ques for old car buffs, starting to look
- Thread starter gregm
- Start date
Help Support :
Just what kind of (fully restored) vintage convertible are you looking for, at 15K----a VW maybe?
AND the Spring ALWAYS commands the highest prices for convertibles----which already command high prices.
You can go to a couple of good sources online:
Hemmings.com
oldcartrader.com
At least you can see what people are asking.
Good Luck!
AND the Spring ALWAYS commands the highest prices for convertibles----which already command high prices.
You can go to a couple of good sources online:
Hemmings.com
oldcartrader.com
At least you can see what people are asking.
Good Luck!
mustangman
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2006
- Messages
- 145
Prices Vary
Greg,
This is the fourth time I have tried to save this message.Somehow it does not want to save my photo of my car. Gyrafoam is correct. This is not the good time to get a convertible. Prices go up begining in the spring through summer. Being in MA and back East you may need to look out for rust. I have a 64 1/2 Mustang, hence the name on AW. Mustangs are prone to rust or as car collectors call it CANCER. I got my Mustang in California. I'm the third owner and the two previous owners were in California. When I got the car in 2001 it still had the original California license plates, Black background with gold lettering. The guy who got my car goes to SWAP MEETS REGULARLY IN CALIFORNIA AND ARIZONIA. I can give you his name. He can pick up any model as long as it is for sale and he will check it out from top to bottom. He did on mine. He looked underneath and everything. I paid $13,500 and all I have done is some mechanical work. It still uses a generator to start. I had to replace it and some other engine parts but what do you expect for a 43 year old car. YOU CAN BET AND TAKE THIS ADVICE TO THER BANK, I HAVE FOUND IT IS EASIER TO RESTORE AN OLD CAR THAN IT IS TO FIND PARTS FOR A 1964 FRIGIDAIRE DRYER. Car parts are easier to find and some manufacturers are reproducing OEM parts. I know they are for the Mustang.
Rich
Greg,
This is the fourth time I have tried to save this message.Somehow it does not want to save my photo of my car. Gyrafoam is correct. This is not the good time to get a convertible. Prices go up begining in the spring through summer. Being in MA and back East you may need to look out for rust. I have a 64 1/2 Mustang, hence the name on AW. Mustangs are prone to rust or as car collectors call it CANCER. I got my Mustang in California. I'm the third owner and the two previous owners were in California. When I got the car in 2001 it still had the original California license plates, Black background with gold lettering. The guy who got my car goes to SWAP MEETS REGULARLY IN CALIFORNIA AND ARIZONIA. I can give you his name. He can pick up any model as long as it is for sale and he will check it out from top to bottom. He did on mine. He looked underneath and everything. I paid $13,500 and all I have done is some mechanical work. It still uses a generator to start. I had to replace it and some other engine parts but what do you expect for a 43 year old car. YOU CAN BET AND TAKE THIS ADVICE TO THER BANK, I HAVE FOUND IT IS EASIER TO RESTORE AN OLD CAR THAN IT IS TO FIND PARTS FOR A 1964 FRIGIDAIRE DRYER. Car parts are easier to find and some manufacturers are reproducing OEM parts. I know they are for the Mustang.
Rich
southernmdgeguy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2005
- Messages
- 254
Greg,
If you look for a non-muscle car such as a larger american car, you can find really nice ones for 15K. I have seen some nice cars such as a 65 Pontiac Catalina for that price, that have been totally restored and are better than they were new, with nice 389 engines and room for 5. Spring Carlisle (in PA) would be a great weekend trip for you to check out, a LOT of cars for sale, a lot of junk patched up to sell, but if you know what you are looking for, you can find some nice ones there. Date this year is April 18-22. Traffic getting in and out of there,, be patient.. They also have brand specific meets such as an all Ford event June 1-3, GM 22-24 and Chrysler July 6-8. You will pay more for mid size cars such as Chevelles, Chargers, etc. Just depends on what you are looking for. I would be willing to help in any way I can on your search. I am restoring a 68 Impala SS Convertible myself.
