JessN16

Cars are still for sale, will consider lower offers. Listening to anything in the $3500 range for both cars together, and I'd prefer they go together. email me directly at jessn@bellsouth.net if you have further questions. Jess

If anyone buys this car, make sure to get a tag that says "BADPENNY" on it, because this thing turns up like one about every month or so. The headlights look like someone got crazy with the stretch tool in PhotoShop. Jess

Nice car, but I don't have the extra cash on top of the cars to part with right now. Thanks for looking, though! Jess

Cars are still available. Sorry for the delay in getting back to everyone. I managed to contract a pretty nasty computer virus and this is my first time back on the site in a couple of weeks. Jess

After several PMs asking -- trying to get around $2400 for the 87 because of the amount of mods in it, trying to get around $2100 for the 88, since it's not as nice but could be made reliable more quickly. That's how the pricing breaks down. Buying them together gets a discount. Also, since this appears to be more than what people are wanting to spend, I will entertain lower offers but nothing terribly low-ball. Also, a bunch of spare parts (mostly electrical -- ECUs, 1G MAS, etc.) comes with them. Jess

I miss my dad's 1970 Corvette Stingray. Hurricane Ivan dropped a garage on it. Fortunately we sold it to a multi-millionaire car collector (not joking) who had it restored and on the show car circuit in less than a month. I would never have been able to fix that car. One I miss the most -- 1990 Ford Taurus SHO. Unbelievably good car. Put together as good or better than any BMW or Mercedes I've ever driven. If I could find it again, I'd buy it back. No telling where it is now. Literally cried the day I sold it, but I had to because the trans was on the verge of melting down and that would have been a $4000 fix. I miss my 75 Bricklin, but I don't miss owning it. Or trying to keep it from leaking. Only other car I sold that I shouldn't have and/or miss terribly was my 88 Jag XJS. It was the last car my dad ever rode in before he passed away. It was a V12 model and surprisingly reliable. I got rid of it when I moved to Tennessee because we couldn't get it smog-legal. If I'd known I would have been back in Alabama less than three years later I would have paid to have it stored somewhere. I don't really miss my first Conquest. Total money pit. But I will miss the two I have for sale right now terribly when they're gone. Jess

Hey Steven, Thanks for the comment. I did try to keep them up as much as possible but the last 4-6 months have been pretty difficult. Looking forward to seeing you guys again soon! Jess

Starion passenger's side shot: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1239.jpg Starion passenger's side front wheel. No rust: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1238.jpg Starion right taillight. Some water vapor inside it: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1237.jpg Starion left taillight. No water intrusion: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1236.jpg Starion passenger's side rear wheel. No rust: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1235.jpg Conquest driver's side front wheel. No rust: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1234.jpg Conquest driver's side rear wheel. No rust: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1233.jpg Conquest rear window: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1232.jpg Conquest passenger's side shot: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1231.jpg Conquest passenger's side rear wheel. No rust: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1230.jpg Conquest right taillight. Some water intrusion: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1229.jpg Conquest left taillight. No issues: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1228.jpg Conquest sunroof: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1227.jpg Conquest driver's side front wheel. No rust: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1226.jpg Conquest driver's side shot. May be able to tell the dent under the door handle: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1225.jpg Conquest header panel. Some dings: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1224.jpg Conquest front shot. Some issues at bottom right of airdam but it's 95-98 percent there: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1223.jpg Jess

More pics Starion hatch. Note cracking in paint on the rubber part -- only paint issue other than the spot on the hood, no rust underneath this one: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1247.jpg Conquest hatch. Some paint gone around wiper motor. Apparently it's hard to get paint to stick to these rubber surfaces: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1246.jpg Starion Sirius antenna on roof: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1245.jpg Starion driver's side. Very straight: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1244.jpg Starion left side front corner. Airdam damage to the corner, may not be visible in this picture but it's there: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1243.jpg Starion driver's side wheel. No rust around any fender on either car: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1242.jpg Starion front-on shot. Can tell some airdam issues at right front corner. Needs to be secured: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1241.jpg Starion driver's side rear wheel. No rust: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/dscn1240.jpg Jess

Joe, I'll shoot some Sunday. I'll be out of town all day tomorrow, but I'll take the pics when I get back. Jess

bump

Also forgot to mention that the 87 has an 88 flywheel in it. Jess

Joe, I'll have to go shoot some later this week. Those are all I have at the moment. There is no rust on the '88 (and no critical rust on the 87, either, just that one spot of surface rust). The '87 was an Arizona and Florida car. The '88 was apparently out of Mississippi, although it was owned by a military guy and we did find a Hawaii inspection sticker on it at one time; apparently he had it transported out there. Jess

