Are great deals on vintage cars still out there?
Photography by the author.
Back in the 1980s and ’90s, some of the car magazines featured columns on collecting or finding rare muscle cars for rock-bottom prices. I used to read them and get inspired by the stories, but jealous at the same time. It seemed to me that I worked just as hard at finding great deals as these other people had, but I was never lucky enough to learn that the Judge I bought was actually a Ram Air IV car, nor had I ever found a Hemi anything in a barn or an LS6 Chevelle SS in a pasture.
Though I have yet to stumble across the life-changing score that will put my kids through college and ensure that I can retire to the French Riviera, I’ve come to realize that I have done pretty well regarding some of my purchases over the years.
It seems that being on a perpetually tight budget, while humbling, has also contributed to ferreting out some good deals and then making them better through “I’ve-got-nothing-to-lose-because-I-can’t-afford-the-asking-price-anyway” negotiation.
I think the asking price was $2,700 for my 1967 GTO in 1987, but I paid $2,000—that’s about $4,200 today. It’s not a barn-find price, but pretty decent.
The Goat had its original drivetrain, including its 335-hp 400 engine, Turbo 400 with a console-mounted His and Hers shifter and a 2.93 Safe-T-Track rear. Options consisted of power steering and brakes, tinted windows, A/C and power windows. (It also had factory 8-Track, but it was long gone.)
Here’s my GTO circa 1987, near my rented garage, just after I bought it. The factory color was Mariner Turquoise, but the previous owner painted it silver. It came with those wheels, which I sold almost immediately after driving the car home.
It had been repainted silver, poorly, and had 15 x 7 Third-Gen Trans Am wheels on it—not a great look even then, in my opinion. The engine was tired, but the car drove very nicely, and the interior was clean. The rear quarter on the passenger side was a Bondo sculpture, the trunk was rotted on the same side, and there was a dent in the driver’s front fender. Yet, for its originality and overall condition at the time, I felt the price was pretty good.
Then there was the 1973 Hurst Olds, which had been advertised at $1,800. I brought it home for $900 around 1991-’92. Its owner was leaving to fight the Kuwait oil fires at the time and had to get rid of the car immediately.
It was a rust-free (except for a silver-dollar sized hole in the driver-side rear floor pan) California car that retained its original trans and rear and had factory A/C. It also had a damaged but running non-stock engine, a fair interior with ripped seat upholstery and barely passable paint. Yet, considering it was rust-free, 1-of-1,097 H/Os built that year and $900 ($1,572 today), I think that was a great deal.
In modern times—late 2007—the 1967 Buick GS 400 cost $6,000 ($6,883 today). I found it in the pits at Englishtown with “for sale signs” on it and showed it to Melvin Benzaquen, then owner of Classic Restorations, who was there with me that day. I had to go photograph a car for High Performance Pontiac magazine, so I asked Melvin to keep an eye on the car in case the owner returned while I was gone. He did, and Melvin got all the details for me, put me in touch with the owner and helped to facilitate the sale.
Here’s my GS 400 just after I got it home.
The Buick had a very straight body with no visible rust and a fair paint job that had dulled. It retained its original 400 engine (rebuilt in 1981) and came with its original M21 transmission, though an M20 had been put in it. Also included was a correct B-O-P 10-bolt with 3.36 gears, though a Chevy 10-bolt with 3.08s was installed. Options on the car were power steering and brakes, the aforementioned four-speed, A/C and the rarely seen-today consolette with a tach.
Its bucket-seat interior was clean overall, except for some driver’s seat wear and a couple of holes in the front of the rear seat. The Buick ran and drove very well, but was in need of some front-end work.
Here’s the interior back then…
What really put the deal over the top was that I got it from the second owner, (the original owner lived across the street and was at Englishtown that day), and he had kept a detailed log and receipts for the car since the day he bought it back in 1981. He really cared about this GS and it showed in how he maintained it.
He had also been collecting NOS and reproduction parts to restore it for decades. There were about 18 boxes full of parts that went with the car and a detailed, typed inventory of what parts were in each box.