Scott
If you look for a non-muscle car such as a larger american car, you can find really nice ones for 15K. I have seen some nice cars such as a 65 Pontiac Catalina for that price, that have been totally restored and are better than they were new, with nice 389 engines and room for 5. Spring Carlisle (in PA) would be a great weekend trip for you to check out, a LOT of cars for sale, a lot of junk patched up to sell, but if you know what you are looking for, you can find some nice ones there. Date this year is April 18-22. Traffic getting in and out of there,, be patient.. They also have brand specific meets such as an all Ford event June 1-3, GM 22-24 and Chrysler July 6-8. You will pay more for mid size cars such as Chevelles, Chargers, etc. Just depends on what you are looking for. I would be willing to help in any way I can on your search. I am restoring a 68 Impala SS Convertible myself.
Scott
dnastrau
Well-known member
Hi gregm:
You can also go on Ebay Motors and look at "completed auctions" to see what cars have sold for on there in different categories. Of course, buying a car sight unseen is a huge risk - pictures displayed on line often hide many issues. Good luck in your quest.
Andrew S.
You can also go on Ebay Motors and look at "completed auctions" to see what cars have sold for on there in different categories. Of course, buying a car sight unseen is a huge risk - pictures displayed on line often hide many issues. Good luck in your quest.
Andrew S.
eBay Motors: Auto Parts and Vehicles | eBay
eBay Motors makes it easy to find parts for cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles & more. We even offer a massive selection of new & pre-owned classics, hot rods, exotics, vans, ATVs, RVs, boats and more at eBay Motors. Shop for your next vehicle, or start selling in a marketplace with 171 million buyers.
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thanks all
hey guys, thats great info and I appreciate it, I wanted to go to Carlisle, PA this year but I will be in FL next week so thats out. My brother usually goes down to that show every year with a bud of his. So I will keep you posted as to how things progress. Scott, I like the "Pontiac Catalina" idea. I would love a 60's camaro or charger but I know they are well over 20k and I don't want to spend that much and don't necessarily need a "muscle" car. I like the "bigger" cars anyways that can seat five or six.
hey guys, thats great info and I appreciate it, I wanted to go to Carlisle, PA this year but I will be in FL next week so thats out. My brother usually goes down to that show every year with a bud of his. So I will keep you posted as to how things progress. Scott, I like the "Pontiac Catalina" idea. I would love a 60's camaro or charger but I know they are well over 20k and I don't want to spend that much and don't necessarily need a "muscle" car. I like the "bigger" cars anyways that can seat five or six.
For $15K you might have to settle for something more mid-sized and less sporty than the more popular and desirable convertibles. I just sold my '64 Lincoln convertible that needed total cosmetics late last summer. I've been considering replacing it with something less complicated. You might find something like a Dart or Valiant or maybe a Falcon or a Nova, hopefully with largest engine available, or possibly something more mid-sized like the Fairlane genere. Of course, I'm speaking from experience with California pricing and you might find things cheaper in less of a car-culture area. You won't find a 4-door model of anything in a convertible (other than my above stated Lincoln) from '55 to '70 range so you might have to scale down on that 5-or-6 passenger goal.
It would be quite difficult to find a 1961-1967 Lincoln Continental convertible in any sort of decent shape for 15K! The prices on those glorious old barges have really taken off. Then, you can plan to put another 40-50K in it to have a truly "restored" beautiful car. Of course, if you just want a weekend driver, then about 25K will get you in the door with a nice one. Cadillacs and Chrysler Imperials (converts) are headed the same way, if not already there.
gregm
I think this is just what you are looking for!!
It's a Chevy 789....google it
View attachment 4-10-2007-19-28-54--maytagmom.jpg
I think this is just what you are looking for!!
It's a Chevy 789....google it
View attachment 4-10-2007-19-28-54--maytagmom.jpg
One reason why fully restored convertibles may be more expensive and harder to find is that they deteriorate so much faster than a hard top car. The older American rag top usually leaks from day one, the sun does its number on it in a few years, the plastic rear windows yellow, scratch, or fog up rapidly, and the whole assembly whistles in the wind at highway speeds. But they are quite cute and stylish in good weather.
