Accelerate Mpls

On Sunday I posted that my 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee was for sale. Within ten minutes of posting this to Facebook my phone started ringing. Two different friends from out of state called inquiring about it. That is before the three people from Craigslist called. All this within two hours.

Everyone wants a Federmobile. The reason? It’s simple, I’m so ridiculously anal retentive about my vehicles. I fix crap that any normal person in their right mind wouldn’t even notice, none the less actually pay to fix.

So what happened? Well the short story is a friend from Michigan bought my Jeep. I am somewhat relieved to know it is going to a good home. I will be meeting them in Chicago sometime in the next few weeks to deliver the Jeep.

So what’s next for me? Frankly I have no clue. Karen (my fiancée) and I are in deep discussion about what will replace my vehicle. Over fifty percent of the vehicles I want just aren’t in the budget. Quite a few of the vehicles just aren’t approved by Karen due to the fact that she thinks I shouldn’t get a car (note actual car not SUV) that gets 13 mpg in the city. Of the vehicles that fit the budget, and I want, dear Karen feels about ninety percent of them are “ugly.” Girl thinks a vehicle like the WRX is ugly….

More to come on this topic as I try to figure out what will be the next Federmobile. Until then, if you see my Jeep wandering the streets of Michigan please do say hi for me. Or better yet, snap a picture and send it to me.

I literally can’t believe the words I am typing. That’s right, my 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee is officially for sale. It is currently posted on Craigslist.

Anyone that knows me, knows how ridiculously anal I am about this thing. When it was purchased, I had new headlights installed, and immediately covered them in a clear shield. Along with the headlights, I also had a new windshield installed. At the time I didn’t own a carpet extractor, so I had the carpets professionally cleaned. Immediately Husky Liners were put in all four floor wells, and in the rear end. All four wheels were replaced with alloys from a Grand Cherokee Limited.

The oil has been changed every 4,000-5,000 miles with Mobile1 full synthetic. The exterior and interior has been detailed once to twice a year and the tires were rotated every 6,000 miles.

I have every receipt for everything done to this Jeep since I bought it with 68,000 miles. The tires are Michelin LTX M+S with more than 2/3 tread remaining. The rear differential was rebuilt at 150,000 miles. Both differentials, transfer case, transmission, and all other fluids were flushed every 30,000 miles, and I always used synthetic fluids. The brakes are slotted in the front with ceramic pads, while the rear rotors are slotted and drilled. All four shocks were replaced recently.

I also installed new HIDs for the low beams within the last few months. The HIDs are running off of a wiring harness connected to the battery. The high beams are Sylvania Silverstar Ultras.

It has an aftermarket cold air intake on it with a K&N filter. I cleaned and recharged the K&N filter yesterday.

The Jeep was just detailed (clayed and waxed) yesterday along with an oil change.

It currently has 172,xxx miles. It has maybe 3 door dings….literally the only thing it needs right now is two new hood struts.

You could say I am emotionally attached to this vehicle. There is no question that it is the best condition 1999 Grand Cherokee on the market, and possibly the best condition used Grand Cherokee of its generation. So spread the word.

You know what they say about Craigslist: you can find almost anything.  What is a car guy to do when he needs to grill up some steak or maybe a few burgers?  Well, walk over and fire up his trusty Chevy 350, of course!  I am not sure if what you are looking at is a one of a kind but I have certainly never seen one before.   Listed locally in a suburb of Minneapolis on Craigslist, this grill is for the car guy in all of us.  Now who wants to give me $700?

Source- Craigslist

My buddy was surfing the infamous Craigslist to find a used gem.  Along the way he stumbled upon this hidden treasure which he quickly sent me the link to check out its collectors status.  This just has so much win about it.  The best part is that it is truly honest marketing.  They are up front about the car needing some work.  It has already been put to a vote on Twitter and this absolutely makes it into the running for the best of Craigslist.  Leave your marketing spin on this gem in the comments.