Tim, Yep, back in 02 or 03 in Houston. I stayed in the loveliest Motel 6 later that night. Woke up to a cockroach rebellion. Only motel I've ever stayed in that didn't have a clock anywhere in it. When I called to the desk to ask for a wake-up call, the guy said, "Wake-up call? Um.........OK, sure." Think I got it the next morning? I still miss that Sigma from time to time. It pretty much fell apart on the guy we sold it to, though. It's still running but the A/C failed (familiar Mitsu foot-face issues) as did the radio, rear defogger and most of the power options. If I could find another one in stick shift I might get it. Melena and I still appreciate the hell outta ya for locating that one and fixing it, though. Not to mention storing it during Rita. That's going to extra mile. Derek, hopefully we'll run into you at PF soon. I can't wait to see what other gadgets/dash modifications/etc. you've done to your car since I saw it last. I'll miss driving the Dragon, but I doubt my old Jag would like to be hustled that much. Jess

Trying to get $4500 for the two of them together. If it sounds high, realize that the Starion has already gone through one full-on restoration of everything but the seats and once someone gets the ignition situation fixed, they're going to have a car I've put close to $20k in since 2004 (purchase price plus restoration and customization). The Conquest isn't as good an example but it can probably be made to run in 30 minutes or less. Jess

To all, This is a really painful decision for me but I'm letting both my cars go (post is on the Cars For Sale forum) and moving on. Once I moved here to central Alabama, I pretty much lost my support system for fixing the cars. I've also changed jobs and I can no longer drive my cars to work, which further adds to their aging, so I've decided to let them go. Never thought I'd see a day when I didn't own a StarQuest, but that day will soon be here. Don't know what I'm going to do next. Been dabbling in Jaguars for years and I've got two of them now running reasonably well. Also considering maybe an 90s model Alfa Romeo 164 or a late-80s Maserati Biturbo if I can find one that hasn't been completely neglected. My job now requires me to visit a lot of clients' homes and sometimes transport them from place to place and the Quests just weren't up for that duty. They've been a big part of my life and Melena's (I proposed to her in the 87) and I'd love for them to go to the same home and bring someone else as much joy as they've brought us. I won't be leaving the forum, though. If anything, I'll be around here more. It was sort of sad to come here after the cars started to falter and see everyone else's rides knowing that our cars were sidelined. I don't want to see them go but I know they'll be in better hands if they do go. And maybe we'll show up at Pigeon Forge or another meet in the next few months, even if it isn't in a Quest. Jess

Pics here: Both cars: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1206.jpg Both cars again: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1222.jpg Starion side shot: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1207.jpg Starion rear shot ("TURBO" on glass still intact): http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1208.jpg Conquest front shot -- needs a bath. Grill is silver: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1209.jpg Conquest side. Note dent below door handle: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1210.jpg Conquest interior. MOMO wheel and shift knob are probably worth more by themselves than some cars...lol: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1211.jpg Conquest radio, Kenworth double-DIN unit with cassette and CD: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1212.jpg Conquest speedo. About 185k on the clock: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1213.jpg Conquest engine, mostly stock, Marnal head and RFL-style BOV are the main attractions: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1214.jpg Starion stereo system. Xtant amp, JL 12-inch woofer, stiffening capacitor: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1215.jpg Starion stereo system #2. Kenwood 12-disc CD changer and Sirius tuner: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1216.jpg Starion interior. MOMO wheel and custom orange gauge set: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1217.jpg Starion radio. Kenwood double-DIN CD/cassette tuner with changer control, plus Sirius controller: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1218.jpg Starion dash, orange gauge faces and carbon fiber coverslip. Odo shows 200k+: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1219.jpg Starion hood. Only rust on the car. This was caused by damage of something falling on the car, cracking the paint, and now this pops up. Surface rust only: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1220.jpg Starion engine. OVCP hardpipe, strut tower brace, Alabama head, 16G turbo: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/ConStar8788/Cars/dscn1221.jpg Jess

Delete post, please. Jess

Where I live now doesn't have a lot of good roads... As for Scottsboro, Melena is trying to get me to do one (she made a scrapbook of all of us and gave it to me for Christmas -- it was a very nice thing, lots of memories). I doubt I'll be able to get one together this year, as I've just changed jobs (I left the newspaper industry and am now a financial advisor with Edward Jones). The two biggest reasons that keep me from doing it, though, are (1) my Starion is DOA, I can't fix it, and the Conquest can't handle that particular drive, and (2) we had some fairly significant drama the last couple of attempts at a meet there, in regards to reservations, discount room rates, etc., and some things that got back to me about what was said about the format of it. It started out as something fun to do, but it grew into something that more stress on me than it was fun. If we ever do it again, it'll be every man for himself on the rooms and dinner, and I will make it clear (if it wasn't already clear enough -- I assumed it was, but you know what they say about assumptions) that it is a DRIVING MEET and isn't all that easy on the cars. But I'm in no position to do anything at the moment. We miss you guys, too. Jess