One reservation I've always had about old convertibles is that there is little to no roll-over protection. But then older cars generally have a host of safety issues; you have to figure out effective ways to address the risks or suffer the consequences (as with motorcycles!).
I passed on a chance to snag a '64 Valiant convertible about five years ago. Still not sure is would have been a good acquisition - cosmetically is was ok (needed some work), but the motor ran rough (might have been bad motor mounts) and the tranny leaked copiously. Both fixable... but as I told the seller, I felt I didn't need yet another project.
One reservation I've always had about old convertibles is that there is little to no roll-over protection. But then older cars generally have a host of safety issues; you have to figure out effective ways to address the risks or suffer the consequences (as with motorcycles!).
I passed on a chance to snag a '64 Valiant convertible about five years ago. Still not sure is would have been a good acquisition - cosmetically is was ok (needed some work), but the motor ran rough (might have been bad motor mounts) and the tranny leaked copiously. Both fixable... but as I told the seller, I felt I didn't need yet another project.
Dave, you might be surprised at what $15K will get you in a 61-67 Lincoln convertible. My '64 ran great, everything worked including the top, but it needed total cosmetics. It was fun to drive, it really liked to move, took off like a shot and didn't behave like a barge unless you wanted it to. But due to what it costs to restore a car like that, after a lot of research and being open to parting with the car for a couple of years and entertaining offers over that time, I let it go for $4500. Believe me, I did a lot of investigation and comparing before accepting that amount. These cars simply do not command a high price unless they don't need much work. Any buyer's guide will bear me out on this.
I didn't mean to imply that you could find a nice one for $15K, that would be more like $20K or above, but for $15K you could probably find a respectable one. These are great cars, extremely well made, fairly easy to work on and start up faithfully even when they're allowed to sit for long periods. I would have liked to trade mine for a '63 sedan in better shape, but finding a situation like that proved impossible. I couldn't afford to restore it so I just kept driving it to keep it from becoming a parts car for somebody. As it was, I needed the room in my garage and I had had my fun with the car over a period of about 20 years so when a truly interested party came along last year, I let it go. And I was very happy to have my daily driver warm and dry in the garage as I left for work every morning this past winter. I don't miss the convertible at all even though it was an absolute pleasure to drive. I inherited it as a project from my dad but it was way too high profile for me, although my attention-starved partner loved it. At this point I'm ready for an old limo with blacked-out windows!
Ralph
I didn't mean to imply that you could find a nice one for $15K, that would be more like $20K or above, but for $15K you could probably find a respectable one. These are great cars, extremely well made, fairly easy to work on and start up faithfully even when they're allowed to sit for long periods. I would have liked to trade mine for a '63 sedan in better shape, but finding a situation like that proved impossible. I couldn't afford to restore it so I just kept driving it to keep it from becoming a parts car for somebody. As it was, I needed the room in my garage and I had had my fun with the car over a period of about 20 years so when a truly interested party came along last year, I let it go. And I was very happy to have my daily driver warm and dry in the garage as I left for work every morning this past winter. I don't miss the convertible at all even though it was an absolute pleasure to drive. I inherited it as a project from my dad but it was way too high profile for me, although my attention-starved partner loved it. At this point I'm ready for an old limo with blacked-out windows!
Ralph
Greg,How about a 1926 Buick Standard. I have one for sale? Gary
Thoughts on old cars . . .
Wanting a big car is better than wanting a ponycar or muscle car when it comes to getting a good car in your price range. I’ve meddled around with old cars for nearly thirty years and pretty much without exception sports cars and sporty cars command the highest prices, whether you’re talking Fords or Mercedes-Benzes. After that comes luxury cars. This means you may be able to get the best deal on a nice big comfortable convertible which is far from sporty but also not a full-fledged luxury make like Cadillac or Lincoln.