Melvin even went with me to pick up the car, which was about 80 miles away. I drove the Buick back, and he followed with all the parts in is truck. Given what was included in the sale, I chose not to negotiate on price, as I felt the deal was already excellent.
… and the engine.
Much to my surprise, this great find presented itself long after I thought “affordable muscle cars” had become an oxymoron. This brings me to my point. Though I have too many projects to seriously look for any more (yet, I sometimes still do), I wonder how prevalent vintage-car bargain-basement buys are today. That’s where you come in.
Please share with us some that you have encountered recently, or even in the past. Tell us what the vintage vehicle was and how you got it for what you feel is a great price. I know that “low-buck” is a relative term that has different meanings for everyone. I’m not asking you to arbitrarily limit your choices to, say, $3,000 cars and under. If you bought a car for $20,000 that you know is valued at $30,000 for example, it fits the parameters of this blog discussion, and we’d like to hear about it, along with the really, really low-buck stuff.
Even if you feel like Lady Luck has never smiled upon you by providing that wondrous bottom-dollar diamond in the rough, after reading this blog and the responses, you may realize that some of your past purchases were, in fact, fantastic finds.
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$ . original , , . . A car like that would normally go for ~3-4000$. I felt it was a fantastic deal. The former owner had wanted to put a BMW 6 cylindre in it, never got around to it, so the Volvo was of little value to him. To me, it was the best car I’ve ever owned, no matter how tired it was. Very reliable, unbelievably cheap running costs, very cool ride. Sold it with fresh tires, some fresh paint and lots of new engine parts two years later for 1500$. Wanted someone else to have that same experience, when my wife and I expected kids and had to trade up to a newer, safer car. Still in touch with the new owner, who couldn’t believe how lucky he was. The Volvo has passed tech inspection without issues again, and I believe this lucky guy has put 60000km on it since. Also one of my favourite stories contributing to the legendary status that vintage Volvos have – fantasticly well made cars!
Wow, what happened to the first part of my post? Anyway, something like that:
Bought a 1971 Volvo 145 here in Norway for ~1200$ in 2009. 180000km (barely broken in), all-original down to the radio, manual, service history and original sales contract.
Back in 2001 I bought a rusted out 69 Pontiac shell for a couple hundred bucks. The car had been primered at some point far back in the past and in the meantime every single piece that could be unbolted was removed. No identifying marks anywhere and the seller claimed it was just an old LeMans. Brought it home, ran the PHS just for kicks, and it came back as white/red R/A III auto Judge.
I’ve had a few other similarly good scores through the years, but they’ve certainly become way less frequent in recent times.
There are deals out there if you are not so particular in what you are looking for. If you are looking for a specific make or model, then the hunt can be difficult, but if you are open to looking at anything, you will be amazed at what you can find. I wanted to find a decent small convertible and looked at MG Midget/Sprites, MGBs, Fiat and Alfa spyders, and even looked at a Caravelle, but ended up finding a Miata NA for a bargain. Since then, friends have found similar things, like a MR2 for under $2k. Perfect? No. Fun? Definetly! There are lots of little projects on my car, and I can still drive and enjoy it while taking care of the little things as time and money allow. Enjoy the search, that is one of the many joys of owning such cars!
A family friend’s dad a couple weeks ago sold his drop-dead mint loaded wisteria metallic (purple) 69 Cadillac Deville convertible with purple interior. A pretty rare color combo which was a lot prettier than it sounds. It came with the dealership order sheet and window sticker as well as all the maintenance records from new. It was a columbus car sold in columbus, and it hadn’t ever traveled too far as the mileage was really low (I don’t remember the number). It was completely original and babied, having lived inside (not even a garage, but inside a building) for as long as the second owner had it. Be drive it but only enough to keeps things from drying out. He sold it for (wait for it) 9500, admittedly more than the 6,512 sticker, of course, have 2 little kids and no disposable income and I like being married so it wasn’t in the cards for me. Man I loved the look of that car, but of course it sold. Fast. It will always be the one that got away!
