm:

Lol, I don't know what's said after I walk out of there but they are all very nice and the one older mechanic who first offered to buy the Chevy always used to seem very enthusiastic about working on it. I think maybe he enjoyed the challenge. I know one time something on there broke and he was the only guy who knew what to do because no one else there was old enough to have done that particular job on a car that old. He was all animated and excited when I picked it up telling me how he'd had to show them how to do it because most "cars today" aren't made like that any more.

Glad to know it's sorted out. :)

I'm not sure how much cars are going in UK but judging from the internet Americans are lucky people when it comes to car prices.

To give you an idea what would cost in US 45,000 bucks is sold here for 200,000.

An entry level Ferrari as another example would set you back 500,000 and that much only for a F430 which I think is going for 120,000 in US.

This is true for any other car. Here we are buying the prestige more than buying the car. So when you look at the car you bought if you're even somewhat intelligent you'll be asking where the hell did my money go to? The painful thing is this is true even for small or medium cars and SUVs.

This South Korean automaker's basic warranty is among the industry's longest: 5-years/60,000-mi. bumper-to-bumper, 10/100,000 powertrain. Sonota shares its mechanical components with the Kia Optima.

Worth a stop at the dealer.

Somebody at kenpo class mentioned that one of his kids has a Sonata and that he can never get either latch release to work unless ALL the doors are unlocked. Which seems odd to me, especially with all the notices in the manual recommending that you keep all doors locked while driving, particularly if you have children in the car, why would they then require you to unlock *all* the doors if you needed to stop for gas? Makes no sense.

Anyway when I was fooling with it all the doors would've been unlocked because I popped the locks with the transmitter and that unlocks everything. So that shouldn't have been an issue anyway.

I can feel the wiring and button and stuff inside the armrest but the hole where the button goes is too small to get two fingers inside to grasp anything. I may see if I can use something else to pull whatever's in there back out the hole and at least see what happened, maybe there's something I can still use there to pop that latch when I need to fill up again. If I can get one or the other release working reliably then there's no rush to hit the dealer, I may be able to wait until I've got the change
of ownership sorted out.

At any rate the 5 yr bumper-to-bumper warranty will have already run out, so no hurry for that reason.

My Optima is a 2010. When the car is put in park all the doors unlock. I have seen complaints on some boards concerning that function. Mostly folks want their doors staying locked until they are ready to exit the car. The owners feel more secure when the car is put in park and doors stay locked until ready to exit the vehicle. I can not say my fuel door button does not function when the doors are locked. Reason being, I put the car in park and my doors unlock automatically. Might be a good time to look in the owners manual concerning the fuel door button. Trunk lid button as well if yours is equipped.

Yes, your basic bumper to bumper is up but the powertrain warranty is still good.

As a note for you concerning this car, check the manual for timing belt recommended replacement. The 2.7 V6 and 2.5 I4 are both belted for timing. My 2010 recommends replacement at 5 years or 60k miles. This is not covered under warranty. This belt, if breakage occurs, will destroy the valve train. Big $$. Might ask your mechanic to take a look at the belt. It is a plastic cover on the top gear that is secured by a few bolts to access the belt for inspection.

Just an idea for you, if your mechanic thinks it should be changed barter your Celebrity for the parts and labor. Just a thought. :DL