That's the one. Not a guardrail on the thing. And yeah, I think it was Jeff Hall that nearly flattened Lance. For those who have never seen this road, it was a collection of horseshoes and switchbacks, and was laid out like a neverending chain of letter "Z"s. You got up to about 30-60 mph depending on the turn, then slowing to 0-10 mph, doing a 180 and going back the other way. If you missed the turn, you were going off the brim of the mountain into a bunch of trees. Well, these hillclimb guys go 90-130 at the corners, take the corners at 30 and go back up the other way. I can't even fathom something moving that fast on this road. For those who have driven The Dragon, this road is shorter but the curves are about 2x to 3x as sharp. And some are banked off-radius. Jess

Chris Martin, this was in the same area of the road you and Becky nearly went off in... Originally posted on Jayski.com: --- Sad News - Rich Shafer: Richard R. Shafer, of Stockbridge, Ga., was pronounced dead at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga Saturday, Oct. 3 after being airlifted there from Jackson County, Ala., where he was involved in a single-car incident at the Crow Mountain Hill Climb, sanctioned by Sports Car Club of America's Tennessee Valley Region. He was 66. Witnesses reported that Shafer's modified Chevrolet Camaro left the road at the third corner of the course that was approximately two miles in length. He was initially conscious at the scene and transported via helicopter. He later succumbed to his injuries. Hill Climbs are one of the oldest forms of motorsports competition in the United States, and are set up on challenging pieces of road closed to public traffic. The course is marked with a start and a finish, with drivers trying to complete the course in the lowest possible time. Shafer was making his second run at the time of the incident. Known as "Mr. Cool Shirt," Shafer was the founder and CEO of Cool Shirt, a company that developed a cooling vest initially for surgeons in the operating room. The company later expanded its line of vests and shirts to cater to racecar drivers, football players, fire/emergency services/hazmat, military and industrial workers. "Rich Shafer was dedicated to making racers better and safer and his passing is a loss for the industry," SCCA President and CEO Jeff Dahnert said. "Our thoughts are with his family and friends." Shafer is survived by his wife, Eileen and their two children. Services will be held Sunday, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. at the Christ Our Hope Lutheran Church, 2165 Highway 138 SW, Riverdale, GA. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to that church in Shafer's name. The church has a web site at www.christourhope.org (SCCA), some of Cool Shirt customers include Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure, part time NASCAR drivers Andy Pilgrim & Johnny O'Connell, Richmond International Raceway, Firefighters as well as the US Military.(10-9-2009) --- Jess **ON EDIT (since the topic got cut off): This was the route known as "Mountain 2" to the SQC guys. It's not the one that ended in Sewanee; it's the one that started off at the bottom of the hill on Jackson County Road 33 and ended up in Skyline near the Walls of Jericho.

Will do, Grant. Good to talk to you as well. I've changed jobs and I have a dead Starion in the yard, so I haven't had the chance to be on here much. Plus it hurts to talk StarQuests when your own car is begging to be sent to the grave. Jess

We drive StarQuests. Voluntarily. The answer is no. Jess

Comes from a friend whose identity I have to protect in order to post this, due to his job... There's going to be a widebody Starion coming up for sale soon from an insurance sale in Alabama, and will be selling at auction. It might come with a title, a salvage title or it might be labeled "parts only," I don't know yet. It's bright red and runs. It was hit in the left rear, and the damage appears to be restricted to the left rear fender flare (car looks like it was sideswiped). The fuel filler door is blitzed. Honestly, any of us here would have either just fixed or driven it, but the owner of this car surrendered it to the insurance company. I don't know what the price will be, but all cars sold must sell -- even for $25 for scrap value. So you could end up with a car for $25 or several hundred or thousand, just depends on the auction. The car does not appear to be a SHP car. I don't have the model year. Mileage is 137k. It's a 5-speed. The emblems are intact on the rear of the car but the diamond-star is missing from the header panel, so it may have been painted. It has "TURBO" on the back glass if that helps determine vintage. Rear rims are factory, front rims are aftermarket. In order to bid, you must: 1) Register with the state of Alabama -- I guess that means as a wholesaler, salvager, etc. Some towing companies are registered. If you're registered in your own state, check with Alabama and you might be able to get companion registration at no cost or reduced cost. 2) Submit for a bid card with the company that currently has the vehicle on its lot. This doesn't cost anything, so long as you register with the state first. 3) Bid on the day of the auction. Online bidding will be available on this car, as far as we know. Anyone interested in this car should PM me here. You have about a month to figure out if you might be interested. The title is still in the process of transferring from the previous owner to the insurance company. DO NOT ASK FOR PICTURES. I cannot distribute them to you, not because of any law, but because my friend's boss for some reason doesn't like to advertise his auctions. Sounds counter-productive to me, but it's not my call and I gave my word. I have seen pics of the car -- not the car itself -- and I'll answer what I can. The bottom line is that this car doesn't need to get crushed. The left rear fender may look like crap but I've seen worse -- much worse. Hell, I've driven much worse personally. Trying to save a StarQuest, Jess

Primarily for you bike guys, but this looks sharp to me: http://thechive.com/2009/08/the-snaefell-p...mm-ok-6-photos/ Jess