Thomas, I think Lady Luck did smile upon you. You paid a little less than the going rate for the Goat, but what you got was an unmolested original car with the drivetrain it was born with. I paid 3 grand in 1981 for my 66. You did very well.
The GS was a bargain considering you bought it at a time where prices were high. And with the stash of parts it came with, you did extremely well.
Stupid prices seem to be prevalent out there right now. I guess it is the auction fever permeating the hobby. A couple of towns over there is a Chevette with an asking price of 8 grand. But for a lot of cars that would be fun hobby cars, there are still good deals to be had.
I know of a couple of early 50′s Dodges that are in nice original condition with 6000 asking prices. Same with a couple of late 40s Chryslers. A restored Metropolitan for 8500. That’s just off the top of my head.
Project and abandoned restorations are dirt cheap. I just sold my 59 Edsel Villager for less than 9 grand. I bought it as an abandoned project. Rust free, all the chrome done. Rebuilt engine, trans, etc. About 1/2 of what it would cost to do that work, let alone what the car cost before it was taken apart. I hadn’t touched it in 3 years. And I wanted a T, so it financed that purchase.
Within the last month I bought a restored 62 Tempest Le Mans. Nice car for 5500. 2 weeks ago I bought a 1920 T Centredoor. Older restoration with a newly rebuilt engine. I paid just a bit more than what people are asking for project cars.
Last, but not least, I have an 81 El Camino for sale. Nicely kept original car. 4500 is the asking price. You can’t go wrong buying it to get into the hobby.
For anyone looking for a car, I say what everyone else says. Stay away from the high demand cars My further advise is to look for something unusual. The same amount of fun factor is a lower demand car. And the attention it will receive at cruise nights and shows will be far more than the mainstream cars that everyone has seen time and time again.
A 54 Coronet for example. When’s the last time you saw one?
Late ’40′s/early ’50′s Mopar cars seem to offer a lot of “bang for the buck” for a reasonably priced collector car in good condition. A couple of years ago I ran into a guy who was selling a ’52 Coronet for $6,000. He had had it painted the previous year and said it cost him $6,000. It looked to my untrained eye like a good paint job, so if he was telling the truth you were paying for the paint job and got the car for free. The problem is that not too many people collect these cars so if you need/want to sell yours it may take a while. I passed on the Coronet, but admit I was tempted.
Yes I see why he sold those wheels right away.
They are still out there. They are just harder to find. Estate sales are where I concentrate. Families or liquidation reps are usually lunatics for asking prices, but become very cash sensitive on late Sunday afternoon. My best purchase was a 1972 Cutlass convertible in 1997 from an older man who wanted to finance his honeymoon with the teenage years sweetheart he had re-connected with. $1500. 52k original miles. Detailed it and drove it for the summer and sold for $7500. That was also a deal where I questioned his competence but realized his immediate need, also. No haggle is my motto if the deal is fair for both parties. One man from whom I purchased a cherry Lincoln thanked me for not trying to get a discount. His car was a 1974 with 65k miles and new tires for $800. We sometimes shoot ourselves in the foot trying to get every penny when the extra $50-$100 isn’t the end of the world.
PS- Thomas, you shouldn’t ever regret what you have paid for your cars. Ask yourself – would you do it over again if presented with the same circumstance today? The examples you quoted were all seemingly market acceptable. Even with those fancy wheels. At least they were PMD.
Hi David. I agree with you in that estate sales often give you some good deals. My wife got sort of an estate deal on her ’57 Pontiac. Being a ’57 model herself, she wanted a ’57 car the year she (and the car obviously) turned 57. I sort of thought ’57 t-bird or something that’s out of our reach. But a club member drove this old Poncho 4-door sedan. Not a bad car, just a reliable driver. Of course the color was right, kind of teal blue. She asked the owner a couple of years ago if it might be for sale. It took about a year before he even talked about selling it and when he did, the price was rather high. I was checking prices on line and almost picked one up in Syracuse. However, last summer my wife got a call from him. He was selling all his cars (found out that he was terminally ill) and he would sell his Pontiac for a good price, which was right in line with some of the cars I was pricing. Unfortunately the guy passed away at the end of August but at least he was able to see it go to someone who absolutely loves it. Some people might get a little squeamish about driving a dead man’s car but then, some day someone will be driving mine.