In the US performance cars were standard size until the intermediate or mid-sized cars came out around ‘64. That year GM introduced the Chevelle, and made the Tempest, F-85, and Skylark large enough to take a standard V-8 in lieu of the small aluminum Buick (and later Range Rover) V-8. Ford enlarged Fairlane shortly thereafter, Chrysler brought out the Plymouth Satellite and Dodge Coronet and by ‘66 most every make had an intermediate sized car. In the same era came the first ponycars, the Mustang and Barracuda, then in ‘67 the Camaro and Firebird. All of this action took some of the sexiness out of full-sized cars, and is why prices for a late ‘60s big car are usually less than for an early’60s model.
I’d suggest looking for a big Ford or GM car from the late sixties through the early ‘70s. Ford made full sized convertibles through ‘72, while GM took them through ‘75 (‘76 for the Eldorado). By the early ‘70s a lot of people feared that legislation would outlaw convertibles totally. The ‘76 Eldo was often believed to be the “last American convertible”. This eventually proved untrue, but it did mean that those early ‘70s convertibles kept their value pretty well for years and some of them became collector cars early instead of being driven into the ground. Now the big money goes for earlier cars which makes them a good value. Later cars also have disc brakes on the front and were designed and supplied with seat belts, which makes them safer than the ‘50s and early ‘60s cars.
Buick LeSabres and Centurions and Olds 88s might be real sleepers, in that they are still good collectibles but Fords and Chevys usually generate more interest. The Pontiac Catalina is worth considering, but remember that an early to mid ‘60s Catalina with a big engine is of definite interest to the muscle car crowd and prices rise accordingly. A Mercury Monterey or Marquis could be another sleeper. All of these cars should seat five easily and six in a pinch.
Parts supplies are all over the place with old cars. Fords, Chevys, and Cadillacs are the best served American makes, although the year and model can make a lot of difference. Pontiac, Buick, and Olds are a little harder. Mercuries are of course mechanically identical to Fords with rare exceptions, but body parts and trim are usually different and can be difficult. Chrysler products are in a similar situation in that basic mechanical parts aren’t so hard because they were usually shared by Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth and in production for years and years, but body and trim parts varied from make to make and year to year. Best advice: don’t buy a car that needs any new trim items, even little ones like sun visors, as they can be unique to one year and even to convertibles.
Be careful about the word “restored”. To fully restore a car is to take it all apart, inspect the components, replace any that don’t meet factory standards, and then reassemble it and refinish it to factory (or often better) standards. Very few cars of any sort (including lots of exotics) are worth the huge expenditure required for this. An acquaintance of mine recently had the engine rebuilt in his ‘65 Catalina convertible. It wasn’t blown, just worn from over 40 years of use. The rebuild cost was about $6000 from a mechanic experienced in old Pontiacs. Figure that for a basic bare metal paint job you’d spend $7500 or more, and once a car has been repainted more than once this is about the only way to get a factory-quality finish. Add in rebuilt steering and brakes, interior, electrical, tires, etc. and you can see why it is pretty much impossible to restore an entire car for $15,000, let alone buy one, do the work, and sell if for a profit. For that reason I’d be suspicious of anyone selling a car that looks to have new paint and interior and engine, etc, for that price.
Every once in awhile someone will spend a lot more on a car than it’s worth, and then have to sell it at a loss, which is great if you’re the buyer. More likely a car with new everything has a lot of stuff that has been poorly done. A buddy of mine bought a nice ‘60 Coupe de Ville a few years ago. Luckily for him he grew up with those cars and knew from the moment he sat on the new-looking upholstery that it wasn’t right, and negotiated accordingly. It turned out that the previous owner had had the upholstery redone, but didn’t have the seats restuffed. When they were finally redone correctly the shop found all sorts of random foam padding stuffed into the worn-out original seat, which of course made the feel of the seat anything but Cadillac quality. The same sort of thing can happen with engines that need an overbore and new pistons, but instead get only new rings. The rings may seal up fine for awhile, but won’t give a good service life because the engine internals are out of spec. Convertibles are especially vulnerable to this kind of messing around because they are worth more and easier to sell than hardtops and sedans and thus tempting targets for budget restorations.
