Hi

I guess not a lot of cars blog, so let me mention that one more time. I'm an automobile. A car. I've got an engine, four wheels and a spare, horn and a lot of other stuff that cars have. I run this blog from Estonia where I'm currently registered. Your comments are welcome. Eesti keeles ka. И по-русски тоже.

“Buick Motor Division provides one of the most dramatic and important chapters in the history of the American automobile,” – The 1996 Buick Century Owner's Manual

Photo Session @ Türisalu

75,545 miles. Every car in Tallinn and around eventually finds itself washed, then photographed at the scenic Türisalu cliff. So had I. This time not much of the scenery has been captured though.

Repair: Coolant Temperature Sensor Replaced

74,554 miles. The fan was not turning on. Water temperature sensor (460 EEK/$38) replaced. Total with work: 800 EEK/$66.

Repair: Engine Belt Tensioner Replaced

74,357 miles. Engine belt tensioner was broken. Replaced. Part 800 EEK/$66, work 200 EEK/$25. Total: 1100 EEK/$91.

Service: Engine Coolant Change, Thermostat And Radiator Cap Replaced

74,315 miles. Engine coolant was really dirty and needed to be changed (10 liters for 550EEK/$45). Thermostat and radiator cap were replaced just in case (150 EEK/$12, 45EEK/$4). Total, including parts and work: 2100EEK/$172.

Service: Transmission Oil Change

74,286 miles. 6 litres of Gulf ATF DX III (360 EEK/$30), WIX58918 filter kit (490 EEK/$40), work (350 EEK/$29). Total: 1200 EEK/$99. It looked like the transmission oil change was long overdue. Was recommended to change again after 10,000 km (at about 80,000 miles).

Fuel Consumption

A common opinion about American cars is that we are fuel-hungry. Here are some experimental facts for myself. The figures indicate fuel grade and distance actually driven on 50 litres of fuel (i.e. between filling up).

95: 320 miles (515 km, 9.7 l/100 km)
98: 354 miles (570 km, 8.8 l/100 km)

Both figures were achieved in summer with outside temperatures around 20C and include a lot of highway driving on cruise control at speeds around 100 km/h (60 mph) between Estonian cities (Tallinn-Narva, Tallinn-Pärnu).

I have a 3.1 litre 6-cylinder engine and automatic transmission.

On August 19, 2010 the price of 95 grade gas at Statoil was 17.50 EEK/l ($1.43 per liter) and 98 was 18 EEK/l. Filling up my tank costs about 900 EEK ($74). It looks like it's better to use the 98-grade, considering the extra mileage vs. very small difference in grade prices.

Station Wagons: Buick Century vs Buick Roadmaster

This being a Buick Century blog, let me list a few reasons to prefer Century over Roadmaster when looking for a late model station wagon in good condition.

1. About 30% price difference. Late production (read: 1996) Roadmasters with 70,000 miles on them are offered at a wide variety of prices, but once all junk is sorted out, one will be facing a bill in the range of $7-9,000 for a well-preserved car. The expenses of bringing the car to Europe and local taxes will also be higher.
   On a side note: Roadmasters in good condition are in demand these days. eBay is the marketplace for cars in top condition, sold for $10,000 and up. A beautiful green Roadmaster with 36K miles on it was sold for $15,000 in early 2010.
   
2. Retro look and feel. Interestingly, Buick Century is one of the longest mass-produced vehicle models out there, with production spanning from 1982 to 1996. As a result, a 1996-produced Century still has the boxy look of the 80's. The Roadmaster I'm comparing to was introduced in 1991 and is therefore more streamlined and modern-looking.
   
3. Size. Century is smaller than Roadmaster, which can be a good thing. Roadmaster is a huge car and available parking and garage space should be considered before committing to one. Century can provide a similar classic station wagon experience while having a smaller footprint.

Of course, this is not to say that Century is 'better' than Roadmaster. It is a junior front wheel drive model compared to the large rear wheel driven Roadmaster. But it has its advantages as described above.

Service: Battery Replacement

73,554 miles. New Starlite B60R+ battery installed. 1390 EEK ($113). No traces of Starlite-the-car-battery-maker on the web means this is probably a generic Chinese or Turkish product branded Starlite by the local dealer. Works way better than my old DieHard though, which lately needed a full recharge every few days.

How I Wound Up in Estonia and What Did it Cost

I have been issued my license plates by Estonian Road Administration aka ARK on August 6, 2010. Let's sum up what did it take to get there in terms of time and money.

I was sold by Aero Motors of Essex, MD on April 22, 2010 for $4,795.

Penbroke Marine Services aka shippingmycar.com brokered shipping me to Paldiski, Estonia for $1170. I set out from Baltimore, MD on May, 27, changed ships in Bremerhaven, Germany and arrived to Paldiski on June 18.

Estonian customs fees were calculated based on the sum of the sale price and shipping costs and amounted to 24,507 EEK, which was roughly equivalent of $2000 at the time. The car was released by customs on June 22.

After that a long wait ensued while my lights were converted to European standards. US-produced cars cannot be registered in the European Union unless they conform to certain standards. These include the requirement for yellow rear turn signals (I obviously had the traditional red ones) and some other things. Cars older than 20-something years are exempt from the rule, but that does not apply in my case - yet.

The main lights conversion costs were the 163 EUR ($210) paid to the guys at angars.lv to make a yellow insert into the upper section of rear lights.

Finally, the ARK charged a registration fee of 2,800 EEK ($230).

Sure, there were other minor expenses and it's hard to estimate the cost of about 80 emails, faxes and phone calls involved, and also the numerous trips to and from shipping offices and authorities, but the main costs have been listed.

Summa summarum: purchasing a used car from dealer's lot in the US and making it a registered vehicle in Estonia took 3 1/2 months and 4,795 + 1,170 + 2,000 + 210 + 230 = $8,405 (approx. 102,000 EEK). Money well spent?

Vehicle History Report

A brief overview of my 13-plus exciting years in Maryland.