As long as he didn’t actually die in it you’re good to go!
I’ve found lots of bargains over the last 40 years, mostly motorcycles, including a Vincent Black Shadow, a 600cc Norton Single, a couple of Velocettes, including a KSS fly track racer, and more recently a host of non-running, but easily fixable Japanese bikes. I scored a non-running BMW R69S for $1000 about ten years ago and restored it from the ground up. Cheap restorable cars are still out there. A friends sold a 1935 Chevy sedan, complete but apart, last winter for $800. Looking at the local CraigsList, there are a half dozen MG Midgets for $2500 or less, some of which are quick fixes. I found an MGB two weeks ago in a Chicago south side garage, a 1976 with an earlier engine, and two extra engines and two extra transmission, all for $2000. It was a two owner car that ran and drove and had no rust. I thought it a good deal and passed the information around to my friends. My wife would not have been happy had I driven it home as I have a project in progress right now and the rule is one at a time.
In recent years, I’ve become more interested in cars that really are in good driving condition, yet are interesting enough to become potentially valuable in the future. Buy them right, and the future value is inconsequential. They are just plain great cars at a reasonable price, and can be driven whenever the need arises. Best of all possible worlds.
Four years ago, I bought a 1991 Nissan 300ZX with 7 years with the same gasoline in it, never driven.
I bought it for its “book” value — $3200 cash on the spot. (Along with a 1998 Jimmy with <21,000 miles that I bought for $3800. Both are still with us.)
Took a week to disassemble the entire fuel system, clean it, replace a couple of clogged injectors and get it going again. Ran just fine!
It's not a stoplight or road course warrior, and wasn't meant to be. This is really a Ladies or Old Man's GT, useful for driving long distances at a reasonably high speed in great comfort. It gets a lot of Looks. Not that many were made, and fewer still survive unmolested or close to original.
Though it wasn't a 2-seat, 5-speed twin turbo, it's still a magnificent drive. I'd get into it and go across the country without a second thought even now.
A dime on the dollar is a Really good price.
To answer the original question… NO.
My wife has a “different” take on the cars she prefers to drive. She is a SAAB fan. Just has an affinity for them, and it requires no explanation.
So for the last couple of decades, she’d buy a ten-year-old SAAB, drive it for ten years, then sell it and buy another ten-year-old SAAB. She’s had a 93, a Sonnet III, a 99EMS, a first-series 900S and a second-series 900S 4-door hatchback. (She liked that one because when the rear seat was folded down, it could carry both dog cages. Got great mileage and had the same sort of sporty demeanor the others had.)
The last, a 1994 model, was due to be replaced. She started casting about for a replacement, but alas — the SAAB marque is no more. She thought about a RAV4 – just about the right size, but Way Spendy!
On a local Craigslist, spotted a 2003 SAAB 9-3 convertible, 2-liter turbo, 5-speed, loaded. The daily driver for a women in Lake Oswego. A little research indicated that the car cost US$41,000 — in 2003! Yikes!
This one had 72,000 miles on it and was well maintained.
Her problem was that she was unsure she really is a “convertible person.” That was good for a week-long delay.
Finally drove up to LO of a Saturday to have a look at it. The seller said that a number of people had come by, but they were All of the belief that it’s now an orphan, and decided not to take the chance. He was mildly surprised when we showed up in her 900S — first “SAAB people” that had expressed an interest.
Odd, that.
My wife drove it, was a tad intimidated by the convertible, but the car itself was in really nice condition. Thought about it overnight, she called next morning and asked if a straight $4,000 would do it.
It would.
Picked it up next day.