Some warning signs:
-Wildly uneven panel gaps. You can’t expect credit-card thin Lexus panel gaps on a forty year old car, as standards were different then, but they should be consistent and even. Big gaps on one side of the car and small ones on the other, or gaps that go from thick to thin usually mean poorly repaired accident damage. Likewise, bumpers should fit evenly.
-Shiny paint with lots of overspray in door jambs and on rubber sealing strips - if the painter couldn’t be bothered to mask correctly why would he bother to take the time to prep correctly before painting? Non-period colors are another issue.
-Upholstery that looks good but fits poorly. Either this a poor installation, or as noted above the seats themselves needed rebuilding and didn’t get it.
-Convertible tops that fit poorly, especially around the windshield. Eventually the frame of the top will get worn from going up and down, and won't fit right. My sister's '66 Corvette has this trouble, and you don't want to know the rebuild cost! I've also heard of problems with some shops used to working on Miatas and small BMW convertibles that just don't have the expertise to install and adjust a new top on one of the old big American convertibles.
-Incorrect whitewalls. I’ve seen lots of mid to late ‘60s cars with huge, ‘50s style whitewalls instead of the smaller whitewalls that came in about ‘61-‘62. It looks bad, and tells you that the seller cares little about originality.
-Modern radios - there are some retrofit kits for certain old cars that allow a modern radio to fit correctly in the dash, but often new black plastic radios just look awful in an old dashboard. And, once the old radio is gone it may be hard and expensive to replace. New radios are best under the dash, with the old one still in place even if it is disconnected.
-Engines that run roughly and are too loud and/or smelly. When new, most American V-8s were smooth and quiet, excepting a few rare super high performance models,. They also didn’t stink of unburned gas from the tailpipe. Poor running may just mean a new carburettor is needed, or it may mean the engine is plain worn out. If the seller says it just needs a tune-up, get him to do it! If possible, have a mechanic who knows old cars run a compression test on the engine.
Overall, I’d hunt for a good, original car with a history which has clearly been well cared for over the years. I think that for your budget you should be able to find a good selection of cars to suit your needs. As noted by others here, Hemmings is a great source, not only of cars for sale but also parts and information. For instance, if you find a ‘68 Delta 88 that looks and runs well, but has some pitted chrome that bugs you, you can always look in the Oldsmobile section and see what vendors handle this kind of stuff. A couple of phone calls and you’ll probably have a good idea of whether that part is available or if you should just pass on the car. Happy hunting!
Wanting a big car is better than wanting a ponycar or muscle car when it comes to getting a good car in your price range. I’ve meddled around with old cars for nearly thirty years and pretty much without exception sports cars and sporty cars command the highest prices, whether you’re talking Fords or Mercedes-Benzes. After that comes luxury cars. This means you may be able to get the best deal on a nice big comfortable convertible which is far from sporty but also not a full-fledged luxury make like Cadillac or Lincoln.
In the US performance cars were standard size until the intermediate or mid-sized cars came out around ‘64. That year GM introduced the Chevelle, and made the Tempest, F-85, and Skylark large enough to take a standard V-8 in lieu of the small aluminum Buick (and later Range Rover) V-8. Ford enlarged Fairlane shortly thereafter, Chrysler brought out the Plymouth Satellite and Dodge Coronet and by ‘66 most every make had an intermediate sized car. In the same era came the first ponycars, the Mustang and Barracuda, then in ‘67 the Camaro and Firebird. All of this action took some of the sexiness out of full-sized cars, and is why prices for a late ‘60s big car are usually less than for an early’60s model.