Source- Craigslist (be warned- as with any Craigslist posting the link will be broken once the ad expires or is taken down thus the embedded screen capture)

Episode 22 starts by introducing our newest member to the AutoBird Podcast team, Justin Loyear joining us from Cheers and Gears.  Moving into the garage we talk about the Buick Enclave I was in for the past week.  We then move along to the major news of the week segment.  This week included-

• Hyundai Hands Equus Owners iPad Instead of Car Manual/ Hyundai Plans Revamped Dealership Experience for Equus Customers
• Mazda Sky Engines Promise Diesel in 2012/ Mazda licenses Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive
• March Sales numbers: Toyota way up

Next came our main topics which their were quite a few but they all centered on the New York Auto Show.  This week the topics included discussion on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid & Sonata Turbo, 2011 Kia Optima/Forte Hatch/Sportage, Scions, 2011 Nissan Juke, Chevrolet Cruze Eco and RS, 2011 Hyundai Equus, and last but certainly not least the 2011 Infiniti QX56.

Last we discuss the past week on our respective blogs, Cheers and Gears,  AutoBird Blog and Accelerate Mpls.  The week in review included- my updated  Name That Car: Sebring or 200C, Innovative Ford Fiesta Movement Campaign Stirs Interest, and Name That Car: Dodge Durango or Magnum.  Justin had a post on the March sales numbers along with a short recap of the New York Auto Show.  Colin had posts on Top 20 Vehicles in March and a post about Craigslist Confessionals by the one and only William Maley.

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1987 Buick GNX

It came to my attention on Friday this unbelievable 1987 Buick Grand National GNX on Craigslist. First a little history on what exactly the Buick Grand National GNX is and why should you be completely in love with this car. The GNX was essentially meant to be the end all of Grand Nationals. Claimed to be the fastest production car at the time it was quite a car. With a price tag of $29,290 this was a very expensive car for the time. Rated at 276 HP and 360 lb-ft of torque all flowing to the rear wheels from a turbo charged V6. It was thought that General Motors under rated the power on paper. The Turbo charger was sourced from Garrett and featured a ceramic impeller which blew the air through a intercooler to a “cermatel (ceramic/aluminum) coated pipe” which connected the intercooler to the engine.

The whole car is highly upgraded from a regular Grand National. The list of upgrades includes a reprogrammed Turbo Hydramatic 200-4R transmission, low-restriction exhaust with dual mufflers, custom torque converter, transmission cooler, and unique rear differential cover/panhard. These are just the performance upgrades. Both the interior and exterior was upgraded as well including vents located on each fender, 16 inch black mesh style wheels wrapped in VR rated tires, along with the deletion of hood and fender emblems. The interior included a dash plaque with a serial number for each car built, and a revised gauge cluster featuring Stewart-Warner analog gauges which included a boost gauge.

1987 Buick GNX Interior

Back to the Craigslist car. The car pictured is listed on Craigslist in Miami Florida. This car was purchased new by the investment pool of the Miller Brewing Company employees. They felt it was a wise investment which it seems they were smart when it came to investing. For sale now for a asking price of mere $95,000. This car is believed to be the lowest mileage GNX in the world with 9.7 original miles on the odometer. This car has never been driven or even titled for that matter and still has the orignal window sticker on the window. In fact, the tires still have the factory marks and all parts on the under carriage still have the stickers from the factory on them. This car has never even had a oil change. It is the oil that was in the engine when it rolled out of the factory.

Garrett Turbo Charger

This car apparently has been started every month since it was bought and is in perfect condition. I actually saw a GNX in the General Motors Heritage Center when I was at the product and technology event. The GNX in the Heritage Center had paint that was terribly swirled and it truly made me want to cry. This is probably without question the lowest mileage GNX in the world and also probably the best condition GNX in the world as well. If you hold a conversation with any car guy you will quickly learn most have a fetish for the GNX. When the car debuted Star Wars mania was in full swing. Seeing as this car could be had in any color you would like as long as it was black, this car was nick named Darth Vader. Whomever buys this piece of history is one really lucky individual. If I won the lottery tomorrow it would be in my garage next week.

Original Window sticker on 1987 Buick GNX

Source-GNX Craigslist listing