Will this become a Future Classic? I dunno really — it could. It’s a pretty little thing, drives out Very well, has sufficient performance to satisfy anyone but a drag racer. Old SAABs now have a following out there, and properly maintained this may well become a car of interest in the future.
It helps that we have a local mechanic 20 miles down the road who specializes in SAABs, and has his own 3-acre boneyard full of parts. If he weren’t around, we may well have bought something else.
But $4,000 for a $41,000 car with good style, good performance, pretty good mileage (mid-20s) and reliability at least as good as the majority of cars out there matters.
As it turns out, my wife Loves the convertible top! Is disappointed when the inclement weather means she can’t put it down on her drive to/from work.
She’s decided she really Is a “convertible person” after all. Hoo Noo?
Satisfying to this motorhead.
A folding top usually intimidates the uninitiated. However, upon experiencing a modern two layer roof with a glass backlight and reliable electric operation, becoming a “convert” is the usual choice. One glorious weekend cruise to Lincoln City with the salt air in your face is enough to make the winter gloom tolerable, regardless of the duration, eh Don?
As you might well surmise, we Did do that trip to Lincoln City, thence to Depoe Bay and watched in the overlook as three whales sported in the surf below.
Absolutely lovely day! The weather until yesterday was Most salubrious — perfect convertible weather. The memory of that brief trip will remain for a while.
What she really liked most, though, was the drive to and from work with the top down. Said it made what had been a drag into a pleasure.
Alas — the cold monsoons will be with us late and soon. Started yesterday. Glad to see them — the pastures can use the water.
But she said she was disappointed to have to put the top up for the drive to work this morning.
She’s gone over completely, I figure.
That sounds like an excellent deal!
It was, and I am most proud to say that the decision and the deal were all of her own making.
All I did was to say that whatever she chose to buy to drive would be fine with me.
(But to be honest, I was rooting for the convertible all along. Everyone should have at least One convertible during their lifetime, and this is hers.)
She really likes it.
Don, I think your “dime on the dollar” approach is a good one, as it gets you access to cars that had [usually] good quality and expensive features, but now are simply too old for the more upscale market to be interested in them.
Or at least that’s the way things USED to be. As time goes on, cars may last longer, but the features [enter the "infotainment"] and ability to work on them is, I fear, only going to get more and more difficult.
Time was when I could buy a beater for a few hundred, take it home, and work on it to my heart’s content. Then enter the Computer. I now have a guy who takes care of De Coupe but he’s told me it’s the last of the early generation computers, and the most recent models are a mystery to him. Well, he just hasn’t kept up, but there WILL come a time, and soon, when buying a used car may be akin to buying one of John Travolta’s used jets.
Moral [if there is one]: Get the older ones NOW, boys and girls, and keep ‘em up while yer able.
BTW Wife Sal Gal was a converta-holic for a while, there, and Jessicar, her VW Cab, had a padded top with headliner and all; with the top up, it was indistinguishable from a sedan – most marvelous!
You may want to start collecting parts for your Saab. Those independent Saab mechanics we always depended on seem to be going out of business at a fast clip, too.
After buying many, many AMXs and Javelins for years, the prices shot up and the market dried up for inexpensive (to me) cars. The most fun to me is fixing the car up and getting everything working right. I then sell it. There are a few inexpensive cars out there now but the ones I like for quick flips are the Buick Reattas. Great cars, fun to drive, great looking still today, and well made. I’ve bought convertibles for as low as $1500, coupes for scrap value $4-500. perhaps the top one to buy would be the 1990 Reatta Select 60 convertible, only 65 made. Average selling price for decent ones are in the $15-20K range. I’ve bought two for $2500 each. (And interestingly enough, all 65 are still accounted for).
Kinda Sad today that the GS Buick cars don’t bring the big bucks like the Chevelle’s and GTO’s do.
Mr. DeMauro, if you’re talking muscle cars, a big “no” to the article’s headline question, unless one personally knows the seller and he wants to give you a sweet deal, etc. You’ve done well in your purchases, I love the ’67 Buick. The GTO looks like a lot of restoration needs to happen before the “after” photo is taken. Good luck on that one.
