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  #1  
Old 01-23-2010, 05:20 PM
The Toecutter's Avatar
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300D saved from confiscation

A neighbor a few blocks away from me had a 300D in his yard. It had been sitting there for more than 3 months. One day, I had spotted an orange tag on its rear windshield. Thinking it was for sale, I knocked on the door asking what the price was.

It turns out that the car was not for sale. The police had placed that tag on the car because it was a non-working vehicle with no registration. Even though the owner resides on the property the car was at, due to a city ordinance, the police now have the "right" to take someones car simply for lacking a tag, even if the car is not in running condition and is waiting to be restored(so much for property rights... Texas is so f'd up). No complaints were issued about this car, either.

All it needed was a battery charge, a few fuses, and a little bit of messing with the corroded wires connecting the lights(they will need to be replaced), making sure all the air was removed from the fuel pump before starting, and it was in working order. Now the car is temporarily relocated so that time can be found to get it the proper tags.

The body has minimal rust(most of it confined to the front hood) and the passenger side hinge that holds the hood up is broken due to rust, but otherwise the body is in excellent condition.

The engine purrs.

That neighbor got that beautry for $300. I hope they put some money forth to keep it maintained(being in the ghetto and all, money is quite tight for most); if they do, it will probably last a few decades more. The downside is, that the maintenance costs for a car like this will run about $800/year, but it is more than recouped by a vehicle that will not have to be replaced for a *long* time(if ever), and the prospect of running it on free/cheap WVO at 25-30 mpg when driven with economy in mind(or 40 mpg hypermiling it).

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  #2  
Old 01-23-2010, 05:28 PM
snookwhaler's Avatar
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Location: Treasure Coast, FL
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Another one salvaged! Good job.

Your not ever going to see 40MPG. You will never see 30MPG either. Switching to a manual trans. will help mileage. But, you will still be lucky to see 30MPG. And again.... You will NEVER see 40MPG. Where do people get this information?
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  #3  
Old 01-23-2010, 06:28 PM
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Toecutter... Nice, we have a Bubba Zanetti on there too...
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  #4  
Old 01-23-2010, 07:59 PM
One step at a time
 
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Location: Burleson, TX
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Where in Texas was this? I've never heard of something like that. I can understand if it was an HOA thing.
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  #5  
Old 01-23-2010, 08:34 PM
...much to learn...
 
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??

Maintenance is $800/year? Where does that number come from?
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  #6  
Old 01-24-2010, 01:22 AM
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Many Texas towns, cities, municipalities etc... are picky about non-running/expired tagged vehicles. Give em half an excuse and they are towing your vehicle.

Lies, damned lies and ordinances.
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  #7  
Old 01-24-2010, 01:52 AM
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And I thought The Peiple's Republic of King County WA was bad! If expired tabs on private property were enough reason for them to tow a vehicle, half the ones in my driveway would be in danger.

Around here, if someone complains and they come inspect you, as long as the vehicles are complete (no missing wheels, tires, engines, trannies, axles, or body panels) you're OK - even if they don't have current tabs - as long as they aren't parked on the street.

Even if you have an engine or whatever out of them you're still OK if you're actively working on repairing it. Of course if you live in a commune-ity with a Home Owner's Association the rules get a lot more strict. That's why I chose a house in an older, estabilshed neighborhood with no HOA...
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  #8  
Old 01-24-2010, 02:35 AM
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Where I am due to my old Neighbor kind of acrossed the backe from me; the actually change the law just because of him.
In Long Beach CA the (Building and Planning) law defines an unregistered vehicle as one that does not have the updated year sticker on it; in CA you cannot get tje sticker without having the vehicle insured. Even though the State allows inoperative regestration.

You can have 2 unregistered vehicles in you back yard but they have to be on a Concerete Slab and screened from view.

If you have the year sticker you can park in the back without any concrete.

And, no I did not Rat on my Neighbor. In fact I let him put some of his vehicles in my back yard (before the law changed) and building an planning sited me and made me correct a bunch of stuff.
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  #9  
Old 01-24-2010, 09:31 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Toecutter View Post
or 40 mpg hypermiling it).
not physically possible in any way, unless you drive entirely down hill and get a tow back up.
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  #10  
Old 01-24-2010, 10:11 AM
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They tow and tag unregistered cars that sit on the street too long here too. Usually takes a looong time before they figure it out and actually take them though.
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  #11  
Old 01-24-2010, 11:06 AM
general nuisance
 
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tag and tow on the street is different from tag and tow off of private property. They do it the same here in Iowa, you can not have an unregistered inop vehicle on your property at all, zip, zilch, otherwise zoning can tow it away. You also cannot have a car in any way dismantled overnight, otherwise it becomes inop and a tow candidate.

I personally think this is a violation of private property rights but I don't have the money to challenge this in a court of law so they get away with it. That's how they get away with many of these types of ordinances, they implement them and then wait to see if there's a challenge to it. They do it under the guise of beautification, heaven forbid we might have an inop vehicle in our yard. In Des Moines if you tag it they generally don't bother you, even if it's inop, but they could.
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  #12  
Old 01-24-2010, 03:35 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snookwhaler View Post
Another one salvaged! Good job.

Your not ever going to see 40MPG. You will never see 30MPG either.
Try driving at a steady 50 mph for a long trip. Record your results. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Driving like a jackass(and not a grandma), I get 23-25 mpg in my 300 SDL.
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  #13  
Old 01-24-2010, 03:40 PM
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI
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Quote:
Originally Posted by glenlloyd View Post
tag and tow on the street is different from tag and tow off of private property. They do it the same here in Iowa, you can not have an unregistered inop vehicle on your property at all, zip, zilch, otherwise zoning can tow it away. You also cannot have a car in any way dismantled overnight, otherwise it becomes inop and a tow candidate.

I personally think this is a violation of private property rights but I don't have the money to challenge this in a court of law so they get away with it. That's how they get away with many of these types of ordinances, they implement them and then wait to see if there's a challenge to it. They do it under the guise of beautification, heaven forbid we might have an inop vehicle in our yard. In Des Moines if you tag it they generally don't bother you, even if it's inop, but they could.
Chain the car to a giant buried block of cement and see how well they drag it away. Or just hide it/put it in a shed/garage/barn.
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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)
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  #14  
Old 01-24-2010, 05:31 PM
snookwhaler's Avatar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Toecutter View Post
Try driving at a steady 50 mph for a long trip. Record your results. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Driving like a jackass(and not a grandma), I get 23-25 mpg in my 300 SDL.
Not going to happen in a 300D... Sorry to disappoint you. Your in for a surprise if that is what you think.

I drive that speed a lot because of my location. Not many stops and hardly any idling, the most I have ever seen is 28.5 corrected.

The SDL is a "completely different car". You are comparing Apples to Oranges.
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  #15  
Old 01-24-2010, 06:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Toecutter View Post
Try driving at a steady 50 mph for a long trip. Record your results. You will be pleasantly surprised.
You will still never see 40mpg and rarely 30mpg.

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