I’d suggest looking for a big Ford or GM car from the late sixties through the early ‘70s. Ford made full sized convertibles through ‘72, while GM took them through ‘75 (‘76 for the Eldorado). By the early ‘70s a lot of people feared that legislation would outlaw convertibles totally. The ‘76 Eldo was often believed to be the “last American convertible”. This eventually proved untrue, but it did mean that those early ‘70s convertibles kept their value pretty well for years and some of them became collector cars early instead of being driven into the ground. Now the big money goes for earlier cars which makes them a good value. Later cars also have disc brakes on the front and were designed and supplied with seat belts, which makes them safer than the ‘50s and early ‘60s cars.
Buick LeSabres and Centurions and Olds 88s might be real sleepers, in that they are still good collectibles but Fords and Chevys usually generate more interest. The Pontiac Catalina is worth considering, but remember that an early to mid ‘60s Catalina with a big engine is of definite interest to the muscle car crowd and prices rise accordingly. A Mercury Monterey or Marquis could be another sleeper. All of these cars should seat five easily and six in a pinch.
Parts supplies are all over the place with old cars. Fords, Chevys, and Cadillacs are the best served American makes, although the year and model can make a lot of difference. Pontiac, Buick, and Olds are a little harder. Mercuries are of course mechanically identical to Fords with rare exceptions, but body parts and trim are usually different and can be difficult. Chrysler products are in a similar situation in that basic mechanical parts aren’t so hard because they were usually shared by Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth and in production for years and years, but body and trim parts varied from make to make and year to year. Best advice: don’t buy a car that needs any new trim items, even little ones like sun visors, as they can be unique to one year and even to convertibles.
Be careful about the word “restored”. To fully restore a car is to take it all apart, inspect the components, replace any that don’t meet factory standards, and then reassemble it and refinish it to factory (or often better) standards. Very few cars of any sort (including lots of exotics) are worth the huge expenditure required for this. An acquaintance of mine recently had the engine rebuilt in his ‘65 Catalina convertible. It wasn’t blown, just worn from over 40 years of use. The rebuild cost was about $6000 from a mechanic experienced in old Pontiacs. Figure that for a basic bare metal paint job you’d spend $7500 or more, and once a car has been repainted more than once this is about the only way to get a factory-quality finish. Add in rebuilt steering and brakes, interior, electrical, tires, etc. and you can see why it is pretty much impossible to restore an entire car for $15,000, let alone buy one, do the work, and sell if for a profit. For that reason I’d be suspicious of anyone selling a car that looks to have new paint and interior and engine, etc, for that price.
Every once in awhile someone will spend a lot more on a car than it’s worth, and then have to sell it at a loss, which is great if you’re the buyer. More likely a car with new everything has a lot of stuff that has been poorly done. A buddy of mine bought a nice ‘60 Coupe de Ville a few years ago. Luckily for him he grew up with those cars and knew from the moment he sat on the new-looking upholstery that it wasn’t right, and negotiated accordingly. It turned out that the previous owner had had the upholstery redone, but didn’t have the seats restuffed. When they were finally redone correctly the shop found all sorts of random foam padding stuffed into the worn-out original seat, which of course made the feel of the seat anything but Cadillac quality. The same sort of thing can happen with engines that need an overbore and new pistons, but instead get only new rings. The rings may seal up fine for awhile, but won’t give a good service life because the engine internals are out of spec. Convertibles are especially vulnerable to this kind of messing around because they are worth more and easier to sell than hardtops and sedans and thus tempting targets for budget restorations.
Some warning signs:
-Wildly uneven panel gaps. You can’t expect credit-card thin Lexus panel gaps on a forty year old car, as standards were different then, but they should be consistent and even. Big gaps on one side of the car and small ones on the other, or gaps that go from thick to thin usually mean poorly repaired accident damage. Likewise, bumpers should fit evenly.
-Shiny paint with lots of overspray in door jambs and on rubber sealing strips - if the painter couldn’t be bothered to mask correctly why would he bother to take the time to prep correctly before painting? Non-period colors are another issue.
-Upholstery that looks good but fits poorly. Either this a poor installation, or as noted above the seats themselves needed rebuilding and didn’t get it.