Back in 2001 i bought an s-code big block mustang gt fback with 70k miles on it. The movie gone in 60 seconds came out, and then the new mustang modeled after the 67. Prices have run up ever since, and i still have it. However, i like the car to much to cash in. Go figure!
They are still there. Just found a 36 buick which was part of an estate. Was sitting in a barn for 45 years. All original and paid 3500. brought it home and within 3 hours had it running and yard driving. Was going to rat rod but decided it was too nice and sold it to a restorer who is happily bringing it up. Also recently found a 79 corvette L82 sitting in a field I passed by often so I finally stopped and asked around. Not running for 6 years but body was good shape. 2800 and 4 hours and the engine runs great, no smoke nor leaks, glass tops are great, body very good. After new brakes I am letting it go, just not a corvette guy. Just found a highly optioned 66 c20 with all original paperwork and protecto plate, factory original 327, auto, ps, pb, straight body with very little rust and camper shell from long ago. Runs and drives good, paid 2200. There are some out there and the hunt is the fun part.
About ten years ago in a liquor store parking lot I saw a beautiful ’86 Olds Cutlass Salon sitting there looking just beautiful, I went in to buy a few things for the Christmas holidays and ran into a gentleman in a wheel chair with all kinds of purchases so I offered to help him get it all to his car… It turned out that it was his Cutlass. I unloaded all his purchases for him and he said that he would be retiring in a number of years and because I liked the car so much he took my number for when he may choose to sell. Well, about three years later he called me saying’ remember me, I want you to own my car’… I knew it was worth abot $6-7,000 but he sold it to me for $3000 and said it all came from me helping him 3 years before, I will never sell this Black Beauty, I drive it on nice days with the t- tops off and often pick up Bob to take him for a cruise, be kind and pay it forward you never know what will happen for you, the cash value here in Canada for that car is now about $15,000… You have to love these G-body Luxury Sport Coupes, I certainly do… Johnny
Well not a deal for me however my granddad sold his prized 1970 Olds cutlass sx for two grand in the mid nineties, original owner Alabama car 150 or so thought miles. Bad ending though, the guy raced a gto and won but a fire started under hood, burned from dash forward, sad story all around
Yes,there are still some very good deals out there! Almost weekly I find oddball units that are drivable & enjoyable with only a modicum of tinkering(which is what the hobby IS all about!) for fractions of what some of these auctions & “barn finds” are commanding! Just last month a 71 c-10 farm truck came up for sale: 8k original miles and had been sitting for about 20 years.$1500! And the buyer had it running and driving in a matter of days!
I’ve been looking on E-bay lately for ’80s Mustangs. Some good deals on there if you look hard enough. A few years back I bought a 1966 Ford Galaxie LTD sedan that was in really good condition for around $2500. Original 352 still runs great. Not a muscle car but still a nice driver with no rust. It was a local car that happened to be parked facing the road with a “for-sale sign on it for a few weeks. I’d see it every Sunday on my way to church. Finally stopped to look at it and drove it home a few days later.
I missed out just about 2 years ago, did not have extra cash and could not get relatives to lend me any. Ad said C3 Corvette, seller also had rusty 67 2 door Bel Air, 53 sedan delivery, 70′s chevy pickup full of Q-jets and a decaying 2nd gen Camaro. He casually told me there was another Corvette in the closed garage which I fugured was a low value 76-82 but then he said it was a 1967. My heart skipped a beat and we went inside to take a look. It was covered with other junk, had 65/66 side gills and he said a reverse rotation 283 (marine?). So, the price for the C3, Bel Air and C2 in the garage was $5500. Now, I have the money but 2 years ago I did not so this deal slipped through my fingers. The Camaro could have been thrown in too as it was rusty and fire damaged.
Alas, all gone as I figure the guy was a renter or lost the mortgage from the downturn of a few years ago.