-Convertible tops that fit poorly, especially around the windshield. Eventually the frame of the top will get worn from going up and down, and won't fit right. My sister's '66 Corvette has this trouble, and you don't want to know the rebuild cost! I've also heard of problems with some shops used to working on Miatas and small BMW convertibles that just don't have the expertise to install and adjust a new top on one of the old big American convertibles.
-Incorrect whitewalls. I’ve seen lots of mid to late ‘60s cars with huge, ‘50s style whitewalls instead of the smaller whitewalls that came in about ‘61-‘62. It looks bad, and tells you that the seller cares little about originality.
-Modern radios - there are some retrofit kits for certain old cars that allow a modern radio to fit correctly in the dash, but often new black plastic radios just look awful in an old dashboard. And, once the old radio is gone it may be hard and expensive to replace. New radios are best under the dash, with the old one still in place even if it is disconnected.
-Engines that run roughly and are too loud and/or smelly. When new, most American V-8s were smooth and quiet, excepting a few rare super high performance models,. They also didn’t stink of unburned gas from the tailpipe. Poor running may just mean a new carburettor is needed, or it may mean the engine is plain worn out. If the seller says it just needs a tune-up, get him to do it! If possible, have a mechanic who knows old cars run a compression test on the engine.
Overall, I’d hunt for a good, original car with a history which has clearly been well cared for over the years. I think that for your budget you should be able to find a good selection of cars to suit your needs. As noted by others here, Hemmings is a great source, not only of cars for sale but also parts and information. For instance, if you find a ‘68 Delta 88 that looks and runs well, but has some pitted chrome that bugs you, you can always look in the Oldsmobile section and see what vendors handle this kind of stuff. A couple of phone calls and you’ll probably have a good idea of whether that part is available or if you should just pass on the car. Happy hunting!
tops down, prices up...
Good luck finding a convertible under $15K...the popular models, the 'Stangs, Impalas, Malibus, etc., are going to be more popular, thus, more expensive. You might consider one of the less popular models (the Rambler Americans, Classics and Ambassadors, the Pontiac Catalinas, etc...)--but that's balanced off by the lack of parts availability for some models. Be daring but be realistic!
Good luck finding a convertible under $15K...the popular models, the 'Stangs, Impalas, Malibus, etc., are going to be more popular, thus, more expensive. You might consider one of the less popular models (the Rambler Americans, Classics and Ambassadors, the Pontiac Catalinas, etc...)--but that's balanced off by the lack of parts availability for some models. Be daring but be realistic!
58limited
Well-known member
I'm back from Vega$
Hydralique gave a really good run-down on old cars.
I have found that prices vary in different regions. For instance, I have run across many decent (not perfect) non-popular mid 1960's to mid 70's convertibles for under $15,000 in various parts of Texas (away from Houston/Dallas areas). Non-popular models are mostly the full-sized (other than Lincoln or Cadillac) non-muscle cars from the late '60s into the mid-seventies. The Autorama show in Houston (Thanksgiving each year) has an auction. For the last several years, it has been a buyers market: my friend bought a '55 T-Bird in #3 condition for $13,500 (it has rare dealer installed A/C with the vents on the deck behind the seats), I saw a '61 Ford Starfire 2 door hardtop go for $3200 - a great price for its condition.
If you just want to drive and enjoy the car, find a nice original that needs very little major stuff. You can live with a few paint scratches and a little wear in the upholstery. If you want a show piece, then be prepared to spend quite a bit. If prices are high in your area, look around on the net. You might find a nice one elsewhere that is cheaper, even if it has to be shipped. I would not recommend driving one long distances until it is checked by a mechanic.
Remember, even if the car is not a muscle car, many of these big cars have lots of power (well over 300hp) and are really fun to drive.
Hydralique gave a really good run-down on old cars.