Just bought a 65 Ford Galaxie 2 dr hardtop that was a factory 390 car with PS, PB, and PW (no engine and trans) for $1,500. Little bit of body rust on the bottom lip of lower rear quarters and of course rusty side rails on the frame which seems to afflict all of the full size mid 60′s Fords. Have a 460 and a C-6 to go into it.
I’ve always loved this year GS. Everything about it just looked right. You scored big with this one.
Did it come from the factory without a vinyl roof? Most 2-doors came from GM with a vinyl roof to emphasize the flying buttress and pad the selling price.
I think we all have a few stories…
Mine are a 1970 Skylark Custom convertible, one owner, high option bucket console car w rallies, power seat, windows, etc. original owner crashed the car at slow speed in 1999, I stalked his daughter for a month until she agreed to sell it to me. $1700 for the car, $800 for impound charges, 1400$ for repairs. Beautifully maintained rust free drop top.
#2 is a one owner 5 spd 1989 mustang LX 5.0. Took on trade at our Nissan store in 1999 for $500. Fixed all little issues and I have fast little time machine for under $3000. I still have both.
The on that got away was a low mileage T-Type for $6500. I watched for a week in the local classifieds and didn’t move. Kick myself for that one!
I have been lucky several times over the years, 55 Bel Air 2 dr ht body for $250 (1986) sold for $1000, 57 BA convertible for $900 (1989) sold for $9500, 56 BA 2dr ht $1100 sold for $1800. I even bought a 1963 Olds Starfire convertible for $175 in the 80s, but didn’t make much on it. Recenty got a 65 Mustang Fastback rusty body for $400 with most all interior parts, and a complete but rusty Triumph TR8 for $1500.
I think the thing here is to know which car is currently affordable, fullfills my idea of a fun ride and has potential to increase in value in the future. I have no fantasy that I’ll be picking up a 30′ Cadillac roadster, a 71′ Shelby GT350 Mustang, a 57′ MB Gullwing or a 57′ BMW 507 dirt cheap anytime in the future so, I look at what I CAN afford. For instance, I can’t afford another BMW 2002 Tii now but I CAN afford the next generation 320i while they are still cheap [saw a 60K orig mi example sell at auction for 250.00 recently] And while I can’t afford an Austin Healey 3000, I DID buy a TR6 for 5K at a donation car lot. So the deals are out there as long as one is willing to be open minded about the car they want…..
Around ’92, there was an ad for a 340 ’72 Challenger in the middle of winter, Plum Crazy auto with a nice interior, only needing carpets and headliner. I was not making much but the $2300 asking price made me call. The car was parked on a street in Queens, but looked pretty clean. After a quick test drive in the snow (!) we agreed on $2000, and he even dropped it off at my rental house on L.I. I drove it 2 years, putting on a black vynyl roof to cover poor bondo work, added new carpets. Sold it when I had to move to a place with no garage for $3000 (took almost a month!). Biggest regret of my life!
I’ve gotten plenty of great deals in my career; the homeruns are the highlight of the business and are probably what keeps me doing this work. Mostly we swing for base hits and keep swinging away so as to make a living buying and selling cars (it’s nowhere near as lucrative for us small-timers as it use to be). The key is not to have too many strikeouts; they’ll put you out of business if they happen often enough.
I hope all you investors reported your profits to the IRS..
I’m a buick gs guy also. but I decided a little change. I bought an old 1968 front engine dragster from calif. paid $4k for it. it came complete minus engine. all I had to do was put a buick engine in it. I now have the fastest and only 350 buick powered dragster in the country.
Great deals are far and few between. The easy availability of information by the Internet and other sources make for more informed sellers and buyers.
The best deals are usually word of mouth. EBay is filled with over priced classic cars that repeatedly are reposted. And decent deals on Craiglist rarely last long so you have to ask quicklyto beat the flippers.
Picked up a ‘barn find’ 1929 Ford in 2009 for $2000 and they stored it the summer while I made payments as I had a terrible job at the time. I did not know what they go for, but the wife wanted a “100 year old car” to play with for awhile. I convinced her the old Ford would be as close as we could get for the money.