I have found that prices vary in different regions. For instance, I have run across many decent (not perfect) non-popular mid 1960's to mid 70's convertibles for under $15,000 in various parts of Texas (away from Houston/Dallas areas). Non-popular models are mostly the full-sized (other than Lincoln or Cadillac) non-muscle cars from the late '60s into the mid-seventies. The Autorama show in Houston (Thanksgiving each year) has an auction. For the last several years, it has been a buyers market: my friend bought a '55 T-Bird in #3 condition for $13,500 (it has rare dealer installed A/C with the vents on the deck behind the seats), I saw a '61 Ford Starfire 2 door hardtop go for $3200 - a great price for its condition.
If you just want to drive and enjoy the car, find a nice original that needs very little major stuff. You can live with a few paint scratches and a little wear in the upholstery. If you want a show piece, then be prepared to spend quite a bit. If prices are high in your area, look around on the net. You might find a nice one elsewhere that is cheaper, even if it has to be shipped. I would not recommend driving one long distances until it is checked by a mechanic.
Remember, even if the car is not a muscle car, many of these big cars have lots of power (well over 300hp) and are really fun to drive.
It's a toss-up, sort of. People who are into restoring old cars generally much prefer to get an original car that hasn't been monkeyed with. It's a lot easier to figure out what wore out or broke over the years, and replace it with something identical or very similar, than to try to figure out why nothing in the engine compartment looks, or works, quite right. And unfortunately the engine is the place where unskilled amateurs usually start, usually with less than desirable results.
On the other hand, you can't really count how much it really costs to restore a car yourself. Your time has a value, but if it's a hobby then who cares? The $6,000 figure for an engine rebuild seems rather extreme to me, but then when I rebuilt my '50 flathead six, I did all the dissassembly/assembly/fitting myself. Since I was a novice, I wound up rebuilding it twice before I got everything right. The second time was a charm, it burns no oil and runs well. The machining cost about $400, as I recall, the parts maybe $500. Put in forged pistons, tri-metal bearings, etc. But of course I also probably put in about 100 hours which would certainly drive up the price into the $6,000 range.
The other route is the one you're thinking of, a car that's already been restored. Sometimes you can luck out and find someone who knew what they were doing and just needs to turn over their collection, and are not so concerned with making a profit. More often you'll find something that was sort of done right and will need more work to correct the errors.
Parts for Chrysler products are MUCH harder to find than for GM (Chevy). You can almost build an entire Chevy of certain models/years from newly manufactured aftermarket parts. With my Plymouths, I've had to scour junkyards, Hemmings, classic car parts shops (fewer and fewer far between) to get necessry parts. NAPA auto parts stores can be a good source but they've been folding up and going out of business all over, and their stocked parts has dropped off a lot of older stuff. The nice part about older Chrysler products is that they often have superior engineering (if not manufacturing) and/or trend setting designs.
On the other hand, you can't really count how much it really costs to restore a car yourself. Your time has a value, but if it's a hobby then who cares? The $6,000 figure for an engine rebuild seems rather extreme to me, but then when I rebuilt my '50 flathead six, I did all the dissassembly/assembly/fitting myself. Since I was a novice, I wound up rebuilding it twice before I got everything right. The second time was a charm, it burns no oil and runs well. The machining cost about $400, as I recall, the parts maybe $500. Put in forged pistons, tri-metal bearings, etc. But of course I also probably put in about 100 hours which would certainly drive up the price into the $6,000 range.
The other route is the one you're thinking of, a car that's already been restored. Sometimes you can luck out and find someone who knew what they were doing and just needs to turn over their collection, and are not so concerned with making a profit. More often you'll find something that was sort of done right and will need more work to correct the errors.
Parts for Chrysler products are MUCH harder to find than for GM (Chevy). You can almost build an entire Chevy of certain models/years from newly manufactured aftermarket parts. With my Plymouths, I've had to scour junkyards, Hemmings, classic car parts shops (fewer and fewer far between) to get necessry parts. NAPA auto parts stores can be a good source but they've been folding up and going out of business all over, and their stocked parts has dropped off a lot of older stuff. The nice part about older Chrysler products is that they often have superior engineering (if not manufacturing) and/or trend setting designs.