The car was shipped to MI from CA in the late 60′s, it was never plated, titled, or driven in MI. They just tore it apart to restore it and left it. I reassembled it and it is still about 90-95% original.
In reality I should flip it now while the market is hot for original patina as this has the look that everyone wants. I know a guy with a similar car that paid 12,500 for one of similar condition. I just can’t bear to know that the person that would buy it would likely chop it and destroy the originality.
Had a deal pass me by because I didn’t have the cash or space at the time. I met a local guy who had been collecting GTOs and parts (and related cars) for several years. All needing work, but many were restorable. He was renting an old warehouse to store this stuff in, but the owner had sold the building and the new owner was tearing it down, so he needed to liquidate cars fast.
He offered me a package of three 1967 GTO hardtops. None were complete or drivable, but there appeared to be enough parts to build one really nice car, one okay car, and junk the rest / sell as parts. All for $3000 in 1992, and I probably could have negotiated additional parts and / or a lower price.
He also offered a package of two complete 1964 GTO convertibles plus extra parts for them. Both needed a lot of work, but tempting at $4000.
Unfortunately when I finally did have some cash and space he and the cars were long gone.
I bought a 61 300G last year for $4200. Took me 5 years to get it. Took a week to get it running. Probably the best buy I’ll ever get in my life.
A buddy at work was married with a child and another on the way. He knew I was into Mopars. he sold me his ’70 roadrunner sixpack 4 speed for $1000. It was a project mind you but everything was there including the original motor, trans and dana 60. That was in ’97. I restored it and still own it.
’87 Buick Regal Turbo “T”. Most people have no idea what they are. Every body knows Grand Nationals. What they don’t know is the “T”is the same only has aluminum bumper supports. That makes it a couple hundred lbs lighter and faster. Plus, it came in colors other than black. I should probably keep it a secret so the prices will stay down!
My brother owns a ’64 Chevelle SS convert with a 383 and TH350. The previous owner was self-employed and was having a kid. He was a friend and needed to pay for the hospital, so he borrowed some money from my brother and put up the car as collateral.
Some time later he ran into cash problems again and borrowed more. Was up to $5K at that point. Over a year passed and he hadn’t made a payment. When asked when he would repay he said to just keep the car and signed it over.
Sure not 283?
It’s a 383. Not the stock motor but a “stroker”
Thought maybe it was a typo
3 years ago my woman and I were at the local swap meet. One of the venders told me of a old French car for sale at a Estate sale. We drove to the sale and before I could stop the car Amy was out of the car saying “I want it” The car was a 1937 Citroen Traction Advant. The owner had passed away a few months earlier and the car was for sale to split the proceeds between family members. After “wheeling and dealing” we traded my 1973 Volkswagen Bug and 3000 dollars. The Volkswagen I had just bought a month earlier for 500 dollars and drove it home on a 150 mile journey. I bought the Bug from a 96 year old lady who owned the car since new. She cried at DMV when we did the paper work saying it was her baby and please take care of her. The Citroen had a problem with the lifters sticking and after A LOT of working the intake valves free fixing that problem “Thor” is a daily driver. Anyone interested in seeing photos Google 1937 Citroen and look for AMYS37 on the plates. Wonderful old car and Amy loves it.
Was surfing through craigslist a few weeks back and a ’41 Ford Convertible popped up. Asking price was $21,000. I called and hurried over to take a look. Within 5 minutes of arriving (I was first in line) there was four other guys, one with an empty car trailer, in line to “take a look”. Needless to say I purchased it (full asking price) which resulted in four very upset people watching me drive it off. Fully restored, 350/350, power brakes, Vintage Air, etc…..
Owned it three days and took it to a local car show and WON FIRST PLACE in it’s category (pre 1949). Latest offer is up to 40K. The wife says it’s a keeper and has even given the car a name.
Yes, Virginia, there is indeed (still) a Santa Claus……..
Unfortunately, as always, it’s the priciest cars that appreciate the most, and the rich get richer. At the blue collar end of the spectrum, you have to expect to pay for the enjoyment, with little or no monetary return.